Night City Aliens: The Wandering Planet

Ch 6: A Devil is Born

"No! Please!" bang

Dominator pumped her shotgun, causing the used shell to pop out. With the last man's face turned into little more than gooey paste, she could take a moment to admire her work. Blood painted the walls and floors, and the splintered guts made it clear to all who entered just how gruesome her massacre was. Someone hired Padre to clear out the wannabe gang that had moved into the tiny warehouse, and he was right to pick her for the job.

This was her third successful gig since she started working for Padre a week earlier. The jobs paid well enough, and she got to keep anything she found so long as whatever the client requested was delivered. That's how she got her hands on a sweet pump-action shotgun and a bulletproof vest. Though it looked like her vest would have to be tossed, as she got a little too reckless with that fire fight just now.

Dominator located the requested data files by referencing the info Padre wrote down for her. She didn't have a way to download them, so she took the entire laptop. Then she set about looting all the ammo, guns, and paper eddies she could carry. Anything good she keeps and then sells the rest. She didn't find anything worth holding on to this time, but at least the Valentinos were always willing to buy.

Walking through the streets of Night City tended to be the low point of her day. Between the stench that never went away and street advertisements that always managed to drown out any hope of a peaceful stroll, Dominator hated her new home. In outer space she was a god, but down here she was V the common street thug. She was another face in a sea of millions. She was just another nobody, and no amount of slaughter was going to change that. If Dominator wanted to regain her godly status, she needed a plan. But first she needed a place to think, away from the rot and white noise.

She was about halfway back to Padre's gym when the sound of gun fire caught her attention. Dominator followed the sound, going against the flow of the panicking crowd. It led her to a car park where a bunch of Valentinos where duking it out with members of the Maelstrom gang.

Dominator didn't know much about Maelstrom. Apparently, they were from a northern part of the city and currently at odds with the Valentinos. They were also known for taking the whole cybernetics thing to an extreme. Maelstrom members were easy to spot, as most looked more like robots wearing skin suits than actual people. It wasn't uncommon for them to have wires sticking out of their bodies and they always replaced their eyes with glowing orange optics that often resembled arachnomorph eyes.

Dominator reached for her pistol, but hesitated. For the first time in her long life, she didn't want to fight. She had no reason to. She wasn't a Valentino. Jackie was, but she wasn't with Jackie anymore. He threw that out and sided with mommy dearest instead. She was alone.

With that depressing thought now invading her mind, Dominator turned around and continued towards Padre's.

---

"Uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis, siete, ocho, nueve, diez, once, doce," Padre counted out the 100€$ slips and handed them to the green mercenary. "1200 eddies, as promised. Good work V."

"Gracias," Dominator nodded to the fixer. She stood up to leave.

"Jackie was here earlier. He's worried about you," Padre said, causing her to freeze up. "It's not uncommon for friends to fight. The important thing is to forgive one another."

"No," Dominator said. She looked over her shoulder, making eye contact with the man. "No friends. Just V."

"Be careful, por favor. Night City is not kind to those unfamiliar with her ways. It would be wise to have a friend." Despite his warning, Padre only received a shrug in response.