Bob Biter

(Author's note: this story is set in the Cyberpunk world, created by William Gibson and made into a gaming system by Talsorian Games. All technical information regarding weapons, equipment, drugs and character types can be found in the Cyberpunk rulebook, as well as the Hardwired sourcebook. This is an original story that I was gonna run as an RPG on the Gaming board, but I can't fight the urge to actually write down my own view of what kind of campaign this would've been like. I hope you all enjoy it. Also, please forgive any short entries, as my computer access is sporadic at best).

_________________

A stack of files and random paperwork lay on Captain Ruis Esteban's desk. It took only 2 days in his new position as Chief of Night City#36 Police Precinct for him to be swamped with a workload that would've taken weeks to pile up back East. Taking a sip from what passed for coffee in this place, Esteban sat back in his chair and pondered his approach to the meeting that was to begin in a few minutes.

It was an event that would shape the battered precinct into something better. Indeed, if it didn't, the Combat Zone would get that much bigger and the good Captain just couldn't have that. Directly in front of him, a veritable shining beacon on the otherwise cluttered mess of his desk, were 6 dossiers that belonged to the people he would meet shortly. These six would HAVE to do. The department was severely short-staffed as it was, so hiring policies had loosened, but this was the problem. Cops would become corrupt by the street too easily, and would take all the precinct's knowledge into the hands of the very people Esteban hoped to keep docile: the inhabitants of Combat Zone Epsilon, one of the largest slums in Night City. Day in and day out, gunshots, screams and general panic could be heard easily from that god-forsaken place. #36 Precinct was located to the east of the sector, while Corporate neighbourhoods hugged the western edge. Well-paid corp guards always managed to keep the rabble of their grounds, which just made them push east even more savagely. Esteban sighed deeply.

Looking up at the clock, he saw that it was time to meet the rookies. Some were fresh out of the academy, some were dumped here by their respective, disgruntled captains and one had even requested a transfer here! This would be a most interesting afternoon...

__________________
A plan is just a list of things that don't happen.

vonstalhein

Why will it be an interesting afternoon? I'm curious to know more.

__________________
No Win No Fee

Bob Biter

(Author's note: As I've said, this will be an ongoing series of entries forming a story. My computer time is unpredictable, so some posts will be shorter than others, but there will always be more coming.)

The briefing room was brightly lit and the tensions could be cut with a dull knife. Around the large table sat 6 individuals all eyeing their neighbours, some furtively, some unabashedly. Leaning against the vid board was Lieutenant Bradley Cotton a tall, mustashioed man of athletic build. He exuded authority, as a second-in-command should, but seemed unwilling to use it, as he let the rookies mingle as they would.

3 men and 3 women sat facing each other. By some coincidence, each gender occupied one side of the table, as if a battle of the sexes was about to take place. Everyone knew better than to call attention to that though, as both men and women were very much equal in the eyes of the police department in Night City. Indeed, qualified staff was so sorely needed that stereotypes were virtually nonexistent, except perhaps in the mind of Lewis Meyner, one of the rookies waiting for the captain and the only one of them who had requested this precinct. He eyed the women across from him quizzically, as if gauging their use in such a ruff neighbourhood. After all, a 6-foot ex-merc that had seen actual battle was sure to press his will more readily than any green recruit could, especially if she stood a mere 5'6'', with curly red locks hanging freely to her shoulders.

Turning her eyes away from the flickering neon light that had occupied her attention for a moment, Victoria Hammond caught the bemused smirk on Officer Meyner's face. She sighed internally. It had started already. She could foresee exactly how the exchange would go, as she had had to sit through it countless times before at the academy... Looking at her name tag, Meyner leaned forward.

- "So tell me, Officer... Hammond. Are you excited to actually be in a real combat zone, with targets that actually shoot back?

Successfully suppressing a groan, Hammond imitated her most convincing teeny-bopper voice and demeanor, hair flicks and all, to answer this most pertinent question.

- "Oh my god yes! Isn't this, like, the coolest? I mean, look! My gun matches my uniform, my uniform matches my shoes, and my shoes match the retractable billy club that's gonna smack that, like, totally retarded smile right off of your good ol' boy face in, like, two seconds, sweetie!"

A round of ill-stifled laughs erupted all around the table, and even Lt. Cotton looked up and shook his head in amusement. Meyner sat back, his smirk gone. Although taken aback by the retort, he was glad she could actually stand up for herself. At least there was one that had less chance to buckle under the pressure. Glancing to his left at the two other men, He kept up his facade.

- "Well! Looks like we won't have to babysit one of them after all, eh boys?"

- "For the love of god, man! Do you have to be the basic, run-of-the-mill, token mysoginist here or what?"

Officer Curtis Boddin wanted to cut the conversation short, as he didn't want to risk having the Captain walk in on an argument between his newest arrivals. Such a thing wouldn't start things off on the right foot and he had lived through enough shit during his previous years in #11 Precinct that he had lost all taste for such shenanigans.

Seeing that he wasn't relaxing the mood at all, Meyner simply brushed off Boddin's comments with an exasperated wave and looked at the clock. Throughout the exchange, Lt. Cotton said nothing, but his sharp eyes collected a fair amount of data and clues. He hadn't yet heard a peep from the others, but the dynamics of the group were already being formed. Glancing at his watch, he noticed that Captain Esteban was running a tad late, which was most unusual of him.

__________________
A plan is just a list of things that don't happen.

Bob Biter

__________________
A plan is just a list of things that don't happen.

losthellhound

Great stuff, thanks for sharing. I love CyberPunk too so its a double treat

__________________
"Life is possible only with illusions. And so, the question for the science of mental health must become an absolutely new and revolutionary one, yet one that reflects the essence of the human condition: On what level of illusion does one live?"
-- Ernest Becker, The Denial of Death

Bob Biter

- "Alright, people. We don't have much time for this whole transition and integration process, as you can see the work is piling up."

Esteban tapped the stack of paperwork with a concerned look on his face. then seemed to relax a bit.

"However, since I have free reign as to how I use this precinct resources, both human and otherwise, I'm certain we can all work together just fine. Currently, all our sections, meaning Vice, Robbery, Homicide, and C-SWAT are all booked solid. As a result, our staff have little to no professional diversity, as we can't transfer anyone around without short-changing someone else. This is why I requested that new blood be pumped in here and trained separatly from the other sections, so as to be able to perform all of their functions. Furthermore..."

Ricks Marli's eyes widened as he straigthened himself. First, they made him choose between life in the hole or public service and now they wanted him to be "supercop"?

- "Wait a minute! You mean that each of us has to do the work that the other pi... I mean cops are already strung out over? How do you expect this to work out? Full cybernetic augmentation? A regular diet of uppers? What?"

Lt. Cotton quickly moved forward to speak for his Captain.

- "Listen, Marli. You're an officer of the law now, not a fixer. You're not making deals and talking to clients here. You're addressing a superior officer, so show the proper respect and while you're at it, let the Captain finish before you blurt out half-assed remarks!"

Sitting back and muttering vaguely audible retorts, Marli glared at Cotton and waited. Seemingly unphased, Esteban continued.

- "Even though you will all be expected to handle very different cases from all sections, most will involve field work, as Vice and C-SWAT are the most taxed areas of this precinct, with the highest turnaround rate. Robbery and homicide cases will be kept to a minimum. Also, each of you will always be partnered up with at least two other officers with the same case, so that it may be handled, quickly, efficiently and with the back-up of equally qualified staff. Now, since you will be working together so closely, it is my hope to have absolute trust between you all. To this end, I will make your dossiers a team matter and will expose them now."

A wave of incertitude washed over the rookies. Personal records were only looked into by Internal Affairs and even long-term partners rarely knew each other's full lives. Meyner and Marli seemed particularly agitated, while the rest merely waited for the inevitable to unfold. They all watched Captain Esteban spread out the files over the table and Lt. Cotton turn on the vid screen and dim the lights. Soon, the image of the first subject, Victoria Hammond, flickered to life.

- "So let's begin with Officer Victoria Hammond. Recent graduate from the academy with top marks in forensics and hand-to-hand combat. This is her first official assignment, so no black marks nor commendations yet. Evaluators noted a strong team spirit with leadership potential. Anything you would like to add, Hammond?"

- "They forgot my personal hygiene habits, which are impeccable."

The joke got only a few laughs, since the pervading nervousness held sway.

- "Um, right. Next we have Officer Lewis Meyner, a decorated veteran turned merc after the Panama conflicts. He has decided to switch to public service after a little spiff with a private trauma team ambulance service that attempted to scavenge a few of his teammates for parts after an altercation with a contracted target. Since the police offer more, shall we say, "protection" against such vandettas, I would think he made a wise decision. A realflesh covered cyberarm with concealed compartments, as well as extensive eye and ear augmentations make up his artificial enhancements. Officer Meyner's specialty is surveillance and tactical assault, although not in heavily populated urban areas."

- "Maybe so, said Meyner, but a few years with mercs will teach anyone that collateral damage is never good for anyone."

- "Fair enough, now let's move on to Detective Curtis Boddin, who was tranferred here after a falling out in #11 Precinct up north. Apparently, he uncovered a B & E racket headed by his counterparts in Robbery. Unfortunately, they were well connected and a transfer was ordered after they ceased their operations. Officer Boddin has 8 years of experience in Robbery as well as 3 in Internal Affairs, which made his investigative and interrogative skills quite sharp. He also received decent marksman scores and trains in a boxing gym regularly.

No comments were made, so Esteban moved on to the next file, which scrolled smoothly onto the screen.

- "Sergeant Carrie Perns has had extensive experience in Vice during her 7 years in Florida. She was instrumental in the dismantling of the Sala Cartel's Talahassee branch, for which she received a commendation and promotion. Sergeant Perns' undercover skills are legendary in her precinct, which of course meant a transfer to the West Coast, to decrease the chances of exposure. She is also an accomplished AV and automobile pilot with light visual and aural cyber enhancements. By the way, you will all have to receive ear jack implants for telecom purposes, as well as possible skinweave treatment, if C-SWAT cases pile up."

A few brows raised at this last statement, since it seemed that only Meyner and Perns had any sort of implants. Of course, minor cyberwear was common enough that most street punks had them as well, but there was just something about augmentation that didn't sit right with many people. However, if they did have to pull Cyberpsycho-SWAT detail, then they would have to take any edge they could get, since they would have to go after people who got themselves wired so extensively that all their humanity slipped away, leaving a marauding, rabid metal monster for other to put down.

__________________
A plan is just a list of things that don't happen.

Bob Biter

After letting that last statement sink in, Esteban moved on to the next rookie:

- "Officer Chie Sugawara is also a fresh graduate from the academy and this will be her first assignment. She first applied for military service, but was turned down because of bigoted selection personnel. Family history indicates both military and civil service throughout, specifically in North Honshu, Japan and the West Coast. She set a new record for negotiation tactics by resolving a close-quarters bank hostage exercise in 5 1/2 minutes."

- "How the hell did you manage that?" said Perns, raising an eyebrow.

- "I told the guy we'd been following him for weeks, and the money he wanted to leave with was fake and planted a few days before."

- "And he bought that?"

- "No, but the split second he looked down to the bags were enough for a headshot."

Silence feel once again upon the assembled group, mostly fueled by the stunned disbelief that such a smooth-voiced woman could be capable of such efficient cold-heartedness. After a noticeable pause, the Captain continued.

- "Finally, we have Ricks Marli. Ex-fixer turned informer, turned cop. Evidently, his business contacts were becoming a little too hot, which prompted a few betrayals in Miami, New Orleans and in the Southwest. Furthermore, since turning state's evidence, while being healthy, is not personally lucrative, Mr. Marli decided to go the full nine and is now know as Officer Marli. We now have access to his extensive street knowledge, as well as contacts that haven't clued in on his switch."

Carrie Perns eyed Marli for the duration of his introduction, still coming to grips with working with an ex-criminal. She now remembered his indirect link to the Sala Cartel, acting as an information broker for middle-men. Nothing to concrete, but still something to watch out for. He could still be a plant, for all she knew... While she was pondering this, Esteban turned off the screen and the lights went back up. Meyer spoke up.

- "Wait a second, what about the management? Aren't we lowly peons gonna be privy to all the dirty details of our Lieutenant and Captain?"

- "Of course you will, replied Esteban, but I thought we'd just tell you ourselves without the help of the screen. Now, Lt. Cotton, if you please."

Cotton obligingly stepped forward to introduce himself to the group.

__________________
A plan is just a list of things that don't happen.

Bob Biter

- "Lieutenant Bradley Cotton. I've been posted here for around 6 years heading up C-SWAT, dealing with overmodified criminals that go ballistic due to a complete disintegration of empathy and humanity. I'll be handing out Cyberpsycho detail as it comes up, but be advised we already have a half-dozen cases on standby..."

Most of the recruits thoughts flash to the screamsheets they had seen headlining cases of cyberpsychosis. The news pages unabashedly showed photo after gruesome photo of the prelude and aftermath of a police take-down. Even trained C-SWAT operatives fell in droves before taking a single overly modified human down. Weapons used were of the light to medium artillery type, so deaths were always messy and bodies seldomly recognizable.

- "I've had some military experience, but mostly involving internal conflicts against overzealous corporate forces on hostile takeover benders. I will be responsible for your heavy weapons training, as well as supervising any modifications you might undergo."

As he spoke, light furtively shone off his cybernetic arm. Unlike most fashion-minded solos and cops, Lt. Cotton had chosen to go with the standard industry model, without realskin or designer chrome covering. It was all gun metal and pistons, which did not inspire calm, but helped during conflicts. His left eye had also been replace with obvious cybernetics and there was not telling what had been changed inside the rest of his body. Meyer even wondered if Cotton would one need to be taken care of...

His short presentation over, it was now the good Captain's turn.

- "As you all know by now, I lead not only this precinct, but this happy little band of hopefuls. Before my assignment here, I was handling cases in Atlantic City, first as Lieutenant, then as Captain, for 5 years each. I had done a 1-year round in each major department, Vice, Robbery, Homicide and Internal Affairs, before entering management. My transfer here was not entirely my idea, but I've decided to make the most of it by pushing for a bigger budget and acquiring you people. I won't lie to you, both the Mayor and Governor expect fast and positive results, so I have a lot riding on you."

- "Great, Interjected Marli, so you DO want supercops..."

- "In a sense, yes, replied Esteban, but burning you out is not an option, hence my desire to split you guys into teams to better handle the workload. When one team handles Vice or the lag from Homicide, the other will take on C-SWAT duties. Your cases may become intertwined, as this sector boasts quite a few illegal ripper doc clinics, but that's a good thing. Everyone will always be on the same page. I will hold the fort here for Vice and Homicide, while Cotton will supervise C-SWAT."

The tension eased slightly. Captain Esteban clearly had a well laid out plan. All that was left for them to do was not screw it up in the field.

__________________
A plan is just a list of things that don't happen.