008: Ballroom Blitz

"I'm reaching out for something
Touching nothing is all I ever do

Oh, I softly call you over

When you appear there's nothing left of you, ah-ha"

*- Ballroom Blitz* by Sweet

## Session Summary

The Runaways were running. Down on Bit Chaos, Fridge, K2, Nova and Smoke broke off from the main road and disappeared into an alley. Fridge started to attempt to fix his jammed mantis blade while Smoke attempted to recover from the AJ4X program. K2 went to help with that, and Nova started to calm Fridge down. K2 started to explain more about Ink and about who she was: and old associate who had become more than a little obsessed with K2 during their time together, and had drifted down the road of cyberpsychosis. Now, it was clear that they had not only teamed up with AJ4X, but also was probably responsible for the EMP bomb in Watson several nights before.

Nova suggested that they head to Doc Hazzard's, and as they all turned to exit the alley, their exit was cut off by a Trauma Team AV. They deployed into the alley, and immediately approached Smoke. They identified Smoke was "Ms. Arasaka," and while she was very confused, Smoke ended up going with them. Fridge, K2, and Nova all followed in Gamara, while Smoke messaged Kerry from the interior of the AV. The members of Trauma Team explained that they had been dispatched as according to the Platinum Plan that Chiyo Arasaka was protected under. Several scans and diagnostics later, and they were still telling Smoke that they had the right person. They quickly medicated them for their intercranial trauma and other medical issues that they were presenting on the way to the City Center Medical Building. In the meantime, the Runaways drove to the Medical Building, making their way past dozens of protestors declaring an end to medical care for profit, staring down a line of aggressive looking members of the NCPD.

Smoke was brought to an executive room where the staff treated their injuries quickly. The Runaways met back up in their room, when Smoke was still very confused and overwhelmed. While they were discussing what this could mean, a nurse entered the room and said that Goro Takemura would be coming in soon to check on "Chiyo." The Runaways discussed it if would be better to run or stay, but opted to stay if only to gain more insight. Takemura entered, and it was very clear that he knew Smoke on some personal level, and seemed quite saddened when he realized that she did not recognize him. Initially, he said he was there to bring Smoke back to Arasaka Tower, but the group was able to convince him that Smoke needed to stay on the investigation into who AJ4X was and what Alt Cunningham was up to. Goro agreed to this, but mentioned that Yorinobu was worried about her, and it took Goro's insistence to come instead of Adam Smasher. The conversation was interrupted when a nurse said that Kerry Eurodyne was here to visit. Goro departed, and Kerry entered, and everyone agreed that getting out as soon as possible was the best option. They left to head to the Afterlife bar.

The Runaways took a much-needed rest in a bad room that was probably Rogue's own private quarters, dividing up among the various horizontal surfaces to get some rest. When they woke up, Kerry took to ordering food while Fridge continued the conversation from the back alley: they all needed to talk, and he had just the place for it. Taking charge (a rare mood for him), Fridge walked out to the booths in the Afterlife, and stopped at the one that had previously belonged to the Runaways. A group of three edgerunners occupied the space, their symbol plastered up on the wall. They identified themselves as the Dukes, and told the quartet that had arrived to eat pavement.

So, the Runaways made examples of them. With some expertly dosed out violence, the Dukes left broken and bleeding in both body and pride, and the Runaways reclaimed the booth. Smoke and K2 proceeded to tag the wall with the Runaways' tag, and scrapped paint off to uncover the names of the older members. Smoke also encouraged the newest members to sign the wall, all of this while settling in to have that conversation.

Confessions were made.

Fridge said that he was afraid he was a werewolf (saying he heard about them being creatures in the Badlands,) but what he really meant was that he was afraid of this rage that lived inside of him.

K2 explained who Ink was; a former colleague that had helped K2 significantly when they first came to Night City, who developed an obsession with them. who later turned cyberpsycho in some pursuit of perfection, who seemed to have continued down that path even after K2 parted ways with her. Since then, whenever they crosssed paths, it has been met with this obsessive violence, though they didn't know Ink had fallen in with AJ4X somehow.

Smoke admitted that the reason she was taking things to rough when it came to Johnny Silverhand was because she didn't just know him, she was in love with him, but cared too much for Kerry and Rogue to initially get involved. She was there the night at the Hammer club at Johnny's invitation, and when she heard him and Alt having private time in the back room, perceived it as the reason Johnny wanted her there that night: to clarify that she never had a chance with him. From her perspective, with her amnesia, all of this happened to Smoke just weeks ago, when for the rest of the world it was decades.

Nova confessed that while she was always a Nomad, the Aldecaldos had only recently taken her and Sonny in. In truth, their family was the kind of group that made the darker stories of the Badlands and its inhabitants all too real. While Nova and Sonny did not subscribe to that, it didn't mean that they weren't any less hurt by learning about the truth. As such, they don't put much stock in their family name, but joined the Aldecaldos at Santiago's encouragement. And in some ways, they are still paying for the crimes of their family, with needs to not only dodge law enforcement, but also prove themselves to the other Nomads, not just the Aldecaldos, but also with the other familys of the Seven Nations.

It was time what to do next... thought turned to the Widowmaker, the recent headache of the town, and who his next victim might be. Puttings things together, the group realized that Pusik was a perfect candidate to match the profile. After getting no answer when trying to contact Doc Hazzard, the group raced over to his clinic, only to find it darkened, apparently "closed." Everyone knew that Doc never closed, so they immediately handled it like the situation was already bad. Dividing up, Nova and Fridge entered the front of the clinic. They found Doc, unconscious with most of his cyberware shut down. Nova was able to get at least the necessary ware up and running to stabilize him.

Smoke and K2, in the meantime, went out back and came in through the service and supply entrance. They found Pusik cornered by Collins in a recovery room, putting up a fight, but weakened from her previous wounds. Smashing the window, Smoke and K2 entered to confront him. Forgetting his current prey, he turned to face his new interests. He rolled a tech grenade into the room with all of them, quoting “In my mind’s eye, my thoughts light fires in your cities,” before it went off. Unfortuantely for the Widowmaker, he ended up taking more damage than anyone else when K2 grappled him and turned him into the blast. He ended up dying to his wounds, but not before Smoke determined what Collins had not been controlled by AJ4X or Alt, but rather had been working with them.

Pusik safe, and Collins dead, Smoke and K2 rejoined with Fridge and Nova to stabilize Doc and figure out their next steps.