Pitch-Fic (Cyberpunk): Going Viral #2

Author's Note: Another bit of a lull, but got another one of these out! Next month should be the soft end, and then the process shall begin again -- though I have some interesting ideas for shaking things up!

[story] [futa]

_______________________________

‭The three shadowrunners‭ (‬along with Kodex’s ubiquitous hoverdone‭) ‬slipped down the now-cleared hallway‭ ‬504,‭ ‬checking along the sides for doors.‭ ‬Fortunately,‭ ‬there was only one,‭ ‬on the left side,‭ ‬a external control panel waiting patiently for the correct passcode to be entered.

‭“‬Alright,‭ ‬Kodex,‭ ‬hate to call on you again so soon,‭” ‬Winter Cherry relayed over comms,‭ ‬the elf beginning to carefully examine the door for physical traps or,‭ ‬ideally,‭ ‬a maglock,‭ ‬but finding neither.‭ “‬We’re in the home stretch,‭ ‬but we’re not going anywhere without a passcode.‭ ‬Can you hack it‭?”

“I’m already trying,‭” ‬the dwarf’s voice buzzed back through.‭ “‬It’s...‭ ‬hard.‭ ‬Really hard.‭ ‬Not a lot of IC or anything,‭ ‬but the fuckin‭’ ‬encryption is like trying to do a crossword puzzle in sperethiel,‭ ‬it’s so fuckin‭’ ‬esoteric I’m not even sure where to start.‭”

“Oh‭! ‬Should I stab it‭?” ‬Ame offered a wide,‭ ‬innocent smile.

‭“‬Not all problems can be stabbed,‭ ‬garota,‭” ‬Elisa sighed.

‭“‬That hasn’t been true for me so far,‭” ‬the ork frowned.

‭“‬Okay,‭ ‬it’s...‭ ‬pattern recognition I think,‭ ‬but using non-existent code so software can’t crack it.‭ ‬I have to do this manually,‭ ‬guys,‭” ‬Dex let out a sigh over the comm,‭ ‬leaning back in her big,‭ ‬comfortable chair in the back of the van,‭ ‬hundreds of feet away from where the girls were now.‭ “‬Not ideal,‭ ‬but I can do it.‭ ‬Just...‭ ‬get comfy,‭ ‬I guess.‭ ‬Grab a fuckin‭’ ‬soykaf or somethin‭’‬,‭ ‬I don’t know.‭”

“You understand that if those guards don’t check in,‭ ‬we’re gonna have a lot more heat on our ass‭? ‬We don’t have time to sit around‭!” ‬Elisa hissed,‭ ‬making herself the target of the acerbic dwarf’s wrath.

‭“‬Oh,‭ ‬you don’t‭? ‬That’s so fuckin‭’ ‬sad,‭ ‬why don’t you come to the van and do it yourself,‭ ‬then,‭ ‬eh,‭ ‬chica bonita‭? ‬I’m in here enjoying the smell of Ame’s discarded pantsu while I try to do alien sudoku and you’re gonna fuckin‭’ ‬rush‭ ‬me‭? ‬Y’know what I could do‭ ‬real easy is activate all the alarms and turn the three of you mooks into chunky salsa,‭ ‬yet somehow I fuckin‭’ ‬refrai--‭”

“Kodex‭!” ‬Cherry hissed into her comm,‭ “‬she didn’t mean it,‭ ‬alright‭? ‬We’re all just a little nervous,‭ ‬that’s all.‭ ‬Take your time.‭”

“I’m already done.‭” ‬There was a soft hum,‭ ‬and the red light on the control panel flicked to green.

Cherry blinked.‭ “‬Wait,‭ ‬what‭?”

“Swearing makes me more powerful,‭ ‬now shut up and get in there.‭”

There was a moment of silence,‭ ‬and the elf shrugged,‭ ‬clicking the door open and stepping inside.‭ ‬Behind her,‭ ‬the browbeaten shaman and jittery ork followed,‭ ‬the latter mumbling‭ “‬...I don’t leave that many of my pantsu around...‭” ‬under her breath.‭ ‬Regardless of how tense the situation may have seemed,‭ ‬they were finally in the room‭ ‬--‭ ‬the last leg of the journey before they could get out of here,‭ ‬get paid,‭ ‬and get back to the flophouse for some R&R.

‭“‬Alright,‭ ‬let’s see what we’re dealing with...‭” ‬Cherry sighed,‭ ‬finally relaxing a little as she scanned the room.‭ ‬It appeared to be a laboratory of some sort,‭ ‬though one more chemical than mechanical.‭ ‬Vials and centrifuges dominated the back half of the chamber,‭ ‬while its front was more occupied with computers,‭ ‬along with various physical folders and cartridges.‭ “‬Drek.‭ ‬Got a lot of docs in meatspace,‭ ‬here.‭ ‬If this is so important Ares is keeping the info offline,‭ ‬this job should have paid better.‭”

“Jacking you in,‭ ‬Dex,‭” ‬Ame said,‭ ‬plugging a wireless card into the computer’s side,‭ ‬one that would make hacking it from a distant network far simpler.‭ “‬Got anything‭?”

“Gimme a sec,‭” ‬Kodex buzzed through the comms,‭ ‬followed by a lot of mumbling as she read of file names to herself,‭ ‬looking for something crucial.

‭“‬Astral signatures faint,‭ ‬but existent,‭” ‬Elisa chimed in,‭ ‬furrowing her brow as she looked around the lab,‭ ‬picking up small traces of magic.‭ ‬Focusing on them,‭ ‬she narrowed her search to a small case of cartridges,‭ ‬picking it up and checking for locks,‭ ‬then handing it to the elf.‭ “‬Cherry,‭ ‬can you crack this maglock‭? ‬Signature’s coming from here.‭”

“You found something in meatspace‭?” ‬Dex asked as Winter quickly bypassed the physical lock.

‭“‬Maybe.‭ ‬Magical sig,‭” ‬Elisa hummed to herself as she took the case back,‭ ‬opening it.‭ “‬Not strong,‭ ‬likely a hybrid between mundane chemistry and some light‭ ‬bruxaria.‭” ‬Reaching in,‭ ‬the gecko shaman withdrew a small vial of shimmering pink liquid,‭ ‬holding it up to the light.‭ “‬Has a label‭ ‬--‭ ‬Project Nephele.‭”

There was a rare moment of silence from Kodex,‭ ‬followed by more mumbling.‭ “‬Searching through the files...‭ ‬lot of shit here...‭ ‬okay,‭ ‬Project Nephele.‭ ‬Encryption is next-level,‭ ‬don’t see myself getting through it this month,‭ ‬but it is‭ ‬here,‭ ‬marked top-secret too.‭ ‬This is definitely what the Johnson was looking for.‭ ‬Put that somewhere safe and get the fuck outta there‭!”

“Just a moment,‭ ‬garota,‭ ‬someone didn’t put the cap on properly,‭” ‬Elisa grumbled,‭ ‬unscrewing the vial’s narrow metal cap.‭ ‬To her surprise,‭ ‬a plume of rose-colored vapor drifted from the opening despite how brief the breach had been,‭ ‬causing her to let out a cough and short sneeze as she tightened in back into place.

‭“‬Don’t tell me you’re huffing the McGuffin,‭ ‬Elisa,‭” ‬Cherry narrowed her eyes in the shaman’s direction.

‭“‬No,‭ ‬but...‭ ‬it is definitely volatile,‭” ‬she blinked hard a few times,‭ ‬shaking her head.‭ “‬Made me light-headed for a second there.‭”

“We’ll have a doc check you out when we get back off Ares turf,‭” ‬Ame said with a little smile.‭ “‬For now,‭ ‬looks like a job well done‭ ‬--‭ ‬and we even got to geek some people‭!”

“We sure did,‭” ‬the elf smirked,‭ ‬then grew serious once again.‭ “‬Alright girls,‭ ‬let’s get a move on‭! ‬Like Elisa said earlier,‭ ‬those guards should’ve checked in so we’ve got a small window to fuck off on out of here‭ ‬--‭ ‬and that window’s going to be closing pretty fast.‭”

Taking the vial from Elisa,‭ ‬Ame slipped it into one of the narrow mechanical compartments in her forearm,‭ ‬then beamed.‭ “‬Hai‭! ‬Let’s rock‭!”

o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Slipping free of the Ares building had been as simple as feigning offense at the unspoken actions of a nameless partygoer,‭ ‬and storming out.‭ ‬Getting in and out‭ ‬without any loss of life would have,‭ ‬of course,‭ ‬been preferable,‭ ‬as now Ares staff would realize the hijack the instant the fundraiser ended,‭ ‬but what was done,‭ ‬was done.‭ ‬There was no bringing those guards back to life,‭ ‬after all.

Getting back in the van had resulted in a surly glance from Kodex,‭ ‬one that,‭ ‬after a moment,‭ ‬warmed into a relenting smile.‭ “‬Good to see the three of you in meatspace again,‭ ‬chummers,‭” ‬she said,‭ ‬calling her hoverdrone back over to her and setting it lightly onto a charging dock.‭ “‬Alright,‭ ‬back to the client,‭ ‬yeah‭?”

“Finally,‭ ‬yeah,‭” ‬Cherry sighed,‭ ‬slumping into one of the deep green cushioned bench-seats lining the sides of the van’s interior,‭ ‬reaching for the hard plastic cooler next to Dex and withdrawing a can of‭ ‘‬Shreek‭’ ‬brand iced soykaf,‭ ‬cracking it open and taking a long swig.‭ “‬For as easy as that job ended up being,‭ ‬it was definitely stressful,‭ ‬huh‭? ‬Keep getting that bad feeling in my gut,‭ ‬like it still isn’t over.‭”

“Well,‭ ‬a job’s never over until we get the‭ ‬nuyen in our accounts,‭ ‬ne‭?” ‬Ame reclined opposite the elf,‭ ‬a soft whir audible from her extensive cyberware as she willed her augmented reflexes to deactivate,‭ ‬letting the ork finally relax.‭ “‬We go see Mr.‭ ‬Johnson,‭ ‬get paid,‭ ‬grab some drinks‭ ‬--‭ ‬and hey,‭ ‬first job in a while where we haven’t need to pay doc bills afterwards‭!”

“Yeah,‭ ‬it’ll be nice to keep the whole payday,‭” ‬Elisa nodded along,‭ ‬though she sounded,‭ ‬and looked,‭ ‬unusually tired for what had seemed to be a pretty quick snatch-and-grab.

‭“‬You doing alright,‭ ‬El‭?” ‬Ame turned to the shaman,‭ ‬head tilted sidelong.

‭“‬Yeah,‭ ‬yeah,‭ ‬I’m fine.‭ ‬Just feel a little shitty.‭ ‬Little lightheaded,‭ ‬some weird aches.‭”

“Aches...‭?” ‬Winter Cherry arched a brow.‭ “‬These didn’t start after you inhaled those fumes,‭ ‬did you‭?”

“Uhh...‭ ‬yeah,‭ ‬shortly after,‭ ‬I guess,‭” ‬the human said sheepishly.‭ “‬Maybe we should check out a doc after all,‭ ‬once we’ve seen Johnson.‭”

“Add it to the agenda,‭” ‬Cherry sighed,‭ “‬and let’s hope this isn’t the‭ ‘‬other shoe‭’ ‬I keep feeling is gonna drop.‭”

o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Mr.‭ ‬Johnson wasn’t a name‭; ‬it was a title.‭ ‬A title for those who anonymously gave out illegal jobs to shadowrunners,‭ ‬the middle-men between the hired guns and the real clients,‭ ‬the folks who moved the money around.‭ ‬Sometimes,‭ ‬that curtain between buyer and seller did exactly what it was intended to do,‭ ‬and kept everything nice and safe and clean.‭ ‬Other times,‭ ‬it provided the perfect smokescreen for betrayal‭ ‬--‭ ‬usually at the hands of the wealthy sociopaths pulling the strings of a group of thugs as part of a higher-stakes game.‭ ‬You never knew if your Johnson was frosty or not until the job was over...‭ ‬if even then.

The Johnson the girls were dealing with was an ork like Ame,‭ ‬though from his accent he definitely seemed to be Seattle born and bred.‭ ‬Mirrored shades,‭ ‬a navy blue suit,‭ ‬and oily,‭ ‬salt-and-pepper hair gave him the look of someone who might try to sell you a condominium,‭ ‬but the girls knew he was far more dangerous than that.‭ ‬As they filtered in through the guards,‭ ‬past the fake potted plants and into his small,‭ ‬dimly-lit office,‭ ‬Mr.‭ ‬Johnson flashed a wide smile filled with crooked,‭ ‬yellowing fangs.

‭“‬Well,‭ ‬well,‭ ‬if it isn’t Johnson’s Angels,‭ ‬all back in one piece,‭” ‬he leered,‭ ‬then paused,‭ ‬taking stock of the three women in his office.‭ “‬Usually it’s the dwarf who stays behind,‭ ‬no‭? ‬Gecko lady under the weather‭?”

Cherry hesitated an instant,‭ ‬then shrugged,‭ “‬Elisa’s not feeling well,‭ ‬so she’s keeping tabs on things in the van,‭ ‬yeah.‭ ‬What matters,‭ ‬is that we have your package.‭ ‬Ame‭?”

After a gesture to the ork,‭ ‬Ame slid open her internal compartment and withdrew the little cartridge and the vial inside,‭ ‬holding it up in one hand.‭ “‬Project Nephele,‭ ‬ne‭?”

“Minimal loss of life,‭ ‬no records of our passing.‭ ‬It’ll be days before Ares even realizes what was taken,‭” ‬Cherry smiled.‭ “‬So,‭ ‬as soon as you’ve transferred the nuyen to our accounts,‭ ‬it’s all yours.‭”

“Done,‭” ‬Mr.‭ ‬Johnson said with a wave of his hand,‭ ‬and a moment later Kodex offered a nod of confirmation.

‭“‬It’s there,‭” ‬the dwarf muttered.

‭“‬And I’ll take that,‭” ‬the man in the suit reached outward,‭ ‬gently taking the cartridge.‭ “‬By the way...‭ ‬none of you opened it,‭ ‬right‭?”

Winter froze for a moment,‭ ‬considering her reply.‭ ‘‬Opened‭’ ‬was a strong term,‭ ‬it had‭ ‬been open to begin with.‭ ‬If Mr.‭ ‬Johnson had information on this stuff that might be useful,‭ ‬it’d be good to have...‭ ‬but Johnsons were notoriously tight-lipped with even the most critical of information.‭ ‬Likely they’d get into some kind of trouble,‭ ‬with no actual help or useful knowledge coming their way at all.‭ “‬Nope.‭ ‬We just checked the‭ ‘‬tridge to make sure it was in there,‭ ‬sealed it back up,‭ ‬and got out.‭ ‬No reason to remain unwanted in an Ares lab for any longer than necessary.‭”

“Good,‭ ‬good,‭ ‬cool,‭” ‬the ork nodded,‭ ‬stashing the cartridge under his desk.‭ “‬Then it looks like our business is concluded.‭ ‬Congratulations on a job well-paid‭ ‬--‭ ‬I suggest you don’t delete me from your comms,‭ ‬I may well have some new work coming up soon.‭ ‘‬Til then...‭ ‬toodles,‭ ‬girls.‭”

Nodding and turning to head back to the van,‭ ‬Kodex let out a sigh of relief.‭ “‬Alright.‭ ‬Got paid,‭ ‬everyone all in one piece.‭ ‬Little bit of a headache,‭ ‬but nothing I ain’t got a pill for,‭ ‬yeah‭?”

“Hold up,‭ ‬headache‭?” ‬Cherry arched a brow as the group made their way back through the guards,‭ ‬out onto the street outside the suspiciously well-protected hole-in-the-wall where they’d turned in their job.‭ “‬No other aches,‭ ‬right‭?”

“A little crampy,‭” ‬the dwarf shrugged,‭ ‬mentally unlocking the back door to the van and moving to open it.‭ “‬Nothing that doesn’t happen once a month,‭ ‬though,‭ ‬if you get my--‭”

Opening the door revealed Elisa,‭ ‬the mohawked shaman visibly exhausted,‭ ‬her dusky skin shimmering with a thin sheen of sweat.‭ “‬Girls,‭ ‬I...‭ ‬I think you better c-come inside....‭”

“Everything arctic,‭ ‬El‭?” ‬the elf said quickly,‭ ‬jumping up into the back of the van and starting to examine Elisa a little more closely.‭ ‬Her eyes were bloodshot,‭ ‬though the red veins appeared to be receding,‭ ‬like she’d gone through a serious ordeal and was recovering with unusual speed.

‭“‬Close the door,‭” ‬the shaman panted,‭ ‬stumbling back a step and toppling onto one of the seats lining the van’s sides,‭ ‬catching her breath.‭ ‬Ame and Kodex filtered inside behind the group’s face,‭ ‬clicking the van door shut behind them,‭ ‬and the ork extended her considerations.

‭“‬You having a bad time with that shawarma we got before the run‭?” ‬Ame tilted her head sidelong,‭ ‬her dark pigtails dangling.‭ “‬I know I felt like that a couple hours ago,‭ ‬and my metabolism’s a lot faster than yours,‭ ‬so you might just be catching up--‭” ‬The ork froze mid-sentence,‭ ‬suddenly spotting a difference that Cherry’s inspection hadn’t caught.‭ ‬As Elisa lay sprawled back on the cushioned bench,‭ ‬the front of her tight leather pants could be seen straining around something beneath them,‭ ‬a bulge that,‭ ‬while difficult to see under the dark,‭ ‬snug fabric,‭ ‬registered clearly to Ame’s cybernetic eyes.‭ “‬El,‭ ‬is that a zucchini in your pants or are you just really excited to get paid...‭?”

“That,‭ ‬uh...‭ ‬that dust,‭ ‬or...‭ ‬smoke,‭ ‬whatever it was...‭” ‬Elisa sighed,‭ ‬sitting forward a little,‭ ‬looking more and more recovered and rested despite the visible complication downstairs,‭ “‬Project Nephele.‭ ‬I think it’s some kind of mutagen.‭ ‬Inhaling it made me...‭ ‬it...‭ ‬changed me....‭”

Following Ame’s gaze,‭ ‬Cherry and Kodex both looked down,‭ ‬taking in the impressive size and shape of the outline in Elisa’s pants.‭ ‬After a moment,‭ ‬the elf spoke,‭ “‬Is it...‭ ‬normal‭? ‬I mean,‭ ‬is what is...‭ ‬you know,‭ ‬looks like‭? ‬Or are we talking some kind of terrifying growth‭?”

Elisa closed her eyes a moment,‭ ‬then stood up,‭ ‬a resigned look on her face as her green-nailed fingers moved to her belt.‭ “‬I guess the best thing I can do is show you.‭” ‬Unfastening the buckle of her belt,‭ ‬the unzipping,‭ ‬the shaman opened the front of her pants,‭ ‬exposing dark teal panties that still strained the contain the swollen thing beneath.‭ ‬Shimmying the leather down a few inches more,‭ ‬Elisa was eventually forced to reach down into her panties,wrapping her fingers around her newly-grown member and withdrawing it manually,‭ ‬wresting it free and revealing it to the rest of her group.

‭“‬...I’m going to go ahead and assume you didn’t‭ ‬always have that...‭” ‬Ame swallowed hard,‭ ‬eyes locked on the impressive length Elisa sported.‭ ‬It was decidedly above average in size,‭ ‬if not preposterously so,‭ ‬uncut and reaching nearly eight inches at full stiffness‭ ‬--‭ ‬which it currently dwelled at,‭ ‬as if it had never existed in any other state.

‭“‬Quick on the uptake,‭ ‬as always,‭ ‬garota,‭” ‬Elisa smiled sheepishly,‭ ‬redness creeping into her cheeks as the other three women studied her erect girlcock.‭ “‬So,‭ ‬yeah‭ ‬--‭ ‬not a growth.‭ ‬Definitely a dick.‭ ‬It finished‭ ‘‬cooking‭’ ‬while the three of you were inside,‭ ‬and now it’s...‭ ‬well,‭ ‬yeah.‭”

“So,‭ ‬what do you plan to do‭? ‬Could go see a doc and get it fixed back up,‭ ‬but if that dust is changing your DNA,‭ ‬who knows what will happen,‭” ‬Cherry said thoughtfully,‭ ‬to which Elisa offered an awkward shrug.

‭“‬Honestly,‭ ‬like,‭ ‬I’m worried about what else could happen,‭ ‬but if it’s‭ ‬just this...‭” ‬she brought one hand hesitantly to her cock,‭ ‬wrapping her fingers around it,‭ ‬giving it a brief squeeze and a few short strokes.‭ “‬I don’t have that big of an issue with it.‭ ‬It’s big,‭ ‬it feels‭ ‬great,‭ ‬and...‭ ‬lemme tell you,‭ ‬this thing seriously wants to be used.‭ ‬I haven’t felt this restless since the time we took the job to guard that ork stripclub and I met those twins.‭”

“Ooh,‭ ‬that‭ ‬was a fun job,‭” ‬Ame nodded.

‭“‬Hey,‭ ‬guys,‭” ‬Kodex spoke up,‭ ‬the dwarf having been unusually taciturn despite the distinctly surreal situation.‭ “‬I um...‭ ‬I think I know what El met by‭ ‘‬cooking,‭’ ‬those cramps are,‭ ‬um...‭” ‬the hacker cupped one palm over her pelvis,‭ ‬a sheen of sweat starting to creep along the tan skin of her face and neck.‭ ‬Her cybernetic eyes didn’t reflect the bloodshot nature Elisa’s had,‭ ‬but her breathing was elevated and becoming swiftly more so.‭ “‬Are you sure you didn’t get any of that dust stuff on you...‭?”

“I am,‭ ‬but...‭” ‬Elisa paused,‭ ‬biting her lip,‭ ‬her throbbing cock still exposed,‭ ‬as if the shaman was waiting,‭ ‬consciously or not,‭ ‬for someone to take action upon it,‭ “‬we‭ ‬were in the van together for quite a while,‭ ‬so if anyone else starts to feel a little funny....‭”

“How does it start,‭ ‬again‭?” ‬Ame chirped.

‭“‬Headache,‭” ‬Cherry sighed,‭ ‬a look of resignation crossing her delicate features,‭ “‬which I just started getting a few minutes ago.‭”