I had a theory brewing in the bay head, that this world was in some kind of post-post apocalyptic situation. The result of some Great erhaps Sudden Nuclear sneak attack? Chemical Attacks? Bioon gone wrong? As I stared at the few patrons of the questioablishment, the idea ted in my brain that something was deeply wrong with this pce. The only way most of what I had seen made any seo me, was if I was looking at the aftermath of some horrible event.

  Nothing and no one I saw in that Bar, made any differen those opinions.

  I decided that it wasn't worth fighting the Bartender over the Probes, so I decided to send them outside. "Wait in the parking lot. If anyone messes with you, put them down." I said, with an attempt at a menag tohey went off to wander around outside. Of course, I wasn't an idiot, the Elder Wisps were still right by my side. Nobody seemed to notice them, which was a mixed bag. I had the impression that looking dangerous, was almost as important as actually being dangerous. I was worry I wasn't ready to deal with these people yet, but I needed answers, and had to start iing with folks somewhere.

  Might as well start here.

  That handled I sed the people here a little closer. Everyone in here had some form of visible augments. Cyberics, just like the other folks I had seen on my journey here. Weird lines on the faces, some people had odd circles of metal, looked sort of like audio jack ports or in some cases USB ports. Why?

  I stepped over to the ter and sat on one of the ratty stools. The Bartender had kept his eye ohe whole way. Something told me, he didn't trust me.

  "Excuse me, I seem to be lost? Been out in the wastes a while, and have gotten all turned around." Going for firm but non-offehe air get tense, I could feel everyone's attention on me.

  The look he gave me. Hatred, disgust, and a few other emotions I couldn't make out all rolled into one. "You a Corpo?" His hand moved uhe Bar. Shit, what did I do?

  "What's a y fusion was genuine. Which is probably why he almost immediately calmed down, a little. I could hear the other people in here ease up as well.

  "Do you work for a Corporation, like Arasaka, or Militech?" He said it slow, like I was mentally feeble.

  Ah, I just tripped over on knowledge. "No idea what those are? Nope, I don't work for a myself right now." ly true, but he didn't o know the details.

  His hand came bato sight, nothing in it. Whew. "Ya Gonk, why'd ya talk like that 'en? I almost pulled Iron." He had a half smile, already ign the previous situation. That right there told me a lot, about how screwed I really was. If I wasn't already worried out of my skull, I'd have missed it. His rea told me, violence was on. on enough to not be a big deal.

  What's a few bullet between friends, right? I was now in that kind of pce.

  My mind raced to e up with a pusible cover story for my ignorance, "Parents were teachers, taught me to be polite." True enough, not the teacher part, but the polite part was very true.

  "Well, maybe toughen up a bit, eh? Polite gets you shot more often 'en not around here. Anyway, you're right by Night City, . That help?" He seemed like a pletely different guy now. Almost Friendly. Talk about whipsh.

  "Nope." I said grinning. I took a ce, "What State am I in?" I figured I was in America by the way he spoke.

  "State? You from the NUSA?" Huh? Just roll with it.

  "Sure, how bad am I fucked?" I was reminded to buy things off slist, give nothing away, hope they really did have the goods you wanted.

  "Nah, not too bad. Most peeps have gotte, except 'em Dogtown gonks. Anyway, Night City is it's own thing, ya must really be from the sticks to 've never heard of it." He seemed almost apologetiaybe worried.

  "Oh, very isoted. What do you use for currency? I was looking to buy a drink." Whelp, I was sure my money was useless now.

  "Huh? Oh we use Eddies jus' like everywhere else." He started with the fish eye again.

  I sighed. "Do you take trades, I don't have any 'Eddies' on me now." No clue what Eddies even were, was more like it, but he didn't o know that either.

  "What'd ya get rolled?" Iing that that bit of sng was the same.

  "Yeah, you could say that. Barely got away with my clothes and walking stick."

  He nodded as he noticed my staff for the first time, he did a double take. "Hey is that real wood?" He tried to hide it, but I caught the moment his expression turn into one of pure greed.

  Wood was rare. Wood was rare. Likely Water was as well. I thought of the trip here. What if that was the way this world looked everywhere. Here I was able to grow rees. Able to create new wells. That was why I nded here. I trolled a rare vital resource. I was going to be rich.

  Then good sense kicked in, I absolutely had to make sure the Valley stayed hidden. People would destroy it, iionally or not.

  "Yes, an heirloom of better time." Dealing with a Used Car Salesman mode activated. I liked to restore cars in my spare time, it ain to locate some parts ad harder to get people to part with them for a reasonable price. I've had to do a lot of haggling over the years, I had developed a system.

  "1000 Eddies, and a drink on the house." A good rule to follow, ake the first offer. No matter how good it seems. I gave him my patented, "Don't Even." The expression really sells it and it worked more often then not. Cutting a deal is all about letting them think they had gotteter end of things, while still getting what you wanted, for a price you could live with. The Staff while useful wasn't necessary for my pns. Hell, I was sure I could get aer, maybe even a better one.

  He pursed his lips. "Alright 3000 and a few drinks for the road." The sed offer is he best either. Sometimes you had to take it though, if the person oher side is too hostile. But I think I had a read on this guy.

  I pulled ba the "Bitch, What!" expression, and slightly shook my head. This indicated I was almost but not quite there.

  He sighed, "4000, a few drinks, an' I'll throw in this Iron that was left. You look like you . Best Offer." Yeah, the third offer still wasn't the best offer, but you rarely ever push pass this point, unless you are very familiar with the person. Or you had them by the balls.

  I nodded while looking unhappy. Everyone likes to believe they got the best of you, and that parting with your items or money was making you suffer. I've been on both sides of this situation so I know.

  My BTC twitched. I was surprised but tried not to let it show, might have mess up the deal.

  [ Gained Skill Bargaining at Rank 1 ]

  [ Gained +1 Rank in tration ]

  Nice. I liked this feeling I got when the numbers went up. Even if I wasn't sure what they did.

  His eyes fshed. Like with actual light. Way creepy. "Ya aren't chipped." He looked shocked, "Ya really are from the booneys. Your lucky I've probably got enough script. Hold on."

  He went through the door in the back. I looked around. Too many people had paid attention. Shit. Someone was going to try to jump me. I could see the quick ges people made to seem like they weren't doing what they were about to do.

  The bartender came ba a couple of minutes. Set a stack of bills, I didn't reize in front of me, a gun, and a box of ammo. I quickly stashed the bills away into my robe's inner left pocket. Then I picked up the gun.

  My experieh guns was limited, just a couple of hunting trips with dad in my teens. And a couple of trips to a gun rah friends to do some plinking. I kept the pistol pointed down at the floor, cleared it, and dropped the mag to check if it was loaded. It was. I reset the mag and pulled a round from the box, loaded the chamber, while looking at the other folks in here. I switch the safety on and was about to put in in the right inner pocket of my robe when, my BTC shook,

  [Adjusting...]

  [ Militech M-76e Omaha

  Range: 30 yards

  Damage: 8

  Ammo: 9 round magazine +1 round in the chamber ]

  As I put in away, I hoped I looked petent. The gu a lot like some of the .45s I had handled but even heavier.

  "Name's Ryan, by the way." I offered my hand.

  "I'm Greg, I work for Noah." We shook hands. Then I handed him his aff. He wasted no time in making it vanish back there. He poi the list above the Bar, "Piething out."

  Yeah, I had been increasing going into "Fn try" mode. You know, pay attention. Watch your back. Trust no one. And one I wished I had known on a trip to Mexice. Don't Drink The Water!

  "Just give me a sele of the Cos." They teo be highly processed, while my waistline and kidneys might get pissed off at me, they were probably the best option in this circumstance. He put a dozen colorful s in a backpae. Free backpack, score. "On the house." He wi me, he knew what was going to happen, probably set it up this way on purpose.

  I sighed. I grabbed one of the s at random. NiCo, with a simple design in white and bd some piering. A girl seemed to be wagging her butt at me. I shook my head, popped the tab and took a sip. I winced, it was an unholy mixture of Pepsi-like soda and Cough Syrup. I chugged the rest because I was thirsty, and I didn't want to taste it more than I had to.

  So far, this pce had failed to impress me. Greg chuckled at my obvious pain. "Don't like the Love huh?"

  "Could be better." Scrapping my toh my teeth. "Thanks for the trade, Greg."

  "Careful out there Ryan." He flicked his eyes to a group of men leaving the bar. I nodded as I got up and walk to the door. The Probe had zipped over the door ready to fnk me again, once I had left. The Wisps had taken the lead.

  I walked out of the Bar ready for trouble.

  I didn't even make it out of the parking lot.

  I felt the Probe on my left ram into me, knog me ft. Then I realized I had heard a snap and a crag noise. Someone had taken a shot at me. If not for my Robo buddy I'd have a new hole in me.

  I crawled over to one of the trucks to put it between me and where I thought the shot had e from. My heart was rag, and I could feel that burn signaling adrenaline dumping into my arteries. All kinds of noises all round me. Snaps of gunfire, crag of the Probes' zaps and the whoosh of the Wisps' Mana Bolts. My senses had dialed up to eleven.

  Once I had cealment, I pulled the Omaha. I switched off the safety. I tried to take a deep breath, held it, the out slowly. I peeked out around the car low to the ground. I couldn't see the Probes from this a one of the Elder Wisps was h over a smoking body.

  I checked behio make sure no one was sneaking up on me. Okay, nothing there. I slowly lifted myself up and peeked over the hood. A pht in front of my face forced me back down.

  "Fuck, fuck, fuck." I whispered. I tried to eek my way over to the other end of the car, I did a quick peek over the bed of the truothing. I took a longer sed to look. Two more bodies were down. The Elder Wisps were h about 20ft up, throwing Bolt after Bolt. A few munsh out but didn't seem to be aimed at me.

  One of the Probes was down, sparking behind another car, the other Probe was zapping it. Huh? Oh, it was somehow repairing it. I could see the damage ing undone. Nice.

  Movement caught my eye, a man with a rifle of some kind, was shooting up in the air while shuffling back towards the Motel's main building. His face was desperate, he had no clue what the Wisps were, so he was just firing in the dire of the Mana Bolts. I didn't see anyone else, firing. Just a few people dug out of the way.

  The Omaha seemed to raise on its own. I let off a round. My grip wasn't great and I wasn't prepared for the insane recoil from it. The round missed and I got barrel kissed. Right across the nose! Fuck that smarted. I fell on my butt. Three pops hit the bed of the truck. Shit.

  I wobbled a bit even sitting as I was. I kept telling myself I could do this. I ractically yelling it into my own mind. I leaned out from the end of the car and snapped a shot at where he had been. I missed again, but he flinched when it hit the wall beside him. A Mana Bolt hit right the wall oher side of that and he paused trying to figure out where to go. I squeezed the trigger two more times. Down he went, bonelessly.

  I sed around, no one else seemed to want to fight. I crouched and shuffled over to the Probes. The Wisps came over to cover me.

  Now that it was over, did I feel bad about shooting that guy? Well...yes and no. I had never done more then puneone before, but this fucker would have killed me. No, I was surprisingly okay with this. My life mattered more to me, than his did. Maybe there was something wrong with me, but that was fine. I had the feeling I'd o do this again, aation would be lethal.

  The damaged Probe looked almost whole again. I was rather amazed by their ability to repair one another.

  "Hey, Ryan!" I looked up toward the voice, it was Greg. He was grinning down at me from the sed floor, like he'd won a bet. Probably had. "Nobody'd care if you take their shit. Free advice. Oh and don't fet to check their ports." He me, while tapping the side and back of his head he went ba the Bar.

  Huh? I could just take their stuff? Well, I could use more options. Did one of them own a car? Was this a good idea? Fuck it, when in Rome, stab some Romans, and take their loot!

  I cast Regrowth on myself and my nose felt so much better. I wiped the blood off on my robe sleeve. Then I went around and stripped the bodies of their guns, and got two rifles and three pistols. I'd figure them out ter. Taking Greg's advice, I found these weird crooked chips in their head sockets. No clue if they were worth keeping. I threw those into the backpack. More puzzles to solve. their pockets tained about 350 in bills, I left the ge and their clothes which were sio hell anyway. But I did find a thick credit card shaped thing on one of them. I heard a honk when I grabbed it.

  Turned out one of them had owned a car. The small vehicle kind of reminded me of my first restore job. That had been an 80's Honda Civic hatchback, a great fug car. It would run forever with minimal maintenance. Yet was still fun to drive, especially with a few easy to do mods. Sure this car only had one headlight and four doors, and was beat to shit, but yeah it retty simir. The puke green would have to go though.

  The BTC gave a shake,

  [Adjusting...]

  [ Thorton Galena G240

  Model: Basic

  Fuel Type: CHOOH2

  Top speed: 120

  Weight: 2,255

  Horsepower: 86 ]

  What was CHOOH2? I'd never heard of it. I gnced over these stats, hmm, heavier than my old Civic but it also had about twenty more horsepower. You'd think they could do a little better though, in a world with flying cars.

  I was starting to suspect a huge eic gap in this society. I mean, duh, but even the poor have things I would have shanked someone for, bae.

  What do the rich have? I shrugged. Might be a long time before I could find that out.

  I had a big grin on my face though, as I patted my new baby. I'm sure a frenzied light entered my eyes. "I love this new world. Free cars."