The sun had barely begun to rise over the skyline of Megacity-01 when the alarm clock went off inside a tiny studio apartment on Metro Street. Almost instantly, a hand shot out to slam down the snooze button with more force than intended. Johnny groaned as he groggily pulled himself up from his bedsheets. One could tell by the bleary look in his eyes that he was recovering from a hangover and the lack of proper sleep the last few nights wasn't helping anything either. Despite the semi-inebriated state, Johnny pulled himself out of bed and began doing warm-up stretches in his apartment. Even though the cybernetics in his body were keeping his form in a physically fit state, the ex-enforcer had never quite forgotten the routines he developed during his time in Black Maria.
After finishing his morning workout, Johnny searched around the apartment until he found a pair of pants that didn't smell like last week's beef bowl at Shimazu's and threw them on alongside a shirt and his jacket. After last night's bender he didn't want to think about doing anything else but go downstairs and have and easy day looking after The Bodega. However, that all was about to change when his GEO-ID activated upon sensing its user was awake.
"Good morning, Johnny! Would you care to hear the morning news?" The device chirped as Johnny descended the stairs to open the shop for the day. Rubbing his face in his hand, Johnny found himself wishing - once again - that he could just mute this thing. Nevertheless, the news cycle just happened to be where he got the most tips for work. There was usually something he could look into.
"Fuck it... What do you have for me today, Geo?" He didn't ever bother to look at his GEO-ID while the device began to spout off the usual listings of bland sales, the new products from the Corporations, and other pointless news. However there was one story that caught his attention as he unlocked the door.
"Finally, there was a body discovered on Mobius Street near The Spire. No GEO-ID was found on the body so it was likely a member of Sk8te. According to reports from MCPD, the cause of death was a sniper shot to the head. Witnesses cla-," The voice didn't get to finish before Johnny gave it his full attention.
"Stop! Run that back, Geo," Sk8te members randomly turning up dead was far from an unusual occurrence. Usually some cocky newbie would get a big head and try a route that was far too dangerous for their skill level. A murder case on the other hand... that was something worth questioning. Most of the major factions viewed Sk8te as a tool at best and a nuisance at worst. Going for a kill meant something was wrong.
Briefly forgetting the store, Johnny placed his GEO-ID on the counter and pulled up his AR map of the city. Tapping his temple, he activated the Skynet overlay and watched as various Sk8ter routes and territory maps overtook his vision. Looking over to the photos being shown on his GEO-ID's news feed, he saw right away the blue hair and body tattoos on the corpse were indicative of the New Wave cell.
"A New Wave? Near the Spire?" Looking over the map, Johnny knew something was up. New Wave's territory was practically on the opposite side of the map!
"What's some kid doing running on the rooftops near the most policed section of the city?" Looking over the news story, it seemed as though no items were recovered from the scene or on the Sk8ter's body. If the kid was carrying something, the assassin clearly took it. Johnny was about to close the shop early to go investigate when he heard the electric buzzer signaling the arrival of a new customer. Quickly closing his AR map, he put on his best fake smile.
"Mornin'! Welcome to The Bodega!"
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