**Mild Spoilers, Originally submitted to another site, but I will be continuing it here**
"Wake up Samurai, we've got a city to burn"
I woke with a start, the words still echoing in my head. The voice of Johnny Silverhand lingering, as nausea crept in.
"No," I thought, "He's gone. The relic engram was purged two years ago". I shook my head trying to clear it. There was no was I was hearing Johnny again. The procedure that removed the engram involved removing all my cyberware, even my neuralink and holophone. I was just an ordinary gonk, with nowhere for the engram to even find a purchase.
Well, okay not ordinary, but no chrome.
After the engram was removed, I drifted for awhile, working as a joy-toy. Being a girl with the biggest cock in Night City was a plus there, but I wanted the solo life back. I couldn't chrome up, but I could actually work on my skills. When I wasn't at Clouds or one of the other pleasure palaces, I was at the gym, lifting, boxing, doing cardio. All the stuff the old timers used to bitch about. It was weird, I could feel the progress, and even though it was slower than just getting implanted it felt more in-sync. I moved on to shooting, and some old martial arts, brazillian jiu-jitsu, krav maga, and arnis.
I was feeling good and i started soloing again.
It wasn't much, fixers wouldn't touch me without a holophone, so it was all word of mouth, but it was something. A recovery job here, a quick beating there. A little bit of cash, and slowly rebuilding my rep. Of course V was still dead and gone, now I was just Valerie.
As my rep started climbing back up the ladder I started hanging out places like the Coyote again. It was there one night that one of the old timers asked why I wasn't chromed up and i told him my body rejected implants. He said it was too bad no one worked with something called CRISPR anymore.
Genemods. Illegal as hell, but what wasn't. I was off and running. Tracking down old articles, finding old botechs, shelling out what bucks I had on any clue I could find. Finally about 6 months ago I found a ripper, who used to hang at place called the Biopunk or Biohacking village at some old hacking conference back before Netwatch and the Blackwall.
It wasn't even hard, I let him suck my cock a couple times and he hooked me up. Brewed up a cocktail of myostatin inhibitors, neurotransmitters, and retroviruses to write it to my genetic code. At first I thought he fucked me over, I was sick as a dog for about 2 weeks, then things just seemed normal, but after a month I was noticing some serious gains and so were other people. After a boxing smoker one night a couple of crew members from the Animals started feeling me out. When the biggest muscleheads in Night City are impressed you know something is going on.
Now here we are six months later and I am a monster; 5'10" tall, 340 pounds of shredded muscle, 28 inch arms, 60 inch chest with GGG cup tits, 30 inch thighs and 24 inch calves. I swear on Jackie's soul I can bench press a car. My reflexes are off the chart, better than a Formula 0 air car racer, and I can go toe to toe with anyone in the city.
The Animals, are paying me big credits for my services, and I am slowly putting my rep back together.
And that's how I came to be standing over this guy's broken body, thinking about a ghost.
I shook my head and refocused, looking at the mess we made.
"Let's get this guy tied up and into the van" I said "We can have the Animal's fixers figure this out"
"Sure thing Val" the other thug responded, grabbing a tarp to wrap him up in.
We got the guy into the van and drove back towards the edge of the Badlands.
"So what are you doing tonight?" asked the driver, "I was thinking of hitting the Coyote"
"Fuck that" I replied "I'm taking a night off, been going non stop lately"
"You're not gonna miss the boxing match are you? Big money tonight, Maelstrom is betting a quarter million"
"Shit" I exclaimed "who is fighting?"
"That new girl" he replied, "Misty said her name is something Russian.
"Katya" I whispered.
"What's that Val?" the driver asked.
"Oh nothing" I replied, "I gotta go, take care of the rest"
I pulled my phone out and sent a text.
"Got a tip. Meet me at the Coyote"
I looked back at the van driving away.
"Gotta love being a gonk" I laughed, walking towards my motorcycle.
I roared up to the Coyote, and parked my motorcycle next to my car.
"Hey Val!" a familiar voice called.
"Hey Misty" I responded "got the match going yet?"
"Just about" she smiled, "you're just in time"
"Great" I said, pulling a credit stick and handing it to her.
"Your usual?" she asked, plugging the stick into a reader.
"Yeah, and a round for the house" I replied.
"Coming right up" she responded, "You're the best, Val"
"I'm also the biggest" I laughed, heading to my usual spot, the last stool at the bar.
I settled in, watching the fight on the tv.
The Coyote is an old-style bar, with a boxing ring in the center, surrounded by a few rows of stools and a dance floor.
There's a couple pool tables, and a jukebox in the back, which was currently playing an old Samurai tune, one of Johnny's favorites.
It's usually quiet, just a few regulars, but every now and then a big match is on, and the place gets packed.
"Here ya go" said the bartender, setting my usual down, a glass of rum with lime, and a cold beer.
"Thanks" I replied, throwing the drink back and popping open the beer.
"What's the bet?" I asked.
"Maelstrom is going a quarter mill on Katya" she responded, "it's pretty big money for a first match, but her record is perfect"
"Any word on what's happening next?" I asked, taking a sip.
"Nothing official" she responded, "but rumor is a corpo is flying in to see her. Probably wants to buy her for some big money match"
"That's a shame" I thought.
The bartender walked away, and I glanced back at the ring.
Katya was warming up, stretching out and bouncing around. She had stripped down to her sports bra and shorts, her body rippling with muscles.
"Wow" I thought, "she looks huge. She's probably 6'5" and she must weigh 260, 270 pounds"
I looked closer, seeing the sweat bead up on her abs, then I shook my head. Nowhere near as big as me and it was artificial muscle so she would overheat quickly. If I was in the ring with her I wouldn't even have to work at it. 2 punches maybe or just dance away and let her overheat.
The bartender broke my trance as she placed a large pitcher of beer on the bar.
"This is for you Val" she smiled, "it's from those two" she added, nodding to a pair of women sitting at a table.
"Thanks" I nodded.
I stood up, taking the pitcher and my beer, and walked over to the ladies' table.
"This seat taken?" I asked, flashing a smile.
"Only if you promise to let us use your lap" laughed the woman on the left.
"Oh, I think I can manage" I responded, setting the pitcher down.
"So, ladies" I said, turning my attention to them, "what brings you here tonight?"
"We were hoping to see you" replied the woman on the right.
"Is that so?" I replied, taking a swig of beer.
"We saw your match with that Tyger Claw the other night" responded the first woman.
"You ladies enjoy that?" I laughed.