Cyberpunk: The Magnet fruit

"F**k! Let go! Let go now!!!"

Chrisman snapped back to his senses, pupils contracting in fear as a sudden jolt of adrenaline surged through him. He gripped his pistol tightly, his hands trembling, and shouted in panic, "If you don't let go of your f*****g hand, I swear I'll shoot!!"

A shrill, unhinged giggle echoed through the alley.

"Giggle... You want to shoot? I love shooting the most!"

Rebecca's eyes gleamed with manic joy as she tossed the bloodied, broken body of Baker aside like garbage. In one swift motion, she drew the sleek pink Arasaka HJKE-11 Yukimura smart pistol from her waist and pulled the trigger without hesitation.

A hailstorm of bullets erupted from her weapon.

Caught off guard, Chrisman reflexively raised his own gun and returned fire, though his aim was shaky and rushed.

Da-da-da-da—!!!

For a chaotic moment, the alleyway was consumed by gunfire. Shells clattered onto the cracked pavement, and the roar of automatic weapons ricocheted between the graffiti-covered walls.

Smoke filled the narrow space, masking the carnage for a heartbeat.

When it finally cleared...

Chrisman and his crew had been shredded like paper dolls. Their bodies were riddled with holes, blood pooling beneath them. Only faint, dying gasps remained. A last breath here, a twitching finger there—death was mere seconds away.

Rebecca exhaled dramatically, blowing away imaginary smoke from the barrel of her pistol. She struck a cocky pose, smirking.

"Trash like this think they can mess with me? Seriously? Trying to grope your auntie Rebecca like I'm some back-alley doll? Pathetic. Should've stayed home."

She let out a contemptuous snort and kicked a corpse aside.

Sasha stepped up behind her, her usual calm replaced by a dark scowl. Her beautiful eyes sharpened with icy disdain.

"Hmph. Looks like the biotech company not only failed to contain the leak, but also sent these idiots to retaliate," she said coldly. "Typical corporate scum. Getting them to admit fault is harder than teaching a dog not to eat shit."

Her gaze landed on Chrisman, still barely alive and twitching on the ground, his mouth frothing with blood. The look of disgust on Sasha's face deepened.

"Disgusting."

Rebecca turned slightly and surveyed the bodies. Most were already dead. One boy had been shot square in the head—there was no chance for him. Baker was a broken mess, and Chrisman was hanging on by a thread.

"Let's get out of here," Rebecca said, holstering her pistol. "We need to report this to David. If the biotech company comes sniffing around, it could drag him into trouble. We're partners now, remember? Let's not blow this."

Sasha nodded, scooping up two shopping bags from the side of the alley, still untouched.

"Yeah. We need to be careful. Especially now that we're aligned with David."

Rebecca giggled again, this time lighter, more amused. "Good thing the clothes I just bought didn't get stained. Would've ruined my whole day."

She deactivated her [Project Source] armor mode, her body relaxing as the enhanced plating faded. Together, the two women turned and began walking toward the opposite end of the alley, their boots clicking against the stained pavement.

Behind them, a dying Chrisman lay sprawled in a pool of blood. His chest rose and fell with increasing difficulty. But unlike the others, he hadn't given up.

His mind was swirling with rage, shame, desperation—and an unquenchable thirst for revenge.

With what little strength he had left, Chrisman shakily reached into his jacket pocket.

His fingers closed around a small, black case. He yanked it out and fumbled it open with a trembling hand, revealing a gleaming syringe filled with a glowing blue serum.

His vision blurred, and blood poured from his mouth, but his resolve hardened. He knew what the serum was. He knew what it would do.

And he didn't care.

"This isn't... over," he croaked, voice raw with hate.

Then—with one final burst of energy—he plunged the needle into his arm and injected the serum.

Time seemed to pause.

A breath passed.

Then—

HISSSSSSS!!!

A violent transformation overtook him.

His veins lit up with a sickly glow as the serum spread through his bloodstream. Muscles bulged unnaturally beneath his torn clothes. His upper body swelled, sinew tearing through fabric like wet paper. Skin stretched taut, turning a darker, almost grayish hue. Bulging veins pulsed along his neck and forehead, glowing faintly with the same toxic blue.

His eyes rolled back. Foam frothed from his mouth. His bones cracked and reshaped with grotesque snapping noises.

"ROAAAARRRR---!!!"

A monstrous howl erupted from deep within his throat.

The sound shattered what little peace remained in the alley.

Back at the other end, Rebecca froze mid-step. Her head snapped around.

"What the hell...?" she muttered.

Sasha turned sharply as well, eyes narrowing. "No way… That sound... was that Chrisman?"

Suddenly, the ground shook beneath them.

BOOM!!

A massive form crashed through the alley wall behind them. A mutated monster stood where Chrisman had once been—no longer human. His hulking frame towered over the wreckage, a grotesque fusion of muscle, rage, and bio-engineered madness.

His face was partially intact, but barely recognizable. One eye was swollen shut, the other glowed with a sickly green light. His jaw unhinged wider than any human should, filled with jagged, animal-like teeth.

"You're… not… getting away..." the creature snarled, voice distorted and monstrous.

Rebecca took a step back, blinking in disbelief. "Dude went full berserker… What the actual f**k was in that syringe?!"

Sasha's expression turned grim. "Experimental serum. Probably X-Op's prototype. That stuff was supposed to be unstable."

"Well, guess what," Rebecca growled, drawing her pistol again. "It's real stable now—and real pissed."

Chrisman—now the monster—charged.

The ground trembled beneath his weight as he launched himself toward them, claws slashing through the air like blades.

"MOVE!!" Sasha shouted, leaping to the side.

Rebecca rolled away just in time, barely dodging a swing that tore a steel dumpster in half like tissue paper.

The two women split apart, flanking the creature from both sides.

Sasha unleashed a burst of energy rounds from her wrist-mounted launcher, targeting the creature's knees.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Chunks of mutated flesh tore away, but Chrisman barely flinched. He roared louder, swiping at Rebecca, who responded with a hail of smart bullets that homed in on weak points.

Ting! Ting! Splat!

Still not enough.

"This guy's like a walking tank!" Rebecca shouted, ducking behind cover. "Sasha, we need backup or he's gonna turn us into sushi!"

"No time," Sasha muttered, analyzing the monster's movement patterns. "There's one chance. I'll draw his attention—hit him in the back of the neck. That's where the serum likely clustered."

Rebecca nodded, eyes narrowing. "Got it."

Sasha charged, activating her pulse-blade and slashing at Chrisman's arm, drawing his focus. The beast bellowed and swung both arms at her in fury.

That's when Rebecca vaulted from a nearby fire escape, aiming mid-air.

"Sayonara, freakshow."

She pulled the trigger.

The smart pistol locked onto the target.

BANG—BANG—BANG!!

The bullets drilled into the back of Chrisman's neck, hitting the cluster point Sasha had identified.

The serum reacted violently.

CRACK! SPLURT!!

Chrisman howled one last time as his spine ruptured and his massive frame crashed to the ground in a heap, twitching violently before falling still.

Smoke rose from the bullet wounds.

Silence returned to the alley.

Rebecca landed on her feet, breathing heavily. "Well... that was not on the shopping list."

Sasha approached the fallen creature, scanning it for any remaining vitals. "Confirmed. He's done."

Rebecca let out a low whistle. "Remind me to never underestimate a dying man with a mystery syringe again."

"We need to report this to David immediately," Sasha said, her tone serious once more. "If biotech companies are field-testing mutation serums like this, things are about to get ugly. Fast."

Rebecca holstered her gun and nodded grimly. "Let's get moving."

The two disappeared into the shadows of the city once more, the body of the mutated Chrisman smoldering behind them—an omen of what was to come in Night City's darkest corners.