Cyberpunk Spinoff: Devi- The Enforcer

A short story about a character I started to play as in the CyberPunk universe. Quality is not so much a concern, this was more a writing excersise.

“It would take a homicidal maniac in a claymore and a kilt to get the better of me.”

-Duke of Wellington

“Do you sell kilts here?” -Devi

 

               

Louis hated public events. It was that time when he had to stand, get stripped to his action boxers (some show from the 90’s that featured hyper violence, explosions, and super heroes committing brutal murder on unrepentant villians.) and they would measure him. The suits they would make for him would be tailored to fit his body perfect, hiding any imperfection and making the wearer look “normal” and dignified. His hair, black, would be rearranged, slicked strait back and gelled. A perfect gentleman would be Louis. He would make his family proud.

               He stood on the balcony of the secondary boat “Peacekeeper.” The floating colony nation of L’union (The United) was comprised of multiple companies that ultimately came together to try and survive the growing tough times. Air France (A Travel company that focused on meditaranian cruises, formed the bulk of what would be considered “Downtown”.  His parents were third generation chair CEOs of Air France and he was the body of the perfect child they raised to show the other corpo elites from the other companies. Prince Louis he was known as. Submissive, kind, destined to make his parents proud.

               This was the day Prince Louis was to be kidnapped.

 

               “The Mr. And Mrs. of Air France, they are taking control of the council. They have twice rejected my proposals and I heard rumors they are backing a potential successor to have me removed from my own company board. This cannot go unpunished.”

               The night of the party, a celebration of the success of the tenth year of The Union forming gave way to fireworks and laughter. A pirate ship, what would best be described as an updated American battle ship rammed the rear The Peacekeeper. Warning shots to make the crowd disperse were fired and the people fled. They found the 6 foot something heir to the AF throne and they barricaded themselves below the decks of the chunk of colony they claimed as their own.

               “So tell me about that sword?”

               The Pirate King Gaston, had looked at his hostage. In the main barge of the mess hall on the pirate ship was a massive sword.

               “Its allegedly the weapon of William Wallace. Some Irish guy…”

               “It’s pretty” Louis said.

               “We carbon dated it. Its from the late 18^th century. Its fake.”

               “But, its pretty.”

 

               “Its dull as s**t. You can’t kill anyone with it.”

 

               That night, in the central Boat, the government district, the CEO’s of the Union met. The consensus was; they would not give into terrorism. The Mastermind of all this, watched as Louis’ mom got flustered. He could see the pain in her eyes, and the steel focus of Louis’ dad to maintain composure and control. They would make mistakes in his favor, and he would crush their spirits and their lives.

               There were three gangs that ran the underground. Two of them were shadow gangs trying to run favor of their parent company, the other was a mafia that used impressionable children as muscle mixed with adults with high end weaponry.

               Leon, who was the brother of Air France’s CEO was the leader of this lethal crew, just only a select few knew this. Leon had in his possession a crew of enforcers to get the dirty on any enemy that encroached on their territory. The Chief muscle was some spikey brute known only as Diables. “Devi” or “Devil” in translation.

               “Save my son.” She pleaded with him in a dark room. This was the first time she went to him as the lord of the underground.

               “Do you know what you are asking of me?”

               “He is your nephew.”

               “When was the last time you tucked her child into bed. When was the last time you sat down with him? What do you know of your child that makes me think you care about him?”

              

She grew speechless.

               

“Send him. Send Devi.”

              

               The Mastermind called Gaston, the pirate king over the intercom. “I hear word from the three gangs that there is movement. The police aren’t going to move against you but there are signs that a crew is arming up to retake the Peacekeeper. If its who I think it is, you might be dealing with Devi soon enough. Kill that f****r.”

               

Gaston looked to Louis, “Who is Devi?”

               

“Just a low level punk. One of those spike haired brawlers who likes to make a name for himself.”

               

Among the pirate crew, word started spreading of Devi and the shadow mafia that never once had a negative meeting with the local law enforcement.

               

“It doesn’t add up that the blues would turn a blind eye to all the criminal activity. Someone is connected.”

               

Leon’s voice rang over the intercom. “With whom am I speaking to?”

               

Gaston responded, “I am Pirate Lord Gaston.”

               “Is the hostage alive?” He asked, uncaring.

               “Yes, he is. For now.”

               Louis started to try and stand, “Do I have permission to?”

               Gaston told him to sit down. “Just stay put.”

               “Stand by, the United Will make its way to save you.”

               Louis went back to his sit and sighed.

               Gaston spoke up, “We can talk terms after you see our position of power. Send a wave our way, and we will repel it. Or you can send someone to speak for the family that runs Air France.”

               “I warn you, this isn’t the first time that boy has been kidnapped. Ask him about his cybernetic arm. Ending transmission.”

               Gaston took off Louis’s black gloves and found a cybernetic hand that ran up all the way to his shoulder.

               “It wasn’t a voluntary amputation.”

               “What happened?”

               “My uncle killed a lot of people. He kills snitches too. But, its only snitching if you are alive to tell the tale when this is all over. Some group thought they could get one over on him.” It was a not so veiled threat.

               That night, the pirates had a meeting in the main chamber, the front force crowded the tunnels and bridges connecting the PeaceKeeper to the main bulk of the colony.

               The first shots were heard at the pitch black midnight. Explosions were second. Within five minutes, the noises died down.

               Louis’s parents met the board, the mom begging to give what ever the pirates wanted. The father, proud, said they could not look weak, but to hear the lists of demands.

 

               Leon heard from his front team that one squad managed to sneak aboard the Peacekeeper during the gunfight, but that two of his teams were wiped out. His nephew was growing expensive. But his word was worth more.

               Gaston came back to the Captains room with Louis still sitting, unmoving, and a dead body of a guard on the floor. Gaston’s face went red. “What happened?”

               “Devi. He is on board the ship! He has come.”

 

               The sun rose. It was supposed to be peaceful. This was the day, that the sides would talk discussion. The Mastermind would make his rivals powerless and crush that wretched family as a whole. Leon had a netrunner in his pocket. The communication logs of the Mastermind to the pirate crew before the kidnapping came to light. His moment of triumph was exchanged for humiliation as he was thrown face first into the table and arrested. The last thing he saw as a bag was shoved over his head was the mothers face, full of pure hatred.

               “They say, Devi likes to take trophies of his conquests. I think he will be taking that claymore.”

               Gaston looked at the blade. He was bleeding. He didn’t know when it happened. Louis was still sitting down, Leon’s voice on the intercom announcing that through the chaos, they were coming to occupy the pirate vessel successfully.

               “Can I now?” Louis began to stand up.

               Gaston wanted to say “sit back down” but no words came to him. The cut was deep. He couldn’t place his finger on where everything went wrong. It wasn’t fair that he was about to die not knowing how he lost but knowing that he did.

               “Yes, come home.” Leon said over the intercom.

               The pirates used Nex-tech Weaponry. Their guns had a patented high pitch scream as they fired off rounds. Gaston wasn’t hearing those sounds anymore, his crew was no longer fighting back.

 

               Raphael, the mastermind, sat alone in his cell. Louis stared at him. “You had me kidnapped. You betrayed my family.”

               “F**k you. You rich man’s son. You haven’t worked a day in your life. What the f**k do you know. You were lucky those punks were stronger than those pirates.”

               “Punks?”

               “Those kids, had the mobs backing and they took back that boat. F*****g Devi was there I heard. They said he was dancing around with some giant piece of rock.”

               Louis smiled. He placed the Claymore on the table between them. He then placed a gun.

               “You got one shot to make this right. You can kill me. Right here, right now. What is your choice?”

               Raphael grabbed the gun and fired.

               It jammed.

               “Now see, I would have picked the sword.”

               Louis began picking at the hair on top of his head. “This stupid s**t takes hours to put on but my mom f*****g insists.” Pieces of fake scalp and side burns came undone. What was left, he began to pull together to get it to stick up in a mohawk. He began to take off his jacket. Once the undershirt came off, the cushion around him, that made it seem like he had empty air in his arms, actually showed how well fit he was underneath.

               “So Prince Louis is some poser?”

               “Poser? Hehe.”

               “I get you want to act out but really? This?”

               “You don’t get it. My mom never forgave herself for the time I got injured as a kid. They came and took me. They sent my mom and dad fingers from my right hand. My body couldn’t handle the loss and they had to take the entire arm. My dad came to my uncle and told him to watch over me. My parents never saw the kid who grew up underground. Learning to fight, shoot, and kill to live. They never saw the devil of their spawn I became.”

               Devi took the claymore. “It looks about right.”

               “That weapon couldn’t kill a fly, its flat and dull. And heavy.”

               “It is heavy.” Devi lifted the claymore sword with one hand. He fiddled with it like it was a plastic toy. “Very heavy.”

               “You can’t kill me.”

               “I just got to use this sword more like a, how do you say, mallet? No! Sledgehammer!”

               Raphael watched as the six foot figure of a punk kid, one handedly holding a two handed blade like it was a toy walk up to him.

               “I get a free swing, as you got your free shot at me. Now, the key is to not aim at the person, but through the person. We are trying to get past the body that is going to stubbornly get in the way.”

               Despite being made of a metal that had grown dull from misuse, there was a head cleanly separated from its body, and a punk kid grinning like a mad fool.

               “Your mom is on her way, we can give you five minutes.” A voice over the intercom said.

               Devi began slicking his hair back and trying to remake himself presentable. In her eyes, she needed to see him only as her innocent son Louis.

               “Oh, bring me that sword in my room. I definitely like that!”

 

Author's Note

You're free to comment, or review, I am more just putting this up to put this up. Hope you are having a great day.