Lost Rain
patreon
Outrun - Chapter 295
🕑 Added 2025-08-27 22:04:01 +0000 UTC“Why are we in the closest- this is really tight with two people.” Mira pressed into the cleaning closet behind me. She may have had a point. When I finally buy this building and made the bar public-ish, I’ll have to expand the entry.
“Just- just give me a sec.” I hit the hidden release brick, revealing the pad to open the main doors. I put in the password and the mechanisms behind the walls started to move. “It’s O five, two five, twenty-seventy-three.”
“Your birthday- real original, Shiro.” Mira chuckled and followed me through the open door. It closed behind us, leaving us in the dark. “I can’t see a thing.”
”Oh- right… sorry.” I usually just kept the lights off down here since I could see. I moved over to the light switch and hit it. I’d long hooked it up to the building above and fixed any wiring issues back when doing repairs.
A soft warm glow lit up from scones pressed into the walls and simple chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. They illuminated the old grey brickwork, repaired and cleaned up recently, that the place was made out of. Dark wooden slats covered the ground, and ornate looking red chairs and tables sat around.
A moment later, the neon kicked on from behind the brickwork, casting neon shadows and giving the entire place a more modern touch. I’d put a lot of effort into the place in my free time over the months. It was far from the charred out husk it originally was.
“Wow… you found this?”
“It was hit by a firebomb and abandoned.” I ran a hand over one of the tables. I’d added a layer of polish, making them shine in the glimmering neon. That took way too much effort, and I spent several hours on View-2 trying to figure out how.
The wood was easy to get, at least. Whatever entity was behind Transmutation sold it super cheap. All the chairs, the new bar, and anything else wooden was made from Aether Blackwood. It was supposed to be super resilient, though had yet to be actually stress-tested. Hopefully it’d hold up against a bar fight?
“I take it you repaired all of this?” Mira pulled out one of the chairs and took a seat. “Super comfy- where’d she get all the money- she’s really grown up.”
”Thanks. It’s been a process. Working with my hands- it just clears my head, you know?” I nodded to the back. “My workshop is back there.”
Mira tailed after me, her expression calmer than it’d been in a while. “What’s the plan with this place- just going to keep it as a private bar- bit of a waste, isn’t it?”
”Maybe.” It was a cool place for meetups if I ever grew to that point. I’d have to add a lot more security to it though. “Might open it up as a merc dive. Invite only or something like that. Make it feel exclusive.”
“Smart. Exclusivity makes it all feel special- you should get a theme for it. It’s kinda bland as is.” Mira flinched, her face heating up. “N-not that its a bad-‘
“I get it.” I glanced over my shoulder toward the bar. I also thought it was a bit bland. As it stood, it was just like any other bar though with a nice vibe. What could I do though? Techie’s shop? Gateway to the Aether? Maybe I could get Fox to summon a bunch of sprites here?
We walked back to my workshop. It was a bit of a mess with parts, tools, and mechanisms tossed around randomly. Unfinished projects sat all over the place, just waiting for me to give them some more attention. A whole host of Dragonflies sat tossed into a box on the far side of the room. I was worried they’d break, so I made far too many of them.
“Cool. Three dimensional printers- where’d you get all the Rayn- you’ve been super busy, huh?” Mira asked.
”Here and there. I’ve been busy taking all sorts of jobs and gigs.” I hopped up onto one of my work tables and tossed out my Transporter to start transferring everything back over to this place.
”Could you make me a gun?” Mira shifted from foot to foot. “I feel naked without one.”
”There’s a few in my storage bunker.” Few dozen from the Scavs and various other factions I’d robbed. “Chek though, I could make you one. What would you want?”
“Whatever you want- an AR would be nice- I like SMGs- maybe an HMG of some kind?” Mira’s face went beet red. “S-sorry. Whatever you can will be fine.”
”How about all three?” I had enough blueprints locked away in my head anyway. I could add some attachments I’d been thinking about too while I was at it. Getting her fully kitted out wasn’t a bad idea. I’d feel better, anyway.
After several minutes, the door to the Aether opened up. I pulled out half the planting supplies, a set of lavender seeds, and my bike. Also a Raijin AR for Mira to have alongside a few mags of ammo. No clue who I stole that from, but it was one of the many I had stashed away.
I set the AR and ammo down. I likewise tossed one of my Ascenders onto the table. “Don’t break anything. There’s a path down the Underground back there with a small firing range set up if you want to go shooting.”
“I’d never.” She moved to pick up the stuff. “Thanks, Shiro.”
”No problem.” The firing range was more so where I went to test stuff, but it’d work for her. “Come up immediately if you hear any noises. Crusade and the FSA military have been going ballistic down there recently.”
”Roger.” She adjusted her beanie and headed off back toward the rope leading into the depths.
I watched her go and then went out back with a sack of soil, several pots, and everything else I’d need to get the lavender started. I put three of them all around the room, planting seeds in the small black pots. A second pass around, and I watered them with just normal tap water. Not the best, but my canteen had about an hour left on its upgrade timer.
They didn’t start growing immediately. I half expected them to thanks to my Trait from Mother. I did feel a subtle link to each of the seeds though, like I was constantly aware of where they were at. It was deeply uncomfortable to me. I’d have to get used to it eventually though. If they were as good as they claimed, I’d probably keep them around for when this place fully opened up.
I spent the next several hours working on my tech. Mira came up to watch for a bit, but she quickly got bored and went off to look around the bar and get a feel for the place. I had a feeling we’d be spending a lot of time here in the future.
I moved on to my hover bike. The auto-pilot and all of that would be too much for me at the moment. I could just take part of the fireflies code and port it over, but it’d be a lot of work and take a lot of time. A lot of time I didn’t currently have. I was set to move on Tornado Arms soon.
Instead, I added some other features to the bike. Heater, of course. That was the starting point. I had to take off the armor, which was a pain in the ass, but I managed to get something set up. I wouldn’t be freezing or dying of heat on the hover bike anymore. A windshield would also help with that.
A Blackout Module was right after that. The crystals needed for it were normally extremely hard to get a hold of. It’d been by complete luck, and a bit of help from Suvroc, that I got what I needed for just one module. Now though? Now it wasn’t that hard. It ate the rest of my Crystalised Elements, but I successfully transmuted what I needed.
After that, a new Blackout module wasn’t that hard to make. I even hooked up a heat sink using the natural cold of the AE3. I’d have to test it, but it should hold for much longer than the module in my pack. Add on a modified variant of the Sonic Suppresser? It was way better at stealth than it had been.
The turret wasn’t that hard to add on either. I left a spot specifically for it when I first designed the bike. I was finally using that heavy 50. Cal that I took from the Nomad’s so long ago. I thought I’d never use it, but here it was. If I needed some heavy weapons, I’d have it on hand now.
Just needed to add some missiles. I had a few ideas for that, but it’d take quite a bit more work to start pumping out missiles. Might set up a proper fabrication lab before then? I had all that knowledge from Quantum Automation that was just waiting to be put to work.
Right now I was just running off a few printers and hand crafting everything. I didn’t even need to go buy stuff to make it. I’d just need to dedicate some time and I could put something together myself. Something specifically built to mass fabricate some more delicate creations.
And then I set the printers to work on gun parts for Mira. While they were blitzing away, I completely disconnected my deck’s hardwire from anything that could cause a connection. I needed the utmost privacy for my next scheme.
After thinking about it long and hard, I was going to plant the Sentinel files in Tornado instead of the Raijin trackers. I couldn’t just leave them alone after what they did to Mira. Whatever happened after that? It wasn’t my problem. To do all of that, though, I couldn’t just plant the files and then shout ‘over here!’ That’d be far too telling. This had to be smart and tactical.
I copied some of the experimental gun and chrome tech, marking it up and adjusting the blueprints to look like someone at Tornado was actively working on figuring the core philosophies behind the tech. I, of course, also scrubbed anything that related to Sentinel off. I had to make it look like Tornado was caught by a stroke of misfortune rather than intentionally set up. If it had Sentinel written all over it, it’d be far too telling.
I was banking on Sentinel either having corporate spies in Tornado Arms or someone in Tornado Arms being tempted by the heavy bounty and betraying the corp. Both were highly likely. I messed around with the documents more and then moved everything to a chip. I just needed to get into Tornado’s servers and I could hide the bread crumbs that’d draw Sentinel’s eye.
As for how I’d get into Tornado Arms to plant all of this? That much would be easy enough. They had a fabrication factory here in the city, alongside several dozen shop fronts scattered around. My real target was their regional headquarters in the Corporate Quarter though. I’d have to be careful, but there should be no issue getting in, planting the stuff, and then getting out.
My biggest worry about all of this? Mira. I’d have to leave her alone for an extended period while I took care of business. That was… not ideal. I had those rings though. I was originally planning on testing them with Saint, but if if they could help Mira not feel alone?
I headed out of the back of the bar toward the front. Mira was off in the corner of the room, head slumped onto one of my bar’s tables. She smiled at me and propped her head up. “Hey.”
”I got something… can you help me test it?” I pulled out Wolf’s Packheart Ring. With a thought, the alpha ring duplicated into another one.
Mira’s back straightened. “Sure? What is it- probably something techie, huh?”
“Magic, actually. I think it's a Remnant?” It could just be something Wolf enchanted though. “It’s called the Packheart Ring.”
”Magic?” Mira’s expression shifted subtly. Her mistrust reminded me of myself before I understood more about magic, eidolons, and all of that.
”Here.” I slid into the booth across from her and offered her one of the rings shaped like a frozen lightning bolt. I slipped the other onto my finger.
”What’s it do?” She took the ring and inspected it carefully.
”Not sure? I think comms, mainly.” At least, based on the description.
She slipped it on. Immediately, I felt a warm connection blossoming in my chest. It was a subtle comfort that made me inexplicably drop my guard. Even with my eyes closed, I just knew where Mira was. I had a feeling I could be across the city and still know where she was at without an issue.
”Woah.” Mira shuddered, wrapping her arms around herself. “That feels weird.”
“Bad weird? Or good weird?” It was like a warm hug, almost?
“Good. Definitely good.” Mira let out a breath and nodded her head. “You said it was comms- where’d you get this- how does it work?”
”I think it’s comms? No idea how it works.” I moved back into the workshop and called out in a soft whisper. “Can you hear me?”
Mira’s voice echoed into my head, telepathically communicating with me. “Perfectly… this is so weird.”
”Cool though, chek?” If I used these, I wouldn’t have to worry about getting caught out by a Netrunner noticing my comms, at least.
”Really cool… I take it you’re going somewhere I can’t come- the ring gave it away- where are you headed?” She called through the pack bond of the rings.
I moved back into the speakeasy, rubbing at my arm slightly. “Um… I’ll be back in a little bit.”
”Thanks, Shiro.” She waved the ring on her finger. “I’m not so fragile I’ll fall apart after being left alone for a few hours though.”
”I know that… It’s just- well…”
“I’ll be fine.” She put on a smile. It had some of Mira’s old warmth in it. “Not like we can lose contact with these things- do you think they have a range limit?”
“I guess we’ll find out.” I looked around the bar. “Want me to drop you back by the apartment before I go?”
”That’d be great.” She stood up, following me toward the door. “This place is nice- its so boring.”
“Heh- yeah, I’ll get something set up for you at some point.” I hesitantly toyed with my bangs and headed out of the speakeasy.
Comments
Gardor
Occurs to me that it is NOT mental, they actually need to speak, woopsie doosie.
UnderwhelmingBird
Lmao Shiro took so long that Mira had enough time to get to the shooting range, fire all the ammo, come back/post-range gear cleaning(?), then get bored and look around, get bored OF looking around, and finally take a nap. Shiro cmon girlie you've gotta know there's not really anything to DO in the bar unless you set her up with a task. Like, I dunno, workshopping themes or setting up lists of booze or snacks. She's not as much of a tech nut you anti-social dork!!! Anyhow the missiles are an interesting thing because with her alchemical talent combined with whatever the market at large has already created, she could likely make something normally pretty mid into something fantastic. Honestly though even just an alchemical package as a rocket's payload (as its main payload, activated by a primary explosive for safety in transit) would probs be enough to hold her over for a bit. One easy example I can point to is Mandalorian "whistling birds" micro-missiles, if they packed more of a punch than for merely antipersonnel use at short range. Scale something like that up and it'd have some serious potential! Aether's pretty neat like that Casual musing got me distracted that Shiro totally could have set up a TV or something other than just Neon Lights. Cmon now, *every* bar's gotta have a TV for people to grumble over the volume/subtitles!!
kreiverin
Thanks
Gardor
I thought it was weird Shiro took Mira to the crusade apartment rather than her speakeasy, where would Shiro feel safer? Also, i think it'd be neat if when Mira used the ring it was more fucked up, because its all mental and doesnt have the filter of her physically saying it. Jumbled thoughts or something. It might fuck up their easy acceptance of the ring tho, but i think it makes sense.
Momongama
I agree, I think the character work in these chapters is the best so far
W Maxwell Cassity-Guilliom
I love these chapters a lot, you nailed making Shiro's awkward social skills endearing rather than obscuring what's actually happening. I couldn't always tell how that fox and self-enhancement magus felt or what the actual shape of their chats were through Shiro's POV.
Scholar of Endless Knowledge
Tftc!
