vigilan7e

[vigilan7e]

// i like to think this is aiden after coming to night city and somehow getting involved in the whole biochip story

[vigilan7e]

[vigilan7e]

mzone​:

   “Has anyone ever told you that you can be… I can’t even think of something. If I say ‘a dickhead’ the answer is obviously ‘yes’.”

Ian has never been tased, nor has he spent more than half a second thinking over his response to the threat of being tased. Because Aiden’s not going to tase him. He’s decided as much. And once he’s decided as much, what is there to worry about? Why overthink things?

He lays his hands in his lap and slouches more comfortably in his own desk chair, the one Aiden stopped using precisely because of the squeaky wheels Ian is now idly rolling on, back and forth, squee-squeek, back and forth, squee-squeek.

   “You’re kind of a cunt.”

the offending squeeks grate on his ears, the same way jingling keys do. the sound strains something in his ear, some miniscule muscle he shouldn’t be aware of, let alone feel it pushed to its limit. aiden’s feet scramble as he pushes his own chair away from the desk and his very important work. fine, fine, you got him, there’s the attention you wanted. 

“it’s fucking london, you can’t cross the street without getting called one.” there’s no power to that word. if aiden was in a sharing mood, he might even admit he’s a fan of its cadence. but he’s not in a sharing mood, not around ian.

“if i bother you so much then why keep coming here?” there’s a sort of futility in this question but it’s what a logical-thinking person would ask, so there aiden is, asking it. and getting preemptively angry at the answer.

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prvtocol​:

        The day is nothing out of the ordinary for the director. Meetings stacked, a power lunch with a lead in HR complete, a routine transfer to an AV to meet another director at Arasaka Waterfront underway, and a call to her assistant required on route. All perfunctory and all movement meticulously handled by others — men in Arasaka gear who are supposed to watch her every move.

        ❛ You have some bloody cheek. ❜ Raw firmness in a husky voice delicately trimmed by posh British accent does not betray her elevating cortisol levels. She half-expects her life coach to attempt to patch through at that very moment. Brianne is not without some grounding, however, as the car’s speed pins her thin form to the leather seat. A clenched jaw to grit her way through equal parts anger at an outstanding lack of oversight on behalf of her security who neglected to screen the bloody driver. Who the hell is this man with a fox mask?

        Keep it in check, Brianne. Breathe.

        Narrowing eyes cannot slice at her abductor; that mask giving no hints to affiliation to corp, gang, or clan. ❛ What is this exactly? ❜ A seat belt is decidedly latched, four inch heels dig into the floorboards, and a hand grips at the side door to pin her in place. ❛ A bold move if you are Militech. Bolder still if you are some vigilante. But you better keep your eyes on the road. It’s going to get rather dodgy shortly, ❜ with Arasaka on their tail.

“don’t tell me this is your first kidnapping.” his casual tone is tested as the car enters a turn and clips a metal railing. someone shouts an expletive in a language he didn’t bother chipping in and aiden has to bite down a yell of his own. sloppy, he berates himself. doesn’t matter, he remembers with a tiny bit of satisfaction. he’s not the one who’ll have to buff it out. 

“comes with the corpo territory, right?” he continues, barreling down the street and putting as much distance between them and that arasaka parking lot. if the cops get involved, he can outrun them. but he’s not going to risk a confrontation with arasaka-- not yet. “just like making deals.” 

and this is the moment he chooses to look away from the road, almost as if to make a very petty point. the fox skull flickers, barely standing in the way of direct eye-contact. “i’m going to make this quick, director landry. i have some information on one of your board members, the kind of information that can be very useful in the right hands. and i’m willing to part with it for a very, very low price.” he pauses there, having said enough for now.

[vigilan7e]

Aiden Pearce in WATCH DOGS: LEGION concept art by Zabi Hassan

[vigilan7e]

he’s not sure what to say. technically, he could pretend it’s a backhanded compliment and get mad at that. but by just acknowledging it, aiden would be locked into a choice. few more steps down that line and he’ll find himself beaten again. the only winning move, something something.

so he disentangles by letting out a rough grunt. aiden very pointedly does not look up from the keyboard as he announces, frankly and honestly: “i am going to steal a police drone. and i am going to program it to tase you every time it spots you outside the safehouse.” he looks up now because it’s easier to lock eyes with ian when he’s threatening him with physical violence. “you ever been tased?”

@vigilan7e

   “I can’t imagine you being young. Without the -” He pinches his own chin between finger and thumb, tracing out the shape of Aiden’s beard on his own smooth cheeks. “It really adds a lot. I don’t think you’d be interesting without it. You’d just be some guy. More than you already are - just some guy.”

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behind that 0.1cm thick sheet of glass called your computer screen lies five hundred thousand slavering Techno Daemons who would long for little more than to turn you into a kilobyte or a .txt file

[vigilan7e]

dedsec london: operative, we are dying out here , please help us

aiden: 

[vigilan7e]

[vigilan7e]

@yorinobu​​ ​   /  starter call.

this city is almost too easy to hate. it shouldn’t feel personal and yet it does. he wouldn’t have gotten caught back in chicago. but in night city, he stands in a lobby with a witness to what should have been a quick and easy data grab. 

“nothing is ever simple in this city.” a seemingly disconnected prelude instead of an apology or a bargain. aiden is no petty thief, after all. “too many links. you beat up a random goon and the next day you have two different gangs chasing after you. so,” his baton clicks as he unlocks it with a decisive swipe and points it at the man in the doorway. “wanna tell me whose toes i’m about to step on?”

[vigilan7e]

// i had this in my drafts forever but me when i saw this billboard in cp2077, proving that chicago still exists in the lore

[vigilan7e]

@valheri​   /   starter call.

he hears her arrival only by chance. the noise could have been lost in-between his keystrokes, the clicking of heels and keys is oddly similar. but that’s why he doesn’t leave things to luck. his left optic is connected to the only camera in the server room and the lens picks up movement immediately. without moving his head, he pulls his pistol out and points it at the other netrunner.

“followed the frequency too?” he asks somewhere to the left. his free hand slams shut the computer on the desk.

someone’s been flooding the subnets with a strange noise, a brand new siren song. some type of undulating frequency, mysterious and oh, so trackable with enough work and gusto. a perfect way to separate netrunners who think they know what they’re doing from those who actually do. aiden blinks, disconnecting from the camera. with both of his optics in realspace again, he turns to face the visitor properly. 

“it’s a honeypot.” he announces, lowering the gun. no reward at the end of this mystery, at least not for her. “probably netwatch.” the fox-head tilts, taking in the other netrunner’s appearance. “there are easier ways to join them if that’s what you’re after.” 

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are there video games for men

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donesurvivin​:

joel doesn’t need to ask him how he knows this, or even if he’s sure about it. in truth, just finding a car that still runs is a win, they can ultimate the details later as long as they secure the vehicle now. his attention sets on the two men guarding the church, thinking if this went smoothly they could even make with extra ammo. 

❝  yup,  ❞  comes with a nod, there’s not much to it other than the willingness to work with the other. he seizes a piece of concrete off the floor before turning his attention to aiden,  ❝  if i lead ‘em back there, i can take ‘em out — nice and quiet,  ❞  it’s not permission what he’s after but the notion he won’t be crossed and left to his own devices if something goes south.

“nice and quiet is good. i’ve no idea how many people are inside.” he likes to do his research but even something as simple as a headcount is impossible these days. 

aiden pulls the facemask up even though nobody thinks of chicago anymore. connotations are lost, so are the networks of cctv cameras. even if the black-and-white screens are on, nobody’s watching them. faces go unrecognized before they get bashed in or taken over by mold. but aiden covers his up anyways.

“sure you can handle them?” he’s just checking. the tone isn’t concerned enough to be read as an offering to switch places.

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@prvtocol​​    /   starter call. 

it’s the politeness that gets her in the end. just as he suspected it would. having four bodyguards doesn’t leave many opportunities for private talks. they have an annoying habit of watching over their charge at all times because that’s what they’re paid to do. that and to observe decorum. from what aiden gathered, decorum is the most important part to corpos like arasaka. someone has to pretend they’re the last bastion of civilization.

which is why one of the goons lets their precious director enter the car first, chivalrously holding the door for her. this is when the clock starts ticking. once the car door closes and before the bodyguard can enter from the other side-- that’s plenty of time for aiden to hit the gas. nobody stops him because nobody even saw him in the driver seat. an empty gesture and two seconds, that’s all it takes to kidnap someone. tires screech loudly, the car lurches forward and he speeds out of the parking lot, leaving the confused guards behind.

“hello director landry.” the fox skull settles over his face and only then he looks over his shoulder at the newly acquired passenger. “i’m scrambling the comms so don’t bother calling for help. they won’t hear you.”

[vigilan7e]