Technologic

As I mentioned before, if you wanted to call me any one traditional type of Shadowrunner, then I'd say that I'm a Street Samurai. Usually, the definition of which (and I know that if you ask for such a definition it causes fights on the matrix) is a heavily augmented mercenary combatant, which I'd say fits me perfectly. Of course, in order to do this I had to replace a good chunk of meat with 'Ware, but the results are pretty damned awesome if I do say so myself. I'm faster and more agile then any Metahuman ever could be. I dance between bullets, I leap across the landscape and I do the impossible every day.

A diagram of somebody's 'ware. Not me, actually.

They key to all this is a combination of Wired Reflexes and Reaction Enhancers. These two systems, both working together, mean that I'm blindingly fast. Both of them are above normal grade 'ware; I recently got a new set of Betaware Reaction Enhancers, so I'm running quality stuff and not your average street grade junk. The pair of them throw in a whole bunch of adrenaline stimulators, neural boosters, replacements of key vertebrae and other such big-time changes that rewire my body to give me lightning fast reactions and agility. Added to that is some Bioware in the form of Muscle Toner which gives me just a little bit more of a boost while preserving my natural (sexy) physique. Blink and you'll miss me.

(Of course, it doesn’t hurt at all that I was already pretty dammed fast and agile to start with. I was the star of my school's junior gymnastics team, but that's neither here nor now. Back to the 'ware)

But that's not all that I have. Bone Lacing means that I'm also a lot more rugged then I should be, able to hit harder and take a hit better in the incredibly unlikely event that it ever happens (Because they have to actually hit me first, and there's no chance of that). Some Muscle Augmentation also add to my ability to land a punch. I definitely don't hit like a stereotypical scrawny Elf girl.

A Cybereye. Mine are green

Finally I have a set of eye and ear augmentations to give me access to a number of options; low-light, thermographic, recording, audio filters and whatever else. I did replace my original eyes in the process, but the new cyber ones look natural anyway and match my sexy original greens. Even just on regular seeing and hearing they work far better than the natural ones (Elf eyes are good and all, but augmented is so much better) and allows me to notice things that a normal person would miss. When you run in the Shadows, that can be the difference between life and death, so definitely a worthwhile investment. Plus, of course, the eyes allow me to run the Smartlink on my weapons without any additional hardware.

So that's the ware side of things. Now let's talk guns.

Ares Alpha

I prefer assault rifles as my big hitters, and the Ares Alpha is about as good as it gets (Some reviewers call it a 'Category killer' to the degree that they're hard pressed to think of a reason to pick anything else). It's accurate, it hits hard, it has a good magazine size and it has a built-in Smartlink, so what more could you want? Oh yeah, a built in grenade launcher, that's what. So not only can I use it to mow down goons in a fight, but I've also had a lot of luck with using it as a delivery method for gas, smoke and other such non-lethal ordinance. I've modded mine with extra gas vents so between that, its own stock features (Yes, it's that good) and my augmented muscles, I can keep going full auto all day if I want to.

As a backup, albeit one that I've rarely had a chance to use, I keep a HK-227 Submachine Gun. Its become very situational, but it does work for those moments when I can't use both hands ofr whatever reason. Like one time when I was on my bike on the freeway and being chased by a bunch of Ancients, I was blazing away at them while still driving at high speeds and weaving between bullets like a fragging ninja. It was fun. The gun itself is functional and does what I need it to do, but I rarely bring it with me.

Ares Predator V. Don't listen to the hipsters who
say it's over-rated

And for those situations where people don't like you walking around with an automatic weapon (or day to day use, because do you really want to go to Stuffer Shack with an assault rifle in hand? Wait a moment, it's Stuffer Shack. That's probably a good idea), I carry an Ares Predator V. Because, really, it's a Predator and you can't go wrong with it. Simple, effective, hits hard and smartlinked. I only usually use it if I'm in a pinch and away from my big guns (like, say, a firefight breaks out at a Stuffer Shack which really seems to be inevitable), but it's good for that.

Finally, for if all else fails, I have a Colt Agent Special in a concealed slide. Between all my augmentations and natural skill, I can whip it out and plug somebody before they know it. Doesn't get much use, but good to have.

So that's it for the guns. Unlike many Street Sams, I don't have any built-in weapons like forearm guns or  blades or the like; I didn't really have any 'room' for them per se due to all the other enhancements. However, in keeping with Street Sam tradition, I do carry a Katana. I admit much of it is for the look, but it has had its moments, like the time I was stabbing robots wit it in the middle of an underground factory in very tight quarters. That was a lot of fun, actually.

Zap!

The other close-quarters weapon I carry, however, has pretty much become my signature. I have a pair of shock gloves that I have gotten insanely good use out of simply because they work so damned well with how I fight. Going with that whole 'constantly in motion' thing I do, I'm oft able to leap, run, dive and whatever else at an opponent and shock 'em into insensibility before they know what hit them. Or, alternatively, they're also great for stealthy non-lethal takedowns when we're going silent or need a target alive for whatever reason. And they were a part of what was one of my greatest moments, which I will relate another time because otherwise this will get a whole lot longer than it needs to be.

I did once say that I did once threaten to "Hopawate" a guy we'd caught with them, but given that he was a Japanese Salrariman, I figured that he might enjoy it instead.

Stock Mirage. Mine is way cooler then this

Finally, while not strictly speaking a weapon (even if you can use it as such in a pinch) I do need a way to get around. Let's face it, you don't go to and from runs in Taxis or on the bus unless you're really desperate. To do such, I have a pretty much brand new Suzuki Mirage, which suits me just fine. It's sleek, it's agile, it’s as fast as all get out and it can even keep up with the insane and awesome things I try to do behind the wheel. That's everything I could want in a bike right there and then.

The result of all this is that I'm yet to be in a situation where I didn't have something at hand that could get me out of it. Whatever it is, I’m ready for it, and eager to go.