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Chapter Text

They made the trip back to her apartment in silence. The dawning sun cast an ethereal light upon the worn down highway taking them from the Glen to Arroyo. Any other day, any other life, Lucy would have adored the chance to watch the sunrise with David, but she had to keep her attention to the road, shutting everything else out to calm her heart and steady her hands. 

And David… 

Her heart broke for him, he stared ahead, eyes vacant and face blank. Every now and then she could spy a stray tear leaking from the corner of his eyes, cutting clean lines down soot-stained cheeks. She wanted to reach out, to wipe away his tears, to stop the car and embrace him, to whisper in his ear and tell him everything would be okay. But right now every synapse in her body was telling her, screaming at her.
Get inside, don’t go out. Get inside, don’t go out.

Her hands still shook from adrenaline and fear. Betraying all the effort she had put into remaining stoic and composed. 

Scenes came to her mind, unbidden. First the files she had seen while in Deep Dive, Arasaka’s interest in David’s cyberware tolerance, as if that was the only thing of value that godless corporation could see in her Moon. Then came the suffocating feeling of fighting against Tanaka’s security programs, her frazzled mindworking overtime as she multitasked, running a Reflector and Lightning Bug program to protect her as she furiously tore and shredded the files that the corpo had on her lover, one thought clear in her mind.
They won’t have him. 

She knew she should say something, anything, to the love of her life sitting next to her. She wasn't blind, she knew he was a step away from the edge, that he needed her now more than ever. 

But still, she found her lips pressed firmly together.

What could she even say? I told you so? 

David had always been there for her, he was her light when she had spent her whole life in the darkness, under the shadow of Arasaka’s omnipresence. It was only thanks to him that she had begun to feel like she could go through life without constantly looking over her shoulder.

The fact that, now that their situations were somewhat reversed, she found herself tongue tied? There were no words to describe how she felt, though inadequate came close, deficient was definitely a close second.

Still… Her hands tightened around the steering wheel. There are still things I can do for him. 

If Arasaka wanted to reach what was hers, she would be there at every step, every corner, waiting. Either they would run out of interest or they would run out of men.

I’ll do it all for you… David…

The streets of Arroyo gave way to Charter Hill, then to Japantown. Before long they found themselves coming to a stop outside her apartment, the old building overlooking the water seemed at once both comfortingly familiar and also desolate, as if it were an accusation from those whose blood was on her hands.

Don’t think about it. She thought to herself as she climbed the steps leading up to her apartment, David following numbly behind. Don’t think about how Dorio and Maine were still alive, and you wanted to run and leave them to die, just like befor- No! Don’t think about it!

David stepped forward, the door’s security system recognizing his bio-sig as another resident and hissing open with an affirmative beep. His hand seemed so inviting , hanging limply by his side. She wanted desperately to reach out and take it, to squeeze it and watch a smile break out from under his tired, worn mask. 

She did nothing.

David stumbled inside, kicking off his shoes numbly as he opened the blinds. Though Lucy had only just come from the outside, the light that shone into her apartment caused her to wince.

Kicking off her boots too, she stared around. She’d been with David for scant weeks, the two of them stumbling through the early stages of their relationship, something that Lucy had no experience with, dating opportunities were dead in the water when you felt like you were on the run all the time, after all. 

Dorio had noticed quickly, the older woman had picked up on the change in her personality almost immediately. If David was any indication the blonde Solo had figured things out far earlier than their esteemed boss.

And now they’re both… She stumbled, gripping on to the doorframe for support.

“Lucy!” David was by her side in an instant, light returned to those warm brown eyes. “You okay?”

Why…? Why are you… She bit back a sob, refusing to show weakness. The first time he said anything since the explosion and it’s for you. A murderer. A traitor.

“Yeah.” she lied, putting on a smile and praying it wasn’t as tired and forced as it felt . “Just tired, that’s all.” 

Swallowing nervously, she let David help her to her feet. She wanted so desperately to come clean, to have this burden off her chest and to have her know, but…

If he knows, what will he think? A part of her reasoned. Lucy tried not to grimace as David helped her to the bed, stepping on discarded bottles as they went. Will he stay with the one who murdered Dorio? Who killed Maine?

No. She pressed her lips together. The risk of David hating her was one she wasn’t willing to take. She begged the spirits of Dorio and Maine for forgiveness, for understanding. She swore to them that she would make up for all her sins when she was sent to hell, a place where David would never know. But for now… Please give me more time… with him…

She let go of David as she sat down on the mattress, her thighs sinking into the cushioned surface as David took both her hands. As he ran a thumb over her knuckles tenderly, his warmth and touch melting away her worries, if only for the moment.
God… Let this moment never end… 

"Get some rest." he smiled softly, interrupting that thought prematurely. "I'll be back in a bit."

What?

"Where are you going?" Lucy asked, all exhaustion forgotten in the face of this unknown.

"I'm just going to Doc's." David said, "Won't be long."

"Why?"
Why now? You saw what happened to Maine, didn't you?

"Need to get stronger." David replied, wrenching his eyes closed. "I wasn't strong enough to save Maine, or Dorio. It won't happen again. I swear it."

"But-"

"It'll be okay." David opened his eyes, the eyes she'd come to adore. Giving her a quick kiss, he smiled. "I won't be long."

As he walked to the door, Lucy felt like somebody had lit her nervous system on fire. Panic filled her mind as a louder voice overtook the one that urged for discretion, screaming at her the one thing that she had overlooked.
You got your crew killed protecting him. Now he’s going to go get himself killed trying to protect you. You can’t just hide this from him, MOVE!  

Lucy lunged forward, grabbing David by the hem of his jacket, a memento of his mother.

She made a promise, then and there, to Gloria Martinez. A woman she had never met.

I swear, I'll keep him safe. Even if it means I lose him forever.

"Lucy?" David turned, brows furrowed in confusion. "What-"

"No."

Chapter Text

David blinked. He wasn't sure what response he expected, but that definitely wasn't it.
"What do you mean 'no'?" he asked, watching as Lucy's eyes narrowed, lips pressed into a thin line.

"I mean" she said, getting to her feet. "No. You aren't going."

"Lucy." he smiled, gently taking her hand from his jacket and holding it. "I'll be okay. I don't think anyone's looking for us."

"That's not what I mean!" she snapped, yanking her hand from his grasp. "You- You saw what happened to Maine! You're seriously planning to go down the same road he did?"
Ah. he grimaced. He wasn't sure if he was ready for this talk.

"I can handle it." he said softly.

"For how long?" Lucy was acting in a way he hadn't seen before, not even in the carpark.
She wasn't just spooked, she was terrified.

"Luce." he placed a hand softly on her cheek, gently caressing her skin with his thumb. "I can't lose you like I lost them."

"You won't" she grabbed his hand, looking him in the eyes. Begging him to understand.

"You don't know that." he said, shutting his eyes as his mind was brought back to Maine's final moments. "I need to get stronger. That's the only way."

"When does it end?" Lucy demanded "When? Once you're so borged out you can go toe to toe with Adam-fucking-Smasher?" 
David walked over to the window. The sun was out, a pity. He wished he could look at the moon right now.
"I wasn't fast enough to save Dorio" he said, a bitter laugh forcing its way out of his mouth. 
Fast is what you do. Ain't it?
"I wasn't strong enough to fight with Maine." he slammed a fist against the wall. Tears threatening to escape. He let out a strangled gasp.
Just keep on running.
"This was all my fault." the first tears began falling. Not the numb trickle he had let out in the car, but a bitter cascade of hot, stinging liquid.

"David-" Lucy began.

"I froze up when I should have jabbed Tanaka. I could have gotten you killed!" 
Fast is what you do, ain't it?

"That's not-"

"I couldn't get there in time to save Dorio, or calm Maine." 
Just keep on running.
"Maine said it himself." David leaned his head against the window. He didn't bother wiping the tears away, more would replace them anyway. "I wasn't strong enough to fight with him."
David, you can't do it.
"It was all my fault!" he was shouting, when had he started shouting? "I know it and... and I hate myself for it! Damn it!" 
Fast is what you do, aint-
David felt Lucy's hand on his shoulder, then felt himself whirling around on the spot.
A sharp, stinging pain on his cheek told him she had slapped him, hard.

"You're wrong." she said plainly, voice shaking with an emotion he wasn't in the right mind to intuit. "It's not your fault."

"Yes it is" he took a step forward, immediately getting shoved back against the wall. Lucy gripped the collar of his shirt with trembling hands.

"No." she looked at him, and only then did David realize there were tears in her eyes as well. "It's mine."

"What-" his eyes widened slightly.

"Tanaka wasn't a bust. David." Lucy let go of him, away as her tears began to spill as well. "Do you want to know what I found when I was in there?"
"Arasaka has- had. Plans for you." she took a moment to wipe her tears in vain. "They wanted to see how strong your tolerance for cyberware was. They wanted to cut you up and slap as much shit in you as they could before your mind was fried. Do you understand?"

"I- I didn't know." David said honestly. Part of him felt vindicated in not trusting Tanaka, but that made the sting of his hesitation hurt even more.

"I was the one that fried Tanaka, David." Lucy turned to face him, her makeup had ran, distorted by her tears. "I had to, it was the only way I could wipe the file they had on you."

"But-" Lucy lowered her gaze, staring at the floor as David processed what that would mean.

"Yeah. I'm the reason the jammer got fried. I'm the reason Dorio and Maine died." she let out a bitter laugh, "Because you were the only good thing in my fucking life. And now I'm going to lose you too."

"Lucy-"

"So if you want to hate someone, don't hate yourself. You don't deserve that." she looked him straight in the eyes again. "Hate me instead."

David lunged forward, grabbing the woman who had changed his life for the better. The woman he loved.
"I'm sorry." he whispered, rubbing soothing circles along her back. "I'm so fucking sorry."
They slowly sank to the floor like this, Lucy's sobs slowly abating.

"You should hate me." Lucy mumbled, voice muffled by his jacket.

"I don't." David smiled softly.

"Why?" she pulled back gently, just enough to look him in the eyes.

"That whole job stank." he admitted, he had plenty of time to think on it now, and it was undeniable. "Something would have went wrong anyway."

"But-"

"Lucy." David said firmly, looking her in the eyes, she seemed transfixed, lost in them. "Maine and Dorio are gone. I don't think anything could have changed that. I don't know if Becca's ready to come back yet and I have no clue if Falco or Kiwi even want to come back. You're all I have. Please don't go?"
Lucy blinked, slowly processing his words. Then, almost without warning, she lunged forward, crashing her lips against his. A soft, strangled sob escaped her when she came up for air, immediately silenced when she moved in for another kiss, and then another, and another.

"Okay." she said. Hands on his cheeks, thumbs gently caressing the contours of his face. "I'll stay."

Chapter Text

David's mom hadn't taught him much about relationships. He doubted she expected to leave him so young. If there was something she taught him though, it was about compromise.
Compromise was getting to visit her as she was leaving her job and going out for pierogis instead of tagging along to potentially dangerous crime scenes.
Compromise was David taking the metro to school, even when his mom would try insisting on driving him because it wasn't safe for him on the street, because he knew his mom was running herself ragged with work.
Compromise was what led David to this dark store, smelling like incense, with charms hanging from the ceiling.

"I really don't get why we have to come here." David groaned, tapping his foot impatiently. He had already hit his head on a dream catcher on his way in. "If I need to get a checkup, I could always just visit Doc."

Lucy glared at him, taking his hand in her own. 
"Not happening." she said flatly. "We're going to give this new ripper a try, ok?"

David sighed "Fine, fine" He doubted he would win if he tried to argue.

"You're in good hands." the lady behind the counter said with a smile. "Doctor Viktor is one of the best ripperdocs in Night City."

"That's a relief." Lucy said with a smile, "David, what did you say your ripperdoc's name was?"

David gave her a look, brows furrowed, "You know Doc." he said plainly.

"Doc isn't a name" she said with a victorious smile.

David pouted. "Fine, fine." he sighed, "Point taken."

David let himself zone out while Lucy chatted politely with the woman by the counter, in this state of zen, he still picked up on a few things from their conversation.
The woman's name was Misty, she was Polish, just like Lucy was, apparently she was loaded, given that she could afford to rent a store that nearly nobody visited except for people looking for a good ripperdoc.

"David?" Misty's voice snapped him out of his trance. "Doctor Viktor will see you now."

"Thanks, Misty." he said, getting up from the, admittedly comfortable, sofa that she had in a corner, he turned to Lucy. "Coming with?"

"That even a question?" Lucy said with a smirk. 

David and Lucy made their way through the back of Misty's shop, into an alleyway. 
"Polish, huh?" David said, partially to himself.

"and Japanese." Lucy said, "Didn't mean to keep it from you, it just... never came up. You know?"

"Yeah, guess so." David muttered as they went down a set of bare concrete steps.

Seemingly feeling the tension between them, Lucy grabbed David's hand, stopping in her steps.
"Hey." she said, placing her other hand on his cheek. "I'll tell you everything once we're done here. Okay?"

"Promise?" he asked, smiling internally. 
Guess Lucy's working on her compromises too.

"Promise." she said, placing a kiss on his lips and letting go of his hand. "But ripper first."

As they reached the bottom of the steps, David reached out to open the gate, only for it to slide open. Leaving David face to face with a large man wearing Valentino colors.
"Perdón" the man said, sidestepping the couple as he left the clinic. "See you 'round, Vik!"

"Stay out of trouble, y'hear?" a voice called from deeper inside. "And give your 'ma my regards!"

As they entered the clinic, David felt simultaneously relieved and yet anxious. There was no denying that it was bare, however it also meant that the clinic itself was clean and uncluttered.
The ripper, a man that looked to be in his sixties, turned to face them.
"Ah," he said, placing his tools in a tray and setting them aside. "You must be David."

"That's me." David replied, "Big place you got. My old ripper barely had space for a chair."

"Hmm." the doctor said as he wiped down the operating chair. "Have a seat, you're here for a check up, yes? No chrome you were thinking about getting today?"

David passed his jacket to Lucy, sliding into the chair. "Well-" he started, "I mean if-"

"Just the check-up." Lucy cut him off, shooting him a glare. "For today at least."

"Alrighty then" the doctor said as he pulled out a clean set of tools.\

Clean? Doc never really bothered with clean. He just gave them a quick rinse with disinfectant and got to carving. 
Pulling out a medical syringe, Viktor felt out David's arm for a good spot.
"Just gonna give you some quick anesthetic before I check what's under the hood." the doctor explained.

"Anesthetic" David whistled, "Fancy. My old doc would just tell me to try not to pass out."

"I'm gonna hope that's a joke." Viktor deadpanned.

"I wish." Lucy joked from the corner of the clinic, David's jacket folded neatly on her lap.

"Lights out for a minute, Okay?" Viktor said, plugging in to David's Neural Link. 
David wanted to say something, a joke to break the tension, an answer to the affirmative, but darkness overtook him far too quickly.

He was floating, then all of a sudden he wasn't.
When he opened his eyes, David was standing in a desert.
He looked around, trying to find a sign, or a road, anything that could lead him back to the City, to Lucy.
In the distance he saw three figures, squinting, trying to fight past the harsh rays, he saw them.
Dorio.
Pilar.
Maine.

He tried running after them, but he couldn't find any purchase in the sand. Looking down, he understood why.
His legs were gone, replaced with an unnatural amalgamation of guns. The more David tried to shake them off, the deeper he sank into the sand.
He tried calling out to Maine, to Pilar, to Dorio. Trying to beg for help, but his voice was replaced by the screech of metal against metal.
Eventually the metal gave out. Snapping with a horrible crunch and sending David tumbling to the floor. He started crawling, but he felt too sluggish.
All he could do was struggle as he started to sink beneath the sand.

Just keep running.
Maine's voice shook David out of his lethargy, giving him enough energy to scramble to the surface. Something was different, he felt lighter, he felt a tingle down his spine, looking down, he saw his legs had been returned to him somehow.
Getting to his feet, he dusted himself off before running across the desert to where his fallen friends waited for him.
"Maine!" he shouted, laughing giddily. "Dorio! Pilar!"

He came to a stop before them. 
"I don't understand! how are you here?" David said, catching his breath. "You're... dead..."
Looking around, David swallowed nervously. "Wait... am I dead?"

Maine looked at him, his face a portrait of serenity.
"David." he said, voice fond, smile tender. "It's the end of the road for me, for us."
He felt Maine's large hand tousling his hair.

"But it doesn't have to be for you." Dorio continued. "Follow your gut, kiddo. Follow Lucy."

"Hey Davey." Pilar said, calmer than he had ever seen the eccentric Techie. "Take care of Becca for me, choom."

David breathed in deeply. He felt light, he felt good.
"I will, I won't forget any of you."
And all of a sudden, the world went black once more.

"Aand he should be back with us right about now." Viktor's voice cut through the darkness, the lights in the clinic blinding him.
David raised a hand, trying to block out the light.

"How do you feel?" Lucy's soft hands took David's spare as the netrunner's face came into view, David smiled.

"Hi." he whispered, Lucy giggled softly.

"Hey there you gonk." she smiled back. "Feeling okay?"

"Yeah." David said, sitting up and flexing his fingers. "Feel great. Like I could take on all of 'Saka and win."

Viktor chuckled, offering a small inhaler to David. "I dunno about that, kid. Here, take a whiff of this now and another one in a half hour."

David took the inhaler, it looked new, expensive.
"What is it?" he asked, taking a quick puff of the mystery drug.

"Trade secret." Viktor said with a grin, "It'll make the recovery process a lot faster."

David pocketed the inhaler, "So what did you find, Doc?"

"Hmm." Viktor grabbed a chair, taking a seat next to Lucy and David. "Guess it's time to talk biz."
He could feel Lucy tense up, ever so slightly.

"What do you mean?" David asked, "This about the meds? I can pay-"

"Don't gotta pay me anything for them." Viktor cut him off, "Consider it on the house. Don't need to pay for the check up, either. But I have some conditions."

David was starting to get nervous now.
"Conditions?"

"First. You quit going to that old ripper of yours. Got it?" Lucy immediately relaxed. "Couple of bypasses and shortcuts in the Sandevistan. Isn't too much of a problem, but more chrome from that 'A-League' ripper of yours and you'll be placing your nervous system under the load of a borg with three times as much chrome."

"Doc never fucked around when it came to chrome." David said, though part of him wasn't sure why he was defending the shady back-alley ripper. "People, sure. But when it came to his job he was a professional."

"And I'm sure he did the best he could." Viktor conceded. "Still, mil-spec cyberware ain't like your normal consumer grade pieces of chrome. It needs a delicate hand."

"Well, he sure didn't have that." David muttered, shivering at the thought of getting ripped apart with no anesthesia.

"When you talk about bypasses-" Lucy began, though Viktor raised a hand placatingly.

"Already taken care of." Viktor said with a smile. "Should also mean you don't need to keep dosing yourself with Immunosuppressants either."

"But I thought-"

"Not with properly installed cyberware." Viktor said bluntly.

David pondered for a moment, if Maine had come here, might he still be alive? Would the crew have stayed together?
He put those thoughts aside, the past was in the past, as much as it hurt.

"And your other conditions?" Lucy prodded.

"Ah, that actually ties in to the results of the check-up" Viktor nodded. "So, David. I did some talking with your girlfriend while you were out. You're trying to figure out how much cyberware you can handle safely, that right?"

David nodded. Had he actually wanted that? He wasn't sure what he was thinking before. Was more chrome really the answer?

"Well I won't lie, kid. Your tolerance for cyberware is one in a million." Viktor said, leaning forward in his chair. "But I know just how easy it is for you young edgerunners to get carried away. So here's what we're gonna do."

David swallowed nervously, now he felt like a child in the dentists office, being scolded for not brushing enough.

"You want a piece of cyberware installed, you come to me. We'll talk it out, see if you really need it, see if there's an alternative for you. Alright? That's my condition."
David pondered for a moment. He thought of Maine, of Dorio. He felt Lucy's hand in his own, the young netrunner asking questions to the ripperdoc in his stead.

"I want Lucy to sign off on them." he said suddenly, Lucy snapped around to face him, eyes wide in shock. "Doctor Vik, I only want you to give me a piece of chrome if Lucy thinks it's necessary."
It would be difficult, Lucy would more than likely be a lot less liberal in allowing him to install any cyberware, but the warm smile that positively radiated off the netrunner made it all worth it.

"Sure thing, kid." Viktor chuckled, "Ah, young love." he murmured mostly to himself.

After a quick bout of questions from Lucy and David, Viktor sent the pair on their way.
Misty's shop had closed for the night, so they took the gate and slipped out onto the main street, still busy but not as crowded with people as it was during the day.
As they got into Maine's car, Lucy turned to face David.
"What?" he asked, feeling self conscious at the intensity of her gaze. "Somethin' on my face?"

He yelped slightly as the woman pulled him in for a kiss, hungry, passionate, warm.
"I love you." Lucy said, gazing deep into his eyes. 
This time, David was the one that was transfixed. Her pale eyes were beautiful, as they always were.

The sky outside was cloudy, but David saw the moon in her eyes.
"I love you too." he said with a smile, moving in for another kiss.

Chapter Text

"Tell me again who gave you this job?" Lucy said, David knew she was crossing her arms even over a voice call.

"Kirk." David said as he dropped down into the side entrance to Embers.

"Mhm." Lucy deadpanned, "And how badly did you hit your head today that makes you think you can trust a gonk like that?"

David chuckled softly, trying not to draw attention to himself.
"Don't trust him either." he said placatingly, "I'm doing this to help out a buddy of my mom's."

Lucy fell silent at that, so David continued.
"Always used to look out for me and mom. Would drive us home if she fell asleep at the bar."  he said, soft smile on his face. "He owes Kirk, I took a job to settle the debt and square away some extra enny's for the moon trip."

Lucy let out an irritated groan. "You and that hero complex of yours." she sighed, "Just make sure you come back to me, okay?"

"Always." David grinned, "We still good for lunch?"

"Sorry, dinner ok? This job is looking like it'll take us a while longer." Lucy said.

David furrowed his brow at that. As he slipped into the sterile corridor of the club's garage, he internally pondered what could have delayed her that much.
"That's fine, is it-"

"No, don't think it's actually Bartmoss." Lucy said, "Least, I don't think it is. Still, if there's even a chance it might be, I want to be prepared. Think I managed to narrow down the sig though. Me and Kiwi are going to check it out right now."

David hummed to himself. He understood, anything to do with the Old Net, DataKrash or the Rogue AI's hiding beyond the Blackwall troubled his netrunner. He suspected it was mostly for peace of mind rather than any legitimate danger, more reassurance that she didn't need to run, that her past was behind her.
Still, it was relieving to hear she wasn't going alone. With her former mentor-turned Netrunning partner at her back, David didn't think it was possible for her to be any safer handling Net related dangers. 
"Alright," he said, "Dinner it is. Gotta go, call you later?"

"Of course." Lucy said, "Love you."

"Love you too."

David rapped his knuckles against the counter, the man behind the wire grate looking up from his Screamsheet.
"Help you?" he droned.

"Kirk sent me." David murmured, looking around to make sure they were alone.

"Cameras are down." the man said, pressing a button on the counter. "Got 20. Hope you're fast."

"Choom, you don't know the half of it." David muttered to himself as he entered the garage proper.
His target, a Rayfield Aerondight, was on the far side of the garage, easily visible from where he was standing.
"Nova!" David grinned to himself, jogging over to the supercar. "Easiest eddies I ever made."

His reverie was interrupted by a call, Kirk.
"How we looking on the job, Kid?" the small time fixer said. 
David rolled his eyes. If he had any choice in the matter he would have paid Pepe's debt himself and washed his hands of this slimeball. 
Still, a fixer was a fixer, and it's not like he himself had any street cred worth a damn.

"Found the car." he responded, "Time to see if your 'wondertech' holds up."

"You're a man of little faith." Kirk chuckled, an irritating noise. No wonder Lucy didn't like the man, beyond the obvious, that was.
Cutting the connection, David pressed the button on the jury rigged service key, surprised when the super car unlocked with a chirp.

"Fuckin' tech wizards." David muttered to himself, getting into the drivers seat. "Wonder if they stock any cyberdecks for Lucy..."
As the service key began running its bypass routine, David let himself get comfortable in the seat. 
Definitely not a corpo car. He thought to himself. This was a ride fit for the super rich. Arasaka suits definitely couldn't afford it, the people with whom the company shared a name however...
David momentarily had thoughts of himself and Lucy, legends in edgerunning circles. They would live in a Penthouse in Japantown, driving the Aerondight and living like kings.
He was snapped out of his short daydream as the door to the Rayfield opened with a hiss.

"Get the fuck out." the intruder said curtly, pointing a pistol at his head. 
Shit.
David floored the accelerator, cursing as the service key fizzled and sparked, acrid smoke emitting from the small piece of technology.
I take it back, I ain't gettin' Lucy anything from these fuckin' "tech wizards"

"Wow, you got moves, kid." the bigger man scoffed. "Now fuckin' out."

David let his sandevistan carry him into a trance-like state, slipping in and out of 'bullet time' felt smoother after his visit to Viktor, more natural. Instead of the world screeching to a halt around him, it felt more like taking a deep breath, watching as everything began to grow more sluggish, all in the space of a single heartbeat.
Almost leisurely, David slapped the pistol out of the other man's hand, diving out of the driver's seat and tackling him to the floor. He didn't have a hope of competing pound for pound with the man normally, but he was much faster, doubly so under the effects of the Sandy. It was simple physics really.
David exhaled as the world began to move again, raising a fist to strike, he froze when he recognized the man.

"You're the guy from Viktor's clinic!" David said, eyes widening. The other main groaned, observing the younger mercenary.

"Shit," he coughed, "You're that chico who visited with his output!"
Any words David was about to say were drowned out by the blare of police sirens.

"NCPD! Don't move!" a distorted voice shouted from a speaker.

"On the ground! Now!" two officers jumped out of their vehicles, pointing their guns at David.
A hard boot drove itself into his ribs, knocking the air out of him.  Hitting the ground hard, he gasped for air, crying out as a knee was planted on his back, cold steel of a gun barrel placed against his head.

"Hey!" Jackie shouted, the knee on his own back evidently not bothering him as badly. "Puerco! Lay off him, he's just a kid!"

"What do we have here?" a voice dripping with false cheer cut through the blinding lights of the police cruisers. "Jackie Welles, see you ain't grown an inch wiser, choom."

"Detective Stints!" Jackie said, "C'mon amigo, this is just a misunderstandin' that's all."

The man in question took a step forward, coming out of the shadows into the harsh headlights. He had a cruel sneer, face weathered by the stresses of street life. 
Not a corpo pig then, David grimaced, trying to get his breathing under control, That's a good sign, at least."That's Inspector Stints." the man glared, turning his gaze over to David, "You, I don't know your face, but I've seen faces like it. Street trash that gets swept up into the gang life."

David wanted so desperately to say something, anything, but all his focus and energy was dedicated to trying to fill his lungs with as much air as he could get.

"That's right, it's all the same with you gutter rats." the detective said, crouching down to observe the young edgerunner. "You think you're hot shit, try to run with the toughest perps. Then you'll get yourselves whacked in a back alley trying to give your dime a dozen street girls the life they 'deserve'"\

David's eyes narrowed, his breathing was almost under control now, and he was going to make this son of a bitch eat his words about Lucy. Unable to do much physically beyond squirm, David spat, as hard and as accurate as he could.
Evidently he was a better shot when he was pissed as the globule of saliva flew straight and true, colliding with the Inspector's eye.

"Fucking-" the man cursed, pulling an arm back, ready to strike the helpless man.

"C'mon, Stints." Jackie called out suddenly, diffusing the tension momentarily. "You know that ain't the worst thing anyone's done to you. Let us go, eh?"
Before anyone else had a chance to speak, a cold voice cut through.

"Are these the thieves?"

"Yes, Mr Fujioka." Stints said, eyeing the new man with hostility. "We can handle it from here."
The new man, Fujioka, reminded David of his old school bully, Katsuo Tanaka. The smug sense of superiority, the way that he wouldn't look at any of them, not Jackie, not David, not Stints, unless he had to, and even then his gaze was filled with contempt.

"I have no patience to give testimony." the main said flatly.

"Saying we should let him go, sir?"

"I'm saying you take them for a swim." Fujioka glared. "Cuffed legs broken so this trash doesn't float."

Without another word, the man walked away, seemingly already done with the conversation.

"Corpo ass munch." Stints muttered under his breath, nodding to his fellow policemen.
Immediately, the knee on his and Jackie's back was removed, rough hands flipping the two over. David heard a metallic clicking as batons were extended.

"Ah shit..." he heard Jackie groan.
With a sudden whack and a sharp pain, darkness swallowed him.

David opened his eyes, somehow both unsurprised yet feeling vindicated at the realization he was not dead.
He smelled burning CHOOH2 as he saw a police cruiser speeding away from him, by his side, Jackie groaned, opening his eyes as well.

"Shit, didn't think we'd make it out of there." Jackie groaned, touching his bloodied nose gingerly.

"Stints grew up on the streets like you 'n me, right? Think he rebels against corpos in his own way." David said, touching his own nose as he heard how nasally his own voice was.
Broken, shit.

"Maybe." Jackie said, extending a hand towards David. "Jackie Welles."
David grunted as he adjusted his broken nose, Lucy would kill him, assuming she didn't try and find and kill Stints.

"David." he accepted Jackie's hand. "Appreciate you not putting a bullet in me back there, choom."

"Nah." Jackie chuckled, "Wouldn't shoot a kid. 'Sides, I should be the one thanking you for not pounding my face in. That Sandy of yours, military grade?"
David nodded, Welles, why did that sound so familiar.

"Welles..." he murmured, "Like, El Coyote Cojo?"

"That's my mom's dive." Jackie grinned, "You a regular?"

David smiled nostalgically, "Nah, my mom used to be."

Jackie blinked, as if only now taking in David's EMT jacket.
"Shit, you Gloria's kid?"

David turned to face Jackie properly. 
"Yeah, you knew her?" David asked, Jackie chuckled.

"Shit, so you're that David." he said with a smile, "My mama's been asking me to check up on you both. Well, 'asking'."
Quirking an eyebrow, David decided to let the man keep speaking.

"'Jackie, tesoro. You should check on Gloria, see how she's doing." Jackie spoke, imitating his mother. From what David remembered, it wasn't actually too far off. "She's got a good head on her shoulders, just like Camilla. Could use some help, hmm? From a responsible Welles boy, maybe?' Shit ma, ain't like Misty don't got a good head on her shoulders either."

David mentally noted that Misty, the woman from Vik's clinic, was dating Jackie. Then immediately began thinking of a way to divert the conversation away from the idea of Jackie's mother trying to play matchmaker between him and David's own mother.
"She died." he said, Jackie turned his full attention back to David. "In a car accident."

"Shit, David." Jackie patted him on the shoulder awkwardly. "I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"S'fine." David said, forcing a smile. "You couldn't have known."

The pair sat in silence for a few minutes. Suddenly, Jackie got up, offering David his hand.
"Shit, almost lunchtime." he said with a chuckle, "C'mon, my 'ma probably wants to meet you. If you're free that is."

David took the older man's hand. "Sure, I'm free until the evening."

"You're in luck, chico" the man laughed as the pair made their way down the Glen's streets. "My 'ma makes the best chilli in NC!"


Bonus:
As the pair walked, they made idle chitchat, giving David plenty of time to check his phone idly.
Oh. Oh no.
Messages from Lucy, lots of them.

"Ohhh I'm in trouble." David muttered to himself.

"What's up, D?" Jackie turned to look at the younger man, still not breaking his brisk stride. They were in Heywood now, Jackie didn't need to see where they were going to know where they were.

"My girlfriend. With all the biz with the cops I missed a bunch of her messages."

"Shit." Jackie whistled, "Better handle that right now then."

"Yeah." David said, opening up the chat.

[Me n Kiwi are done for now, dead end lead.]
[Kiwis gonna do some digging on the net]
[Can meet up for lunch if you didn't eat already ;)]
-13:36
[David?]
[U there?]
-13:54
[Missed Call from Lucyna Kushinada]
[Missed Call from Lucyna Kushinada]
-14:32
[David this isnt funny]
[Pick up]
-14:35
[Missed Call from Lucyna Kushinada]
-14:50

Oh I'm in so, so much trouble.
Swallowing nervously. David called Lucy.
The call barely reached its second ring before Lucy picked up.

"You fucking gonk!" Lucy shouted the moment the connection went through.

"Hey Lucy..." David said, all wit lost for the moment.

"Hey?! Hey?!! That's all you have to say for yourself?!"

David winced, he hadn't heard her this pissed since, well, since he got himself kidnapped by Kurosaki.
"Sorry, job went a little sideways." he said, placatingly, Jackie chuckled.

"I told you not to trust Kirk!" Lucy was really pissed.

"Chill, chill." David said, "Met a guy, he knew my mom. He helped me out. I'm headed to his mom's place for some grub, nothin' bad happened, honest."
He wasn't going to bring up the fact that the older man had pulled a gun on him right now, he still had enough sense to know that was gonk timing.

"Where." Lucy demanded. "Send me the address, I'll head there now."

"The address? Uh..." David looked at Jackie, silently pleading for help.

"I'll flick you the deets." Jackie said, laughing even harder now. "My 'ma doesn't turn away anybody. More the merrier."

"I'll message you the address." David answered Lucy, mouthing a 'thank you' towards the older man. "Sound good?"

"Fine." Lucy's voice wasn't explicitly angry anymore, something that was even more terrifying to David than straight up rage. "I'm hanging up now."

"I love you-" David was cut off by Lucy ending the call early.
Oh I'm in so much trouble.

"Gonna be sleepin' on the couch?" Jackie slapped David on the back, almost sending the younger man tumbling to the floor.

"Doubt it." David said. As pissed as Lucy was right now, he hoped a mix of his charms as well as Jackie and his mother's good natured influence could placate her. "But I hope your neighbors don't mind a little bit of shouting."

Chapter Text

David pouted at the bottle in his hand, condensation dripping onto the counter of the bar.
"I don't see why I have to-"

"Shut up and drink your Broseph." Lucy glared, the bite was gone from her gaze, but her tone still indicated mild irritation.

"Damn David, what'd you do to piss Lucy off this badly?" Kiwi asked, Rebecca merely laughed at him.

"A job went sideways," he drank the beer, grimacing as the carbonated bubbles hit his tongue. "Got a little sidetracked and missed a bunch of her calls."

"You scared me, gonk-brain." Lucy sighed, gaze softening. "I thought I lost you for a moment."

"I know." David said, taking Lucy's free hand in his own. "I'm sorry."
They sat like this for some time, enjoying the music of the club, basking in each other's company.
Kiwi rolled her eyes at the couple's intimacy, Rebecca mock gagged, grumbling about the pair's need to get a room.

"Heads up you guys." Kiwi said, "Looks like trouble's just walked in."
The group turned to look at the disturbance, a squad of Arasaka hitmen.
Lucy tensed up, her grip on David's hand tightening.
They waited with bated breath, only breathing a sigh of relief when the squad walked right past the counter and to a corner table.

"Hey, isn't that Jackie?" David asked Lucy, the woman gave a shaky nod in response.

"I dunno who that woman is with him though." she added.

They observed the exchange, the woman sitting with Jackie suddenly slumping over in exertion.
Jackie stood, placing himself between the hitmen and the woman.

"Ah hell." David said, tapping Rebecca on the shoulder. "We need to go talk to them."

"David!" Lucy hissed, gripping his hand tightly.

"Don't worry." he smiled reassuringly, "Under the radar"

They caught a fragment of the conversation as they approached.
"I'm guessin' you suits forget just how far from home you are." Jackie said, crossing his arms.

"Is that a threat?" one of the men, evidently the leader, stepped forward. 
He wasn't a small man by any means, but Jackie towered over him all the same.

"No." David said, "Just that you fuckin' suits apparently don't seem to realize you've just walked into Lizzies and threatened its customers in full view of... everybody."
The leader looked around, taking stock of their current situation.
Apart from the pair of mercenaries that had just approached, every member of the Mox currently present in the club had their eyes planted firmly on the corporate squadron. 
Some had their hands on their holsters, others had their weapons drawn.
Even Mateo, the bartender, was glaring at them from the counter, hands obscured underneath the counter.

The leader barked something to the others in Japanese.
"Fine, keep the woman, we're leaving." he spat.
As he walked away, he glared at David.
"You, you are known to us, street trash." he growled, "Arasaka is not so quick to forget."

"Fuckin' try us, corpo swine." Rebecca glowered back.

Once the hitmen had left the club, Jackie turned to face the pair.
"Thanks for the assist." he said with a smile.

"Any time, choom." Rebecca grinned, "Name's Rebecca, but you can just call me Becca."

"Jackie," the older man shook Rebecca's hand. "This is Valerie."

"Hey." the woman groaned, "I'd shake your hand too but I'm... feeling a little under the weather."

"Let me take a look." Kiwi said, brushing past David.

He felt a soft hand slip into his and smiled as he felt Lucy lean into his shoulder. 
"Hey." he whispered.

"Hi." she whispered back.

Kiwi hummed as she read Valerie's biomon. 
"Arasaka, huh?" she said out loud, Lucy bristled at David's side. "Counter Intelligence unit."

"Was." Valerie groaned. "Think I just got cut off."

"Makes sense," Kiwi said, "Your hormonal cyberware's been disabled. Well, all of your cyberware really. But the hormones are the issue. All the fatigue you've been holding back, hormones that are thrown out of wack, you're going into shock."
"We gotta get her to a ripper!" Rebecca said.

"Hope you have a car." Jackie grimaced, "I came here on a beat up old bike."

"Falco can pick us up in five." Kiwi said. "I can monitor her in the car until we get to the ripperdoc."

"No." Lucy said, "I can do that. Kiwi, can you and David follow behind us on Jackie's bike, make sure we aren't followed?"
Kiwi nodded, David furrowed his brow. 
Lucy was acting strange. 
Usually she'd steer clear of jacking in to a 'Saka suit. Especially after what happened with Tanaka.
Something wasn't adding up.
Lucy met his eyes, trying to communicate silently.
Later, we'll talk later. They seemed to say

David nodded.
"Alright, let's move."

Viktor's Clinic.

"Well, how is he Vik?" Jackie asked.

"She'll be fine." Viktor said, placing his tools in a tray and setting them aside. "I removed the non-functional cyberware. Gave her medical grade replacements of the essentials. When she comes to, we can see if she wants any upgrades."

"Nova." David said, breathing a sigh of relief. The ride to Vik's clinic had been tense, not least because Kiwi had insisted that he drive. 
Need to focus if anyone is actually following. she had said Riding at high speeds while trying to break corpo ICE is a great way for me to crash into something.

"Figure she can get at least some decent chrome." Jackie said, "Those suits drained her accounts but they didn't take this"
He placed a large bundle of Eurodollars on the table, wrapped in a paper band.

"I'll make sure she gets it when she wakes up." Viktor nodded. "You two go get some rest, dunno when she'll come to."

Saying their thanks, the pair ascended the steps, into the alley. 

"Oh, also. David!" Jackie placed a hand on his shoulder. "Got a job, wanted you to tag along."

"Preem." David grinned, "Share the deets."

"Nothing exciting" Jackie said with a chuckle, the pair walked into Misty's store, taking a seat on the couch. "Just some light smuggling. We gotta meet up with a contact though. Some nomad. Calls himself... V?"

Chapter Text

David sighed, tapping his foot impatiently. 
When Jackie told him they would be working with a nomad, he expected a little more shooting, wild races across desolate deserts.
He hadn't been expecting so much... waiting...

"When's this guy meant to show up, anyway?" David groaned, leaning back in the plastic lawn chair Jackie had set up.

"Chill, chico." Jackie grinned, "the Badlands are a wild place, not surprised he's runnin' a little late."

David sighed again. He shifted slightly in the chair, making sure his prized jacket was still folded neatly on his lap. This sweltering heat definitely was not jacket weather.
With nothing else to do, David decided to message his favorite person.

D.M: Hey, you free?

L.K: for you? always ;)

D.M: Great, because I'm boooored.

L.K: thought u were on that job with jackie?

D.M: Dude we're meeting is running late

D.M: Honestly, think he's a no show.

L.K: :(

D.M: BTW, what was up with you yesterday? Didn't figure you'd want to go poking around the head of another 'Saka member so soon.

L.K: ah

L.K: kinda hoped u forgot

D.M: I didn't

L.K: ...

D.M: Hey, talk to me. Please? Don't shut me out.

L.K: ok

L.K: i was keeping an eye on her vitals

L.K: but also tried to see if i could poke around 'Saka files b4 the system kicked me out

L.K: i want to know if they had any backups on u

D.M: Oh

L.K: or if they were trying to recover the data i shredded.

D.M: Did you find anything?

L.K: no

L.K: system locked out valeries deets b4 i had a chance to do any digging

D.M: Damn, Arasaka really is thorough huh...

L.K: sorry... :(

D.M: Don't be :)

D.M: We'll figure it out. Does Kiwi know?

L.K: yep yep

L.K: told her day after we met vik.

L.K: said she would keep an eye out

L.K: but no promises

L.K: and for me to stay on my toes

L.K: cant trust anyone in blah blah blah...

David chuckled, his cagey netrunner dropped her cold, stoic demeanor only through text.
Well... and when we're alone. He thought with a smile cheeks heating up slightly.

"Hey, think that's our guy." Jackie tapped David on the shoulder.
A beat up car was pulling up to their little rest stop, inside was a man who looked like he split the difference in age between David and Jackie.

David stood, typing finishing up his conversation with Lucy. 
"Take it you two are my NC contacts?" the new man said, slamming the door on his beat up Galena.

"That's us." Jackie nodded, "Name's Jackie."

"David."

"A pleasure." the man said, running a hand through his short cropped black hair. "Name's V. This shitbucket used to be the Rattler, now it's just junk."

"Alright V, " Jackie stretched his arms, standing from his chair. "You got the package?"

"It's in the trunk, gimme two and I'll move it to your car."

"All right!" David hopped in place expectantly. "Finally, some action!"

David sighed, sprawled out in the back seat of the car provided by their Fixer contact.
More waiting.
They inched forward, the car at the very front of the line was let through the border.
"So, V." Jackie said, "Got biz in NC?"

"What's it to ya?" V asked.

"Figured it must be pretty important for you to take a smaller cut than us."

"Yeah well... Needed a fresh start, I guess" V sighed, "My clan, we... we disbanded. Figured I'd try and reconnect with my sister. Haven't spoken in... well... a really long time..."

"So it's family, then." David said, if he had to be bored, he may as well participate in conversation.

"Makes sense." Jackie said, "I'd probably do the same for my 'ma."

"Yeah, for Lucy I'd... I'd do a whole lot." David said, grinning stupidly to himself.

"Mm." V hummed, "Family is important, 'specially for us Nomads. Can't really bring myself to follow what's left of my clan to Snake Nation though... so I guess blood family's as good as any."

"What's her name?" Jackie asked.

"Valerie." V stated, David sat upright, looking at Jackie, the older man did the same through the rear view mirror.

"You're shittin' me." David burst out, Jackie roared with laughter.

"What?" V asked, startled, "What's so funny?"

"Holmes, your sis and I are old drinking buddies." Jackie said, stifling his laughter best he could.

"Really?!" V asked, eyes wide, "How is she?"

"Doin' okay, I think." Jackie drummed his fingers against the steering wheel. "She got cut off from her corpo job."

"More like the corp screwed her over one last time." David scoffed.

"She'll be happy to see you, 'least I think." Jackie said, "My 'ma's offered her a place to stay for now, dunno if we have room for you to bunk with us though."

David tapped his chin. 
"Could crash at my place, at least for a little while."

"Shit, gonna be crowded with your output around, no?" Jackie chuckled.

"Nah, we have separate apartments." David said, "Got enough room for one more."

"Appreciate it." V said, nodding curtly.

"Back up." Jackie looked at David again, "You're not livin' with Lucy?"

"No" David said, feeling oddly scrutinized. "Why? that's not a weird thing."

"Por los clavos de Cristo"  Jackie chuckled, "You're one blind kid, you know that?" 

"I don't want to impose on her." David murmured, feeling a little put out. "Don't want to ask too much. That's all."

"Chico." Jackie said, face serious. "Ask her, I bet you a hundred eddies she really wants to."

They continued inching forward in silence. David had a lot on his mind.
Eventually they reached the front of the line. A border patrol guard, maybe in his 40s, approached the window.
"What, we ain't doin' this in an office?" Jackie asked.

"Not at the moment." the man droned, "Mind if we open up the boot?"

David saw V tense up, Jackie stammered, trying to find an explanation, something that would throw them off the contraband they were carrying.
Calm. David took a deep breath, feeling almost like the world was slowing around him. Think...

"Ah. Come on, officer. I dunno if that's necessary" Jackie said with a nervous chuckle.

"You can," David interrupted, "Dunno if you'd want to though."

"What do you mean by that?" the guard narrowed his eyes at David.

"Me and my uncle were pickin' up my big bro here," David said, patting V on the shoulder. "He works for Biotechnica, waste disposal." 
V and Jackie shared a look, immediately jumping to corroborate David's story. 

"I swear, if that smell doesn't come out of my car-" Jackie growled.

"Yeah I really don't think it will." V sighed, "We had to move our facilities because of it, that stuff sticks around for weeks."

The guard shared a look with his fellows. All coming to a shared agreement. 
"That's enough, move along." he said, waving them through.

"Much obliged, officer." Jackie grinned.

"Quick thinking, kid." V said with a smile.

"Yeah, well..." David breathed out, relieved. "Fast is kind of my thing."

Chapter Text

"Watch your footwork!" Jackie barked as he lunged forward, gloved fist striking at where David's head would be.
Ducking deftly under it, David threw two punches at the larger man's midriff, his gloved fists bouncing off with minimal impact.

"Here he comes again!" Vik called out from the side of the ring. "Keep your arms up!"

He saw the strike coming, Vik's constant maintenance of his Sandevistan had benefits outside the immediate, it seemed. He felt lighter, faster than he could ever believe, and this was without any enhancement the Sandy actually provided.
Taking two leisurely steps back, David drew back a fist. Breathe in, Breathe out. Lunging forward again, his fist rocketed forward, colliding with Jackie's temple.
The large man reeled from the blow, David stumbled, trying to catch himself.
 Wham.
Jackie had thrown another fist, far faster than David had anticipated.
David dropped to his knees, clutching his gut. He gasped for air. Jesus, the hell does he eat to throw punches this hard. 

"And it looks like the round goes to the Jackster." Viktor chuckled, helping the younger man to his feet.

David shook himself off, trying to ignore the sting of defeat. 
A bottle entered his vision, turning to face the person holding it, David smiled as Lucy gave the bottle a small, impatient shake.
Taking the bottle and pressing a kiss to her forehead, David drank deeply.
Ah. Carbonated.

He mock glared at his netrunner, she merely winked at him, strolling back over to take a seat at the side of the ring.

"Alright, Kid." Viktor brought his attention back. "Guess now's a good time for a lesson."

Jackie chuckled, "C'mon Vik. You're gonna fry the poor kid's gray matter!"

"Well, say you were gonna have a proper boxing match." Viktor continued, ignoring Jackie's ribbing, "And the Jackster there was your opponent. Tell me what's going through your head."

David hummed, thinking. Taking another sip of the bottle, he grimaced.
"Well, he's bigger than me." David began, "Stronger too, and with more reach." 

"Go on." Viktor gave a small grin, an encouraging one. 

"But... He's not as fast as I am." David furrowed his brow, what else. "And he likes to throw bigger punches."

"Hey, think he's getting it." Jackie whistled, "But did he just call me fat?"

"And if you wanted to exploit that?" Viktor prodded, "How would you do it as you are now."

"I'd... I'd get in close, force him to keep backing off." David muttered, deep in thought. "I don't land big hits anyway, I'd need to be fast, and hit him a lot of times and keep him off balance."
Lucy watched this unfold, a smile on her face. She felt like a weight was lifting from her shoulders, the burden of knowing the young, reckless boy she had fallen for would get killed by a merciless city. Now that possibility seemed like just that, a possibility. A troubling thought that only grew fainter and fainter as her love continuously took advice and lessons from more experienced mercenaries.

"I'd use the Sandevistan if he's got me in a bind, reposition myself somewhere to give myself some time to breathe." there was a gleam in David's eyes now, the pieces were falling in to place. "And I'd wait for him to slip up, save everything for a single opportunity."

"Sounds like he's got the hang of it." Valerie said, as she placed down several boxes filled with pistols, rifles and shotguns as if they were empty. Behind her, V huffed as he placed down a single box, filled with knives, katanas and a baseball bat.

David furrowed his brow again, "But that's just Jackie, I don't see how this helps me in the long run." 

"Maybe he doesn't have the hang of it." V chuckled.

"Jackie's just the example, kid." Viktor said, "Lucy?"

"What's up?" the netrunner snapped back to reality, had she been zoning out thinking of David? That's embarrassing.

"Describe how you'd operate if you were in a firefight, will ya?"

"David knows how I do things." Lucy stated.

Viktor smiled, "Yeah well, the rest of us don't, just humor me."

Lucy tented her fingers, thinking.
"I hack." she stated plainly, "That takes time. I carry iron with me but... I've got a slow hand, and my aim isn't anything to brag about."
She looked up, "So I hide from people I can't hit, and anyone that gets too close?" she flicked her wrist, her monowire shooting out in a spiral, "I'll cut 'em to pieces."

"Outstanding." Viktor said, grinning, "See, kid? That exercise wasn't about you looking for Jackie's weaknesses, it was about getting you to think about what you can and can't do."

The gleam had returned to Davids eyes, the final piece fitting in to place. 

"Just because you're mostly 'ganic, just because you can't tear a car apart with your bear hands like some other people can." Viktor said, patting David on the shoulder, "That doesn't mean you have to get those same implants, it just means you find a different way to fight."

"I think... I think I get it." David said, grinning confidently.

"Then I guess you don't mind if I ask to be your next sparring partner?" Valerie stepped forward, dusting off her new implants. 

David eyed what chrome he could see, immediately trying to put Viktor's advice into practice.
"Sure thing." he grinned.

"Alright." Viktor clapped, "First good hit that either of you land decides the winner. All the chrome you got is all the chrome you can use."

"No problem." Valerie grinned, slamming her fists together with a resonant thump.

"Fine by me." David grinned back, tenacious as ever.

"Val..." Viktor sighed, "Try not to punch his head off or anything? I'm a good ripper but I can't fix... death..."

Valerie lunged forward, throwing a quick fist. David ducked, using his hands and feet to scramble behind the woman.
She's got Arasaka Strong-Arms. He mused, mind racing. And she's fast.
He tilted his head to one side, another fist rocketing past his head. His eyes narrowed.
But... Another swing flew wide, Valerie stumbled at the overswing.
I don't think she's good at adjusting her footing. 

"You gotta land a hit to win, chico!" Jackie called out.

"C'mon David!" V called out, "Show us what you've got!"

Lucy said nothing, she didn't need to say anything. Her eyes met his and he understood.
Another fist came his way, this time he kicked off the ground, darting to one side and-
David yelped as Valerie grabbed his jacket by the collar, wrenching him closer. 
Her fist was shooting towards his face, he couldn't dodge in time. What could he do? How could he fight?

Breathe in, breathe out.
As Valerie's fist got closer to him, it began to slow rapidly.
Breathe in, breathe out.
She had a firm grip on his jacket, he doubted speed could provide him with the force to break free. But what if he could turn that against her?
David slipped out of his jacket, grabbing the reinforced hem in a firm, tight grip.
Go fast, go hard. He mentally prepared himself.
He kicked off the ground, shooting past Valerie. Low to the ground, he brought his jacket with him.
As he predicted, Valerie didn't have the best footwork. Once the jacket grew taut, fighting against the two mercenary's grips, Valerie was slowly yanked off her feet, her own iron grip being the anchor to her undoing.
Breathe out.
Valerie was in the middle of an a flip, her expression shifting from focus to shock.
Breathe out.
Landing hard on her back, she had barely a moment to take a breath before David flicked her on the forehead.

"I think..." David panted, "I win?"
V, Jackie, Viktor and Lucy all stared at him, eyes wide in shock. Clearly they hadn't expected him to come out on top against a more seasoned and chromed out opponent.
"I mean," he grinned confidently, "I didn't really hit her hard, but I think that counts."

"Kid, that was incredible" Viktor laughed, shock wearing off. "How'd you come up with that?"

"Had a feeling." David said plainly. At that, Viktor, V and Jackie exploded into laughter, Valerie brushed herself off.

"Not bad, David." she conceded. "Got some damn good instincts."

Lucy gave him a quick peck on the cheek, though the heat in her eyes made something deep in David's gut clench.

"Well, those are the basics." Viktor said, clapping him on the back. "Now you just need to hone that major league intuition of yours."

"Now it's time to get you some proper iron, chico!" Jackie said, picking up one of the boxes. V took a deep breath and did the same.

"Yup." V grunted, "Time to get you sorted with a gun that feels right for you."

David swallowed, between sorting out his loadout and the heated looks Lucy was still giving him, he had a feeling he was in for a long, long day.

Chapter Text

A Lighter Shade of Black

Yorinobu Arasaka paced the open floor of his penthouse impatiently.

He observed the streets of Osaka. From high up the neon signs, the bright lights, they all cut deep, sprawling scars 
He could see where the crumbling inner ring of Osaka met the rest of the city. A rough, lawless place where drunks and rockerboys looking to establish a following roamed. 
I can save them. He thought bitterly, Not just Osaka, not just Japan. I can save all of them.

He sat down on the couch, bringing up the schematics again. 
Silverhand. He mused, Had circumstances been different, could you and I have been allies?
Part of him doubted it, the rockerboy-turned-terrorist was a rebel through and through. He would have refused to acknowledge Yorinobu as either.
How could the heir incumbent of the Arasaka family possibly embody the harbingers of rebellion that rockerboys were supposed to be?
How could a man who had rejoined the fold of his corporate family consider himself a rebel?

Some days, Yorinobu asked himself those same questions. He always told himself the same thing. He was resisting his father in a different way, trying to change the system from within.
He was a liar.
The truth was far simpler. He had lost.
He had become jaded, abandoned his dreams of his bōsōzoku rising up and leaving the Arasaka Corporation shattered, disjointed. 
He scoffed, reaching for a glass of whisky. The Steel Dragons had barely made any impact on Tokyo alone, and now, nearly fifty years later, nobody remembered them except as a blemish on Yorinobu's name.

Forgive me. He begged the memory of Johnny Silverhand. In another life, in another time, I might have freed you. Might have given you a second chance and tried to walk by your side.
He downed the whisky in one gulp, savoring the taste of the aged alcohol.
Arasaka Single Malt Whisky- Night City HQ Memorial Edition.
His rockerboy past, his rebellious soul. They must well and truly be dead, or else he would have thrown up at the sick irony of drinking a toast to the fallen rockerboy with a product his family had made to further besmirch the blood that he had shed to try and make an impact.
Perhaps I could have befriended you. He mused, Johnny Silverhand and an Arasaka son tearing down Saburo Arasaka's life's work, wouldn't that be something.
But instead, you will be my weapon. he sighed, a call from his sister being brought up on his vision. I cannot give you a second chance, but I can give you this. I will use your sacrifice to burn down this corporation.

"Hanako." he greeted curtly, his penthouse was staffed by foreigners by his own request. To speak Japanese after so long felt... odd.

"Brother. I know what you are planning." Hanako said, eyes dark with concern. "I beg of you, do not do this."

"I must." he sighed, "The sickness of our family, it has plagued the world for far too long."

"It is not a disease!" she slammed her hands on her desk, "We have the resources and reach to make things better for people, it is our responsibility to do so!"

Yorinobu stood up, temper flaring.
"Is that why you ordered that expedition into the Old Net?" he demanded, Hanako's eyes narrowed, "Yes, I know about that. Nearly ten years ago now. Father uplifted a dozen street rats, offered them positions as cogs in the company, a life barely better than what they came from. And still you 'reassigned' them, using them as bait in the Old Net!"

"You speak of matters which you are ignorant, brother." Hanako hissed. Yorinobu could only bark a hollow laugh.

"They were children, Hanako!" he was shouting now, "The oldest among them were ten years old! The youngest was eight! How could you possibly do something so heinous even our own father, our 'glorious emperor' could not even fathom?!"

"You are wrong." Hanako stated plainly. "Father knew."

"What...?" Yorinobu couldn't say that such cruelty was beneath his father, however he still held onto some hope, some small dream that his family was merely sick, misguided.

"I told him of my plan to use talented netrunners to lure out Alt Cunningham and Rache Bartmoss." Hanako continued, voice neutral. "He approved."

Yorinobu collapsed onto the sofa, running his hands through his hair.
"So what will you do, now that you know what I am planning?" he asked, "Will you tell father? Will you have his right hand cut me down?"

"I will not." Hanako said, in english this time. "I will hold on to hope that you will come to your senses and return to us.

Yorinobu could not find the words to address his sister. 
"My greatest relief." responded, also in english. "Is you have never been able to recover the few children that escaped. For the sake of your soul, Sister."
Yorinobu ended the call before his sister could respond.

As fat globules of rain began to pelter the penthouse windows, Yorinobu thought of Hanako.
The timid, attached sister of his youth.
Sheltered from the world, innocent of it's cruelty. A carefree girl, seeking adventure in the net, lighting up with joy whenever he could stomach returning home.

Burying his face in his hands, Yorinobu wept for that girl.

Tools of Destruction

"David! Lucy!" Rebecca waved at them from behind the reinforced glass of the shooting range. "What's up, chooms?"

"Becca!" Lucy waved back, "We brought some friends, trying to get David some iron he feels comfortable using."

"Cool, cool!" the smaller woman grinned, turning her attention back to the range and letting loose a barrage of fully automatic bullets. "Well get your butts in here!"

V and Valerie got themselves set up on the booths to the direct left of David. Valerie loading shells into a 'Tactician' shotgun, V adjusting the sights on a rusty DR5 Nova. 
Lucy was in the booth to the direct right of David, glaring down the sight of her trademark Unity pistol. She took slow, methodical shots, cursing under her breath at every miss.
Rebecca was on the other side of her... the less David thought about what she was doing, the safer he felt.

"Alright kid." Viktor and Jackie sat and observed the group from the other side of the glass, "Remember your breathing."

"Hey, Doc?" David said, cocking the charging handle on a MA70 HB that Valerie had brought with her. "Been meaning to ask, what's with the focus on my breathing?"

"Been usin' your sandevistan lately?" Viktor asked, chuckling with Jackie as the recoil sent the LMG slamming directly into David's chest "How does it feel?"

"Feels... different, actually." David coughed, setting aside the gun. "Sometimes I feel faster than I've ever been, other times just barely faster than everyone else."

"That all?" Viktor prodded, David shook his head, loading a Testera double barrel.

"Feels great." David said, flinching slightly as gun fired a spray of buckshot at the target he aimed at. "Haven't been counting how many times I used it for a few weeks now."

"David!" Lucy chastised, setting her pistol aside to try and find something to smack some sense into her boyfriend with.

Jackie roared with laughter, Viktor stifled a chuckle.
"It's all right, Lucy." he said, trying to sooth her with his calm tone, mirth still bleeding into his gravelly pitch. "That's why I'm gettin' him to focus on his breathing."

Lucy and David both looked at Viktor, puzzled. David had a BudgetArms Guillotine held limply in his hands.

"I'm assuming your old ripper didn't tell you that your Sandevistan wasn't calibrated for you?" Viktor asked, crossing his arms.

"You have to calibrate them?" David asked, a blank look on his face.
Catching Lucy's glare, he turned, busying himself with trying to hit the targets with the SMG. Sighing, Lucy returned to her aim training routine.

"Yep." Viktor said, "Most Sandy's have a minimum and maximum output, specially calibrated neuralware helps regulate that to whatever you need at the moment.

"And if it wasn't calibrated?" Lucy asked, eyeing David nervously.

"'Fraid your suspicions are right." Viktor said, "Your Input there has been firing up that sandevistan of his at max capacity, at a rate that was calibrated for a man with much more cyberware on him."

David suddenly busied himself with checking that all the parts of the Achilles Tech Rifle he had picked up were clean, avoiding Lucy's deathly cold glare.

"Lucky we caught it in time." Viktor said, "David's cyberware resistance is remarkable, but his body wouldn't have held up for more than a few years at the rate he was going."

Rebecca adjusted her jacket, she could have sworn Lucy's gaze had lowered the temperature in the room by at least a couple of degrees.

"That's what the breathing's for." Viktor said. "Rather than rely on neuralware. I tried a more... natural solution."

"That being?" David asked, pausing slightly as he fired the tech rifle.
Hmm.

"The sandevistan is tied to your bio-mon." Viktor explained, "Your mind activates the sandy's effects, but your body, your stress levels, that's what regulates how fast you actually go."

"So what the breathing is actually doing is-"

"Making sure you're keeping as cool a head as possible." Viktor nodded. "That's what legends like Morgan Blackhand have that makes them special compared to your average punk.
David put the tech rifle down, thinking to himself. After a brief moment, he picked up a different gun. A Tsunami Kyubi precision rifle.
"Legends, huh?" he muttered to himself.

"Speaking of legends, Val, who did you say you looked up to?" V asked, smirking.

"You motherfucker." Valerie sighed, rolling her eyes. 

"That's not an answer." the younger sibling teased. 

"Fine!" Valerie snapped, "Fine... It's Saburo Arasaka, happy?"

"The fuckin' Emperor?" Lucy chuckled, "Guess you are a corpo through and through."

"Fuck off." Valerie laughed, "I don't mean like that. I mean more... he's a hundred and fifty years old. He's damn near untouchable, and he's the most powerful man on the planet. You can't tell me that's a little admirable."

"I guess a little." David conceded. What would he do, with that much power? The answer was simple really. He'd take Lucy and he'd make sure nobody could hurt her like she had been in her past, ever again.

"Shame he used that power to be a fuckin' asshole." Rebecca muttered.

"Major asshole." Lucy agreed.

"Alright then, David." Valerie said, "Your turn."

David scratched the back of his head, turning slightly pink.
"Well..." he trailed off, picking up an Overture revolver.

"I swear if you say Maine I'm going to barf." Rebecca said, reloading her machine gun. Lucy giggled at that.
David smiled, both at Rebecca's joke and at his girlfriend honestly having fun.

"Nah. Maine was... somewhere between the dad I never had and an older brother." David sighed, "If I had to pick someone I looked up to... Johnny Silverhand."

"The terrorist?" Lucy raised an eyebrow.

"Not a terrorist." David said firmly, "Met a guy in Jig Jig street who was around when he was still kicking. He was a rebel, he used his music to spread his message and started a revolution."

"Started the Time of the Red too." Rebecca chimed in.

David sighed, "Well I guess when you put it that way, it doesn't sound so great. What about you?"

"Don't have one." Rebecca said cockily, "I ain't trying to be the second Saburo Arasaka or the second Johnny Silverhand. I'm tryin' to be the first me."

"Fair enough." David conceded. "Lucy?"

"Honestly?" Lucy said, "I'm in the same boat as Becca. Or at least somewhere around that."

"My kind of people!" Jackie chuckled, "Whole world's gonna talk about Jackie Welles, one of a kind!"

"Alright then... V!" David said, "What about you?"

The former nomad chuckled, "Not gonna be that interesting." he said. "He's a guy that used to help out when I was younger. Never ran with the Bakkers, not officially, but whenever we'd run into Raffen... he'd be there, driving them off almost by himself."

"What was his name?" David asked.

V shrugged, "Wouldn't tell me. Most he did was tell me to call him Uncle Black."

Valerie looked pensive at that. or at least David thought so, sharing a look with Lucy confirmed he wasn't the only one who saw it.

"All right, kiddos." Valerie said, clapping David and V  on the back. Both of the younger men frowned at her. "What are we feeling?"

"Got my sights set on these two." David said, holding up the Kyubi and the Overture.

"Interesting." Viktor said, folding his arms, "Mind explaining why?"

David grinned, "Told me yourself, Doc. Legends keep their heads clear and stay calm under pressure. If I have enough time to line up just a single shot that matters, guess I don't need to fire a lot of bullets then, do I?"

Viktor chuckled, "Now you're getting it, kid." he smiled, nodding in approval.

"As for me." V said, holding up a Lexington machine pistol. "My old revolver is a rusted piece of shit, figured I'd modernize a bit."

Valerie grinned, "All right, Baby Bro, David. Keep 'em. Consider it a gift." 

"You sure?" V asked. 

"Gonna need all the eddies you can get your hands on for that new Cyberdeck you were looking at." Valerie said, grin still on her face. "And there was also that other thing you two were talking about."

David's face lit up, "Oh that! Right, that uh... Good point!" he stumbled over his words.

Lucy looked at him, suspiciously. Her boyfriend did everything in his power to avoid meeting her gaze.
Sighing, she shrugged. 
If it's important, he'd tell me she said, intertwining her fingers with his.

I Really Want To Stay At Your House

David sighed, the moon was visible from the roof of Lucy's apartment tonight. 
The discarded remains of their dinner lay cooling in a pile, portable radio tuned to Body Heat, a familiar tune began to play.

"Remember this song?" Lucy asked, David hummed.

"You played it when we were in the Moon BD." he nodded, "I guess that was our first date, technically."

Lucy leaned, resting her head against David's shoulder. "I like it, it reminds me of you now."

They sat in silence, letting the song play out.
"Lucy..." David swallowed nervously.

Here goes nothing. 

"What's up, David?" Lucy quirked her head, looking at her boyfriend.

"About that thing me, Val and V were talking about." he took a deep breath.

"Finally gonna tell me what it is?" she teased.

"What if we moved in together?"

Lucy's breath hitched in her throat. She definitely hadn't expected him to ask that.

"My mom's place is a chapter of my life that's behind me, now." David said with a nostalgic smile, "Of when I was lost, without a dream. Hiding behind my mom, and when she was gone, hiding behind Maine."
Lucy stared at David, at the pale moonlight accentuating the soft features of his face. 

Ah... the Moon is beautiful today. She thought, though she hadn't looked up the entire night.

"Got a lot of good memories at your apartment as well." David continued, "So I thought, if you were cool with it-"

"Yes." Lucy said, planting a kiss on his cheek. Chaste but warm. "A hundred times, yes."
David's face broke out into a genuine, ear to ear beam. Lucy felt a warmth spread from her core all the way up to her face. 
The Moon is very beautiful today...

As they sat, Lucy hummed as she recalled something she had heard her boyfriend just say.
"You said the time when you didn't have a dream was behind you?" she asked, David nodded.

"Mind telling me what it is?" she prodded.

"The Moon." he said frankly. 

"The Moon's my dream, gonk-brain." she said with a smile, though she guessed it wasn't the full truth, not anymore. "Still chasing after other people's dreams?"

"No." David said softly, "I keep seein' how happy you were when you talk about the Moon, or even when we were in that BD." 

Lucy smiled, the BD she had shared with him was different from all the other times she had retreated to her virtual moon, it held a special place in her heart.
"That's my dream, to make you happy." David said, turning to look Lucy in the eyes.

The warmth in her core was a raging inferno now. Threatening to consume her entirely.
"That's your dream?" she whispered, trembling slightly.

"Half of it." David whispered, taking her hands. "The other half is this. What we have now. I want this forever."

Lucy drew in a shocked half-breath. 
Forever was a long time, not least of all in Night City.
"Forever's a long, long time." she whispered, letting David pull her in close. "Sure you're up for it?"

"Forever with you?" David whispered, "Always."

Lucy pressed another kiss to David's lips, less chaste this time. Hungry, passionate.
Forever wasn't assured. Not for Johnny Silverhand, not for her, not for Saburo Arasaka.
Not in this City, not in this reality
Lucy gasped as David pressed a kiss to her neck, letting her boyfriend take the lead.

But for now... please just give me this...

Chapter Text

David woke up with a start. He ran a hand through his hair, getting his breathing under control.
That same nightmare.
He released a shaky breath, not wanting to disturb the sleeping form of his girlfriend.

Ever since his torture at the hand of the late XBD savant, Jimmy Kurosaki, David had been periodically visited by nightmares of his illusory rampage.
Once upon a time he might have welcomed those dreams. Some sick part of him relished how powerful he felt in that rampage. The feeling of having the solution to any problem hidden under his skin.
That same part of him had missed the sensation of being put under severe cyberware load, even if only in a BD. The feeling of every nerve in his body tingling with power, with potential.

Now, however, David was able to experience these dreams clearly for what they were. He felt his nerves burning as they screamed under the stress of more military cyberware than even he could handle. He felt the bile rising as he cut through swathes of policemen, all with the same terrified scream etched onto their face.
That is what Kurosaki's Edgerunners series had done. It had besmirched the role of a cyberpunk to that of a thug, a monster. 
David hummed softly. Promising himself something.
I'll take it back. he swore. I'll take back what it means to be an edgerunner.

He stored that promise deep in his heart, just below the promises he had made to Lucy. He wouldn't lose sight of what he had, not even for this.

David smiled, staring at the ceiling. He felt a little pride in himself, even if it felt a little dumb to admit it. 
He had no idea just how close to the edge he was standing, just how close he was to losing himself entirely.

And the person who helped me realize it is...

David looked down, realizing that Lucy had awoken sometime during his contemplation.

"Mornin' Luce" he smiled softly. "When did you wake up?"
"A bit ago." his netrunner mumbled, smiling sleepily. "Was watching you think."

David grinned stupidly. Lucy giggled as he pressed a kiss to her hair.

"Same nightmare?" Lucy asked, looking at him a bit more seriously. 

David sighed, he couldn't keep anything from her anymore, and that suited him just fine.
"Yeah." he grimaced, the nightmares plagued him less and less frequently now, especially once he started going to Viktor. Still, even thinking about the thinks he witnessed was... unpleasant.

Lucy ran a hand across his chest, tapping her fingers on his sternum soothingly, rhythmically.
"Tell me about it?" she asked, looking him in the eyes. David caved. He had hoped to spare her the grisly details, had worked to hide the nightmares from her. 

After last night, he resolved to change that. Forever with Lucy meant he wouldn't be alone- truly alone- ever again.
"I'm a cyberpsycho." he breathes out, even describing the dreams bring back bad memories. Faded, dull, but present nontheless.
Lucy, for her part, said nothing. Continuing to trail her finger over his skin soothingly.
"I... I'm on the run from the police. Anytime a cop gets the drop on me, I cut him down with a piece of chrome I didn't know I had." he screwed his eyes shut, trying to shut out everything except Lucy.

"And then?" Lucy asked gently, pressing a kiss to his shoulder.

"And then I get cornered by MaxTac." David breathes. "Every time they blast a piece of me off... metal grows outta me... Guns... chrome... everything."
His grip tightens unintentionally, trying to keep himself centered on this world, not the one he wished desperately would never come true, be it in this life or any other.

"And..." David gasps, panicked tears threatening to surface. "And..."
He felt Lucy shift, her hand removing itself from his skin. He almost sobbed, mourning the loss of her touch. 
Then, her lips pressed against his. 
David opened his eyes. Lucy pulled back, smiling softly.

"Hey." she whispered, cupping his face with her soft, warm hands. "Hey. We don't have to keep going if it's too much. ok?"

"Thank you." he said, pressing his forehead into her shoulder, breathing in her scent. "I think I'm okay. I can keep going."

Lucy hummed, "Just don't push yourself too hard." she said, running her hands through his hair soothingly.

You don't understand. David wanted to say. I need to tell you this. Need to show you what you saved me from.

"MaxTac... they kill me." he whispers, "In that nightmare. I die as a monster. A monster made of guns and metal."

David felt Lucy pause, just for a moment, then she began moving again, returning her attention to stroking his hair calmingly.

"Sounds terrifying." she whispered. 

David sighed, content. He was as far away from those nightmares as he could be in her arms.

"I wasn't always afraid of it." David admitted, swallowing a lump in his throat. "I felt strong... unstoppable."

Lucy tensed up, he could feel the anxiety almost emanating from her.

"But you changed that." he admitted. "Everything you did; stopping me from chroming up, taking me to Vik's... all of it... You saved me... showed me that I don't want that anymore."

David pulled away, just enough so he could see Lucy's face. She beamed, a look of adoration in her eyes.

"So... Thank you, Lucy." he smiled, "Thank you for saving me from myself."

David leaned in, taking Lucy's soft lips with his own. She leaned back, taking him with her.

"Anything for you." she breathed, panting as they broke apart for air.

David lay in their bed. A soft haze clouding his eyes.
It was well past noon now. He watched as Lucy hummed to the radio. Using the computer terminal in their apartment.

She was still in the nude. As was he, admittedly.
It's comfortable. she had said, besides, it's not like we're expecting guests.

David supposed she was right, as his eyes wandered over her figure, he caught her eye.
She smirked at him, stretching out in her chair leisurely.
David swallowed. 
Damn...

Suddenly, his attention was stolen by a call, the soft ringtone and large red alert snapping him out of his trance.
"El Cap?" he asked, accepting the call. "Been a while!"

"David," El Capitan, one of the fixers of Santo Domingo nodded curtly. "How have you been?"

"Oh... you know..." David said, eyeing Lucy's small pout at no longer being the center of his attention. "Getting by. Rainy day fund is getting a little dry, you know... maybe you know something that could help...?"

The older man laughed at David's not so subtle prodding.
"Yeah, got a pretty easy gig for you, choom." he said, "Not the biggest payout, not the smallest either."

"Preem," David smiled, "Zip me the deets and I'll get right on it." 

Lucy crawled back onto the bed, abandoning whatever she was previously doing on the terminal.

"New job?" she asked, letting David wrap his arms around her.

"Yeah." David said, "Cap decided to throw me a bone."

Lucy laughed. 

"You coming with?" David asked, tracing a hand down the tattoos on her back. "Could always use my favorite 'runner with me."

She shivered, eyes darting to the bathroom. Where her deep dive equipment was.

"If you've got biz to take care of, no worries." David said, smiling.

"No, no. I'll go." Lucy said, kissing David softly. "So, we gonna call Valerie? Jackie?"

David hummed, "You, me, Kiwi, Falco, Becca." he decided.

Lucy raised an eyebrow. "Just the old crew?" she asked.

"V's doing some solo work, trying to do some jobs for some people in Watson. Saving up for a decent cyberdeck." David explained. "Valerie and the Jackster are kickin' around Heywood, doing a few smash and grabs for Padre."

Lucy hummed, smiling softly. "Alright then," she said, getting up off the bed. "Let me make the call."

Chapter Text

"Remind me again why me and Lucy need to be the ones doing the hand-off?" Kiwi asked, rubbing her temples. "Don't know if you've noticed but we're not exactly suited for field work."

"Speak for yourself," Lucy grinned, "I can handle myself if I need to."

Rebecca slapped Kiwi on the shoulder, "Yeah! You should come with us to the range sometime! It'll be a girls night out!"

"Fuck off, both." Kiwi glared.

David chuckled, some things never change, he thought. He hoped Maine and Dorio could see them, wherever they were.

"El Capitan sent me some info about these guys." he said, "Scavs, work with the Tyger Claws, Jotaro Shobo specifically."

Rebecca bristled at the name. Lucy scowled as a dark gleam entered her eyes. 

"They're skittish." he continued, "They get a whiff of trouble and they'll bolt, or worse, they'll start blasting."

"So we just let the hag and Luce walk in alone?" Rebecca blurted out, "Fuck that!"

David raised a hand soothingly.
"I'm not done." he said with a smile, "Becca; I want you and Falco to be ready close by. I'll tail 'em from high up, give you some time to move in."

"You? You're gonna be the one watching our backs?" Kiwi deadpanned, "Oh I feel safer already..."

"He's been working really hard on his aim, Kiwi." Lucy defended. David smiled, taking her hand, "Give him a chance!"

"Yeah because that's the saying I'm known so well for." Kiwi rolled her eyes, though the bite was gone from her voice. "Trust everyone unconditionally, they won't stick a knife in your back."

David and Rebecca burst into laughter, Falco too chuckled from the drivers seat. Kiwi shot Lucy a strange, searching look.

"Alrighty everybody." Falco called out, "Comin' up on the meet up location!"

"For the record, I still think this is a bad, bad idea." Kiwi's voice echoed through David's ear, the group call held, even this high up.

"Noted." David said, adjusting the sights on his rifle. 

He observed everything from his vantage point. The meetup would happen inside of an old, derelict warehouse. David looked through a gap where the roof had fallen in, seeing the Scavs waiting already. At the door, Falco and Rebecca waited, hidden behind the car.

"Remember, Lucy." David said, "You get any bad vibes, any at all, call the deal off. Becca, Falco and I will cover you."

"I know." Lucy said.

"And the job?" Kiwi responded, David wasn't sure what to make of her tone. "What about the client?"

"I'll talk to Cap if I need to." David said with a smile. "What matters is you two getting out safe."

David observed the meet take place.
Every scavenger in the area stopped to watch the two women walk in.

Kiwi placed the briefcase their fixer had provided on a stack of crates.
He couldn't make out what the scavs were saying from this high up, but he heard Kiwi through their group call just fine.

"Fuck did you say?" she growled.

"Let it go, Kiwi." Lucy said calmly, "I don't care what he calls me."

David's eyes narrowed. 
Calm. he reminded himself, Good edgerunners stay calm.

One of the Scavs- the leader, presumably- got close to Lucy, saying something indistinguishable.
Lucy slapped a wandering hand away, Kiwi immediately grabbed the briefcase.

"Fuck you." she said, "Deal's off."

Several things happened at once:

The leader tried to grab Lucy by the arm. Going down screaming, clutching the bloodied stump of his arm as the netrunner's monowire emerged with a flourish.

Rebecca and Falco sprinted towards the warehouse, the shorter woman already firing the two assault rifles she held in her arms.

David breathed in deep, trusting in his friends. Tap, tap, tap.
Several scavengers fell, smoking bullet holes in their heads.

"They got snipers!" one of the men shouted.

"Scrap these bitches!" another called out, "Shobo can have what's left!"

David took aim at the second man. Glaring.
He was well aware of Jotaro Shobo's reputation, knew exactly what losing Lucy to him would mean.
Lucy was capable, his friends were strong, it would never happen.
But that didn't matter to David. He was going to make that son of a bitch bleed.
Two shots to the chest, one to the leg.

The scavenger fell, groaning. A final bullet rocketed through his skull, ending his suffering.
As the smoke cleared, several scavengers aimed upwards, looking for the snipers that had caused them so much grief.
One of the men spotted David.

"No fuckin' way!" he whimpered, "One fuckin' sniper did this?"

He aimed at David, pulling the trigger, nothing. He looked at his gun in confusion.

Kiwi breathed out, her hack had gone through just in time.

"Lucy, now!" she shouted.

The pale haired woman began uploading the cocktail of hacks she had been loading up. As Falco took cover near her, firing his pistol over the crates they had hidden behind, several scavengers fell to the ground, screaming as their optics burned out.

The scavengers were beginning to thin out now. One goon tried to sneak around, flank them from behind. David showed him the error of his ways with a bullet.

"Igor! The sniper!" one of the few remaining men called out.

A heavy set scavenger stepped out from cover. Bulletproof mask on his face, he hefted a heavy machine gun aimed at the roof.

Oh shit.
David's eyes widened.

The scavenger let loose a barrage of bullets.
David fired off two shots.

The first shot struck the scavenger man, ricocheting off of his mask. He groaned, clutching his face.
The second shot sank itself into his other shoulder, causing him to drop his gun.

David relished in his aim for just a moment, feeling the roof groan and creak. 
The weakened metal buckled, the last of it's reinforcement destroyed by the wild shots of the machine gun barrage.
With a screech, the roof beneath David's feet gave way.

"David!" Lucy screamed, watching the younger man plummet. 
Glaring at the remaining scavengers, she breathed in deeply.  
They were all connected, linked to the same localnet. She could see the flows of data from every man, saw how the streams intersected.
All of a sudden, the ground beneath Lucy's feet shifted. She was in a more complete version of the warehouse, made up of data. Advertisements, remnants of data shards, messages.
She could see her friends as if through a dull filter. Kiwi shone the brightest out of them, yet even she looked subdued, muted.
She reached out, grasping a stream that flowed towards the group of scavengers, her prey. She tore it open, yellow strands of code leaking out. 
Sticking a hand in, she released the daemon she had prepared. Slowly, the data stream turned an angry, bright red.
She closed her eyes, blinking. And all of a sudden she was back in the present.

"Fuckers!" Rebecca screamed, firing the last of her current clip at the scavengers.

Lucy counted the seconds, her daemon should be kicking in any moment. As she heard a panicked scream, she decided to risk it. Running out of cover to where she saw David fall.
A quick glance confirmed her hunch, every remaining scavenger had fallen victim to her hack, all eyes wide as their bodies betrayed them. 
They pleaded with her as their hands grasped clumsily for their weapons, bringing it to their heads.
Die. she glared. 
Several gunshots rang out.

David groaned weakly, gasping. A stack of boxes had broken his fall, but not by much.
He smiled as he felt familiar hands on his face.
"David!" Lucy called out, "David can you hear me?"

"Thanks for having my back." he groaned, smiling wider as he felt the woman pull him into a hug.

"You scared me you gonk!" Lucy sighed, relieved.

Opening his eyes, he saw the rest of his crew gather round. Kiwi had the briefcase in her hands, Falco had grabbed a duffelbag, presumably what their fixer had sent them to find. Rebecca was the last to come, holding the gun that the scavenger- Igor- had used.

"That was some fine shootin' Falco said with a smile, David returned it confidently.

"Been practicing." he said. Kiwi rolled her eyes at the two.

"Luce." the older netrunner turned to her protégé, "What you did back there... what was that?"

"Just something I've been working on." Lucy said, avoiding her mentor's gaze, "Reverse engineered something I found, that's all."

David got to his feet, dusting himself off. 
His netrunner looked him over for any wounds, gripping his face tightly and looking into her eyes, making sure he wasn't concussed.

"Lucy," David grinned, placing his hands on hers. "I'm fine. You finished 'em off before they could do anything."

Lucy nodded, releasing a shaky breathe she hadn't realized she was holding.

"Alright." he said, turning to the rest of the crew, "Let's drop off the case and the bag, I'll let Cap know we ran into... some issues..."

"David!" El Capitan said with a smile as he answered the call, "Good news, I hope?"

David sat watching his crew squabble. Rebecca was pestering Kiwi about her lack of gunplay, Falco chuckling as the older netrunner rolled her eyes.
Lucy leaned on him, tracing soft circles on the back of his hand with her thumb. He closed his eyes, enjoying her touch.

"Sort of..." he said, "We're on our way to the drop point now, dropping off what you wanted us to get... and the case you gave us as well."

The fixer roared with laughter, "Trouble?" he asked.

"Yeah..." David cringed slightly.

"Don't worry about it." El Capitan reassured, "The case had a bomb in it anyways. Long as those scavs are dead, I'll consider the job completed in full."

David smiled, El Capitan always did try his best to look out for Santo kids, even if his mom hadn't approved of him associating with the fixer. 

"Anyways," the Fixer continued, "I hear you're no longer a Santo boy, David. Livin' up in Japantown now, eh?"

David felt himself blushing slightly, he supposed it was true.
Not like I moved because I hated Santo... he thought, looking at the woman who had his right hand in both of hers.

"Yeah..." David said.

"Don't worry about it, kid." El Capitan smiled warmly. "Your 'ma would have wanted you to move up in the world."

"Thanks, Cap." he said with a soft smile.

"Anyways, thanks for the heads up. I'll organize someone to pick up the package when you drop it off" the fixer said, "I'll put in a good word with Wakako for you."

"Anytime, Cap." David said with a smile, "I'll give you a call whenever I'm in Santo, could always use more work."

As he was about to end the call, something the fixer had said caused him to frown.

"Wait, did you say we're carrying around a bomb?"

Chapter Text

The crew had gone their separate ways after the gig was closed.

Lucy and David were the last to be dropped off. Falco stopped at a quiet road in Little China.
Waving as the nomad driver peeled away, they walked, enjoying each other's company as they made the trip to Viktor's clinic.

They waved to Misty as they went in, the older woman chatted with Jackie at the counter. Going past the secluded alley and down the steps, Viktor looked up at them from the screen screen by his desk.
"You two!" he greeted, "What can I help you with this time?" 

"We uh..." David looked to Lucy, why had they come?

"Wanted to see if you had a Kerenzikov or a Synaptic Accelerator for David." Lucy said, Viktor tapped his chin thoughtfully.

"Interesting..." he hummed, "I see what you're going for..."

David blinked, confused.
"Why?" he asked, "Thought the Sandevistan covers those bases."

"It's true that all three cyberware have similar effects, and that the Sandevistan might be the most versatile of those." Viktor admitted, "But it places load on all of your body's systems, regardless of what you need it for."

David frowned, he guessed that made sense. 

"It's like using a hand grenade for home defense, kid." Viktor chuckled, "Doesn't matter if you use the sandy to get in close, outrun a car or pull out your gun faster than the other guy, you're putting the same amount of stress on yourself and your sandevistan."
Viktor tapped a monitor, bringing up several selections of cyberware.

"If you had a synaptic accelerator, that gives you time to think." he said, several of the items on the screen in front of David lit up, "A kerenzikov will give you a little boost to your coordination on top of that, maybe let you adjust if your first shot is off."

David's eyebrows furrowed, matching his frown. He knew Viktor and Lucy wanted to give him options, a safety net. But did he really want to only be known as "the fast one"?

"Jackie? What's up?" Lucy's voice snapped him back to reality, "He's here at Vik's place. No, I don't think he'd be- Wait... the payout is how much?!"

David quirked an eyebrow, how much could a job possibly pay to turn Lucy's gaze of all people?

"If you need an extra hand, I'll do it." Lucy continued, "Alright, send me the location."

Ending the call, Lucy turned to Viktor and David.
"Vik, something's come up." Lucy said, squeezing David's shoulder, "I'll leave this gonk to you, ok?"

Viktor nodded, watching the woman leave.

"Be safe!" David called out behind him.

"Alright kid, so what are you thinking?" Viktor said, leaning back in his own chair. 

"Vik... I dunno." David sighed, "I thought all of this was meant to make me less reliant on chrome, meant to be fast and smart. Now you're telling me I might not even be fast enough with the sandy..."

"That's not what I'm saying," Viktor said, patting his arm reassuringly, "I know you're fast enough, and smart enough too. So does Lucy." 

"But...?" David asked, 

"But there'll be borgs out there who run faster, hit harder and can take more of a beating." Viktor stated, "The only way you stay a step ahead is if you keep your distance, give yourself time to think and save your energy to land meaningful hits. Understand?"

David thought for a moment. 

"Synaptic accelerator to think of a plan, kerenzikov if they try and get too close..." he said slowly, "and save my strength to hit them fast and hard with the Sandevistan, that's what you're saying, right?"

Viktor smiled warmly,
"Right," he said, "Spread the load wide and you do more for longer."

"Alright." David sighed, making two selections on the screen, "I'm ready."

"Let me just get some anesthetic and then-"

"And then lights out?"

Viktor chuckled

"Exactly."

David tossed one of Viktor's tools into the air, counting the seconds until it hit the table. As it clattered, he did it again, willing himself to slow down.
Immediately, the synaptic accelerator began its work, unlike with his sandevistan, David's limbs felt sluggish, like they were swimming through oil.
His mind, however, felt sharper than ever.

The rush of adrenaline that the sandevistan supplied him with was absent, instead giving David the focus to observe minute details around him.
He saw the something flicker on Viktor's screen, a playback timer. 
Recorded?
He stowed that information for later. He turned his attention to several posters Viktor had put up on the walls, different types of cyberware, some he had never seen before.
David felt like laughing, a while ago, the thought of slowing his body down would have horrified him, the thought of being shackled driving him mad. He was wrong, being able to see the world in this way, being able to process everything this fast, it was liberating.

As the tool clattered to the tray once more, Viktor chuckled softly.
"Cut that out." he said, though his voice wasn't stern, "That's not a toy."

David laughed as well, stretching himself out. 
Suddenly, he had an idea.

"Vik?" he asked, "Do you have any other chrome I could take a look at? Something for my arms, maybe."

"Thought you wanted Lucy to sign off on your chrome, kid." Viktor said with a stern look. David shook his head.

"Not gonna get anything without talking it out with her first." David reassured, "Just wanted to know my options."

Viktor, now confident again that David wouldn't slip into a spiral of excessive implantation, brought up several pieces of cyberware, talking through them almost surgically.

Mantis Blades, Gorilla Arms and the Projectile Launch System all were given a quick head shake of disapproval.

Viktor threw up a few "exotic" pieces of cyberware, blades that would extend from a person's fingertips, a storage system for a small pistol, embedded into one's arm.

"What about monowires?" David asked, Viktor grinned and tapped the monitor several times.

"Wasn't sure you'd spring for those." Viktor admitted, "thought you might leave that field to your Output."

David hummed, "Not trying to rip a car apart," he admitted, "and Mantis Blades and the Launchers need room to be useful. Monowires are my best bet." 

Viktor chuckled, "Now that's using your head, kid!"

As he swiped through the various brands of monowires, David had a realization.

"These don't look like Lucy's ones." he said, brow furrowed.

"Don't think Lucy's got off the shelf cyberware." Viktor said, "If I had to guess, it's an Arasaka product. Heard rumors that they were prototyping high end monowires. Sleek ejection ports that almost blended in with the skin and a reworked wire design, so you could hold it in your hands without protecting your hands as well. Course, that made it ineffective in combat. Not many people have the patience or skill to get the edge alignment right every time, 'specially not during a firefight"

David frowned, that sounded like Lucy's chrome all right. But this troubled David, he knew about Lucy's past with Arasaka, he knew at least a majority of the cyberware she had installed came from that same corp, why had she not tried to replace it?

"Vik..." David searched for the right words, a way to ask without giving up Lucy's secret. "What reason do you think someone would have to not replace their cyberware for better options. If it came from a corp they didn't like?"

"Talkin' about Lucy?" Viktor asked, laughing as David spluttered. "I know my chrome, kid. And I've lived a couple more decades than you to boot. I know my people pretty well by now too."

The older man sighed, face growing more serious.
"If I had to guess," he began, "and I know it isn't really my place to. It might be the only choice about her cyberware she got to make." 

The implications of that began to seep in, David swallowed a lump in his throat and clenched his fists, trembling with anger.
Fuckin' Arasaka.

"Some people..." Viktor breathed in deeply, "For some people, their cyberware is like a scar. A painful part of them that they can't escape, no matter what they chip in."

David nodded. Feeling more helpless and powerless than he ever had.

"Might be like that for Lucy. Definitely was the case for your old hero, Silverhand." Viktor said with a sad smile.

David closed his eyes, thinking.
What can I do for you. Lucy? 
You've done so much for me, I need to do more to repay you.

What can I do for you?

"Alright kid." Viktor said, patting his arm, "Think I've shown you enough to give you an idea. You head on home and rest up now, alright? Give that burnin' chrome a chance to cool off."

"I will, thanks, Vik." he said, waving goodbye as he stepped out of the clinic.

He breathed in the warm afternoon air. Head feeling clear.
He began to think, formulating a plan. 

Chapter Text

Lucy arrived at the meetup spot slightly later than she had anticipated. The metro had suffered a minor delay, a cyberpsycho who had gone berserk on one of the more suburban lines.

Jackie and Valerie were sitting on the boot of a black Hella. The car looked utilitarian, function over form.

"Took you long enough!" Jackie chuckled, waving at the netrunner. At his side, Valerie also waved.

"My bad," Lucy admitted, "NCART got delayed." 

"Shit," Valerie grinned, "You still using the metro? You sure you and David don't need a loan?" 

"Nothin' like that." Lucy's face felt slightly hot, "I just... never thought about getting a car or anything."

"Why?"

Lucy knew why, because she kept saving up for the moon. David too, gonk that he was, would put in whatever eddies he had to spare into that shared account.
Though... she contemplated, her priorities had changed, she hadn't thought about that elusive trip for months, if she was being honest.

Every dream I have... she hummed to herself. Every happy dream, it's not always the moon, I guess. It's always... always David.

"Maybe I should." Lucy mused, "Get a car, I mean."

"Doesn't have to be a car," Jackie chimed in, getting off the hood of the Hella and running his hands along the bike parked next to it. "Take your Input and give Wakako a visit, I hear she's got a preem Kusanagi for sale."

"I'll think about it." Lucy said, "Now where's this shard we need to klep?"

Valerie pointed to a small, unassuming house. 

"We're recovering it for Padre." the older woman said, "But the gig came from El Capitan." 

"Must be important." Lucy mused, "That why the payout's nova?"

Valerie nodded. Jackie chuckled.

"Apparently there's somethin' on that shard the old man can use to bust 6th Street's balls." he said, slapping his knee. "Serves 'em right, fuckers."

"Alright." Lucy nodded, "I'll find an access port on the outside, try and see if there are any cameras or traps, once I do, you two head on in."

Valerie and Jackie nodded.
The ex-corpo pumped her shotgun, grinning. Jackie pulled out two gold plated pistols, ensuring they were loaded.

"Let's rock." 

Lucy breathed in deeply, there wasn't many cameras connected to the home's localnet. So she got creative.
TV's were often voice activated, so she jacked in to the microphone, trying to see if there were any voices. 
She spotted a laptop amongst the devices connected devices. Exiting the TV's mic, she touched a finger to the laptop, prodding for any ICE.

A single security protocol emerged, looking for the intrusion.
Lucy hummed, a rudimentary program. Good, yet also bad. If she got spotted prematurely, if she was too aggressive with her breaching, the program might implode. Wiping what utility the laptop has and triggering any alarms attached to the localnet.
She lets the current of data carry her. Letting herself be masked by the buzz of information. The program began scanning, looking over every packet of data for any oddities.
It scanned methodically, predictably, in order of appearance. 
Big mistake.

Lucy emerged, grasping the program in both hands. It shrieked, trying to send a signal to the net's Nexus.
She breathed deep, feeling a cold shock as she sank one level deeper. They were there, but not there. The Nexus would still register all devices connected, all routines normal.
Releasing her breath, she began the transfer. Light purple code traveling from the Interface port at the base of her skull, down her arms and into the struggling program.

"Shh." she soothed, "Quiet now." 

She grimaced, the feeling never quite went away. A sensation of disgust at just how useful the invasive piece of cyberware was. Some days she wished she could tear the damn thing out of her head without killing herself. On particularly bad days she didn't really care even if it did.
Sighing, she focused on the task at hand. Those days seemed like distant memories. Ever since she had met David she felt more human, more like who she wanted to be. Rather than what she was; an escaped piece of Arasaka property, wearing Arasaka chrome.

The program gurgled, glowing a docile blue. It trembled in her hands.
"Good boy." she whispered, holding her breath as they surfaced again.

She began to unravel the strands of code that held the laptop together, messages, advertisements and scams all swam by as she found what she was looking for.
A yellow glow, distorting, unstable.
She took it in her hands, gently coaxing it into shape. Once it formed into the crude facsimile of a screen, Lucy peered through the laptop's camera.

She gasped.

"Jackie? Valerie?" she called out, continuing as she felt their presence on the group call, "You can go in now but..."

She swallowed nervously.

"I think there's been a massacre."

Jackie tried the door. Rather than sliding open, it fell off its hinge.

"¿Qué chingados?" he swore, peering down the dark corridor.

Valerie stepped past him, tiptoeing into the abode.
"Luce?" she whispered, "Can't see shit in here."

"On it, on it." the young netrunner said, "One moment..."

The lights came on, and Jackie swore. 
"Hijo de la grandísima puta" he breathed, the hallway was caked in blood.

"Jesus..." Valerie grimaced, cringing at the smell.

"Any eyes on target?" Jackie asked.

"No. Not yet, but..." Lucy trailed off, "Guys... there's something in the basement. Someone"

"I'll take point, cover me, Jack." Valerie said, hefting her shotgun again. 

"Right behind you, jaina." Jackie said.

They stepped over several bodies, some intact, others not so much.
As they entered the basement, they heard a wail, electronically distorted.
Valerie took a step out, aiming at the source of the noise.

Immediately, the Solo was knocked off her feet. Jackie fired two shots at the figure that had collided with her, going wide as it ducked its head to one side.
The figure was a human woman, or perhaps it was at one point.
Valerie grunted, trying to strike at the woman with her enhanced fists.
Perhaps it was because she didn't have a good angle, or perhaps the woman was just that tough, but they bounced off the woman with a dull thwack.
Cyberpsycho.

Jackie roared, using his full body to slam into the psycho.
The woman shrieked, unleashing Mantis Blades to their full reach.
They swung wide, unable to find a good angle on the large man.

Getting to her feet, Valerie swung a reinforced fist at the momentarily immobilized psycho. 
Her fist was blocked by the woman's blades, steel knuckles shattering one of the blades outright. Valerie flinched as shards of metal flew towards her.

The psycho broke free of Jackie's grip, launching herself away from the two. She collided with one of the shelves in the cramped basement, knocking it over.
Valerie and Jackie had barely retrieved their weapons when the woman shrieked again, crouching down and preparing to pounce.

Suddenly, the woman jerked away, sparks flying.

"Shit she's got some crazy ICE." Lucy's voice echoed in their heads. "Need to get closer, hold on! I'm on my way!"

Jackie wanted to say something, to tell the younger woman to stay away, but the netrunner had ended the call.

"Here she comes, Jack!" Valerie shouted, a blast from the shotgun causing the psycho to lurch out of the way, swinging her one good blade.

Jackie ducked under it, already taking a step forward. He grabbed the psycho's bladed arm, immobilizing it.
Valerie took two more shots, the psycho managing to just barely escape serious wounds by twisting and contorting her body.

"Me cago en tu madre!" Jackie growled, taking a step and pinning the woman's bladed arm behind her back. "Take the shot, Val!" 

"Can't! I'll hit you too!" the woman shouted, trying to find a way to fire at the psycho without hitting her friend.

"Jesús, just fuckin' do it!" he shouted, grunting as the psycho kicked out, causing him to trip on the fallen shelf.

Valerie fired at the woman, swinging the shotgun like a club when she got too close. She blocked her blade with her own arm, metal biting into metal. The force knocked her off balance, slamming her head first into the concrete wall of the basement.

The older woman groaned, trying to grab anything to defend herself. The cyberpsycho seemed to have entered a state of blissful tranquility, like a hunter stalking wounded prey.

Then, suddenly, the woman shrieked again, sparks emerging from the cyberware in her arms and running down her back. 
She tried to lunge at Valerie, blade whistling through the air, but a thin, glowing hot wire wrapped itself around it and held it back.

Valerie looked up.
Lucy.

The pale haired netrunner panted, she had made it just in time.
She quickly assessed the situation, Jackie was slowly getting to his feet, Valerie might take a little longer.

She uploaded one of her more powerful hacks, swallowing as she prepared to deal with the task of surviving until it went off.

The psycho growled, refocusing her aggression to Lucy. Trying to pull her blade free, she howled.
Lucy gritted her teeth, fighting with all her might to keep her feet planted.
So this is why Kiwi says netrunners aren't suited to field work. Lucy thought sardonically.

Jackie was on his feet now, he grabbed a broken piece of pipe, holding it one hand, one of his pistols was in the other.

The psycho howled, redirecting her momentum.
Suddenly, Lucy's wire went slack, the psycho going from fighting Lucy's wire to lunging into her.
Lucy's eyes went wide, she twisted her body as much as she could, letting the psycho's blade fly past her. She grunted as the psycho herself collided with her. Reinforced limbs overpowering her more normal cyberware.

The two collided with a thud. Jackie swung at the psycho with the pipe, herhead jerked forward with the impact. Enraged, the crazed woman swung with her blade. 
She didn't miss.

Jackie fell to the ground, blood spraying across the psycho's face. The crazed woman breathed in. Relishing the sensation.

Lucy cursed, she pulled out her pistol, firing off shots in an attempt to fend off the cyberpsycho. 
Still in an enraged state, the psycho abandoned all battle tactics, instead striking and scratching and clawing at Lucy any place she could reach.

A gnarled, mechanically enhanced hand scratched at the back of her head, loosening the synth-flesh that covered her Deep Dive interface.

Lucy's eyes widened. 
No.

The psycho's fingers grasped it.
No, no, NO!

With a sound like tearing fabric, the psycho pulled it free, holding it almost triumphantly.

Lucy's hands immediately went to cover her interface.
"N-no..." she whimpered, "Please..."

She barely heard the affirmative ping of her hack successfully uploading. The crazed woman jerked violently, then fell limp, still holding the patch of synth-flesh.
Slowly, the psycho began to move, almost groggily.
Neither she nor the psycho noticed Valerie had gotten to her feet, aiming her shotgun at the psycho's head.

BANG.

Valerie, exhaled, her head still pounded from the impact. She looked at Jackie, groaning on the ground.
The cut looked shallow, thankfully.
Tossing him an air-hypo, she turned her attention to the netrunner of their group.
She kneeled next to her, looking her over without touching her, searching for injuries.

"Lucy?" she asked, "Lucy!"
The woman looked uninjured, but unresponsive, she clutched the back of her head.
"No, no, no..." she whimpered, over and over.
Shit... Valerie thought. 

"I got this, jaina." Jackie groaned, "You just go look for the shard, give her some space."
Valerie nodded. Casting one last concerned look at the woman they had brought into this job.

"Hey..." Jackie said softly.
He place a hand on Lucy's shoulder, retracting it immediately, when the other woman flinched away from it. 
"Hey, Luce." he continued, "Let's get you up off the floor, eh? We gotta get you back to David."
His words finally seemed to register with the woman, a look of recognition entered her eyes as she looked at Jackie.

"Jackie...?" she breathed out. Jackie recognized that tone well, Lucy hid it well, but she was scared, on the verge of tears.

"C'mon," Jackie smiled reassuringly, "Let's get you upstairs. Want a Broseph? Got a couple in Val's car!"

Lucy nodded, tears slowly began to stream down her face, marring her makeup.

"Can you walk?" Jackie asked, Lucy nodded, trying to get to her feet.

"Guess not." Jackie remarked, watching the netrunner wince, clutching her thigh.

"Just bruised, I think." Lucy sniffed, "Give me a minute."

"Nah," Jackie said plainly, he turned, showing Lucy his back. "Climb on."

"I'm not a child." Lucy pouted. Jackie chuckled.

"Yeah, but you're hurt. It's what friends do. Buena onda, yes?"

Lucy clutched the bottle in her hands, she sat in the backseat of Valerie's car. Jackie had stowed his bike somewhere secluded, saying he'd come back for it another day.
She grimaced, letting a hand finger the exposed interface gingerly. They had to have seen it, there was no way they couldn't have seen it.

She breathed out shakily, taking a sip of her drink.
Just another reminder that she was different. That she was... 'special'. That she didn't deserve the freedoms she enjoyed.

"Gonna drop you off at your place, " Valerie addressed her, "Zip you your cut when I get 'em. This job got... a little more complicated than I thought."

Lucy nodded, taking another sip of her drink.
"My bad." she mumbled, "I fucked up."

"Lucy, no." Valerie said kindly, but firmly. "Without your support we wouldn't have known what we were getting into, and without your hacks we'd probably be dead."

"Don't sweat it, chica." Jackie said with a smile, "You pulled your weight out there. Wouldn't mind workin' with you again! Uh... if you wanted to, that is."

Lucy clenched the bottle hard. 
"Yeah... maybe..." she said, passively.

Lucy waved the two off. Jackie and Valerie saying their goodbyes as well as another stern reminder to not blame herself.

The walk up the steps to her apartment felt like they stretched out to forever. Her trembling, shaking fingers kept finding themselves clutching at her interface.
They can all see it. A primal, feral part of her brain screamed at her. They can all see it and they know.

Lucy gritted her teeth, pressing forward.
They know what you are. Arasaka Property.

She swayed, leaning against the wall of the corridor.
Her apartment was right there.
She just needed to make the last few steps.

You think David doesn't care?
She tripped over her own feet. 
You think that he doesn't hate you? Arasaka ruined his life. You think he's not disgusted at you?
Unable to find the strength to move, Lucy just curled into a ball, hands cradling her interface again.
"N-no." she gasped. "Please, no..."

"Lucy!" she heard the door hiss open, David's voice cutting through and jolting her awake.
No, please... she silently begged. Don't see me like this.
David picked her up, whisking her into their apartment. Lucy clutched his shirt, clinging to it like a lifeline.

David set her down on their bed. Looking her over for injures.
He saw some minor cuts and bruises, but it looked like they had already been treated. He paused as he saw that her Deep Dive Interface was exposed.
Initially, he thought that she may have removed it herself, perhaps for the job. Perhaps it was the synaptic accelerator, or maybe he was more observant than he had thought. He spotted slight scratches on the back of her head, to either side of her Interface.

"Are you hurt?" David asked, "Do you need anything? I'll get you a drink-"

He was cut off by Lucy leaning forward, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face in his shirt.
She breathed in deeply.
"Why do you love me?" she asked in a quiet voice. 

"What-" David began, he was cut off by a quiet sob.

"You're so good to me." she said, breathing heavily, "Even though you know what I am. Even though my chrome, my... everything... is Arasaka..."

David wrapped his arms around the woman.
"I don't care." he whispered.

"But you should!" Lucy insisted, trembling. "Arasaka took everything from you. I wouldn't blame you if... if you hated the parts of me that were 'Saka too..."

David took Lucy's face in his hands, planting a tender kiss on her lips. 
Fuck it, he thought. Caution to the wind.
"Lucy." he said firmly, "I don't love you in spite of your chrome or your past."

Lucy looked at him, lost in his eyes. 

"They... they make up everything that makes you... well... you" he said.
"If you can't believe me then... well... I'll show you."

Lucy began to say something, only to be cut off as David pressed his lips against hers.

His fingers gently caressed the seams of Lucy's Interface. He felt his netrunner tense up, slowly relaxing as he traced the line between her skin and her chrome.

He pulled back, feeling Lucy whine at the loss of contact. He smiled.
Taking Lucy's hand in his own, he pressed a kiss to the monowire port in Lucy's wrist.
He felt Lucy shiver at the touch, moaning at the kiss.

I've got you. He ran a hand up the various ports in her back, feeling her gasp at the light, ticklish touches. 
I've got you.

Chapter Text

"Hanako-Sama!" Sandayu Oda chased after his ward- no- his master. "Hanako-Sama! I beg you to reconsider."

Hanako turned to face him, her features a mask of neutrality.
"Oda." she said, "It is not like you to be so outspoken."

Her words were an observation, yet also a warning.
"Forgive me," he said with a bow, "I know it is not my place to comment on such matters but-"

"Speak freely." Hanako smiled, it was a polite, professional smile. "My father and I value your counsel."

Oda breathed in deeply. 
"There must be another way." Oda said, "The Restoration Project may be able to proceed without..."

Hanako smiled again, placing a hand on his shoulder. Oda bowed his head.
"The thought of those children trouble you still?" she asked.
Oda nodded his head silently, cursing himself for his weakness.

It was those children that had started all of his troubles.
Those children that had nearly gotten him executed. Had forced his master to grovel, begging pathetically at the feet of Saburo Arasaka himself to spare him.
So why? Why did the thought of Hanako's new plan sicken him to his core?

"Oda". Hanako said, "You are not wrong for feeling this way. Your compassion is what compelled my father to assign you as my protector."

It had been Saburo's decision, one which troubled Oda to this day.
He had watched his master beg for his life. 
"Oda is young" he had said, nose pressed into the marble of Saburo's chambers, "He is foolish, full of compassion and empathy. Those are his gifts."
His master had lied. He saw it in his eyes when Saburo Arasaka had declared that he would guard his precious daughter, with his life, if need be.
"A good soldier knows the value a single life can hold."  he had said, smiling at Oda, "Such a clear heart will protect that which is dear to me with his life, should it come to it."

Oda lowered his head, Hanako's words of comfort did little to abate the turmoil in him.
Did she truly believe her masters words? Did her father?

"I have faith that you will do what is right." Hanako continued, "Just as I hope you have faith that I only do this because I am left with no other option."

Oda bowed. 

"Then let us continue." Hanako said, resuming their march to the meeting room.

"Ladies and Gentlemen of the security board. Today we are joined by several members of the Night City counter-intelligence board." Hanako spoke. "The Restoration Project is one of Arasaka's core strategies in establishing itself as a long term global power. I have gathered us here to discuss the finances and resources involved in bringing the project to fruition. Especially in light of recent... confidential events."

After Yorinobu fled, the Arasaka Corporation's bleeding edge technology along with him. Oda thought bitterly, doing his routine sweep. Hanako had confided in him, the Relic held the engram of Johnny Silverhand, a fallen terrorist. Hanako had planned to use it to attempt to... ensnare? bargain with? Were such concepts even possible when speaking of rogue AI?

Oda bowed to Hanako, indicating that he had finished with his security checks. His master raised a hand, dismissing him. 
Bowing again, he left the room.

The door behind him hissed shut. Oda sighed, releasing his nerves.
He needed to go for a walk, stretch his legs.
One of the perks of guarding such a permissive ward. he thought.

Sterile doors and windows passed him by, Oda let himself get lost in the monotony.
He was never truly lost though, he memorized the small irregularities of each and every section of the building, should the need to evacuate Hanako without the assistance of cyberware arose.

"Oda." his master, Goro Takemura, spoke, he was waiting for him, it seemed, leaning by a conference room. "Come, we must talk."

Sighing, Oda followed his master.
They traversed the halls in silence. Oda had always felt intimidated speaking to his master, though Takemura had done what he could to try and establish a bond between the two.

"I assume Hanako-Sama has informed you of her plans." Takemura said, "I am certain of it, in fact."

"Master..." Oda grimaced, "Surely you cannot think this is right."

"It is in the best interest of the Arasaka Corporation." Takemura said flatly, neutrally. "It is not our place to decide what is right."

Oda closed his eyes, gritting his teeth. 
Images of that night sprang to mind, unbidden.

A handful of children, running in fear down sterile corridors.
A younger Oda, leading a group of fellow Arasaka footsoldiers, everybody had to start somewhere.
A cacophony of gunfire, several of the children fell, several wounds to their chests and hearts.
The children screamed, a few of them had stopped running, begging for mercy.
But their orders were absolute. 
Nobody lives.

"Takemura-San."  Oda breathed out, his master had insisted on at least a slightly less formal honorific. "Surely there must be another way."

His master stopped, turning to face him.

"You hesitate still." he said bluntly. Not a question, but a fact. "You must overcome your weakness, Oda. For me, for the Arasaka Corporation, for yourself."

More images.
The last bullets of his teams rifles had emptied, he was the last.
A lone runner girl, pale hair whipping past her as she ran.
Oda raised his rifle, gritting his teeth, preparing for the kill.
The runner girl turned, catching his eye.
A tearstained face. The wild, panicked look of fear.
Oda lowered his gun.

"Mercy is weakness?!" Oda growled hotly. Takemura looked at him with an indecipherable look on his face.

"Mercy to our enemies, to the Arasaka Corporation's enemies." he stated stiffly, sounding more like a rehearsed line than anything else.

"They were children!" Oda was disgusted by himself, losing control of his emotions. "They are not the barbarians, or their brutish corporations. They were scared, hungry, desperate children!"

Takemura recoiled as if struck.

"They were your targets. Your objective." Takemura said with a grimace. "Perhaps I was wrong for asking for a less severe punishment."

"'He is foolish, full of compassion and empathy. Those are his gifts.'" Oda repeated, watching his master stiffen at the words he himself had said so long ago. "What troubles you more, master. That you might be wrong about these words? Or perhaps that they are more true than you could have imagined?"

Takemura said nothing. 

"What would you do, if you were in my place?" Oda asked. It was a game they played, many lifetimes ago. A way for a young Oda to receive feedback subtly, to show him how far he had to go.

Takemura grimaced again, searching for the words. 
"I do not know, my apprentice." he said, "And that troubles me deeply."

"I pray you find the answers soon, master." Oda said. "For both our sakes."

He turned, it was time to return to Hanako.

"And you?" Takemura called out. "What would you do, if you were in my place?"

Oda froze, it would be so easy to repeat what his master had said, that he did not know.
Truthfully however, he knew. He could not condone what Hanako was about to do. Neither could he abandon his post, his duty as Hanako's guard.

"I would uphold the oaths which I swore."  he said.

His master nodded, evidently satisfied with his answer.

"Take care, old friend." Takemura said softly, "You leave for foreign lands soon."

"I understand the benefits that the Restoration Project will bring about, please do not misunderstand." one of the suits was speaking when Oda returned. "However, I fail to see how even the Arasaka Corporation could track down a single netrunner amongst billions of humans!"

Hanako smiled, that same polite, passive smile.

"I understand your concerns." she said calmly. "However, runaways are as predictable as they are desperate to be hidden."

Oda bristled.

"Our lost property is hiding in Night City." she said, a gleam in her eyes. "With it, we will shackle the Gods of the Old Net. the Arasaka Corporation will emerge holding the remnants of the Old World in our grasp, the only megacorp to have such a complete archive in the world."

He swallowed a lump. 
If the runaway was recovered, she would die. Of this, he was sure.
Hanako had spoken often of Soulkiller, the tool they used to store talented assets for later use.
She had assured him that it was safe, that it was a way to transcend death.
Oda knew better. If the runaway netrunner was subjected to Soulkiller, she would die, and her digital corpse would be copied over and over until Hanako was successful in her goal.

"Even narrowing it down to a single city," a man from the Night City branch spoke, the digital monitor distorting slightly as he moved. "It is a city of seven million people! How could you possibly hope to find a single runaway in such a place?"

Hanako tapped a finger on the table top.
"That brings us to the last item on today's meeting." she said, "As I understand it, the Night City branch has recently lost several members, both in high ranking positions and lesser."

The man stammered, "W-we are working on reassigning those resources Hanako-Sama!" he began, Hanako cut him off with a patient hand.

"You need not." she stated, "Instead, I would like you to assign those resources in assisting our newest hire. Consider him a freelancer, if you wish. Dedicated solely to recovering our runaway."

Behind Hanako, the large conference screen fizzled, the individual members and reports fading to reveal a larger video feed.

A pale man with white hair observed the room, looking at every member involved.
He wore a red suit, his smile sickened Oda to his core. 
Most strikingly of all was the right side of his face. The other side looked mundane, an unassuming if revolting human being.
His right side however, bore three eyes, each glowing with a red, unearthly light.

"Gentlemen." the man greeted. "You may call me Faraday. A pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Chapter Text

Rebecca sighed, ending the call with Falco.
That was three calls she had handled now, all of them from her friends or acquaintances, all of them asking the same thing.

Where the hell are David and Lucy and why aren't the answering their phones?

"Hell if I know!" Rebecca shouted angrily, shaking her fist at nothing in particular. Several patrons of the bar next to her gave her an odd look.

She knew that David had to have a good reason he couldn't tell Rebecca what he and Lucy were doing. She knew that. It still didn't change that she had absolutely dick to tell their friends beyond David's frantic 3 am text of:
D.M: Can't talk sorry, sorry. We aren't dead but we won't pick up our phones for the day Becca can you tell everyone else thanks bye.
D.M: Again we aren't dead or hurt promise but also can't tell you what we're doing.

She grumbled as she heard the ringtone yet again, not even looking at the caller, she answered it.

"No I don't know where David and Lucy are, he told me they aren't dead or hurt so fuckin' DEAL WITH IT!" she shouted down the line. The customers next to her shot her a dirty look, walking away. Rebecca flipped them off as they went.

"Becca?" she heard V ask, bemused, "I wasn't gonna ask where David and Lucy were, I was gonna ask if you wanted to run a quick job with me out in the Badlands."

"Oh, V!" Rebecca said with a smile, "Sup, choom? Sure I'll send you my location, come pick me up!"

Rebecca hummed along to the song on the radio.
Damn, she thought, V's got some nova music taste.

"Likin' the tunes?" V asked with a grin, Rebecca eyed the man back.

"Like 'em?" she asked, "Cartesian Duelists are my fuckin' jam!"

They shared a laugh, simultaneously groaning as up and coming Lazrpop group Us Cracks began playing. V switched off the radio.

"So..." V said, cutting through the silence. "Why are David 'n Lucy not reachable?"

"Fuck if I know." Rebecca grumbled, "All I got was this gonk text."

She transmitted the message to V, who read it while on the highway. 
Damn, she thought, V's a preem fuckin' driver. Might be better than Falco.
The man chuckled to himself.

"That's..." he said with a smile, "that's certainly somethin.'"

Rebecca laughed with the former nomad. 

Eventually the laughter died down, Rebecca shifted uncomfortably as the silence began to creep in.

"What if they're ignoring calls cuz they're fucking?" V blurted out.

"Gross! Gross! Gross!" Rebecca shrieked, slapping at V. "Shut the fuck up, I don't even want to think about that!"

V chuckled, barely swerving as Rebecca continued her assault.

"Alright, alright." V said, stifling the last of his laughter, "Dunno why you city folk get so uptight about it, so they love each other and they ain't afraid to show it. So what?"

Rebecca grimaced, "You're way to calm at the prospect of our friends fucking. Is it a nomad thing?"

"Guess it's an... unintended side effect." V said, rubbing his stubble absentmindedly. 
Rebecca watched as the neon signs and sleek buildings gave way to dusty and run down houses.

"In a nomad camp we don't usually have thick walls like you city-siders do."
Rebecca snorted, she doubted any of their apartments had what could be considered "thick" walls.
"Usually we have light, portable shelters, if we're unlucky we slum it in tents." V continued, "If anyone in the camp gets... frisky... if they're a little overeager, the whole camp talks about it the next day."

"Guess you didn't have to deal with that with David and Luce." V finished, grinning.

"Not exactly..." Rebecca grumbled.

There was one time, exactly one time, that Rebecca experienced that. She had rented out the apartment next to David and Lucy when she needed to vacate her own home for repairs, apparently the previous tenant had just been evicted and the building couldn't find any takers in the short term.

Rebecca got no sleep that night, she spent three hours trying to find a corner of the apartment where she could sleep undisturbed, eventually seeking refuge on the roof. Even then, she was forced to retreat when the pair had come up, looking to bask in their afterglow in the light of the Moon.

"I'm gettin' the feeling there's a lot there I don't wanna unpack." V said cautiously.

"Damn right." Rebecca grumbled feeling her cheeks heat up from the embarrassment.

They came to a stop a short ways away from an abandoned looking motel. 
"That's our target." V said, breathing in deeply. He checked his Lexington ensuring everything worked as it should. "Some kid named Trevor got zeroed by the Wraiths, his family paid Dakota a large enough stack of eddies for us to get his body back."

"Dakota?" Rebecca wrinkled her nose. She didn't recognize that fixer, either she was a nobody in NC or...

"She's a fixer." V said, "Works out in the Badlands, runs with the Aldecaldos."

"Shit, V!" Rebecca ribbed the tall man, "You in bed with the Aldecaldos now? Traded in one nomad clan for another, huh?"

V scratched his head, "Nah" he said after a moment. "Don't think I'm ready to run with another clan, not for a long while. Just that nomads don't really give each other shit for being nomads. Easier to do 'biz."

Rebecca tapped a finger on her machine gun. 

She guessed that made sense. 
However... another question came to mind.

"Why me?" Rebecca asked. V stared blankly.

"You got your sister and Jackie. I'm just a friend of the gonk that Jackie met you with." Rebecca stated bluntly. V chuckled.

"Jackie's my sisters best friend." he admitted, "Always feels like he's tryin' to be my older brother or something out of obligation."

"And Valerie...?" 

"Don't want to be reliant on my older sis." V said seriously, "Want to prove myself, show her she doesn't have anything to worry about. That I'm strong on my own. I dunno, I guess it's stupid."

Rebecca thought of her own brother. How she had chromed herself to keep up with him and his more experienced friends.

"Actually." she said softly, "I get it... more than you might know."

V smiled at her, patting her on the shoulder warmly. 

Rebecca racked the charging handle of her gun. Feeling her cheeks warm again.

"Enough of this mushy crap!" she giggled, hefting the gun to point at the motel, "Let's kill some fuckin' Wraiths!"

As V and Rebecca cut bloody swathes through the Wraiths, she had two thoughts.

The first was; Damn, V's a decent netrunner. she hummed as she mowed down several Wraiths, they flailed as they desperately tried to put out their smoking cyberware. They stood no chance.

The second was; Damn, V's a really shitty shot. she fired a spray of bullets at the Wraith V had missed at point blank, staring dumbly ahead as V's hack messed with his mental processes. He too fell with no issue.

Eventually, nothing remained of the Wraith's stationed at the motel except for corpses.

Rebecca took to searching the top floor, V searched the bottom floor.

"Found our guy!" V called out. Rebecca sighed in relief as she dumped a naked corpse into the ice bath.

"Bout fuckin' time." she grumbled, dropping to the ground floor.

"I'll call Dakota, arrange a pickup." V said.

Rebecca squinted, seeing movement.

"Do that later." she snapped, "Think we got company!"

Rebecca hoisted her gun again, prepared to fire at anyone that emerged from the rapidly approaching vehicle. V squinted, eyes widening in recognition.

"Becca wait!" he shouted, thrusting a hand in front of her barrel. "I know who that is."

"Stay clear of the firing zone unless you want to lose your hand, gonk." Rebecca rolled her eyes, though she still lowered her gun. "It's like everybody in Night City thinks these fuckin' guns are toys or something!"

The vehicle screeched to a halt, the engine purred as the driver side door opened. A man exited. He looked old, the type of old where he could be forty or a hundred and forty. Corpo-old.

The man had graying black hair, gray stubble and a long, black trenchcoat.

There's no fuckin' way he isn't sweating his ass off in that thing. Rebecca glared.

"Uncle Black!" V said with a laugh as he ran towards the man, embracing him in a warm hug.

"Good to see you, kiddo." the older man chuckled, patting V on the back with a black, prosthetic arm.

There's no way. Rebecca thought, eyes wide. There's no fuckin' way.

"What are you doin' here?" V asked.

"Caught wind that a dumbass nomad from the Bakker clan took a job for Dakota 'round these parts, figured I'd swing by and see if it was you." Uncle Black said. "Wanted to make sure you didn't get your skull caved in by some Raffen."

Rebecca observed the two men talk, dumbfounded.

There was no way V didn't know who 'Uncle Black' was. There was no way he was that much of a dense gonk.

"This the guy you were sent to pick up? Uncle Black prodded the corpse of Trevor with his foot. V nodded.

"I'll take 'im to Dakota for you." he said, grabbing the corpse and walking it over to his car. "Got some biz I needed to hash out with her anyway."

"You don't need to-" V began.

"I know, and I'm doin' it anyways." Uncle Black grinned. He placed the body in the trunk of his car. Grabbing a duffel bag, he shut the trunk.

"Figured I needed to give you something, commemorate you moving to the big city." he said, tossing the duffel bag at V.

The younger man caught it, eyes going wide as he unzipped it. Rebeccas eyes nearly shot out of her head too when she saw what was inside.

Eddies, lots and lots of eddies. In the highest denomination possible.

"Uncle Black- I can't..." V searched for the words. 

"Just take it." the older man said. "Consider it a few years worth of missed birthday gifts."

"But." 

"Kid I swear to the big Trip-Six if you don't take it I'm gonna burn it. Share it with your choom over there, I don't give a shit what you do with it, it's yours."

The man returned to his car.

"I probably won't see you in Night City," he said, "Finished up most of my business there. I'll definitely be in touch though."

"See ya 'round, Uncle Black." V said, waving goodbye.

Giving a wordless wave, Uncle Black- no. Morgan Blackhand peeled away from the abandoned motel. Kicking up a cloud of dust as he went.

Bonus:

Rebecca and V were back in the city now. the dust and sand of the Badlands gave way once more to the neon lights and highrises of Japantown. 
As they drove, slower now, past the streets and alleys of the district. Rebecca spotted two familiar figures.

"A-ha!" she shouted out the window, causing everybody on the street nearby to jump. Lucy and David turned sharply to look at the source of the disturbance.

They looked... almost normal, like a normal couple who weren't capable of zeroing a dozen gonks each without breaking a sweat. Lucy had an arm wrapped around David's, a small parcel tucked under his other arm. 
They looked happy.

"I knew you guys were just usin' me to go on a date!" she pointed a finger. V chuckled from beside her.

"No you didn't," he grinned.

"That's not important!" Rebecca scowled, "You two are so in for it- Hey!"
She turned to glare at the former nomad. He had begun to accelerate, driving away now that the traffic ahead had cleared up.

"You fuckin' gonk! Turn this shit around! You two! We aren't fuckin' done! Not one bit!"

Chapter Text

"So, these are all the Monowires I got right now. " Viktor said, placing down several pieces of cyberware in front of David.
Lucy sat in a corner, rubbing the base of her neck tenderly. She had swapped out her cyberdeck, finally.
She had avoided it, come up with excuses. A netrunner of her skill could make do with older hardware, especially against ordinary ICE.
It wasn't like she was going to go up against Adam Smasher or anything, right?

Still, even if she had felt like she needed to, she wouldn't have had the confidence to.
All she had ever known was the Arasaka chrome she had been implanted with. She didn't have to think about if she ever wanted to be a netrunner, she could just accept it was a part of her life.
To swap out any piece of her cyberware, even if it meant she could rid herself of Arasaka's claim over her...
It would mean choosing this life.
Lucy wasn't sure if she wanted that.

Or at least, she hadn't been sure, until David came around. Now she was certain of a few things.
She loved David, that was a given.
She wanted to protect him, and to do so meant she needed to embrace her gifts.
And when she was around him, she felt whole, she felt like she was in control, rather than the scared girl she once was, invaded by Arasaka chrome.

Suddenly, choosing this life didn't feel as alien or as scary as it once did. It just meant she chose David, after all.

She smiled to herself. Beyond the symbolism though, she had to admit that this new cyberdeck felt fucking nova.
She hadn't tried to hack anything yet, but she felt more connected than ever, she felt so much more aware of everything that went on around her, yet simultaneously, interfacing with localnets made infinitely less waves than they had before.
Fuyutsuki knows their shit... she mused, watching as her boyfriend inspected each monowire closely.

"Mostly Kendaichi..." David murmured, Viktor chuckled.

"Well, they've cornered the market recently." the ripperdoc said with a smile, "They're the easiest to use, don't need to worry about being precise like Lucy's wires. Just swing and watch the limbs fly."

Lucy involuntarily ran a thumb over the ejection port of her monowire. If she had to give Arasaka credit for one thing, they knew how to make their chrome low profile. She shivered, remembering the sensation of David's lips pressing themselves to the port. Shaking her head, trying to rid herself of the unexpected yet not entirely unwelcome thoughts, she turned her attention back to David.

"What about this one?" he picked up another monowire, this one looked much different from the others, the ejection port was bulkier, more exposed than even Kendaichi's consumer grade models.

"Now that..." Viktor said, "That's an interesting one. QianT actually developed this a while back, tried biting off 'Saka's design."

"So... I need to be precise for the cut, but I can hold it without cutting myself?" David asked.

"More or less." Viktor nodded, "It's actually supposed to link up via a neural interface. In theory it syncs up with your thought processes, finds the right edge alignment on it's own."

"And in practice?" David asked, weighing the piece of chrome in his hands.

"Didn't work out too well." Viktor said, "Put too much stress on your mind, especially in the head of combat. On the bright side, it's modular. You can remove the neural link. You can mod it to hell and back."

David ran a thumb over the cyberware.

"I'll take it." 

"Kid, I dunno if you heard me correctly" Viktor said, rubbing his forehead.

"Told me we can get rid of the neural link, right?" David said, "What if we put something else in instead? Thermal emitters, maybe, or electrical."

Viktor put a hand to his chin, "You gettin' at what I think you're gettin' at?" he asked.

"Don't need it to kill anyone." he stated frankly, "Needed it to give me some space if people got too close, right?"

Viktor looked at Lucy, she smiled, nodding.

Lucy walked the streets of Kabuki, hand in hand with David. His other hand kept twitching, a few times scratching at the new black cyberware installed on his wrists.

"David." she chastised, though she smiled as she saw her lover scratching his head nervously.

"Sorry." he said, "Not used to it."

Lucy hummed, deep in thought. Suddenly, a thought emerged, a way for her to soothe her love but also... revenge.

She lifted the hand held in her own to her lips, pressing a kiss to the seams of the freshly installed cyberware. She relished the touch, as well as the sensation of feeling David shiver, from the tips of his fingers to his core.

"Didn't think it was that sensitive." he admitted. Lucy raised an eyebrow. 

"After what you did to me that one time I fuckin' doubt that." she deadpanned. Quickly breaking out into a mischievous grin, she added. "I'll show you exactly how it feels."

David's eyes snapped to meet hers. 

"Later." she winked, "When we're alone."

She felt David tremble, felt him pleading with his eyes to abandon the crowds and the city and go home right now.
Sorry, David. she suppressed a giggle, this is too much fun.

"C'mon!" she said, pulling David through the crowds, "Let's see if Wakako has any jobs for us! I know you're itchin' to give that monowire a spin, and there's no way I'm missing a chance to test out my new cyberdeck."

She felt David splutter, still distracted by the thoughts of alone time with her. She couldn't hold it in, she laughed freely as they raced through the bustling marketplaces, headed for Jig Jig street.

Chapter Text

David sat next to Lucy, watching over his lover as she lay in an ice bath wires connecting to the ports in her back and neck. The woman had dived into the net, searching for any sign that Arasaka was back on his trail.

He held one of her hands while she traversed the digital hellscape. It was cold, naturally. He gripped it tightly, attempting to transfer some of his warmth to her freezing digits.
Should be time, assuming nothing went wrong. He mused, watching his netrunner shiver unconsciously. Her breath steamed off in hot wisps.

He stiffened in surprise as a call notification entered his vision.
The caller was... Rogue Amendiares?
Not talking his hands off Lucy's, he answered.

"Hello?"

"The Sandy from Santo, in the flesh." Rogues voice was laid back, casual. "I suppose flesh is the right term, isn't it?"

"Y-yeah." David stammered, he wished he had something smart to say. Something to endear the fixer to him. This was the god damned Queen of the Afterlife, after all! This was his big chance!

"Not many edgerunners could pull off what you and your crew have done in such short time, least not without some serious chrome." the queen fixer continued. "Wakako speaks highly of you."

That... surprised David. 
The Lady of Westbrook appreciated his crew's professionalism, true. Still, he never pegged her as the type to give praise, merely acknowledgement of a job fulfilled to the letter.

"I'd like to meet." Rogue said, "Have a talk with you and that netrunner Output of yours, see what you two were about."

"To... meet?" David asked, surely she wouldn't call him just to chat.

"Who knows, if I like what I see, maybe I'll have a few jobs lined up." Rogue smirked, "A merc runnin' around punching above his weight without borgin' himself? That's the kind of person I like to keep an eye on."

"We'll be there." he said, Lucy's hand twitched in his grip. She was almost done. 

"Afterlife." Rogue stated, "I'll tell the guy out front to let you in. Bring some friends too, I'd like to see what kind of mercs you surround yourself with."

"We'll be there." he repeated.

David sighed as Rogue disconnected.
A meeting with the fucking Queen of the Afterlife. 
He took a deep breath, calming himself.
Could have gone better, could have gone worse.

"What's on your mind, gonk-brain?" 
David looked at Lucy, the woman was awake now. She observed him quietly, not extracting her hand from his.

"Hey." he said, smiling. "How was it?"

Lucy hummed, removing the link from her neural port with her other hand.
"Went okay." she said softly. "Goes better with you here. You're warm."

David smiled. Letting go of Lucy's hand, he helped her unplug the various wires that trailed down her back.

"Who were you talking to?" Lucy frowned at the loss of contact, shivering as the various plugs and vents disconnected themselves.

"Rogue." David said, Lucy's eyes snapped to his. "Yeah, that Rogue. Weird, right?"

"What did she want?" she shivered as she stepped out of the ice bath, accepting the towel David offered.

"Wants to meet us. See what we're about. Said she might have a few jobs for us if she likes us."

"Afterlife?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah, she wants to meet some of our chooms too."

"Get the bike ready." Lucy breathed in, letting the chill slowly leave her. "I'll get changed, make a few calls."

Lucy shot down the busy roads of Japantown, weaving deftly between cars. She felt David's grip on her midriff tighten and smiled. 
Too fast for you? she wanted to tease. Or maybe you just wanted to be in front for once.

The couple shared the sleek red Kusanagi, there was no doubt that it was their bike, when it came to who drove when they moved as a unit though, it was definitely her bike.

Jackie and V were already on the way. Needing to make the trip from Heywood and Santo Domingo respectively. All that was left was to call Valerie, the woman lived in Watson, so it shouldn't be as long of a trip for her.

She could represent her crew, alongside David. However she felt like she owed it to her newer friends to give them a chance to move up in the world.

Besides. her eyes narrowed, More big name mercs running around makes things safer for David, too. 

From what she and Kiwi could discern, Arasaka had given up attempting to piece together the information that she had shredded while in Deep Dive. Instead choosing to keep an ear to the ground for any particularly chromed out edgerunners. 
She smiled softly. David was an excellent leader and cyberpunk. But while a mostly 'ganic merc throwing down with fully borged out gangoons was head-turning in underworld circuits. It was, at least at this point in time, beneath notice for the big Corps. Arasaka still had Adam Smasher on their payroll and Militech still, presumably, had Morgan Blackhand.
She breathed easier at nights. They were keeping a low profile, that was good. Arasaka wouldn't get a chance to learn of David's crazy tolerance because he wasn't using it, this was also good.

"Sup Luce?" Valerie's voice echoed in her ear as the call was picked up. "Need something?" 

"Valerie, hey." Lucy greeted, "Listen, I think David and I have come across an opportunity..."

Lucy and David came to a stop outside the former morgue turned bar. 
"There they are!" Jackie chuckled, "Our tickets to the big leagues!"

"Not just yet, Jack." Valerie smiled, arms folded patiently. "They gotta make a good impression on Rogue first."

"You guys ready to head on in?" David grinned.

Jackie almost skipped down the stairs to the club.

"Big leagues here we come!" he cheered.

The group made their way down the steps too, following the larger man as he eagerly hurried to the door.

A large man stood in front of the door, observing the group.

"You Martinez and his chooms?" the man asked. Voice deep, booming, yet lacking the distortion of a vocal filter.

"That's us." David nodded. 

"Rogue wants to talk to the girl first," the bouncer said, "Rest of you grab a seat, enjoy a drink."

David squeezed Lucy's hand reassuringly, Lucy squeezed back.

"Welcome to the Afterlife."

Chapter Text

David watched as Lucy was escorted to Rogue's booth. The remaining mercenaries took a seat at the bar.

"Get settled in." The bartender called out, sliding a drink to another patron. "Be with you in a second."

Valerie seemed distracted, she stared at a table off in the corner absentmindedly.

"Shit." Jackie breathed, his eyes never settled on a single sight for more than a few moments. "The fuckin' Afterlife."

"The Major Leagues." V offered, Jackie released a giddy laugh.

"The fuckin' Major Leagues..." he seemed deep in thought.

"Get you anything?" she asked, flicking her messy ponytail out of her face.

The group of mercs looked at each other, David scratched his head, embarrassed. 
He didn't even know what drinks they served. 

"We'll take four Johnny Silverhands." Jackie said, slapping David on the back, "Gotta get some hair on your chest in case you fuck up in front of Rogue, eh?"

The bartender smiled widely and began mixing up the ordered drink. 
David watched her work.

"So..." he said, "Johnny Silverhand, huh."

"Old Afterlife tradition." the bartender explained. "NC Legends all get a drink here."

David squinted, "Not seein' Morgan Blackhand up there." he said.

"First he needs to decide if he's living or not." the bartender chuckled, lining up four glasses. "That's the other half of the tradition. Gotta flatline first, mid op'd be best. Preferably in a blaze of glory."

Jackie chuckled as the bartender poured the cocktail into the glasses, finishing off with a sprinkle of chilli.
"What a beaut of a 'tradition.'" he said, strange glimmer in his eye.

"Guess there's no such thing as a living legend." Valerie said, observing the amber liquid in her glass.

David swirled his drink, contemplating.

"Well," V grinned, raising a glass. "To Night City."

"To hittin' the fuckin' Major Leagues!" Jackie laughed.

"To this!" Valerie cried out, eliciting more laughter from Jackie.

David looked at his drink. 
No such thing as a living legend...

"To us!" he said, raising his glass to the others.
And to keepin' Lucy and my dreams alive.

David sighed, finishing off the last of his drink.
Damn, if his idol had to be remembered somehow, at least it was with this preem drink.

"So," Jackie grinned, "Want me to tell you my drink in advance?" 

the bartender laughed, "Alright, lay it on me."

"Shot of vodka, lime juice, fill it all the way to the top with ginger beer." Jackie recited the drink as if he had rehearsed it. "And the most important ingredient. A splash of love."

"Nice, nice." she said, amusement thick in her voice, "And what should I call it?"

"The Jackie Welles."

"Well, Jackie. I'll make sure I don't forget. Call me Claire, if you're dead set on being a legend on the menu I guess we'll be seeing each other often." the bartender said.

"Actually..." the smile faded from Jackie's face. "Just call it the Welles."

"Sure," Claire said, bemused. "Can I ask why?" 

"My brothers." Jackie stated frankly, "Lorenzo, Diego, Benjamin. Wanted to be legends just like me... Got flatlined in a shootout, 6th Street jumped a bunch of 'Tinos on their way back from a night out clubbin'."

David frowned, he never heard Jackie speak about his brothers often, now he guessed he knew why.

"This way, it's like they made it up there with me, you know?" Jackie said, voice unusually soft and tender.

"That's a sweet sentiment, Jackie." Claire said, sincerely.

"But enough about me!" Jackie perked up, all of his previous introspection seemingly gone. "David! What about you, chico?"

Claire looked to the younger man, eyes flashing in sudden recognition.

"So you're the Sandy from Santo." she said, "Been hearing a lot about you recently."

"Good things?" David asked, Claire chuckled. 

"Maybe." she said, "So spill. You get flatlined, go out in a blaze of glory, what do you want your drink to be? Promise I'm good at remembering these things."

David pondered for a moment.
How did he want to be remembered, if he had to be?
He was living the life of his dreams as an edgerunner. Surrounded by friends, by Lucy.
Lucy...
The pale haired netrunner was the one who had given David purpose when his life was falling apart. She told him, later, that she regretted deceiving him, that it was her one regret as an edgerunner. That one admission wiped away everything, filled David with even more adoration for his netrunner.
If there was anything I want a drink in my name to commemorate, David thought It's how much Lucy means to me.
It has to be Half Japanese and Half Polish... he thought, And purple, can't forget the purple... 
"Vodka," David said, looking up, "And NiCola, the purple kind, has to be the purple kind."

Jackie and V smiled knowingly. 
"Honoring your consorte with your drink?" Jackie whistled, "Pretty romantic, David."

David scratched his head, blushing slightly. Jackie's use of spanish clicked and he narrowed his eyes, glaring at the older man.
Not like me and Lucy are married. He thought, though he supposed in their line of work he may as well have been.
Great. he sighed, letting himself smile stupidly. That's gonna be on my mind all day.

"What about you, V?" Jackie asked the former nomad. 

"Hmm." V contemplated, "Whiskey, not the cheap crap, the smokey shit. and a few drops of citrus oil."

"Just called the V?" Claire asked. 

"Never had a name." V said frankly, "Mom 'n dad didn't have time to give me one, all I had was 'V'. When the Bakkers took me in, they called me Vincent but..."

"But...?" Claire prodded, there was an odd look in her eyes. Recognition, perhaps? or maybe sympathy. 

"But it wasn't me." V finished. "I know V ain't really a name but... 'Least now when I look in the mirror the name I got matches with the face looking back at me."

Claire smiled warmly, "I get it." she said, "Believe me, I do."

Jackie nudged Valerie, "Didn't tell me your folks died when you were young, Val." he whispered.
"Val?"

The woman blinked, looking at Jackie as if he had materialized out of thin air.
"Sorry, Jack." she said, the older man looked at her with concern.

"What's with you today, Val?" he asked, "Been starin' at something for a while now."

"That table over there..." Valerie pointed subtly, "That guy in red. He watched David 'n Luce come in and he hasn't stopped staring at David ever since."

David looked over to where Valerie had indicated.
Sure enough, a four eyed man in a red suit was sitting, talking to a darker skinned woman with a shaved head and... Kiwi?
David stowed that information away for later. He could always talk to her on a job, or get Lucy to pry into the stoic older 'runner's business.
He felt almost vulnerable under the man's gaze. Feeling like a piece on a corpo board game.

"Him?" Claire turned her head almost imperceptibly to look at the red suited man. "That's Faraday, apparently he works as a fixer but I've never seen him give out any jobs. Dude gives me the creeps."

"Amen to that." Jackie growled, "Gonna go over there, talk to him. See what the fuck he wants with our hermanito."

"Jackie!" David said sharply, "Don't start shit, Major Leagues, remember? Don't blow this chance for yourself."

Jackie grumbled, but he sat down regardless.

"If he wants something from me, he'll give me a call." David said, "And if he wants trouble, I can handle him."

David wanted to say something, to thank Jackie for looking out for him, for always acting like a brother, even if it got a little uncomfortable at times. 
Just then, a darker man wearing an odd colored visor on his face approached them.
"Rogue's ready for you." he said simply.

"Alright." David sighed, "Wish me luck."

Chapter Text

V chatted with his sister and Jackie, enjoying the ambience of the Afterlife

"Yo." Kiwi greeted, walking over. "You're the other mercs that David and Lucy run with sometimes, right?"

V nodded, Kiwi pulled up a chair, the darker skinned woman she had been talking to Faraday with sat down next to her.

"Didn't think you all would be kickin' it here." Kiwi admitted, nodding to Claire. "Always thought you lot and the other gonks were too street level to be let in."

"Might still get kicked out." Valerie joked, "All depends if Rogue takes a shine to Lucy and David."

Kiwi hummed, "So that's what it is." she muttered, "Rogue's scoutin' out some prospects."

"You gonna introduce us to your friend?" Jackie asked, Kiwi turned to her associate.

"Right, right." she said, "You guys, this is T-Bug. Bug, these are... friends of my crew."

"Don't say that!" Jackie chuckled, "We're all friends here!"

T-Bug quirked an eyebrow, saying nothing, she raised a hand in greeting.

"So... Kiwi... Bug..." Valerie said cautiously, "What were you talkin' to the gonk in red about?" 

"Faraday?" Kiwi asked, "Tried to pay me for a job, doing some digging in the net."

Valerie hummed. 

"He's a fucking asshole, barely even know what I'm looking for but... he pays well." 

Valerie didn't respond, evidently deep in thought.

"You a 'runner too, Bug?" V asked, trying to break through the silence.
Can't ask Lucy to teach me, V mused to himself, She's busy runnin' with David or Val or spending her time doin' who knows what. Don't think Kiwi likes me so she's a bust too.
He resolved himself, the worst she could say was no.

T-Bug nodded, 
"Been runnin' with this hag for a few years." T-Bug said, "We share the same social circles."

"Only a few years older than you, ass." Kiwi grumbled folding her arms.

"Must be pretty good then." V said, "Mind showing me the ropes sometime? I'll owe you."

"I don't do favors or debts," Bug said flatly, "Tell you what, you run with me, do some jobs where I need a pair of boots on the ground as well as access to the net. I'll teach you what I can."

V grinned, this was more his style. 
Not a favor that the other could call in at any time, but two people helping each other out.
"Deal."

"So, V. How much experience do you have with ICE breaking?" 

"Uh... Zero."

"Oh great... A proper Script Kiddie... What did I get myself into..."

David sat down next to Lucy at the lounge, taking her hand in his.
She shot him a subdued, warm smile in greeting.

"Hey." he whispered.

"And now we get to the man of the hour." Rogue said.

Rogue Amendiares, David thought, slightly giddy, in the fucking flesh! I wonder if I'll be able to ask her about Johnny Silverhand?

"Yes ma'am." he said, sweating as he tried to recall his etiquette classes from Arasaka Academy. God, that time felt like a lifetime ago.

"Cut out the corpo shit, will you?" Rogue groaned, "I already deal with enough kiss-asses on a daily."

David would have laughed if he wasn't so thoroughly intimidated by the most powerful fixer in the city.

"I just wanted to know." he said slowly, watching for any sign of irritation on the woman's face. "What you were talkin' to Lucy about."

Rogue chuckled, "Wanted to confirm a suspicion I had." she said simply.

"Which is...?" 

"How much of your street legend is her doing." Rogue said simply. "I've been around enough legends to know that behind most of them is a strong willed Output that kept their heads screwed on right."

Lucy giggled softly, Rogue smiled.

"I owe her everything." David said, if Rogue wanted answers, he'd give them to her. "She made me an edgerunner, taught me how to survive, stuck with me when I needed her."
He smiled as he felt Lucy squeeze his hand gently. 
"And she pulled me back when I was standin' on the edge." David admitted, "If it wasn't for her, I'd probably have borged myself up like crazy by now."

"Interesting." Rogue said, staring deep into David's eyes, searching for answers. "Are you aware that street punks have taken to calling you the second coming of Johnny Silverhand?"

"Wait... I have a reputation?" David asked blankly, the 'Sandy from Santo' was one thing, this was... "And they're comparing me to the Johnny Silverhand? Nova!"

"Not nova." Rogue said sternly, and David shrank back, feeling like he was being chastised by his mother again. "Johnny Silverhand was, I'll be honest, the biggest fucking asshole I've ever had the displeasure of knowing."

David frowned, that couldn't be right? People on the street would tell stories of how Rogue and Johnny Silverhand stormed Arasaka Tower together, bringing the corporation to it's knees, even if only for a moment.

"I will admit, I can see why people might think that. At least from a glance." Rogue continued. "Young street punk making a name for himself, mysterious 'runner Output by his side. I'm sure it sounds like all of the stories people tell."
her eyes grew cold, angry.
"What they don't tell you is that Johnny was obsessed with his chrome, he'd talk to it, call it "The Hand", they won't tell you that he was a reckless fool who didn't know when to stop, when to cut his losses and get out with the people he loved. They won't tell you that recklessness got his Output killed."

David tensed up, he felt Lucy's grip on his hand tighten.

"So that's why I called you here." Rogue was glaring at him now. "If there really is another Johnny Silverhand in the world. I want to know about it so I can protect what's mine. And so I can make sure you don't ruin the lives of the people that care for you."

David clenched his jaw. It hurt, knowing that his childhood hero wasn't what he thought he was. From the person that knew him best, at that. Still, he had grown, he was more than the lost child who wanted to be an edgerunner, he would be his own brand of cyberpunk.
"I won't let that happen, to me, to my friends, and especially Lucy." he said, glaring back at Rogue.
Where was this confidence coming from? part of him was screeching at him, She's terrifying!

"That so?" Rogue's voice was dripping with sarcasm, "Alright then. Answer me this, this city, your life as an edgerunner, it's been good to you, wouldn't you say?"

"Sure."

"I'm sure you've got beef with 'Saka, that's why the punks on the street sing your praises every time you hit a convoy or a subsidiary location."

"Only smash and grabs." David interrupted, "Nothing that wouldn't happen in Night City anyway."

"And why's that?" Rogue quirked an eyebrow, though the tone of voice implied she knew the answer already.

Because bigger jobs mean we need Lucy to go poking around in 'Saka's web. He thought, No way in hell I'm asking her to do that, risking her life or freedom for some easy eddies.
"Because fucking with 'Saka like that is just askin' for trouble." David said, "Convoys go missing, warehouses get broken into, Arasaka can't flush out every last merc, competitor or gang that wants to take a swing at them. Fucking around with their localnets, big jobs with experimental tech, that's the kind of heat that gets you killed."

Rogue smiled, she saw right through him.
"Fair enough." she conceded, "Final question, this life, this city. If it catches up to you, if your choices are to run, die or throw your friends to the wolves. What would you do?"

Lucy was tense. Rogue had been nothing but polite to her, why had she changed so drastically towards David?

The Queen of the Afterlife couldn't have known anything about her past, she didn't technically exist, at least legally. So why did she speak as if she knew everything about her?
Why did her analogies and hypotheticals cut at her, opening old wounds?

"This life, this city. If it catches up to you, if your choices are to run, die or throw your friends to the wolves. What would you do?"
Rogues words hung in the air, like residual code after a sloppy encounter with some Black ICE. 

Lucy would love nothing more than to leave this prison of a city with David, go elsewhere, anywhere. 
But where?
Lucy didn't exist on any database except Arasaka's, all she knew was netrunning and mercenary work. Night City was one of the best places for that.
And David?
David was a better edgerunner than she could ever hope to be. It wasn't a question of survival for him, it was a question of being his true self. Mercenary work wasn't just a means to being fed and sheltered, it liberated him.

Lucy hadn't thought about this possibility. She hadn't considered it except in her wildest dreams.
Now, the queen fixer had placed the possibility of escape right in front of them, forcing her to confront it.
She felt nauseous, she knew the answer David would give. The reality that she would have to come to terms with.
If she left Night City, it would be without David. If she wanted her forever with David, it would be in this city, braving the dangers as edgerunners-

"I'd give it up."

Lucy's eyes widened.
What?

David contemplated Rogue's words. 

Before, he wouldn't have had an answer. Not one he was comfortable with.
He loved Lucy, but edgerunning gave him purpose, gave him a dream to fulfill. 
He would have gone down the same self destructive path as Johnny Silverhand.

Now, David's head was clear, there was only one answer to him.

"I'd give it up." he said softly, he felt Lucy gasp quietly, felt her tense up before relaxing. "If I had to choose between Lucy and this life. I'd give it all up."

Rogue quirked an eyebrow but said nothing.

"I'd find something else I'm good at. I'd leave the city with Lucy and I'd go... I'd go wherever she wanted." David resolved. "I won't end up like Johnny Silverhand or his Output."
He felt Lucy tremble, he squeezed her hand reassuringly.

Rogue smiled, a genuine one this time.
"Alright then, kid." she said, "I'll hold you to it."

David released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. 

"You're free to come and go in the Afterlife as you wish." Rogue said, evidently satisfied in her evaluation of David. "I'm sure you'll get calls from fixers about bigger and better jobs, now that I've- unofficially of course- vouched for you."

"Thank you. Promise I won't let you down." David said.

"Now, about that other thing." Rogue said, sliding a shard towards David and Lucy. "Told you I might have some work for you, right?"

They left the Afterlife. Their friends had left them messages, going their separate ways to handle some business.
David replied to all of them, letting them know of the good knews; they were welcome at the Afterlife for the foreseeable future.

As they walked to their bike, David felt Lucy slowing down.
His lover had been quiet ever since the meeting with Rogue.

"Luce?" he asked, tracing his thumb over her knuckles. "You okay?"

Lucy trembled again, David saw a tear streak off her chin and hit the pavement.

"Luce?" he asked again, alarmed.

His netrunner grasped his face with both hands, locking their lips together with a strangled sob.
The kiss was wet, tear-stained. 
They broke off for air, David looked at Lucy. Despite the tears she looked overjoyed, her smile shone brighter than the neon lights and billboards.

"Thank you." she said, peppering his face with kisses. "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

David smiled. 
Yeah,  he thought, No way in hell I'd give this up.

Chapter Text

Yorinobu sighed, ending the call with his NetWatch contact.

He turned his gaze towards the hidden safe where the Relic- Silverhand- was stored.
Soon, soon it would all begin. 

He picked up the shard, the other thing he had fled the company with.

Soulkiller. 
The word was known to all netrunners. A legend amongst corporate and street 'runners alike.
It was a dangerous tool, and loathe as Yorinobu was to admit it, useful.

So useful in fact that only one copy of the program was kept at any time, stored offline in case of a data breach by their enemies. It was stored under heavy lock and key, deep within the Chuo-Ku facility.
Nobody could get in or out without heavy scrutiny, nobody except a member of the Arasaka family.

So delicate he mused, turning the shard over in his hand. For something so dangerous.

His father and his sister knew of his theft of the Relic, that much he was aware of. However, he was almost certain his theft of the Soulkiller program would go unnoticed for a time. It wasn't every day the corporation used the tool, after all.

He tossed the small chip into the fireplace, watching as the delicate electronics blackened with soot. By the time anybody realized, it would be far too late.

All that would remain of the unholy program would be the remnants of the program scattered across the Old Net.  
That... Yorinobu stared again at where the hidden safe was. And on Silverhand.

Every engram copied onto the experimental 2.0 iteration of the Relic would be encrypted with a lesser version of Soulkiller. Anders Hellman had told him. So that the transfer between the Relic and the host was possible.
The world would not be rid of Soulkiller until that Relic too vanished.

Soon. Yorinobu sighed, Soon, I will give the Relic to NetWatch, and the world will be better off for it.

He picked up the tablet on his coffee table. He closed the report Hellman had sent him, of the Relic's capabilities. Instead, he decided to re-read several reports that had been sent to him from one of his loyalists; Tanaka.
The first was a report documenting the progress of a project Tanaka had been involved in before his untimely death, one Yorinobu had personally invested funds into. A prototype technology known as the Cyber-Skeleton. His father had caught wind of this, sent his congratulations to Yorinobu, telling him this project would break the stalemate between the Arasaka Corporation and their greatest global competitor, Militech. Yorinobu had not answered his father's message.

The reason he had invested in the project so was much simpler, he did not trust Adam Smasher. He had reached out to the legendary killer in secret, received his loyalty in the short term by promising no shortage of enemies for Smasher to kill. However, he knew that the moment Smasher learned of his plan to dismantle the megacorp which provided him free reign to murder as he wished, he would turn too.
The Cyber-Skeleton had been Yorinobu's bid to create a bodyguard loyal to him alone. One that could go toe to toe with Adam Smasher.

He had not, however, anticipated that his father would promise the first perfected Cyber-Skeleton to Adam Smasher, completely negating all of Yorinobu's efforts.

Yorinobu rubbed his temples. Taking solace in the fact that even the Arasaka Corporation would struggle to find test subjects who would not immediately slip into cyberpsychosis under the load the current Cyber-Skeleton placed on the user's nervous system.

He looked at the second report, a list of candidates for the Cyber-Skeleton program.
Yorinobu recognized most of these names, many had fallen to cyberpsychosis, put down by Max-Tac. One name stood out as it always had.

David Martinez. 
He had caught Tanaka's eye when he was spotted by an Arasaka Academy camera implanted with an experimental, military grade Sandevistan implant. Tanaka had put forward the young man as a prime candidate, a high tolerance for cyberware, not so heavily implanted that he was teetering on the edge of psychosis already.
Part of Yorinobu's stomach churned at the thought of implicating a man who was barely an adult with such a program, however... Yorinobu closed his eyes.
Those loyal to him did not make up the majority of the Arasaka Corporation, his father would move on him soon, and he did not know how long he had before Adam Smasher decided that Yorinobu's goals ran counter to his own.

Surrounded by enemies on all sides. he grimaced. In a just world, I would not have involved you in any of this, boy.

He breathed in deep, resolving himself.
He would atone once the Arasaka Corporation lay in ruins. There would be time enough for his soul to be laid bare for judgment when he died in a free world.

He dialed a number, a brown-nosing fixer who had handled several jobs for Militech. 

"Yorinobu Arasaka." the man's deep, arrogant cadence echoed in Yorinobu's ear. "It is an honor to speak to a member of the esteemed Arasaka family, my name is-"

"Faraday." Yorinobu cut off. "I am aware of you, as well as your ambition to join the corporate ladder."

The fixer had a reputation, particularly amongst corpo's who needed dirty work handled, the fixer was ruthless and arrogant, he would do anything to get in bed with any corporation, to climb the ranks and leave the streets behind.
Yorinobu wasn't concerned with letting that man into the corporation, not when he planned on burning it all to the ground.

"I have two jobs for you." Yorinobu said, "Succeed and I can ensure you a place among my men."

"I am honored to hear of it." Faraday said, "May I know more?"

"The second job relies on your ability to fulfil the first task." Yorinobu said, "I would like it to be completed by a specific mercenary."

"And that mercenary is...?"

"I would like you to find the edgerunner named David Martinez, and offer him a job."

Chapter Text

Jotaro Shobo, they call him the 'Devil of Kabuki'. Normally I wouldn't bother, this is more the concern of local fixers. 
Here's the problem though, I dunno how a gonk like him did it, but apparently he's gotten his hands on some serious hardware. Last mercs that took this job came back in body bags.

Regina's originally the one who put up the gig but I'm throwin' my eddies on the table now too. The Afterlife is in Watson and I'm not ready for this district to go the way of Pacifica just yet. 
You'll get your eddies from me when you shut down Shobo's operation, Regina'll throw you a bonus if you can figure out who's giving them the weaponry and hardware to be so untouchable.

Kiwi, Rebecca and Falco removed the shards from their neural ports, looking at David and Lucy. The group had decided to meet up at El Coyote Cojo. The smaller bar was quieter around this time of day, and Pepe and Mama Welles both would keep an eye out for them.

"So we're going after a gonk from the Tyger Claws." Kiwi stated, lighting up a cigarette. Lucy nodded.

"Worked with those scav fuckers we dealt with for El Capitan." she said, crossing her arms.

David watched Lucy and Kiwi discuss several details, such as whether they could gather any information on the Net or whether more couldn't be gained from accessing a Tyger Claws localnet. At the other end of the table, Rebecca squabbled with Falco about something unrelated, the nomad driver's facial hair, probably.
He smiled, he was infinitely grateful that Lucy was there to help him pick up the pieces of their motley crew, she steered him away from reckless decisions and risky jobs, helped the crew pull off bigger jobs without attracting too much heat from the megacorp or gangs they would hit.

"So what are we waitin' for?!" Rebecca groaned, "Why don't we kick their front door in and light 'em up?"

"Cool your horses, firecracker." Lucy smiled. David chuckled, it was taking a while, but Lucy was definitely letting loose, their crew had gone from, 'our crew' to 'our friends' to 'our best friends'.
"It's like Rogue said. Shobo's gotten his hands on some pretty nova firepower for him and his crew, can't just waltz on in right now or we'll all get zeroed."

David nodded, "We need to hit a few of his... side ventures." he said, "Force him to keep spreading out his resources or draw him out. Then we can flatline him."

Rebecca grumbled, pacified for now.

"Besides." he said, taking a sip of his water. "Still a little woozy from the anesthetic Viktor gave me, probably gonna go home and sleep it off."

"What'd you get this time?" Kiwi asked, David shook his head.

"Nothin' like that." David said, he felt Lucy take his hand, squeezing it under the table. "We installed a few mods for the wire I got and swapped out some heatsinks on the Sandy. No extra chrome for me."

Kiwi hummed, falling into a contemplative silence.

David had left with Falco, the older man offering to drive him to his apartment.
Lucy breathed in deeply, this was the first big job the crew had taken since Maine and Dorio died. She felt a small pit of anxiety growing in her stomach.

"I'll be honest, after Maine died I didn't think David could keep the crew together." Kiwi admitted. 

"That meant to mean he's doing a good job?" Lucy asked with a smile.

Kiwi hummed again, "No comment." she chuckled, "If I had to answer though, exceeds expectations this far."

"Well of course he did well!" Rebecca slammed a hand on the table, "David was born to be an edgerunner! I ain't surprised he's runnin' the crew well."

Kiwi shook her head, "No, I'll be honest, kinda figured he'd go down the same way Maine did, chromed up and out of his mind." the older netrunner admitted. "Was gearin' up to cut my losses and delta if that happened."

Lucy shuddered briefly at the memory of the day after Maine died. The fight they had and the terror she felt at the possibility of losing David. 
"And now?" she asked, pushing those memories aside.

Kiwi looked her in the eyes, a strange look in her eyes.
"Remains to be seen."

The two netrunners stared at each other for a moment, Lucy searching her former mentor's eyes for answers, a sign. Something.
"Anyways." Kiwi said, breaking eye contact. "Becca. I hear you've been working with V a decent bit."

Attention was turned over to the shortest woman of the trio, who blushed and shrank into her oversized jacket slightly. 
"Might've." she mumbled, "Fuck's it to you?"

"You didn't tell me about this!" Lucy gasped, leaning in "Was this the day you yelled at us from the car?" 

Rebecca nodded, sipping her drink. 
"I was bored that day and he needed a hand so I volunteered." she mumbled, "Nothin' scandalous."

"Hear you've been working with him more than just one time, though." Kiwi said, raising an eyebrow. "Got a crush?"

"Fuck off!" Rebecca glowered. "I'm running with him because... because he's the worst goddamn shot I've ever seen! And I don't want him to get zeroed by some gonk just because his cyberdeck ran out of RAM! Yeah, that's it."

"So, what other jobs have you been getting up to with V?" Lucy asked, stowing away the knowledge that Rebecca definitely had a crush on V. She grinned, gossiping like this with her friends, she almost felt like a normal, everyday gonk.

"Recently? Been huntin' down some cyberpsychos for Regina." Rebecca said, folding her arms. "She thinks she knows some people who're working on a cure, or at least some treatments."

"Just the two of you?" Kiwi asked dryly.

Rebecca grinned, "Please, between V's hacks and all my guns those gonks don't stand a chance."

Lucy didn't think it was possible to feel pity for a cyberpsycho, but here she was.

"Honestly, the hardest part is bringing them in alive." Rebecca sighed, "So V's been lugging around a baseball bat. Says he used to play a bit with his old clan. He uses his quickhacks, slows 'em down, I bust apart any of their armor with my darling guns and he goes to town with the bat."

Yup. Lucy thought dryly, Definitely feel bad for those cyberpsychos. 
A quick look exchanged with Kiwi told her the older woman felt the same way.

"I'm curious though." Kiwi said, "Why cyberpsychos?" 

Rebecca sighed, a troubled look crossed her face.
"I wish I could tell you guys it was 'cuz of the money." she said moodily, "Wish I could've told V that, too."

Lucy frowned, it wasn't like the Rebecca she knew to get this wound up about things.

"Truthfully? I... I want to help find a cure." Rebecca said in a small voice, "I don't want anyone else losin' someone to a cyberpsycho like... like I lost Pilar."

Lucy leapt forward, reaching over the table to wrap the smaller woman in a hug.
She felt Rebecca tense up, she wasn't used to Lucy acting this way. Truthfully, neither did she. Part of her would have been perfectly fine to keep everyone else except David at a distance. But the crew had been good to her, even when she hadn't been as forthcoming. So Lucy wanted to try.

"I'm sure he'd be proud of you." Lucy said. It didn't sound much like the techie she knew, with the wandering hands and annoying laugh. But he was still Rebecca's brother, and Lucy hoped he would at least be a little bit touched that Rebecca still thought of him.

Rebecca sniffled, "Thanks, Luce." she said quietly, hugging the pale haired woman back. When they separated, Rebecca dabbed at her eyes with her sleeves. Kiwi watched for a moment, silently.

"So," the older netrunner said, "Does that mean you've stopped trying to get David to rail you?"

Rebecca spluttered, trying to answer. Lucy began laughing, unable to hold in her laughter and how red the smaller woman had gotten. Once the embarrassment faded, Rebecca joined in on the laughter.
Suddenly, Kiwi's words clicked in Lucy's head.

"Wait... what?"

Chapter Text

Rebecca looked over at V from across the aisle of Falco's car, frowning.
The former Nomad had barely spoken since the group had picked him up for this job. Merely fidgeting in his seat.
She sighed, there was no way in hell she was going to make the trip to the job site in silence.

"Hey! V! Say somethin' will ya? You're almost as much of a buzzkill as Kiwi today!" Rebecca blurted out, kicking the man in the shin. 

V jolted, scratching his head. "Sorry, Rebecca." he said, "Just got a lot on my mind."

"Well spill, choom!" Rebecca leaned forward, "Lemme hear what's botherin' you and we'll see if I can't make them go away by shootin' at 'em!"

The former nomad laughed, smiling at Rebecca gratefully. 
"Nah it's nothing major." he said, "Just been doing some runs for the Aldecaldos is all. Workin' as a middle man between them and city folk."

"That why you've been too busy to shoot up some psychos?" Rebecca asked, she let the other half of her statement hang in the air, unsaid.
Is that why you're too busy to hang out?

V nodded, Falco hummed from the drivers seat. 
"Figured a clan as big as the Aldecaldos would have someone who handled that sort of thing." Falco remarked, eyeing V from the rearview mirror.

"They did." V sighed, "Some woman named Panam. Apparently she split with the clan a little while before I showed up, didn't see eye to eye with Saul- their leader."

Rebecca watched as V continued to talk about the clan he was helping out. The continued insistence he wasn't looking to join up. Something clicked in Rebecca's head.
"You're homesick, aren't you?" she said softly. V inhaled sharply, then nodded.

"Dunno if homesick is the right word to use for nomads like me." he smiled bitterly, "But yeah... I guess I miss when everything made sense, when I was with the Bakkers."

"City life ain't treatin' you well?" Falco asked, voice gentle with empathy.

V shook his head.
"No, it's been great." he said, "Meeting up with Val again, meetin' Jackie and David and you guys... It's been great, just..."

"Some days you wake up and wish you were back at camp with your clan, right?" Falco said, "I get it."

Rebecca crossed her arms, deep in thought. 
She wished there was more she could do for the former nomad, part of her had hoped that their crew could come to be like a family for him in time. As it had been for her, as it had been for David.

"So, Becca." Falco said with a smirk, "Heard that Lucy found out you had a crush on David. How'd that turn out?"

Rebecca spluttered.
"Why am I always the punching bag whenever you fuckers need an icebreaker?!" she shrieked, "Fuck you!"

Falco chuckled, V tried-and failed- to stifle a laugh.
"Because you act like that." Falco said.

Rebecca folded her arms again, face feeling hot.
"She laughed a little, didn't take it too seriously." she admitted.

"Knew you weren't the type to steal someone else's man from under them?" Falco grinned, Rebecca shook her head.

"No." Rebecca shook her head, "Well... I guess that's a part of it but..."
she sighed, closing her eyes.
"Guess I never really had a chance, you know?" Rebecca said, voice small. "Couldn't even get the gonk to look at me like he looks at Lucy, not even once. Guess I just can't compare."

"I don't think that's true." V said, a serious look in his eyes. "I ain't David but you've been there for me when I needed it, Rebecca. You always had my back, no questions asked. I'm sure David feels the same way, you're important to him, even if it's not in the way you might've wanted."

Rebecca nodded slowly, she knew V was right. Part of her still felt bitter at the realization though. Still, V's words felt freeing.

"Thanks, V." she said, feeling her cheeks warm slightly. "Means a lot."

She offered her fist towards V, who met it with his own, grinning. It was then that Rebecca noticed something about the man.

"Woah!" she gasped, grasping V's arm and pulling back the sleeve on his jacket. "What the fuck? Did you get some new chrome, choom?!"

V snapped the finger on his free hand.
"Right!" he smacked his forehead, "That's what I forgot to tell you. I took some of the cash Uncle Black gave me, figured I'd kit myself out with something to help me in a pinch."

Rebecca bounced up and down in her seat, not even caring how childish it made her look. She had been thinking about doing the same with her share of the money, the former nomad had insisted she take it.
"Well?" she said, letting go of V's hand and looking the man in the eyes. "Pop 'em out! Show us what you got!"

V relented, caught up in Rebecca's enthusiasm. Flexing his hands, his brand new, top of the line Mantis Blades extended to their full reach, across the aisle of the car and out through the body. Rebecca alternated between marveling art the blade and laughing at V's lack of spatial awareness.

"Shit!" V winced, "I'll pay for repairs."

"Damn straight you will." Falco deadpanned, V let out a chuckle. He wouldn't have pegged the older man as a nomad, it may have been obvious to Rebecca, David and the other city-folk, but there were some subtle differences that showed the younger man that Falco had acclimated to city living much better than he had.
Some things never changed though, and Falco's near reverence for his vehicle was one of those things.

Eventually, Falco cracked a smile too, joining the younger mercenaries in their laughter.

"Alright you two. Comin' up on the destination now."

Chapter Text

"So. We go in, zero this Jae-Hyun, then delta?" V asked, ensuring his Sidewinder smart rifle was loaded.
At least he won't miss this way... Rebecca thought sardonically.

"No, we bring him alive." Falco said, "David's orders. Figures we could get some information out of Shobo's 'supplier.'"

V nodded,
"Easy enough." he said, "Speaking of... where are the others? Thought we'd be meeting them here."

"The hag's doing some searching on the net." Rebecca said with a scowl, "Police reports, messages between gangoons, that sort of thing."

V hummed, that made sense, the longer they took to get to Shobo, the harder it would be, multitasking would be the most effective way.
"And David and Lucy?"

Rebecca's scowl deepened.
"Gone to talk to Wakako." she glared, "See if she can't help out getting to Shobo."

V chuckled, he had a slight idea what could be troubling the woman.
"Alright, so after we nab Jae-Hyun and stash him somewhere, drinks at the Afterlife?" he said with a cheeky grin, "Don't want to disturb David and Lucy on their date, after all."

If looks could kill, V would probably have burst into flames.
"They better fuckin' not be." Rebecca growled, pumping her shotgun for emphasis, "C'mon! I gotta kill something to let off some steam!"

Lucy leaned against the wall outside Wakako's Pachinko Parlor. 
She breathed in the familiar scents of cigarette smoke and alcohol. Part of her missed smoking, though she supposed she never formally quit. Merely forgot to buy another pack and kept on forgetting. She smiled. 
Guess David's a good influence on me.

Her thoughts drifted to her boyfriend, he had gone on ahead to try and talk to Wakako. The Fixer was sweet on him, even if he didn't see it. Rolling her shoulders, she decided to do something to pass the time.
She dialed a number, deciding to have a much needed talk.

"Hey, hey." she greeted as the call went through. "Can we talk?"

"Got fifteen to burn, taking a smoke." Kiwi said, "What's on your mind?"

"You okay to talk about when you said you were gettin' ready to cut ties with us?" Lucy prodded.

"Depends if you're ready to talk about whatever the fuck you did to those scavs." Kiwi responded dryly. 

Lucy grimaced, she had hoped the older netrunner had forgotten about that incident. She wasn't exactly sure of the extent of what Arasaka did to her, part of her was sure she'd never find out unless she went back to the corporation. 
However, one of the benefits that she could attribute to her time as a corpo slave. The Net, the transfer of data that happened in a world parallel to the physical world, all of it was clearer to her than it was to any other Netrunner. Hacking, traversing the net, all of it. It was almost instinctual to her.

"I'll... tell you what I can..." Lucy said.

Kiwi hummed, 
"Fine. What did you want to know?"

"Did you... mean it...?" Lucy shifted uncomfortably, the older woman was her mentor, somewhere between an older sister and the mother she never had. Sure, she had told Lucy time and time again to trust nobody in the city, didn't make the admission that she was ready to cut and run hurt any less.

"Honest answer?" Kiwi sighed, "Yeah. Figured once the writing was on the walls it was time for me to delta. Maine and Dorio had each other. You had David. Rebecca... Rebecca would go to hell and back for any of her chooms."

Lucy swallowed the lump in her throat, she was beginning to see where Kiwi was going with this. 
"Me? I didn't have any of that. After Maine knocked me out... After he died... After all of it, figured David would start to lose it." Kiwi continued, "So I made some calls, dug up some old favors. So I could have an out, just in case."

"I wouldn't let that happen." Lucy whispered. 

"You wouldn't, and that's another thing." Kiwi sighed again, "Not like you to let your emotions control you like that, Luce. 'Least, that's the Lucy I knew."

Lucy cringed, Kiwi was talking about the actions she had taken to protect David back then. Which lead to Tanaka's death.
To Maine and Dorio's death.

"I know you had your reasons." Kiwi continued. "But... Wasn't prepared for it, wasn't sure I had any constants I could rely on."

"I get it." Lucy said softly, then she frowned at something her mentor had said. "Wait, don't you and Falco have a thing?"

Kiwi groaned, 
"Don't get me started on that, please?" the woman asked, "It's... complicated."

Lucy laughed at her mentor's discomfort. She hadn't been sure if she wanted the older woman around if it meant endangering David or the rest of their friends. However this admission eased her mind somewhat. Kiwi acted out of self preservation, as she had always done, and now that the crew was back and closer than ever, she hoped that Kiwi could learn that it was okay to trust them, to trust her.

"So spill, what was up with you during that Scav bust?" Kiwi's voice brought her back to reality.

"I..." Lucy chose her words carefully, "I dunno why, or how. But I've always been able to see the Net, things related to the net, really clearly. Outside of deep dive too."

Kiwi hummed thoughtfully, but said nothing. 

"I can see streams of data if I focus. Can mess around with those streams as well." Lucy continued, "I dunno, it's hard to describe. Feels... natural, like it's second nature to me."

"Why am I not surprised you're just better at dealing with cyberspace shit than the rest of us are?" Kiwi joked dryly, "Just another notch in your belt, you damn prodigy."

Lucy burst into laughter, feeling lighter now that Kiwi at least knew.

"Yeah, maybe." 

The two chatted for some time, reaching near the end of Kiwi's fifteen minute limit before Lucy was brought back to reality by a message from David, asking for her to come in.
The Lady of Westbrook had asked for her presence.

David smiled as Lucy entered the small back room of the parlor. 

"Okada-San." she greeted, bowing slightly. 
David's smile only grew. From what Lucy had told him, she knew very little Polish, and only slightly more Japanese. Life under Arasaka hadn't given her much reason to brush up on either of those languages, after all.

"Greetings, Child." The Lady of Westbrook nodded graciously at the netrunner. "David tells me your crew are looking for information on Jotaro Shobo, correct?" 

Lucy nodded, shifting on the spot uncomfortably. 

"I hope you are aware that he is a member of the Tyger Claws." Wakako's face shifted slightly, a little more serious, "I may no longer be as heavily involved in the gang's business as I once was, but I would like to know your reasoning before I decide to help you over one of my boys."

"David knows," Lucy stated plainly, "Didn't he tell you?"

"He did." Wakako tented her fingers, "But now I am asking you."

David could feel his netrunner tensing up.
"Why?" Lucy gritted her teeth. "Isn't it enough to want to see a sick son of a bitch put in the ground?"

Wakako raised an eyebrow. 
"So altruism, then?" she said, sighing. "I must admit, my dear. That is most disappointing to hear."

David reached for Lucy's hand, giving it a quick squeeze.
He didn't meet her eye, didn't say a word, but he was able to get the message across.
Calm down, She's all business, you know that.

He felt Lucy relaxing. Inwardly he smiled, they were always close, however it was only recently they had gotten so used to communicating that they could do it with a touch, a look.
She squeezed back.
Thank you.

"That's part of it but..." Lucy breathed in deeply. "Shobo's causing a stir in Kabuki. Regina and Rogue both want him gone."

Wakako frowned at that, David hadn't told her, he had hoped he could get what they needed without applying that pressure.
Still, there was no denying it wasn't effective. No fixer wanted to risk conflict with not just two other fixers, but the most powerful fixer in the city. Not even for one of 'her boys'.
Fuck it, he decided, Press the advantage.

"Apparently he's got a supplier." David interjected, "Gotten some serious iron. The kind you could only get in those amounts with a corpo sponsor."
He let the implication hang in the air. He was, like most people who spent time in Night City, well aware of the Tyger Claw's association to Arasaka, even Lucy knew that. However, as a Night City native, he knew of Wakako's conflicts with the corporation, of her own pain.

Wakako scowled at that. She thought for a moment, weighing the possibilities.
A corporate sponsor didn't necessarily mean it was Arasaka, it didn't necessarily mean the fixer needed to give up one of her boys. 

"I will do what I can." the fixer said, voice unusually quiet. "There are some within the Claws that are loyal to me alone. If they hold any knowledge, I will arrange a meeting."

David and Lucy thanked the fixer, leaving before the woman had a chance to change her mind.

"That went well." David laughed, hand holding Lucy's own.

"Wasn't sure if she'd help." Lucy admitted, David shook his head.

"Wakako hates Arasaka. Even if she doesn't admit it." he sighed, "They... they killed one of her grandkids. To get her to... submit, I guess. If there's even a chance they're the ones that gave Shobo his gear, she'll help us."

Lucy grimaced. 
She couldn't relate to everything the fixer went through, but this, getting hurt by that damned corporation. She could understand quite well.

"So, your place or mine?" David joked. Lucy slapped his arm playfully, grinning.

"It's the same place, gonk." she laughed. "But shouldn't we check on V and Becca first?"

"Nah they'll be fine. More than fine."

Jae-Hyun crawled away from the shortstack woman that had mowed down his fellow Tyger Claws. Behind her, a man pulled his Mantis Blades free, blood dripping to the floor.

"W-what the fuck do you want?" he whimpered, the woman kept advancing. "Drugs? Money?? Shit I can find you some preem fucking joytoys if you give me a bit!"

Another Tyger Claw dropped from the second story of their lair, brandishing a katana. The other man lunged, a swipe severing the arm holding the blade and the other Mantis Blade sinking into the chest of the gangoon.

"Thanks for the assist, V." the woman grinned maniacally, she tossed the shotgun she held, catching it in one hand.
"Don't want anythin' your offering, choomba." she said, winding up with the shotgun like a baseball bat, "Just some information. Lights out, okay?"

"W-wait!" the shotgun collided with Jae-Hyun with a clunk, everything went dark.

Chapter Text

David gasped, jolting awake.
He groaned as he pulled several bruised muscles. Wincing against the bright, sterile light, he looked around. Save for the light above him, the rest of the room was surrounded in darkness.

"You're awake, good." a voice called out. David tried to focus on the source of the noise, to try and spot any movement in the darkness. He winced again, the light was shining in his eyes, making the darkness even more harsh. He tried to raise a hand to block out some of the light, it was then he noticed his hands were restrained.

He heard footsteps ring out, a man slowly emerged from the darkness, adjusting his white suit.

"Do you know who I am?" the man said.

"You look like a fuckin' asshole to me!" David spat out before he had a chance to think.
He grunted as a thick hand collided with his skull, sending him rocketing to one side of the chair he was strapped to.

"Funny." the man said, eyes completely humorless. "Perhaps your friends and family will laugh when we send them an XBD of your last lucid moments."

"Fuck you!" David gritted his teeth, preparing for another slap. 
Instead, a boot collided with his midsection, sending him and the chair toppling backwards.

David coughed, gasping for air. He groaned as the man planted a foot on his chest.

"It seems like you still don't understand how much shit you're in, you cocky brat." the man narrowed his eyes, "So I guess it's time for introductions. The name's Jotaro, I'm told you and your little friends were looking for me."

David blinked slowly as he woke, the afternoon sun gently trickled through the blinds of the apartment. He smiled as he felt the familiar warmth of Lucy next to him, the woman was curled up, head against his shoulder and arms wrapped around his.
It had been a long, long night for the pair. 

Jackie's mother had invited them, Valerie and V over for dinner, Jackie was there too, naturally.
The woman was fond of the pair in particular. When asked about this, Jackie would laugh good naturedly.
"Well, I'm not surprised." he chuckled, "Ma always said she wanted a daughter. Explains why she took to Lucy and Val so quickly!"

David smiled at that. He was acutely aware of how much his lover had suffered in life, he hoped that Mama Welles' efforts could at least partially help ease the wounds that he could not.
She had slowly become accustomed to being around the older woman, initially she seemed overwhelmed at the attention and fuss that the Welles' matron could kick up over her; noticing every cut or scratch she or David came back to her with.
Now she smiled, even if meekly, as the older woman fussed over her state of dress, over whether she and David were eating enough, if they were making rent.
"Is this... is this what having a mom's like?" Lucy had asked him one night as they walked back from one of those dinners, David had laughed nostalgically.
"Yeah... Yeah it is." 

He blinked as he received a message from Rebecca. The woman had gotten what they had needed out of Jae-Hyun, then delivered him to Regina. David wasn't sure what the fixer would do with him but he was almost certain he was safer with her than the gun toting firecracker that had initially captured him.

He sighed as he read the message. One of Jotaro's side businesses was, as expected, a human trafficking ring. 
Rebecca had collated Jae-Hyun's confessions as well as information from Regina to deduce that a large exchange would happen that night, both people as well as their extracted cyberware.

Guess it's time to get ready. David thought, looking down at Lucy. As if on instinct, the woman's grip on his arm tightened, and she groaned groggily.

"C'mon, Luce." David smiled, "Time to wake up."

Lucy groaned again, eyes still closed. She shook her head and frowned.

David chuckled, Lucy smiled slightly at the noise.

"C'mon. Gotta get ready, got a job to do later tonight." David continued, running a hand through his favorite netrunner's hair, she leaned into his touch.

"Stay..." Lucy whispered, David felt a warm feeling from his chest spread out to the tips of his fingers and toes.

"All right." he said, laying himself back down. "But only for a little bit longer."

"Dreamed about you." Lucy mumbled with a smile, eyes closed all the while. 

David couldn't help but smile, 
"A good dream?" 

Lucy nodded, clutching his arm ever closer.
"You were in it." she whispered, "'Course it was good."

Rebecca tapped her foot impatiently. 
Of course those lovesick gonks are taking ages. She rolled her eyes.

"There you are!" she threw her hands up in the air as she saw David and Lucy arrive, hand in hand. As if they weren't already late to the meeting.

"Sorry, Becca." Lucy said, blushing slightly, "We got a little caught up."

Rebecca mimed vomiting, 
"I don't even want to know what that's a euphemism for." she grumbled. "Just us today?"

Lucy shook her head,
"Kiwi's gonna be assisting remotely." she said, "and Falco'll be keeping the wheels hot, as usual."

"No Valerie or Jackie?" Rebecca asked nonchalantly, "Or V?"

"Jackie and Valerie are busy already. Smashing up a scav hideout for Wakako." David chimed in. "V's handling some biz for the Aldecaldos again."

Rebecca nodded, looking at her feet.

"So!" David grinned confidently, "How about we kick the shit out of these scumbags?!"

Rebecca looked at him, grinning back, 
"Sign me the fuck up, choom!"

Lucy and Rebecca got into position, hiding behind a large shipping container.

"Ready?" Rebecca asked, Lucy nodded cocking her pistol.

"Alright." David's voice echoed through the group call. "Go!"

Rebecca ran out of cover, raising her machine gun.

"Ding dong motherfuckers!" she yelled gleefully, "I've got a steaming box of DEATH for ya!"

Lucy sprinted in, using the distraction Rebecca provided to cover the distance. She fired three times at a gangoon who was stuck in the open, attempting to hide by throwing himself prone.
The first two shots missed, the final shot hit its mark.

Now mostly behind cover, the Tyger Claws readied their weapons, preparing to fire back.

"Nighty night." Kiwi's voice droned, almost immediately, Lucy saw several of the Claws reel back, optics sparking.
One by one they fell, fresh bullet holes in their heads.

"Thanks for the assist, Kiwi." David's voice came through, calm.

"I set 'em up, you guys knock 'em down." 

Rebecca moved in, firing on the remaining gangoons. Lucy heard the screeching tires of approaching cars and looked around for what she needed.
She found what she was looking for in the form of a security camera attached to a warehouse, high in the air.
"Becca! Keep 'em off me!" she called out.

"Fuck do you think I've been doing?" the other woman shot back, Lucy grinned despite herself.

Breathing in deep, she dissected the camera's ICE, layer by layer, surgically. 
Within a few short seconds, she had full control. Peering through, she saw her targets, three rapidly approaching modified sports cars packed with Tyger Claws, and several more members flanking on bikes.
She focused, looking for something she could use.

One of the cars had a box of grenades in the trunk. She smiled, that'll be useful.
She readied her hack, an orderly list of instructions and sent it towards the car. Satisfied, she returned to realspace.

"I think we're good." she said to Rebecca, moving to fire at the remaining Tyger Claws.

"I can still hear them coming!" the shorter woman yelled back.

At that moment, the screeching tires were interrupted by a booming explosion and crashes.

"Nevermind." Rebecca grumbled. 

"Shit! Down!" Lucy tackled Rebecca, just as one of the three remaining Claws fired at them with a fallen heavy machine gun. The car that they had been taking cover behind rocked, dinner plate sized hole punched through the metal body.

"I don't have an angle." David's voice hissed, "One second!"

Lucy wanted to shout at David, tell him to stay away, that she could handle it if she just got a moment to focus. She didn't get the chance.

Her lover dropped down in the middle of the remaining Tygers, Kyubi rifle at the ready.

The gangoon with the heavy machine gun swung around, firing at him all the while.
David fired two shots, both hitting the other man in the head and chest.
He whirled, the HMG shots whizzing past him as he pulled out a revolver, aiming at one of the other Claws.

The gangoon, panic visible despite his visor and Oni mask, fired his Copperhead rifle.
David fired, shot going wide as the last Claw grappled him from behind.
The young edgerunner spun, Monowire arcing in front of him, the wire left a shallow cut, but the modified weapon had done what it had set out to do, the man fell to the ground, convulsing as electrical currents interfered with his cyberware.
He spun back around, firing again at the gangoon with the rifle. This time, he didn't miss. 
The man fell, crimson spreading across his white tank top.

"Damn..." Rebecca whistled.

The last Tyger Claw whimpered, he fired a shot of his pistol in desperation, the shot went wide. The man's eyes widened in panic when he saw why. 
His hand was no longer connected to his arm, severed cleanly with a skillful flourish from Lucy's own Monowire. Before he had a chance to scream, David ended his suffering with a bullet between the eyes.

"Alright." he breathed out. I think... I think that's the last of them."

"Shit, choom!" Rebecca called out, "I didn't know you had moves like that!"

David grinned, scratching his head nervously. 
"Been practicing with Jackie and Valerie." he admitted, "Want to be able to work the front lines with you and Lucy again, in case I need to."

Lucy gave David a heated look,
"Gotta say." she grinned, "Watching you take control of a fight like that was pretty hot, Input. You free later?"

David returned her look.
"For you? Always."

"Uh, guys?" Kiwi's voice jolted the pair back to reality. "Hate to be the buzzkill but I'm pretty sure the people the Tygers left in those shipping containers are still there."

Lucy coughed, blushing slightly. 
"Sorry Kiwi, good work back there, by the way."

"Yeah, yeah." the older netrunner deadpanned. "I think I'm done here, so I'm gonna disconnect."

Rebecca and David set out to freeing all of the Tyger's prisoners as Lucy dug through the Tyger's equipment.
Some thanked them, many more merely wanted to return home to their families.
Rebecca called Regina, arranging transports for all of the hostages.

"I'll zip you your share eddies we get from the victims or their families." Regina said, "Good work."

"Any time." Rebecca grinned. The one eyed fixer and her had struck an odd friendship during their work detaining cyberpsychos.

"David?" Lucy's voice called out. "I think you need to see this."

David ensured Rebecca was ensured to handle the rest, the woman waved him away, stating that they had gotten all of the trafficking victims.
"What's up?" he asked, Lucy was staring at a laptop the Tygers had laid out. She pointed at a message that was displayed on the screen.

An order request. Cyberware to be delivered...

To a ripperdoc in Santo Domingo.

David's eyes narrowed.

"Think it's him?" Lucy asked, taking his hand in hers. Running her hands over his knuckles like he had done for her many times before.

"Somehow?" David said, the slightest hint of bitterness in his voice, "I wouldn't put it past him."

Chapter Text

"Is it ready?" Jotaro spoke. 
Unseen hands hand grabbed at David roughly, setting him upright.

The white suited man looked at David again, a casual malice in his eyes. 
"You've been digging around my businesses." he said, raising a syringe to the light, inspecting it. "Trying to see what I've been up to, yes?"

David observed the syringe warily.
"The fuck is that?" he growled.

"Our newest product." Jotaro said coldly, "The working name for it is 'Inner Demon'. It's meant to give your average dirt-boy a taste of what it's like to go full cyberpsycho. Only problem is anyone who takes it doesn't come out of the high that gently. You'd probably flatline if you don't get to a doc in time."

David squinted, his eyes were more acustomed to the harsh lights now. The white suited man was flanked by several members of the Tyger Claws. They all glared at him with hostility and... fear?

"Think your friends are afraid of me." he noted with a grin.

"Oh I'm sure." Jotaro said, "You made quite an impression when you released my merchandise. Doubly when you hit my BD studios. Some of my men have taken to calling you 'The Reaper of Watson' now."

"Funny." David groaned, trying to stall for time. "I don't live in Watson."

Jotaro laughed mirthlessly, sinking the syringe into David's chest.
"Well, when your mind goes completely." he said, "I'll make sure to deliver your friends the XBD we make of you myself."

David grimaced, feeling the drug make its way through his system.
"Wouldn't... count on it..." he spat.

Jotaro laughed again.
"Such determination." he patted David on the cheek, mockingly. "Well, if you survive, I'm sure I can find a place for you. There's always a market for young joytoys."

David growled. He was going to kill this fucker.

It was then that an explosion rocked the building they were in.

"The fuck is that?" Jotaro scowled, pointing at several members of the Claws. "Find out who it is and put a bullet in them."

They nodded, pulling out their weapons, then, the ceiling caved in.

David drank the cocktail with a slight grimace. 
Carbonated, he thought, wiping his chin. Guess I'm getting the hang of it.
Lucy watched him, amused smirk on her face.

"Not acting like a big baby because of a little carbonation?" she asked, poking him with her elbow.

"Not anymore." David grinned back.

They had decided to unwind at Lizzies, after several days straight of hitting Tyger Claw's dens, Lucy had advocated for a break. David obliged his lover.

Rebecca sat down next to Lucy with a huff, holding a fresh drink. 
"I swear if anyone else comes up to me thinking I'm a Mox I'm going to start shooting things." she fumed, placing her drink down on the table and folding her arms.

Lucy giggled into her drink, David smiled.
"Wait, you weren't part of the Mox, Becca?" he asked. 

The shorter woman shook her head, 
"Got these tats because I thought they looked cool." she said with a grin, "Not cuz of some fuckin' gang."

"Weird," Lucy hummed, "Figured you'd get along with the Mox."

"What, standing up for joytoys and other outcasts?" Rebecca tapped a finger to her chin, "I mean it sounds good but... I dunno, I don't think even the Mox stand for that anymore."

David hummed, deep in thought.
He had always thought the Mox were one of the unambiguously 'good' gangs. At least as good as a criminal organization could get.

"Havin' a party without us?" the voice of Jackie Welles brought him back to reality, the older man walked up to their table with Valerie behind him.

"Shit, choom! Grab a seat and plant your ass!" Rebecca grinned, a smile which Jackie returned.

"That's what I like to hear!"

Lucy looked at Valerie, smiling politely,
"It's been a while," she nodded, "What have you two been up to?"

"Workin' a big job for Dexter DeShawn." Valerie nodded back, folding her arms. "It's actually why I'm here, meant to meet the client."

"Don't let us keep you tied down then," David smiled at the older woman, "We'll be here when you're done meeting with 'em."

The older woman waved farewell, heading over to talk to the bartender. 

Jackie grinned, placing both of his hands on the table.

"This is it for us." he almost giggled, "Our own ticket to the fuckin' major leagues. Next time we see you in the Afterlife chico, it won't be as your plus ones!"

David grinned, he occasionally forgot that he and his crew had been running for a little while longer than Jackie, V or Valerie. And their reputations were not yet of equal footing.
"I'll see you there." he extended his hand, the older man shook on it.

His attention was diverted when he saw a message from Wakako.
"Meeting arranged, hour from now. Just you, not even your partner." and a location.

"What's up?" Lucy asked, noticing his change in demeanor.

"Wakako came through. Told me to come alone." David said, taking his lover's hand. Lucy frowned.

Jackie smiled, patting Lucy's shoulder. 
"Ah c'mon, chica. You can trust David, he'll be fine!"

Lucy sighed, nodding resignedly. 
"Take the bike," she said, sliding the key over to him. "And if there's any sign of trouble, you delta. Okay?"

"Preem." David smiled, taking the key. Lucy's hand shot out to grab his wrist. 

"I'm serious, David." she looked him in the eyes. "No hero shit. Okay?"

"I promise." David said, smiling reassuringly.

Rebecca slouched in her seat, watching as David left the club.
"Hear you and Valerie shot up a Maelstrom hideout." she grumbled at Jackie. 

Jackie laughed, slapping his knee.
"Yeah, Needed to pick up a bot for Dex." he said, "Fuckin' Maelstrom didn't feel like co-operating."

"Still, you got out alive." Lucy leaned back, taking a sip of her drink. "Couldn't have been that bad."

Jackie shook his head, 
"Nah, those borg fucks were carrying some military grade shit." Jackie said, face serious, "More than you would find in a Militech convoy."

Rebecca frowned, looking at Lucy. 
"Sounds familiar, doesn't it?" the shorter woman said.

Lucy nodded, brows furrowing as well.

"Sounds like what we're hearing about the Tyger Claws as well." she said, frowning, "We thought it was 'Saka but.. maybe not..."

Jackie swore a prayer under his breath.
"Somethin' about this doesn't sit right." he said, "Feels like somethin's happening, and we just don't know about it."

Lucy nodded. Praying that whatever it was would pass her and her friends by.

Chapter Text

David gasped for air as the Tygers around him scrambled. His lungs were burning, his nerve endings were on fire.
He wanted to scream, but no sound would come out. 
Gulping for air one last time, he gritted his teeth and...

The burning subsided. 
He still felt it, deep within, but his mind was clear.

"David!"

David read the texts Lucy had sent him, waiting at the meeting location. 
Rebecca had gone with Valerie, the client had apparently wanted someone with a strong personality to talk to an associate of her, putting them at ease.
David scratched his head.
Dunno if Becca's the best person for that, maybe this 'Judy' is a special type of person.

His lover had been dropped off at their apartment by Jackie, David made a mental note to finally thank the older man for looking out for him and his crew.

"You are David?" a voice called, David turned to face it.

A young man, maybe in his mid twenties, was approaching him. 
He was alone, the colorful ink of the Tyger Claws peeked out from underneath his jacket. 

"That's me." David nodded.

"I am Kenji. My grandmother tells me you seek to bring in Jotaro?" the older man folded his arms in front of him. David nodded.
"Jotaro usually deals in XBDs and joytoys." he continued, "I would call him scum but... it seems many Tygers see it as good business."

David hummed, 
Guess even some Tygers don't like the gang's human trafficking. he mused.

"Recently, he has gotten bolder, as I am sure you know." Kenji said, David nodded again.

"Drugs, assassinations, damn near a full gang war on the streets of Kabuki." David narrowed his eyes at the other man. Kenji lowered his head.

"It is as you say." the man said plainly, running a hand through his dyed blonde hair. "Normally we would deal with this internally but..."

"But...?" David crossed his arms. 

"But he has corporate backers now." Kenji said, looking David in the eyes. "I cannot be sure but... I believe it is Arasaka."

David nodded, they had suspected as much.

"He is preparing to deal a new kind of drug to the streets. Something dangerous." Kenji grimaced, "The rumors among other Tygers are that he is working with several black market ripperdocs to study the effects of the drug. Those that die are stripped of their cyberware, their parts sold on to the next paying customer."

David scowled, he now fully understood why Rogue was so desperate to take this man off the streets of Watson.

"How do I make sure?" David looked Kenji in the eyes. "That Arasaka is the one footing the bill?"

Kenji stared back at him. 
"Jotaro keeps all of his correspondences on his person, you will need to confront him first." he admitted.

"Nova." David said, eyes serious, "I was plannin' on taking this to his front door anyway."

Kenji chuckled softly, 
"My grandmother was right about you." he said, "You are a naïve optimist, for better and for worse."

David grinned at the man, 
"Alright, I think I got what I needed." David said, "See you 'round, Kenji."

The older man nodded, turning to walk away.
"Stay safe, David Martinez." he replied, "Jotaro Shobo is not a man to be taken lightly."

David weaved in and out of traffic, making his way back home. He dialed up Lucy, decided to let his lover know how the meeting had gone.
He waited as the call patched through.

He heard the screeching of rubber and the crash of metal as he was momentarily thrown, weightless.
His back landed hard on something, rolling as he felt it buckle and shatter. He landed on the ground, rolling.

"David? What's up?" 
Lucy's voice focused him.

He looked around, finding the source of whatever had hit him.
A truck painted in Tyger Claw's colors.

"David?"

"Tygers..." David gasped, "Here... Track me..."

"Caught you, you sneaky fucker." a man's voice called out. 

David glared at the source, an older man in  a white suit.
He could vaguely hear Lucy's panicked voice on the other end of the call.

A boot connected with his head.

Everything went black.

Chapter Text

"So Jotaro's keeping David somewhere here?" V whispered, dropping down onto the roof of the night club. 

"That's what the tracker says." Lucy's voice was curt, cold. 

A lone Tyger Claw was on the roof, smoking a cigarette. 
He barely had time to register a sound before V's mantis blades had impaled him, lifting the gangoon off his feet.

"Rooftop's clear." V reported, shaking the blood off his hands.

"All dead?" Lucy asked.

"Yep."

"Good." there was a hard edge in the woman's voice.

"I'm gettin' antsy!" Rebecca's voice cut in, "I wanna walk in there and shoot some shit!"

"Wait for my signal." Lucy's voice didn't waver.

"Didn't even tell us what it is." the shorter woman grumbled.

"Don't worry, you'll know."

Rebecca kicked the back of the car seat, impatient.

"Chill, chica." Jackie laughed, "We'll get our boy back."

Valerie cracked her knuckles,
"And we'll make those Tyger fucks pay." she grinned, a predatory gleam in her eyes.

"Still don't even know what the signal's meant to be-"

At that moment, a series of explosions rocked the nightclub, reverberating through the car.

"Think that's the signal." Valerie said, pumping her shotgun.

Jackie whispered a prayer and floored the accelerator,
"Here we go!"

"Don't worry, you'll know." Lucy said, exhaling.

She swayed slightly, she was running on fumes now. She had been exhausted when she had called Kiwi and the others in the dead of night, hyperventilating and on the verge of a breakdown.

"Falco, engines still hot?" she asked, switching channels.

"Yup, that fucker tries to get away and I'll T-Bone him." the nomad chuckled darkly.

"Kiwi, how are things on your end?" 

"Consider their ICE thoroughly broken." the older netrunner said, "Still don't know why you don't want me to help out with the rest, but feel free to wreak havoc with your fancy hacks."

"Kiwi..." Lucy closed her eyes, inhaling a shaky breath. "You know I trust you to have my back any other time. But..."

"But...?"

Lucy glared at the nightclub.
"But right now I want those fuckers to bleed by my hand."

She focused. Seeing the streams of data that connected the club to other smaller localnets.
A yellow datastream caught her eye. Small and insignificant usually. 
It controlled the building's piping; water, waste and gas.
She placed a hand on the stream of code.

She expanded her field of view. She saw a pulse, yellow and green.
David!
She suppressed a relieved sob, she would get him back, but first she needed to get to him.

She spotted what she was looking for, a turret built into the roof of the room directly above David.

"V. Dropping a waypoint to your optics." she said, "David's in the room below."

"Got it." the ex-nomad said, "Should I take the stairs down to him or..."

"Let me handle that part." Lucy said.

When she was sure V was in position, Lucy breathed in deep.

She tugged on the datastream in her hand, sending a command down the disrupted code. Simultaneously, she took control of the turret.
The weapon whirred to life, pointing at the floor.

The pipes in the wall outside the club exploded, Lucy fired at the floor.

They had piled out of the car one Jackie rammed through the front gate, Rebecca firing wildly over the car, Jackie and Valerie attempting to close the distance.

Several Tygers attempted to fire back, only to find that their weapons would not fire. Several more stumbled out of cover, flailing as their cyberware combusted. The trio of Solos made short work of them.

A large Tyger holding a sledgehammer kicked the door of the club down. Rebecca glared at the man, armored skin and reinforced muscles, naturally.
With a bellow, he charged at Valerie, brandishing his hammer.

Suddenly, a puzzled appearance washed over him, his eyes rolling into the back of his head as he went limp mid-charge, tumbling along the asphalt.

Rebecca felt a tap on her shoulder as she observed, looking up, she saw Lucy walking past, her optics were lit up, indicating the pale haired netrunner was currently hacking.

"Luce?" Rebecca said, a slight chill going down her spine. "Was that... all you?"

"C'mon." Lucy said, "Let's get David."

The group cleared the ground floor of the club, letting the bartender flee along with several patrons.

Rebecca heard a strangled cry, along with the metallic smack of a weapon striking flesh.

"Should've known you'd be here." Lucy hissed, "Knew it the moment we hit that Tyger's hideout!"

Rebecca rushed over, finding the source of Lucy's rage.
A pale haired, gangly man looked at her with terrified eyes, Lucy's monowire wrapped around his neck. 
The netrunner had evidently pulled him out of a booth, a Tyger Claw lay limp in the opposite seat, hands still on the laptop that lay open on the table.

"Becca. Say hello to David's piece of shit old ripperdoc." Lucy scowled, pulling the wire even tighter.

Chapter Text

David watched as smart rounds whizzed from the ceiling, seeking out the scattered Tyger Claws members.
V dropped into the room, Mantis Blades at the ready. Several surviving members raised their weapons at the older man, his eyes flashed and their weapons sparked. V lunged, stabbing and slicing.

David coughed, his hands had been freed by the explosion, the chair he had been tied to lay broken in pieces underneath him.
He groaned as he got to his feet, swaying slightly, he tried to take a step, lurching as the ground shifted beneath his feet.
Yup, that's not happening anytime soon. He thought hazily. 

He watched Shobo bolt from the room, grabbing a weapon as he did so. He wanted to say something, to do something, but it was all he could do to stay upright, to stay conscious.

"David!" V repeated, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder, "You okay?"

"Give me a minute." he groaned back, swaying slightly.

He heard V say something but he barely heard it, the older man's words drowned out by a disembodied screaming that grew, ever louder. 
Looking around, he swallowed thickly as he saw the corpses of all the other Tygers shift slightly. A mass of weapons snaking out of every wound, orifice and fold.

All pointed at him. 

A primal part of him screamed to move, to fight back.
David breathed in deeply, urging himself to be calm.

It's not real. It's not real. It's not...

"David!" 

He turned, swaying again unsteadily. Lucy was at the top of the stairs, running over to him.
Jackie was behind her, holding... Doc...?

He felt Lucy's hands on his cheeks. Leaning into the touch, he groaned.
"Are you okay?" her eyes were thick with concern, David stared, transfixed, "What did they do to you?"

"Sorry..." David mumbled, "Think I... fucked up the bike..."

"What did they do to him?!" she demands, turning on Doc. Her fists clenched in anger.
They're bruised. he noted foggily. Lucy doesn't usually punch people.

Doc whimpered, clutching his nose. Broken?

"A drug." the ripperdoc said quickly, "Shobo wanted my help to try and tweak the effects."

Lucy scowled at the cowering man. 

"Your little Input there is experiencing the slow descent into cyberpsychosis in real time." Shobo's voice echoed from an unseen speaker. 

"You fucking-" Lucy's voice trembled with rage.

David breathed in deeply, 
Cyberpsychosis? he grimaced, No, he knew what that was like, JK had shown him. This was... lesser.
I can deal with this.

"I'm..." he swayed, breathing still ragged. "I'm okay."

Lucy's attention returned to him, she placed a hand back on his cheek, reaching behind his ear to feel for his pulse.
David ran his fingers gently over her bruised knuckles. Pressing a kiss to her palm.

"Not the time, you gonk!" Lucy shivered.

"Fascinating." Jotaro's voice was filled with curiosity, "This shouldn't be possible."

"Maybe I'm just..." David swayed again, he leaned his face into Lucy's shoulder, relying on her. "Built different."

Lucy ran a hand through his hair, soothingly.
"Jackie." she said, reaching a decision, "Take David to the car, you and Valerie make sure the way back is clear."

"And you, chica?" Jackie asked, concerned.

Lucy's gaze was steely.
"I'll take Becca with me." she said, "And tear this fucker apart."

They cornered Shobo on the top floor of the club. It looked different from the rest, relaxing decor giving way to bare tables and chairs.
The Devil of Kabuki fired a shotgun at the doorway, both woman ducked back into cover.

"Doesn't matter if his mind doesn't snap." he growled, "He'll flatline soon." 

Lucy's eyes narrowed, she looked around for anything she could use. 
The room was filled with electronics, not much of which was very useful in a fight.
There were several containers however, filled with chemicals, presumably whatever drug he had pumped into David.

"You have no idea who you're messin' with!" Shobo continued.

"Fuckin' Tyger Claws, so what?" Rebecca shouted back.

"Oh you don't know the half of it." the man growled, "I've got connecti-"

The containers behind him exploded, throwing the man off his feet.
Rebecca kicked his gun away, Lucy glared at him with glowing eyes. He writhed pathetically, covered in scalding hot chemicals.
'The Devil of Kabuki', so pathetic.

"I'm jacking in." Lucy said, "Time to find out if 'Saka's really the one footing the tab for all of this."

"And when you're done?" Rebecca glared at the man too, "This fucker's killed a lot of innocent people."

"Then, you can do what you want with him, long as we fulfill the contract." Lucy grinned darkly at the other woman.

Chapter Text

David groaned as he leaned against the headrest. His head pounded and his heart beat like a drum. 
Doc was in the seat next to him, restrained.

He closed his eyes, feeling the vibrations of the road passing him by. Soothing, almost.
"Need some water?" Valerie offered him a bottle, David accepted it, spilling most of it down his front.

"Sorry." David mumbled, Valerie shook her head.

"Long as you're alive, kid." 

The gears in his head slowly turned, something clicked for him.
"Why're you here...? Thought you had a job...?"

The older woman chuckled, 
"David, I dunno how long you think you were out for but..." the woman grinned, "You were only gone for a day, Lucy moved heaven and hell to get you back. You might be our last stop before we leave for the Afterlife though."

David smiled back. 
Part of him felt like he should be more panicked at the thought of the drug still coursing through his veins, but Valerie's demeanor put him at ease.

"Blew up our phones at midnight, she did." Jackie chuckled, "Called my 'Ma as well. Guess Shobo's lucky that she wasn't the one kickin' down his door."

"Jackie. Thank you, for everything." David mumbled, the older man laughed uproariously.

"Chico, you really need to work on your Spanish." he chuckled again, wiping a tear from his eye.

David frowned, he hadn't meant to speak in Spanish.
And it's not that bad!
His frown morphed into a pout.

They arrived at a familiar location.
Vik's clinic. David noted hazily.

"Alright, chico." Jackie said, opening his door. "Let's get you to Viks. See what's goin' on."

Gentle hands grabbed him, lifting him up out of the car with ease.

"Davey..." 

David wanted to glare at the ripperdoc in the car, who looked at him in a mixture of shame and sorrow.

"I was just tryin' to make some eddies." the man spoke, "I didn't want anyone to get hurt."

David might have believed that, once upon a time. 
Not anymore.

"Because you're such a philanthropist." David growled, Doc averted his gaze. "Sure."

Lucy willed her hands to stop trembling. She paced outside Viktor's clinic as the ripperdoc worked on her lover.
Valerie and Jackie had taken David's old ripperdoc to Regina, the fixer would turn him in, turn him over to El Capitan or just kill the man. Lucy wasn't particularly bothered either way.
She sighed, willing herself to focus as she took an incoming call.

"Rogue." Lucy said plainly, "The job's done."

"I'm aware," the fixer noted dryly, "You're lucky, you left just enough of Shobo intact so that we could ID him."

Lucy smiled wryly. Rebecca had gotten a little carried away with her guns.

"Still, can't say that it won't take a load off my mind knowing I don't have to relocate the Afterlife. I'll transfer the eddies immediately."

"Thanks." Lucy said. 

"Did you happen to figure out who his big supplier was?"

Lucy grimaced, 
"Our hunch was right, it's 'Saka." Lucy said, "But... in their messages to Shobo it sounds like they were retaliating, or maybe responding to someone else."

Rogue hummed, concerned.
"Maybe it's a PR angle, something easy so they don't look like the bad guys."

Lucy snorted,
"Think 'Saka's concerned what 'the Devil of Kabuki' thinks about them?"

"Maybe not. Either way, send the info to Regina and she'll compensate you." Rogue said, "Speaking of, how's your Input doing?"

"Dunno yet." Lucy said, face falling. "He's getting patched up right now."

"When you talk to him, tell him his performance... exceeds expectations." Lucy could almost hear Rogue smiling. High praise from the queen fixer indeed.

Lucy ended the call, deciding to see how Viktor was getting along.
She descended the steps to the clinic, Viktor was at his desk, writing something down.

"How is he?" Lucy asked softly, Viktor smiled when he saw her.

"He'll live." the ripperdoc said, "Might be woozy for a day or two, but shouldn't have any long lasting issues."

Lucy released a breath she didn't realize she was holding.

"I'll give you a couple of things. Adrenaline and some synth-blood, just in case." Viktor said, putting several vials and canisters into a small bag.
He tucked the bag into David's jacket, presenting the yellow parcel to her.

"Vik... how much do I owe you...?" Lucy asked, 
The ripperdoc had come through time and time again for her and David. Whatever price Viktor named, she would pay.

"Just wait until he's back on his feet." Viktor grinned, "Ain't gonna charge you for anything in there you don't use."

Viktor looked behind her, Lucy turned, seeing Kiwi, Rebecca and Falco standing at the entrance.

"I'll give you and your friends a little time alone." the ripperdoc said, patting Lucy's shoulder gently.

Kiwi watched as Lucy slumped into a chair, tucking David's jacket under her arms.

"So how is he?" Rebecca asked, voice quiet. 
Kiwi looked to the man in question, lying unconscious on the ripperdoc's chair. His face was peaceful, despite the bruises, ignorant of all the stress he had put Lucy through.

"He'll be okay." Lucy whispered, "Thank you, guys."

Falco and Rebecca breathed a sigh of relief. Kiwi rolled her eyes, she'd need to have a word with the reckless gonk when he came to.

"I'll transfer you guys your share in a bit I just..." Lucy trembled, "I'm just a bit tired right now."

"Take your time," Falco said kindly, "We understand."

"We'll give you some space." Rebecca said, before snapping her fingers. "Oh! and Valerie said you can use her car to take David home, and if you needed to use it while your bike's in the shop."

Lucy nodded gratefully as Rebecca and Falco left the clinic.
Her hands trembled as her grip on the jacket tightened. It was time for Kiwi to take her leave too.

But...

Lucy sniffled, unaware the older netrunner was still there. The first tears began to fall.

Kiwi rolled her eyes.
David, you fucking gonk. She sighed, You owe me for this, big time.

She placed an arm around her former student. Lucy jolted slightly at her touch.

"Sorry... Kiwi..." Lucy mumbled, wiping at her eyes in vain.

"Shh" Kiwi soothed, wrapping the other arm around the younger woman, "It's okay."

Lucy clutched at the older woman's jacket, clinging to her like a lifeline.

Sometimes she forgot Lucy was still a kid, especially compared to more seasoned netrunners like her.

Kiwi supposed it was okay for kids to be weak sometimes, especially around people who... 

Trusted them.

Chapter Text

Jackie exhaled, placing his palm on the glass of their suite.

"Fuckin' major leagues..." he said softly, almost giddy.

"Fuckin' major leagues." Valerie grinned, popping the cork of a champagne bottle, Jackie raised an eyebrow, "It's on Dex's tab."

Jackie took a glass filled with the bubbling liquid from Valerie. Taking a sip.

"Wonder what V's doin'." he said, taking a seat on the couch. "Gotta be goin' crazy waiting inside the cab."

"He's talking to David." Valerie said, drinking her own glass, "Guess he can relate to being cooped up inside."

Jackie chuckled, swirling the remainder of the champagne.
"What was that about, back in the car?" he looked at Valerie, the woman sighed. "Kid snapped at us, like we weren't taking this job seriously."

"Forgive him, Jackie." Valerie sighed again, running a hand through her hair, it had been dyed black for the heist, a Neo-Militarism staple. "My little bro is... He's still adjusting to life in the big city."

Jackie hummed.

"I talked with him before we left." Valerie continued, "Think he still misses his nomad clan. He's struggling to... belong, I guess."
She fidgeted with her glass.
"Corpo's put him on edge, 'Saka especially. Guess he wants us to go into this with our heads clear, especially since he's stuck running support alongside 'Bug."

Jackie sighed, 
"Yeah, Guess it makes sense." he said softly, "I'll make it up to him when we get back."

Valerie chuckled, 
"Yeah," she sighed contentedly, "Speaking of getting back, what're you gonna do when this is over?"

Jackie chuckled, 
"Shit, I was gonna take Misty and go for a vacation!" the man grinned, "Figured I'd take her to Europe, meet her folks."

Valerie raised an eyebrow, 
"Aren't afraid you'll miss out on big shot gigs?" she asked.

"Nah, it'll send those cushy fixers a message. Only the best jobs for Jackie Welles!" he grinned, "Better than what you'd do. Probably blow the scratch we make on this heist on booze in three days."

Valerie laughed with the man, pouring them both another glass of champagne, she raised her glass.
"To the major leagues!" she proclaimed.

Jackie grinned cheekily, raising his glass as well.
"To this!"

V leaned back in the front seat of the Delamain.
He had fallen asleep after using the Spider-Bot that Jackie and Valerie had procured to weaken the security inside the hotel. Now, as the minutes inched closer to the actual heist, he passed the time by talking to the recently conscious David.

"Wait, why're you waiting in the Delamain?" David asked.

"Jackie wanted a backup netrunner close by." V said, stretching out his stiff muscles. "If T-Bug gets targeted by any ICE, she pulls out immediately, and I take the support role."

David hummed,
"Smart." he conceded.

"Don't give me or Jackie the credit," V chuckled, "He got the idea from Lucy and Kiwi."

"Huh." David said, "Still, must feel like you were stiffed, sitting in a cab while Val and Jackie chill in a corpo suite."

V laughed, 
"If you could see the inside of this cab, you wouldn't think so. 'Sides, corpos put me on edge."

David joined the ex-nomad in his laughter.
"Same," he conceded, "Guess I'm allergic to megacorp trash."

V received a ping on his optics, indicating that V and Jackie had begun to move.

"Gotta go," V said, "Show's starting. I'll call you with the good news."

Disconnecting, he jacked in to the camera feed that T-Bug shared with him.

Major Leagues... he inhaled deeply, calming his nerves.

Here we go.

David came to consciousness, groggy. 
He must have only been sleeping for a little bit as it was still dark out, an hour or two at most, neon lights shining brighter than the sun. He observed the sleeping figure of Lucy, placing a hand on her own.
Running a thumb over her  bruised knuckles, he smiled softly.

He would need to thank her properly once Viktor gave them the all clear.
Saved up a decent bit of scratch lately. David mused, Maybe it's enough to take her to the Moon, 'least for a little trip or something.

"Didn't mean for you to hurt yourself like this for me." he whispered to his lover's sleeping form, pressing a kiss to her knuckles, "Promise I'll make it up to you, 'kay?"

David jolted as he received a call, it was V.
He grinned, accepting it.

"So, tell me the good news-"

"David!" the former nomad's voice was panicked, "Shit, nobody else was picking up!"

"What's going on?" David bolted upright, he could hear gunshots in the background.

"Shit, the whole job's fucked!" V shouted, "Saburo Arasaka's dead, Jackie's bleedin' out and this fuckin' cab won't take us to a ripperdoc!"

"Where?" David demanded, he felt Lucy stirring beside him.

"What... what's going on?" his lover asked, rubbing her eyes.

He received a location, updating in real time. David grit his teeth.
Shit, no time to explain...

"I'll be back." he said, leaping off the bed and grabbing his jacket and the key to Valerie's car. "I'll explain after."

He dashed out of the apartment, feeling the familiar hum of the Sandevistan slowing down the world around him, the last thing he heard before the world screeched to a halt was Lucy's cry.

"David!!"

Chapter Text

David grunted, swerving suddenly to avoid scraping the side of the car on anything for the tenth time. Fat raindrops splattered themselves against the windshield, obscuring his view.
From the back seat, a duffel bag filled with weapons, grenades and medicine rattled at David's imprecise motions. Valerie clearly liked to keep her spare tools in the car.
Gettin' close... He felt the sweat beading on his forehead. C'mon Jackie, hold on...

He screeched onto the highway and spotted a beat up looking Delamain cab. 
There!
He floored the accelerator, thankful that there were no sharp turns now.

Driving up next to the cab, he called V.
V was in the front seat of the cab, shouting at something, Valerie and Jackie were in the back seat, the woman placed her hands on the older man's midriff, 
putting pressure on the bleeding, David numbly noted.

"David?" the former nomad looked at him as he accepted the call. "Shit, am I glad to see you!"

"What the hell's going on?" David demanded, cursing as he swerved to keep the car straight.

"Delamain's on a set path, he won't take us to a ripper!"

David swore, suddenly, he had an idea.

"V! Get ready!" David shouted, unbuckling himself.

"What does that-"

David jumped out of the car, the raindrops slowed to a crawl before stopping, all in the space of a single breath. His foot touched the asphalt road. He dashed towards the Delamain, wrenching the door open and grabbing the former nomad.
He ran back to the car, taking extra care not to move in ways that might injure V, he placed the man behind the wheel of his sister's car.

"What the fuck-" V gagged slightly as the world caught up with him, "Oh I'm gonna fucking throw up."

"V keep the car steady!" David ordered, the man swallowed his nausea and complied.

There was a pressure building in David's head, he had pushed the Sandevistan further than he ever had in a single use, speeding himself up faster than even cars. 
Shit, David. he chastised himself. Fucking focus! You're special, remember?

Special.
He had a top shelf sandevistan and he had kept his precious cyberware tolerance safe. He could do this, he had to do this.

David breathed in deep, willing the world to stop once more. 

He felt the world hum as it slowed and stopped, launching himself at the cab once more, he made it into the middle seat of the car before everything returned to normal with a crash.

FUCK!

David lurched, the pressure in his head had gotten almost unbearable. A warm trickle told him his nose had started bleeding.

Guess that's... the downside of bein' able to control the Sandy. David panted, And being able to push it harder than I ever used to...

"David...?" Jackie grunted, looking at him. "What are you..."

"I'm gonna get you out of this, Jackie!" David gritted his teeth, focusing on his breathing. "Gonna get you to a ripper, just hold on!"

"Wait..." Jackie groaned, "The relic... gotta... finish the job..."

"You're still thinking about the fucking job?!" Valerie shouted at the man, slamming her hand into the headrest of the Delamain. "Shit! Give me the fucking chip! David, get this fucking idiot to Viks!"

David nodded, watching as Jackie removed a glowing red shard from his head, placing it in Valerie's hand. 

The pressure had subsided somewhat. David swallowed.

"Ready, Jackie?" he said shakily, the older man nodded.

David threw the door open, as it swung wide, the world hummed and the rain froze again. David heaved, taking the heavier older man with him as he stepped out onto the highway again. Each step seemed to take eternity, his muscles screamed at him, but he knew to drop Jackie now would be to assure the older man's death.
C'mon, Martinez! C'MON!!

The two tumbled into the backseat, David panted heavily.

"You alright?" V shouted back at him. David opened his mouth to answer.

Oh shit.

Slamming his finger on the window button, David shoved his head out the side of the car and vomited.

"Hope you got a good look at how fast I was goin'." David groaned, "Because I'm never going that fast again."
Still, thought some of Shobo's drug would be still in my system, wasn't even sure if I could use my Sandy, guess I'm over the effects.
As the world spun around him, David heard a disembodied cackle. V's eyes staring at him from the rear view mirror told David the laugh came from him.
Okay... not as over it as I thought...

Jackie groaned, hand clenching a wound in his side, David turned his attention to the older man.
"Hold on, Jackie!" David said, rummaging desparately through Valerie's duffel bag.

He pulled out a Bounce Back, the mother of all adrenaline shots.

"That's not gonna work!" V grimaced, "He already took one back at the Plaza!'

David swore, tossing the syringe back into the bag.

What he needed was... was....
He felt a bulge in his jacket, pulling out a dose of Synth-Blood.
Vik!
He made a mental note to thank his ripperdoc and kiss his girlfriend for this coincidental decision.

David breathed in trying to remember how to apply it.

Okay, mijo.  his mother had said one day, I'm going to show you some basics of first aid, so focus!

David had rolled his eyes then, it was a Saturday, there was a fresh new BD of JK's Edgerunners that Doc was holding onto for him, he didn't want to learn first aid!

"Thanks... mom..." David whispered, as he followed the instructions that had been drilled into his head.

Lucy ran a shaky hand through her hair as the call to David fell through again.

She didn't need to ask where he was, all the news was talking about the death of Saburo Arasaka and the intruders that had escaped Konpeki Plaza, David had to be with them trying to help.

Her head swam, dozens of worst case scenarios whizzing past.
Death, injury... capture...

Lucy gasped, curling up on the bed and screwing her eyes shut.
Don't go there, David'll be okay...

Inhaling a shaky breath, she tried to calm herself.

C'mon David. She prayed as she dialed again, Pick up!

David exhaled shakily. He was a poor substitute for a doctor, but Jackie looked more stable now.

"Alright." he breathed out, "Think we're in the clear."

He was startled by a call entering his vision.
Lucy!

"David! Are you okay?!" his lover's voice was shaky, panicked.

"Yeah, sorry I bolted I just-" he started.

"I know." Lucy breathed in, "It's all over the news. Where are you headed?"

"Need to take Jackie to a ripper, gonna take him to Viks then-"

"I'll be there." Lucy said, disconnecting the call.

David had wanted to tell his girlfriend to not worry, that he'd drop off the older man and come back home. 
He grimaced, he'd have to make it up to her.

He yelped as the car swerved, an explosion rocking the part of the road they used to be.
"Shit, the hell was that?" he shouted, Jackie shifted in his seat.

"Oh fuck... Thought that fucker gave up at the Hotel..." the older man grimaced.

David wanted to ask the man what he meant, wanted to demand answers from him and V.
His question was answered when something slammed into the car.

V cursed, fighting to bring the spinning out vehicle under control. David rummaged through Valerie's bag, looking for something to fend off whatever just hit them.

He pulled out a Satara shotgun and a Lexington. Stowing the pistol in his jacket, he ensured the shotgun was loaded.

Another crash caused all three men to lurch, and David heard a hellish robotic voice.

"Where do you meat think you're going?"

David's heart froze, the voice could only belong to one being.
The person they spoke about in hushed whispers in the Afterlife.

Adam Smasher.

"How the fuck is he keeping up with us?" V gritted his teeth, eyes scanning the road in case the borg legend decided to collide with the battered vehicle again.

David inhaled, preparing himself for what he had planned, his hands began to work, gripping one of his monowires and looping it around his headrest.
"V!" he shouted, "Keep her steady! And make sure Lucy doesn't find out what I did or we both die!"

V opened his mouth to ask what was happening, the words drying up when he saw the younger man climb out of the window onto the roof. The monowire led a glowing trail from the headrest to his wrist, a thin, sharp lifeline.

David lurched as he felt the wind whipping by. The borg was giving chase, moving faster than he thought a machine of that size could.

"You insects stole something, didn't you? I'll pry it out of your corpses once I'm done with you!"

Hellish red eyes gazed at the car dispassionately before moving to observe David alone.

"A child? Is this a fucking joke?" the borg said, outrage bleeding through his electronically distorted voice.
Extending a hand, Adam Smasher fired at David, a small missile whistling towards him.

Time slowed for a brief second, David's synaptic accelerator slowing everything to a crawl. He willed himself to be calm, calm in the face of certain death. He breathed in, and the rocket inched closer.
Once he had used the time to collect himself, the Sandevistan took over, freeing David to move unrestricted.
He hoisted the shotgun, letting the electromagnets charge, focusing the shot into a single point.

He breathed in and pulled. Letting the shot fly almost lethargically to meet the missile.

Reloading the shotgun, he levelled it to face the borg and...
He's not there.

"Think your little toy makes you special?"
David's heart crawled into his throat.
There's no way.

"You have a Sandevistan?" he said shakily, turning to face the borg who was now keeping pace with the car almost leisurely. 

"A rudimentary implant." The borg said dispassionately, hellish red pupils gazing into his very soul. "Hm... David Martinez. I know your face."

David's blood ran cold. 

"My employers want to speak with you. You're coming with me, the other meat will burn."

David instinctually began charging up another shot of the Satara. The gun hummed as the electromagnets worked sluggishly.
Adam Smasher extended a hand towards him, open. The synaptic accelerator screeched at him, slowing the already sluggish world in an effort to buy him time to do something.
He raised the Satara, almost full charge!
The hand inched ever closer, the Satara hummed as it reached full charge.
Smasher grazed David's shoulder, David pulled the trigger.

The world crashed back into motion all at once. As he was thrown off the feet, explosion rocking him from behind, David heard the screeching sound of shearing metal and Smasher scream in outrage.

"All that fucking work for a scratch?" his voice bellowed, "I'll bring you to my employers, boy! But you might be missing a few limbs!"

The car shot ahead once more, Smasher in pursuit from behind.

David collapsed, gasping in exertion. He had lost grip of the Satara, the shotgun fell to one side, swallowed up by the road.

"David..." he heard Jackie's voice, faintly over the roar of the road. "Here..."

The man extended an arm out the window, gripping something.
David took it, examining it.

His eyes widened, Jackie had given him an idea.

Now he just needed to survive long enough.

Chapter Text

Lucy paced anxiously on the sidewalk outside her local NCART station. 
She hadn't accounted for transport shutdowns, though she supposed the death of 'The Emperor" and his alleged assassins still being at large was cause enough for that. 
A panicked call to her friends later and here she was, a sitting duck while the love of her life was off doing who knows what.

She exhaled, calming herself. Her breath steamed against the night chill. Refracting the neon signs that shone, ignorant of the strife within the city it resided.
Would he be there by the time she arrived? What would be worse? Waiting for him, worried sick? or arriving and finding him... wounded? Dead?
Lucy shook her head, banishing those thoughts.
No, David was capable, he was more than capable.

The loud hum roar of a motorcycle coming to a stop near her broke her from her reverie.
Kiwi leaned on the handlebars of her own Kusanagi motorbike, Lucy and David's bike still had a week left in repairs at least.
"Get on." the older woman said, her voice surprisingly gentle. "We'll grill your Input for being a gonk later."

David pulled out the Lexington pistol he had stowed away, eyes trained wholly on the chrome behemoth that called itself Adam Smasher. 
The last time he had used this model of pistol he had been weak, helpless.

Compared to Adam Smasher, perhaps he was still weak, anyone would be, probably.
But he wasn't helpless.

The borg colossus fired another missile at the speeding car, David shot it out of the air immediately. 
He pulled back the slide of his pistol slightly. Three bullets left. He noted.

"V!" He shouted over the roar of the road and the crash of Smasher's feet. "On my mark, tap the brake once!"

"Are you fucking crazy?!" the former nomad yelled back, face pale as he struggled to keep the lead that David had won.

"Just do it!"

The older man gritted his teeth, hands tightening on the steering wheel. 

"Now!" 

V tapped the brakes, David lurched as the car slowed slightly, just enough for Smasher to close the distance.
Mighty metal mitts clasped down on the rear of the car, a screeching sound filling the air as the black metal bent and warped. Despite this, David grinned wildly.

Gotcha.

"You are weak, boy!" Smasher droned, not even straining himself as the car screeched on the spot, wheels burning as they tried to break free "Compared to me you are nothing but weak flesh, what could you possibly have that makes you think you could get away?!"

David breathed in deeply, feeling the Sandevistan on his spine hum.

"A plan." He said, feeling the world crash to a halt. Smasher stared at him passively, frozen in the seconds between seconds. 

He had maybe a second of realtime before Smasher's own Sandevistan would activate, evening the playing field, but that was fine.

A second was all he needed.

He got to his feet, swaying slightly, a warm trickle under his nose told him he was bleeding yet again, no matter.
Reaching into the pocket of his yellow EMT jacket, David pulled out one of the things Jackie had handed him; a Tsunami brand EMP Grenade.

He threw with all his might, getting down on one knee and aiming his Lexington. He slowly exhaled, letting time speed up ever so slightly. The frozen raindrops began their lethargic descent, Smasher hummed too; speeding up to match David's pace.
"I told you, boy." Smasher said, voice almost mocking, almost. "That fucking toy doesn't make you special."

David let the seconds pass, one by one. All he needed was that one moment.

Smasher's grip tightened, David heard the chassis crunch. He fired a single shot at Smasher's head, the bullet pinged harmlessly off the giant's chrome skull.

"What about you?" David glared directly into the borg legend's red optics with suicidal confidence. "You think all your toys make you special?"

As Smasher began laughing, David adjusted his aim, in that time the EMP grenade had sailed directly past Smasher's head, David fired, reaching into his Jacket pocket and throwing out two more grenades as the world returned to normal speed.

Electricity crackled, arcing through the borg's entire body. 
Smasher groaned as his metal limbs seized, the car slipping through his grasp and screeching off.

"Fucking meat!" Smasher howled, "You've bought yourself seconds at best!"
He began to stand, systems finally rebooting, V, David and Jackie were still on the highway, it would be trivial for the borg legend to chase them down.
Then, the other two EMP grenades David had thrown exploded, right at Smasher's feet.

As the borg struggled to regain control of his body, V zoomed down a side ramp, getting off the highway and losing themselves in the familiar sprawl of Little China.

"Smasher, where are you?" The voice of Saburo Arasaka's former bodyguard, Takemura, crackled to life.

"Chasing your fucking assassins." Smasher growled. 

"Enough. Arasaka-Sama requests your presence."

Smasher growled, an electronic rumbling that grew in intensity. He slammed a mechanic hand on the road, asphalt pounding into dust under his mechanical limb.

"Fine." he said, "But tell Yorinobu, I found the boy he's looking for. He was helping the assassins escape."

David climbed back into the car. V howled in victory from the front seat.

"That's what I'm talkin' about!" the older man punched the air, whooping in elation. "Shit, David! We just went toe to toe with Adam fuckin' Smasher and lived!"

David opened his mouth to respond, to laugh. His voice died in his throat as Jackie groaned.

"Jackie!" David scrambled, inspecting the older man. "Hang on, we're almost at Viks!"

"Three minutes out!" V shouted from the drivers seat.

David grit his teeth. It didn't look like Jackie had three minutes left.

He pulled out another vial of synth-blood. He wasn't sure it would help, but he had to try.

"Chico..." Jackie groaned, "Listen..."

"Save your strength, Jackie!" David shouted, willing his hands to stop shaking long enough to administer the vial. "You can tell me what you want when we get to Vik's, yeah?"

"Chico... My mom..."

"You'll see your mom again, and Misty too! Gotta treat her right now you're in the major leagues, right?" David gave a shaky, false smile, blinking away the wetness in his eyes.

"Take... take care of my 'ma..." Jackie gripped the younger man's arm. David looked him in the eyes as he depressed the plunger, letting the synth-blood enter his system. "She... she can't lose another son..."

Lethargic tears began trickling from Jackie's eyes, the tired orbs gazed at nothing in particular.

"Jackie? Hey, Jackie! Keep looking at me, damn it!" David shouted, abandoning any attempt to deny the tears that now spilled freely from his eyes.
No, no, no! Not again!

"Jackie!!"

Chapter Text

Lucy and Kiwi turned into the  street where Misty's store was located, the neon alley was slightly quieter tonight, no doubt because of the traffic blockades that had pestered the pair on their travel from Westbrook to Watson.
As Kiwi parked the bike, they saw V driving away in Valerie's-particularly beat up looking- car. 

Lucy dashed past the store, practically leaping down the concrete steps. She scanned the room, looking for her lover.
He was sitting, shoulders slumped in a corner of the clinic, hands and face covered in blood.

"David!" her lover looked up at her voice, features soft with relief, he leapt up from his seat to embrace her.

"Hi" he breathed, his hug was awkward, no doubt in an attempt not to get her dirty. She didn't care, pulling him in close, she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Saw V driving off," Kiwi noted, she had followed leisurely behind Lucy, "But where are the two Solos you're friends with? Jackie and Valerie?"

David looked at Viktor, the man gave a sharp look back. The exchange took less than a second, still, Kiwi took note.
"Jackie... Didn't make it." Viktor sighed, David nodded, not meeting either woman's eyes.

"V went..." David took a deep breath, composing himself. "V went to tell Mama Welles. To... to bring Jackie home."

"Apparently Valerie went off to finish the job, meet Dexter DeShawn," Viktor said, wiping his hands on a rag. "Was the only way David could get the Jackster out of the cab, apparently."

Lucy looked David over, ensuring he wasn't injured, her hands gripped his face, holding it steady. She stared, other than Jackie's dried blood, David looked unharmed, tired, but unharmed.
She opened her mouth to say something, but it was at that moment Rebecca leapt into the room, pistol in hand. Falco strolled in after her.

"Where are the 'Saka bastards?!" Rebecca shouted, pointing her gun wildly, "I'll blast all of 'em!"

"We lost them on the highway, Becca." David said, smiling at the shortstack Solo's antics, "We're fine."

"Better than fine, Kid." Viktor smiled, "You went up against Adam Smasher and got away unharmed. Street punks'll be worshipping the ground you walk on, soon."

Falco and Kiwi shared a look, Rebecca spluttered in simultaneous outrage and amazement. 
Meanwhile, Lucy's blood ran cold.

"Adam Smasher...?" She asked, looking her lover in the eyes. David nodded back. 

"Yeah... He... he said his boss wanted something with me." he looked back knowingly. 
It had to be about Arasaka's plans for him and his cyberware tolerance. Lucy swallowed nervously. 

"David..." she took a shaky breath. "I gotta... I gotta..."
I have to dive, see if your name comes up in Arasaka comms.

David nodded, understanding.
"I know." he smiled tiredly, placing a hand on her cheek, "I'll see you at home?"

Lucy gave him a quick peck before turning to leave.

"I'll drive you." Falco said solemnly. 
The older man wasn't as clued in to the current goings on as Kiwi or Rebecca, however he knew that a friend needed a ride, and that was something he could help with.

Kiwi watched the two leave the clinic as Viktor quietly informed Rebecca of current events, once she was sure the pair were out of earshot, she glared at David.

"You need to be more careful." she said bluntly, folding her arms over her chest.

"I know." David said, solemnly.

"It's not fair for you to keep doing this to Lucy."

"I know!" David glared back, clenching his fists.

Rebecca shot the older netrunner a dirty look.
"Kiwi, lay off." she warned, "He just lost a friend today, he's upset, grieving."

Kiwi looked at the young man. 
He didn't look upset, he had never looked upset from the moment they had entered the clinic.
Tired, maybe. But not upset.
Hiding something? Kiwi wondered, she certainly hadn't imagined the look he had given Viktor, and she couldn't imagine Lucy had missed it either, as clouded as her judgment was when it came to her Input.

Banishing the thoughts from her mind, she looked at the man in front of her.
Her gaze softened somewhat.
"She cares about you a lot." she stated, "More than I've ever seen her care for anyone else."

David's hands unclenched, he looked puzzled at the change in approach.

"I know the type of person you are. You're that rare breed of insanely selfless person that this city likes to chew up and leave bleeding out in a secluded alley." Kiwi said, "Lucy... would probably let herself die before she let anything happen to you, too."

"Kiwi, where are you going with this?" David asked, grimacing at the thought.

"I'm saying," Kiwi sighed, "Be selfish for once. Do something for Lucy and yourself, just you two."

David's eyebrows furrowed, in thought. Kiwi met his eyes.

"I know you know what I mean."

David smiled softly,
"Yeah." he said, "Thanks, Kiwi."

"Don't thank me," the woman said, she would have smirked if she had a mouth, "I'm doin' this for Luce."

Lucy climbed out of the ice bath, disconnecting the wires from her deep dive port.
Normally she would have felt naked, vulnerable at having the high tech netrunning gear displayed without it's shroud of RealSkinn covering it up. Right now she was preoccupied.

She took in a shaky breath. 
David's name buzzed along Arasaka's comm channels. She dared not intrude on the net to try and discover what exactly they were saying, but the mere fact that the megacorp was aware once more of her lover's existence, the mere possibility that they had once again rediscovered his resilience to cyberware.

It terrified her.

She dried herself off, entering the main room of her shared apartment and looking around.
It was nearing dawn, the sun creeping above the horizon.

She almost thought David hadn't arrived at the apartment yet, but something caught her eye.
Something was missing from one of their side tables, something that had been sitting and collecting dust for months.

Maine's Arm was gone.

Chapter Text

David sighed, feeling light, despite recent events.
He sent Lucy a message, a location as well as an invitation to meet up. Sighing, he turned his thoughts to the most recent event.

He had gotten a call from Misty, apparently an - apparently former- Arasaka bodyguard had dragged himself and Valerie into Viktor's clinic. 
Viktor had done what he could, especially with Misty's assistance but...

Valerie is dying. 
Misty had said shakily over the phone, she had already told V and Rebecca. 

He sat himself down on the concrete steps, feeling the sun wash over him and lighting up North Oak around him.
I want to be selfish... but...

He sighed, he would have to leave that in Lucy's hands.

Kiwi rolled her head across the rim of her ice bath, smoking a cigarette lazily. 
She was sure her former student was doing some diving herself, trying to figure out how badly her Input needed protecting.

Kiwi was sure that she didn't want to get to close to the corporation, though. She would be flying blind, jumping to conclusions without knowing the full story. Kiwi on the other hand had no hangups or  baggage with Arasaka.

The corporation knew about David, that much was true, but it entirely boiled down to a background check, criminal records.
No mention of his cyberware tolerance or that prototype Cyberware that Lucy had told the crew about.

The things I do for these gonks. Kiwi thought, chuckling softly. Kiwi, what happened to you? You used to be such a loner.

Her thoughts were interrupted when a call came through, a name she recognized.

"Bug! You alive, girl? Heard that job got all kinds of messy." 

"Yeah, V managed to disconnect me from their subnet before they zeroed me, hauled myself to a ripper and cleaned out whatever Daemons those corpo fucks put in me." T-Bug said, "Still, I got bills to pay now and the doc had to pull out my cyberdeck to clean it. So I guess I'm grounded for a bit."

Lucy found David where he said he'd be, at the steps of the North Oak Columbarium. Her lover perked up when he saw her, smiling brightly.

"Hey, Lucy!" he grinned.

She stormed up to him, eyes sharp.
"Show me your hands." she demanded, David's smile faltered, his features shifting to look at her, puzzled.

"Wha-"

"Show me your hands!" she gripped him by the collar of his coat, David raised both of his hands, the sleeves falling back slightly to reveal... 
Organic limbs, the black ejection port of his Monowires notwithstanding. 

Lucy breathed a sigh of relief, letting go of his jacket and bringing him into a tight hug.
"Saw Maine's arm was gone." She whispered, "Thought you went off to get it chipped."

"Wouldn't do that." David smiled, "Made you a promise."

"So then why..." Lucy's words trailed off as David took her hand, pressing a kiss to her palm.
Damn it, he's too good at distracting me like this...

"There's something I wanted to show you." he smiled, warmly.

So she let him lead her, through the towering concrete and metal pillars, to a secluded corner of the Columbarium.

Lucy gasped when she saw what David was leading her towards. Three memorials blinked to life.

Maine, 
Edgerunner, Mentor, Legend.

Dorio, 
Gentle Guardian.

Gloria Martinez,
I'll never stop aiming for the top, I promise.

"This is why I took Maine's arm." David said, smiling softly, "And mom's ashes."

Lucy frowned, she hadn't noticed that, though she supposed she had jumped to the worst case scenario immediately.
She looked at the size of the nook, frowning again.
"Doesn't look big enough for his arm." she noted.

"Yeah, figured that out when I got here." David said, scratching his head, embarrassed. "Settled on putting the Lexington he gave me in there instead."

Lucy smiled softly at her lover's antics.
"So what'd you do with his arm?" she asked, David looked at her, momentarily startled.

"Oh... I gave it up." he said, "V told me there was an Aldecaldo who needed it so I gave it to him."

Lucy took his other hand,
"You okay with doing that?" she asked, looking him in the eyes.

"Yeah." he smiled, eyes shining, "I think he would have wanted it to save someone's life."

The stood in this corner, shaded from the Sun. David looked into her eyes deeply before he spoke again.

"Did you hear about Valerie?" he asked, Lucy nodded somberly.

"Lucy..." David's grip tightened, he squeezed her hands, "I... I want to run away with you."

Her breath hitched in her throat, her cheeks felt warm.

"Anywhere you want to go, we'll sell all our stuff here and we'll go." David's gaze was unwavering, "We can even go to the moon if you want, but..."

She knew what he was trying to tell her.
But I want to help Valerie first, even if it means we butt heads with 'Saka again.

His gaze conveyed another message, a conflicting one.
He's giving you an out. Lucy realized. He's saying "Tell me the words, and I'll drop everything now and leave with you."

She trembled. 
In any other time, she would have jumped at the opportunity, the lifeline of David choosing himself to leave this life behind.

Her gaze shifted to the memorials. Gloria, Maine and Dorio.
She knew, this was her second chance to make things right, just as much as it was David's chance to save someone.

"Yeah." she smiled at David, "We need to save Valerie first."

Chapter Text

Rebecca tapped her foot as she waited for V to arrive.
She could only imagine the kinds of things going through the former-nomads head at the prospect of losing his sister.

'Least with Pilar that gonk didn't even give me the chance of considering it. she mused unhappily.

Still, she hoped the lead she was chasing would be enough to at least give him some hope.

She had fallen asleep early one uneventful evening. Lucy and David were off doing who knows what, she didn't feel like running with the hag and Falco, and V was unavailable again, no doubt worried that this was the third day in a row his sister hadn't woken from her coma.
When she woke, she did so to seven missed calls and one message.

Call me - J Alvarez

Dialing the number, she had greeted the Mox she had befriended that one night.

"Listen... I don't know who to turn to... Think just about everyone who was involved with the heist is dead or laying low." the Mox woman had said, "But Evelyn hasn't been answering my calls, I thought it was because she was lying low but... I got a bad feeling, Rebecca."

She had offered to check in on the woman pro-bono, Judy had insisted on repaying her somehow.
Rebecca felt guilt at using the woman like this but she; along with Viktor, had given her an idea.
Viktor had told her -Well, he had told the entire crew- that the thing killing Valerie was what she had been hired to steal, a piece of cutting edge technology called the Relic.
Evelyn was, to Rebecca's knowledge, the client for the heist. So either she or the people she represented would have some knowledge of the device, and possibly a way to save Valerie's life.

If that's what it took to help V as well as Valerie, Rebecca would do so.

Rebecca grimaced as her thoughts drifted back to the man. 
She wondered how David had broken down Lucy's walls. She certainly could have used the advice dealing with V, no doubt that losing Jackie and potentially losing his sister weighed heavily on his mind, causing the reserved-if-kind former nomad to become brooding.

"Yo, Rebecca!" she turned to face the source of the noise.

V sat, waiting in his car, a tuned up Mizutani Shion. Despite her expectations, he grinned cheekily at her.

"You wanted to go for a ride, right?" he smiled, "Let's roll!"

Rebecca stared at V, trying to parse her expectations with the grinning loon she was sitting in the passenger seat with.

She expected V to look miserable, or perhaps angry.
This was... unexpected, to say the least.

"So... what's new in the world of V?" she said cautiously.

"Been runnin' some jobs for the Aldecaldos." he said chuckling, "Got some accounts I needed settling."

"I dunno, V." she said, smiling a little despite herself. "If you needed the scratch Wakako's been hounding my ass with jobs she wants done. Guess David's turned off his phone."

V threw his head back and laughed, despite this he somehow avoided crashing into the sidewalk.
"Don't mean eddies." he said, refusing to explain further.

Rebecca fidgeted a bit, trying to find the right way to phrase what came next.

"I think I know how we can help Valerie." she said, finally. 

Something flickered in V's eyes, despite his smile it looked like... pain?
"What?" he said, voice oddly subdued.

"The client you were kleppin' the Relic for." Rebecca said, "Her friend called me up, sayin' she wasn't answering her phone. Told me where to find her."

V listened closely, hands tightening on the steering wheel.

"Some club called Clouds. Tyger Claws turf."

Wordlessly, V yanked on the steering wheel, Rebecca lurched to one side as the former nomad pulled a sharp U-Turn and shot off.

"Becca." he said, features pulled into an intense glare, eyes trained on the road. "Promise I'll take you somewhere fun later, but can I trust you to have my back when I bust into the club?"

Rebecca swallowed nervously, 
Damn. She thought. V's kinda hot when he gets serious.
Quashing her nerves, she grinned confidently,
"Sign me up, choomba." 

David hummed, walking distractedly through the streets of Heywood. 
He had time to kill before he met up with Lucy for dinner. His lover would collect their bike from the repair shop and pick him up immediately after.

He rolled his shoulders, yawning.
Man, he thought. I'd kill for somethin' to do right now.

His prayers were answered by a call from Heywood's local fixer, Sebastian 'Padre' Ibarra. 

"My child," Padre greeted with a fond smile, " I have a gig for you." 

"Nova." David grinned, "Had some time to kill, anyway." 

"I need you to recover a car. Currently it is in the possession of 6th Street. I will send you an attachment with more details."

David read the job details with a confident grin.

Pretty sure I can do this without even firing a shot. He mused, breaking into a brisk jog. 

Rebecca and V sat crouched on a balcony just below Clouds. 
The netrunner had broken into the club's subnet, trawling through messages and security feeds.

"Well?" Rebecca whispered, though she wasn't sure why, there was nobody around.

"Don't see anything yet," V said, optics still glowing. "Wait..."

His face fell, features twisting into a scowl.
"Found Evelyn." he breathed, "She's in an office... She doesn't look alright." 

The glow in his eyes faded, V stood, pulling a Yukimura pistol out.
"Let's go."

Rebecca grabbed V's free hand, yanking the former nomad back down.

"Hey... V..." she said, eyes furrowed in concern. "You sure you're up for this?'

V stared back, confused,
"Why wouldn't I be?"

"I dunno, just figured you'd be upset at... Current events..." Rebecca chose her words carefully, "But you were smiling and laughing before you suddenly got all moody." 

"Becca I..." V grimaced, "Family's everything to me. Valerie... used to be I couldn't get a word in edgewise when she was around. She laughed loud, talked loud and fought loud. Her and Jackie both."

Rebecca watched as V began to tremble, breathing growing ragged.

"And... now I might be alone..." V blinked away tears, unsuccessfully, "I don't want things to be quiet, Becca... So I... I tried being the one to laugh loud instead..."

Rebecca breathed in deeply, calming her nerves. 
Fuck it. She decided firmly, Ride or die.

She lunged forward, pressing her lips to V's own.
The former nomad breathed in suddenly, surprised. After a moment, he softened, letting Rebecca in.

"I get it." Rebecca smiled sadly as they broke apart, wiping away his tears. "I do. And I promise I'll help you save your sister, but I need your head in the game, alright?"

V nodded, pulling her into a tight hug with an honest smile.
"Thanks, Becca." he whispered.

Rebecca squeezed back, ignoring the odd feeling that gnawed at her heart.

Chapter Text

David dropped into the garage silently. He let the synaptic accelerator slow things down just a touch, scanning his environment.
One guard, two techies. All lightly armed. 

He grinned.
Too easy.

He crept towards the guard, the man played idly with his Ajax rifle, sniffing as he shifted on the spot.
David clamped his hand over the man's mouth, foot shooting out to kick out the guard's knee. With his spare hand he caught the rifle deftly.

Don't show off, Martinez. A voice inside him said, it would be rolling its eyes if it wasn't a disembodied voice. Nobody would even be around to see it.

I can show off a little bit, he argued back. These gonks aren't even a challenge.

He spun, throwing the rifle at one of the techies, back still turned to him. At the same time, he gripped the guard with both hands and heaved.
The rifle landed with a thunk. David threw the guard over his hip, slamming him into the ground.
The old David Martinez couldn't have thrown a man like that. He didn't have the muscle mass to.
This new David Martinez however had spent months upon months sparring with Valerie and Jackie, getting his ass kicked and beaten into shape. There was no way he could compete with a member of the Animals in terms of muscle mass, but he had packed on a decent amount himself.

Immediately he moved again, darting to the two techies.
He grabbed the one he had struck with the rifle, grasping his arm and collar, he threw the man at his colleague.
The pair went down in a tumble, David struck with his fist, knocking out one of the men. Hearing the other groan, he spun slamming his heel into the other man.

Dusting himself off, he grinned.

Three gonks in the garage. He noted with a grin, mentally patting himself on the back. Three gonks taken out, and without a single shot fired.

He spotted a laptop perched on some rusty oil drums, next to the car that Padre had specified in the gig attachment. 
Tapping away, he found the program they had used to bypass the need for a key. With another tap, the car beeped, giving him unrestricted access.

Nova. He grinned.

"Becca, you in position?" V asked, waiting outside the door of Clouds.

"Yep." Rebecca's voice chirped back. "You gonna go for the office right away or you gonna spend some time with whatever doll they assign you?" 

V chuckled, 
"Nah, I'll unlock the balcony and pick you up, then go for the office."

"Good answer." Rebecca said, her tone of voice indicated she was smiling.

"After all, I gave you all my guns." he added, smirking.

"You cheeky little-" Rebecca sputtered with outrage.

"Alright I'm heading in now, call you when I'm close!" V said, interrupting the shortstack Solo.

He waved, letting the door hiss open. With a smile, V entered Clouds, smiling to himself at how lucky he was that Rebecca had his back.

...

Assuming she didn't kill him for his little joke.

David drove the car into the garage that Padre had marked, he breathed a sigh of relief.
He was getting better at driving, slowly. He still would leave driving on gigs entirely up to Falco or V or... anyone that wasn't named 'David Martinez'. But he had managed to drive from the warehouse to this garage without incident.

"My baby!" a man shouted, arms raised. "And without a scratch!"

David exited the vehicle, closing the door behind him.
"You're in luck, choom." He said with a smile, "Padre hired the best this time."

"Man! I owe you big time!" the man said with a smile. "This baby is my life's work! I don't have any money to give you but..."

"It's fine." David grinned, "You hired me through a fixer, that means he's got my money."

"No, No!" the man said, looking him in the eyes. "You got my baby back in pristine condition. That means you've got to be a connoisseur like me, right? I got just the thing!"

David stared at the man in bemusement. Watching him rummage through a bag.

"Here!" the man said, slapping an electronic key into his hand. "In a garage two units down from here, I didn't give it the old Jake special like I did with my baby here but I promise you choom, that shit's in fuckin' nova condition!"

"Thanks..." David said, chuckling at the man's enthusiasm.

David parted ways, feeling distinctly like the client had more than a few screws loose.
He walked slowly, looking for the garage in question. As he walked, a call came up on his vision.

"Kiwi, what's up?" he asked, gripping the door of the garage that had been specified to him.

"You free?" the older netrunner asked. 

"Will be in a bit," David grunted as he lifted the rusted garage door. "Why, did something happen?" 

Kiwi sighed,
"No but... Got a fixer who wants to meet, offer you a job. Remember Faraday?"

"I remember he was the one that put us on the Tanaka job." David grunted, the door was halfway open now, "Also remember him being a creepy gonk at the Afterlife."

"Yeah, that tracks." Kiwi sighed, "Still, the pay's nova, and he requested you specifically. Up to you if you wanted to meet him though."

"I'll do it." David said, "Not a good look to blow off a fixer, even if he's a gonk."

Anything else he was about to say died in his throat when he saw what was waiting for him in the garage.

"Where should I meet you? Afterlife?" he said, wanting to end the call so he could shout without alarming the woman.

"Yeah, it's where he'll be anyway."

Kiwi disconnected the call and David shouted. 
"A fuckin' V-Tech!?"

David wasn't what was considered a 'car guy'. But he had dreamed about one day owning the sleek vehicle when he had seen it on a scream sheet, one of the posterboys of Quadra's line, despite it's issues.

He looked around, making sure he wasn't getting a prank pulled on him.
Satisfied, he turned his attention back to the vehicle. He used the key, sliding into the drivers seat of the sports car.
He ran a trembling hand over the steering wheel, breathing in the smell of the car.

Suddenly, a realization dawned on him.

"Ah hell." he said to himself, "Now I've got no excuse not to drive."

Rebecca waited by the door as V ensured the security on the level they were on was down.
She shifted anxiously, on the other side of the door was Evelyn, and from how V acted, she was in a bad way. She wanted nothing more than to kick down the door and blast any gonks that were inside.
Part of her knew V's method was the correct one, though. The cleaner this job is, the safer it would be for them to get Evelyn out.

"Hey!" a voice she didn't recognize called out, "You're not supposed to be back here!"

"Oh, I'm sorry!" she turned with a smile, turning on that ditzy charm that usually worked to eleven. "Guess I got a little lost looking for the bathroom!"

"Then let me escort you out." the towering Tyger grabbed her upper arm, yanking her roughly.
Suddenly, a long blade emerged from his forehead, blood dripping down the wound it created.

"Hands off, Tyger." V growled, retracting his Mantis Blade, he shook he arm, trying to remove some of the blood.

"Didn't need to do that." Rebecca said.

V spat at the corpse of the Tyger. 
"He was rough with you." he said. "Besides, I get antsy when I jack out of subnets. I was just lettin' off some steam."

Rebecca blushed, a heat pooling in her.
"Damn, V." she said, grinning "Anyone ever tell you that you're kinda hot when you're pissed?" 

A completely blank look took over V's face.
"No..." he said, voice surprised. "Is that a thing people say?" 

Rebecca couldn't hold it in, she burst out laughing.
"You're lucky you're cute." she said, wiping a tear from her eye. "But it's time to focus. We all good to go in?" 

V nodded, 
"Surveilance is down, any other guards in the area are zeroed. Nobody'll hear us if we go loud from now." he said, eyes darkening. 
Rebecca grinned, pulling out two submachine guns she had liberated from fallen guards.

"Let's go get Evelyn." she said, a wicked smile coming across her face.

Chapter Text

David parked his new Quadra haphazardly outside the Afterlife. Kiwi arched an eyebrow as he locked the vehicle.

"Who'd you steal that from?" she asked dryly. David chuckled.

"You probably won't believe me but I took a job and the guy gave it to me as a bonus."

Kiwi chuckled as well, 
"No, I believe you. Sounds like the kind of crazy luck that happens to people like you."

The two descended the steps into the club, the bustling noise of music and rowdy mercenaries assaulted their ears.
"Over there." Kiwi pointed, the fixer known as 'Faraday' was waiting for them at the same table he was last time.

"Mr Martinez." he smiled, "A pleasure."

Rebecca kicked down the door to the office, hoisting her guns.
"Surprise!" she shouted as V darted into the room, pistol at the ready.

Evelyn was in a chair, sitting limp, a large bald man was stroking her hair.
It almost looked affectionate if it wasn't for Evelyn's state of, presumably unwilling, undress.

V lunged forward, he shoved a booted foot into the man, heaving with all his might.
He wasn't a bruiser like Jackie was, or Valerie. Hell, even David could probably compete better with the bald man pound for pound, but his kick was enough to cause the man to stumble backwards, off balance.
"What the fu-"

As he placed himself between the man and Evelyn, Rebecca lunged forward. She swung one of her guns, striking the bald man in the crotch. He collapsed with a groan.

V shrugged off his syn-leather longcoat, pistol trained on the bald man all the while. He placed the removed jacket on Evelyn, covering her. She didn't react.

"Woah wait, wait!" the bald man shouted, scrambling back as Rebecca marched towards him, guns at the ready. "Who are you people?! What are you doin' in my office!"

"Shut it!" Rebecca fired a shot at the ground next to the man, "We'll ask the questions here, bitch boy!"

"What did you do to Evelyn?" V hissed, glancing back at the woman again. There was minor bruising on her face, nothing that would leave her unresponsive.

"Parker?" the man gulped, "Shit, I don't know. There was a netrunner attack, fried her behavioral chip! I was gonna sell her off if I couldn't help her!"

"Sell her to who?" Rebecca glared, gritting her teeth. The man said nothing, eyeing the shortstack woman and her guns nervously.

V blinked, pulling up all the files he could from the man and his subnet.
"A Ripperdoc in Jig Jig Street, calls himself Fingers." V said, watching as the bald man's eyes widened in fear, "There's a transcript here, an agreement between Fingers and Woodman- I assume that's you.- You were going to sell Evelyn to him once you had your way with her. That about cover it or should I do more digging?"

Woodman looked at V, eyes quickly darting to the door behind them.

"If you're waiting for your guards, they're all dead." V said softly, "Nobody around except you and us."

"V," Rebecca ground out, "Take Evelyn, get her to your car. I'm gonna have a little talk with our buddy Woodman." 

V quirked an eyebrow, 
"You got it handled?" he asked.

Rebecca smiled, it wasn't the type of smile he usually liked to see on the Solo's face. Carefree or kind, this one was sadistic, like a hunter sizing up his prey.
"Yeah, this gonk ain't a problem."

David hummed, eyes narrowing as Faraday explained the job he had planned out.
Well... 'explained' was generous.

Every question he had was dismissed, every concerned laid aside with the excuse of "In due time".

When Faraday mentioned that the job would require a second netrunner, the hairs on the back of David's neck stood up.
From what little he knew about the job, the job in no way required a second netrunner. It was supposed to be a convoy raid, guns and drivers were more of a requirement over netrunners.
In fact, when he thought about it,  a netrunner would only be necessary for the final step of the job, stealing a piece of prototype cyberware.
He brought along two because that was simply who was in his crew, so why was Faraday so insistent that David involve Lucy in this?

"Well?" the fixer asked, all four eyes gazing at him, smugly. "It's quite a quick and easy job, is it not?"

David grimaced, Kiwi was right. The payout was indeed beyond anything he had ever imagined. The job could pay their way to the Moon, where they could coast off of their savings and whatever their belongings could fetch them for at least a few years, perhaps a few decades.

But...

"Sorry," David said, firmly. "Think you're better off finding a different merc for this."

Kiwi quirked an eyebrow, but said nothing.

"I would advise you to reconsider, Mr Martinez." Faraday said, eyeing him with an emotion David couldn't decipher. "Opportunities like this do not come around lightly."

"Don't need it." David sighed, standing up. "Thanks for requestin' me but... this entire job stinks." 

"That is... most disappointing." Faraday said, "I will be here if you reconsider, Mr Martinez, though we may need to renegotiate your payment should you do so."

"Whatever," David sighed, rolling his shoulders as he walked away, hands in his jacket pockets. "Like I give a shit."

Kiwi watched David walk away.
Clever. She thought, Or just stupidly lucky.

"No matter." Faraday said, seemingly to himself. "There are other ways for me to fulfil the terms of my employers. Have you reconsidered my proposal, Kiwi?"

Kiwi scoffed, 
"Yeah, because you're soooo trustworthy." she glared at the smarmy fixer, "Go fuck yourself."

She walked off as well, sighing.

The job would have paid well, enough for her to skip town and kick her feet up. But...
She couldn't do that to Lucy.
Not when the younger woman placed her faith in her no matter how hard Kiwi tried to dissuade her of that notion. 
And especially not when she had stuck around with the crew, keeping David focused and calm.

Kiwi still wasn't the sentimental type, but she wasn't prepared to let go of this crew just yet.

Chapter Text

By the time David had gotten back to his new car, it was almost time for him to meet Lucy.
Sending her a quick text of "Change of plans, I'll meet you there". He drove off to meet his lover at Japantown.

He hummed along to a SAMURAI song on the radio, cautious of every corner and turn. 
He yelped as he swerved to avoid crashing into a traffic light, he switched off the radio.
Okay... still not an amazing driver. he said, sighing, Just not completely awful.

When he arrived, Lucy was leaning on their newly repaired Kusanagi bike, waiting for him. She quirked an eyebrow as she saw him exiting the car.

"Who'd you klep that off of?" she asked, bemused. David threw his hands up in the air in exasperation.

"Why's everyone keep sayin' that for?!" he rolled his eyes, "Guy I took a job for gave it to me!"

Lucy laughed, it was a nice, lilting laugh. The kind he had only heard from her once before, when they had gone to the Moon through her BD.

"Alright, alright." she smiled, "Still, you confident you can drive that? I can barely trust you with the bike some days."

David grimaced, 
"I'll... get better?" he said, lamely. Lucy burst out into that same laugh yet again.

Despite his embarrassment, David joined in.

Valerie opened her eyes, groggily, there was a pounding in her head that wouldn't go away.

"Fuck..." she croaked, raising a hand to cover her eyes from the blinding lights. "Am I... dead...?"

She looked around, it looked like she was in Viktor's clinic, though she couldn't see the ripperdoc himself.
At his desk, his monitor was playing the N54 news, Valerie couldn't make out some of the words but it sounded like the manager of a club called 'Clouds' had been found murdered in his office, witnesses claiming that a short Mox member had been seen in the area.  Another report linked a person matching that description to an arson case involving a ripperdoc named Finn Gerstatt. 

"I'll do what I can, but behavioral chips are complex and delicate." she heard Viktor's voice increasing in volume.

"I know, I really 'precciate you doing this." the other voice was unexpected. Judy?

"Nah, ain't nothing." Viktor's voice was warm, "It's what I do."

Valerie tried to turn to face the voices, all she managed to do was flop in place.

"Val!" Vik's voice was surprised, "You're up!"

The ripperdoc walked into her vision, placing down a woman onto a spare chair.
Evelyn? The fuck's going on?

"How're you holdin' up, champ?" he said as he moved to inspect her, checking her over for any tremors or issues. 

"Where..." her mind struggled to catch up with her, with everything that had happened.

"Where's Jackie?"

V sighed, landing on his couch with a slump, he groaned as he stretched out. A bottle entered his vision, offered to him by his guest.
"Long day?" Rebecca asked with a smirk, a bottle of Broseph's Ale in each hand.

"You should know." he grinned, accepting the drink. "You were there."

V took a swig of the drink, sighing as the chilled beverage hit his tongue. 
They had taken Evelyn to Judy's workplace, only for the leader of the Mox, a woman named Suzie, to refuse them entry while Evelyn was with them.

Judy had nearly assaulted Suzie then and there, with Rebecca being willing to assist. Thankfully, the situation was resolved somewhat amicably, and the bouncer gave them her sympathies when they left.

"Damn shame what happened to Evelyn." she said, shifting her weight to her other foot. "Evelyn never really suited the Mox but... Guess the Mox ain't what it used to be either."

"Yeah, I'm startin' to see that" Rebecca spat bitterly, "Protectors of the oppressed my ass."

The woman laughed, shaking her head in amusement,
"Guess so. I'm Rita by the way." she said, grinning, "Heard some of the girls talking that you sent Woodman to meet the reaper today."

V chuckled to himself at the memory.
It seemed that despite her issues with the gang, Rebecca was beginning to build herself a little fan-club among certain Mox members, no doubt it would only grow once word spread that she had immediately left Lizzies to throw Incendiary Grenades at Finn Gerstatt's clinic, once V tripped the alarm and ensured there were no innocents inside.

"What's got you smilin' like that, choom?" Rebecca asked, sitting down beside him.

V quirked an eyebrow, 
"Gee, I wonder." he grinned, leaning back and sighing contentedly as he felt Rebecca lean into him.

Lucy watched David poke at his food absentmindedly. 
This had become something of a special event for them. Shopping and picking up takeaway in Japantown and spending the night under the stars.

David stared intently at a piece of synthetic meat he had skewered with his fork, Lucy smirked.
Leaning in while he was distracted, she took a bite out of his food.

"H-hey!" David protested, snapping back to reality.

Lucy opened her mouth to gloat. Then her eyes widened.
Spicy!

She scrambled for the soda she had bought for herself, taking a gulp of the refreshing beverage. David watched this happen, trying and failing to hide his laughter.

She glared at her lover, cheeks pink from both embarrassment and the heat.
"How do you eat that without burning off your tongue??"

David wiped a tear from his eye,
"Dunno," he grinned, "Built different, I guess."

Lucy groaned, rolling her eyes.

They sat in silence for a while, Lucy fidgeted, unsure if she should ask what was on David's mind.

She opened her mouth to speak, David was a heartbeat faster.
"Luce..." he said, leaning back to look at the Moon. "The Moon BD... How come we haven't done it again?"

Lucy grimaced. That was a question with many answers.
The easiest answer was that her dream had changed, it was no longer to leave everything on this world behind and seek solace on the Moon, it was to live a quiet life with David.
The slightly romantic answer was that she had her Moon right there with her, so she didn't need to revisit it.
The true answer was more complex. One that she wasn't sure she could tell David.

She had tried to play that BD several times, in the weeks after David's first encounter with Maine and the rest of the crew. It had never felt the same without him there with her. She had considered playing it with David, once they had become intimate, however she couldn't get past the first thought without being crushed by the guilt. 
Sure, Lucy. Bring your Input back to the BD you played for him to keep him busy while your boss came over to beat the shit out of him. Real classy.
Part of her knew that wasn't true. She could have stalled any other way, but something within her wanted to share her earnest dream with this lost soul. Still, another part of refused to forgive herself, convinced that David still held onto some resentment over her initial deception.

"It's nothing." she said softly, smiling at David. "Just... been busy, I guess."

One day... she promised silently, One day, I'll tell you.

Chapter Text

Rebecca woke, groggy, she groaned as the sunlight assaulted her eyes.
Fuck... she thought to herself, How much did I drink last night?

As the fog in her mind slowly cleared, she blinked.

This wasn't her bed.

This wasn't her apartment.

And who was that she was laying in bed with?

She bolted upright, blanket sliding off her to reveal the sleeping form of V.

Her eyes widened, 
Oh shit.
That same strange feeling from back at Clouds returned to her, an odd pang that drummed at her heart.

V stirred, cracking open one eye to look at her,
"Hey." he smiled sleepily.

"Hi." she smiled back, quashing that feeling yet again.
Still, it had left her with a question. One that she would need to ask David and Lucy at some point.

Lucy walked in to Viktor's clinic, David followed behind holding a small bag.

"Hey there, you two." Viktor greeted, he was sitting by his patient chair. "Got a patient today, might take a long while. Not sure if I can do any cutting today."

David shook his head.
"V sent us a message, told us he found the client in rough shape." he shook the bag slightly, "Figured she could do with a little pick me up. You too, Vik."

Viktor hummed, taking the bag from David and setting it on his desk.
"Might have been too hasty with that purchase." Viktor said softly, "Don't think she's gonna flatline but... Behavioral chip was fried, if she comes to- and that's a big if- there's a good chance she won't be the same."

Lucy's brows were furrowed, contemplative.
"V said it was a netrunner attack." she murmured, "What could have been so important that a 'runner would target a Doll?"

Viktor sighed, 
"How much did Misty tell you?" Viktor said, "About what's happening to Valerie?"

David shrugged.
"Told us she was dyin' slowly but..." he ran a hand through his spiked hair, "No details."

Viktor sat down in his chair, folding his hands together.
"That's half of it..." he muttered, "Johnny Silverhand, know who he is?"

"Yeah." David said, plainly. It didn't feel right for him to talk about how the rockerboy had been a childhood hero, how his mother had raised him on a diet of Kerry Eurodyne and SAMURAI.

"Official story is he died around 50 years ago." Viktor grimaced, "During a raid on Arasaka Tower. Turns out that might not be the case. Looks like the corp saved his consciousness as a personality construct."

"Soulkiller." Lucy said, her face was serious. Viktor nodded.

"Maybe." the ripperdoc said, "And it was stored on the shard that they were hired to steal. The Relic."

David placed a hand on his chin, where had he heard that name before?

"It's an experimental piece of Arasaka Tech," Viktor explained, seeing David in thought. "Meant to be the 'secret of immortality.'. From what I gather, what it actually does is take a brain dead body and upload the personality construct to it."

David felt the hairs on his arm stand up.
"So when that 'Saka suit brought Valerie in..." 

Viktor nodded solemnly.
"The Relic was already workin' to upload Silverhand to her body." he said, "I managed to bring her back but... It's like a cancer, it's slowly gonna kill her."

Lucy grimaced,
"Does V know?" 

Viktor nodded again,
"Kid asked me for the specifics, so I told him."

David was silent for a bit, 
"There's got to be something we can do." he said firmly, "Vik, is there anything we can do to help you with Evelyn?"

Viktor shook his head,
"I've done what I can, she needs to come to consciousness before I can try anything else." the ripperdoc said, "Why? What's so important about her?"

"She has to be working for someone." David said, his jaw set in determination, "They have to know something about this Relic."

"What makes you think she's working for someone?" Lucy placed a hand on his arm.

David hummed.
"Just a hunch," he admitted, "But the way Jackie and Valerie were talking about this job, it'd be a hell of a score. Don't think Evelyn's got that kind of scratch just stashed somewhere."

Lucy nodded, that made sense, suddenly, a text entered her vision.
"Oh. Just got a message from Valerie, she wants us to come over." she said.

"Give her my best wishes." Viktor said, "Oh and David!"

David turned once more to look at the ripperdoc.

"You heard back from that Aldecaldo?"  Viktor said cautiously, eye darting to look at Lucy.

David shook his head,
"I'll ask V about it today." he said, Viktor nodded.

Lucy's eyed narrowed slightly.
What were David and Viktor hiding?

They made the short walk to Valerie's megabuilding in relative silence.
As the elevator dinged, doors opening, Lucy caught David's hand stopping him just outside the gun store.

"Hey." she said, "What's going on?"

David looked at her, eyes wide.
"Wha-"

"Don't play dumb." she sighed, "What's going on with you and Viktor? This happened before as well. Don't shut me out."

David grimaced, shifting in place.
"I want to tell you." he said softly.

"So tell me." she placed a hand on his cheek, smiling, feeling relieved that he at least knew that he should tell her.

"I... I can't." David stammered, "But I really do want to tell you, it's just really important that nobody else knows yet."

Lucy's mind was racing, what could possibly be this important that David felt the need to keep it from her of all people?
She sighed, letting the world pass her by, the sharp pinging of bullet striking the metal targets blended with a man training with a sparring dummy behind David.

"Alright, David." she smiled, "Just promise you'll tell me when you're able to?"

David smiled back,
"I promise."

Chapter Text

"Yo, Lucy! David!" V waved at them as the approached to knock on Valerie's door. 

The former nomad approached, Rebecca at his side.
They're holding hands. David noted. But something's off with Becca...

"You guys got the text too?" David asked, V nodded.

"I'm just glad to see she's up and about." the older man said with a smile. 

"How're things with our... Aldecaldo friend?" David asked, V winked at him.

"Saul gave me a call, said he woke up today." 

Rebecca gave Lucy a quizzical look, the netrunner merely shrugged.
"You all ready to go in?" Rebecca asked, hand on Valerie's door.

"Yeah, let's go." V nodded.

"Knock knock!" Rebecca declared loudly as the door hissed open. "Valerie! Your chooms are here!"
Nobody answered, the sound of the shower running echoed through the messy apartment.
"You better not be naked in here!" Rebecca called out, walking in.

The others filed in after her, stepping over empty bottles of beer and discarded wrappers.
They found Valerie sitting motionless in the shower, another bottle of beer in one hand and a damp cigarette in the other.

"Valerie?" Lucy asked, "What are you-"

V placed a hand on her shoulder, silencing her.
"That's not Valerie." he said, glaring. 

David blinked, it sure looked like Valerie...

"Perceptive." Valerie rasped, sluggishly getting to her feet.

Lucy's eyes narrowed as Valerie turned to look at her. She was beginning to understand what V meant. 
There was a difference to the way this Valerie carried herself, like she was the hero of the story and everyone else was worth less than dirt. The way she stared at her with almost disgust.

"Silverhand, right?" V asked, eyes trained intently on Valerie's sneer.

"Might be," Valerie- no, Silverhand- grinned. 
It was an ugly grin, not the confident 'I've got this, just relax' grin that was always plastered on the Solo woman's face normally.
This one was the type of grin that signaled a ruined night at the bar, the type of grin that made your skin crawl when you knew it was aimed at you.

"I've got your faces up in here," Silverhand said, tapping his (her?) head, "Most of you are just dime a dozen street trash. But you..."
Silverhand looked at Lucy again, his grin turning into a scowl.
"Fuckin' 'Saka trash."

He lunged, David and V moved almost in unison.
David grabbed Silverhand's arm, which had shot out to snatch at the netrunner woman, V had decided for the direct approach, grabbing the construct possessing his sister's body by the collar.
Together, they pinned Silverhand to the wall.

"Now that's a surprise." Silverhand drawled, he looked at David. "You I understand. That little 'Saka weapon's got you by the balls, but you..."
He turned his gaze to look at V, Valerie's features contorted again. Twisting into a mocking smile.
"Figured you wouldn't be so quick to hurt your dear sister."

V growled.
"Like hell you're my sister!" his eyes were wild, his glare almost feral. "You're the son-of-a-bitch parasite that's killing her!!"

V's outburst wiped the smile off Silverhand's face. For a moment, it almost looked like Valerie was back.
"It's not intentional on my end either, kid." Silverhand said softly. "If there's a way for me to reverse this, I'd do it."

V's glare didn't soften, he opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Hey, kiddos." an older man poked his head in the door, weathered by time and the desert sun. "Is Valerie or V here?"

The former nomad slackened his grip, turning to face the man.
"Uncle Black? The fuck're you doin' here?"

"Heard some gonk kids got into a scrap with Adam Smasher and lived." the older man laughed as he strode towards V, slapping the former nomad on the back with a black cybernetic arm.

David and Lucy shared a look, Rebecca waved her hands as if to say 'I knew I wasn't crazy!!'

"That was me and David, yeah." V admitted sheepishly. 

David waved, 
"Sup." he said, mentally kicking himself.
Really Martinez? A living legend is in the same room as you and the best you can do is 'sup'?

"So this is the Sandy from Santo Domingo." the older man murmured to himself, he looked as if he was contemplating something. Then he blinked, and that look was gone. "So, what's with her?"
He jerked his head towards Silverhand who was glaring at the man, clothes and hair still soaking wet from sitting in the shower.

David, Lucy and Rebecca all shared a look, they weren't sure how much of Valerie's condition they were at liberty to share with a stranger, even if they were a Night City Legend.

"It's a long story but... She's sharing a brain with the personality of Johnny Silverhand now, and because of that she's... she's slowly going to die." V said, shifting on the spot.
The trio shared a look, unsure if the older man would laugh at such an outlandish sounding story.

"Silverhand, huh." 'Uncle Black' said to himself, "No kiddin'..."

He approached Silverhand, giving the man possessing Valerie's body a light dope slap.
"Fuck off, Blackhand." he ground out, Valerie's voice seemed hoarse from all the growling he was making it do. "You look like shit."

The living legend threw his head back and barked out a laugh.
"Well, fifty odd years'll do that to you." he said, "Still, all that time and it looks like you ain't grown an inch wiser."

"Fuck you." Silverhand growled, "I'm sure you've still got your connections. You gonna help fix this or not?"

"I'll do what I can." Blackhand sighed, "But you're gonna take your hand off the steering wheel, and it's gonna stay off. Understand? Or else you'll get the girl flatlined in a ditch somewhere, and that'll be two deaths on your conscience, and on mine."

Silverhand glared again, before sighing.
"Shit, fine."
He swayed on the spot, head rolling limp.

"V, catch her." Blackhand instructed. The younger man complied, bringing his sister gently to the ground.

"Fuck..." Valerie groaned.

"Val..." V gasped, relieved tears pricking at his eyes. Rebecca placed a calming hand on his shoulder, running soothing circles across his back. "How're you feeling?"

"I'm gonna..." the woman croaked out, "Kill that fuckin' ghost..."

Morgan Blackhand chuckled. 
"Good to have you back with us, kiddo." he grinned, "Judging by how you're dressed I'm guessin' you had plans before ol' Silverhand decided to be a nuisance."

Valerie sat up, rubbing her head gingerly,
"Yeah..." she groaned, "Guy that saved me, Takemura. He wants to meet."

"The 'Saka bodyguard?" David said, eyebrow quirked incredulously, "You sure this isn't a trap to zero you or somethin'?"

Valerie shook her head, she accepted a towel that Lucy had offered her, pausing when she noticed that the younger woman immediately retreated once she had done so, placing Rebecca and David between the Solo and herself.
"I think Arasaka cast him out." she said, drying herself off. "He's got more to gain by workin' with me than against me. And if he's got an idea of how to fix me, then I'll do whatever it takes."

An uncomfortable silence filled the air again. The topic of Valerie's impending mortality rearing its ugly head again.
Blackhand hummed, cutting through the silence partially.

"I've got a few friends I can talk to." he said, patting V on the shoulder. "I'll see if they can come up with anything, you kids go talk to this Takemura, see what he can bring to the table."

He turned, to leave. Waving leisurely in farewell.

David swallowed, 
The Morgan Blackhand. The Solo who went toe to toe with Adam Smasher and lived.

He was reminded of a saying that Maine had enjoyed, a holdover from his days working for Militech.
Fear the old man in a profession where men die young.

"I need to go do something." he said suddenly, turning to Lucy. "Zip me the meetup location, I'll catch up."

Without another word, he darted through the door, looking around to see where Blackhand had gone.

He caught the tail of his black longcoat swish around a corner, leading to the carpark.
David shot after him.

"Hey!" he called out, Morgan seemed preoccupied. "Wait up!"

He reached out to try and grab the man, his black cybernetic hand shot up, clamping down on his shoulder.

"I'll call you back." Blackhand said, as he turned, his optics dimmed, indicating he had disconnected a call. "David, right? What do you want?"

"I..." he swallowed nervously, praying that the Solo didn't laugh at him for his request. "I want you to teach me to be a better Solo."

Blackhand threw his head back, laughing heartily.
"Figured you new-age cyberpunks were all taught by experience." he said, "Thought kids like you wouldn't learn a lesson until it came knocking, brandishing Iron."

David shook his head.
"This City won't let me." he said firmly, "...Smasher won't let me."

Blackhand quirked an eyebrow, 
"What do you mean by that?"

"When V and I were runnin' from Smasher..." David grimaced at the memory. "He said his employers wanted something with me, that he would take me to them himself."

Blackhand listened, face impassive.

"And... this Relic... it's 'Saka tech." David continued, staring Morgan Blackhand in the eye. "I get the feeling that... one way or another Smasher's going to come for me. I want to be ready."

Blackhand placed his organic hand on David's shoulder. His face was dead serious.
"Kid, I'm gonna tell you this now. If Smasher's gunning for you, you're a dead man walking." he said, voice barely a whisper, "And you need to take your Output, take whatever you have and leave the city now."

David swallowed his nerves, steeling himself. He placed a hand on Morgan's own, removing it from his shoulder.
"I still need to save Valerie." he said, eyes unwavering, "Once I do that, I'll delta."

Rolling his eyes, Blackhand sighed.
"You fucking kids and your hero complexes." he said, "You and Johnny Silverhand both... Fine, I'll see what I can do. Go be with your friends, I'll be in touch."

David let Blackhand go, standing in place, basking in the adrenaline.
Morgan fuckin' Blackhand, he breathed shakily.

He jolted when he received a text from Lucy.
[toms diner, they started talking already, waiting outside for u]

David rolled his shoulders, shaking off the nerves of directly confronting a Night City Legend.
He had done what he could, now he would need to wait.
In the meantime, he could focus on what he could do for Valerie.

His lover was waiting for him a short ways away from the diner, leaning against a wall. He waved as he approached, Lucy smiled in return.
"Did what you needed?" she asked, David smiled, bringing her into a hug.

"Yeah." he breathed, basking in her presence. "What about you? Why're you all the way out here?"

Lucy pulled back, looking him in the eyes.
"Wasn't comfortable around a 'Saka member. Even if he isn't part of the corp anymore." she admitted, blushing slightly. "Least... not without you here."

David smiled, squeezing her hand as a warm feeling spread through him.

"Did you... want to go in and talk to the corpo?" Lucy asked, David shook his head.

"Nah, we can stay here for a little while longer." he smiled.
And so they waited, David leaned back on the wall, Lucy leaned her head into his shoulder.
Neither said a word, merely enjoying the other's company.
Eventually, Lucy tapped David on the arm.

"Think the corpo just left, c'mon." she said, David nodded.

When they entered Tom's Diner, they saw Valerie glaring at an empty seat, David raised an eyebrow, looking at Rebecca.

"She's arguin' with Johnny." she said plainly, "You guys should've been here a second ago, she got all shouty, Tom almost threw her out!"

Lucy laughed softly, taking the spot that Valerie had been glaring at, David sat down next to her.

"Johnny doesn't really like you." Valerie admitted, looking at Lucy. "Which means I like you ten times as much as I used to."

Lucy grinned at the other woman, V cleared his throat.

"Alright, so we've got a couple of leads." the former nomad said, an arm around Rebecca. 

"Takemura thinks he could call in some favors with a few Arasaka members he's... friends... with." Valerie said, Lucy raised an eyebrow.

"Think they're trustworthy?" the netrunner asked.

"No," Valerie admitted, "But he's right in thinking that Arasaka might be one of my best bets in getting to the bottom of how to get this damn thing out of my head without killin' me."

Rebecca scoffed, 
"Sure and he just wants you to take out Yorinobu fuckin' Arasaka and give him his job back to do it." she said darkly.

"Yeah, I dunno if we can trust Takemura, Sis." V said, brows furrowed in worry, "He made it pretty damn clear his priority was getting back in bed with Arasaka."

"That's what the backup plans are for." Valerie conceded, "We probably aren't getting shit out of Evelyn until she wakes up, so that leaves Hellman."

"Hellman?" David asked.

"Anders Hellman, one of the brains behind the Relic." Valerie explained.

"Apparently he gave Arasaka the finger and threw in with Kang Tao." V said, taking a sip from his cup. "Guess he's spooked that 'Saka might come after him though, he's gone dark."

David hummed, of all their leads, it seemed like this Takemura was the only one that was likely to go anywhere.
Still... there had to be something he could do...

"I'll talk to Rogue," he stated, "There's no way Hellman went dark without making waves somewhere. Maybe her network could find something that Arasaka missed."

“Don’t let Takemura hear you say that.” Rebecca said sardonically.

V chuckled, leaning on Rebecca lightly.
"I could talk to Judy, see if Evelyn told her anything." V said, smiling as Rebecca shoved him away playfully.

David grinned confidently.
"Don't worry, Val." he said, "We'll find a way to get you fixed."

"Thanks, you guys." Valerie smiled shakily.

They had parted ways shortly after. Ultimately deciding that these problems were best tackled on a new day.
David lay in bed, trying to fall asleep. Lucy was curled up next to him, sleeping soundly.
He winced as the bright notification of an inbound message.

Opening it, he read the contents.

David,
Check attached,
I'll be in touch once you've done all these.
Might need a BD Wreath.

- M

Downloading the attached file, David crept out of bed, ensuring Lucy wasn't stirred.
He returned with one of her Wreaths on his head, loading the program, his vision turned white.
He was greeted by a selection of scenarios, a Militech logo printed onto his vision.
David checked the description.

[Militech Spec Ops Training Program v2.7.7]

Despite himself, he grinned.
Nova .

He loaded up a scenario marked 'Group Combat Scenario- Advanced'.
I'm not a rookie. he thought smugly as the stage was built around him. I can handle this advanced shit.

He took a step, launching himself at the featureless enemies and...

He jerked involuntarily as the training module kicked him out. He had barely taken a step before a sniper shot had ended his run prematurely.
Fine. he pouted slightly as he loaded up 'Combat Basics', Beginner shit first...

Yorinobu Arasaka nursed a glass of whiskey in his hands. 
He stood at the top of Arasaka tower, in his father's office.

The assassins he had sent to silence Takemura had perished, the man seemingly vanished into the City along with a woman who, he suspected, had been a witness to his murder of his father.

And, if that wasn't enough. he thought bitterly, Martinez is an associate to the thieves.

There was next to no chance he could acquire Martinez as an asset now, it had been almost a week, no doubt the thieves had told him of the events of that night. He would know just how precariously the Corporation was built up.

Focus, Yorinobu. He chastised himself, Where there is wasted chance, there is new opportunity. 

He had not anticipated becoming the CEO of the Arasaka Corporation, but he could not deny that this new position provided him with advantages he could not have dreamed of.
Beyond his loyalists he now also had the backing of those who merely followed whoever was declared the leader, giving him the majority of the corporation's manpower.
Along with this manpower, there were other resources he now held, resources such as...

"Bring me Smasher." he spoke into his intercom, alerting any of his secretaries, "Tell him I have some... equipment... I wish to award him."

His mouth was set in a firm line as he brought up the schematics for the revised cyber-skeleton.
He would need to redouble his efforts to ensuring Smashers loyalty, he had no choice.

Chapter Text

David blinked as came to consciousness, wincing as the sun filled his vision. 
He checked the time, 12:32 in the afternoon.
Shit. He groaned, How long did I stay up last night in that training sim?

As he sat up, he hissed, clutching his left calf as a sharp pang ran through the limb. Maine had warned him about this. His 'ganic limbs weren't designed to keep up with the Sandevistan, particularly not at the upper limits of the cyberware.
Still, his old mentor's solution to it was to advise him to chrome up. David thought for a moment, there had to be a different way.

Massaging his leg, he sent a message to Lucy, informing her of his plans for the day, then he called Viktor.

"Hey kid," the ripperdoc greeted. "Still keepin' an eye on Evelyn today, so if you wanted to book a check-up you're out of luck."

"Nah, just wanted some advice," David said, "How is she, by the way?"

"Still comatose, but her vitals are looking better by the day." Viktor said, voice warm, "Me 'n her friend Judy are confident she'll wake up soon."

David smiled at that. He didn't know this woman well, but knowing that she'd live was a boost to his mood nontheless.

"Anyways," Viktor said, "What'd you want to ask about?"

David tapped a finger to his chin as he limped towards the shower, 
"Well..."

Takemura sighed, his shoulders slumping in defeat.
He had not anticipated that meeting his former student would have ended this poorly.

Oda had been unwilling to hear out either himself nor Valerie. His actions conflictingly filled Takemura with equal parts pride and shame.
He had acted exactly as a loyal bodyguard should have, prioritizing the safety of the Arasaka family member he was assigned to over all else.
But what if the Arasaka Clan is not what it once was? Takemura thought bitterly, What if acting in the best interests of the Clan means disobeying its orders?

His answer was the same he had given his student those many months ago, 
I do not know.

"You cannot ignore this!" he had almost begged his student.

"Oda! We're talkin' about a guy who killed his father to seize control of Arasaka."  Valerie had interjected, "Gonna take an interest in this or not?"

Oda had grimaced, unwilling to look Valerie or himself directly in the eye.
"I... I cannot."

Takemura sighed, it had happened mere hours ago, yet the memory of it stung like an old wound.

"What of the girl that Hanako-Sama wishes to find?" Oda had asked, looking Takemura directly in the eye. "There may yet be ways for you to return to us, Takemura-San."

Despite the implication, Takemura knew his student did not mean it.
Hanako may welcome him back, but Oda would never forgive his former master if he chose to give up the runaway netrunner for his own safety.
Part of him wished to snap at his student, chastise him for his compassion. But he could not, for he was no better.

While it was Oda's initial hesitation that allowed the child netrunner to escape, Takemura had been given the resources to hunt her down those many years ago.
He had tracked her from wasteland to wasteland, city to city.
One day, he had finally managed to pinpoint her location. Tracking her to a coastal city. She was small, with nobody to turn to. Retrieving her would have been easy, should have been easy.
Yet Takemura, too, hesitated.

The girl looked rail thin, eyes wide with fear as she desperately went from district to district, trying to survive as a picksocket.
He pitied the girl, no doubt most of the inhabitants did not feel the need to store their money on shards, they probably didn't have enough to justify it.
Beyond mere pity, he felt a human pang of sympathy. Perhaps the girl reminded him too much of his own childhood in Chiba-11. Perhaps he was not nearly as loyal of a servant as he thought he was.
No matter what it was, Takemura resolved himself of one thing.
His student was right, this girl, this child, deserved mercy.

So Takemura had walked by her in the guise of a dock-worker, praying the girl would target him. He felt the shard eject from his neck and sighed, satisfied.

Once he saw that the girl had spent the money on food and transit to another country. Takemura had waited a week, then called in her location. 
When the retrieval squad had arrived, she was already long gone.

Takemura didn't know where in Night City the runaway was, though he knew where to find her regardless. He had seen the netrunner Valerie and her friends had arrived with, seen her eye him and wait outside, she bore a striking resemblance to the girl he had let go.
No doubt he would run into her again if he pursued Valerie and her friends hard enough.

But...

"I do not know." he said, a partial truth, a partial lie. "Perhaps she has already fled the city."

Oda stared at him, searching for the truth.
He nodded, gratefully.
"I will let you leave the city alive." he sighed, turning to leave, "Both of you, that is all I can do."

"Be very careful, old friend." he warned "This city changes us all."

Oda did not reply.

Takemura sighed, running a hand along his graying beard. 
Oda could not be his contact, and he could not bring himself to hand in the runaway in attempt to contact Hanako.
There had to be another way.

His eyes were drawn to a TV display mounted on a pole, 
The news reported once more of a parade that was set to take place, one held in the Arasaka family's honor.

Hanako Arasaka herself would be present.

Takemura's eyes widened. He began to think of a plan.
Lucyna Kushinada... he mused, Why must I keep risking my own life out of fear of harming you?

The answer was simple to the Arasaka Loyalist.

The Corporation was wrong.

David found the clinic Viktor had referred him to, wincing as the sterile white lights nearly blinded his vision.

It was a small looking space, a receptionist's desk took up the back wall, with two doors on either side of it.
Behind the desk, a logo and motto was printed on the wall.

Biotechnica, 

Adapting you to the future!

There was a young looking woman who was typing something on a monitor in front of her. Her skin was immaculate and her hair was tied neatly into a bun.
Guess that makes sense, given what this clinic is. David mused.
She looked up from her monitor, giving a professional smile.
"Welcome, can I assist you?" she said.

"Uh... yeah," David blinked, "I have a friend, Viktor? Told me he made a reservation for me."

The woman tapped on her keyboard for a few seconds, David shifted on the spot.
"Ah, I have the booking here." she said, then her brow furrowed slightly, "This is a very expensive treatment. Are you sure your friend didn't make the wrong selection?"

"I can pay." David said, "He told me that's the one I needed. That specific one."

"Very well," the woman's expression had shifted, the professional smile returning. "Once we process your payment, we can begin."

David paid, watching the eddies leave his account. It was a hefty price, though it was a mere drop in the bucket.
Rent was cheap, Lucy and David both weren't the type to hit up fancy corporate restaurants and most importantly, David hadn't bought a single piece of cyberware in months.
Guess not chromin' up has some unspoken benefits. he smirked to himself. 

He was lead through one of the doors, down winding corridors to a small room.

There was a patient chair, a few canisters of... something. As well as a large clear vat filled with a greenish liquid.

He sat in the chair as the doctor told him the details of the procedure.
He had a kind voice, though his words seemed rehearsed, almost like an advertisement.
"Of course, this treatment is more advanced in our Rome facility. We can even re-code your genetic make up, assuming we have an appropriate genetic sample." he said, injecting David with an anaesthetic.

"I'll... make sure to visit..." David mumbled, drifting off to sleep.

"Takemura called." Valerie said as she returned to their booth in the Afterlife, holding a drink.

"What'd he want?" V asked, he held Rebecca's hand in his own, running a thumb absentmindedly over her fingers.

"He's planning something." she said, taking a sip of her drink, a Welles. "Needs me to guide him around Japantown."

"Wouldn't David or Luce be a better choice for that?" Rebecca asked, looking at the pale haired netrunner.

Lucy shook her head, 
"I want to help, but not with that." she said, firmly, "David can decide for himself, though."

"Speaking of, where is he, anyways?" Rebecca said, looking around as if David might pop up behind their chair and spook them.

"Said he needed a tune up." Lucy said, taking a sip from her bottle. "Not with Vik, apparently."

"Sure he ain't runnin' off to get borged up?" Rebecca smirked, Lucy smiled back, shaking her head.

"Nah, I trust him not to." she admitted, "Besides, I don't even think he wants that, anymore."

V cleared his throat, turning the attention to himself. 
"So, we've got David guidin' Takemura around Japantown, pending David's approval." V said, tapping a finger to his chin, "Then... Lucy 'n Val, you two try and talk to Judy, I guess. Rebecca and I'll see what leads Rogue can give us on Hellman."

"Actually," Rebecca shifted, removing her hand from the former nomads'. "Luce, why don't you go with V? I can help Val with Judy."

V furrowed his brow in confusion,
"If we're going after Hellman I 'd like a solo covering my back." he admitted, looking at Lucy apologetically, "No offense."

Lucy waved a hand placatingly.
"None taken."

Rebecca winced, 
"Shit, yeah." she muttered, "Guess that makes sense."

Lucy quirked an eyebrow at her friend. She wanted to ask her what was up, though right now was probably a poor time.

David was floating, dreaming.

Viktor had told him the specifics of the procedure, though the details had gone over his head.
To his knowledge, it was a type of reparative cell therapy, similar to the type older corpos and celebrities used to stay looking youthful well into their 80s and beyond. In theory, it would undo some of the strain he was placing his body under.

If not, he would have wasted an amount that was in the ballpark of triple the monthly rent of his and Lucy's apartment.

David dreamed of the Moon, and of Lucy.
He floated through the air as he followed his lover, though she had not been his lover at the time.

He could still hear the song that she had played from the radio of the Lunar Rover, echoing in his mind and the empty canyons of the moon.

He smiled as they sat by a crater, enjoying each other's presence.
This time, they weren't interrupted.

The group had wrapped up for the day, going their separate ways from the Afterlife. They now had a specific plan, and Valerie and V looked focused, intense.

Lucy got off the phone with Viktor, the ripperdoc had given her the address where David would be.
She looked around for her friend, looking around for a shortstack woman in an oversized coat.

There!

"Becca!" she called out, "Wait up!"

She jogged over, Rebecca looked at her, grinning.

"Sup, choom?" she said, "Need something?"

Her mood seemed to have cleared up from before, though Lucy still wanted to get to the bottom of whatever was bugging her friend.

"Is... something going on between you and V?" she said, "I mean I saw you guys getting closer and figured you were together now but..."

Rebecca sighed, face falling.
"Answer me somethin', how did you know David was the one for you? Was it your first kiss? The first time you two fucked?"

Lucy felt her cheeks warming at just how forward and blunt her friend was being. 
She shook her head, focusing on the question at hand.
When had she fallen for David?

"I think..." her voice was soft, a nostalgic smile creeped onto her face. "I think the day we met. The kiss and everything after just... confirmed it, I guess."

Rebecca whistled, 
"The day you called Maine over to beat his ass?" she said, eyebrow raised, "Alright, alright. Not judging, but damn, almost love at first sight... Shit... that's what I was afraid of..."

Lucy flinched at the memory of her deception. Suddenly, a realization hit her.
"That moment... it didn't happen for you, did it?" Lucy asked, her friend suddenly refusing to meet her eye, training them firmly on her feet. "And you're afraid it might never happen with V."

"Yeah..." Rebecca said, her voice barely a whisper. "He's a nomad, through 'n through. And I... I'm about as city as it gets."

Lucy felt a pang of sympathy for the woman, she herself had believed that, once. 
You and I? We're worlds apart.
She had believed that, once, part of her still did, still believing that David lived in a beautiful, radiant place that she couldn't follow him to.

"So you're plannin' on giving up?" Lucy asked, Rebecca's eyes shot up to meet hers.

"No!" she said, wincing at her outburst. "No, I... I really do like him, I just..."

Lucy's gaze softened, 
"You just...?"

"I want what's best for him." Rebecca said, her voice barely a whisper, she wiped away at budding tears that formed in the corner of her eyes. "And I don't know if that's me."

Lucy pulled the other woman into a hug, Rebecca squeaked as Lucy wrapped her arms around her.
"Becca." she whispered, "You are one of the kindest, funniest, ride or die people I know. Even if V isn't 'the one' for you, he can still make you just as happy. And you can do the same for him. I know it."

"Thanks, Luce." Rebecca whispered, voice muffled by the embrace. "David's lucky to have you, y'know?"

Lucy thought about her lover. About how she had watched the soft, boyish features she adored morph and change, gaining definition, harder lines and a confident, cocky smile.
As much as she wanted to chalk it up purely to him maturing, part of Lucy still knew she had done that to him, had taken the innocent boy from the train and morphed him into a hardened, experienced edgerunner.
Would he have turned out different if Lucy had been honest with him from the start? If she had decided to cut her losses then and whisked him away, would he have gone?

Would he be happier if they had never met?

David's lucky to have you.

Yeah... she thought bitterly, grimacing, I'm not so sure about that...

Lucy arrived at the location Viktor had told her. A small Biotechnica clinic in the City Centre. When she entered, the receptionist looked up and smiled at her.
"Can I help you?" she asked.

"I was told my... my boyfriend would be here." Lucy said, stumbling over the words. "David Martinez?"

The receptionist smiled,
"You're just in time, he should be almost done." she said, "Through this door, turn right and follow the hallway all the way to the end." 

She followed the receptionist's instruction, passing door after identical-looking door.
Eventually she saw the door at the end of the hallway, open.
Entering, she saw David floating in a vat, an oxygen mask strapped to his face as he slept, serene.

"You must be the girlfriend." an older, balding man said. "Just got the message from reception that you were coming."

"What is all this?" Lucy asked, cringing slightly.
This all looked too much like a lab experiment for her liking.

"Cellular Stimulation." the doctor said plainly, "It's a Biotechnica secret but, in essence, we can coax the body to repair itself to a greater degree than naturally possible."

Lucy looked at him, skeptical. The doctor gave a good natured laugh.
"Oh there's no need to be suspicious." he reassured, "Many celebrities and corporations have had this procedure or procedures like it. Kerry Eurodyne, for one, Michiko Arasaka, the list goes on."

"So why's David here?" she asked, the doctor hummed.

"I assume he has a hard job." the doctor said, "Physically taxing, perhaps. He came in with the joints of a sixty year old, and that's not even getting into the condition of his bones or his muscles."

Lucy felt her heart stop.
"Is he going to be okay?" she breathed, the doctor smiled again. 

"He's lucky." he said warmly, "He's young, his body's got a lot of fight left in it. After the procedure he should be good as new."

Lucy released a breath, relieved. Though part of her mind still gnawed at her.

"We've got about ten minutes left, then we pull him out and dry him off."

Lucy nodded numbly, barely hearing him.

Oda was deep in thought as he drove Hanako through the perilous streets of Night City. 
His ward was sitting in the rear of the car, another bodyguard, Eiichiro, beside her.

His mind was turbulent, like a sea during the storm.
He hadn't imagined it, his master had hesitated when he had questioned about the runaway.

He knew something, and yet he refused to say anything, even if it meant he may have the opportunity to rejoin the corporation under Hanako's protection.

"We have arrived." he said, softly, bringing the car to a stop outside a nondescript looking apartment building.

"Eiichiro, please stay here with the car." Hanako said. The older man nodded, putting on a sleek red visor and grabbing his gun as he exited the car, standing guard.

Hanako and Oda made their way into the building. His ward wore the practical sleek neo-military grays and slates of an executive, not the stark whites that were so publicly associated with her.
As the elevator door shut behind them, Hanako spoke.

"Oda... I feel as if I can trust you with this." she said, Oda looked to his ward. "Yorinobu... I believe my brother was the one that murdered my father."

His eyes widened, so Takemura had been right!

"Hanako-Sama. If I may, if that is true, we should return to Tokyo, attempt to rally the board." he said, the rest of his statement remained unspoken.
Return to Tokyo, where it is safe, where I may protect you. Not this godless city.

"I cannot." she said firmly, "Do you know of the DataKrash?"

Oda nodded, every employee of the corporation was well aware of the fall of the Old Net and all the data that was lost.

"The Old Net is not just data or schematics." Hanako said, there was an odd gleam in her eyes. "It is history, information, culture."

Oda said nothing.

"I have only seen my father cry one time." she continued, "When he awoke one night, mere months after the fall of the Old Net. I found him weeping, mourning the loss of centuries of history and information. History my family has helped shape."

Oda grimaced,
Something about this speech felt very much rehearsed, though he didn't say it out loud.

"That is why I cannot stop." Hanako said, as the elevator dinged open. "Or return, not until I find our runaway. Not until I reclaim our heritage. It is the last gift I can give to my father."

"Is that why we have come here?" Oda asked.

Hanako smiled softly.
"In a way." she replied, they continued down the hallway, passing numbered doors. "My brother does not approve of my plans, I doubt he would provide me the resources if I requested them."

They stopped at a door, marked 739, Hanako nodded at Oda, he knocked on the door.

"If I wish to bolster the number of people loyal to me alone, I must look to those that were forgotten by the corporation at large."

A young man opened the door, eyes widening under his teal mullet-bowl cut.
"Wha-"

"You are Katsuo? Katsuo Tanaka?" Hanako smiled sweetly, politely, "May we come in?"

Chapter Text

David sighed leaning back in the seat of the crew vehicle. Today would be a long, long day.

He would need to meet up with that bodyguard, Takemura, later in the day. Showing him around Japantown should be easy enough. Talking to Wakako similarly shouldn't be any issue, particularly not with the job he was about to do for her.

Speaking of which... 

He looked at the young man sitting opposite him, starry eyed.
He had informed the Fixer over the phone that he would be missing members of his crew, the woman was all to happy to provide him with an eager young merc, ready to prove his name.

Now that he looked at the man; young, chromed and yet looking like he'd barely held a gun in his life. David wasn't so sure he was given a mercenary as much as he was pawned off a fanboy.

"You packing iron?" he asked, looking at the other man, Julio.

Julio scoffed,
"I ain't no noob!" he said defiantly, poking a thumb into his sleeveless vest. "I got me a Lexington!"

David shook his head, 
"We're bustin' up a Maelstrom joint." he said, "A Lexington won't cut it against those borg fuckers, not unless you know where to aim."
The second part of his sentence was unsaid.
And you definitely don't look like you do.

"Try this." David said, reaching around and pulling out one of the guns he kept stashed in Falco's car, just in case.

"Really?!" Julio's eyes lit up, "A Satara! Nova!"

Kiwi sighed from the front seat, 
"Oh this kid's gonna get himself killed." she said, rolling her eyes.

Julio pouted, crossing his arms.
"I wont!" he protested, "Good enough to run with the David Martinez, ain't I?"

Falco chuckled, hands still firmly on the wheel, 
"Looks like the boss-man's got himself a fan." he said, winking at Kiwi.
The woman rolled her eyes again and looked away, though the look in her eyes was one of amusement.

"Alright," Falco said, bringing the vehicle slowly to a halt. The industrial exterior of the Maelstrom club, Totentanz, loomed outside. "We're here."

V and Rebecca entered the Afterlife. The club always seemed lively, now more than ever.

"Did you hear?" a man sitting at the bar spoke to his companion. "Apparently the Scavs clashed with the Aldecaldos, tried messin' with the nomads and got fucked by one of their new members. A huge dude with a fancy ass projectile launcher arm."

V grinned, he knew exactly who that was.

He waved to Claire, who nodded politely to him.  
They made their way towards Rogue's private booth. The Queen fixer was surrounded by mercenaries loyal to her alone. A large man stood guard, ensuring nobody disturbed her.
Crispin Weyland. He noted, he had been in the club enough times to figure that out.

"Hey, Squama." he said as the pair approached the man, "Can we talk to Rogue? Got some biz I wanted to run by her."

The larger man smirked at V's use of his nickname, looking over his shoulder at Rogue.
She waved a hand, nodding.
"Let 'em through, Weyland. It's alright." 

Rebecca squeezed his hand, V breathed in deeply. 
Showtime.
"You probably don't remember me." he said as they sat down on the sofa near the Queen Fixer.

"Depends," Rogue said, an odd expression on her face. "Did you mean when you came as a part of Martinez's crew? When Dex invited you as his newest pawns? Or do you mean when your pops barged in oh... twenty two years ago, holding you in his arms?"

Rebecca's head snapped up to look at V, he swallowed nervously.
"Yeah... I guess you do remember me."

Kiwi hummed as she combed through the club's localnet. David had disposed of the guards outside quietly.

"Got a couple of different options." she said, eyes flashing as she switched between camera feeds. "Don't know if the direct approach is the right one this time."

David sighed, thinking.
"Don't think we can get the hostages out alive if we go quiet." he said darkly, "Too many gangoons inside for that."

"So what are you suggesting?" Kiwi asked, arching a brow. 

David grinned, 
"Get ready to support, Kiwi. I want to try something."
He looked at his hands, flexing them.
Blackhand's training shard and that cell therapy,  I want to put myself through my paces. he thought to himself.

Falco watched David pull out guns and other tools from the car, he chuckled, bemused.

"Not bringin' your precision rifle or your revolver this time?" he asked, David grinned back.

"Figured I'd branch out, experiment." David joked.

Falco looked at the younger man's loadout. 
Two Tayamura pistols, a Militech Ajax and an assortment of grenades.

David shut the door, smiling to himself.

"Julio. Wait by the main door." he instructed "Weapons hot."

The other man complied, his chromed arms trembled with equal parts excitement and anxiety.

David breathed in deep, letting the Sandevistan slow the world down around him.

As he moved, he definitely felt lighter, running felt almost effortless.
Guess that Biotechnica treatment was good for somethin' after all.

He circled the club, throwing several grenades at any vulnerable points he could find. Vents, windows, chimneys, anything he could find.
As he returned to the front, he pulled out his two pistols.

"Ready?" he asked, Julio nodded in his periphery. "And..."

Several loud bangs rang out, the interior of the club was illuminated through the crack under the door. 
"NOW!" David kicked the door open, aiming his pistols, Julio was behind him.

Almost all the Maelstrom members in the club were preoccupied, nursing their optics from one of the many flashbangs David had thrown, others still convulsed on the floor, cyberware scrambled by one of the several shock grenades he had also thrown for variety.

David fired, the synaptic accelerator helped keep him focused, giving him the time to switch focus between his two pistols.
Julio cowered behind him.

Three gangoons in front of them fell, large holes punched into their chromed heads, five more on the second floor also fell, leaking syn-blood as they went down.
With his other pistol, he kept firing, and seven more Maelstrom goons fell, one more screamed out, the shot missing his vitals and merely lodging itself in his shoulder instead.

"Julio!" he called out, snapping the other man back to attention, "I'm counting on you." 
Before the other man could call out or protest, David charged in, reloading his pistols.

"Shit!" Julio whimpered, brandishing his Satara desperately at any Maelstrom he could find. "SHIT!"

He fired off two shots, a Maelstrom woman with a 'ganic looking leg screamed as it was severed, crashing to the ground with a thud. Behind her, a burly looking man with a single glowing red optic also fell, the charged shot punching a hole in his chest.

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" Julio screamed, desperately cracking open the shotgun to reload it. Two gangoons got up off the floor, shaking off the electric shock and pulling out their weapons, they glared at Julio. "Oh fuck!"

The two gang members pulled the trigger, the gun clicked, sparking as it jammed.

"And there we go." Kiwi commented dryly.

"Thanks, Kiwi!" David's voice echoed out, followed by even more gunshots and the screams of the Maelstrom. 

Julio fired again, one shot went wide, striking a monitor mounted on the wall, the other shot hit true, sending one of the men crashing to the floor, severing his arm.

David re-entered the room, grappling a lithe looking goon holding a katana.
He heaved, throwing the goon over his shoulder into the remaining man. Two shots from his pistol ended their lives as they tumbled to the ground.

"Chill, noob. Chill." David grinned at Julio, holding the katana the gangoon had held in his other hand. "Kiwi's got you. So do I."

David didn't think it was possible for the man to look any more awestruck, his jaw almost hit the floor.
"Shit! Choom!" Julio gushed, "You were so fuckin' NOVA!!" 

David chuckled as they ascended the steps of the club, Julio gushing and miming out how lethal he, apparently, was.

The other man's voice died in his throat as he saw a hulking behemoth of a gangoon blocking their path. He looked almost like a full borg, not sporting any remotely human looking facial features.
"What the fuck... is that even human?" he whimpered.

"Tiny birds..." the behemoth growled, singular red optic flashing "Aren't you scared?"

"Shut up." David glared, shrugging off his jacket, "If you're going to come at me, then come at me."

The behemoth roared, barreling towards them, both hands gripping a huge sledgehammer as long as David was tall.

David broke off into a run too, Tayamura pistol in one hand, stolen katana in the other.
The behemoth heaved his hammer, bringing it crashing to the ground.
If David hadn't been taking care of himself, if he hadn't been maintaining the cyberware he had, perhaps it would have been too fast for him, perhaps he would have needed to fall back on his Sandevistan once more.
As it was though...

Shit, he grinned, that fuckin' hammers almost movin' in slow mo.

He kicked off with his right foot, sidestepping the hammer.

He sized up the hulking man. His cyberware was strong, his legs were almost entirely metal, in theory it should have been reinforced. However...

David kicked out with all his might, as he suspected, the leg implant was strong, but rudimentary. Unable to flex, it cracked and broke.
The behemoth fell to one knee, howling. David silenced him by jamming the katana into his windpipe.

He pulled the sword free, hefting the blade in his hand.
It was a mass manufactured blade, Arasaka design.
Still, it was balanced enough for him to put the blade training that Blackhand's training program had drilled into him to use.

"That was so cool!" Julio gushed again. David gave a small smile as he reclaimed his jacket, pulling it back on.

"Alright, you damn show off." Kiwi's voice was dry but warm, "Door at the end of the hallway, our target's there with other heat-sigs. All friendly."

"Let's go!" Julio pranced down the hallway, something on the floor caught David's eye.

"Julio, wait!" he darted forward, grabbing the collar of the man's vest and yanking.

The two men crashed to the ground. Julio groaned, coughing.
"The fuck?" he complained, David sighed, firing a single shot at the laser mine that was planted on the ground.
Julio flinched as the explosive detonated. David gave him a dry look.

"Head clear, mind focused." he said, "Got that, noob? Don't want you dyin' on me."

Julio nodded silently, David's stern look melted into a warm grin. 
"Alright, let's go get our target."

David let Julio open the door, asking around for the woman they had been contracted to rescue. Wakako offered them a bonus for the other hostages, no doubt looking to cash in a bigger reward from their families as well.

"Guys, heads up." Kiwi's voice cut through, "Got multiple cars moving in, all Maelstrom. Falco and I need to move the car, won't be able to support you for a while."

"What?!" Julio yelped, looking quickly at the hostages who looked at them expectantly, he lowered his tone. "We can't get them out if the Maelstrom shoot us dead!"

David grimaced, thinking.
He sent Julio the co-ordinates Wakako had sent him, where several cars would be waiting to get their target as well as any other hostages to safety.
"Julio, can I trust them to you?" he asked, voice deathly serious. 

The other man looked at him, swallowing his nerves.
"Course you can, choom!" he grinned confidently, adjusting the goggles that kept his hair in place with a hand. "What are you gonna do though?"

David unslung his Ajax rifle, placing the Katana in the holster it once occupied, he pulled back the charging handle. Satisfied, he turned to walk back down the stairs.
"I'm going to go greet our guests."

Lucy drove through the run down streets of Watson, Valerie leaned against the window of the passenger seat, deep in thought.

"Didn't think you had a car." she said after a moment, Lucy smiled.

"David apparently got it from a client." she said, "Said he had to skip town and wanted to give it to someone who appreciates a good car."

Valerie quirked a brow, 
"So he gave it to David?" she said, incredulous. "Did he want it wrapped around a pole or something?"

Lucy laughed, the old Valerie was slowly coming back, bit by bit.

They parked outside Lizzies, the bouncer, Rita, nodded at them.
"We're not open for another hour and a half," she said, "But Judy's expectin' you. Go on in."

Lucy nodded,
"Thanks," she said, "Becca says hello."

The Mox woman grinned back, placing a pastel blue and pink arm on her hip.
"Shit, Rebecca?" she chuckled, "Did she mention if she reconsidered joining up? Go-getters like her are what this fuckin' gang needs, not old grouches like Suzie."

Rita blinked,
"But you didn't hear that from me." she added.

Valerie chuckled as they went in.
"Wait, so Rebecca really isn't a member of the Mox?" she asked as they entered the side hallway and descended the stairs to Judy's studio.

Lucy shook her head,
"Said she doesn't really think the Mox stand for what they claim." she admitted.

"Still, she didn't think about joining to try and change any of that?"

As they approached the studio, they heard raised, heated voices.

"If changing things is anything like that?" Lucy jerked her head towards the voices, "I'm pretty sure she would get kicked out for shooting someone in the first day."

As they approached, they saw Judy arguing with a darker skinned woman. A quick scan told Lucy that the woman in question was Suzie Q, current leader of the Mox. She whispered that information to Valerie.

Suzie noticed the pair waiting by the door, she glared at Judy.
"You've got guests," she said, brushing past Lucy. "We're done here."

"Like hell we are!" Judy growled, though she sighed as she saw Valerie.

"Hey, Valerie." she said, voice restrained, "You're lookin' a lot better than the last time I saw you."

"Hi, Judy." Valerie responded, running a hand through her newly re-dyed purple-red hair. "How've you been?"

Judy sighed, tapping a tattooed finger against  her arm.
"Been combing through some of Evelyn's memories, seeing if there isn't something I can do to help her wake up." the BD technician admitted, "Didn't find anything of that but... I found something else, figured you might want to take a look at it."

Chapter Text

"C'mon! Everyone this way!" Julio hissed, beckoning everyone to follow him.

They piled into the waiting cars, a tangled mess of limbs packing each car to its brink. Julio sighed, he turned to look at the club, he could still sort of see the front of Totentanz from here. He swallowed nervously as several vans screeched to a stop in front of the club, dozens of large and very heavily armed Maelstrom members climbing out.

"Spread out, find the fuckers!" one of them growled, a man with a completely metal jaw and four glaring red optics.

Julio crept closer, carefully. 
He wasn't going to run in, everything up to this point taught him that he was no better than target practice when standing next to the legendary 'Sandy from Santo Domingo'.
Still, he wanted to see the legend in action again.

All the gangoons pulled out their weapons, getting ready to move in.
Then, they watched in confusion as something rolled out of the club, coming to a stop by their feet.
They inspected the thing momentarily, one of them scratched their heads.
A lone gunshot rang out, and the explosions began.

David watched the Maelstrom arrive, he ensured that his gun wasn't jammed, pulling back the charging handle of the rifle one last time. 
He had spent several nights inside Blackhand's training sim, he had damn near completed all of the tasks save one. A simulated fight against a cyberpsycho, modeled after Blackhand's own encounters with Adam Smasher.
"Spread out, find the fuckers!" he heard a voice bellow. He watched as the gangoons pulled out their weapons, taking stock of the situation. 
Most of them looked slow, cyberware geared towards drawn out engagements, similarly, their weapons were high powered, devastating but also with a high propensity for collateral damage.

David grinned, it was almost too easy.

He grabbed a canister of gas, heaving as he sent it rolling out the door. As it came to a stop, David pulled out his Tayamura pistol and fired a single shot, igniting the volatile canister.

The explosion was immense, half of the Maelstrom members either immediately blew apart or were thrown to the ground.
David dashed out, time slowing to a crawl as he threw a grenade and kept running, past the Maelstrom, past the cars, behind all of it.

Letting time speed up again, the Maelstrom looked around, trying to find the source of the gunshot. 
The grenade landed, exploding in a shower of sparks, several gangoons collapsed, twitching as the electricity momentarily stunned them. The other thugs turned to face the direction the grenade had come from, weapons raised.
David took aim at their exposed backs and fired. As four more thugs fell, David dashed away again, feeling the Sandevistan hum once more. 
He pulled out his stolen Katana, slashing at the four eyed thug who barked the orders, David left an arcing scarlet line on his chest as he ran past. 
Coming to a stop behind one of their cars, the world once more caught up to David. The four eyed gangoon screamed out as blood sprayed from his chest, flying backwards.

"What the fuck?!" one of the Maelstrom cried out, his voice distorted from a piece of cyberware attached to his throat.

"How many of them are there?!" a borged woman shrieked, her singular optic darted from side to side, frantic.

David fired and both gangoons collapsed, holes punched in their skulls.

Julio watched from afar, only barely catching David's movement from afar. 
No doubt anyone in the thick of the fight would miss all of the edgerunning legends' movements, lost in the frenetic chaos.
He whooped silently as half of the squad was wiped in a single shot, then again as David took out several more from their back lines.

It was down to the mercenary and three other Maelstrommers, David fired again, the last of his bullets striking one of the thugs. He threw the rifle at the man beside him, swinging his katana and separating the gangoons head from his shoulders.

Julio's blood ran cold as the last Maelstrom charged at David, speeding up almost as fast as David had once been, striking the legend with a metal fist.

Shit! I need to help him!

David hadn't seen the last Maelstrommer charge, his head spun as he tried to regain his bearings. The side of his face felt warm, a trickle starting from his temple and working its way down.
He got to his knees, a boot caught him in the gut, sending him flying once more. He gagged, gasping as he desperately sucked in air.

"Shit." the last Maelstrom member said, a large, imposing man, glowing red eyes with deep gouges on his head where the flesh had been torn away to reveal metal. "A single fuckin' merc did all this?"

A heavy boot placed itself on David's back, pressing him to the ground. He tried to glare as the man pulled back his jacket, looking at his Sandevistan.

"That's a real nice piece of chrome you got there, kid." he growled, "Shame it's wasted on a punk brat like you."

The boot lifted momentarily, David's eyes widened as he registered movement.
He barely got his arms up in time before the boot swung into him again, sending him rolling away.

"I've got an idea," the gangoon said, bending over to pick up a gun. "I'll fucking flatline you. Then I'll tear your Sandy out as a little gift to myself, sound good?"

David groaned, his hands gripped something sharp. He breathed in deep, preparing himself.
Was that a car?

The gangoon opened his mouth again to say something, but was cut off as a car crashed into him.
The vehicle swerved barely missing David as he stumbled to his feet, it crashed into a pole ten feet away.

Julio stumbled out of the drivers' seat, whooping.
"I might not be a fuckin' badass but I sure as shit know how to hotwire a car!" he proclaimed proudly, raising his Satara triumphantly. David grinned despite himself.

"Sh-shit!" the borg growled, stumbling to his feet, "I ain't done yet!"

David lunged, driving the shard of glass he had picked up into the man's skull. He grit his teeth as the sharp edges bit into his own skin, feeling it sink an inch into a vulnerable part of the borg's head.

The gangoon howled, gripping David by the collar and throwing him as hard as he could. David soared, weightless, he hit one of the Maelstrom vans with his shoulder and tumbled off the bonnet.

"Hey fucker!" Julio said, firing both barrels of his shotgun at the man "Over here!"

The pellets tore through the man's left arm, leaving a gaping wound. His right arm remained intact, and the Maelstrommer glared at Julio.

"Oh fuck!" the man shrieked, dropping the shotgun and pulling out his Lexington.

The borg took a single step towards Julio, growling, suddenly, he jerked back violently, cyberware sparking.

Bang!

The gangoon fell. A large, smoking hole in his skull.
"Sorry we're late." Kiwi said dryly as she walked up to the scene. Falco was beside her, holding a still smoking Overture revolver.

"J-just in time." Julio breathed out, shakily. 

David groaned, sitting up slowly.
"Thanks for the assist, Kiwi." he said, hissing as he rolled a shoulder, "Falco, damn good shooting."

"Thank you kindly." the former nomad smiled.

"Need to go to a ripper?" Kiwi's brows furrowed at the sight of David, the last gangoon had really done a number on him.

"I got some stuff in my jacket, it's all scratches really." David waved a hand dismissively, rummaging through his pockets and withdrawing a basic first aid kit.

"Julio." David said, face stern as he patched up his various wounds. "That was reckless and stupid. You almost hit me with that car."

Julio's shoulders slumped, pouting at the reprimand even though he knew the legend was right.
David's face broke out into a cheeky smile.

"Well done." he grinned, Julio perked up.

"You mean it?!" 

David hissed as he pressed a wipe to the wound on his forehead, applying a bandage afterwards.
"Yup." he said, "We're more or less done here, but I've got some biz in Jig Jig Street, I'll put in a good word with Wakako, tell her you held your own."

"Nova!" Julio cheered, though his expression fell slightly, "Uh... could you maybe get her to give me some jobs that are less... intense?"

David laughed loudly at that, wincing as he pulled several tender muscles in doing so.

Kenji grimaced as he chased after his friend.

"Norio!" he called out, gripping the other man's arm firmly. "Don't do this. This isn't what Julia would want."

Norio looked at him apathetically, he barely seemed to register Kenji as a human being.
"I must." he said softly, turning to leave. "It is all I can do for her now."

"What?" Kenji demanded, refusing to let go of Norio's arm, "Killing as many of our brothers and sisters before you get blown apart by Max-Tac?!"

"They are not our brothers!" Norio growled, apathy giving way to white hot rage, he yanked his tattooed arm away. "They are scum, engaging in the worst kinds of practices, they kidnap people off the streets to sell off, they rape, they murder!"

"I know." Kenji said, placatingly. "But you help nobody this way."

"No." Norio said, his previous anger had seemingly vanished, giving way to a serene expression and tone. "This way, I avenge Julia. Live on, brother. If you can lead the Claws that remain to a better way, I will be watching over you."

Kenji watched as Norio walked away watching his friend be swallowed up by the city.
Before he vanished for good, he heard him speak softly, to himself.

"Wait for me, Julia. I'll be joining you shortly."

David parked his bike outside Jig Jig street, breathing in the smells of the district.

Falco had dropped off Julio first, then David. 
He had stopped briefly at his apartment to shower and change, applying fresh bandages to his wounds.
Then, he had taken the bike he shared with Lucy and set off to meet Takemura.

He spotted a man that resembled the photo Valerie had sent him, he leaned against a railing, inspecting the city around him. David approached.
"You Takemura?" he asked, waving. The man turned to inspect him.

David had met a fair few corpos in his time, he could safely say Takemura looked like none of them.
His hair was disheveled, pulled loosely into a messy bun. His beard was unkempt and his leather coat looked dusty and worn, as if he had pulled it out of a dump.

The man nodded, 
"I assume you are the 'David' that Valerie spoke of." Takemura said, David nodded in reply. "You are injured."

"Had a job before this." he said plainly, "You should look at the other guys."

Takemura looked at David, sizing him up.
"The job was for Wakako, the fixer here." he said, "Hopefully it'll make her more likely to help you."

Takemura nodded,
"I am grateful." he said plainly. "I apologize that you were injured on my behalf."

"On your behalf?" David smirked, "Nah, choom. I got paid. C'mon, let's see Wakako."

They set off, David pointed out various things, good food stalls, stalls that sold clothes and guns, as well as computer parts.
Takemura listened intently, when he spoke, it was to ask questions, or comment on the smell.

Eventually he led the man to Wakako's Parlor, the man at the door nodded as he entered, David nodded back. 
They made their way past people throwing away their eddies at pachinko, the cacophonous sounds of the game seemingly soothing Takemura.
"Now this..." he smiled nostalgically, "This reminds me of home."

David quirked a brow but said nothing.
He raised a hand, parting the bead curtain that Wakako put up. The older woman smiled warmly as she saw David, though it faltered slightly when she saw Takemura.
"David, my child." she greeted, eyeing Takemura. "I received word that the job I assigned you went quite well."

David nodded,
"Target was extracted, as agreed." he said, grinning slightly, "And we got out all the other hostages, but I'm guessin' your wallet already knew that."

Wakako nodded, smiling serenely. 
"I have sent you your payment, along with your bonus." she said, then turned to face Takemura properly. "And who is your friend?"

Takemura bowed, he spoke in Japanese.
Damn, wish I updated my translator. David cursed, he'd have to ask Viktor about that later. 

"And a gentleman too." Wakako said, smiling. David noticed that it didn't quite reach her eyes.

His suspicions were confirmed a second later.
"My dear boy." she said seriously, turning to look at David again. "I'm sure I don't need to tell you that your associate is wanted by the Arasaka Corporation. They say he is the one who assassinated the Emperor himself."

"That is a lie!" Takemura growled, David shot him a warning look.

"So I will ask this once." Wakako said, placing her hands on her mahogany desk. "Why have you brought danger to my domain?"

David swallowed nervously, he should have expected this. 
There was one thing that fixers hated more than corporations, and that was trouble.
"Takemura... he's trying to absolve his name." he said carefully, "Because he didn't kill Saburo Arasaka." 

Wakako quirked an eyebrow. 
"If not him, then who?" she said, folding her fingers together. 

David felt a twinge, a small feeling of victory, Wakako had inadvertently given him the winning argument.
"Wakako... I can't tell you." he said, "The company's coming after Takemura because he knows who did it."

Wakako's face darkened at the implication.
And if you know, you'll be a target too.
David continued.

"But if Takemura's given a chance to argue his case, Arasaka'll be too busy chasing after the real killer to do anything. At least here in Night City." he said, "You could help the Tyger Claws escape from 'Saka's pocket."

The fixer pondered this for a moment.
Sighing heavily, she looked at Takemura.
"Tell me what it is you require." she said bluntly. "I will do what I can."

They left the parlor shortly after, the fixer had told them she would require a few days to find and collect everything Takemura had requested.

"You okay from here or do you need a ride?" David asked, leaning on his bike.

"I will find my own way." Takemura nodded gratefully, "I must thank you, David Martinez. Valerie was correct when she said you would be a boon."

David grinned at the older man.
"Give me a call if you need a hand with anything." he said, "Apparently that's what I'm here for."

As he drove off, he blinked as he received a text from Lucy.
Smiling, he opened it.
As he read the short message, his face fell. He swerved, turning around and screeching off towards Watson.

Rebecca looked at Rogue, then she looked back at V.
"What?!" she shouted, V looked at her, surprised. 

"Oh, uh..." V stammered.

Rogue raised a hand, placatingly.
"I'm sure your Input has the details, but I'm a busy woman." she said, "So I'll give you the short version. About twenty years ago a corpo barged in, he wanted me to find a safe place for his kid."

Rebecca raised an eyebrow. Rogue merely shrugged, taking a sip of her drink.
"From what I remember, it was a corporate dispute." the queen fixer said, "Someone at the corp fucked up, and he took the fall."

V grimaced, Rebecca held his hand tightly. 
"Kid was apparently only a few weeks old." Rogue continued, "His older sister was staying with relatives at the time, she would have been fine but..."

"Nobody would take him." Rebecca finished for Rogue. Her grip on V's hand only tightened.

"I wanted to tell the suit to fuck off, naturally." Rogue admitted, Rebecca glared at the queen fixer, opening her mouth to speak angrily. "Nobody wants to raise a kid in this city, least of all a newborn."
She took another sip of her drink, savoring it while V and Rebecca waited for her to continue.
"Then, an... acquaintance of mine stepped in. Said he knew a nomad clan he could pull some favors for, it wouldn't be easy living but the kid would be safe there."

"Uncle Black." V said softly.

"Morgan Blackhand." Rogue corrected.

"But that doesn't make any fucking sense!" Rebecca protested, "Morgan Blackhand isn't some heart of gold hero, he was a merc who worked for the highest bidder! Expect me to believe he was willing to help out a kid for over 20 years?" 

Rogue laughed softly,
"Solos are an odd breed, kid." she said, a melancholic smile on her face. "Most of us die with a lot of regrets. But there's one fate that's even worse."

"What is it?" V asked, Rogue looked him dead in the eyes. 

"Living with those regrets." she stated plainly. "Men like Morgan, they fly so much higher than the rest of us, I can only imagine the kinds of things he'd regret."

V swallowed nervously.

"I... well..." Rogue sighed, "That's not important. The important thing is Morgan has some regrets even I don't have."

"Come on!" Rebecca said, "You expect us to believe that Morgan friggin' Blackhand secretly wanted to settle down and have kids?"

"No." Rogue admitted, "But he's been around for a long, long time. Maybe he mellowed out, maybe he realized he had a dream too late, I don't know. Maybe he's just a nutjob, and we're all overthinking things."

V focused intently on a spot on the back of his hand, troubled. 
"Anyways." Rogue said, snapping him out of his reverie. "I'm assuming you didn't come here to catch up. What biz did you have?"

V swallowed, pushing a shard he had prepared over to the fixer.
"We're looking for a suit, Anders Hellman." he said, "We need some information he has."

Rogue inserted the shard, optics glowing as she scanned through the information.
"I'm guessin' it's got to do with your sister?" she asked bluntly. V blinked, momentarily stunned. "I've been around the block a few times, kid. I can figure these sorts of things out."

V nodded slowly. Rogue sighed.

"I won't ask you the details of what's happening with her." she said, leaning back in her chair. "But this information... it's not going to come cheap."

Rebecca looked at V, worried.
"I like you kids." Rogue said, "Really, I do. But business is business, and this type of business is dangerous, and costly."

"How much?" V asked, "I'll pay."

"Fifteen thousand." Rogue said, Rebecca's eyes bugged out at the price. 

"I'll... I'll figure out a way to come up with the scratch." V said, swallowing nervously. 

Rogue nodded, 
"I'll be here."

As the pair left, V sighed. Rebecca elbowed him good naturedly.
"Cheer up, V!" she said, smiling reassuringly, "We got a lead! And I'm sure Regina's got some cyberpsycho cases popping up we can handle."

V smiled, he wrapped an arm around Rebecca, squeezing her tightly.
"Thanks, Becca." he said, "I'd be lost without you, honestly."

"So, afterparty?" she said as they stepped out, the sun had gone down by the time they had finished and the cool nighttime breeze greeted them. "I know a place, could call everyone over."

V opened his mouth to say something as they entered his car, he was cut off by a text message sent by his sister.

Reading it, his expression darkened.
"Sorry, Becca. Gonna need a raincheck." he said as they peeled out of the Afterlife. "Valerie just texted me, a group of Tygers just shot up Lizzies, her and Lucy are trying to drive 'em off."

"What?!"

Chapter Text

Lucy sat as Valerie trawled through various samples of Evelyn’s memories that Judy had extracted.

The tattooed Mox member had been polite to Lucy, introducing herself with a courteous, if formal, handshake.

“So… Lucy...” Judy spun her chair around leisurely to look at Lucy directly, it had been about an hour, several BD’s had been picked apart already.
“You a friend of Valerie’s?”

Lucy nodded,
“Yeah.”

Judy hummed,
“Cool… cool…” she rested her head on her arm, propped up on her desk at the elbow. “Close friend? Girlfriend?”

Lucy shook her head.
“No, nothing like that.” She said, “Just friends.”

Judy grinned at that information, Lucy sighed.
At least I’m not the only socially awkward one here, she mused. 

“Hey… marking on the wall, think I’ve seen them before somewhere.” Valerie’s voice cut in, the woman was still in Judy’s chair, eyes glazed as she still crawled through the braindance.

Lucy focused on the monitor Judy had set up, a blue skull was painted on a wall, among other things.
She frowned, those markings were familiar to her as well, but where?
“Think I’ve seen ‘em around too.” Lucy conceded, “But on the net, I think… I can try and do some digging when I get home.”

“Thanks, Luce.” Valerie said, “Appreciate it.”

Judy tapped on her keyboard,
“Alright, Val.” She said, “Loading up the next one now.”

Several hours later, Valerie returned to realspace groggily, she raised a hand to remove the BD wreath from her head.

Lucy stood up to help her, Judy was a half second quicker. She strode over, taking Valerie’s groggy hand in one of her own and removing the wreath with her free hand.
“Easy, easy.” She soothed, smiling at the disorientated woman, “You’ve just been running a marathon through raw BD footage, you’re gonna be a bit dizzy.”

Valerie gazed into Judy’s eyes. Then she blinked and coughed, removing her hand from Judy’s.
“Uh, yeah.” She said, cheeks tinged pink. “Yeah, thanks, Judy.”

Lucy rolled her eyes, even she could see what was going on here.
“Think we got anything concrete?” she asked, Valerie shook her head. 

“Nah,” the Solo woman sighed, running a hand through her purple-red hair. “Think the closest thing to a lead we have is that marking.”

Judy frowned,
“Damn.” She said, “Wish I could do more to help. Your brother didn’t tell me all the details but I know enough to know this is important.”

Valerie smiled, taking one of Judy’s hands. 
“You’ve been more than a help, Judy.” She said, “Seriously.”

It was now Judy’s turn to blush, Lucy rolled her eyes again.

“Well,” the techie coughed nervously, “Viktor thinks Evelyn might come to any day now, I’ll… call you if that happens?”

Lucy opened her mouth to speak. Whether it was to comment or to gripe that the pair should get a room, the world would never know as the room shook, a dull rumbling and the distant sounds of gunfire echoing down the stairwell.

“What the fuck?!” Judy hissed, tapping on her keyboard, she looked at one of her monitors frantically.
“Oh shit, it’s the Tygers!”

Valerie looked at Lucy, the netrunner nodded. She sent a text to David, Valerie did the same for her brother.
The Solo woman reached into her jacket, pulling out a short, sawed off Testera shotgun.
Lucy reached into her own jacket and cursed.
“Fuck!” she groaned, “My gun’s in the car.”

Judy pulled out a A-22B Chao smart pistol, opening another drawer and handing Lucy a neon pink Omaha pistol and two spare magazines.
“Here!” she said, “It’s all I have on hand.”
Lucy nodded gratefully.

Valerie grinned as she rested the shotgun on her shoulder.
Despite herself, Lucy couldn’t help but smile a little. The old, boisterous Valerie that she remembered was back.
“Alright.” Valerie said, “Let’s go hunt us some Tygers.”

The trio rushed up the stairs, guns at the ready.
As they ascended, they began to smell the acrid smell of burning oil. The air around them heating up.
At the top of the stairs a Tyger slashed at a Mox woman, blood spraying as she collapsed.
Lucy fired four shots, two of them hitting the man in his shoulder and abdomen. Valerie charged at the man, swinging her cybernetic fist. His head snapped back with a sickening crunch as he tumbled down the stairwell, dead.

Judy looked at the dead Mox in horror.
“Maja…” she breathed out. 

“Hey…” Valerie placed a hand on Judy’s cheek. “I'm sorry, but there’s nothing we can do for her. But we can save the others.”
Judy looked at the Solo woman.

“I won’t hold it against you if you don’t want to fight though, I’ll keep you safe.”

The young techie woman trembled nervously, she breathed in deeply and then her gaze steeled.
“I’ll be right behind you.”

They dashed into the main dance floor of the club, Judy grimaced at the scene.
At least a dozen bodies lay on the floor, dead, dying or wounded. All were either Mox or club-goers.
The far wall was blown out, the dressing room visible from their position now, framed by the blackened remains of the wall.
Four Tygers huddled behind an overturned couch, hiding as Mateo fired a Tactician shotgun, his eyes were steely, face pulled into a scowl.
Beside him, Rita fired a pistol, she winced with every impact. There was a large gash on the side of her head, blood trickling down and getting into her right eye.

Valerie fired her shotgun, the pellets ripped through the closest Tyger, the other three fell as the remaining pellets bit into their flesh.
Lucy fired as she ran behind cover, focusing on transmitting one of her prepared hacks. Judy fired from around the doorway, the guided projectiles whizzed around the corner, hitting their mark on one of the remaining Tygers, the rest of the projectiles arced away at the last second.

“Fuck!” Judy cursed, “Damn Tygers and their jamming tech.”
She darted into the room, aiming her pistol manually.

One of the last two Tygers aimed his Masamune rifle at Judy, glaring. Sweat beaded on his lined face and mixed with the blood from a gash on his forehead.
“Judy!” Valerie threw herself between the Tyger and the techie, turning her back to the man.

The Tyger was barely able to fire a single shot before he exploded, turning into a spray of shrapnel and viscera that ripped through his remaining companion.

The shot hit Valerie in the shoulder, dampened by her combat jacket, still, the Solo woman grunted at the impact.

Lucy sighed, shoulders slumped.
Thankfully they had been carrying grenades, she had been able to trigger a remote detonation in time.

“Val!” Judy cried, “You’re hurt!”

“S’fine, Judy.” Valerie mumbled, blushing slightly as the techie checked her over, “Hit me in my chrome, didn’t break the skin.”

“Judy! Thank fuck you guys are alright!” Rita breathed a sigh of relief. “Dollie and a few of the others got as many people out as they could through the back.”

“What about these ones?” Lucy asked, looking at several of the less wounded Mox that had slowly gotten to their feet, checking on their other comrades and patrons “They aren’t dead yet.”

Rita shook her head, wincing as Mateo pressed a clean rag to the gash on her head,
“Tyger fucks caught on, once they were done shooting up inside most of them moved out to surround the club, trying to flush out anyone they missed.”

More gunfire echoed, this time from outside.
“Shit!” Judy hissed, “The fuck’re they shootin’ at?”

Lucy closed her eyes, searching for a camera nearby. A small one attached to the neighbouring building pulsed slightly and she siphoned off the data flow.
“It’s V.” she said, “And Rebecca, they’re fighting the Tygers, alone.”

“We gotta help ‘em” Valerie growled, reloading her shotgun. Without another word, she set off, Lucy uploaded a hack remotely and then disconnected from the camera feed, reloading her borrowed pistol.

Rita flexed her chrome hands, picking up a baseball bat and her pistol,
“I’ll go too. Mateo, you comin’?”

The bartender reloaded his shotgun, scowling at the direction of the door.
“Yeah.” he said, quietly, “Those bastards fucked up my bar.”

"Tyger fuckers!" Rebecca shrieked as she fired a Defender LMG, V crouched behind his armored car, firing off as many hacks as his cyberdeck would allow. In lieu of firing a gun himself, he had begun reloading the rifle his Solo Output had used when they had arrived, discarding it when it was empty.
As the LMG clicked empty, V handed her the freshly loaded rifle. Rebecca cracked a slightly crazed smile at V before firing the Copperhead at the Tygers, tearing through several lightly armored members.

Beginning the process of reloading the LMG, V peeked his head out from behind cover, there was a Tyger approaching with an Arasaka Light-77 anti-armor rifle. Rebecca's rifle shots bounced harmlessly off of the Arasaka branded body armor he wore.
The Tyger got down on one knee, taking aim. V uploaded a hack, the Tyger looked at him.
V felt a twinge down his spine, starting at his cyberdeck and travelling downwards, he knew this sensation, knew that the Tyger had exposed the locations of both him and Rebecca, even when they were hidden from view.

The Tyger fired.

V lunged at Rebecca, shoving her aside.

The high powered bullet tore through his car, the shrapnel ripping through his left arm. The chrome limb flew, freed from his body, it landed with a dull thud two feet away.

"V!" Rebecca screamed. She glared at the Tyger with murderous intent, the armored man had cycled his rifle, he took aim at her. "I'll fucking KILL YOU!!" 

The Tyger pulled the trigger again.
He looked at the rifle in confusion as the gun jammed.

Suddenly, the man lurched to the side as Valerie collided with him, she grabbed his helmet, using her cybernetic arms to tear the reinforced headpiece off the man's head.
Valerie heaved. Screaming, she slammed the man into the ground, she took aim with her shotgun and fired at another Tyger, Rita swung her baseball bat at the man Valerie had thrown, his body jerked violently as the wooden weapon made contact, then he was still.

Several Tygers screamed as their optics burned, the flesh around their chrome sizzling as it burned.
Lucy fired a tech pistol, a Tyger netrunner collapsed, groaning.

"Hey, Becca." Valerie grunted, picking up the Tyger's anti-armor rifle and firing in the direction of another group of Tygers that had run in from the rear of the club. "Take care of my gonk brother, got it?"

Rebecca nodded, she pulled off her jacket, wrapping it around the broken cyberware that once housed V's arm.
"You're gonna be okay," she said, stroking V's face tenderly, she placed a MaxDoc inhaler to his lips. "We're gonna get you to a ripper soon, got it?"

"Lucy!" Valerie shouted, Rebecca's eyes snapped up to look for her friend. 

A Tyger sporting freshly installed Arasaka Mantis Blades had dashed past all the other combatants, cornering the netrunner, his blue hair obscured his face save for a savage looking grin.
Two more Tygers flanked him, together they all surrounded Lucy.
Rebecca grabbed her rifle, taking aim.

She heard the sound of a motorcycle screeching to a halt beside her, then suddenly all three Tygers collapsed, their heads severed cleanly.
Rebecca turned to look at the motorcycle, David and Lucy's red Kusanagi.

"Sorry I'm late." David said, placing himself between his netrunner lover and the other Tygers. He had a Tayamura pistol in one hand, a katana in the other, resting on his shoulder as it dripped blood.

For a moment it almost felt like the entire battle had stopped just to witness David's appearance. 
Then, one of the Tyger's screamed.

"Oh fuck!!" he shrieked, Rebecca heard the sound of a katana whistling through the air, though David hadn't moved. "It's the fuckin' Phantom!!"

"Where is he?!" another Tyger shouted, his voice was quickly silenced, a wet gurgling replacing it.

The rest of the Tygers fled, piling into their cars and onto their bikes and screeching away from the club.

David looked in the direction of this 'Phantom'. A man bearing Tyger Claws tattoos stood, covered in blood. He wore a simple black denim vest and motorcycle pants. His eyes seemed vacant, despite his rapid carnage, he now looked a thousand miles away.
Cyberpsychosis. David glared, grip tightening on his Katana.

"I will drive them off." the Phantom ground out, his eyes had focused, glaring intently in the direction the Tygers had fled. "If you wish to live, do not follow."
Then he vanished in a blur. 
Rebecca could actually see the direction he had set off in, unlike when David used his Sandevistan.

"Fuck..." Valerie cursed, "We need to get these people to Vik."

"I'll call ahead," Lucy exhaled shakily, "Might need Misty to help out."

"Becca." David had crossed the distance to kneel by the shortstack Solo and her ex-nomad lover. "Take the bike, get V to another ripper. Get him fixed up."

Rebecca looked at the boy who had taken charge of their crew. At the kind, gentle eyes she had once pined for.
David shrugged off his jacket, placing it over her shoulders. She had barely noticed the night's chill, the adrenaline still pumped through her veins.

"David..." V groaned, reaching into his pocket with his remaining hand, he pulled out his own key. "Here... You can drive a couple more people this way..."

David took the key, smiling warmly at the ex-nomad. 
"You're gonna be okay, buddy." he said, standing, "I'll take care of the car."

As everyone moved, Rebecca helped V to the bike, he leaned on her unsteadily, his only arm wrapped around her for support. She revved the bike, turning it towards the road.
Falco screeched to a halt at the side of the road.
"David! Got your message!" Rebecca heard the older man call out as she drove away from the ruined club. "Got a lot of room, lay out the badly hurt ones in the back!"

She felt V's one good arm tighten around her midriff as she wove between the cars, driving them both to a reputable ripperdoc in Northside.
Hang on, V. She grimaced, a knot of anxiety forming in her stomach.

Lucy cautiously came down the steps into Viktor's clinic.

She, Valerie, Judy and Falco had worked to transfer all the wounded Mox and club attendees to Viktor's clinic.
David had immediately moved to help Viktor and Misty when they had first arrived, working to stabilize the less critically wounded, freeing up Misty to help Viktor perform surgeries on those that were greatly wounded.

She saw David leaning against a wall, breathing heavily. Misty and Viktor both were sitting slumped in their chairs, shoulders heavy with fatigue. Many of the wounded still lay on makeshift bedding on the floor, sedated or nursing their wounds.
Her lover perked up when he saw her, Lucy ran into his arms, wrapping him in a tight embrace.

"Hey." David whispered, Lucy looked at his face. He looked happy to see her, the smile almost wiping away the dark circles under his eyes.
Almost.

"Hi." Lucy whispered back, claiming his lips in a kiss.

"Kid was a big help, really." Viktor smiled tiredly, "Hell, he might have had a future as a Medtech in another life."

He might have had a future as a Medtech if you hadn't corrupted him. A dark corner of Lucy's mind hissed at her. She swallowed nervously and nodded at Viktor.

"Did we... Did we lose anyone?" she asked hesitantly.

"We managed to save everyone that was still alive when they arrived." Misty said, "Thanks to you guys."

"But..." David grimaced, "That bouncer, Rita. She told me that the leader of the Mox... Suzie, I think... The Tygers targeted her with the first bomb, she didn't make it."

Lucy nodded slowly, processing that information.
The Mox had never had enough presence to claim territory, however their presence as well as Lizzie's was enough to keep the Tygers from claiming Watson entirely.

Now that the Mox were leaderless? Now that Lizzie's lay in ruins?
Lucy didn't need Kiroshi optics to see that a turf war was looming in the horizon.

And... she grimaced, There's no mistaking the brand new 'Saka gear those Tygers had.

"You and David should go home, get some rest." Misty said.

"But, what if you need more help?" David said, brow furrowed. 

"Me 'n Misty can handle it." Viktor said, getting up to pat the younger man on the shoulder reassuringly. "You two kids go on home and get a good nights sleep. Lord knows you've earned it."

Lucy took David's hand, squeezing it. Viktor was right, David may be competent at emergency first aid but there was only so much he could do now.

"Alright..." David said, face falling slightly. "Oh, Vik, before I forget, here."
His eyes lit up as he began a transfer of eddies.
"I dunno how much it cost to get everyone patched up, but..."

"Forget it, kid." Viktor sighed, cancelling the transfer. "I didn't help for the money."

"But-"

"Look, you try and pay for them and I'll give it back to you as credit for your next checkup." Viktor smiled softly at David. "Keep it, I ain't chargin' them or you for any of this."

David slowly nodded.
"Thanks, Viktor." he said, "Take care of yourself."

They made the trip back to their apartment in silence. When they had shut the door, David wrapped his arms around Lucy, burying his head into the crook of her neck.
He released a shaky, tired sigh.

"Hey..." Lucy said, running a hand through his hair soothingly, "What's wrong?"

"Fuck, Lucy..." he breathed out. "If I was any slower... I would have lost you."

"You wouldn't have." Lucy said soothingly, David's grip tightened.

"I could have."

"But you didn't."

"But I could have!"

Lucy placed her hands on either side of David's face, bringing him to look her in the eyes.
"But. You. Didn't." she said firmly, David's eyes softened.

"Yeah..." he said.

Lucy pecked her lover on the lips.
"Hey..." she swallowed nervously. "I need to dive today, need to do a routine check, make sure 'Saka isn't on your trail. Also wanted to check a few things I have a hunch about."

David nodded slowly, Lucy smiled apologetically. 
"The moment we get a free day." she whispered into his ear, pressing a kiss to his jaw. She relished the feeling of him shivering at her touches. "We'll go and do something. Okay? Just the two of us."

David nodded with more vigor this time. Lucy giggled, freeing herself from his grasp and winking as she moved to prepare her ice bath. 
"See you when I get out."

David blinked tiredly as he sat by Lucy.
He had held her hand as she entered the Net. Promising he'd get some sleep.

Can't really sleep without her next to me though... he mused.

He raided the fridge, pulling out a NiCola Lucy kept stocked for herself.
Cracking open the ice cold soda, he chugged it, barely feeling the carbonation as he drank in a desperate attempt to stay awake a little longer. Tossing the now empty can into the trash, he sat back down, taking Lucy's hand once more.

A call entered his vision, he blinked tiredly, not even reading the name.
"Hello?" he mumbled, blinking.

"David, is this a good time?" 

David jolted, feeling wide awake now. 
"Morgan?" he asked, what could the NC Legend want with him? "It is but... I still haven't finished the training sim yet."

"Not calling about that." the older man said, "I was going on a covert mission, needed another pair of hands. Low risk."

"Uh..." David hesitated, part of him was more than eager to go on a mission with the Morgan Blackhand, another part of him felt honored at being specifically chosen.
However he knew how tired he was, and he would rather be with Lucy, even if it was just sitting next to her while she dived.

"If it sweetens the deal, we'll be hitting an Arasaka facility." Morgan added, "From what we can tell, it's being used to supply weapons and tech to gangs like the Tyger Claws, among others."

David clenched his jaw.
Now that... he thought, glaring at nothing in particular. That changes things.

He looked at Lucy, squeezing her hand.
His lover had endured many sleepless nights trying to protect him from Arasaka's ever present watch, even despite her own fear of the corporation.
David thought back at the question that had nagged him so many months ago.

What can I do for you, Lucy?

How can I protect you, like you protect me?

David made up his mind, jabbing himself with a Bounce-Back and letting the adrenaline chase away his fatigue for a while longer.
"I'm in." 

Chapter Text

Valerie and Johnny: Rooftop Introspection

Valerie inhaled a lungful of smoke, Johnny sighed contentedly next to her.
"You're lucky you weren't stuck in my brother's head." she joked, "He probably wouldn't be so easy to convince to buy a pack."

"I'll count my fuckin' blessings then." Johnny said dryly, "Instead of being stuck in some moody nomad's head I got put into a 'Saka drone's dome."

"Ex-Saka." Valerie insisted, taking another drag of the cigarette. 

"Sure, I believe you." Johnny snorted.

Valerie stretched back, she and Judy had decided to move Evelyn to the techie's own apartment, freeing up space for the wounded. 
'Sides, Judy had smiled, Don't think I have a job anymore so... I got time to watch over her.
She didn't know why the techie's words jabbed at her heart, causing jealousy to leak from the pierced vessel.

"I wouldn't." Johnny said, "She's reckless, acts without thinking."

"She's also the closest thing the Mox have to a leader, now." Valerie said, eyeing the rockerboy's construct. It was true, the small gang consisted of mostly fighters who didn't have a head for leadership. Of the Mox, only Judy and the late Suzie had any plans for the gang.

"Then the gang of whores is done for." Johnny said grimly, "Because she'll drag 'em to hell with her lack of foresight."

"You and her should get along great, then." Valerie snapped, Johnny scowled, "David told me what Rogue said about you. You ain't got a damn leg to stand on here."

The two sat on the rooftop of Judy's apartment in silence, watching the streets of Night City pass them by like an eternal machine.
A Trauma Team AV rocketed past them, the wind kicking up as they went.

"Gotta say." Johnny finally said, changing the subject "That David, he ain't too bad, 'sides him bein' totally whipped by his 'Saka Input."

"Output." Valerie corrected, Johnny scowled again.

"No, Input!" he sighed, "An Output is meant to be the guy, an Input is meant to be the chick! Christ, Valerie, did the bombs blow the world back into the fuckin' stone age!?"

"Yeah, it literally did." Valerie sighed, Johnny fell silent again, "2023 to late 2040s, your little stunt at Arasaka tower blew the whole world to shit. Everyone you left behind had to pick up the pieces."

Johnny didn't say anything, turning his face away from Valerie. She could still sense his emotions, however.
Guilt, sorrow and shame.
She rolled her eyes.

"Besides," she said with a cheeky smile, "I don't think David likes you at all."

"Fuck do you mean by that?" Johnny's head turned immediately to glare at her, the shame and sorrow had vanished. "Got it from your own memories, kid's my fanboy."

Valerie hummed, grinning.
"That was before you took a swing at Lucy."

Johnny waved his silver hand dismissively. 
"So you're tellin' me he is whipped, then." he sighed, "Fuck does he get off, protecting a corpo weapon like that?"

Now it was Valerie's turn to scowl, this had gone on long enough.
"You're gettin' shit from my head, but I guess you're a total gonk at payin' attention, huh?" she snapped, Johnny looked at her with apprehension.

"Fuck's that supposed to mean?" the rockerboy asked, taking a step back.

Valerie sighed, calming herself.
"David didn't tell me the full details but..." she sighed, "From what I can tell, Lucy was hurt by Arasaka, bad. She has a deep dive interface, a corpo one. But she kept it covered up, first time I saw it? She was cryin' because some psycho ripped the RealSkinn off it."

Johnny said nothing.

"I don't think she enjoyed her time at 'Saka, Johnny." she said firmly, "If anything, I guess she was what you called her, a weapon. Or maybe a tool. So Lay. Off."

"Fuck..." Johnny sighed, "Guess David's more like me than I thought."

Valerie quirked an eyebrow at the man, but said nothing.

"Alt Cunningham." he continued. "My Input, one of the best 'Runners of the time, probably the best. 'Saka kidnapped her one day to use her as a tool."

Now she frowned, she was starting to see where Johnny was going with this.
"Shit..." Johnny sighed, "If David's meant to be this generation's version of me and if the 'Saka weap- if... Lucy... is meant to be this generation's Alt..."

"Don't tell me you're going to go on a tirade about how the world didn't learn and history repeated itself." Valerie rolled her eyes.

"No." Johnny's voice was serious, honest. Lacking any of his trademark arrogance. It was honestly a little bit unnerving. "They're just fuckin' kids... Filling dangerous, dangerous shoes."

Johnny took a step forward, placing a virtual foot on the rim of the roof, he looked out at Night City with contempt.
"If David 'n Lucy are 2077's Johnny and Alt." Johnny muttered, "I'm startin' to think I left a lot more of the job unfinished than I thought."

Kiwi and T-Bug: Net 54 and Chill

Kiwi pressed the digital bell at the apartment door, holding a bag of Kabayan Foods' takeout.
"Kiwi? That you?" the electronically distorted voice of T-Bug rang out. "One sec, I'll buzz you in."

After a short moment, the door hissed open, Kiwi entered the small, cluttered apartment.

"Hey, girl." T-Bug waved at her from the couch, she patted the cushioned seat next to her, "Pull up a chair, what brings you to my neck of RealSpace?"

"Told me you had your cyberdeck pulled." Kiwi said dryly, setting down the bag of food in front of T-Bug. "Figured all your eddies were going to a new 'deck instead. Wasn't sure if you'd eaten anything that didn't taste like SCOPs in a few weeks."

"Kiwi, you're a goddamn life-saver!" Bug's face lit up, though she immediately grimaced. "I don't know how to repay you, though."

The lanky netrunner rolled her eyes, of course Bug's big concern is how she'll pay me back.
"It's a professional courtesy." she waved a hand dismissively, "Don't gotta pay me shit. If you really want to make it up to me you'll let me light one up."

T-Bug chuckled, though she still seemed troubled.
"Fine, fine." she smiled, "Go ahead."

Kiwi lit up a cigarette, wedging it into the vent of her mask.
"Much obliged." she muttered, "So, got any gigs comin' up?"

T-Bug shook her head,
"Still waitin' on a cyberdeck." she said in between mouthfuls of noodles, "Yoko's workin' on something custom for me. Trying to find some security consulting gigs to try and get some ennies in my pocket though."

Kiwi hummed. T-Bug frowned slightly.
"How's V doing?" she asked.

"Your little student?" Kiwi quirked a brow at the other woman. "Gettin' by. Think he's got too much on his plate to think about upgrading his 'deck though."

T-Bug rolled her eyes, 
"That gonk." she sighed, "I keep telling him he needs a deck with more RAM if he's going to crutch on his quick-hacks like that."

The pair chuckled as the TV played a report of a netrunner who had burned up on the NCART, causing delays.
"Damn, wonder who he pissed off." T-Bug grimaced. 

"Heard it from R3n0." Kiwi said, folding her arms. "Sold out a netrunner he ran with to Militech, tried cashing in corpo immunity. Guess some of our 'Runner buddies didn't like that very much."

Loyalty was an odd thing for Street-Netrunners, despite the fact a majority would never meet in RealSpace, there was an odd type of camaraderie that came with being one of the select few that had access to cyberspace.
There was an unspoken taboo against selling out one of your own to a corp, however there was not necessarily a punishment for doing so. The punishment came from being caught.

"Still, the gonk he sold out should have seen it comin'." T-Bug said, "Never trust a soul in Night City. That's your motto, right?"

"Yeah..." Kiwi said, brows furrowing, "Guess it is."

Chapter Text

David looked at the Arasaka facility Morgan had briefed him on.
It looked the same as any other, from what the legendary Solo had told him it indeed operated as a normal research facility most of the time.
"Still," Blackhand had said, rubbing his mechanical hand along his stubble, "When night falls and the facility is run on a skeleton crew, we're seein' more traffic in and out than during the day, vans and armored trucks."

Running a hand through his hair, he hummed.
He placed the Ajax rifle he had brought with him aside and picked up a silenced Unity pistol.

"We need you to enter the facility silently and identify what happens when those vans drive in." Blackhand's associate, calling himself Peregrine had said. "We'll link up to you so we can collect footage as well."

David got out of the Chevillon Emperor, feet meeting the cracked asphalt of the road.

"Where d'you think you're going?" Morgan said, turning to look at him from the passenger seat of the vehicle.

"To do the mission." David said, brow arched.

"Dressed like that?" Blackhand said incredulously, "The fuck you are."

Despite himself, David crossed his arms and pouted, feeling like a scolded teen for the first time in over a year.
"What's wrong with how I dress?"

Peregrine turned to look at David too, shooting a skeptical look at Blackhand.

"Kid, I want you to take a good look at your hi-viz jacket with neon blue lights and tell me why I don't want you wearin' it to a covert mission." Blackhand deadpanned.

David immediately felt a warm rush of heat to his face, it seemed so simple, yet he had overlooked it nontheless.

"Also, you don't want a marking that can identify you on this mission." Peregrine said, folding his gloved hands, "There's always the chance you'll be spotted by a stray camera."

David looked at Peregrine, eyes meeting the driver's polarized sunglasses, a stray lock of sandy hair fell across the man's forehead, the driver swept it away.
He thought about what the man had said, the ghost of an idea creeping into his mind.

"I'll be back." David said, shrugging off his jacket and placing it in the backseat of the car.

Before either men could open their mouths, David shot off. Peregrine looked skeptically at Blackhand again.
"Sir, with all due respect..." the man chose his words carefully, "Do you really think we can trust this to a street thug?"

Blackhand hummed, leaning back in his seat, 
"Been around the block a couple of times, Peregrine." he sighed, "I've gotten good at figuring out which Solos are just your average street trash and which ones have the potential to be more."

Peregrine said nothing.

"The kid has potential." Blackhand continued, "That much is undisputable. He's also reckless, that is also undisputable."

"So then why-"

"I'm testing him." Blackhand said firmly, "I want to know if someone can forge him into someone better or if his hot-head will turn him into a liability."

Peregrine sighed,
"Well, I guess you are doing this with Militech's money, not mine." he frowned, "So I'm in no position to complain."

"C'mon." Morgan cracked a grin. "Kid's growin' on you, admit it."

Before Peregrine could answer, David returned, kicking up the wind and scraps around them.
"Got what I was looking for." he said as he dumped a bundle of cloth onto the car seat.

"Want to tell me why you have..." Morgan peered at the small pile, "A bunch of clothes?"

"6th Street clothes." David corrected. "There was a drunk gonk a few streets away, passed out."

Blackhand arched a brow.

"If we're worried about bein' spotted. If we're worried the corpos or the Tygers chasin' us down." David grinned, "We'll send 'em the wrong way."

Peregrine looked at him over the top of his sunglasses, a surprised look on his face. Blackhand returned David's grin.
"Not bad, kid." he conceded, "Alright, that'll work."

David pulled off his black shirt, putting on the liberated clothes and cringing as the smell of alcohol invaded his senses.

"Before we start." Peregrine said, "You'll need a name to go by when we start recording."

David blinked.
"I'm David." he stated, blinking again. Morgan chuckled.

"You want a codename." he explained, "The footage and transcripts will change hands, maybe be used as blackmail. You don't want an angry corp hunting you down because you helped our employers collect evidence."

David swallowed nervously, pulling on the 6th Street combat jacket and pointedly ignoring the suspicious stains.
"So what are yours?"

"Peregrine's already usin' his." Blackhand said, "When we start, I'm Wick."

"Wick... huh..." David arched a brow. "Why'sat?"

"Long story." Blackhand chuckled, "From a movie, I'll send you a copy, but first you need a name."

David hummed,
A code name... he pondered, his mind had drawn up a complete blank.
His eyes fell on his jacket, along with the green markings on the back. Blackhand had based his on a movie he probably enjoyed, so...
"Edgerunner." David said firmly, Morgan rolled his eyes.

"Oh brother... Well I guess I didn't bring you on for creativity" he deadpanned, "Still, it works fine, so I can't complain."

Entering the facility proved surprisingly easy, Blackhand had given him a tool along with the reassurance that should anything go wrong, he would storm the facility himself.
The tool was a wrist mounted grappling hook, one that took him up onto the roof silently.
David stowed an idea in the back of his mind, something to discuss with Viktor later.

He dropped down from an open skylight, landing deftly on his feet.
Creeping through identical looking cubicles, David looked around.

"Alright, Edgerunner." Peregrine's voice came through the comm-link. "The loading bay should be three levels below. Reports say the facility is lightly guarded but there are still employees working night shift."

"Got it, got it." David muttered under his breath, "Wick already told me."

He descended a set of metal stairs, feet light, silenced pistol at the ready. He turned the corner and came face to face with a woman.
Shock immediately overtook the woman's features. Fear evident in her eyes, rimmed by round glasses.

"Shit!" Blackhand cursed.

David lowered the pistol, swallowing.
This is a gamble but... I'm not a murderer.
He raised a finger to his lips, glaring at the woman.
Please go along with it, he begged internally, Please just... just go along with it.

She nodded frantically. David jerked his head and the woman scurried off.

"Shit..." Peregrine sighed, "Edgerunner, you need to get out of there. It's not safe anymore."

"Not yet," David muttered as he descended another flight of stairs, his steps were quicker now, more urgent. "I'm almost there, I'll get you that footage first."

He came to a stop as the bright lights of the loading bay shone through an open doorway. David pressed himself to the wall, peeking around the corner.
A group of Tyger claws were loading box after box of something into a truck, an armored Arasaka guard watched over them.

"Peregrine." David whispered, "You guys gettin' this?"

"We need a better angle, kid. We still don't know what they're moving." Blackhand said.

"One second." David breathed out, emptying his lungs of all its breath.
He inhaled again, letting the world come to a complete stop around him.
Sprinting into the dock, David scanned the room for something that could get him a vantage point, he spotted a sturdy looking shelf that looked close enough to a beam higher up. David climbed, taking care not to disturb the shelf too much, once he had reached the top shelf he leapt to the beam, breathing out once he was securely in a vantage point.

The shelf rattled slightly, one of the Tygers turned to look at the offending piece of furniture.
"The fuck was that?" he growled, setting down the box he was holding. David focused on the inside of the box. It looked like guns and explosives. 

"We don't have all day." the Arasaka guard said, "Get back to it."

The Tygers continued to place box after box inside the van. 
"So, Toshi." one of the Tygers turned to look at the guard. "We're friends, right? What's 'Saka really stand to gain by givin' us all these toys?" 

"Fuck if I know." the guard snorted, scratching his helmet, "I ain't the hotshot suits callin' the shots. I'm just the gonk they have making sure you don't take more than you're given."

 The Tygers all chuckled, the guard grabbed a duffel back set on the counter and tossed it towards them.
"This too," he said, "Arasaka must really have some big plan for the Tyger Claw, that's more eddies than I'll make in a decade."

David focused in on the duffel bag, as well as the pile of bills peeking through.

"Alright, Edgerunner." Peregrine said, "I think that's enough footage, come on back."

David breathed in deep again, letting the world slow itself once more, he dropped to the ground and took off for the exit, passing by the Tygers and the Guards, standing stone still.

David returned to the vehicle where Blackhand and Peregrine were waiting.

He tossed the grapple back to the Solo as he began taking off the clothes he had borrowed.
"So, we done for the day?" David asked, pulling his shirt back over his head. "Don't need me to break in again? Steal some corpo secrets?" 

"Easy there, kid." Blackhand chuckled, "There'll be more opportunities later. You did well, I'm surprised that woman didn't call security."

David shook his head, thinking to himself.
"Don't think she's the type." he said seriously, "She kinda..."

"Kinda...?" Peregrine asked.

"Nothing, nevermind." David sighed, 
She kinda reminded me of my mom...

Blackhand observed the young edgerunner impassively before he shrugged.
"Good work today, kid. We'll take the footage to our employers and send you your cut."

"Lemme guess." David sighed as he pulled his jacket back on. "You guys are holed up somewhere nova; Charter Hill? North Oak?"

Blackhand shook his head, 
"Pacifica." the man stated, David's jaw dropped.

"Shit, choom." he blurted out almost on instinct. "The fuck're you doin' in Pacifica? Do you need eddies to move?"

Blackhand roared with laughter, slapping his knee. Peregrine, too, chuckled softly.
"Pacifica has strategic advantages, we're doin' alright, kid. Don't worry."

David shrugged, grabbing his Ajax rifle and returning the borrowed pistol.
"Well, if you're sure." he said, "I'm heading home now."

"Wait, wait." Blackhand said, David froze in the middle of closing the car door. "Like that?"

David frowned, 
"What's wrong with the way I dress!?" he said for the second time that night.

"Not that!" Blackhand rolled his eyes, "Walkin' down the street with your fancy light-up jacket and a rifle on your shoulder."

David's frown deepened.

"You could not be walking around with a more visible 'shoot me, I'm a mercenary!' sign over your head  if you tried." Blackhand rummaged around in his seat for something. "Here, you take this. Give me the damn rifle, I'll drop it off at your place."

David took the silenced pistol again as he handed the rifle back. 

"This too." a black armored vest was shoved into his hands. "You put that on under your jacket and the next idiot that tries to put a bullet in you's in for a nasty surprise."

David held the vest, hefting its weight in his hands.
"Alright..." he said skeptically, taking off his jacket once more and putting the vest on. "If you say so."

Blackhand grinned as he watched David putting his jacket back on, over the vest. "Now you're startin' to look like a proper solo."

"Looks professional." Peregrine nodded awkwardly. David grinned at the two.

"Alright, alright." Blackhand chuckled, "I've grilled you long enough, get outta here, kid."

Lucy breathed out as she returned from her deep dive. The Voodoo Boys... She swallowed nervously, the symbol she had researched pointed her in the direction of the mysterious gang of Haitian netrunners. 
She could hear the shower running as she lethargically disconnected several wires from her back. She winced as the large cable connected to her deep dive interface was removed with a sturdy click.
Standing, she grabbed a towel David had left on the stool he sometimes sat in. She moved to dry herself off but thought better of it, a sly grin coming to her lips as she came up with a devious plan.
The door to her netrunning setup hissed open as she strode across the length of her apartment to the shower. 
She slipped in undetected, David had his eyes closed as he let the steamy water run down his face. Creeping into the shower, Lucy wrapped her freezing cold arms around his midriff.

"Fuck!" David shivered at the touch, "Lucy?" 

The netrunner giggled, 
"Hey." she said, resting her cold forehead against his shoulders and letting the hot water warm her up too. "Figured you'd be sleeping by now."

"Couldn't sleep without you." David said, placing a hand over one of hers. "Figured I'd stretch my legs for a bit."

Lucy loosened her grip just enough for David to turn and face her. His face was lined with exhaustion, the bags under his eyes had deepened since she had last spoken to him. Lucy felt a twinge of guilt.
"Sorry..." she murmured, David shook his head and pressed his lips to hers. 

"You had stuff to do, I get it." he smiled, Lucy pressed her face into the crook of his neck.

They stood like this for a while, enjoying each others warmth and presence. Lucy could feel David's breathing slowing, feel him leaning more and more on her.

"Alright." she whispered, pulling away gently. "Let's get dry and get you to bed before you pass out."

They dried themselves off, Lucy eventually taking the lead after David dropped the towel for the third time.
David collapsed into their bed, taking Lucy with him.
As she watched David drift off into sleep almost immediately, she sent Valerie a message.
Evelyn's employers. Maybe VDB.
Then she too closed her eyes, bringing David closer to her and letting herself drift off as well.

Chapter Text

I Know Your Face

Katsuo breathed in shakily as he set foot into Arasaka Tower. He had vague memories of the place, visiting his father at work many years ago, it had been daunting to him back then, doubly so now.
Nobody stopped to eye him, nobody asked him what he was doing or what his business was.
He tugged at the collar of his new suit, a gift from Hanako. He supposed it had to do with how he dressed like he fit in with the elite corporates he idolized.
Katsuo stepped into the elevator, pressing a button and exhaling. He had been chosen by Hanako Arasaka herself to help in her goals, nebulous and unknown to them as they may be. It was a daunting task, but also an incredible privilege.

He listened to the canned voice reciting Arasaka history, a history he remembered by heart. His father had been proud of the corporation he worked for, he had been told that the man had stayed loyal to the corp until his untimely murder.
The door pinged open, Katsuo stepped out into the communal area. He could see almost all of Night City from up here, the gutter rats and bustle of the streets seemed so very small and insignificant from up here.
He walked through sleek neomilitaristic corridors, eventually coming to a stop by an office.

Raising a hand to knock, he flinched as the door hissed open. A stern looking man in a similar corporate suit looked him over. Oda, Katsuo noted. Perhaps Hanako had a particular taste when it came to picking out suits.
The man's eyes lit up red, scanning him for weapons or other abnormalities. Satisfied, he stepped aside, allowing Katsuo inside.

"Katsuo!" Hanako smiled warmly as she watched him enter, "Please, have a seat. I will be with you shortly."

Seating himself on the leather couch in the corner of the office, he turned his attention to the large screen Hanako was inspecting.

"Continue, Azegami-San." Hanako said, a disembodied voice cleared its throat.

"As I was saying," the voice, Azegami, said. "I believe the woman you are looking for is the same one that assassinated Jotaro Shobo."

An image appeared on the screen, several gutter rats were standing in a room, mercenaries no doubt. Most of them looked exactly like how Katsuo had been warned. One of the women however looked unlike what Katsuo's image of a mercenary could ever have fathomed, even he had to admit for a gutter rat she was not unattractive. From the image, she looked almost concerned, hands touching the face of-

"Martinez?" Katsuo whispered, Hanako turned to face him, eyes wide.

"Azegami-San, we shall have to continue this at another juncture. In the meantime I hope you can assist our fixer friend in searching for our little runaway." she said, disconnecting the call. 
She strode over to Katsuo, taking a seat next to him on the sofa. 
"Katsuo, do you know one of these people?" she asked gently, the teal haired youth swallowed nervously.

"I... uh..." Katsuo mumbled. 
Surely he was mistaken, there was no way street trash Martinez would be running with mercenaries. No way he was associating with that woman in the photo.

"That image was taken the night one of our associates was murdered." Hanako said, placing one of her hands on one of Katsuo's. "We believe the woman is responsible for your fathers murder too."

Katsuo swallowed nervously again. Hanako looked him tenderly in the eyes, a soothing, kind look. She placed a hand on his cheek, forcing him to look at her alone.
"Katsuo, I wish to bring her to justice." she said, "But I need you to tell me if you recognize anyone in that photo."

He clenched his fists tightly. His fathers killer. He respected his father, whether the man was around enough for Katsuo to love him, he didn't quite know. He did know that if that was true, this woman, hiding her black heart in a white jacket and pretty face, was an enemy to him.
"His name is David Martinez." he said finally, "He's my age, used to go to school with me before he dropped out."

Hanako patted his cheek softly, smiling warmly.
"You have done me a great kindness, Katsuo." she beamed, "I promise you such honesty will be rewarded."

She turned to look at Oda, standing watch with almost robotic efficiency.
"Oda, please try and see if the Corporation has any files on David Martinez, discretely." 

"I... I could look through my fathers old documents." Katsuo stammered, wanting to help in any way possible, to prove he was worthy. "I know the headmaster talked to him a bit, maybe there's... a file, or an address."

Hanako smiled at him yet again. 
"I am once again in your debt, Katsuo." she said.

Family Reunion

Kenji strode into Below Deck. The club shone a dark blue. He made his way past dancers and women who winked at him flirtatiously. If this were any other day he would have joined them, however he had a mission.
He found his target in one of the VIP booths, a young woman on her lap. He would have thought the woman was a joytoy, her neon pink tech-hair shimmering as his cousin kept a hand planted firmly inside the other woman's shirt. The way that Hina's lips were pressed to the other woman's however dissuaded him of that notion.

"Hina." Kenji said, sighing. "We need to talk."

His cousin had the decency to turn her full attention to him, despite her... companion's pouting. Her hand, however, remained firmly lost in the other woman's shirt.

"Kenji!" Hina grinned, she tossed her hair, flicking the raven bangs out of the way. "How're you doin'? How's the old hag?"

Kenji sighed, 
"Hina, can't you show grandmother at least a little respect?" 
Wakako adored all of her grandchildren equally, however she herself admitted that Hina was a troublemaker.
And... he grimaced, she never did get over Jun's death...

"I dunno," Hina grinned, "Can you take that stick out of your ass?"

Kenji rolled his eyes. Running a hand through his dyed hair impatiently.

"So what're you after, Ken?" Hina asked, "Figured you wouldn't give me a poke unless it was important."

Kenji's eyes darkened, he pulled up a seat.
"Julia's dead." he said grimly, "Murdered." 

The smile faded from Hina's face, she removed her hand, letting the woman on her lap crawl off.
"Fuck..." she grimaced, "And Norio? How's the bastard takin' it?"

"He..." Kenji grimaced, "He left to hunt down as many Tygers as he could, before he died."
Hina and Norio had never seen eye to eye, particularly not when both of them had chased after Julia's hand. Eventually Hina had been forced to accept defeat. Still, Kenji always knew a part of her cared for Norio as a friend, if nothing else.

"And you let him?!" Hina growled, she rolled up her sleeves menacingly, Tyger Claws tattoos on her forearms matched Kenji's own. "Kenji, I didn't expect this fuckin' gonk shit from you."

Kenji shook his head. 
"I tried," he sighed, "He's too far gone. You must have heard whisper of the cyberpsycho that they're calling 'The Phantom'."

Realization dawned on Hina's face, she slumped back in her chair, running a hand through her dark hair.
"No fuckin' way..." she breathed, "Ken... we gotta get him back. We can't let fuckin' Psycho Squad take him, or the other Tygers."

"I know." Kenji said grimly, "That's why I need your help."

"Gonna need more than just me, little cousin." Hina grimaced, "We'll need to hire some mercs, otherwise the new bosses will gut us if we bring any other Tygers into this."

Kenji smiled softly at that.
"I have someone in mind, someone who grandmother trusts."

Tinkerer

"Smasher?" Yorinobu asked through the intercom, "How is it?" 

Adam Smasher tested each limb of his upgraded chassis, feeling the new weight.
"Your fucking toy's slowin' me down." he growled, "If you want me to carry this shit around, it needs to be smaller."

"Yorinobu-Sama," one of the technicians lowered his head, "The Cyber-Skeleton was designed to operate as it was, any alteration to the system may lead to a decrease in performance."

"Did this fucking meat just say I'd be weak if he stripped this down?" Smasher's red optics beheld the technician with no empathy, the man swallowed in fear.

Yorinobu sighed, 
"Do as he requests." he addressed the technician, "Redesign it to maintain efficiency if you must."

He grimaced, this was the third redesign his best technicians had done to the Cyber-Skeleton, each iteration trying to further refine the design without any additional testing.
Still. He watched as Smasher stomped out of the lab, Once this is finished, I will be prepared for the worst to happen, should Hanako move against me.

The corporate aspect of things no longer worried him, with Smasher and the Arasaka Corporation's resources, he was almost certain he could not be deposed, the streets however were a different story.
Hanako and my father no doubt are restricted by tradition. Yorinobu pondered as he returned to his office. The Tyger Claws are as effective a gang as any, however they are not the only gang in Night City. Perhaps there are yet ways for me to challenge my father's loyalists on the streets.

Chapter Text

The next couple of weeks fell into a steady routine for David, he would help Rebecca and V on jobs while Lucy and Valerie tried to make contact with the Voodoo Boys, be invited over to Mama Welles' place alongside Lucy and Misty and get his ass kicked in Blackhands training shard at night. It was the good kind of monotony, the kind of monotony that tells you you're still moving forward.
Today had been busy, though it threatened to become quieter very quickly, Rebecca and V had finally pooled together enough to pay for the information they needed while Lucy and Valerie were off checking on Evelyn; Judy had called them to let them know the woman was conscious now, if still bedridden.
As he waved off the short woman and nomad netrunner he decided to make a call, he had plenty of time after all.

"Takemura." he greeted, "Let's meet up, I want to make sure you haven't been zeroed yet."

He shot off towards Japantown, today having been given the keys to the Kusanagi rather than the Quadra. Weaving in and out of traffic he decided to make another call to a friend he hadn't spoken to in quite some time.

Takemura was waiting for him where they had last met up, leaning against a rail.
"Yeah, I'll let her know. Catch you later." David murmured, ending his call. "You're looking better!"

Takemura turned to face him, it was true, the man looked marginally less disheveled, the weight on his shoulder seemed to be lesser and even his hair seemed less unkempt.
"The fixer, Okada-San." Takemura nodded in greeting, "She has proved very helpful. I visited a ripperdoc clinic at her suggestion, Ryder."

David raised an eyebrow, waiting for the man to continue.
"He has helped me re-enable some of my cyberware." Takemura said plainly, "And replace what he could not with replacements. Effective, yet costly."

Raising his other eyebrow, David shifted in place.
"You uh..." he trailed off, not quite sure if this was a route he wanted to go down. "You good for eddies, choom?"

Takemura sighed, 
"Regretfully, no." he said grimly, "I do not have a reputation among the criminal underworld. Okada-San has provided me with some work but she, too, distrusts me."

David kicked a patch of dirt on the ground, clearing his throat nervously.
"I could..." he trailed off again, "I could try and bring you along for some jobs. Fixers'll trust me and anyone I vouch for, so long as you don't screw me."

Takemura nodded gratefully. 
"You do me too many favors, David Martinez." 
David waved him off.

"Valerie told me you have a plan to help her." he said leaning against the railing as well. "If you can help her, I'll find a way to help you."

Takemura nodded again, this time in affirmation.
"These are acceptable terms." he said, David grinned at the older man.

"C'mon." he beckoned, "Let's go for a ride, I'm sure some work'll pop up."

Rebecca sat at the counter of the bar as V went to talk to Rogue alone, the Queen Fixer was arguing with a nomad woman in her booth, though perhaps it was more apt to say that the nomad woman was arguing while Rogue watched in bemusement.
Eventually the woman stormed off, shooting a heated remark at Rogue and V as she stormed off, Rebecca's own nomad watched the woman leave, an odd look on his face.
Rebecca sighed, she knew the kind of things that must have been going through V's head, it wasn't everyday that you saw a Nomad in Night City, much less Watson. 
He must miss bein' out there... she thought as she ran a finger along the rim of her drink absentmindedly. He's been so caught up working that he hasn't been out to the desert in over a week...
Her cheeks heated. Well...working's not all we've been doing...

"Enny for your thoughts?" a woman asked, Rebecca turned to face Rita, the Mox bouncer from Lizzie's.

"Shit, choom." she quirked an eyebrow, "You look like you just hauled your ass outta Pacifica!"

The Mox woman chuckled, taking a seat beside her.
"Yeah..." she said, a grim smile on her face. "Now that Lizzie's is gone the Mox... the Mox are fucked."

Rebecca grimaced, taking a sip of her drink; the Welles.
"Fuck..." she said, "That bad?"

Rita waved over Claire, placing an order of her own.
"The Tygers basically own Watson now as well as Westbrook." Rita said grimly, "Before we could try and challenge them if they overextended but now... now we have nowhere to hide."

Rebecca stared into the slowly dissolving ice of her cocktail, deep in thought.
"What if..." she said slowly, "What if the Mox took Westbrook?"

Rita stared at the shorter woman barely even registering Claire setting down a drink in front of her.
"Bex, you hearin' yourself?" she scoffed, "I just told you the Mox don't have the muscle or the iron to fight the Tygers here in Watson, how're we meant to push the Tygers outta their home turf?"

"Judy messaged me." Rebecca said seriously, "Said she's plannin' something big. Won't tell me how, or why, but she wants to take over Clouds."

Rita's eyes were as big as both of their drinking glasses. Rebecca continued.
"The Mox could run Clouds, pretty sure there's a decent chunk of change coming from that club." she pressed on, "And Jig-Jig Street isn't too far away, can't be too hard to find more recruits if we actually show that the Mox mean business in Westbrook."

"Fuck..." Rita cursed, drinking deeply from her glass. "Bex... the Mox were always based in Watson, sure sometimes we'd go to Westbrook for biz but... we have history here."

"Fuck kinda good is history if it gets you killed?" Rebecca hissed, "What, are you gonna go down burning with the Mox, holding on to your precious history?"

Anger flashed in Rita's eyes, despite her issues with Suzie's methods, there was no doubt that the Mox woman was a loyal member.
The flash faded as quickly as it had arrived, however. She sighed.
"Damn it..." her face fell, she turned to face her drink. "Alright... Tell Judy I'll be in touch, need to see how many of our people are still around."

The two tried to make small talk as best as they could after that, however it proved difficult after the discussion the pair had just had, it was almost a mercy when V came to collect Rebecca.
"Rogue came through." V said as he wrapped an arm around her, leading them both out of the club. "Hellman's scheduled to leave Night City in a Kang Tao AV, she gave me the contact details of someone who can help us bring it down."

"Who?" Rebecca asked, watching as V's face fell slightly into a grimace.

"The woman who was cussin' out Rogue back there, Panam Palmer." he said, "Gotta trade in a favor for a favor, I guess."

Takemura grappled a Tyger firing a Masamune rifle, flipping the man over his hip, he wrenched the gun free, using it to fire upon a heavier looking Tyger wearing a motorcycle helmet.
As red spots appeared on the heavy Tyger's shirt, David leapt at the man, planting both feet on the Tyger's chest and sending them both tumbling to the ground.
The Tyger got up unsteadily, David was already on his feet, on the move again.
A large, slow fist arced towards David, he rolled under it with ease, tapping a trigger on his left arm, the metal that framed his left Monowire ejection port sprung open, forming a small, compact hook. as the Tyger swung again, he waved his left hand in an arc, the Monowire extending out and wrapping itself around the thug's limb, David caught the hook at the end of the wire, dashing behind the Tyger. The burly man howled as his arm was wrenched behind him, held firmly by David's wire. Takemura fired again at his exposed chest, being distracted by two more Tygers who rounded the corner, brandishing a Katana and a Yukimura Smart pistol resp[ectively.
David yanked on the wire, kicking out one of the Tyger's legs as he did so. The burly man fell to the floor, the wires constricting his arm loosening as David released the hook, spinning and letting it whistle through the air and strike the man, breaking his nose.
Takemura struck the Tyger holding a Katana, letting the blade skitter across the floor, David whipped the wire towards the blade, praying Viktor wasn't underselling how magnetized the hook was. It clattered against the Katana, clinging to the hilt as it soared towards David as he retracted the wire, the blade handle entered his waiting hands, the Tyger to whom the sword belonged picked up a broken pipe to defend himself.

David charged at the man, letting the man swing at him, he slowed to a stop, the Sandevistan humming under his jacket. He flicked the blade, watching as a crimson line appeared on the arm holding the blade, as he stepped past the Tyger, the arm slowly began to separate from his body, another swipe and his head followed suit.
Takemura charged at the man holding the pistol, using his body to throw the man off his feet, he tumbled down the stairs and crashed against the wall in a heap.
"You fight well, David Martinez." Takemura breathed heavily as he slung his newly acquired rifle on his back.

David grinned, 
"Ain't too bad yourself, choom." he said, "Definitely earned that fifty percent."

Takemura chuckled as he descended the stairs, 
"It is an odd feeling." he said, "Being treated as an equal by one so young."

"Get used to it." David shot back, "I'll find our target, I trust you to clean up here."

Takemura nodded, gripping the last cowering Tyger by the collar.
"You are conscious, then you can listen." he growled, shaking the man slightly, "You will run back to your master. You will tell them that Takemura Goro is alive. That he knows the truth, and that he is coming for them."

The man nodded frantically, Takemura released him, letting the Tyger scramble to his feet. As the Tyger began to run away, Takemura fired at him with his pistol, the Tyger stumbled, clutching his knee.
"Do not tarry." he said coldly. "Or the next will be between your eyes."
He watched the Tyger limp away as fast as he could, trailing a shaky line of crimson behind him.

"You sounded pissed." David returned, accompanied by a woman, "Everythin' nova?"

Takemura nodded, 
"Yes, everything is... nova... as you say." he replied, calming himself. "Is this Lauren Costigan?" 

David nodded.
"Car's outside." he said, moving to lead the woman down the stairs.
He hissed as he fell to a knee, clutching his leg.

"Are you harmed?" Takemura asked, moving to help the young solo. David waved the man away.

"Just a cramp." he said through gritted teeth, "Takemura, can you take Lauren down from here? I'll catch up."

The older man observed the young solo for a moment before nodding.
"This way, Costigan-Sama." he drew on his many years as a bodyguard, trying to set the woman at ease as much as possible, no doubt she was still terrified, regardless of whatever actual danger she was in.

David limped over towards Takemura, the car nor their target was in sight.
"Got a call from Wakako that Lauren's on her way to safety." David smiled despite the throbbing pain in his leg, "Threw in a little bonus for us too, somethin' about Lauren wanting to show her gratitude to true professionals."

Takemura smiled to himself as he watched the young man lean by the pillar next to him, both of their eyes lit up as David transferred Takemura's share of the payment.
"How is your leg?" he asked, David waved him off again.

"Just... somethin' I've been dealing with." he sighed, "It's... it's nothing."

"It is your Sandevistan, is it not?" 

David spluttered,
"How-"

Takemura chuckled, 
"You do not look to possess any augmentations of the limbs." Takemura stated plainly, "To my eye, the only external cyberware you have installed include the Sandevistan and your... unique... Monowires."

David sighed, 
"Yeah, my body wasn't meant to keep up with the upper limits of the Sandy." he said plainly, "I've got ways to handle it, it's fine."

Takemura frowned, 
"Mitigating an issue does not solve the root cause." he said, nodding to himself sagely, David merely rolled his eyes.

"Stop." he sighed, though there was no true annoyance to his voice. "You're almost as bad as Lucy, choom."

"Lucy?"

David paled momentarily.
"My... my Output." he said, clearing his throat, "Girlfriend, you know..."

Takemura hummed to himself.
So Lucyna Kushinada and David Martinez. he mused, Interesting...

He let the matter drop momentarily, it did not concern him anymore.
"David Martinez..." he said, choosing his words carefully, "Have you considered augmenting your-"

"I ain't chippin' more shit." David's voice was cold, uncharacteristically. "Don't know if I could control myself."

Takemura quirked a brow at that, but chose to let it be.
"There are more methods to enhancing your body than cyberware." Takemura said plainly, "Some of the combat augmentations I was able to re-enable required secondary enhancements, some of which I could not salvage."

David observed the former corporate bodyguard in silence.
"I chose to look towards bioware." the man said, the ghost of a smile etched onto his lips, "Biotechnica, a choice I made for myself."

Furrowing his brow, David thought.
Bioware... huh... Would I still be... me?

"I merely provide recommendations." Takemura said, placing a hand on David's shoulder, to a bystander the two could almost be mistaken for an uncle giving sage advice to his punk nephew. "I thank you for today, David Martinez. I have faith that you will choose the path that is best for yourself."

David watched the man walk off.
"Oh, one more thing." Takemura said, stopping momentarily, "Tell Lucy... Tell Lucyna that I am glad she was not recaptured by Arasaka."

Chapter Text

"Takemura said that?" Lucy asked, leaning on David's shoulder. 
The pair had finished up their commitments for the day, having retired to their apartment to enjoy each other's company.

David nodded, gazing absentmindedly at the moon from their perch next to the window. Lucy merely watched her lover's focused face, drinking in his features.

"His face isn't familiar." Lucy mused, "So he can't have been from the facility, I'd remember for sure."

David squeezed her lightly, brow furrowing in a mix of anger and concern, Lucy giggled.
"It's fine," she soothed, leaning into him even more. "It was a long time ago. Nobody's going to take me away, especially not when my big, strong Solo is with me."

His features softened as a small chuckle escaped his lips, he leaned back into her, too.
"I wouldn't let them either way." he said softly.

Lucy closed her eyes, enjoying his warmth, even from their apartment they couldn't truly escape the sounds of the city. The hum of cars and the bustle of people provided a soothing white noise that let the pair pass the hours in silence.

"How was Evelyn?" David asked, Lucy's eyes opened.

Her lover was looking at her now, both eyes trained intently on her features.
Lucy smiled, placing a hand on David's cheek.
"Evelyn's doing okay, all things considered." she said, pressing her lips to David's own. "V and Becca got there in time to stop the worst of what that Clouds manager had in mind but... not all of it."

She felt David bristle, saw his eyes focus into a cold angry glare at nothing in particular.
"Judy's thinking of pushing the Tygers out of Clouds." she said, hoping it would take his mind off whatever was bothering him. "Could always use some more hands."

David nodded slowly, 
"You think Wakako'll like that?" he asked, Lucy froze.
Damn it, that's a good point.

She opened her mouth, unable to find a good response, she closed it again, David chuckled.
"Guess it doesn't matter, we aren't really planning to stick around once we get Valerie fixed."

Lucy beamed, 
"Yeah, guess not." 
She let David guide her, feeling the warmth of his lips on hers again. It felt like an eternity had passed the pair by, however Lucy saw it had been scant seconds when David pulled back, a frown on his face.

"Someone's calling?" she asked, looking as his eyes lit up a pale gold. David nodded. "Answer it, I'll go and get us some drinks."
David smiled gratefully at her, catching her by the wrist to pull her in for another, quick, kiss.
Lucy sauntered over to their fridge, a goofy smile plastered on her face.

"Morgan, what's up?" David greeted quietly.

"Wanted to check in, check how you're doing with that training shard." the older Solo said, David cringed.

"Stuck on the last challenge." he admitted, sighing, "Keep getting my ass kicked by Smasher."

Despite his expectations, Blackhand didn't laugh at the younger man, 
"How... how long are you making it?" the older man said, voice thick with curiosity.

"Five minutes..." David said glumly. "Barely even scratch him most times..."

"Kid..." Blackhand's voice had an odd edge to it, "A time over four and a half minutes over at Militech immediately puts you forward as a candidate of a cybersquad, a time of six puts you forward as candidate as a leader."

David perked up.
"Really?" he asked, smiling a little.

"I'm not joking when I say Adam Smasher is a different breed of dangerous." Blackhand said, "Five minutes... fuckin' hell..."

"Still isn't much to brag about next to you, I bet." David said, leaning back to watch Lucy. The pale haired woman was rummaging through the fridge, a bottle of Broseph was on the counter already.

"Don't do that." Morgan warned, "I've got decades of wins and losses under my belt, kid. It isn't fair for you to think you can't match up to me with barely a few years of experience."

David hummed.
Still, he mused to himself, fair or not, Smasher isn't going to care about any of that if he comes for us.

"You're worried about how you'd fare if Smasher rears his ugly head again, aren't you" David jolted at Blackhand's words.

"H-how did you-" 

Blackhand chuckled.
"Kid, I mean this in the kindest way possible. You're pretty easy to read." 

Despite himself, David folded his arms, pouting. Lucy peeked her head over the fridge door and grinned at the sight.

"Alright..." Morgan said, "If it's experience you're looking for I have a job you could help out with coming up."

"When?" David asked, the pout fading from his face. 

"Two days time, out in the Badlands." Blackhand said, "Be prepared to face either Raffen Shiv or Biotechnica. Or both."

"Raffen who?" David blinked, Blackhand chuckled.

"Nomad outlaws, easiest way to think of them." Blackhand said, David could tell he was smiling still.

"Alright. I'll see you then, I guess." David said, disconnecting the call.

Lucy sauntered back over, holding two bottles in her hands. 
"Gonna go 'stretch your legs' again?" She said as she crawled in close to David, a brow arched skeptically as she passed a bottle over to him.

David bit his lip nervously, sighing. 
There was no use hiding it from Lucy, in fact if there was someone he did want to know, it was his lover.
"Yeah," he said, "It's... it's a job for Blackhand."

He felt Lucy tense up,
"David..." she said cautiously, "Morgan Blackhand's got ties to Militech... I know they aren't Arasaka but..."

David nodded,
"I know." he said, "I'll be careful."

Lucy squeezed his hand as he took a swig of the bottle.
"Fizzy." David hummed, taking another swig. Lucy giggled again.

"My, my." she said, leaning her head on David's chest. "What did you do with my David? He hates anything carbonated." 

David laughed softly, leaning back.
"You caught me." he jested, "I'm actually a 'Saka clone sent from Alpha Centauri." 

Lucy laughed too, louder this time.
"Stop it." she said, a wide smile on her face, "You're starting to sound like that gonk outside Misty's."

"God I hope I'm not that bad." David rolled his eyes.

Lucy smiled, looking up at David, her lover was looking at the moon again, almost wistfully. She still wasn't sure if she could truly let go of that small corner of her mind that told her she was undeserving of any of this, that her initial deception had damaged something fundamental in their relationship, but she figured it was time to at least try.
"Hey." she whispered, David turned to look at her, head tilted in confusion. "Let's go to the Moon again."
His head tilted even more as Lucy jerked her head over towards her BD wreaths sitting on her desk. His face lit up.

"Really?" he asked, Lucy nodded, smiling.
The smile gave way to a shocked laugh as David picked her up, carrying her towards the bed.

"Wait! David, put me down!"

Rebecca grumbled in the backseat of the Nomad woman's car. The woman, Panam, had already rubbed her the wrong way when V tried to introduce themselves, one too many snide remarks about about being sent by Rogue to clean up a mess. Part of what bothered her was that despite this, she did genuinely seem to be getting along well with V.
Guess it's natural for nomads to find a connection. she mused bitterly as they rumbled across desert roads.

"Hey, Becca, check it out!" V called out from the front seat, "We're ages from the city now!"

Rebecca turned to look at the glowing metropolis, from here the beams of light that shot up directly into the sky almost looked like bars.
Guess I know why Luce calls it a prison, now.

"Being all the way out here really does put things in perspective." Panam said politely, "I always believed that life in the city would be better, at least I would be free to live my own life. But..."

"But...?" Rebecca furrowed her brow, she had a feeling that whatever Panam was about to say, her nomad boyfriend would probably share that sentiment.

"It's overwhelming, the smells, the sounds, the danger." Panam's voice told Rebecca she was scowling, "The city... I do not like it one bit."

"Yeah... I guess there's some truth to that..." Rebecca said, fiddling with her hands. 

"Nah." V's voice caused Rebecca's eyes to snap up, she looked at her Input, looking at the city from the passenger seat. "I think it's beautiful."

Panam turned to look at V, still keeping her car steady.
"Are you sure you were a nomad?" she asked incredulously, "Perhaps you were always meant to be a city boy."

V chuckled, Panam soon joined in, Rebecca allowed herself to smile, though a pit in her stomach prevented her from joining the two.

"Alright you two," Panam said as she slowed her vehicle, "The Aldecaldo's camp is coming up, I just need to grab some supplies and maybe some extra hands and we can be on our way to get my truck back."

"And then you help us with Hellman." Rebecca said plainly, Panam nodded.

"Of course." she said seriously, "Anything I can do to help."

Rebecca folded her arms. She still wasn't sure how she felt about Panam, but she had already committed to returning the help she was receiving, she could work with that.

Chapter Text

David sighed as he leaned back in his seat, letting the ambient buzz of the Afterlife put him at ease.
Some me time... he mused, hard to come by these days...
He took a sip of his drink, a Johnny Silverhand, and sighed again, content.
Almost perfect, only way it'd get better is if Lucy was here.

The sound of a glass being set down caused David to open his eyes, a new drink was in front of him.
"I didn't order this." he raised an eyebrow as Claire grinned at him.

"On the house." She said, "Rogue wanted your opinion on this one. the 'Morgan Blackhand'"

David quirked an eyebrow, pondering if he should tell the bartender that the legendary solo was, in fact, not dead at all. After a moment, he decided against it, figuring it was not his secret to tell.
He sipped the drink, letting the strong flavors of brandy and a strangely herbal tasting wine roll over his tongue, those flavors faded as a refreshing mint taste filled his mouth.
"Not bad." he conceded, "Any reason why this is back on the menu?"

Claire shrugged, 
"Rogue's call." she said, "Said somethin' about how she hadn't heard from him in a few years, probably zeroed out in the Badlands somewhere."

David brows rose even higher as he continued sipping the cocktail.

"Speaking of." Claire said, pointing, "She wanted to speak with you today, said she'd give you a call if you didn't drop by."

David turned to see the Queen Fixer in her booth, nodding at him. Sighing nervously, he finished his drink.
"Guess I'll see what she wants." David said, placing a handful of eddies on the counter. "Thanks for the heads up, Claire."

He jogged over to the Fixer's booth, Weyland stood aside, allowing him to pass.
Guess I really am expected. he mused.
He took a seat next to Rogue, waiting for her to speak.

"Got a job for you," the aged former mercenary said, "Client's me this time, me alone."

David swallowed nervously. What kind of high risk jobs would Rogue ask of him? Corporate espionage? Assassinating a gang leader? 

Rogue chuckled, 
"Don't look so scared, Kid." she said, leaning back. "Not that kind of job. This one's... personal."

"Personal?" David said, arching a brow. 

"Bes Isis." Rogue said plainly, "A Media friend of mine. She went dark a few days ago, normally I wouldn't worry but... She was doing some digging in Totentanz."

David nodded slowly, 
"Worried the Maelstrom might've lost their patience with her?" he asked, Rogue shook her head.

"Doesn't matter if they're Maelstrom." the Fixer said patiently, "Any gang would take issue with a Media pokin' their nose in one of their operations. Just so happens that the Maelstrom are particularly mean motherfuckers."

David nodded again, thinking.
"Most of my crew are busy." he said, "If you need a crew to raid Totentanz-"

"I don't want you to go in guns blazing." Rogue said, "Matter of fact, I'll throw in a bonus if everything goes smoothly."

"Well... Could get into contact with a guy, worked with him before and he was... alright..." David said, "Might be enough for the Maelstrom to think twice 'fore they try anything."

Rogue nodded, sliding a small bundle of eddies across the table towards David.
"Consider this an advance, then." she said, "Use it to hire the guy you have in mind, there's a lot more where that came from when you find out what happened to Bes."

David took the money, nodding at Rogue.
"I won't let you down." he said, standing up.

Rogue smiled at him knowingly.
"One more thing," she said before he walked away. "Word on the street is that the Maelstrom are having a little problem with leadership. The new leadership couldn't quite get rid of the old Leader, Brick. Guess you can thank Valerie for that."  

As he left, he rolled his shoulder, looking around. The Fixer from before, Faraday, was sitting in a corner booth again, taking to a figure he couldn't quite make out. The four eyed man scowled at him, David grinned and waved the stack of eddies cheekily.
"Need to know basis my ass." he muttered to himself as he faced away from the disgruntled man. "Don't even know how Maine put up with that guy's shit."

As he stepped out of the club's perimeter and onto the streets of Watson, David sidestepped a group of patrolling Tygers and got into his Quadra, bringing up his contacts as he did so.
He scrolled through the list until he found the one he was looking for. He waited until the call connected, driving out onto the highway as the call tone hummed.

"Yo! David! What's up choom!?" the excitable voice of Julio came through the holo, David winced. "I 'preciate you puttin' in a good word with Wako! Been workin' on my skills with some smaller jobs!"

David smiled at that despite himself.
"Hey, Julio." he greeted, turning onto the street headed for Northside. "How'd you feel about doing a small job for me 'n Rogue?"

V watched as Panam scowled at the entrance to the tunnel. The nomad woman had been in a foul mood ever since her visit to the Aldecaldo's camp.
All throughout their ambush of the Wraiths at Rocky Ridge and now as they prepared to recover her car from her former partner.
"S'not their fault, Mitch and Scorpion." he said hesitantly, watching as Panam shot him a glare. "They need to put the family first, you 'n I both know that."

"I know!" Panam growled, slamming her hands on the steering wheel. "Sorry... I know, but..."

"Not a good feeling when it looks like your family turns its back on you." V said, nodding, "Even if you might not be runnin' with them anymore."

Panam nodded, 
"How'd you know?" 

V sighed,
"Happened with me in the Bakkers." he said, glumly.

Panam watched him silently for a moment, deep in thought.
"Perhaps you get me more than I believed." she said quietly. 

V grinned, 
"Maybe."

Shaking her head, Panam tightened her grip on the steering wheel.
"Should be time for Nash to meet up with his fuckin' Raffens." she glared again, "Hope you two are ready for some action, that ambush was disappointing as hell and I need to work off some steam."

"Shit, choomba." V could hear Rebecca grinning from the backseat, the sound of a gun being loaded rang through the van. "Just point me at 'em and let me get to work!"

Panam chuckled, 
"A woman after my own heart!" she said as she floored the accelerator, Rebecca yelped as the van shot forward, V pulled out his smart pistol and ensured his cyberdeck was primed with only the nastiest hacks in his collection.

"Alright!" Panam shouted as she winded through the tunnel, kicking up dust and small stones as they screeched on through. "Brace yourselves!"

As they cleared another turn, they saw a small clearing filled with cars, technology and Raffen Shiv. The van lurched as it collided with a Raffen modified car, pinning a man between the two vehicles.

V fired several shots as Rebecca dived out of the car and Panam unbuckled herself, grabbing a sniper rifle.
"V! Come on!" Panam's fingers wrapped around his collar as they pulled him over through the drivers seat and out the other side. Moments later the passenger side window exploded in a shower of broken glass.

"Fuck!" V hissed, "Thanks for the save!" 

Panam nodded, not meeting his eyes. She raised her rifle and peeked around the corner of her van, firing off a shot, a Raffen with a Copperhead rifle collapsed, a steaming stump where his head once was.

Rebecca hoisted her Light Machine Gun, gritting her teeth.
"How do I know I ain't hittin' any civvies?" she called out, Panam barked out a mirthless laugh.

"These fuckers are Raffen." she called back, "That should be enough!"

"You keep sayin' that fuckin' word like it means something to me!" Rebecca shot back.

V sighed, firing his smart pistol and letting the projectiles arc around the corner of the car.
"Raffen are nomad outlaws. Rapists, murderers, the worst of the worst."

Rebecca grinned at him, her eyes lit up as her pupils dilated,
"Works for me!" she growled as she leapt on top of the van, firing her Machine Gun wildly as she cackled.
A Berserk? When did she get that installed? V thought to himself, flinching as a stray shot bounced off the corner of the van.

"She is your girlfriend?" Panam asked, reloading her sniper rifle as she watched the shortstack solo mow down several Raffens, several more scrambled to find cover.

V grinned,
"Yeah." he said.
God, she's hot when she gets feral.

"She's crazy!" Panam laughed as she fired again, a Raffen netrunner fell, clutching his chest in an attempt to stem the flow of crimson now pouring out. "The good kind of crazy!"

V's grin turned even wilder, 
Maybe she's rubbin' off on me. he mused, uploading one of his more unique quickhacks.
"You think that's crazy?" he called back, tossing his smart gun aside. "Check this!"
And with that, he dashed out into the open, extending his new Mantis Blades to their full length as his hack began to wreak havoc.

The Raffen closest to him raised his gun, eyes wide. He groaned as V's hack worked it's way inside his systems, dumping all the toxins that would normally slowly be disposed of via the body's natural systems all at once into his bloodstream. He retched as he dropped the gun, swaying slightly, V lunged, sinking both blades into the man's chest.
He watched as the hack spread, several more indicators lighting up his next victims.
A woman vomited, blood mixing in with the bile, V decapitated her with a swipe. A Wraith charging at him with a shotgun tripped as his cybernetic legs vented the heavy metal waste into his bloodstream, he was dispatched by a hail of gunfire from Rebecca.
A heavier armored Raffen fired at him with a Machine Gun, growling as he struggled to fight off the effects of V's hack. A shot from Panam's sniper rifle punched a hole in the man's armor. V dashed after him, swiping at him with his Mantis Blade. The man attempted to dive out of the way, crying out as V severed a tendon in his leg, both men tumbled to the ground.

Panam and Rebecca both ran up, the Nomad woman planting a knee on the collapsed Raffen.

"V! Are you good!?" Rebecca said, helping the netrunner to his feet. She gripped his face with both hands, looking him over for injuries.
V grinned. 
Cute. He mused, She's cute when she's worried.
His eyes drifted to a small scratch on the solo woman's cheek, he raised a hand to wipe away the small trickle of blood.

"You're hurt too." he said, smiling again as Rebecca blushed and waved away his hand.

"I'm fine!" she growled, "I'm checkin' on you right now, you damn gonk!"

V chuckled, wrapping an arm around Rebecca, silencing the woman's protests.
"What's up Panam?" V called out, watching as the Nomad woman glared intensely at the Raffen she had pinned down.

"This is Nash." she hissed, striking at the man as he struggled against her. "The piece of shit who crossed me."

Nash growled, struggling to defend himself from Panam's fists.
"Sorry I disappointed." he spat, "Though I guess you only got yourself to blame, trustin' a Raffen like that."

Panam's glare only deepened, driving another fist into Nash's face, then another, and another.
Rebecca looked at V, concerned. The nomad man sighed, he walked slowly over towards Panam, Rebecca's hand in his own.

"Hey..." he placed a cautious hand on the other woman's shoulder, quickly retracting it as Panam turned quickly, glaring at him. "Enough... He can't defend himself anymore."

Panam breathed in deeply, before she nodded. 
"Forgive me." she said, standing and gripping V's shoulder. "I lost myself to... to rage..."

"It happens." V said, smiling warmly, he gave the nomad woman's arm a quick squeeze. "Glad you're back with us."

Nash looked at Panam, then at V, then his gaze finally drifted towards V's hand, still holding Rebecca's own.
"Panam, Panam." he chuckled weakly, spitting out blood. "You still ain't learned a damn thing. Guess I won't be the only nomad guy that'll disappoint you."

Panam turned to face Nash, looking at him pitilessly.
"Rebecca." she said, "Would you do the honors?"

The solo woman grinned, extracting her hand from V's own to heft her gun, a quick bullet silenced the Raffen man, ending his misery.

Panam gritted her teeth, sighing. 
"You alright?" V asked, placing a hand on her shoulder again, he flinched as she brushed him off coldly.

"Yeah." Panam said, not meeting his gaze again. "Just peachy. Come on, my car's just over there."

Rebecca watched the woman set off towards the modified car with furrowed brows.

"It's time to discuss that plan of yours now," Panam said, transferring several boxes from her old van to her reclaimed Thorton. "You guys have held up your end of the bargain, only fair I uphold mine."

V shrugged, walking over towards the passenger side. Rebecca darted over and placed a hand on the one he had gripped the door with.
"Babe... why don't I take shotgun this time?" she said, V quirked a brow.

"Alright..." V said slowly, taking the single back seat that Panam's car seemed to have.  Rebecca got into the passenger seat and buckled herself in.
Panam looked at her with an expression that was equal parts grateful and apologetic. The shortstack solo gave a weak smile as the pit in her stomach grew, fed by the knowledge that her initial hunch might actually be right after all.

"So, where to?" she asked, Panam exhaled shakily.

"Red Peaks, a little place called the Sunset Motel." the Nomad woman said, "Figured we could do with some R&R."

Rebecca nodded. 
"Lead the way." 

Chapter Text

David met Julio outside Totentanz, the other man looked roughly the same as he had the last time David saw him, however his Lexington had been swapped out for a Burya revolver.
"Hey." David waved, Julio beamed.

"Sup, choom!" he bounced on the spot, "Kind of a weird meeting place seein' how we shot this place up last time but I don't mind. Where're we goin'?"

David jerked his head towards the club. 
"In." he said plainly, biting back a smirk as Julio's jaw hit the floor.

"You kiddin' me?" Julio spluttered, "You shoot up the Maelstrom's club and come back a few weeks later and just... want to walk in?"

David quirked a brow,
"That a problem?" he asked, knocking on the door. 

"No wonder you're a fuckin' legend," Julio muttered as he took his place next to David, "You're batshit insane..."

"Fuck do you two want?" a distorted voice blared from a speaker, David looked directly at a freshly installed security camera and waved, smiling brightly.

"Oh shit! It's you!" the voice said, sounding more amused than alarmed. Despite that, Julio shifted uncomfortable, David elbowed him in the ribs.

"Mind if we come in?" David said, waving at the camera, "I want to talk biz with your leader."

After a moment of silence the door opened, the pair were greeted by seven Maelstrom gangers all holding weapons pointed directly at them.

"Oh fuck!" Julio whimpered.

Rebecca yawned as Panam drove across the seemingly endless expanse of desert, watching as cacti and desert shrubs all blended together into a smear of yellow, brown and green.

"I've got a radio here if you wanted to listen to something." Panam said awkwardly, scratching the back of her head.

Rebecca placed a hand on the display, pondering. She grinned, turning back to look at V.
"Vexelstrom?" she suggested, the former nomad grinned back at her.

"Get out of my head." he winked. Rebecca laughed, switching on the radio and setting it to the correct station. She began nodding her head as the Cartesian Duelist's Cybernetic Soul began playing.

Panam eyed the solo woman, 
"You guys have the same taste in music?" she asked innocuously. Rebecca nodded with a grin. "Must be nice, back when I ran with the Aldecaldos I never really got a chance to determine what we listened to."

"That sounds familiar." Rebecca rolled her eyes, "My gonk brother used to get all precious if I ever touched his damn radio at home. I don't even think he liked Us Cracks, he just thought they looked hot."

V laughed at that, Panam looked at him from the rear view mirror.
"Got a similar experience, V?" she prodded, the man shook his head, leaning back.

"Nah. I was one of the youngest Bakkers, and we were a small family anyway." he smirked, "Meant I got treated like a prince."

That, and the fact Morgan fuckin' Blackhand was vouching for you. Rebecca bit back a scoff. Netrunners were supposed to be cerebral, calculating and intelligent. However of the three netrunners she knew, both V and Lucy had their moments of being the densest gonks in this side of the NUSA.

She watched the Sun slowly arc towards the horizon. Nearly an entire day spent fighting and driving.

"Don't look at the Sun too hard, babe." V said helpfully, "You'll hurt your eyes."

Rebecca shared a look with Panam, it seemed the same thought had occurred in the nomad woman's head as well.
"I don't think I can hurt my Kiroshi's by lookin' at the Sun, babe." Rebecca said. 

"I-uh-oh... right..." V chuckled, face burning with chagrin. Rebecca rolled her eyes.

"You're lucky you're cute, gonk."

At that moment, the song they were previously listening to faded, a song from Us Cracks began playing, Rebecca recognized it as a cover of a song from the rockerboy Kerry Eurodyne.
V, Rebecca and Panam all groaned at the same time.
"No!"

"This kid's my fuckin' hero! " the Maelstrom woman who led them to the club floor slapped David on the back, roaring with laughter. The other Maelstrom that surrounded them all reciprocated that laughter.
A drink was forced into both David and Julio's hands, and several gangoons wooped and applauded.

"Can someone please tell me what the fuck is going on because I'm very confused right now..." Julio said meekly as the Maelstrom woman sidled up to him. Red optics scanning him over.

"Y'got some decent chrome on you, Input." she purred, "Ain't got shit on this guy's Sandy, but doesn't look like he's chipped in much beyond it. If you wanted, I could get you some real preem upgrades."

Julio swallowed nervously.
"I-uh..."

"You can call me Patricia." the woman continued, "Just sayin', the Maelstrom could do with a strong pair of arms like yours."

"Ofelia you're scaring the kid!" a man in a private booth, talking to an older woman, called out. "Can it!"

Patricia- or perhaps Ofelia- ran a hand through her short crimson hair impatiently.
"I'm makin' a sales pitch you damn cock block!" she shot back.

"For the gang or for yourself?!" the man responded, adjusting a gold chain that hung from his neck. 

"Both!" 

David cleared his throat.
"Mind if I butt in?" he asked, taking a swig from the drink he was offered. 

Patricia nodded, shooting a dirty glare at the man in the booth.

"If I got this right, you guys are Brick's crew, right?" David said, swirling the remainder of his drink, "And the guys we shot up last time ran with..."

"Royce." Patricia nodded, "You got a good pair of optics on you, Sandy. Or maybe you'd prefer to be called the 'Reaper', heard some Tygers callin' you that."

"Just David is fine." he said, smiling politely.

"Alright, 'Just David.'" Patricia grinned, watching David sigh. "What you said is true, the guys you zeroed ran with Royce and his second in command, Dum-Dum. They're..."

"Fuckin' traitors!" the man in the booth called out. Patricia shot him another dirty look.

"I was gonna say misguided." the woman sighed.

"But they're fuckin' traitors!" the man repeated.

Patricia slammed her hands on the bar table, 
"Can it, Brick!!" she shouted back, "I don't care if you're the leader, keep talking bullshit and I'll tear your optics outta your gonk skull!!"

There was a tense silence, the woman Brick had been talking to eyed both Maelstrom members cautiously.
David snickered, Brick and Patricia burst into laughter, soon followed by the rest of the gangers.

"C'mon over." Brick beckoned Julio, David and Patricia. The two mercenaries were guided by the gangoon towards the booth.
David sat next to the older woman, Julio was sandwiched between Brick and Patricia.

"I'm guessin' this is Bes Isis." David nodded at the older woman. She nodded back.

"A pleasure." she said, "You kids fans or something?"

David shook his head, 
"We were sent to make sure you weren't flatlining in an alley somewhere."

Bes laughed good naturedly, 
"These gonks?" she said, eyes glittering with mirth. "They wouldn't hurt a kleptoid if they took the SCOPs they needed to live."

"Careful, Bes." Brick warned, though there was no bite to his words. "Y'wanted an interview, wanted to see the Maelstrom in action. Careful it's not a firsthand demonstration."

"Wait..." David furrowed his brows. "That's all this was? An interview?"

Bes nodded, 
"Wanted to investigate the Maelstrom a little, Brick agreed to an interview on the proviso that nobody knows where I went." she explained, "Apparently the guys who tried to take over tried to kill him a few times."

"Lost a lot of good boys when those fuckers took over." Brick said quietly, softer than Julio expected from a large ganger like him.

David laughed hysterically, everyone at the table eyed the man with concern.

"You doin' alright, 'Just David'?" Patricia said, "Sandy isn't short circing your brain, is it?"

David stifled his laughter, wiping a tear from his eye, 
"Nah, nah." he said, still chuckling. "Just that Rogue sent us to check on Bes. Thought she'd took a walk on the wrong person's turf and gotten herself zeroed."

Brick and Patricia shared a look, Bes sighed.
"Classic Rogue..." she muttered.

"Rogue sent you?" Brick asked, "Rogue Amendiares, Queen of the Afterlife, most powerful Fixer in the city. That Rogue?"

"One 'n the same." David nodded.

"Fuck, ain't gonk enough to go to war over a misunderstandin'." Brick said, running a hand across his jaw gingerly. "Kid, tell 'er that Bes is doing fine, with our apologies."

David grinned, nodding.
"Nova." he said, he stood. "Maybe I'll see you guys around. C'mon Julio."

Patricia reluctantly let Julio pass, frowning.
"Remember," she said, piercing red stare holding Julio's gaze. "My offer still stands, Input."

As the two began to make for the exit, Brick called out.
"And if you two see Royce or Dum-Dum, give those fuckers a dose of lead, courtesy of your ol' pal Brick!"

Stepping out into the setting Sun, David dialed Rogue.

"Hope you've got good news for me." the Queen fixer said, forgoing a greeting.

David chuckled, 
"You're not gonna believe it." he said with a smile, "Bes Isis wanted an interview for a piece she's writing. They agreed but the condition was she couldn't tell anyone what she was doing."

Rogue clicked her tongue, frowning.
"That sounds like Nance, alright." she sighed. David frowned.

"Wait, Nancy?" he said, "As in Nancy Hartley? From SAMURAI?"

"That's the one. Good job, David, transferring you the eddies now."

David turned to Julio, the man looked at him, confused.
"What's up?" he asked.

David shook his head, transferring Julio's share of the fee, the other man's eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets.
"Fifteen K just to make a house call!?" he choked out. 

Shaking his head again, David sighed.
"Could'a gone badly." he said, "At least when the leadership was involved. Lucky for us the boss was about as chill as the bouncer."

Julio hummed to himself, watching the eddies enter his account, the numbers ticking up quickly.

"Good job, Julio." David said, turning and placing a hand on the door of the club. "We're done for today."

"Where are you going?" Julio frowned, David grimaced.

"I uh..." David blushed, scratching the back of his head awkwardly, "My mom was a huge SAMURAI fan growin' up, rubbed off on me too. I'm goin' to get an autograph."

The trio arrived at the Sunset Motel just as the sun was beginning to set.
Panam had handed off the merchandise Nash had cheated her out of to her client and the trio had celebrated with a few bottles of ice cold Broseph at the Motel's bar.

The nomad woman had suggested they get a room for the night, long enough for her to draw up a plan to help V and Rebecca.
V had passed out almost immediately, softly snoring on the minimalistic bed. Rebecca smiled as she beheld the snoozing form of her boyfriend.

Slowly, ensuring she wasn't disturbing him, she left the room, going for a quick walk.

She made another short visit to the bar, getting another bottle of Broseph's. Leaning on the railing outside their motel room, she sighed as she observed Night City from a distance.

"Couldn't sleep either, huh?" Panam's voice shook her from her solitary ritual.

Rebecca smirked, 
"Nah." she said, "The day got my adrenaline up, still comin' down from the high."

Panam chuckled, leaning on the railing to Rebecca's right.
"Same here." she said, watching the city from afar. "Maybe V was right, there is a strange beauty to the city when you look at it like this."

Rebecca hummed, sipping her drink.
"Hey..." she said cautiously, "I'm just askin' cuz I'm curious, so don't get spooked but... do you have feelings for V?"

Panam froze, then sighed.
"Was it that obvious?" she said, hanging her head.

"A little." Rebecca said softly, watching the nomad woman. 

"You must think it strange." Panam said, grimacing. "To feel for someone so soon after meeting them."

Rebecca's thoughts drifted towards a different man, a yellow jacket and a goofy, earnest smile.
"Ain't that weird, sister." she whispered, "Trust me."

Panam smiled gratefully, though it was strained.
"Forgive me." she said, "I know you are his girlfriend. I just... I just want you to know I will not pursue him. You've nothing to fear from me."

Rebecca nodded slowly.
"And if he chooses you?" she asked, Panam looked at her, eyes wide.

"He does not-" 

"I know, I know." Rebecca smiled bitterly, "V ain't that type of guy. Even if he feels the same way, he wouldn't, because he's with me."
Even though I'm pretty sure he feels the same way... Rebecca grimaced.
"But if, if he does." she continued. "I want you to know too, I wouldn't hold it against you."

Panam continued to watch her, mouth open. At a loss for words.

"Wanted the best for V." Rebecca said softly, "Still do, if he decides that's you? I want him to be happy."

Rebecca sniffed quietly, finishing her drink. Panam picked at a peeling patch of paint awkwardly.

"Even if that were the case..." Panam said slowly, "I'm afraid I would have already lost."

Rebecca tilted her head, looking at the nomad woman.

"V is extremely fortunate to have a girlfriend like you." Panam continued, "Your willingness to see him happy, even if it hurts you... I could never hope to compete."

Rebecca laughed softly, Panam looked at her, pouting.
"I'm serious!" she protested, her expression giving way to mirth as Rebecca placed a hand on her arm.

"Thanks." she said simply, Panam gave her a smile.

"I think he's waiting for you." she said, gesturing towards the motel room, Rebecca nodded.

Saying her goodbyes, she entered the motel room quietly. 
V was where she left him, snoring away on the bed. Rebecca smiled softly, creeping into bed with him.

He stirred gently as she rested her head against his chest.
"Becca? Wha-" he mumbled groggily.

"Shh..." she soothed, "Just went out for a walk, go back to sleep."

V hummed compliantly, wrapping his arms around her and enveloping her with his warmth.
Rebecca leaned into him, closing her eyes. As she drifted off too, she smiled.

Chapter Text

Lucy opened her eyes groggily, blinking away the morning sun. For a moment everything was perfect, she had David at her side, his arms wrapped around her and his head a comforting warmth pressed against her shoulder and neck. 
Then the reality of Night City began to creep in. 

David's name was popping up more and more among Arasaka's netrunners. She trusted in her crew's ability to keep him safe, in David's newfound caution, however the thought of the corporation passing around her lover's details so clinically, passionlessly, like he was an interesting cut of meat?
It sickened her.
Running a hand through her pale hair, she sighed.

She would burn down the entire corporation if she could, not only to find some modicum of revenge for what they did to her, but for even daring to think of laying a hand on David.
As it stood, however, she could only sit and wait, or else attempt a suicidal crusade that would no doubt set the entire corporation on their trail in earnest.

"Lucy, I can hear you overthinking." David mumbled, shifting. "What's up?"

Lucy winced, when had David woken up?
"Sorry." she whispered, "It's just... 'Saka... I thought they'd give up by now but... They're still talking about you."

David hummed, running his hands soothingly up and down her arm, she shivered, pressing herself closer to him.
"Think it'd help if I went dark for a few weeks?" he asked, "Fixers might not like it but I've been pretty busy, got a decent chunk of eddies saved up in case I need to lay low."

Lucy smiled, pressing a kiss to his cheek.
"That's sweet but I don't think they're any closer to finding you, if that helps." she said, "Kiwi told me that the things they're passing around aren't the kind of thing that fades in a few weeks, medical records and things like that."

She felt David frown, felt him shift slightly.
"Alright," he said, "If you say it's okay."

She felt him shift as he sat upright, Lucy rose to meet him, cupping his cheek with her palm.
"Lucy... What do you know about bioware?" he asked, the netrunner hummed thoughtfully.

"Not too much," she admitted, "I know it was a bigger thing during the 2020s, it's still around, just... not as much as before."

He nodded, frowning.
"Takemura recommended bioware to help me keep up with the Sandevistan, Biotechnica." he said, running a hand through his hair, "Thought maybe you knew more about it."

Lucy tapped a finger to her chin, 
"C'mon." she beckoned, getting up and strolling to her computer. "Let's see if Biotechnica don't have a page on their products."

She felt David's hand on the chair as her lover leaned over the desk, Lucy clicked through several pages before finding one titled 'Our Products- Bioware'.
"Looks like they offer biosculpting, they can mess with your muscles, bones and organs to make you look different." 

"Think that's what Becca did for her skin?"

"Maybe, don't see how it'd help you though." Lucy kept scrolling "They can graft lab grown muscles into your body, make you stronger and your muscles more pronounced."

"Hard pass, I don't want to look like those juiced up Animals."

Lucy giggled, scrolling again.

"Wait, that one there."

She looked to the line her lover was pointing at.
"Muscle and Bone Lace..." she whispered, reading through the short article. "Looks good, but it says it won't give you the strength or durability of a proper cyberlimb."

David looked at his hands.
"If I walked around with Gorilla Arms chipped in... That'd be broadcastin' that I'm carrying a weapon..." David muttered seemingly to himself. "If it looks like I'm fully 'ganic but I can still put a dent in a car... That makes me more dangerous to any gonk that thinks I ain't a threat... right?"

Lucy watched her lover ponder out loud. Leaning her head on one arm. 
It was an odd feeling, watching the sweet, naive boy she'd fallen for on the train talk to himself like a true professional mercenary. Night City hadn't yet taken him from her, it had merely made a soldier out of him. Lucy wasn't sure how she felt about that.
She loved this part of David as much as the other part of him, however part of her had hoped to keep him from this life, not force him to adapt to it.

"What do you think?" David asked, snapping her from her thoughts.

Lucy smiled at him warmly, 
"I think it's a good idea." she said, though she frowned as she saw a flicker of doubt in David's eyes, or perhaps it was anxiety. "What's bugging you?"

David sighed, 
"I... I guess I'm worried." he said, "Thought I'd be good enough if I got better at shooting, better at using my Sandevistan, better at being a merc but... Now I need to get somethin' else installed, too."

Lucy frowned, she had been glad that David had let go of the compulsion to upgrade himself, however she hadn't expected him to slide so far in the other direction.
"David..." she said, taking his hand, "Getting a little boost to your muscle and bone strength isn't going to send you over the edge."

He sighed again.
"Yeah... I guess..."

She took his face in her hands, looking him in the eyes.
"Hey... what's this really about? Talk to me."

He returned her gaze, staying silent momentarily.
"I... I don't know if I'd be able to stop myself if I started getting more augs." he admitted, lowering his gaze. "I'm... I'm afraid..."

Lucy pressed a kiss to his lips, gently guiding his gaze up again.
"Remember how stubborn you were before?" she said, smiling softly, "You went out to your shitty ripper and got syn-lungs chipped just so you could keep up with me."

David smiled slightly, nodding.

"You've come a long way from that, David." she continued. "Just the fact that you're having these second thoughts is enough to convince me you won't."

David swallowed nervously, nodding again.
"Right..." he said, though he didn't sound convinced.

"Hey, David?" she prodded, her lover looked at him again. Putting the warmest smile she could muster on her face, she looked him dead in the eyes. "I believe in you, okay?"

David looked at her, momentarily dumbstruck. Lucy shifted uncomfortably, wondering she had perhaps misspoken. 
Then he smiled, an honest, ear to ear smile that lit up their small apartment.

She smiled back, yelping slightly when David scooped her up and took her to their bed.
Good thing Valerie doesn't need my help today. She mused as she claimed David's lips, wrapping her arms around him hungrily, I can afford a late start.

Valerie rubbed her head as Johnny paced impatiently next to her. The two were waiting outside Judy's apartment door. 

"We're wastin' time." Johnny growled, Valerie sighed.

"We're still waiting for any Fixers in Pacifica to get back to us." she shot back at the rockerboy. "Can't do shit until then."

Johnny threw his hands up in the air, 
"We could fuckin' march into the Voodoo Boys' base and start kickin' the shit out of people until they give us what we want!"

"Alright, genius." she glared, "Where are they, then?"

Johnny turned to her, raising a finger and opening his mouth to speak.
Then he froze, mouth hanging slack jawed.

"Fuck..." he sighed, "That's a good point."

"You're a fuckin' idiot, Silverhand." Valerie scoffed, waving him away as Judy's door hissed open.

The young techie blinked as she saw the Solo woman.
"Oh, Val!" she said, breaking out into a warm smile. "You're early, wasn't expectin' you for a few more hours." 

"Figured I'd drop by now, see how Evelyn's doing." Valerie said, adjusting the collar of her maroon dress shirt.

Judy shook her head.
"Ev's out, with Viktor and Misty." she said, shifting on the spot. "Vik's trying to work on some of the damage the busted chip did to her and Misty... well, if you told me her spiritual energy schtick was somethin' that Ev bought into last week, I'd call you a gonk."

Valerie nodded at that, the two stood, shifting awkwardly.

"You uh... you look good." Judy said, clearing her throat.

Valerie looked down at her attire, 
She wasn't sure why she had grabbed Yorinobu's slacks and dress shirt during the Konpeki Plaza Heist, she could at least justify taking the Emperor's sword and his son's pistol as means of self defense. Still, she had to admit that the new CEO of the Arasaka Corporation had good taste in clothing.
"Thanks," she said, smirking slightly. "Would you believe me if I told you I klepped them from Yorinobu Arasaka himself?"

Judy laughed, Valerie smiled.

"Maybe." the techie admitted, "You're pretty weird."

She beckoned Valerie inside, the Solo woman followed.
The pair sat on the couch inside their apartment, Valerie rolled her neck as Judy leaned back and lit up a cigarette.
"You, uh..." she said, eyeing the other woman. "You want one?"

"Please, for the love of god just one." Johnny materialized on the couch next to her. "Don't make me beg, Valerie."

Valerie resisted the urge to roll her eyes in front of Judy.
"Yeah, sure." she said, accepting the cigarette and inhaling a lungful of acrid smoke.

Judy picked up a tablet that had lit up, flicking through it, she groaned.
"Ach." she grimaced, "A client I did some work for wants to hire me again."

Valerie frowned,
"And that's a bad thing?" she asked.

Judy shook her head,
"Nah, but they want me to look into a murder, need someone who's used BD's before at the very least." Judy shrugged, "I dunno, detective work's just not that interesting to me."

Valerie put her hand on her chin.

"What about Lucy?" she suggested, "I trust her 'n from what I hear she's got at least a few wreaths at her place."

Judy hummed,
"Maybe." 

"Her and David could handle the job." she said before smirking slightly. "I mean, I could probably give it a shot too, but I'm more of a novice."

"Nah." Judy said leaning back. "I'll recommend 'em. Means this way I get to keep you with me."

Valerie frowned momentarily before nodding in understanding.
"Right, you needed me to help out with your plan. Train up some of the Dolls to put up a fight." she said, "Yeah, that works."

Judy blinked,
"Yeah... Because of my plan... Right..." she said, looking away and running her fingers through her hair nervously. "You... want to order a pizza or somethin'? Before the others arrive?"

Valerie nodded, ignoring Johnny mock gagging in front of her. 
"Yeah, I could eat."

Johnny sighed, standing upright.
"Why, of all the skull sponges in NC, was I stuck in the densest one of them all?"

Chapter Text

"Alright, are you ready?" 

V hefted the detonator for their jury rigged EMP, watching the skies dutifully.
"Yep."

Rebecca did the same from her seat, using her hands as makeshift binoculars.
"Should be any minute now..."

Panam pointed with her left hand, a scope pressed to her eyes.
"There!"

V eyes followed the direction Panam was pointing, seeing an AV emigrating from Night City's skyline.

"Not yet..." he said, grip tightening on the detonator. "Not yet..."

The AV kept coming, closer and closer.
"Now!"
V slammed his thumb on the detonator, holding his breath.

Nothing.

Cursing, he pressed the button again, and again.
"Piece of shit!" he growled, rapidly pressing the button in the hopes it would do something, anything.

KA BOOM

The power plant they had raided detonated, a wave of energy washing over the AV.
As they watched it unsteadily descend, they saw the lights of Night City go out.

"Holy shit..." Rebecca breathed out.

"Yes!!" Panam pumped her fist. "That's how you do it!"

Valerie bounced on the balls of her feet, hands raised.
"You sure you're ready for this?" she asked Tom, a Doll from Clouds.

"Born ready, beautiful." Tom winked, his hands raised in a sloppy imitation of Valerie's own stance.

Judy sat next to Roxanne and Rita, watching the exchange.
Valerie's grin grew wilder, almost predatory.

"Alright..." she shrugged, "Don't say I didn't warn you."

She threw a punch, watching as something in Tom's eyes shifted and the man flipped her over his hip in one fluid motion, Valerie tumbled harmlessly onto the couch, unwounded save for her pride.
At that exact moment Judy's apartment also fell dark, the radio falling silent as well.

Valerie's eyes adjusted to the dark as she got to her feet, Tom looked at his hands apprehensively.

"Did... Did I do that?" he frowned.

Judy rolled her eyes.
"Don't be a gonk, Tom. Must'a been a blackout, weird for this time of year."

"So what do we do now?" Rita asked, the Mox woman had been the most silent during Judy's entire presentation, taking in every aspect of her de-facto leader's plan.

"Got some candles here somewhere." Judy rummaged through several cupboards, "We know the new behavioral chip works, I guess we just keep talkin' till the lights come on."

"Alright, let's get prepared to go down there." Panam said, fiddling with several dials on her dashboard. 

Her radio crackled to life.

"-opy that, Scorpion. I see it too."

"Mitch?!" Panam's eyes widened, she adjusted the radio.

"Yeah, looks like the blast caught two AV's. Me and the boys are going to check it out, see if any survivors need our help. Better us than Raffen, right?"

"No, no, NO!" Panam grabbed the boxy microphone, bringing it to her face frantically. "Mitch! Scorpion! That AV is Kang Tao, do not approach! I repeat! Do not approach!"

Rebecca frowned, two AV's?

"Copy that, Scorpion." Mitch said, seemingly ignorant of Panam's words. "I'll be right behind you."

"NO!" Panam said, her voice panicked, "Stay away from the AV, damn it!"

"Must be the interference." V grit his teeth, "They can't hear us. We need to go down there and stop them in person."

Panam nodded, grabbing her rifle.

"Ey! amigos! Wait for some back up, eh?"

Rebecca frowned again, why did that voice sound familiar?

David crept through the Biotechnica facility, following Blackhand's lead.

His arms ached slightly from the first phase of his muscle and bone lace procedure, but not enough to affect his aim.

"Edgerunner. Two up ahead." Blackhand whispered, V pointed his silenced rifle in the direction Morgan was looking.

Two guards stood idly, chatting. 
Distracted, their weapons were held limply in their hands.

"I got this Wick, cover me in case things go wrong?"

"Understood, quick and quiet, kid."

David snuck closer, letting time slow around him.
He hefted his rifle, remembering what Peregrine had told him about this facility.

"We've received reports of nomads going missing around these parts." the man had said, holding a tablet. "We know for a fact they're taken to this facility, a few actually managed to escape. These guards are scum, neglecting their captives and abusing their power if anyone in the facility has something they want."

David exhaled, firing two shots, both bullets sank into each guards' forehead. They dropped without uttering a word.

"Alright, Edgerunner, Wick." Peregrine's voice crackled to life. "The head office should be just up ahead, copy everything from the main terminal and head back for extraction."

David cracked open a window, crawling into the cramped office, he found the terminal in question as he plugged in his personal link, beginning the copy of files.
An alarm blared, David looked out the window to where Blackhand stood, keeping watch.

"The fuck is that?" David hissed, "Is it us?"

"No," Peregrine responded, "Looks like a different security breach, some of the captive nomads are making a break for it."

"Either way, we shouldn't stick around, c'mon kid." Blackhand said, rifle at the ready.

David retracted his personal link, climbing back out the window.
As he and Blackhand crept back towards where they came, several nomads dashed past them.

"Wait! You aren't Biotechnica!" one of them said, eyes wide, "Please, help us!"

Several guards came from the same direction, weapons at the ready.

"Fuck..." Blackhand growled. "Kid, with me!"

David nodded, raising his rifle.
They advanced in tandem. Blackhand fired a volley of ten shots, seven bodies hit the floor. David responded, firing six shots of his own, five fell.
A guard brandished an electric baton, charging at Blackhand in attempts to get under his guard, Morgan merely pulled out a Crusher shotgun and fired at center mass.
They stepped over the bloodied corpse of the baton wielding guard, several of the nomads behind them had picked up the guard's fallen weaponry, returning fire as well.

"Fuck it," Blackhand hissed, "Peregrine, change of plans, extract us from the front gate. We're punching through."

"Copy that."

The nomads, led by David and Morgan, carved swathes through Biotechnica's forces.
David shot open the gate, gripping the metal frame and throwing it open.
The nomads cheered as they claimed the facility's cars and trucks. 

"Snake Nation'll drink a toast to you fellas!" one of the nomads called out as they shot off into the night. "You boys'll always have a friend in Evan Douglas!"

Morgan and David both strolled out of the now guard-less Biotechnica facility, waiting as Peregrine descended in the discrete black AV they had arrived in.
"Nicely done." Morgan grinned at David. "Bit loud at the end but hey, as far as anyone knows, it's just a nomad breakout."

As they returned to Night City, David flicked on the safety of the silenced rifle, setting it down.
Leaning back, he massaged his wrists and forearms.

"Having some issues?" Morgan raised an eyebrow, David shook his head.

"Not anymore." David grinned, "Got some bioware work done so these aches should be a thing of the past."

They lurched slightly as the AV shifted, Blackhand looked at the cockpit.
"Apologies," Peregrine raised a hand, not looking back. "Made a minor adjustment, almost hit another AV."

Blackhand frowned, 
"Shouldn't we have seen it in the City's flight plans?" 

"Should." Peregrine nodded, "But there's nothing here."

"Weird..." David hummed.

A loud explosion rang out as the AV was buffeted, the interior went dark as David momentarily went weightless.
"Shit! Something just took out the power!" Peregrine grunted, "Making an emergency landing!"

David gripped onto his seat tightly, clenching his teeth as Peregrine struggled to control their descent.
They landed hard, though probably much softer than if they had simply crashed.

"You two alive?" Morgan grunted, unbuckling himself. "Holler if you're dead."

"Yeah." David groaned, "Think my knees're in my colon now, though."

The trio exited the AV, weapons at the ready.
"Nothin'." Blackhand sighed, "So we're just collateral damage? Or was this just a coincidence?"

"Sir, there!" Peregrine pointed, several bikes and cars were parked at the top of a sand dune.
David squinted, despite the low light he could just barely make out the insignia of the Aldecaldos.

Gunshots began ringing out.
David sprinted to the top of the dune, Peregrine and Blackhand followed.

Several guards took cover by a crashed Kang Tao AV, firing at the nomads. A small group of guards were escorting a scared looking man in a suit, they pulled a nomad from his truck, shooting him in the head and sped off.

"Morgan, we need to help them!" David hissed, hoisting his rifle and planting his feet firmly.

"Kid, wait!" Blackhand hissed. "We need to be careful, we had the green light to mess with Biotechnica. Fucking with Kang Tao like this could be trouble."

David watched as a large turret fired at a group of nomads cowering behind a truck, the vehicle exploded, throwing the smoldering, burning corpses several feet away.

"Morgan... They're Aldecaldos." he glanced at Blackhand. "V runs with them now."

Something shifted in the legendary solo's eyes, he clenched his teeth.
"Go." he said, "I'll do what I can to cover you from here but I can't be implicated in this."

David nodded, letting his Sandevistan hum to life.
He shot down the dune, gun at the ready.

He charged in, not trusting any cover while the turret was active, he fired his gun until it clicked empty, several guards fell. Sliding in the sand, he grasped a gun dropped by one of the dead.
Bringing it up, he fired again, still not coming to a stop. Several more guards fell, a netrunner fell too, a well placed shot from Blackhand in his head.
An armored guard holding an LMG stomped out, firing at David's after-images.
He fell, a smoking stump where his head once was. 
Another sniper?

"Fuckin' corpos!" the familiar shrill shriek of Rebecca caught David's attention, even as it was muffled and distorted in slow motion.
The shortstack solo was joined by V, a smart pistol in hand and his hand on his temple.
Sparking, the turret's indicator flickered from red to green as it began firing at the guards it formerly protected.
Grinning, David kept running, helping his friends pacify the rest of the guards.

David exhaled as he came to a stop, letting the world catch up to him.
He circled around the crashed AV, trying to find his friends.

"Put the gun down!" an unfamiliar female voice rang out, David sprinted over to the source of the disturbance, unholstering his pistol.

As he dashed around the corner, a Kang Tao guard pressing a gun to a struggling nomad's head whirled, firing at the new intruder. Firing at him.
Rebecca and V's eyes widened as they lunged at the guard, a nomad woman by their side raised the rifle in her hands.

Throwing himself to one side, David raised his pistol to return fire and then-

The guard's head jerked to one side as a thundering crack echoed through the desert.
A large, fresh exit wound smoked as the guard fell to the ground.

"Mitch, you okay?" a familiar voice asked, the new figure jogged past him and helped up the nomad from under the now deceased guard.

David grinned.

"Hey, Jackie." he greeted.

Jackie whirled around to face him, he looked much like how David remembered him, save for the black Aldecaldo Rally Jacket he sported as well as Maine's cybernetic arm, finding a new home with the burly former Valentino.
"Chico?" he turned again, taking stock of the situation. "V? Rebecca?"

Rebecca looked at Jackie, then at David, then at Jackie again.
So many questions swam in her head.
Why? How? When? What?
"Will someone tell me what the fuck is going on before I start shooting people!?"

Chapter Text

"Jackie!!" David shouted, planting his hands on the open wound as the former Valentino's own hands fell limp.
He pressed down hard, staunching the bleeding even as Jackie stopped responding to stimuli.

"Faster, V!" He shouted, trying to control his bleeding and resisting the urge to take his hands off the wound to wipe away the tears that obscured his vision.

"We're here!" V shouted back, the beat up Hella screeched around the corner and came to a sudden halt outside Misty's storefront.

David grabbed Jackie, panting as the Sandevistan hummed to life.

"No!" V's hand seized the back of his collar roughly, "If you move him with your Sandy like this he'll die for sure."
David grit his teeth, reluctantly nodding.

The door on Jackie's side opened as Misty placed a hand on her boyfriend's body.
"Viktor's waiting! Come on!"

David nodded numbly, grabbing Jackie's legs as V and Misty took an arm each. Together they moved the large Solo, slowly.
They navigated through the cluttered store, Misty knocking over a display case, glass shattering as crystals were strewn across the floor.
"It's fine!" Misty's voice was shrill, desperate. "Leave it!"

They descended the steps to Viktor's clinic, all the doors and gates were open, waiting for them.

"Vik!" V's voice was almost a desperate sob, "We're here!"

"Get him in the chair, quickly!" Viktor was not wearing his normal outfit, instead he wore what appeared to be surgical scrubs, complete with gloves and face covering.
He almost looked like a proper doctor.

As they set Jackie into the chair, Viktor paused for a fraction of a second.
"He's already had a dose of synth-blood, hasn't he?"

David nodded, Viktor was good, discerning that at a glance.
"Two doses." he said, drawing a shaky breath. V had collapsed in a corner, back to the wall and head in his arms.

"Damn, change of plans then." Viktor swore, "Misty! We need real blood, can't use synthetics anymore!"

David's mothers' words echoed in his head.
Remember, D. Blood substitute is good for an emergency but you need to be careful, our bodies still need natural blood as well, too much of the synthetic stuff and you could be dealing with some serious health problems.

Misty opened a cooler, frantically going through every shelf.
David let the Sandevistan carry him, he rushed forward, scanning each label and sachet.
Aesculapius, Bodyweight Synth... no... 

There!

He grabbed the blood, letting the world catch up.
"It's here, Viktor!" he shoved it into Viktor's waiting hands, Misty nodded at him gratefully.

"I've got it from here, David." she placed a gentle hand on his chest, guiding him away as Viktor began his ministrations. "You've done more than enough. Get some rest."

David nodded reluctantly, he collapsed into a small chair next to V, tapping his foot impatiently as he tried to relax himself.

Viktor sighed as he wiped his hands clean, removing his mask.
"He's stable." Viktor said, "But we're not done yet, there's severe nerve damage in his left arm. Much as I'd like to give him a medical prosthetic right now he's in a delicate state. I think we should wait a few days until he's stable before I chip anything into him."

David closed his eyes, breathing in deeply.
A possibility entered his mind.

"V... You said that Saburo Arasaka died..." he said slowly, "How do you know that?"

The former nomad accepted a cup of tea from Misty, he looked at the younger man.
"His own son killed 'im." V said, a mirthless smile on his face. "Them, Jackie and Valerie. They're the only ones that were there in person."

David nodded slowly. It was as he suspected.

"Vik." he said, opening his eyes. "Jackie can't stay here."

Everyone in the room bar the unconscious Jackie turned to look at the younger man.
"What are you talking about?" Viktor frowned, brow furrowed in sudden worry.

"The Emperor's somewhere between a god and a really fancy gang leader." David explained bluntly. "What happens when a gang leader gets assassinated? There's hell to pay, and who're they gonna believe killed Saburo more? His own son or two mercenaries who were never supposed to be there in the first place?"

V bit his lip as Viktor's eyes widened in understanding.
"Fuck..." he breathed. "Probably got his face on camera too..."

"Then we should call Valerie, tell her to get the hell out of the city as well!" V stood.

Viktor shook his head.
"She's got Kiroshi optics, a custom job. Her face isn't going to show up on any security footage unless she wants it to." he explained, "I'm more worried about the two of you."

"I didn't go in with them, stayed in the car the whole time." V said, "And David..."

David swallowed nervously. 
"I'll be fine." he said, trying to suppress the part of him that thought he was lying.

"But... where does he go? What can we do with him like this?" Misty spoke up, her face was the very model of concern. 

V hummed.
"I could call in a few favors, ask the Aldecaldos to take care of him until he wakes up." he said, "They could use a good Solo, and Jackie's one of the best I know. Once he's up and about, as long as he pulls his weight, the Aldecaldos'll take care of him, even if they don't consider him a 'member'"

Viktor frowned, 
"But his arm..."  

"They have a ripper too, Vik." V reassured, "On call, not as good as you maybe but still a good one."

Viktor nodded reluctantly. 
"I'll get some things ready so he can make the trip." he said, getting to his feet slowly.

"Vik, I'll do it." Misty said, placing a hand on the old ripperdoc's shoulder and easing him back into his seat. "I want to say goodbye to Jackie."

Viktor nodded, David swallowed nervously.

"I'll... I'll let his mom know." he said, Viktor grimaced.

"That's... probably a good idea..." he conceded before his face turned stern, "But David, she's the only one else who can know."

V glowered.
"Vik, the fuck're you talkin' about?" he growled.

Viktor sighed,
"Arasaka'll probably start combing the net soon. As well as all calls in Night City. They won't be able to I.D Valerie but... The less that Jackie's name pops up, the better."

"So we just keep things off the net, talk face to face!" V retorted, Viktor shook his head.

"It's risky, kid." he sighed, running a hand through his hair, "The walls have ears. They probably aren't looking for Jackie yet but once they do... We don't know what could be picking up our conversations. So I say again, nobody else can know."

David nodded slowly, grimacing.
I don't want to lie to Lucy... he sighed, Fuck...

"We're all set." Misty's voice shook David from his internal conflict, her voice was strained, her face a delicate veneer of calm. "He's ready."

"I'll get the car ready." V said, patting David on the shoulder. "You should call Mama Welles now."

"I understand, David." Mama Welles' voice was thick with concern, David paced the concrete floor of Viktor's clinic nervously.

"I- Uh..." He breathed in deeply, trying to calm himself. "If you need my help, y'know, in case people start asking questions, I can-"

"You let me worry about that, mijo." her tone shifted, warmer. "You just worry about how you'll save my Jackie from the scolding of a lifetime when he comes back, hmm?"

David let out a small laugh, repressing the conflicting swell of emotions that came from being called mijo after so long.
"Yeah... Yeah I will."

"Good boy." Mama Welle's laughed too, "I'll see what I can do, maybe tell people I had a small, private ceremony, hmm?"

David frowned, 
"They won't think it's weird you didn't have anyone around for the ofrenda?" he asked.

Mama Welle's laughed again.
"Jackie was right, you do need to work on your pronunciation." her tone was warm and playful, David pouted despite himself. "Again, let me worry about that, mijo."

"Alright..." David said reluctantly, "I'll try and drop by whenever I'm free."

"Hasta luego, David." 

"N-Nos vemos." David replied as Mama Welles ended the call.
The pit in his stomach felt just the smallest fraction lighter. He sighed, collapsing into a chair and putting his head in his palms.
Fuck...

V sighed wearily as he sat on the hood of Valerie's ruined car.

Saul, the Aldecaldos' leader, took a seat next to him. 

"He'll be safe with us, don't worry yourself." the older nomad said, patting V's shoulder almost in a fatherly way.

V nodded gratefully.
He wasn't sure how much he liked the nomad man, however he had gotten to know him fairly well during his time working with the clan.
"I'll do as many jobs as it takes to cover the costs." V said, "At least until he wakes up."

Saul quirked a brow at him.
"Brother, you've done plenty for the family, gone above and beyond the call of duty." he said, "This is the least we can do." 

V shook his head, 
"Sorry, it's just... how the Bakkers did things. No favors left hanging, you repay your debts right away."

Saul sighed, 
"But it isn't a debt- ah forget it, if you think you need to be useful then... we could use a cyber-arm." 

V looked at Saul skeptically.
"Why?"

"Our camp ripper doesn't have one in your friends' size, something like that you'd need to get in the city and well... You may still be a true-blooded nomad at heart but you can pass for a city boy now, more than any of us here except... well, she's not around, so that's not important."

V hummed, 
"I'll make a few calls, see what I can find."

Saul nodded, sliding off the hood of the car and heading back to the rest of the camp.
V dialed David on the holo, listening as the call connected.
"Hey, David. Yeah, Jackie's doing okay. I could use your help though..."

Chapter Text

"So... that's basically everything..." David scratched his head as Rebecca glowered at him from the back of the bike driven by V.
V, Rebecca, himself and Jackie had gone ahead to 'apprehend' the former Arasaka Bioengineer that would in theory be able to assist Valerie.

They got off their borrowed nomad bikes a short way away from the service station that the Kang Tao guards had holed themselves up in, waiting as V hacked into the security cameras and tried to get a bearing on the situation. 
Rebecca nodded in understanding. Hopping off the bike, she gave V a dope slap across the back of the head. Strolling over towards David, the younger mercenary received a kick to the knee as the shortstack Solo pouted.
"That's for keeping it a secret from me and the others, fucking gonks..." Rebecca crossed her arms, her frown lasted only for scant seconds. "But... it really is good to see you again, Jackie."

The burly man grinned, giving her a cheery thumbs up. Rebecca grinned back.

"Maine's arm suits you." she said, jerking her head towards David, "I really didn't see it fitting on this gonk anyway."

David frowned, rubbing his knee. He opened his mouth to say something but was cut off as V opened his eyes, rubbing them.
"Seven guards, two turrets." V said. Then he frowned, rubbing the back of his head. "Why does my head hurt?"

Rebecca coughed, averting her gaze.

David racked the charging handle of his silenced Ajax rifle, nodding.
"I can take them out quietly, I'll trust the turrets to you guys."

"No." V's gaze was stern, David tilted his head at the former nomad.

The netrunner looked at Jackie, the burly man nodded, running a hand across the Aldecaldo's patch on his left shoulder, right below a Valentino's patch.
"We got a bone to pick with those pendejos. " Jackie growled, "Those fuckers shot at the Aldecaldos, killed Scorpion."

David smiled, it really was good to have Jackie back.
"Alright," he conceded, "We go loud."

Valerie stretched as Judy sat down next to her. They had talked into the odd hours of the night, the others only just leaving.

"Went pretty well, I think." Judy smirked, Valerie opened an eye to look at the techie. 

"Yeah," she replied.

A thought crept into her mind, causing her to frown slightly.
"Judy... how're you getting the scratch to work on these chips?" she asked.

"Ah right." Judy pressed a hand to her forehead, "I was going to tell you. The Mox got an 'anonymous contribution'. A shit load of eddies because someone heard we were looking to pick a fight with the Tygers."

Valerie frowned. 
"Anonymous, huh?" 

"Probably corpo." Judy admitted, "Militech, maybe? Everybody knows that the Tygers are in 'Saka's pocket."

"Maybe..." 

Judy watched Valerie's face, still a mask of concern. She sighed, her own face fell.
"I don't blame you if you're gettin' cold feet." she said softly, "It's a tough fight even before you learned about this. I get it."

Valerie chuckled,
"Judy, Judy." she soothed, "I ain't abandoning you like that. I'm with you, to the end."

Judy smiled at that. She ran a hand through her hair, deep in thought. 
"I... uh..." she blushed slightly, "I'm glad you're here with me, Val."

The Solo grinned.
"Always happy to help the Mox." 

Sighing, Judy rolled her eyes.
"Dense gonk." she whispered as she grabbed Valerie by the collar and pressed their lips together.

As they pulled apart, Valerie's face was frozen into a mask of confusion. Her mouth hung open as if trying to form a sentence.

"I- but- you-" Valerie stammered.

"You gonna finish any of those?" Judy smirked.

"I thought you and Evelyn-" Valerie coughed, "Uh... y'know."

Judy laughed, Valerie frowned, feeling slightly put out.
"Maybe once." the techie admitted, "But that was a long time ago."

"So does that mean you-" Valerie's face twitched, still struggling to finish any of her sentences.

"Only if you want it to." 

"Yes!" Valerie blurted out, she coughed, straightening the collar of her shirt. "I mean, yeah, I 'd like that."

At that moment she received a message from V, excusing herself momentarily she read it.

Found Hellman, taking him to Sunset Motel.

-V

"Shit..." Valerie cursed, ditching her new hookup was not how she wanted this night to go. 

"Got somewhere you need to be?" Judy tilted her head at her. 

"Sorry, yeah." Valerie frowned in apology. "I wouldn't go if it wasn't important but-"

Judy shushed her gently, 
"It's fine, give me five to get ready, I'll drive you."

Valerie frowned, 
"You don't need to-"

"I want to."

Valerie watched as her new... fling? girlfriend? Hurried around her apartment, grabbing a jacket and keys. 
She smiled, maybe her luck was beginning to turn after all.

Johnny appeared, sitting on the counter and rolling his eyes behind his sunglasses.
"Oh please," he sighed, "Someone fucking shoot me."

V leaned against the railing of the motel, sighing. His thoughts were troubled, the deaths of those Aldecaldos weighing heavily on his mind. Scorpion most of all.

Grimacing, he remembered as Panam attempted to defend him and Rebecca from Saul.
"Leave them out of it, Saul! Don't blame them for this!"

Saul's response had as blunt as a hammer.
"V is known to us, any of his friends are trusted friends of ours too. Our problem, Panam, is you."

The Nomad woman's betrayed stare was etched into his mind, carved into the deepest crevasses of his conscious thoughts. That, and what Saul had said when Panam had stormed off.
"You know, I used to think you were the paragon of what it meant to be a nomad, V. Now I'm not so sure."

V closed his eyes, shivering against the chill of the night. Damn, he missed his coat.
"I don't mean that as an insult, brother. But you remind me of Santiago. He couldn't decide between the City and the Nomad life either."

"Hey." Rebecca's voice shook him from his thoughts. 

Smiling, he turned to face his Input. 
"Hey." he wrapped her in a hug, "Where's David and Jackie?"

"David went back to the City, said he was going to crash." Rebecca said, "Jackie's watching 'sleeping beauty' in there."

V chuckled, the burly Solo's method of apprehending Hellman had been to give the man a taste of his signature right hook.

"I uh..." Rebecca shifted, blushing slightly. "I got you something."

V quirked a brow, watching as Rebecca pulled a white jacket from the folds of her own oversized garment. 
Unfurling it, V smiled slightly as he hefted the white Nomad jacket in his hands. It lacked any clan patches, the only adornments being several small patches of a white tiger on the chest and shoulder.

"You looked cold." Rebecca said, not meeting his gaze. 

Putting it on, V wrapped Rebecca in another hug.
"I like it, thanks." he said, tilting her chin and claiming her lips.

The sound of a horn caused both mercenaries to turn towards the road. 
Valerie closed the door to a van, Judy did the same from the driver's seat. 
"They're here." Rebecca said, extricating her from V's embrace.

Nodding, V intertwined his fingers with Rebecca's own.
"It's time to wake Hellman." he said, then he paused. "I wonder how she'll react to seeing Jackie alive?"

Rebecca cackled,
"Oh she's going to fucking freak."

Chapter Text

David stretched as he walked the streets of Vista Del Rey. It had been a week since they had captured Anders Hellman, the bioengineer being handed off to Takemura once he proved unhelpful to Valerie's predicament. 
The ache in his muscles had almost subsided, the bioware procedure almost fully complete. He didn't feel any more powerful, though he supposed he shouldn't go around trying to test it by punching walls anyway. 

He yawned, wincing as the sun assaulted his eyes. Lucy had found them both a job, handling a case for some politician named Jefferson. Lucy had asked several questions about the man's policies and careers, David merely smiled and nodded.
The job proved simple for the most part, David entered a braindance recording of an assassination attempt and Lucy linked up with him to try and make something of the recording. 
David had accepted the task of meeting up with a cop, River Ward, and discussing the details of the assassination with him. Lucy had been asked to help look into a different matter, a personal one. Whatever that meant.

Rolling his neck, he decided to phone the cop and arrange a meeting.

"Hello?" River's voice was cautious, his voice had texture, a subtle growl that indicated experience. "Who is this?"

"River Ward?" David asked, yawning again. "Name's David, David Martinez. Heard you were investigating Lucius Rhyne's death? I've got some info."

River was silent for a moment, David came to a stop at a crosswalk, waiting with the rest of the crowd for the light to turn green.
"Headed to a diner." River said, "The Chubby Buffalo, you know it?" 

David quirked a brow.
"The Glen?" he almost chuckled at the coincidence. "Shit, choom, I'm in Vista right now, I can be over in a couple of minutes."

"Nova." River said, David smirked.  No matter what else happened with this River, at least he didn't speak like a stuck up badge.

As he ended the call, David began making his way towards the Glen, ignoring the dorphheads and brain potatoes that littered the sidewalk as he had done so many times before.
To pass the time, he decided to call Kiwi and ask about an idea he had been mulling over.

The holo rang once, twice, three times. David moved to end the call, assuming the older netrunner was busy. 

"What's up, boss-man?" Kiwi droned, "You finally got some work for the gang?"

David winced,
"Shit, no." he said, "Sorry, Kiwi, we've been a bit busy trying to-"

"To help Valerie, yeah. I know." David grinned, Kiwi never changed, it seemed. "What did you need? I know I'm not the 'runner you call up to make kissy faces at."

David ignored the jab, inhaling as he decided to ask his question with no hesitation.
"Do you think you could set me up with a cyberdeck?"

"I'll tell Lucy you're going behind her back with chrome." Kiwi deadpanned, David chuckled.

"Nah, not like what you two have." he said, raising his hands placatingly out of habit. "One of the older ones, the kind you use on your wrist."

Kiwi hummed.
"Probably have some in my apartment you can use." she admitted, "Why, though? You 'n Lucy are practically attached at the hip, aren't you?"

David shrugged, again out of habit.
"I feel bad bringing you or Lucy out for jobs that make ennies." he admitted, "Not worth it if all I need is to open a door or shut down a single camera. Uh- no offense."

Kiwi gave a single deadpan 'hah'.
"Nah, I get it." she hummed again, "I'll be in touch, see what I can do."

"Preem. And hey, I'll try and fix us up some proper work soon." David said, turning the corner and seeing the neon sign advertising the Chubby Buffalo at the end of the block.

"Take your time." Kiwi deadpanned, "If it gets me some time away from Rebecca I'll make do." 

As Kiwi ended the call, David increased his pace. Headed for the diner.

Kenji grimaced as he sat on his modified Kusanagi. 

Five.

Only Five people currently comprised the little team that would attempt to pacify Norio and get him help for his cyberpsychosis.

He sighed, I need you more than I expected, David Martinez.

Opening his holo, he messaged the mercenary, acquiring his contact from his grandmother.
Wakako had looked at him suspiciously however she could not deny her grandchildren.

'David, I have a task I require your skills for. I am willing to pay. Any more guns you could bring to this task would be helpful.'

He revved his bike, taking off. David would reply when he was able, he hoped.
Weaving through Japantown's busy streets, Kenji blinked as he received a call from an unknown source.

"Hello?" he said, accepting the call.

"Kenji Okada?" a voice that sounded familiar rang out, however Kenji knew for a fact it was nobody he had personally met. "I hear you plan to defy the Tyger Claws."

The hairs on the back of Kenji's neck stood on end.
"Who is this?" he demanded. 

"I am... an old soul." the voice said cautiously, "A former rebel. I am sure you have wondered how you may cover your activities, whether you can avoid being identified as a member of the Tyger Claws by your more obedient fellows."

Kenji began to sweat. He pulled over next to a Megabuilding, swallowing his nerves.
"What do you want?"

"I want to be of assistance. I am sending you the location of a drop point. Inside will be everything I can provide you at this time, if you choose to take it I will assume you wish to accept my help."

A location pinged on Kenji's optics, he opened his mouth to say something, but the call ended before he had the chance.
Unnerved, Kenji made sure his pistol was loaded before he set off towards the drop point.

A short, nerve-wracking bike ride later, Kenji approached the drop point cautiously, looking around for anyone who could possibly be a threat.
Satisfied that he was not about to be ambushed, Kenji opened the drop point, placing the bundle on his bike and grabbing the other item that was in the compartment.

Unfolding it, his eyes widened.
It was a jacket, an old, leather, biking jacket, black and burgundy. That was not of note.
What was of note however was the insignia on the jacket. A creature of mythology, formed entirely out of metal and gears. Behind the creature there was writing, kanji.

"The Steel Dragons." Kenji read, "How...?"

He knew his history, the street gang was said to have been wiped out by the Tyger Claws a long time ago. So what was it doing here?

If I put this on... Kenji mused. My subterfuge becomes treason.

He smirked, throwing on the jacket without fear or hesitation. His cousin was a bad influence on him, it seemed.
Screw it. he thought, getting on his bike and shooting back to his apartment. Let the Steel Dragons return to Night City, if only for a short while.

Chapter Text

Kiwi lit up a cigarette as she dusted off an old cyberdeck, jacking into the old hardware. She hefted the book sized slab as she installed several basic hacks onto it. Nothing special, but enough for a solo like David, probably. As the bar on her optics slowly filled she turned her attention to one of the many monitors that littered her apartment.

She had decided to try her hand at creating a hack of her own, inspired by her former student's own innovations. So far it had proved unsuccessful.

At that moment her holo lit up, a call from Lucy.
Speak of the devil. Kiwi huffed as she answered.
"Hey, Luce." she greeted, "What do you need?"

"Kiwi, can we meet? I could use your help with something." 

Unplugging from the old portable deck, Kiwi set it on her desk, tossing her cigarette into an ashtray.
"Sure, I'll leave now, what kind of help?"

"Workin' a job right now, could use a second opinion."

David entered the quaint diner, listening to the hum of conversations and the radio droning away in the corner.
He looked around, scanning for anyone that looked like a cop.

Sighing, David decided to message River, telling him he had arrived.
A burly looking man in an old brown trench coat and a shaved head turned and looked to the door.

David's eyebrows raised at the same moment the man's did, his left eyebrow rising slightly lower as it was held back by the more rudimentary optic that replaced that eye.
Really? he thought in disbelief, This guy's a cop? 

Making his way over to the table, he raised a hand in greeting both to River and the man he was previously talking to.
"Take it you're River?" he said.

The other man nodded, 
"You're David, then." he replied, giving a small laugh. "I have to say, I figured you'd be a little older."

"The fuck is this?" the man on the other side of the table asked apprehensively. "River, you're working with criminals now?"

"He's a kid, Harold." River sighed.

"'Kid' my fuckin' ass!" the other man, Harold, growled. "You're tellin' me you don't recognize that jacket from the reports? He's fucked with the Tygers, Maelstrom, even MaxTac! This 'kid' is bad fucking news!"

"Calm down, Harold. I'm not working with him." River placated. "I got a call saying he's got something to tell me, so I agreed to meet, that's all."

Harold scoffed, 
"Whatever, it's your neck on the line." he spat, rising to his feet and shooting David a dirty look. "I need to go pick up my little girl, anyway."

David let the older looking cop pass, taking his spot at the booth.
"I guess your partner doesn't really like edgerunners." David said, trying to ease the tension.

"Maybe," River conceded, "But you didn't call him up askin' to talk, you called me. So talk."

"You tried to investigate an assassination attempt on the old Mayor, right? Lucius Rhyne?" David asked, "What'd you find?"

River observed him with suspicion, his impassive robotic eye glaring at him just as his more natural looking eye squinted.
"Let me ask you a question first. What's a kid like you sticking your nose into something like this? Shouldn't you be goin' to school? Helpin' your mom out at home?"

David winced, he thought he had moved on from his mother's death. His friends and Lucy had always been there from him every step of the way, slowly helping him let go of the guilt and grief, though it hadn't yet truly gone away.
"My mom's dead." he whispered, "Died during a gangoon shootout."

River's face fell, his suspicion melting away and replaced with guilt.
"Shit, kid I didn't mean-"

"Don't know who my dad was, either." David pressed on, "Got nowhere else to go, so I did whatever it took to keep me off the streets. Got it? Now do me a favor choom and step the fuck off."

"Hey," River's voice shifted, sounding more like an uncle or older brother. "I understand."

"Like fuck you do!" David balled his fists, "You're a fuckin' badge, you know fuck all about me! You've got no idea what it's like to have nowhere else to go!"

"I do." River's voice was kind, understanding. However his face was stern, an odd, haunted look in his one eye. David believed him. 

Releasing a shaky breath, David let his fists unfurl. His hands trembled with adrenaline and nerves.

"I didn't mean to bring up bad memories." River said gently, "I just... I got a nephew, probably only a couple of years younger than you. Me 'n my sister both worked so hard to make sure he wouldn't have a hard life that... Imagining him going through what I went through, what you went through..."

David nodded mutely, taking a shard and sliding it across the table to him.
"It's all on there." he said quietly. He didn't feel like explaining anything anymore, the shard would have to do.

River looked at him with worry. Waving down a waitress he ordered two cups of coffee.
"Hope you like your coffee black." the cop said, shifting awkwardly. 

David shrugged,
"Couldn't drink anything fizzy before either, now I can." he said, giving a weak grin. "Maybe it'll be the same with this."

It was not, in fact, the same.
As the detective scanned through the information on the shard, David grimaced as he sipped the bitter beverage. 
I'd rather eat one of Lucy's cigarettes than drink this. he thought sardonically, then paused. 
When had he last seen Lucy smoke? It must have been a year ago, at least.

As River removed the shard from his port, David stowed that thought away for later. He would ask Lucy about it at home.

"Wow." River said plainly, "Shit, kid. I uh, I underestimated you."

David folded his arms and quirked a brow.
"Well, glad I could be of service." he deadpanned, "If that's all I'll get going now."

"Wait!" River raised a hand, "I... I want to follow up on the lead, but I still need to follow regulations. But you don't have to, right?"

Quirking a brow, David hummed.
"So you're suggesting I break the rules so you can keep your hands clean?"

River winced.

David thought back to a question he had asked himself once, a long time ago.
What does it mean to be an Edgerunner.
He still wasn't sure, he didn't have the full answer to that at least. However he was starting to get an inkling.

"Well, I guess it's something I know how to do." David grinned. River returned the expression. "You drive?"

Lucy sat on the couch, feeling distinctly out of place with the high rise penthouse she found herself in.
She nursed a cup of tea Elizabeth had given her while they waited for Kiwi, Jefferson having left for a meeting some time ago.

A ring at the door caught both of their attention, Elizabeth's optics lit up as she checked the door's camera.
"Your security specialist." she said, "Does she wear a mask on her lower face?"

"It's not a mask but... yeah." Lucy nodded.

Elizabeth nodded, the door unlocking with a soft click.

Lucy nodded in greeting at her former mentor, Kiwi returned it
"Workin' for the Peralez's." Kiwi mused, "Luce you're moving up in the world."

Elizabeth extended a hand,
"Elizabeth Peralez. I'm told you're a security specialist."

Kiwi looked at the hand with apprehension.
"Sorry, I don't do the whole 'physical contact' thing." she said, Lucy could have sworn she was almost apologetic. "I'll be honest, I'm not really sure why I'm here. Lucy's as skilled as I am, if not more."

Lucy blushed slightly as she averted her gaze.
She knew Kiwi wasn't giving her an idle compliment, that this was merely an acknowledgement of her own strengths as well as Kiwi's skills as a teacher.
"I wanted a second opinion." Lucy coughed, "Make sure I haven't missed anything."

Kiwi's eyes were soft, brimming with amusement.
"You'd do fine by yourself, you damn gonk." she said softly, "Fine, should we get started?"

Elizabeth nodded, guiding them through the Peralez apartment. 
Kiwi looked around, scanning for cameras and checking for any listening devices. 

Lucy did the same, looking around the sleek apartment as they followed behind the politician's wife.

"Find anything yet?" she asked Kiwi as she looked over a shelf, eyes falling to a framed photo of the couple.
Why don't I have any photos of me and David at my place? she mused. 

"Not yet." Kiwi replied, "Damn, this apartment's completely nova, though. You ever think about upsizing with David?"

Lucy hummed.
The penthouse was very nice, however...
It's missing something... she concluded. But what?
Her eyes widened slightly. It was cold, that's what it was.
The Peralez's were the very model of a loving couple, both when she had met them and in their framed photos. But their apartment was cold, it lacked any personality.

"Maybe." she said quietly, not meeting Kiwi or Elizabeth's eye as she continued scanning.
No. she thought internally. If I have to give up even a part of what I have with David to get somewhere like this, it's not worth it.

"Hey, Luce." Kiwi's eyes narrowed. "That wall over there. Doesn't something seem odd?"

Lucy returned to the present, squinting at the wall in question.
"Elizabeth?" she asked, running her fingers over the wall. "Have you had any work done on this wall?"

"Not that I'm aware of." the older woman replied, frowning. 

"Then..." Lucy sniffed, inhaling the scent of fresh plaster. "Who's patched up this wall?"

River chased after the escaping informant, gripping the chain link fence and launching himself over it.
"Wait!" he shouted, "I just want to talk!"

The informant didn't reply, putting all his effort into running faster.

"Fuck!" River panted, "Should've... put the kid on this..."

"Stay the fuck away! Damn badge!" the informant cried out, firing blindly behind him. 

River stumbled, scrambling to avoid the shots.

At that moment, David burst from a side alley, slamming his body into the runaway man.
The informant fell backwards, slamming into a dumpster and leaving a sizeable dent.

David chuckled giddily, 
"Shit!" he shouted, holding his arms in front of him. "This fuckin' bioware shit is totally preem!"

River caught up, hands on his knees as he panted. 
"Good... good work, kid..." he heaved, sweat dripping down his nose. "I'm not cut out for this shit."

David grinned,
"Maybe next time leave the coat in the car." he jested, "Talked to the other lead you put me on, didn't really tell us anything we didn't already know."

River nodded. 
"Alright," he said, grabbing the informant by the collar. "Let's hope our friend here's willing to talk."

"Fuck you, damn pig!" he spat, then he got a good look at David. "Oh fuck!"

David raised a brow, looking at River.

"Fuck! I'll talk! I'll talk!" the informant shrieked, "Just keep him away from me!"

"Settle down, what's so bad about him?" River questioned. David took a step back, hoping that would calm the man somewhat. It did not.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" he whimpered, "the Devil of Kabuki fucked with him, they barely found enough of him to bury. He fucked with the Maelstrom and left an entire club full of those borg fucks dead! He's a fucking demon!"

David scratched the back of his head.
"That... That's really not what happened, choom." he said, cringing.

River watched the exchange, formulating a plan.
"Alright, you tell me where to find The Red Queen's Race and I'll tell him to leave you alone." 

The informant nodded frantically. 
"Charter Hill!" he said, eyeing David cautiously. "It's in Charter Hill!"

Satisfied, River let go of the man's collar. 
"Go."

Turning to David, River grinned.
"Nicely done, kid."

David frowned.
"I didn't do anything."

"Didn't need to, your rep did all the talking." River patted him on the shoulder. "I... I need to go down to the precinct. Try and get a warrant."

Grinning, David pressed a thumb to his own chest.
"Or... you could let your new merc choom do all the work again."

River raised a brow.

"C'mon." David's face grew more serious, "If we're gonna chase this lead we don't want it to get cold, right?"

"Do you even understand what you just said?"

David shrugged.
"No, but I heard it on a detective show on TV, what do you say?"

River chuckled.
"Alright, alright." he conceded, "Let's go."

Valerie groaned as she opened her eyes.
"Fuck..." 

"Wakey wakey." Johnny watched her from the couch.

"Fuck off, Johnny..." she sighed. As she sat up, she heaved. "Gonna fuckin' puke..."

After expunging the contents of her stomach into her sink, she washed her mouth out.

"You're gettin' worse." Johnny noted. 

"Yeah..." 

"Think now's really the time to be finding a new chick to fuck?" Johnny crossed his arms. 

Valerie sighed, 
"If I die, I'll die with people I want to be around, doing all that I could to stay alive."

Johnny said nothing.

"What about you? If we manage to do this, if we manage to save my life that'll mean Johnny Silverhand finally dies. Any regrets you wanted tidying up before you go?"

Johnny eyed her warily.
"What is this, now. Twenty questions?"

"No." Valerie shook her head. "You're gonna die for me, ain't you? I want to do something for you before you go."

Johnny wore an odd expression.
"Well... I guess it'd be nice to see my old friends." he conceded. "Catch up, see how they've been doing."

Valerie laughed, 
"Oddly sentimental for you."

Johnny glared.

"Alright, who first?" 

Sighing, Johnny's gaze softened.
"Rogue, she knows me best." he said, "She'll believe me if I go to her. Even if I'm in your body."

Valerie nodded, taking one of the pills Misty had given her, pseudoendotrizine. She breathed in deeply.
"I'm trusting you on this, alright?" she eyed Johnny as she sat herself down on the couch. 

Johnny nodded, his eyes were oddly warm.
"Thank you, Valerie." he said seemingly sincerely. "Truly."

Valerie swallowed the pill, closing her eyes and taking deep breaths.
Swaying, she groaned.

Opening his eyes, Johnny Silverhand chuckled, Valerie's voice came from his mouth.
"Fuck..." he grimaced, eyeing the outfit Valerie had chosen. "Can't go out lookin' like some corporate trash."
With that, he stomped towards Valerie's wardrobe. If he was going to convince Rogue he was who he claimed he'd have to at least look the part, after all.

Chapter Text

David crouched behind a dumpster, observing the warehouse-turned-braindance club from a distance with River. It seemed like every club in Night City used to be something else repurposed into a den for whichever gang or corp chose to start a club.

"Alright, so what do you need me to klep?" David muttered, eyeing the burly looking Animal guarding the club.

"Security footage." River said, "Emails, anything that might tell us how Rhyne really died."

David nodded, turning back to to the club again.

And coming face to face with an Animal's giant, meaty leg.

"An' what might you fucks be after?" the thug growled, watching as David and River both stood.

"I uh..." River coughed, stammering in an attempt to avert a fight. The Animal tried discretely reaching for his gun.

So naturally, David and River both saw the movements coming from a mile away. 
They moved in tandem, David grabbed the thug by the arm, yanking him towards River. The detective threw a fist, colliding with the Animal's temple. The thug growled, seemingly only angered by the blow.
Grunting, River put the his entire weight into his shoulder, driving it into the bouncer's sternum. Reeling backward, the thug stumbled. David lunged low, striking at the area juiced up gangoon's kidney should be.
The Animal's member howled, doubling over. River drove a knee into the hunched over man's nose, sending him staggering upright again.
David grabbed him by the shoulder, spinning him around. Planting his feet firmly, he shot out a well placed blow directly for the Animal's throat.

He had expected the blow to send the man reeling back again, maybe stun him. He was not expecting the Animal to fall to the ground, gasping and clutching at his throat.
Damn. He bit back a chuckle, hit him harder than I meant to.

David looked at River, the detective grinned at him. The sound of shouting and howling drew their attention in the direction of the Red Queen's Race.

"Fuck it..." River grimaced, pulling out an Overture revolver. "I guess going sneaky is out of the question."

Whatever bad vibes Lucy had gotten from the almost too sterile penthouse had increased tenfold as Kiwi inspected a concealed door.
They were supposed to be looking for signs of an intruder. An invader that seemingly disappeared into thin air once confronted and fired upon. What they found instead gave Lucy the creeps.

"This doesn't make any sense!" Elizabeth frowned as she paced nervously. "I didn't know anything about a door! Jeff never told me anything either!"

The door hissed open, Lucy and Elizabeth looked over. Kiwi stood up, dusting herself off.
"Door had some pretty strong security, all things considered." the older netrunner drawled, "But..."

Lucy frowned, 
"But?" 

"It's not connected to the security network." she said, "It was connected to your penthouses' home-net. Disguised as just another device."

"Meaning?" Elizabeth frowned again, a confused look on her face.

"Meaning she can send a command to open the door through your penthouse's network." Lucy's eyes widened in understanding, "Security protocols don't matter because it thinks it's just a normal command from the connected network."

"Bingo." Kiwi nodded.

Lucy grinned,
"This is the reason I wanted you here, Kiwi. I wouldn't even have thought of doing that!"

Kiwi scoffed, though there was no bite to it.
"That's because you could probably breach through the door no problem." her eyes twinkled, she was smiling. "Gotta keep up with you somehow. Anyways, shall we?"

Lucy nodded, stepping into the room. It was a cramped space, filled with monitors and other hardware. On the desk next to a keyboard lay an open, used, medkit.
"Well... think we found where that intruder vanished to." she muttered.

Elizabeth gasped as she took in the room. 
"What the hell!?" her eyes flicked from monitor to monitor. "I recognize this tech. This belongs to SSI!"

Lucy frowned, 
"Your security team?" she asked, "How long do you think they've been doing this for?"

"Too long!" Elizabeth practically seethed. "Do what you have to do, I'll make sure those bastards never set foot in this apartment again!"

Kiwi beckoned Lucy over, showing her an odd looking device with wires snaking out of it.
"What is it?" Lucy asked, watching from the corner of her eye as Elizabeth stormed out of the apartment.

"Not sure, Don't recognize it." Kiwi hummed. "I wonder where those wires go."

Lucy shrugged, 
"It's a good place to start, I guess." she said, "I'll follow the wires, you try and see what you can pull from these computers?"

Kiwi nodded.

Johnny sauntered into the Afterlife, running his hands along the sleeves of the metallic scarlet jacket he had chosen.
It was no crystaljock bomber jacket, but it would do.

"Need to talk to Rogue." he drawled in Valerie's voice, Squama eyed him but stepped aside.
Boa Boa's son. Johnny chuckled to himself. Who'd have thought.

As he sat himself down on the couch next to Rogue, he leaned back.

"Been a while since I've seen you here." Rogue said in greeting, still expecting Valerie.

"Rogue... After all this time you treat me like everybody else?" Johnny smirked, "I'm hurt, truly."

Frowning slightly, Rogue quirked a brow.
"Did you want me to treat you like a nobody?" she asked, both a jest as well as a genuine threat. "Because that can be arranged."

Johnny grinned.
And there we go. He mused, My trump card.

"Love it when you're mad." he smirked, "Gets my southern blood pumpin'"

Rogue froze for a moment, almost imperceptibly. 
"Crispin." she addressed Squama, "I don't want to be bothered by anyone else today."

The merc nodded in understanding. Rogue grabbed Johnny by the arm.
"Come with me." she hissed.

Johnny let her lead him, chuckling.

Damn, it feels good to be back.

River panted as he knocked out the Animals' member he was grappling with. Turning, he moved to help David, who had been surrounded by several of the gangoons, then he paused.

David held his monowire in his other hand, twirling the thin line as a small metal hook attached to the end whistled through the air. 
He kicked out, sending a gangoon to the floor. Flicking the wire, another Animal fell as the small yet heavy hook collided with his skull.
River took the chance to strike at the fallen gang member, properly incapacitating him.
Two Animals charged at him. David twisted, sliding out of the way as they collided with each other. The hook snagged a metal bat, picking it up as it continued its course. 
David spun the wire over his head, striking one of those Animals with the bat before it retracted, the metal bludgeon soaring into his waiting hand.

"I thought you fuckers were meant to be tough." David grinned, attempting to goad the remaining gangoon to charge.

It worked, the juiced up man bellowed as he barreled towards David.
The young solo bounced on his feet, watching him come towards him almost in slow motion.
When the man was within six feet of him he dropped to one knee, striking with the bat.
It struck the Animal's leg and sent him tumbling over. 

River stepped forward, stomping on the Animal's nose and knocking the man out.

"Thanks for the cleanup." David grinned. "We make a good team."

"You did most of the heavy lifting." River panted. "Christ... that guy was right, you are a demon."

David grinned.
"Alright, c'mon. Let's find what you're looking for. We should delta before any of these guys' friends come knocking."

The wires that Lucy had followed proved to lead to a transmitter. Older hardware yet paradoxically, freshly installed. 
Scanning the transmitter had exposed the receiver. A van parked some distance from the penthouse.

A quick chase with both her and Kiwi on their respective Kusanagi's led them to a hideout crawling with guards. The pair observed from a safe distance.

"There's a lot of them..." Kiwi muttered apprehensively. "You sure we can handle it?"

Lucy hummed.
"Not too many of them." she muttered, "We could hit them hard with some hacks from here. If it's not enough we delta."

Kiwi shrugged, 
"It's your job." she said, "What's your loadout?"

Lucy frowned,
"Same as always, why?"

"I thought you finally got a new deck chipped."

"I did." the memory of that day still brought a smile to Lucy's face. She had finally worked up the nerve to go to a ripperdoc for more than just a tune up. David had played a major part in that, naturally.

"Your new deck's probably got more than enough space for you to load up at least a couple more hacks."

Lucy raised an eyebrow.
"That's a thing?"

Kiwi folded her arms.
"You're telling me that you. The damn prodigy that you are. Didn't know that different cyberdecks had different capacities?"