The night never really darkened here. She hated it, in a way. The glimmering lights, the constant neon. The ever-echoing chorus of distant gunshots, screeching tires, advertisements, music, and general noise. As she walked down the filthy sidewalk, the Welles residence vanishing behind her, a familiar purple car pulled out of the parking lot just down the road and slid up to idle next to her. Opening the door, she got in, letting the first raindrops miss her by moments as the storm began to wash away the dust and grime of the Heywood district. From the front seat, Maine glanced back.

"Everything go okay? Was it really some Arasaka suit?" asked the bulky Edgerunner, pushing his omnipresent sunglasses up into his blonde hair as he glanced back in interest. Next to him, Dorio was finishing off a bottle of Broseph as her piece rested in her lap. She nodded, then paused. As she settled into the synth leather seat in the back and rested her head on the window, she glanced up at the driver and shook her head.

"Well, not for much longer if either of us have our way. They made a very attractive offer to act as a trojan horse in exchange for helping them set up an amusing little exit strategy. Not to mention, guess who managed to get them stuck in this position?" Lucy explained, humming slightly as she began sorting through bits of code in her cyberdeck. She'd need Kiwi's help with this, and probably to dip into her library of stolen code fragments. No reason to give any sign as to who had made the virus that V wanted.

Looking back at the road, Maine tapped his finger on the wheel for a moment. "Who, David? He manage to make things difficult for more people than just me?" Dorio, without looking up, flicked the side of his head as he chuckled.

"In a sense, yes. I might have mentioned he punched a kid at his school. The little shit had been mocking him for being poor, and about his mother's death. So he got what he deserved. That kid's name was Katsuo Tanaka." Dorio choked, spitting the last mouthful of her beer all over her own lap, and Maine whipped his head around so fast that his glasses nearly flew off of his face.

"Tanaka? As in, the Arasaka exec who we're tryin' to get data from, Tanaka? That motherfucker has a grudge against David?" But Lucy was already shaking her head, fingers tapping a staccato beat against her lips as she considered the situation.

"No grudge, apparently he doesn't so much care for his kid, as he is interested in the potential test subject David represents. He put this V, the Arasaka employee in question, in charge of finding David and bringing him in. Problem with that is that one Jackie Welles happens to be V's best friend and literally saved their life."

Maine stared at the road for a moment, then looked at Dorio as they pulled up to a stoplight. "You got any more of them beers? I can't listen to this sober."

"Not while you're driving, no." Dorio said, shaking her head in disbelief. "So wait. Let me get this straight. David punched our mark's son. David's estranged Uncle is Jackie, who is best friends with this suit, V. V was hired by Tanaka to investigate David? Is that why they came to you?"

Tilting her head, Lucy frowned slightly. "Not quite. They were going to try and just foist it off as him disappearing, or cover up leads for Jackie, but then their boss decided that taking the task was an issue. Hey presto, corporate bullshit means that no matter what they do, they're screwed. So they come to me. Possibly also because I don't know if Jackie knows many other competent netrunners."

"Huh. And you trust this corpo-rat?" Maine asked, turning hard around a mound of trash bags and a fresh corpse as they wove down side streets towards her apartment. Lights flashed overhead, advertisements and neon bar signs flickering over her face one by one as they marched past in lockstep.

"Not really. But they don't have much choice, and they gave me enough info that I would be shocked if this was a sting. Plus, I fully intend to have a backup plan in place. If they turn on me, I fry them through their implants before they can take another step. We get an in on following Tanaka, they get out, and David gets Arasaka's mad scientists off his tail. Everyone wins."

"Guess we'll see. I'm gonna say we go ahead with the Maxim plan regardless. If this doesn't pan out, we risk missing our chance to snag his data" Maine said, and Lucy had to agree with his skepticism. This all seemed far too neat to be true. Still, unless this V was playing an incredibly long game, as was Jackie, they were telling the truth. The idea that David's long-lost uncle was a plant was ridiculous. The man was too brash, too open a book. Nobody was that good at being that bad an actor. Meanwhile, V had described their life story, and unless they had been lying to and acting around Jackie for years, that was true too.

Their story… it resonated in an uncomfortably familiar way. She wasn't about to start having a beer with them any time soon, but their offer provided some opportunities that would be much harder to acquire in other manners. Until or unless that proved to be too good to be true, she'd give them a chance.

Just one, though. Even if it would upset Jackie. She didn't owe David that much, to put herself at risk of being chained to that chair again. That was one line she wouldn't cross. Dialing a number, she waited until the line connected.

"Kiwi? Need some help cobbling together a virus. Gotta collect some code from around, want it to be impossible to tag this one to any particular netrunner."

"Huh. Sounds like a big job. I'll see what I've got lying around. What are we doing?"

"Probably getting some Arasaka suits to kill each other."

Even if the other netrunner's mouth was covered as it always was, the smirk carried through her voice perfectly fine. "Outstanding."


"Right, kid, listen up." David stared Maine down, sitting across from the bulky man. They were crowded into a set of couches in the corner of a refurbed warehouse that seemed to act as the edgerunner's HQ. Cheap red synth-leather, looked like they had been jacked from a bar somewhere. Next to him, Jackie was sprawled out, arms and legs taking up most of his half of the seat. On the other couch, Maine was joined by his shirtless partner, Dorio.

"You're gonna be going with Lucy to steal some data. Got a shard for ya." Sliding it over, he nodded to Jackie. The blond-haired woman in a metal facemask and full-body trench coat sitting next to Maine nodded at David, giving a slight wave as her eyes glowed. A new contact for a "Kiwi" appeared. "You can stay in the car in case things get dicey, but this is for David to prove his ass, not time for you to hold his damn hand. Got it?"

Raising his own hands palm first, Jackie nodded with an easy smile. "Don't worry, choomba. I gotchu. Gotta start somewhere, and I trust my nephew." A faint blush colored David's cheeks at that, and he grabbed the shard, slotting it in at his temple. As he did, the final member of the crew, a techie with a mohawk and visor stared him down. The weirdo had some freakishly long arms, and was perched atop the back of the bench like a spider as he studied David.

"Target's this guy, Maxim. Big meathead, likes bettin' on fights. Our goal is to swipe the nav data from his limo."

"Not the ride?"

"Hell naw. We do that, and Arasaka drops a kill-team on our ass. Goal is to never know we stole it. So shut up and listen." Maine said, glowering at David for a second before continuing. "The motherfucker spends every weekend at the ring, and he always drops dough on the Butcher, but this weekend, he's gonna lose big on that bet."
At this, Jackie raised his eyebrows, humming to himself for a moment in thought, but not interrupting. Glancing at him, David could almost see the gears in his mind turning. To be fair, he was thinking the same. Long-odds against the house favorite suddenly turning? Potential for a lot of money there. Whether or not Maine picked up on it, he continued explaining. "Maxim always drinks at this one shitty dive, and that's where you'll come in. Lucy pops his shard, you snatch it, and boom, we got access to his ride so we can snatch the data. Simple."

Nodding, David gave a thumbs-up. "Sounds like a plan. We meet up tomorrow?"

"Yeah. Come back here around ten, we'll get everyone in place before the fight at noon." Flicking his hand, Maine waved the pair off. Jackie stood up, dusting off his pants and raising an eyebrow.

"Sure you don't wanna chat a little, get to know each other?"

Maine leered, pulling his glasses down slightly. "Don't fuck up, or die, and then we'll worry about being friends. Won't lie, I like you Jackie. Your nephew, well. I was aimin' for that Sandevistan on his back, and now I just gotta see if it's in good hands or not."

Nodding amicably, Jackie waved as he ducked under the rusty garage door and out into the sand-paved parking lot of the warehouse. As he shaded his eyes, and David followed, Jackie shook his head. "Simple. Heh. Yeah, that's bullshit. Things are never simple."


As bullets cracked against the window, David reflected on his uncle's words the day before. It seemed like everything had been going just as Maine described. Then, out of nowhere, Maxim got a call from his boss before they could copy the key. Was supposed to be his day off, but apparently that didn't matter to his old bully's dad. As he sprinted outside, Lucy had joined him while some tiny chica spilled her drink on Maxim.

Turns out, even that wasn't enough of a delay. Now he was stuck in a shiny and immaculately upholstered car, with an irate bodyguard trying to break back into the car. All he could smell was his own sweat, leather polish, and Lucy's perfume, none of which he should be focusing on right now. On the call, he could hear Uncle Jackie in the back of the car Dorio and Maine were driving, chuckling. "Called it. Need me to distract him, Maine?" his uncle asked.

"Nah. Too risky. David, take the car and get out of there."

"What!" he yelped, looking at the wheel. "I dunno how to drive!"

"Time to learn, ain't it? Show me what you got, kid." Gritting his teeth, he slammed his finger into the 'Engine Start/Stop' button, and slammed his foot on the gas pedal. This would have been where he dramatically peeled out, except he was apparently in reverse. He could hear the cry of disbelief as the car hurtled backwards directly into a light pole, nearly folding it over the bumper in a chorus of crumpled metal.

Several of the listeners winced, and Jackie popped his lips before glancing at Maine. "I'm uh… gonna get him a beater to practice on, before I let him drive anything nice, I think."

"A-fucking-greed." said Maine, smirking as he began to pull out, ready to follow David. However, rather than adjust, the limo kept going backwards. "Uh, David? What the hell are you-"

The car curved in a wild arc, and then shot down the street backwards as David spun it, grinding his teeth in concentration. With a sudden roar, rubber caught steel and the car shot up the back of a carrier truck, tracks pointed up towards the nearby overpass in suggestion of a makeshift ramp from where it sat parked. As Lucy held on to the seat, eyes wide, they landed in a sharp skid across the road, shocks creaking in despair at the maneuver. At that point, the call cut out, and he mentally thanked Maine for not taking up any more of his already incredibly strained concentration. Yanking the wheel, the car righted as he shifted gears. Then, he gunned it. Lucy tapped him on the shoulder, and a moment later, a route appeared in his head.

Outside, cars rapidly shifted out of the way as the limo swerved and wove. Rather than get stuck in a morass of traffic, David found the path fairly open. "The hell? Why is everyone so quick to get out of the way?"

"Probably worried you're the Red Rider." Lucy said, teasingly.

"Red- wait. You mean that crazy motherfucker who shows up on the news sometimes? I'm not that bad, am- OH SHIT!" Out of an exit, a jeep with 3 Tiger Claws in it surged forwards, trying to ram them off the road. Whipping the wheel sharply to one side, the limo nearly flipped, just managing to skid past as the Jeep slammed directly into the dividing wall of the highway with a nasty sounding crunch as it disgorged a purple-suited gangster forwards through the windshield, sent hurtling over the edge of the highway with a scream. Shifting his weight hard to slam the wheels back onto pavement as sweat poured down his face, David flicked the Sandevistan on and off to get his bearings as he began weaving through cars again.

"You are driving like an unhinged lunatic, sooo…" Lucy said, breathless but laughing. Looking behind him at the partially mangled Jeep trying to follow, and the terrified faces of the people in the cars he was passing, David was forced to agree. That was some psycho driving, alright. Up to and including the potential property damage he had dodged by millimeters. A white trenchcoat-clad gangster was sprinting away from the burning car, only for the vehicle's engine to pop like a balloon, shrapnel bifurcating both coat and wearer.

"Why the hell did those Tiger Claws try to hit us?" He asked, as he sped down the highway out of the city proper towards the location indicated. Lucy glanced back, a small frown on her face.

"Maxim probably put a bounty on the car. Just be glad the fuckers weren't on bikes, that'd have been much harder to deal with." Tapping away at her tablet for a moment, she glanced up. "Technically, the police are the ones who post bounties for dealing with most criminals, but corporations can put out tags on people or objects they have enough data on. It's why it's a good idea to try and avoid getting tagged or scanned."

Nodding along to the explanation, David found the sound of her voice was calming his nerves a bit. Now that they weren't actively being chased, fired at, or balancing on less than four wheels, it was almost fun. Sitting in a preem ride, gliding down the highway, just the two of them as the sun started to tinge the very edge of the horizon with rose light. "Yeah… will do." He said, slightly dazed.

She chuckled, and punched his shoulder. "Gotta say, not bad. My first job was way more boring. Meanwhile, you're over here turning into a wheelman in the making. Knew I picked the right partner." Leaning back in her seat, she smiled softly as she looked out the window at the darkening skies.

Trying not to grin like a gonk, David nodded. "Yeah, I guess you did. I was expecting something a lot calmer." It had supposedly been just a quick grab and replace, and instead, he had just stunt-drove a limo up a ramp, nearly flipped it, and dodged getting crushed by a bunch'a gangoons.

A few much calmer minutes of driving later, they came to a stop outside their destination at the same warehouse he had visited the day before, and David cracked the door open. Not long after, they were joined by Maine's purple ride, and a smiling Jackie stepped out. "Well, coulda been worse. So? Happy now?"

Maine's face emerged, stoic and unsmiling. Then, he took his sunglasses off. "Yeah, fine. Congrats, kid. Job well done. Now, we got a little tradition when something doesn't go completely fuckin' south. Come on, it's time to party." Jackie raised a finger to his face, and Maine rolled his eyes. "Yeah, you too, dumbass, even if you didn't do shit."


An hour or two later, a small circle of cars and people had formed in front of the small diner, Turbos. The small squat building was tucked between a highway exit and the colossal monolith that was Megabuilding H8, which towered over them and shaded the party from the still-setting sun.

Pilar was juggling plates and bottles, egged on by Dorio and some other revelers and using the glowing neon of the bar as a backdrop to his stunts. Maine, Jackie and David were perched on benches and the hood of Maine's car, sipping their drinks and relaxing as thumping dance music echoed from someone's stereo. People were laughing, swapping jokes and insults, and generally blowing off steam.

"Guess you weren't lying there, choomba." Maine punched Jackie in the arm. "Your nephew really is something. You sure he ain't been driving before? Pretty sure I saw him on the news a few months back." As the two roared in laughter over the comparison to a Night City urban legend, David rubbed his head and groaned.

Using the Sandevistan repeatedly for driving like that had given him a headache which was only now fading entirely. He hadn't had any choice though. If he had fucked up there, both he and Lucy would have been in trouble. Speaking of…

Glancing over at her, she was seated on the hood of a blue Mizutani, and staring into her drink pensively. Rolling his tongue around his mouth, David suddenly felt a smack on his back and looked over to see Jackie raising an eyebrow. "I know you ain't sittin' here moping after this win, ey David? Go dance, talk to someone cute, have fun. Do anything but sit here and mope, yeah?"

"Yeah. Alright." Squaring his shoulders, David started heading towards Lucy. He was interrupted, however, with a cup in his face.

"Nice driving, choom. You're David, right?" Came a voice that practically oozed smug amusement. However, it took a lot of craning his neck before he met eyes with the woman in front of him. She was short. Real short, actually. Like, at least a foot shorter than him. Red cyber-eyes, pale skin and minty-green hair, her pale skin was covered in pink tattoos. She seemed to be wearing mostly a giant coat, and not much else. "Hear you're joining Maine's crew."

"Uh, yeah… partly. Who are you?" Her gaze flattened, and it took a moment for him to recall why she looked familiar. "Oh! You were at the bar. Spilled your drink on the guy, and then uh…" They both glanced over at where Dorio was mocking Pilar, her hand wrapped around an invisible shape and moving rapidly up and down. "Well, that."

"Pfft. Not my fault he was a quickshot, or I'd have bought you more time." He couldn't help but laugh, and took the cup from her.

"Wait, this carbonated?" David asked, frowning at the cup as a few bubbles popped. Was word getting around about his hatred of bubbles?

"Yeah, so? Anyway, see ya around, David." Giving a somewhat lascivious wink, she sauntered off, and David looked back to see Lucy slipping away into the crowd. Jogging after, he quietly set the drink down on a table and tapped her shoulder.

"Hey, you okay?"

Blinking, she looked up, the glow in her eyes dying. "Oh! David. I… yeah. I'm okay. Sorry, it's just… well, I'm working on that job for V. It's taking a lot of my focus. Unlike today, even going a little wrong could be problematic. Although…" She pointed back towards where he had started, and he saw that Maine was speaking with a man who had stepped out of a car far too nice to be at a street party like this. He had short grey hair, a neat suit, and three eyes on one side of his face. He was glaring at Maine, and clearly annoyed about something.

"That's Faraday, our Fixer. He's probably unhappy about how the job went, but we fulfilled the contract, and we got paid. Worst comes to worst, we have to find a new fixer." She turned back towards the building, and tilted her head. "I have to get back to work, but we'll talk more later, okay?"

"Yeah. Sure." Smiling, David started to turn away, then stopped and patted her on the shoulder. "This job with V… you're gonna fuck Araska up real good. I know you can do it." Jogging off into the crowd, he missed the surprised smile and mild blush on Lucy's face, as well as the slight spring in her step as she headed for the elevator.

(A/N: Edited by Golden_)