The eerie green lights of the club gave the former morgue an otherworldly atmosphere, appropriate for a place named after the final destination of the dead. Figures danced and writhed in tubes of water, breathing apparatuses covering their faces as they moved in time with the music. Laughter, arguments, and quiet discussions played alongside the music. In a booth in the back, nine arms raised in unison and clinked bottles together.

"CHEERS!"

As the various revelers settled back, Lucy glanced over at V. "I'm surprised. Seems like you weren't out to screw me over after all." Sipping at her drink, she crossed her legs slowly then stretched languidly, looking fairly tired. "Hell of a lot of work, but I'm not going to complain about the results. Plus, we got someone out of the corporate cogs."

Taking a swig of their drink, V nodded in good humor. "Went off without a hitch. Not sure what happened to Jenkins, but hopefully he's gotten screwed in turn." Taking another sip, they shook their head. "Getting all your implants shut off at once… it's not a fun feeling. Gonna cost a bundle getting even the basic optics replaced." It had been a rough time, but from the looks of things, it had paid off about as well as they could have hoped for.

"How're you fixed for eddies now, anyway?" Maine asked, looking curious as he tapped his fingers on the glass bottle in his hand. "Big payoff for Lucy and Kiwi, which they've kindly agreed to give a share to the rest of the crew." Raising his drink, the assembled edgerunners cheered the generosity of their coworkers. Lucy smiled with a swirl of her hand then gave a mock bow, while Kiwi just nodded and shrugged slightly in acknowledgement. He looked back at V and continued, "But unless they split it with you, you're on your own now, aintcha?"

"Not quite." V shrugged. "I'm far from rich, but I started funneling some cash away after the meeting with Jenkins. Figured he'd drain my account and cut me off when this all went down. It's not much, less than a quarter of my former savings, but I've got enough to get me started." Flexing their hands a few times, they shrugged. "Might see if I can get myself some Mantis Blades, find a place on Northside, other than that I can work my way up."

Nodding, Maine clinked bottles with V, giving an approving smile. "Not bad. Gotta get your hands dirty now, eh?" The man seemed decent enough, but there was a faint edge in his voice. There was something eating at him, but he was covering it up well enough. Unless he decided to voice it, V would just let it go for now.

From the other side of V, Jackie shrugged. "Sorry, choomba. Woulda offered you the spare room, but I don't think you wanna share with a teenager." David flushed, and opened his mouth to say something, but V cut him off.

"If you were about to offer me your room, shush. I'll be fine, I just might need to hop a ride with you and Jackie until I can afford a bike that won't throw me at the wrong moment." Beside them, Jackie grinned with sudden mischievousness.

"Speaking of rides… you hear about David's first time driving? Ramped a limo, popped it on two wheels, one-lane spin, the works. People thought it was the Red Rider." Slapping V on the shoulder, Jackie grinned at the former corporate agent. V shot them a glare in return, and leaned back into the couch. Please no, V pleaded to anything that would listen, not this fucking mess again. It was a handful of times, barely double digits, and yet this whole 'legend' had made the news.

"Jackie. Choom. Person who saved my life?" V said, smiling brightly. "Shut the fuck up before I put a knife in your kneecap." Jackie just cackled, looking immensely pleased with himself. Around the table, crewmembers set drinks down and looked over, sensing a potentially interesting story developing. Lucy flicked off her lighter, David looked up from where Rebecca had leaned over to whisper something in his ear, and Pilar glanced up from where he was laid on the end of the booth, watching the dancers and giggling. Realizing they had suddenly become the center of attention, V rubbed their forehead for a moment. "Ugh. So… I mostly use a motorcycle because I have some… difficulties with cars. I don't know why, but it feels like the damn things slip and slide around. No matter how I turn or adjust, any serious amount of speed makes cars just lose all control for me. I end up weaving frantically through traffic, knocking shit over, just generally managing to avoid damage to the car or me by a hair's breadth."

Sitting bolt upright, Pilar leveled a finger at V as he cackled in disbelief. "Wait, you telling us… YOU'RE the Red Rider? Terror of Night City's Streets?" V slumped further down, as if trying to vanish into the cushions while Pilar dissolved into a laughing fit. The rest of the group wasn't far behind, but the longarmed techie's tears of mirth were by far the loudest. Rebecca looked amused too, but in a show of mercy, punched Pilar in the balls.

"Oi, gonk! Shuddup and go get some more drinks, will ya? Ain't that funny." Snorting, she sat back. "Okay, maybe it is, but you're botherin' everyone else here." Indeed, as V glanced around, the laughter had drawn more than a few glares. Apparently testicular torture was sufficient to mollify the rest of the bar though, because the crowd of crusty mercs looked back to their drinks after a moment.

Snorting, Pilar got up. "Yeah, yeah, alright. More of the same?" Receiving a chorus of nods, he pointed at Kiwi. "You payin'? Lucy got the last one." The blonde netrunner rolled her eyes, but stood up and followed him to the bar. Meanwhile, V took a swig from their drink as they shook their head.

"Stupidest shit, you know? I was sent out to pick up a package, and got stopped on the way back inside by a security team. Turns out I was sent to pick up a fuckin' XBD. I'm telling you, that Tanaka either had it out for me or he was jonesing for some gore." It had been supposedly 'evidence' for something, but V didn't buy that for a second. Why would they need an XBD for a case? Their thoughts were interrupted by the sound of shattering glass, and instinct sent the former agent's hand towards their hip before remembering their spare knives were still bundled up in their coat. Worse, their sword was back in their office.

Maine was staring them down, eyes narrowed, veins bulging, and breath short. His hand was twitching as beer and glass fell from the clenched fingers. As V moved though, his eyes didn't. After a second, he flinched slightly, glancing down at his hand with a note of confusion. Then he coughed, turning to look at V. "Oh yeah, Tanaka… forgot about that. What'd you find out? This XBD a lead?"

Bristling slightly at that bizarre display, V was about to snap back that they weren't one of his crew, but thought better of it. Instead, they shook their head. "No idea where it came from, don't know that market. I can try to look into it, but if he was sending me to pick one up, he might need someone new to do it now." They were about to continue, but Maine's hand twitched again, and he clenched his fist shut and stood up.

"Fuck. So, nothing then. Goddammit." Slamming his fist into the wall, he turned and stalked off, one hand on the side of his head. Bottles clinked, the table shook a little, and as nearby drinkers jumped in response to the cracking of porcelain there was a sudden upswing in the number of angry mutters being sent in the crew's direction. Nobody looked eager to tangle with a pissed off solo though. Dorio stood, looking back for a moment with an apologetic mien before following after her boyfriend.

As they left, they passed Kiwi and Pilar returning with the drinks. Looking at the pair vanishing out the exit, Kiwi shook her head. "That's not good. He's never snapped like that before…" Sitting down, she ran her finger around the bottle's lip before looking up at V and Jackie. "Sorry to ruin the celebration like that. Our crew's normally more professional. Think the stress is getting to Maine."

"Yeah… choom needs to chrome down. He's pushin' himself too hard." Jackie spoke up, a dark look on his face. Grabbing a bottle, he downed it then wiped his mouth. V recognized this look. It only really came up in regards to his father, or… "Mi hermano had the same look in his eyes, same flinches and shaking. Dumb fucker just kept adding more cheapass chrome, trying to become a big man in the Valentinos. Then one day…" Jackie snapped his fingers in front of his nose, and splayed his hands. Looking over to David, he gave him a meaningful look.

It took a second, but the kid suddenly pieced it together. V already knew, having comforted Jackie after Dario, David's father, had been gunned down by MaxTac. His face paled, and he stood up sharply, before putting a hand on his mouth as he closed his eyes. Jackie regarded him sadly, then stood up and put a hand on his shoulder. "Need some air?" he asked, and David nodded. An abrupt, barely visible jerk of his head, but understandable given that he was just informed how his dad died. With that, the two walked outside as well. Rebecca half-stood, before letting the pair vanish as she sat back down. The petite woman looked concerned, it was fairly obvious to everyone present as to why.

Not all of them took it with good grace, however. "Calm down, Rebecca," Lucy said with a clipped tone, glancing over at her coworker as she finally lit her cigarette. "You look half ready to hop in his lap the second there's enough space." V was debating quietly sneaking out as well when Rebecca snorted.

"Yeah, at least I'm not being all shy and moody about it, ya hypocritical bitch." Lucy's eyes widened, and she turned to glare at Rebecca. The two were glowering at each other when there was a sudden crash as David blurred back into the room, seeming to appear out of nowhere. Slamming a hand down on the table, he drew his pistol from his jacket with the other. Gesturing to follow him, he met each of their eyes.

"There's trouble! Outside, now!"

Instantly, the awkward tension evaporated, and the bickers left unsaid withered on their lips. Lucy turned around to sprint after him, monowire already flickering from her arm like a snake's tongue. Rebecca swung her shotgun up off where it rested against the table as she slid across it. Pilar and Kiwi drew weapons as the pair headed for the stairs. V grabbed a knife from its hidden pocket inside their coat, and followed the rest of the crew outside.


It was between the deep slow breaths of those who had organic lungs to steady that they heard the gunshot. That wasn't too abnormal in Night City, but the throaty roar of "FUCK YOU!" that echoed from the same direction was unmistakably Maine. Jackie looked at him, but any chance of him recovering his bearings was quashed by the sudden screams. Voices echoed between the buildings into the small cramped plaza full of trash and neon that was the front of the Afterlife club.

"CYBERPSYCHO ON THE LOOSE! DELTA OR FLATLINE, MOTHERFUCKERS!"

Jackie's face screwed up in a mix of emotions David didn't feel remotely able to understand, before he spun and grabbed him by the shoulder with a grip that bordered on painful, and slapped his back."Get help. GO!" Uncle Jackie barked, before drawing his pistol and sprinting after the origin of the screaming.

So David had done just that. Together, the rest of Maine's crew with tagalong V followed him, finding themselves down towards the docks just south of Afterlife. Repeated explosions bloomed out of the towering maze of shipping containers, and they could see an empty-eyed man wearing nothing but a long coat and filthy underwear firing at a shipping container with an arm-mounted cannon as he advanced on it. Dug into cover behind the container were Maine and Dorio.

The docks smelled like rancid sewage, and the harsh light of the street lamps painted everything in hues of orange tinted by patches of deep they flitted through the shadow-striped runup to the target, the newcomer took charge. "Spread out! Wide formation, pincer movement!" V barked, and it took a second but the edgerunners listened. Pilar and Kiwi went right, Lucy and Rebecca went left, while V and Jackie ran forward. David headed left, arcing around as the psycho turned to see the people approaching from his back. Leveling the projectile launcher towards them, he fired, and the crew dove for cover as another explosion spat asphalt and dust into the air, leaving nothing but a smoking crater where they had been moments before. There were a few wrecked cars, and plenty of shipping containers around, but none of that helped with getting closer to the guy trying to kill all of them.

Glancing over the concrete barrier he had dove behind for cover, David felt his stomach twist and roil at the dark, emotionless eyes of the man in the middle of the plaza. He activated his Sandevistan, popping off a few shots before ducking back down, and got a good look at their opponent's face. He seemed to be staring past everything and everyone, gap-toothed mouth mumbling as his jaw hung slack and limp. It felt like his pupils were twitching and slipping, flicking around in patterns asynchronous with the man's , time resumed its normal flow, and he had to throw himself behind the barrier again. On the other side, Pilar popped up as the man looked David's way, the explosives expert fishing a frag grenade out of his pants. "Bahahahahahah! Suck on this, choom!" Hefting it, he was mid-throw when the psycho spun and leveled a pistol his way, firing.

The grenade detonated early, causing Pilar to screech in surprise and pain as shrapnel ripped across his face, hands flying to the metal visor that covered his eyes. Stumbling, it took a running tackle by Kiwi to get him out of the way of the next explosive dart the psycho fired. It did reduce their former cover to a smoking pile of concrete, leaving the pair exposed. With no cover available without at least a couple seconds of running, it left them short on options as to what to do next.

Bullets were pinging off the man, cracking chrome and ripping flesh but nothing seemed to cause real damage, all the wounds seemingly superficial and only flecks of blood dripping from the corpse-like, staggering psycho as he fought on, heedless and seemingly ignorant of their resistance. David was debating if it was worth the risk using the Sandy to get in close, when a sudden roar from the side heralded Maine's leap from cover. The bulky solo threw himself up and over the shipping container he was behind before lunging downwards like some feral beast, legs slamming into the psycho and knocking his shot completely off course. His knees drove the psycho to the ground, and before it could react, his fist slammed down into the target's face.

BAM BAM BAM BAM
Knuckles met the psycho's face, caving in the empty eyes and halting the attempt to re-aim
BAM BAM BAM BAM
The rest of the crew abandoned cover to watch as the sounds went from the ringing of steel against steel to wet thuds, blood spattering across muscled arms and grit teeth
BAM BAM BAM BAM

The arms twitched and stopped moving, and the head was reduced to blood and flattened chrome. Yet Maine kept pounding away. Finally, after almost a full minute, he slowed, the rhythmic onslaught subsiding. He just sat there, staring at the body for a moment, before spitting into the corpse and standing.

Pilar limped over, holding his face and grumbling. "Dammit… eyes are on the fritz, now. Gonna be hell trying to fix this… Just spent all my spare eddies on these hands too." As he whined, he looked over at Maine, but the big man wasn't really responding. Finally, the head of the crew lifted his head and looked at David.

His eyes were tired, but clear, and he smiled firmly as he said, "Thanks for the backup, kid. Mighta got flatlined right there if it wasn't for the help. Good job." Straightening up, he looked around. "People are gonna have called the NCPD already. Best we get outta here. Becca, you good to take Pilar home?" She nodded, already guiding the injured techie into a side alley.

Kiwi just raised a hand and waved, leaving the area as well. Maine focused on the four remaining edgerunners, and shrugged. "Sorry to ask this, but you good to take Lucy home, David? I need to go wash up, so Dorio and I can't do it." He sounded so pleasant, even with blood still dripping from his fists… but exhausted, and sad in a way David couldn't really place. It was… hard to process. He was feeling fuzzy headed himself, and his Uncle and V weren't much better for wear. Torn clothes, dirt stains, and the smell of gunpowder burns sticking to every one of them.

"Yeah. Yeah, I can." Nodding, Maine turned and walked away. The four of them, numb and somewhat shaken, began to walk back towards Afterlife. After a moment, David saw Jackie elbow V and tap the side of his mouth. Nodding, V stepped clapped a hand on David's shoulder and spoke softly, "I gotta discuss some stuff with Jackie, probably gonna just crash on your family's couch tonight and get my things sorted in the morning. Drive safe, David." With that, the two also headed off, leaving Lucy and David alone on the street.

It was silent as they got to his car, silent as they got in, and silent as they drove. It wasn't until they reached the Megabuilding that Lucy put a hand on his arm, causing him to pump the brakes both in the car and in his head and focus on her. "Could you… come up with me? I don't want to be alone right now. I'm still trying to process everything that just happened."

"Of course." David said, and pulled into the garage. Getting out, he stayed next to her, feeling her fingers become intertwined with his as they moved towards the elevator. It was like lightning was trying to pass through her hands and into his skin, but he was too numb with exhaustion to feel it. Her head tilted, leaning on his shoulder and shaking slightly as she took quick, shallow breaths. The world seemed distant, the smell of the building and the backdrop muted and pale.

By the time they reached her apartment, David had gotten past any embarrassment. He was too fucking tired to care about implications or nervousness at the moment. All he could focus on was the warmth of her hand in his, and the look of stress and fear on her face. Her expression was like a slim, subtle dagger made of ice, slipping between his ribs and freezing his insides with a dull, aching pain. It was the same feeling as when he saw his mother nearly collapse after work, sick and weak from stress. Lucy pulled him over to the couch by the window, and curled herself against his side, burying her face in his side. It was a long time before she spoke again.

"I think Maine's going to snap soon, if he doesn't dial it back. He's getting pressured by Faraday, and I don't know if he's going to listen to Dorio. I'm scared, David. I don't want to have to fight Maine like we did that psycho today. I don't want to see anyone else around us just… break like that."

There really wasn't anything he could say to that, so he just nodded, letting her nestle against him. She smelled nice, felt warm, but he was just glad for the feeling of someone close to him to keep himself afloat. Sending a quick message to Jackie that he might be home later, but he was safe, he began to rub small circles on Lucy's back with his fingers, humming to himself in a low tone. His mom had sung to him like this, when he was much younger.

She relaxed into him, and they stayed together like that until sleep took them both.

A/N: Editing by Golden_ , SPAG by somnolentSlumber and suggestions by MrMalix and various Toybox members