Night City is a den of sin. Despite that, many flocks to its glitzy high-rises, made-up promises, and man-made hellscapes just to taste what the 'City of Dreams' could offer.
And so, Night City remains prosperous despite the Fourth Corporate War nuking the city to its foundations, despite Night City struggling to recover from the aftermath of the war with its numerous gangs waging war for the control of the streets, despite NUSA lying to the people of Night City as to what caused a nuke to explode on top of Arasaka Tower, despite Pacifica being a failed project when President Rosalind Myers launched a war to retake the Free States to put it under the banners of NUSA; effectively driving away investors from Pacifica and leaving it to rot under the locals.
Despite it all, Night City remains a hub of opportunity. For those willing to risk it.
And one such person was Lucyna Kushinada or Lucy to her friends. Well, former friends.
Entering Night City was the easy part: thanks to the skills she'd acquired on that hellscape, Lucy easily sneaked into the city through the port. The hard part was finding a place to crash. Lucy wasn't stupid. Trust is a rare commodity that's getting scarcer over time, much like natural resources. Trusting someone in this city is something she should keep to herself.
Her early months in this city were filled with small-time gigs that barely made enough eddies to keep herself afloat. It didn't help that the Reunification War also made Night City a dangerous place, with numerous gangs taking advantage of the aftermath. Sixth Street, Valentinos, Tyger Claws, and others warred in the streets, and it's that chaotic situation that Lucy maintained her apartment thanks to numerous gangs hiring solos and mercs to do their biz.
Though, with the city cooling down, it's only a matter of time before she finds herself low on funds. It's because the streets are calming down that Lucy is in a precarious situation. And for a fifteen-year-old girl, whose skills with a gun are subpar at best, her internal debate of finding a crew is either worth it or not.
As she strolled the sidewalk of Corpo Plaza, despite loathing the newly-established Arasaka Tower that's been recently built when they placed an aircraft carrier to deter NUSA from invading Night City, Lucy noticed something peculiar.
In the center of Corpo Plaza was a man wearing blue overalls with a miner's helmet on his head and a pickaxe in his hand. As he gazes with his mouth open into the mega towers that dominate the Corpo Plaza, she notices two figures approaching him, with one man having Tyger Claw tattoos on his nape. Her eyes narrowed but remained rooted in place as a warning the man could warrant the attention of Tyger Claws.
And unfortunately for the man, she can't help him despite wanting to.
And so, she watched as the two sneaked into the back of the man, with the mohawk man placing a shiv on the man's back with the other man pointing a gun to the back of the man's head.
Now, one could say that Lucy should not be surprised: the things she saw on the Net effectively ruined any chances of her being surprised. Regardless of what she'd seen, nothing could top what she'd seen at that moment.
One moment, the man with the gun seemed to shoot the gun at the man's head. The next, both would-be killers flung away to the pavement: bruises forming as they rolled from the push the man doled out to the two. The bystanders, who attempted to ignore the Tyger Claws, paused in their steps as their gaze looked at the man who'd flung them away.
As for the man, the man's innocent look turned into cold indifference as he walked to the two men. Pausing at where the two are still groaning and moaning, the man buried the pickaxe deep into the concrete. The man who attempted to kill him whimpered as the man neared him, giving him an intense stare. But before he could seemingly question him, police sirens blared and caused Lucy to snap from her gaze.
While Lucy quickly fled the scene, as she knew she had a bounty on her head for the numerous work she did in service to the gangs, Lucy's mind returned to the man who'd flung the two men with such strength and speed.
'I've got a feeling that this isn't going to be our last meeting.' Lucy thought to herself as she ran back to her apartment.
– – –
'Looks like I was right. God, I hate myself sometimes.' Lucy groaned as she saw the man, who was now wearing a Samurai jacket tacked on with the latest trend in fashion.
As the man seems to walk towards her, Lucy felt herself panic before calming down. There's no way that the man was walking towards her. Sure, she'd been staring at him, but it couldn't be because the man seemingly recognized her. But then her fear shot through the roof as the man sat beside her. With the man giving her a grin, she felt her adrenaline spike as the man seemingly withdrew something in his hand before realizing that it was his arm stretching out towards her.
"Sup. Name's Tom. You might not recognize me, but I do. You're the girl at the plaza, right? The one trying to glare a hole at the back of my skull?" The man, now revealed as Tom, asked as Lucy gaped at his audacity. Lucy felt tempted to lie, but after seeing how he threw away the two Tyger Claws with seemingly no chrome attached to him, she opted for the truth.
"Yeah, what about it?" She responded, her arms crossed over her chest. She knew she was being defensive, but how can you not be defensive when suddenly asked a question?
"Cool. Or is it Nova? I don't know the slang, but Nova sounds more wicked than Cool." The man giggled weirdly before continuing, "In any case, while I might sound demanding, do you know someone that could pinpoint me to any gigs? I need cash, and being a 'cleanie' sure doesn't help my situation."
Lucy tilted her head, considering Tom's request. While she knew that trusting someone in Night City was a death sentence unless you researched about them, metaphorically and literally. Having someone outside the city is much easier to swallow than having some choom from Watson be your partner.
And so, despite her internal protest, tentatively shook her hand with Tom, sealing the arrangement.
– – –
Lucyna Kushinada blinked as her mind wandered to when she and Tom officially met for the first time. Groaning at the feeling of smooth linen falling on the wayside and wanting to sleep more, she nonetheless readied herself for the day.
As she readied up for the day, she could already feel the floor of Megabuilding H10 waking up as children roamed the building while numerous shops, stalls, and markets started to sell their wares. Upon leaving her room, Lucy was greeted by parents, children, and people who'd found a second wind on Megabuilding H10. Or as called by the people of the megabuilding, the Tower of Dreams.
If Lucy were to be asked five years ago if there was an actual place in Night City where dreams exist, she would have laughed before moving on. But now? Lucy doesn't regret a single thing when she shook the hand offered to her by Tom.
"Miss Lucy! Welcome. Are you here to visit the children? While their lessons are about to start, I could give them a break if you want to interact with them." Delphina Milly, a former Nomad who was expelled from her clan due to a betrayal by her friend before landing in Night City, offered Lucy as she entered the room.
"No, don't mind me. I only want to watch. It's quaint to see children learn instead of being brainwashed by a Corpo academy or worse." Delphina solemnly nodded at her words.
"Yes, I concur. It is a rarity seeing children grow up without being accustomed to crime or bloodshed." Delphina shakes her head before giving Lucy a thankful smile, "That's why we thank you for allowing us to live a life where crime and bloodshed aren't seen anywhere in the mega building."
Lucy blushed before slowly nodding in response. Her mind still can't comprehend the changes she and Tom brought into the megabuilding. As Lucy left the room, she made her way to the elevator, where Lucy was greeted respectfully by the people she and Tom had helped. Making her way to the penthouse of the megabuilding, she's greeted once more by people now actively bowing to her.
Hiding her blush and nodding at people who've joined their group - she still doesn't consider the group she and Tom had inadvertently built as a gang - she made her way to where Tom's office.
Entering the room, she saw Tom talking with someone on his phone. Easily resisting her itch to hack his phone to know who he was talking to, she instead sat down on the luxurious chair made from actual leather. Yes, a chair made from leather. With so many products made synthetically, it is rare to see an item made from where it originally came. And while she had asked Tom numerous times where he'd get the chair from, he remained surprisingly stubborn.
Though she was disappointed that he hadn't told her of the origin of the leather, she wasn't surprised as Lucy still had some secrets on her chest that rather keep hidden.
"Yes, Wako, I've assured you I'll hold on to my end of the deal as long as you hold onto yours. I'll send you the files later so you may add your details to the plan. Nova? Nova." Setting the phone down, Tom turned his look to Lucy before shooting up from his chair and hugging her.
"Lucy, my favorite girl! How's your sleep? I hope you didn't dive yourself all day at the Net. You know how that's bad for you." Tom worryingly asked as she recomposed herself from the spinning that Tom gave her. She couldn't help but sigh at Tom's words before responding.
"Don't worry, Tom. I've only checked the megabuilding's security." And it was the truth. With Lucy acting as Tom's hand when securing the place she now calls home, she busied herself throughout the night submerged in ICE to check for any breaches in the megabuilding's security. And though she wasn't hurting for cash now, she still takes gigs both to improve her skills in Net running and set herself a personal fund in case the group manage to fall into hard times, though she finds that unlikely.
"Are you sure?" This time, she sighed before smacking him lightly on the head, giving her an exaggerated response.
"Yes, you dolt. I'm sure. Besides, I'm more curious about who you're talking with." Tom hmm at her question before giving her a shard, outlining the district of Watson.
"I've just talked to Wakako Okada, the Lady of Westbrook. And she offered me a proposal. You know how Watson's divided between Maelstrom and Tyger Claws, with Maelstrom having Northside Industrial District on their arms and Tyger Claws with Little China and Kabuki on the other?" Lucy nodded, wondering where he was going with this, "Well, she offered to give every single place, stash, and areas where the Tyger Claws operate in Little China and Kabuki in exchange for helping her take control of Tyger Claws as a whole."
Lucy could only blink before robotically shifting her head to meet Tom's amused look. Rebooting her senses, Lucy could only do the thing she could do to Tom: shake him rapidly.
"What?! You mean you made a life-changing deal with her without asking for my opinion?!" The idiot had the gall to chuckle at her before giving her a shrug. Resisting the urge to throttle him further, she slid onto the comfortable leather chair, contemplating the deal for a while. While she knew that the people of the megabuilding would lay down their lives for what Tom had done to the people of the megabuilding, she knew that Tom would rather not sacrifice their lives for something so insignificant.
Instead, she knew that Tom would do everything by himself than employing the services of the people of the megabuilding. Tom is that self-serving and so selfishly kind.
Hence, looking at Tom's eyes, filled with determination, she couldn't help but sigh before standing up and slapping Tom hard before hugging him.
"Don't you dare die, okay? Don't want to lose you." Lucy mumbled at Tom's chest before ruffling her head, giving Lucy a small mile.
"Nah. I'm too fond of living, so don't worry about me dying soon, sis." Feeling himself enclosing her, she gripped him tighter before separating.
"Give me two or three weeks before I return, okay? Manage the group while I'm gone." Tom demanded, pinching her cheeks before leaving to fulfill Wakako's request.
She sighed at his retreating back before settling herself into his office chair. While giving his chair a spin, she suddenly remembered that she had something to say to him before having another realization that Tom had left her paperwork.
"THAT STUPID GONK!"