Yo, so I was talking to the chaps over in the server and well this story came alive. This one won't be too long, perhaps ten to fifteen chapters at most covering Edge Runners since that ending really got to me. Slight crossover with a certain someone from a different game being in the world as I felt she was the perfect addition for the world.
If you want to be in the loop on what's going on with this story or others, feel free to join our community over on discord. Plenty of cool people to chat with and discuss story ideas or just bullshit about whatever random thing goes on. Link down below.
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"Well the Animals sure know how to make their presence known, don't they, Cloud?" A smooth female voice rang out over a small earpiece.
The man known as Cloud wasn't exactly an imposing figure, not in a world that was dominated by cybernetics. In Night City especially, men and women could be covered in chrome making them look nothing like they did years ago. Some men were more machine than man and they looked the part.
Cloud however still looked like an average 27 year old man. His blond hair was spiky in style but not in the way some of the punks around the city had it. No excess hair gel kept it in place nor did it reflect the light of the sun either. His eyes were a vibrant blue that almost seemed to glow even without the basic cybernetics that had been implanted.
He wore black pants that were created from special material to protect from fire and to a degree, electricity but were still loose enough to allow for seamless movement. A long dark blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up just below his elbows decorated his upper half.
Along his forearms, thin black lines trailed downward toward his wrists with flashes of trailing light appearing every couple of seconds.
Having been a high ranking soldier for Militech in the past, some modifications had been mandatory. Cybernetics varied depending on the style one had. He wasn't one for large firearms or explosives. His main weapon was a large cleaver like blade that rested on his back along with a small pistol that was kept at the hip for backup.
He focused on speed, flexibility, and agility and with those attributes in mind, he was modified accordingly. Reinforced arms and legs for a bit of power during jumps and strikes. Eyes to scan and hack. And finally, the last bit of hardware he'd taken on before leaving his post was an experimental piece hidden on his back, covered by the shirt.
A Militech "Falcon" Sandevistan Mark 5, the latest in the line that Militech hoped to officially release in 2077. It was a piece of chrome so volatile that most users it had been tested on had suffered from cyberpsychosis within a week of use. Cloud had been the only one to not suffer it's effects as he apparently had a very high affinity for cyberware.
Giving him the piece had been the worst mistake Militech had made. Year after year went by and slowly but surely, his disdain for both Militech and Arasaka grew. He wasn't stupid, he could see the intrigue in their eyes when it came to him. No one had been able to handle high level chrome like him except for Night City's boogeyman Adam Smasher.
It didn't take a genius to find out what path they would try to take him down. Combining that with the inhumane treatment of its employees and even the citizens, Cloud knew he had to get out.
After having gotten a chance to grow accustomed to the Sandevistan and its workings, he escaped. It didn't matter how many people tried to stop him, they were cut down all the same. As soon as he had broken free from Militech's grasp, he became a mercenary for hire. A common job among the Night City populace.
Over the course of two years, he built a name for himself as a successful merc. Though he couldn't take all the credit, a large bit of his success was attributed to his net runner, Olivia Colomar aka Sombra.
"That's one way of putting it. The hell did they do to piss Rogue off enough to have them wiped out?" Cloud asked out loud as he took cover behind a metal crate.
This specific group of the Animals had decided to use an incomplete building as their base of operations which provided plenty of cover. Unfortunately for them that also worked for anyone who might be attacking.
"Who knows. She didn't say anything other than what she told you. Look alive, second story."
Glancing up, he saw one good with what looked to be a sub machine gun taking air at him. Ducking once more, he pressed his back as much as he could against the container and listened as the bullets continued to strike the metal.
His blue eyes took on a golden glow as he made use of his cybernetic eyes. In front of him, a 3D display of the area came alive. The building was light blue and transparent so that buildings behind and around could still be seen. Ordering the image to zoom in, multiple red dots could be seen surrounding a lone green one.
"Is their leader with them?" He asked.
"No. He's cooped up on the top floor of the building. Poor bastard that owns this building is gonna have to repair this place before it's even complete." Sombra said with a laugh.
"Dame un momento" she said, subconsciously switching to her native Spanish tongue.
Letting her do her thing, Cloud jumped out and used his overly large blade to create a barrier of sorts to shield from the incoming bullets. Sure, they probably wouldn't pierce his skin but he didn't feel like having to run diagnostics because he was too lazy to block.
With a simple downward swing, the first gang member was cleaved. His upper half slid diagonally off his body before hitting the ground with a soft thud. Not giving anyone a chance to pull themselves together, Cloud attacked again. There were six others trying to take aim at him to no avail.
The cybernetic attached to his back began to glow and every nerve in his body responded. Suddenly, it was as if time itself had slowed down to a snail's pace. The environment changed in color as if a blue filter had been applied over the world. Everyone around him moved in slow motion while he continued on at his speed though no one would ever know. After images of Cloud followed him as he moved, changing color to follow that of a color wheel.
To the outside observer, one would have seen Cloud blur before all six gang members' heads were swiftly removed from their bodies.
"Sorry about that. Went to grab a drink." The woman spoke. Cloud couldn't see her, but he had no problem imagining the grin she was likely wearing.
Cloud narrowed his eyes and made his way into the building. "Got a drink while I was fighting? What if that cost me?" He asked neutrally.
"If low level goons like that could kill you, then I'm working with the wrong person." She shot back. "Anyway, the leader of this specific gang is just named Tony. He's brandishing an LMG and has 3 guards stationed outside his room."
The screen once again appeared in his vision, this time zooming into the top floor where four dots were glowing red.
"That's it? What about on the way up?"
"All clear. Not the brightest bunch are they?"
That was an understatement. One could only wonder how they'd survived in Night City for so long. His eyes went back to their normal blue color as he shut off the mini screens that had appeared. He just wanted to finish this job and get paid.
Climbing up the stairs, he kept his eyes peeled in case there were any gonks unaccounted for. He trusted Sombra, with his life even, but in Night City you never knew what could be around the corner. A competent Net Runner could do things people could only dream of. Sombra was good, but to believe she was infallible was signing one's own death warrant.
His footsteps were silent, barely making any sound as he walked up each step. When he came upon the top floor, there was a lone hallway that had another corridor to the left halfway through.
"Only three right?" He asked silently.
"Only three"
He tightened his grip on the sword and stalked forward, pressing his back against the wall once he was near the hall that led to the main man. The three men were far from professional. Instead of standing in silence to listen for potential threats, they were joking around, laughing about the job they'd pulled off earlier today. They hadn't even gone down to check what the noise was about on the ground floor. Maybe it was because Night City was littered with gunfire during any time of day, but anyone with more than room temperature IQ would have been smart enough to check things out.
Oh well, that was on them. Activating his Sandevistan, he made sure to dial it down to the lowest setting available to decrease drawbacks. Cloud could feel the 31 pairs of nerves pulse outward, running across his spine and down his arms and legs. The world seemed to slow down once again and the colored versions of him followed him as he ran down the hall.
The three stooges guarding the door were laughing in slow motion. Even as their bodies were cut up slowly, their expressions never changed. The blond stepped back and allowed time to resume as it normally would. He had long since grown accustomed to the carnage that followed him, as such, the sight of blood spraying along the walls hardly made him bat his eyes.
The door was blown off its hinges after a well placed kick.
Tony was visibly startled at the sound and looked wide eyed at the blond mercenary.
"Who the hell are you?" Tony asked in what he hoped was an intimidating voice. It wasn't.
"Doesn't matter. You need to die so I can get paid." Cloud replied.
Tony narrowed his eyes and in a surprising feat of speed, he ducked down and toppled over the desk he was sitting behind, using it as a makeshift cover. A black machine gun appeared over the desk, resting atop the wood before firing in random directions, hoping one bullet would meet its mark.
Planting his Buster Sword into the ground, he rotated his body and waited until the belt had run out of bullets. He supposed he was lucky that they chose this place as their base since he didn't have to worry about ricocheting rounds.
Even with the loud blasts of the lmg going off, a chime caught his attention. His eyes glowed bright gold and a small window appeared in the top left corner of his vision.
Gloria
He accepted the call.
"Hey…is this a bad time?" She asked with a confused frown as she heard the loud shots in the background.
Cloud shrugged. "As good a time as any. What's up?"
Peeking around the sword, he pulled out his pistol and let off a few rounds of his own, managing to break bits of the table due to the full metal jacket rounds. Covering himself once more, he blinked as the gun let out a series of clicks and the tip of the gun let off steam. That was quicker than he thought.
Gloria stared at him with a look of disbelief.
"You're really taking the call in the middle of a job?" She asked. "Do you know how reckless that is?"
Cloud smirked and took one more shot, grinning a tad bit wider when the sound of Tony groaning and dropping to the floor.
"It's fine. Just a low level gang member thinking he's in the big leagues that's all. So what's up?" Pulling his sword out of the ground, he rested it over his shoulder and placed his foot on the desk before giving it a strong heave with his leg. Since Tony was still sprawled behind it, the desk collided with the man eliciting another moan of pain.
"I have a few hours free and was wondering if you wanted to meet up. It's been a few days and work has been stressing me out more than usual." In the small window, Gloria avoided the eye contact Cloud tried to make and put on a fake bored expression, as if asking him to spend time with her was more of a chore than anything else.
"Oh God! My chest!" Tony screamed in agony trying to cover the wound with a hand. "Please! I'll pay you just let me get to the hospital." He pleaded.
Cloud shook his head and placed a foot over Tony's head and began applying pressure. The ground managed to muffle his screams down to a more manageable level. Turning back to Gloria, he responded.
"Sure. Same place as usual?"
Now visibly brighter, Gloria nodded. "I'll set things up. Clean yourself up and meet me in say…an hour?"
"Sounds good."
"See you then."
The connection ended but the small window didn't disappear. As soon as Gloria had ended the call, Sombra had patched herself through. The tanned young woman was a beauty to be sure. Purple hair flowed to one side of her head while the other was shaven down to reveal the glowing cybernetics she'd had installed years ago.
"Who would have thought you had a thing for the Señoras." She teased. "I thought you said that was going to be a one time thing? It's been well over a year now."
"Was there a question in there?" He replied stoically.
The young woman snorted in disbelief. "You really like this woman. Why not tell her you want something more?"
In one swift movement, Tony's head was removed from his body. He took pictures of the aftermath as confirmation and used his shoe to turn the man's head over. Like most inhabitants of Night City, Tony had two small slots just behind his ears, both of them occupied. Ejecting the top one, he was pleased to see Rogue's information was accurate.
She had stressed that other than killing them, he was to retrieve the chip for her. He didn't know what was on it, nor did he care to. All he knew was that there was a decent bonus in it if he was able to retrieve it without any damage. He tucked it away in his pocket and quickly made his way down the stairs. The Animals were a large gang with members ranging in the thousands. If he had sent a signal to nearby factions, this place could be swarming within minutes.
"So?" Sombra probed once again.
"It's not that simple. We just have an arrangement that works for both of us. We both understand that."
Sombra laughed and he could feel his eye twitching in aggravation. "Not that simple? The solo jobs Rogue usually sends you on aren't simple. Handling that bit of chrome attached to your back isn't simple. Telling a woman you want more than occasional companionship…that's simple."
"Last I checked your field of expertise was in hacking. When did you become an expert on love?" He snarked back at her. His tone held no malice but Sombra knew when to let something go.
"Just…think about it. Night City is a miserable place behind those bright lights. If you have a chance at happiness, you should take it. That's all I'm trying to say." She disappeared from his view after uttering the final word, leaving Cloud alone with his thoughts.
Gloria was a great woman. She had a steady job, cared about people, and had a drive that was seldom seen in the city. What she didn't have was much time. He was lucky to see her every few days and even then, it was for two hours or so before she had to rush home. There was just no possible way they could move onto something more. That thought brought about another, would she even want more?
Gloria was ten years older than him and while she had no problem using him to scratch an itch, would she be willing to try something real despite that?
He shook his head. Sombra had gotten in his head again. Thoughts like those could be dwelled on later, right now he needed to get to Afterlife and collect his reward.
The trip down to Afterlife was as unchanging as it always was. The idiot drivers that had somehow gotten a hold of some wheels drove as though they'd stolen a vehicle, which in Night City was a high possibility. Pedestrians thinking the right of way applied and drive-by shootings were the norm.
Luck however seemed to be shining down on Cloud since this trip he only had to deal with one car being rammed off the road and another group of Animals killing each other a few car lengths behind him.
"What's got you in a hurry?" Rogue asked. Cloud found it amazing how she could sound both interested and uninterested at the same time.
"Got somewhere to be." He replied in a comparable flat tone.
"Another job? Not for that gonk Faraday I hope." Her eyes changed to a bright red color. A tell tale sign that she was in the middle of looking something up.
His own eyes changed to a golden color as a message informing him of the Eddie's transferred to his account came through.
"No. I trust that man about as much as I trust in the suits changing this city for the better."
"Oh? So you're saying you trust me?" Rogue asked. Her tone was still flat but he could make out the amusement hidden behind her stoic facade.
He smirked and made his way out of the booth she was cooped up in. She already knew the answer to that. She was a fixer, a damn good one but that also made her dangerous. The woman had connections, money, and to a degree, power that other fixers couldn't match.
As good as that sounded for runners, it also meant you had to walk on your toes around her. No matter how flawless your record or how well you get along, she could turn on you in the blink of an eye.
"I'll have another job lined up in a few days." She called out loudly over the blaring music.
"Keep in touch. I have another job to do for Wakako as well."
Exiting the club, he waved at the bartender and politely refused a drink. He enjoyed them every now and again but at the moment he didn't need to be intoxicated. He sent a quick message to Gloria telling her he was on his way and departed.
He could have stopped by the parlor in Japantown to get the details on whatever job Wakako wanted but he held off. The old woman's jobs were usually implied that they were to be done quickly.
As much as she liked him, he doubted she would accept his reasons for putting the job off for a day or two.
Pulling up to the large hotel, he got out of his car and tossed the keys to one of the workers stationed outside.
"A pleasure to see you again, mister Strife." The man greeted with a formal bow.
"Likewise." He muttered. Scanning through the faces inside, he instantly assessed danger levels or potential threats. It was a habit that had been instilled in him since his military days, one that had saved his ass on numerous occasions.
Making his way to the elevator, he sent Gloria another message and in a second, he got his reply.
Pin is 1738
He snorted, for some reason every time they met up that was her preferred pin. He hoped that wasn't the case for secured data she had.
The elevator dinged softly and opened its doors for him before taking him up to the fifth floor. The hallway was quiet but that was likely because of the soundproof walls.
Stopping in front of the door he'd been instructed to go to, he tapped the four numbers on the pin pad. The numerical matrix disappeared all together, replaced by a full blue screen with white letters that read "open".
The room itself wasn't lavish like some of the higher end ones the corpo's would use, but it was nice enough. Fully furnished with a tv, a large bed, robes, and a decent view of the city down below.
"Glad you could make it."
Coming out of the bathroom already wearing one of the white robes provided, Gloria Martinez rested her body against the door frame and gave him a look that compelled him to close the gap between them.
As he was about to swoop her into his arms, she ducked and gently gave him a shove into the bathroom. "I told you to get cleaned up first. I'll be waiting."
Taking what was arguably the fastest shower of his life, Cloud emerged with only a towel around his lower half and walked toward the bed. This time, the older red headed woman didn't stop his advance.
She smiled brightly and opened her arms to welcome him, completely uncaring of the robe having opened.
For the next two hours, both felt as if their stress had melted away thanks to one another. Gloria looked down at the young man beneath her and with a final bounce, let her body slump forward. She rested against his chest, content with hearing his steady beating heart.
"You wouldn't believe how badly I needed that." She muttered into his chest.
"Bad day at work?"
She was prone to a lot of those. He may not know the ins and outs of being an EMT but he knew it wasn't an easy task. In Night City, killings were a regular occurance. Between helping the civilians and the high status suits, EMTs were definitely in short supply. That meant those available had to work long shifts and in Gloria's case even that wasn't enough.
Gloria scoffed. "Understatement of the century. I had to cover some shifts these past few days. They even had me pick up James Norris' body after he went cyberpsycho. That in itself was a giant clusterfuck. Then today it's report after report and notifications from the landlord about issues we are having."
Cloud hummed but didn't interrupt. He knew sometimes the woman just needed to vent her frustrations to someone who would listen.
"You know I've told you…" A raised hand stopped him from continuing.
"I know, and I'm grateful for that but I can't accept you paying for any of my utilities. That would make me feel like a failure."
He sighed, this was what he expected. Gloria was a proud hard working woman that wouldn't accept handouts. Even in the position she was in she refused his help. It wasn't because the money was dirty, all the money was dirty here. It was because she seemingly had something to prove.
The thought of trying again crossed his mind. The bags under her eyes had grown slightly darker and he knew that at this rate, her health would deteriorate.
Gloria stared at him with a mix of curiosity and concern. Worried that she had perhaps said the wrong thing, she opened her mouth but frowned as a call from Arasaka Academy came through.
Peeling his hands off her waist, the woman pulled the covers over her and laid down before taking the call.
Whoever was calling certainly didn't deliver any good news. Gloria ran a hand through her hair and sighed before apologizing and making a note of something. She nodded angrily but soon her eyes returned to their regular color and her body seemed to sag.
"Something the matter?" He asked in a much softer tone. "Another shift?"
"I wish. Mandatory meeting tomorrow, don't worry about it." She exhaled and muttered some curses under her breath. For him this was a level of tired he'd never seen on her.
"Hmm. Well how about we go get some lunch? It'll help clear your mind. Don't even think about lying and telling me you aren't hungry, I can hear your stomach growling."
The woman blushed in embarrassment and smacked his shoulder but smiled nonetheless.
"I guess I can let you do that much." She conceded.
After getting dressed, Gloria grabbed her keys and threw on her yellow EMT jacket. She wiggled uncomfortably as a long strand of metal pressed itself on her back as the jacket was put on. She sighed, just a couple days more and she'd be 20,000 eddies richer. It wasn't enough to get her out of the hole she was in, but it would be a big help.
"Mind if we just go in yours and you drop me off here after? I don't really wanna wait fifteen minutes for them to find the car." Cloud requested.
"Of course. So what are you feeling?"
Cloud thought about it for a moment. Unless you were a high level executive, the food wouldn't be good no matter what joint you went to.
"There's a half decent pizza place in the corpo plaza, just a few miles east of Arasaka Tower."
Gloria's eyes lit up in recognition. She knew the place. David had wanted to go there after having done well on his exams a while ago. Her cyberware fired up and a marker was placed on the location and the most efficient route was calculated for her.
The drive was enjoyable as the two made small talk about the past few days that weren't work related. The phone call she'd received from the principal of her son's school had dampened her mood but by the time they arrived, it had already been pushed to the back of her mind.
Opening the door to the small restaurant, Cloud followed closely behind until she settled on a small booth near the window. It had the perfect view of a man getting robbed at gunpoint across the street.
Their chat continued until a man with robotic arms and a silver eye stepped up to their booth. Seeing as this was a more old school style place, they still had to take orders personally instead of digitally.
"Treating the input to a nice lunch huh? Those were the days." The man laughed. "What can I get for you?"
Gloria chuckled shyly but didn't dignify the comment with a response. Instead, she went ahead and ordered her two slices while Cloud browsed the menu until he settled on four different slices.
"So any new jobs worth mentioning?" Gloria began.
"Nothing crazy."
The older woman stared blankly at him, hoping the look she gave her son would break him. It didn't.
"You were in a shootout when I called you." She pointed out.
"Only one person was shooting at me, not really a shootout." He replied withholding a smirk at her annoyed expression. "Fine. Just a simple clean up and extraction. Fixer wanted a chip and she got it."
Their pizza arrived at that moment and after thanking the man, they paused their conversation to take their first bites. Cloud grimaced, after having tasted food from other cities, the food here really didn't measure up.
Glancing at Gloria he noted the content look on her face as she chewed and swallowed her bite. It almost depressed him how happy she looked eating the mostly synthetic food.
"What's wrong? Do I have something on my face?" She asked, taking a napkin to wipe the corners of her mouth.
Shit. He'd been caught staring.
"No. Just wondering which slice I should eat first."
"You're a terrible liar you know?"
Cloud exhaled and took a bite of his slice. "Just wondering, have you ever thought of leaving Night City?"
"Of course I have. It's not easy though. Where would I go? What would I do? How would I raise the money to leave? I'd love to get away from all this but it's just not possible."
A tense moment of silence passed between them in which nothing but the loud chatter of the other patrons reached their ears.
"So what are your plans for the rest of the day?" She asked, wanting to get the conversation back to a livelier tone.
Knowing what she was going for, the blond merc relaxed and eased into his seat. "I'll probably head to see what other job is lined up for me. After that I'll play it by ear. You?"
"Prep dinner and then see what else I'm behind on."
He pushed away the thought of offering to help her, knowing it would be turned down and settled on simply enjoying the meal. Who knew how long he'd wait to see her again so might as well make the most of it.
By the time they finished, Cloud was getting ready to deposit the transfer Eddie's but paused before submitting.
"You don't want to take a couple slices to go? My treat." He knew she'd get hungry later but her son would also need to eat. She hadn't outright told him about him, not even his name but with someone like Sombra, nothing could stay hidden from him.
"Thank you." She said sincerely.
"It's nothing. You know if you ever need anything all you have to do is ask." He replied.
Gloria smiled and rested a hand on her cheek. "I know. Maybe one of these days, alright? I'm actually about to make quite a few Eddie's so I should be good for a bit."
Best I'll get. I'll take it. He thought. The slices were soon brought in a small white styrofoam box once again interrupting their moment.
"Here you two go." The man said before his eyes glowed. "Eddies have been transferred. A pleasure, please come again."
Getting back in Gloria's car, he leaned back in the seat and groaned to himself as he remembered he had promised Jackie to help him with the new wheels he'd bought recently. Jackie was a good guy if prone to idiotic ideas, but he'd come through for him no questions asked when he needed it.
The car pulled out of the lot and onto the highway at speeds just below the city limit.
Looking at the rear view mirror, he noticed a large luxurious looking car changing lanes to their left. Likely a corpo on his way to or from some meeting with the high brass.
"Fuckin assholes don't know how to drive!" Gloria said in a surprising bout of profanity. The only times he'd heard her speak that way was during their alone time or when something had pissed her off beyond the norm.
Her car swerved aside in order to avoid being hit by a larger pink vehicle. In a split second, three men opened fire.
Thinking quickly, Cloud managed to maneuver his sword upward to block any shots hitting Gloria. His jaw clenched in anger but he couldn't act. If he did, he'd be putting her in danger. The bullets continued to rip through the bare metal of the car and made their way toward the black one next to them.
"Of course they're after him." Cloud thought to himself.
The suits driver pulled ahead and the pink car was on its tail. From the top, a large man emerged with an RPG. Gloria looked wide eyed and in shock as the man took the shot.
"Are you ok? Gloria!" Cloud yelled. Her arms were gripping the steering wheel tightly and her left arm was full of cuts from the shards of glass that had managed to get her. Blood ran down her arm but the shock seemed to be preventing her from reacting.
The rpg had hit its target and the black car had flipped over… directly in front of them. The world slowed down to a fraction of its speed in a split second. Unbuckling them, the merc took the woman into his arms and jumped out of the car.
Keeping her close to his chest, time resumed. Gloria's car was smashed by the larger one landing on its hood before also being propelled into the air. The gasoline mixed with the fire and the reaction was instant.
Had it not been for the upgrades to his body, he was sure his legs and arms would've been badly wounded by the blast.
"My arm!" Gloria cried. Her left arm which had already been pierced by glass shards hadn't been fortunate enough to avoid injury. The shockwave from the blast had peeled a layer of her already sliced arm. It didn't look good.
"Sombra!"
"Was it the fucking Animals again?" The net runner asked angrily, seeing the images from his eyes.
"Most likely. We'll deal with them later. I'm taking her to the hospital, can you check what package she has?" He asked as he zoomed down the street.
"Her and her son only have the basic packages. I'm talking barely at the base level. If she's unfortunate enough to be in an accident with someone with a higher package they'd probably be left to die.
"Can you bump her up?"
"At most I can get her to gold. I can get her platinum but then they'll look into her and that will lead them to you."
A small problem in his eyes considering the benefits but he couldn't do that. The last thing he needed was bringing unwanted attention to Gloria in any way. Especially Corpo's.
"Gold it is then. I'll call you later. Thanks."
The call dropped and five minutes later, he burst through the front doors of an upper middle class hospital. Staff rushed toward him and quickly took the woman off his hands.
Following behind the team, a woman in a white coat walked alongside him with a small tablet in her arms. "Unfortunately you will not be allowed to enter the room while the medical team treats her wounds. Rest assured Miss Martinez is in good hands and we will do everything in our power to give her the best treatment her gold package can afford her."
Had the woman not sounded so serious, Cloud would have thought she'd just made a joke about Gloria's bad hand.
"Diagnosis is estimated to take between one and two hours. If you require anything you can ask any of the desk attendants. Good day."
Hearing the obvious dismissal in her tone, Cloud excused himself to the nearby waiting room and sat down. Around him men and women of all ages sat among their loved ones each looking as worried as the last.
The next hour felt like an eternity which was ironic considering he was used to time slowing down on the count of his Sandevistan. This time however, the thoughts of the unconscious woman filled his mind with a number of different scenarios. What if a bullet had hit her and he missed it? What if the shards of glass had hit some vitals? Even worse, what if she got worse on the way over here because of how he carried her?
His increasingly pessimistic thoughts were brought to an abrupt halt when the same woman that had spoken to him emerged from two large double doors. Her eyes scanned the room until they landed on him.
He raised an eyebrow as she mercilessly shoved a child who was running by her.
"Mister Strife." She greeted curtly. "I'm pleased to inform you that Miss Martinez is in stable condition."
He sighed in relief. The silent anxiety that had flooded his body was expelled.
"There is some bad news however."
The anxiety was back.
"What is it?" He asked.
"We did extract two bullets from left arm as well as a number of glass shards." She said. A small notification window appeared in his sight asking for permission to connect. Once the connection was established, a 3D model of Gloria's arm was put on display with all the wounds outlined in red.
"Her brachialis muscle was completely torn apart. Lacerations to her flexor calpi ulnaris and palmaris longus as well as second degree burns from her hand up to her forearm." She informed
"So what? She'll need reconstructive surgery?"
The woman shook her head. "Unfortunately there are two platinum package clients who require more urgent care. In the state Miss Martinez is in, the only choice available is to get her a cybernetic replacement. The gold package doesn't cover that however."
Of course it didn't. Gloria didn't have the money for that and he doubted her son would either.
"Get it done. I'll cover the payment." He decided. She would be mad at him for covering such a large debt, but it was better than letting her career go down the drain. Without her hand she would be out of a job and she wouldn't make enough on government support.
"Very well. I'll inform the doctors to begin the procedure. We'll make sure the arm looks and functions as good as her original. She will have the cybernetic lines running up the arm however, there's nothing we can do about that. At this time if you wish to see her, she's in room 305."
He muttered a quick thanks and made his way to her room. Her eyes were closed and she seemed to be breathing steadily. His eye trailed down to her burnt left arm and a tired sigh escaped his lips as he sat down next to her.
This was his fault. Had he just kept quiet and stayed in bed with her this whole mess could have been avoided.
His head slowly rose, looking away from the bedridden woman to the door that had just been roughly opened. A young man stepped in, his eyes wide with worry as he gazed upon the woman.
David Martinez. This was the first time Cloud had ever seen him and he definitely took after his mother. He had something of a punk look despite wearing an Arasaka Academy uniform. His hair was styled in a spiked fashion up top while the sides had very close fade with zig zag like patterns.
"Mom." He whispered to himself. Cloud made no attempt to interrupt the young man as he took his moms good hand and caressed it carefully. Flashes of emotions passed through the young man's face. Everything from anger, worry, anxiety, and even a hint of regret.
David eventually let go of his mothers hand and turned to the only other person in the room with him.
"I'm sorry but who are you?" He asked bluntly.
"Cloud. I'm a…" he paused. Gloria hadn't told the young man about him for a reason. He couldn't say he was his moms output if she didn't want him knowing about them yet, hell he wasn't even sure they qualified to be called such.
"Friend of your moms. We met up today to get some lunch." He explained before giving the young man a rundown of what had happened on the highway. The more he spoke, the angrier David seemed to become, though clearly not at him.
"The Animals." David said through gritted teeth. "They're lucky she's still alive."
"She'll need a cybernetic arm. The accident did more damage than I thought."
His words managed to distract David from his angry thoughts long enough for him to turn his attention back to his mother.
"What do you mean?" He asked. "All they told me was that my mom was in the hospital and was stable. They didn't mention anything else."
Fucking doctors were leaving him to tell her son the news? Resisting the groan that threatened to escape him, he had to carefully explain the damage that had been done to her arm and the only option they had at the moment.
Naturally, the boy was just as worried about the cost as Gloria would be.
"We can skip breakfast…" David muttered to himself as he began pacing around the room. He didn't need Sombra to look into his mind, Cloud could already see him trying to cut what he perceived as unnecessary expenses.
"Maybe dinner too as long as I don't overdo it at school." He added, though his face showed that that option wasn't going to be viable.
"You don't need to worry about it." Cloud reassured him. "I'm taking care of things on that front."
David blinked and narrowed his eyes. "A chrome arm is gonna run at least 20,000 Eddie's. Why would you foot the bill?"
It was 35 but he didn't need to know that. Cloud shrugged.
"I told you, your mom is a good friend of mine and I guess you can say I feel kind of guilty that this happened to her."
David eyed the blond with an indiscernible look as if trying to piece something together. It wasn't until he finally noticed the large sword resting against the wall of the room that things began to click in his mind.
"You're an edgerunner." David deduced.
Cloud nodded
"Then how do you know my mom? You said you're a friend but she's an EMT."
Shit, the kid was asking too many questions.
Luckily, the sudden arrival of their nurse saved the merc from having to explain to David what kind of friend he was. In her hands was Gloria's EMT jacket along with whatever was in her pockets. The jacket was folded neatly and handed over to the young man.
"I'm sorry but we'll need to move Miss Martinez to begin the installation. You will have to return tomorrow when she's ready to be discharged." She said in a tone that left no room for complaint.
"You should go."
David looked up at the blond, affronted that he would suggest such a thing.
"She'll be fine. I'll stick around to deal with any other expenses." Establishing a connection with the young man, he deposited a few Eddie's. "Your mom had gotten you some food before this happened, get yourself something to eat so she doesn't worry about you when she wakes up."
David glanced at his mother once more and relented. As much as he hated the thought of leaving her alone there really wasn't much he could do. With a heavy heart he nodded but his thoughts weren't calm. Questions about the blond edge runner were swimming through his mind faster than he could process.
"Fine. I'll stop by tomorrow after school to see her again." He replied.
Cloud noticed the look in the young man's eyes and felt worry stir within him. The mention of the Animals had changed the boy's demeanor, perhaps telling him who had done it was a bad idea. He shook his head, he might be angry but to survive in this city he couldn't be stupid. As soon as Gloria was released, he would make a few calls and find out who exactly had been the ones that fired on the road.
Rogue's network was vast, he was sure within a few minutes she would have them. All he needed to do was be patient and then this whole mess could be put behind them. Grabbing his sword, he exited the room and went to handle the payment. The cybernetic arm Gloria would be having installed would begin from the middle of her bicep and replace everything below it. Fortunately technology had gotten advanced enough that though it was fake, she would still have the sensation of touch only with the added benefits that chrome could offer.
After taking care of the payment, he was told that she would not be allowed visitors as she would need to be monitored and have tests run on the arm to make sure her body had adjusted well. They weren't rippers and as such had to do things more delicately.
xxxx
When he arrived back at the hospital the next day at the crack of dawn, he was pleased to see the woman already awake. She stared at her new arm with a blank look, not exactly displeased with it but also not bouncing for joy.
"Cloud." Gloria greeted with a small smile. "How are you?"
"I should be asking you that. How are you adjusting to the chrome?" He asked, taking a seat next to her.
Her left hand reached out and gently took his in her own, allowing her to rub the back of his. "Pretty well, it feels just like my old one and I don't even feel any pain. The doctors really did a good job."
Hearing those words was like having a heavy weight taken off his shoulders. All night he'd worried about how she would feel when she woke up. Would she be upset? Did the chrome have negative effects on her body? Would the doctors do as good a job as a professional ripper?
"They also told me you paid for this." She continued. "Cloud, this was expensive. I'll pay you back for it."
The younger man didn't even get a chance to retort as her new hand raised in front of his face to stop him.
"I know what you're gonna say. That I don't need to pay you back, but I do. I can't live with myself knowing that you're 35,000 eddies short because you paid off one of my expenses. You could have used that for something you wanted, not to take care of me. But really, thank you." She finished with a wide smile.
"No problem. If you want to pay me back, that's on you. I won't give you a deadline."
Gloria had no problem with that. In her mind, getting him to agree to letting her pay him back was a win by itself.
"Good. Think you can give me a ride home after I get dressed? I need to prepare lunch while David is at school." She said. The nurses had told her when she woke up that her son had come by while she was out, so there was no point in trying to keep that facet of her life hidden. They'd likely met but as long as she could keep the nature of their relationship private for the time being, she would.
"You don't even have to ask. I'll wait outside."
The process to get cleared for discharge was simple compared to getting checked in. All she had to do was sign a few forms and she was good to go. Despite still having to go see Wakako, Cloud remained by her side until they were standing in front of her apartment door.
"Thanks again Cloud. For everything." She said softly as she opened her door.
Her left hand reached out and gripped his shirt quite tightly. Good to see her hand working as intended. Letting her do as she pleased he allowed her to bring him down to her level in order for her mouth to latch on to his as they entered the apartment. Blissfully unaware of anything else, Gloria continued to kiss her savior, pouring every bit of gratitude into their lip lock.
"We have a few hours. I can think of a good way to show my appreciation for everything." She said in between kisses. Her hands traveled down to the hem of her shirt and began pulling her black spaghetti strap shirt up far enough to reveal her lacy black bra underneath.
"Ahem!"
The sudden cough brought both of them to a halt and Gloria's worry shot through the roof at who she saw. On the couch was Maine and his crew with varying looks of amusement written on their faces. Her son on the other hand was staring back at her with a mixture of shock and mortification.
Fuck.
She quickly pulled her top back down and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand to clean any excess saliva and make herself look presentable. Cloud for his part tried to fix the wrinkles on his shirt from her excessive grip and crossed his arms. He was easily able to spot and identify the pieces of chrome everybody was using. They were edge runners, no doubt about it and somehow, David had gotten their attention.
"Maine." She began. "Want to tell me what you're all doing in my house?"
"Gloria. Good to see the accident hasn't affected you negatively. Might wanna take a seat for this, your boy here klept something of mine."
The blond merc could only exhale in exasperation. Looks like he was wrong, the kid had gone and done something stupid.