"Valerie? You still with me?" the voice cut through her mental fog. Slowly, Valerie rubbed her eyes up while trying to remember what was going on. Once she was able to refocus her vision, she saw Viktor Vektor's smiling face. "There's the girl of the hour."
"Hey," Valerie breathed as the memories came into focus. "Are we done? Did you get everything installed?"
"Yes ma'am," Vik said. "Operation went smooth. You are now the first chromed out Extra in Night City."
"Sweet," Valerie giggles drowsily. She tried to push herself up from her facedown position, but Vik stopped her.
"Easy, V. Still need to run through some tests, make sure everything is tuned properly. Plus, it will give all those numbing agents a chance to wear off."
Valerie sighed but didn't protest. Under normal circumstances, Vik would never install so much cyberware on someone who had none. It's one thing to get an ocular implant and audio implants at the same time. It's usually a bad idea to also get a neuralware processor, chip sockets, and a sandevistan along with them. He only made an exception for Valerie because all of her custom chrome had received triple checkmarks from Arasaka. So long as the woman took it slow to heal, she would be fine.
Vik also might have allowed it due to how much Valerie had been bugging him about the installation. She was desperate to get her mobility back and to do her work better. He finally gave in and set an entire day aside to operate. It was only three days before Christmas, so Vik's condition was that Valerie took the holidays off to rest. Lord knows, she looked like she needed it.
In the moment however, Valerie was questioning her decision to get everything installed in one go. Vik needed her awake for the sandevistan and neuralware installation to make sure it was installed properly. If her alien biology started to reject the cyberware while she was under anesthesia, there was a chance Vik wouldn't be able to tell until it was too late. The only alternative was to shoot Valerie with enough drugs to trip up a coked out corporate borg. She was left numb, paralyzed, and more than a little loopy for the five hours it took to install everything. Despite that, there was a growing ache through her whole body as Vik tuned her chrome.
"Everything appears to be in working order," Vik said. "I want you to take it easy, just like we agreed. Don't do anything physically demanding and avoid standing for long periods until you can get your strength back. You'll also need to go easy on the eggnog. Your low alcohol tolerance could interfere with the immunoblockers."
"If you insist," Valerie groaned.
"Don't worry, it will only be for a week," Vik chuckled as he helped Valerie sit up and put her hoodie on. "I want you back here on the 30th. We'll make sure your body is adapting properly and adjust your medications. I don't want you becoming dependent on pills and hypos to stay sane."
With Vik's assistance, Valerie stood from the chair and walked over to the mirror. Where her right eye had been missing, there was now a bright blue cyberoptic contrasting with her natural red eye. She ran her hand over her right cheek, tracing the cyberware line across her face and under her right ear. On the sides of her neck, she could feel the freshly installed plugs and chip slots. Her hand stopped at the top of her spine, now connected with the metal sandevistan that was fused down the length of her back.
"It feels… different. But, like… in a good way," Valerie said slowly. "How do I use it?"
"You don't, at least not yet" Vik said. "Until I give you the all-clear, you don't jack into anything, you don't slot any shards, and you sure as shit don't activate your sandevistan."
"Oh, come on, Vik," Valerie grinned at him. "The hell am I paying you for if I can't use my cyberware? At least give me the chance to practice."
"You're not going to let this go, are you?"
"I promise to take it easy, but you gotta let me have some fun. I need a return on investment after dropping all my eddies into this."
"Very well," Vik huffed. "Back in the chair." He almost lost his hold on the green woman as she rushed back to Vik's operating chair. "Go ahead and plug your personal port in here."
Valerie gripped the cord imbedded into her left wrist and pulled it out, plugging her body into Vic's computer. "Whoa," she said as her right eye lit up, displaying information fed from the computer. "That's so cool."
"And it's all connected directly to your nervous system. In time, your cyberware will sync with your thought processes. You will be able to control it as if it was a natural part of your body. I'll pull up a game for you to practice." With a few key presses, a game of Snake popped up on Valerie's optical display.
"Hmm." Valerie's face scrunched in concentration as she did her best to play the game. It took a few tries to get the 8-bit snake to follow her mental commands, but soon she was able to play it as easily as if she was playing it on her laptop. "Hey, I think I'm getting the hang of this," she smiled. "Starting to get a bit of a headache though."
"That's normal for a fresh installation." Vik turned off the game and opened the tuning software. "Now for your sandevistan. You control it just like everything else, except it has a set charge that it will burn through when active. Then you have to wait for the sandevistan to recharge before you can use it again. Your Dynalar model can hold a max dilation of 40% for 8 seconds. Meaning from your perspective, the world will be moving at 40% of its normal speed. For this test, we'll start at 70%. Ease you into things."
With a couple keystrokes, Valerie felt a sudden rush. It ran from her neck, down her back, and out across her limbs. Everything from the flicker of the lights to Vik's typing seemed to happen slower than it should. But when she moved her arms, they seemed to operate just fine. The realization made her giddy. She was moving at superspeed compared to everything else. Then the rush stopped, and the world went back to normal.
"So, how was it?" Vik asked with a smile.
"That was awesome," Valerie gasped, still examining her arms. "Grob, you gotta let me try it at full blast."
"If you insist," Vik shook his head. He typed a few more things into his computer and ejected Valerie's port. He stood up and walked behind the wall near his weights and punching bag. "Where did I put those… ah! Here we are." He walked back out with a pair of tennis balls. "I want you to catch these with your sandevistan activated."
"Uh, sure. How do I- HEY!" Valerie was caught off guard when Vik threw one of the tennis balls straight at her. Acting on reflex, she flinched as the rush ran through her body again. A timer appeared on her cyberoptic, counting down abnormally slow. Looking back at the ball, it was heading straight at her face. She reached out and grabbed the ball out of the air, amazed at how it felt. She examined it for a second then looked up to see Vik had already thrown the other tennis ball. With the sandevistan, it looked as if it was lightly gliding through the air instead of being thrown straight at her face. She stood up from the chair and grabbed it. She couldn't help but laugh as the rush faded and the world returned to normal.
"That was fucking awesome, Vik!" Valerie cheered. "I can't wait to- to, uh…" A sudden wave of nausea washed over Valerie as she collapsed back into the surgical chair. "Oh, grop."
"Let me guess," Vik smirked as he sat back down next to her. "Dizziness? Nausea? Seeing double?" Valerie could only groan and nod. "That's normal with new cyberware. Especially when you don't give your body a chance to adapt first. There's a reason Jackie didn't immediately run off on gigs after getting his eye and audio implants."
"He only waited a day," Valerie whined.
"True. But he didn't get nearly as much chrome installed either. Not to mention the fact you are a lot weaker due to your injuries, while Jackie works out almost daily. You need to take it easy. Build your strength up slowly."
"Alright."
"Good. Now for your meds." Vik grabbed an inhaler off his desk and handed it to Valerie. "A special concoction just for you. Two puffs now, and another two puffs every eight hours."
"Fucking Christ," Valerie mumbled as she stood up from her knees. She had just finished fixing the oven for El Coyote Cojo kitchen. Her hands were slick with grease and who knows what else from replacing the bad heating coil.
"Language, mija," Mama Welles warned. "It's Christmas Eve. There's no need for that."
"Sorry, Mamá," Valerie sighed as she washed off at the sink. "In my defense, I don't think maintenance work would fall under Vik's idea of taking it easy."
"You said you wanted to help. I'm just putting your talents to good use," Mama Welles said. "I save a couple thousand eddies, and you get to contribute to the festivities."
"Figures the oven had to die last night. I was wanting to do decorations."
"Wander has it covered."
"Does he though?" Valerie asked.
"Clean up your mess and you can see for yourself," Mama Welles said, going back to mixing dough for bunuelos. "Estela! Conse- (Get the friers going! Dough is almost ready!) -arado"
Valerie blinked as the auto-translator appeared on her optics. It was something she was still getting used to, but she would have plenty of time to adjust at the church service that evening. She wiped off her tools and dropped them back into their toolbox better organized than when she found them. She made her way out of the kitchen and to the bar.
"Wow," Valerie said, looking over all the red poinsettias and green ribbons that adorned El Coyote.
"You like it?" Wander asked, waltzing up to Valerie.
"Yea, man. You did a pretty good job," she nodded.
"Thanks, pal," Wander cheered. "Only one bit left." He pulled a clump of herbs with a red ribbon out of his hat and held it up over his head. "Wanna help me put it up?" Wander asked, wiggling his eyebrows at Valerie.
"The fuck are you looking at me like that for?"
"It's mistletoe," Wander explained. "It's an Earth plant that you hang over a doorway. When you stand under it with that special someone, you smooch them."
"Good thing I'm twice your height," Valerie frowned. "You better check with Mama first. Don't want anyone getting slapped."
"Not bad, amigos," Jackie said, catching Valerie's attention. He was admiring the decorations as he entered El Coyote with his crew. "You do all this?"
"Wander did the décor," Valerie said. "I had to fix the oven."
"Only one piece left," Wander said, holding up the mistletoe. "Who wants to help?"
"Mistletoe? Seriously?" Kiwi asked, wincing.
"Kinda cringe, choom," Robbie piped up.
"What's cringe about a plant?" Lucy asked.
"Tradition goes that if you stand under a bundle of mistletoe with someone, you kiss them for good luck," Robbie explained. "It's also a European Christmas tradition, so why the hell would we hang it up in here?"
"Oh, come on. It's fun!" Wander smiled. "Night City could use some friendly love."
"I'll help you hang it up," Lucy volunteered, causing the others to look at her with confusion. "I mean… if you need it, I guess," she blushed.
"Of course. We can hang it up together," Wander said.
"Ask Lupé first," Valerie scolded him. The fuzzy extra nodded and ran off to the back with Lucy following.
"You'd think it was her first Christmas the way she's been acting," Jackie said.
"Do I want to know?" Valerie asked.
"It's nothing," Kiwi said. "We got the chips. That's what matters."
"Speaking of which." Robbie reached into his jacket and pulled out a metal case. "Four Fuyutsuki DDR7 RAM chips. 128 gigabytes each."
"Nova," Valerie grinned, reaching out to take the case.
"Ah ah ah!" Robbie pulled the case out of her reach.
"You know the rules, Hermana. Eddies first," Jackie said.
"I, uhh… I'm kinda broke at the moment."
"Excuse me?" Kiwi spat.
"No mames, V," Jackie shook his head. "You said you still had some saved up."
"I gave it all to Vik, ok!" Valerie insisted. "Look, my next paycheck is in a few weeks. I can give you your fee then. Sound fair?"
"No," Kiwi said.
"Yea, that does feel a bit sketchy," Robbie said, "And the bills aren't going to wait a few weeks."
"Come on, guys," Valerie whined. "You know I'm good for it. Jackie, back me up will you."
"I can't do that, Hermana," Jackie sighed. "Normally, I'd give you a bit of slack, but not on this. I can't do that to my crew." He turned to the others. "Any ideas?"
"I could probably find a buyer," Kiwi said. "High-end chips like this should sell quick if we offer them below market price."
The netrunner's words made Valerie panic. She activated her sandevistan and ran over to Robbie, swiping the chip case from his hands. She was walking towards the back exit when her charge ran out.
"Sounds like a decent pl- what the?" Robbie said, feeling the chips leave his hand. "HEY!"
"I'll pay you back later, thank you!" Valerie yelled over her shoulder. She didn't make it outside before a prompt appeared on her optics.
BREACH DETECTED
PROGRAM UPLOADING: CYBERWARE REBOOT
"Dah, grob," Valerie frowned. She felt a zap flow through her head and spine as her cyberware was forced to reboot. "Ah!" she yelled. Without her sandevistan, Valerie's legs gave out sending her tumbling. "You assholes!"
"That's what you get for trying to run," Kiwi said. She came around the corner with Jackie and Robbie. The three of them looking down at her with a mix of pity, annoyance, and amusement.
"Come on guys! I thought we were friends," Valerie begged, but Jackie wasn't having it.
"Next time, make sure you have the eddies," Jackie said as he took back the chip case.
"I'm willing to take the I.O.U," Robbie spoke up.
"What happened to paying the bills?" Jackie asked.
"Eh, there will be other jobs. Valerie can pay us later. On one condition."
"What would that be?" Valerie asked, pushing herself up as her cyberware came back online.
"Tell us what the RAM chips are for," Robbie said.
"Why do you care?" Kiwi narrowed her eyes at him.
"What? I'm curious," Robbie shrugged. "We hardly ever get to meet the client. It's always do a job for a fixer, get paid, and forget about it. But this is what? The sixth job we've done for Valerie? I wanna know what all this work has been for."
"It would be nice to know what all the junk cluttering my desk is for," Jackie commented. "Kiwi? What do you think?"
"I think this is hardly professional, but sure. I'll bite," the netrunner said. All their eyes fell on the green woman.
"It's… it's for my insurance policy," Valerie hesitated. The staring turned into confused glares.
"You want to be a bit more specific, chica?" Jackie said.
"Look, I don't like working for Arasaka, but it's my only option at the moment. I've been working on different ways to protect myself incase things go south with the corporations."
"And one of your insurances requires high-end computer parts?" Kiwi asked.
"Yea. All the processing power I can get my hands on," Valerie smiled nervously.
"That doesn't make sense," Kiwi retorted. "The only things you could need all this for is either hacking into Arasaka or building an AI from the ground up."
"Or… it could be for both," Valerie quietly suggested. The three edgerunners blew up in shock.
"What the fuck, Valerie?!" Jackie yelled.
"Leave it to the super villain to be so stupid," Kiwi spat.
"Do you want NetWatch to arrest us? Or worse?!" Robbie shouted.
"Guys, it's not- would you-" Valerie tried to get them to listen, but they were all too loud. "SHUT IT!" she screamed at them. The three mercs went silent. "Guys, it's not that big of a deal. I know how to control an AI. I've built hundreds before. And it's not even my main plan."
"¿Qué está pasando?" Mama Welles came running up behind them. "Why are you all yelling?"
"It's nothing Mamá," Valerie assured her. "Just had a disagreement. We're sorting it out."
"Hell of a disagreement," Robbie mumbled.
"Whatever. So, can I have the chips now?"
Jackie stared at her for a hard second before turning to his crew. "Kiwi, hold on to these. Keep them safe." He handed her the chip case then turned back to his sister. "You have a month to pay us our fee. Fail to do that, and I let Kiwi sell the chips off instead. ¿Entiendes?"
"Yea, entiendo. I get it," Valerie sighed.
"Good. Now go take your meds," Jackie told her, then turned to leave. "Come on guys."
"The hell is that supposed to mean?" Valerie accused, but the merc crew was already leaving.
"Valerie! You're bleeding!" Mama Welles cried, darting to her side.
"I am?" Valerie asked confused. "I don't feel- oh…" A wave of dizziness washed over Valerie as she started to wobble. She felt moistness on her lips and realized her nose was dripping blood.
"Sit, mija," Mama Welles directed her, pulling the woman to a booth. "I'll get you some water."
"Thanks," Valerie mumbled, trying to keep her breakfast down.
Valerie let out a sigh, taking a sip of her NiCola. She rubbed her eyes before returning her gaze to the girl sitting across from her. Mandy was dressed in her green hoodie and had been left with Valerie by Andy despite the Extra's protest. The young girl was watching the flickering of the lights Wander hung before turning back to Valerie with a smile.
"Why are you so obsessed with me?" Valerie asked. "You realize I'm the bad guy, right?" Mandy scrunched her face, confused by Valerie's words. "Well, I used to be a bad guy. Now, I'm just another Earthling trying to get by. Kinda like your parents." Valerie slumped forward a bit resting her cheek against her palm. Mandy smiled as she imitated Valerie's posture, drawing a small laugh from the Extra.
"You like my new eye," the woman asked, pulling her hair back to show off her cyberoptic. "I got it in blue," she said as she fluttered her eyelids. Mandy's grin grew wider, prompting Valerie to flutter them faster. Mandy silently giggled and nodded.
"There's the corpo I was looking for," a feminine voice called out. Valerie turned in her seat to see Isabel and Wander approaching. "Did you finally get chipped?"
"I did," Valerie answered. "I was just showing off to Mandy." She fluttered her eyes again, letting them see her cyberoptic.
"Ooo, that's neat," Wander said. "Can you extend it out like a telescope?"
"What? No," Valerie blinked. "That's not how optic zoom works. And no, mine can't zoom."
"But you have depth perception again, right?" Wander questioned.
"I always had some depth perception, but yea, it's better now."
"What about that sandy, eh?" Isabel jumped in. "I heard you used it on that Maelstrom fuck boy earlier."
"Maelstrom? Oh, you mean Robbie. No, it wasn't like that," Valerie mumbled. She looked away, failing to hide the gloom creeping onto her face.
"Then, what was it?"
"I… had a disagreement with Jackie's crew. We worked it out, but only after I tried to swipe a thing from Robbie and for Kiwi to stop me."
"Oof. Duro romper mi amiga," Isabel said.
"It's fine. Sit with us. I want to hear how things are going with the Valentinos." Valerie slid further into the booth, letting Wander slide in next to her. She had Mandy do the same for Isabel.
"Not much to talk about," Isable shrugged. "I've been running jobs with David. Between Maelstrom being broken up and Fuzzball here playing diplomat, things have been quiet in Heywood. Most of the action is in Vista del Rey. 'Bout once a week, Padre sends me over there to tell some 6th Street gonks to scram. They usual bail after a few warning shots."
"Slow going then?" Valerie smirked. "How exactly do you play in to all this?" she asked Wander, nudging him with her elbow.
"Oh, I've just been helping out where I can. Making friends along the way," Wander said.
"His positive attitude is starting to rub off on some of the Valentinos," Isabel explained. "There's a whole lot less infighting now. And the younger members are less eager to go on a mugging spree when Wander's around. Haven't you noticed the lack of gunfire around here?"
"Kinda," Valerie said. "I've been busy with work. Arasaka wants their starship as soon as physically possible. And they will probably want more out of me now that I have my motor functions back."
"Then I suggest you take a lovely stroll around the neighborhood before you go back in," Wander smiled at her. "Stretch your legs and maybe chat up a few locals along the way."
"Dios mío. You trying to start a new tourist campaign, too?" Isabel rolled her eyes. "He is right though. If you want to enjoy quiet Heywood, do it soon. Peace isn't going to last long."
"What? How could you say that?" Wander asked disappointedly. "Things are getting better around here. If everyone keeps working towards that, then the city will only improve."
"Except not everyone agrees with you, tarado," Isabel spat at him. "There are a lot of Valentinos that don't like you. We also have Tyger Claws and 6th Street eyeing out territory. That's not even mentioning the corporations."
"There will be setbacks," Wander said slowly, "but with a little bit of kindness, we can teach people to be their best selves."
"Hopelessly optimistic as ever," Valerie chuckled.
"It worked on you, didn't it?" Wander smiled smugly.
"Wha- I... No! You had nothing to do with that," Valerie stated, blushing.
"He's got a point, V" Isabel said. "A few months with Jackie and Lupé, and you went from Heywood Devil to babysitter."
"It's more complicated than that! Mandy, back me up," Valerie said. Mandy, who had been listening intently to the conversation, shook her head no. "Traitor." They all were snickering at her, prompting the green woman to change subjects. "So, what about Sylvia? She been hanging out with the Valentinos, too?"
"Sometimes," Wander said. "She's been spending a lot of her time with the other Zbornaks. She wants to reconnect with her family and said it was best if she did it alone."
"Really? You two were practically inseparable before."
"A lot has changed," Wander shrugged. "We have different things that need to be done. But we're still the best of friends, being roomies with you and all."
Mandy knocked on the table, grabbing the other's attention.
"What?" Valerie asked. Mandy looked between her and Wander, sheepishly pointing to the Star Nomad.
"I forgot this munchkin couldn't talk," Isabel said.
"I think she wants-," Wander began, but Valerie cut him off.
"Enough. Both of you." Valerie pulled out her cellphone and opened it up to the messenger app. "Here," she slid the phone over to Mandy, "spell it out for us. Tell me what you want."
Mandy fingered the phone as she awkwardly tried to type out her request.
"You spelled it wrong," Isabel said, looking over the little girl's shoulder.
"Leave her alone," Valerie scolded the gangster. She only received an eye roll in return.
Mandy stopped typing and stared at the phone screen for a second before sliding it back to Valerie.
I wan too se silvee a
"You want to meet Sylvia?" Valerie asked Mandy, to which the girl nodded vigorously.
"That's a great idea!" Wander cheered. "We can meet with the Zbornaks and offer a good old Filis Navada."
"It's Feliz Navidad, you gonk," Isabel told him.
"And it's also a terrible idea. The Zbornaks hate me, and I don't feel like getting killed in a stampede," Valerie glared.
"And they will continue to hate you until you talk to them," Wander explained. "It will be uncomfortable, but if you apologize and let them see the new you, things will improve."
"Maybe. But we can't go marching all the way to Red Peaks. It's on the Night City border and the NCART metro doesn't go that far out."
"I can drive us," Isabel offered.
"Your car only holds two people."
"We'll borrow David's van."
"Why do you care?!" Valerie asked in exasperation.
"Because I wanna see how my choomba handles herself in front of a pack of angry rhinos," Isabel grinned, poking Valerie's shoulder to emphasize.
"Is that supposed to be encouraging?"
"Don't worry, Valerie," Wander said, giving her a warm smile. "We'll be there with you every step of the way. And you can count on Sylvia's help, too."
"You three are not going to let this go, are you?" Valerie sighed, rubbing her face. "Fuck it. Let's head to Red Peaks."
"Nova. I'll go find David," Isabel said as she stood from the booth.
"Take Wander and Mandy with you. I'll head home and lose the Arasaka guards. Pick me up on College Steet, near the Megablock entrance."
Valerie quietly dashed out the back of El Coyote Cojo and made her way home. Buried in the corner of her and Jackie's room was a footlocker with her old edgerunner gear. None of it had been used since her encounter with Lord Hater months prior. She slipped on the jeans and her Kevlar padded jacket, a spark of familiarity building in her chest. At the bottom of the footlocker was an 8-gauge sawed-off shotgun. Anything weaker wouldn't be strong enough to take on heavy armored gangs, and anything more powerful would be difficult to control without skeletal enhancements.
With the shotgun strapped to her back and a few spare shells inside her jacket, Valerie climbed out the window and onto the roof. With the help of her sandevistan, Valerie leaped from rooftop to rooftop.
"There you are," Isabel said as Valerie slid into the passenger seat. "No Arasaka tail, ri- Oh, shit! You're bleeding!"
"I'm fine," Valerie said, wiping her bloody nose. "No 'sakas. Let's move before they catch on."
"And the shotgun?" Isabel asked, looking down at the gun Valerie sat down between them.
"Just in case. I'm not taking any risks with Mandy here. Let's go."
"Grill pit is ready!" Sylvia called out. "Bill! Phil! Where are those synth-steaks?"
"Right here, sis!" Bill said. Two Zbornaks approached, each carrying a large All Foods crate.
"Looks like we'll be eating well tonight," Sylvia smiled. "Place them over here. Did Gil say when he was going to be here with the bread and vegetables?"
"He said he was picking them up after work. He should be here soon," Phil said.
"Nova. Then I'll get started on the steaks."
"Nova?" her two brothers looked at her puzzled.
"Oh, it's a local term. Same as saying awesome," Sylvia explained.
"Of course, you would be trying to talk like the Earthlings," Dorothy, and older Zbornak, scoffed.
"Could we not do this tonight, Mom?" Sylvia frowned as she opened the first All Foods crate.
"It's true, ain't it?" Dorothy continued. "You've been living with that one family, the Woos or whatever, and befriending you-know-who."
"The Welles, Mom. Wander and I have been sleeping at the Welles home," Sylvia groaned. "And Guadalupe has been good to us. Most of the Earthlings are decent folks. They're just stuck in a grubby world."
"Sure, Syl. Whatever you say," Dorothy said, marching off to their family's tent.
Sylvia let out a heavy sigh as she started tossing the steaks onto the fire grate to cook. She told her brothers to check on their grandma and keep an eye out for Gil. She really just wanted a moment of quiet to clear her mind.
The view of the city was nice from Red Peaks hills. At the base of the hills was a trailer park and a road the lead into Rancho Coronado. And in the distance were the skyscrapers of City Center and Northern Heywood. Japantown was barely visible, as the Westbrook hills blocked most of the view. From right on the edge of the Badlands, Night City seemed almost peaceful from Red Peaks.
Things weren't easy for the Zbornaks in Night City, but Sylvia was hopeful that they would improve with time. She helped strike a deal with Mayor Rhyne that would provide basic necessities to the small community in exchange for labor for the various corporations. Mostly, they just got food, tents, and a place to live on the city outskirts. It was difficult to get that, as Zbornaks require an absurd caloric intake compared to Earthlings. It's the cost of being able to toss around boulders and outrun supercars. At least they were alive. Rumors said that some Zbornaks tried to set up in Salt Lake City and were massacred, the few survivors putting their lot in with Nomads.
And there was her relationship with Valerie. Sylvia had befriended Lord Dominator. That was unforgivable in the eyes of many in the camp. The maniac was the reason they were in this desperate situation to begin with. The fact that Rhyne had declared Valerie Welles off limits due to her work with Arasaka had nearly destroyed negotiations. One Zbornak even went and tried to off Valerie himself, only to be gunned down by Arasaka security. Sylvia held the group together with her mother's assistance, but the animosity still grew between the two women.
Soon enough, Gil had come home from his job with a crate of vegetables and bread. Sylvia cooked them up alone with the steaks before turning off the gas to the grill pit. Normally, the entire family would eat in their tent, but Sylvia talked them into eating outside that night. The stars were barely visible due to the city lights, but the moon was in full view.
"How are things going at the docks, Gil," Sylvia asked.
"Alright," her brother shrugged. "Night Corp has us doing security most of the time. They are taking about moving a few folks to the graveyard shift. They had Joe and Nikki moving empty containers. Management figured out it was cheaper to have us move empties then to drag the crane to the overflow yard."
"Sounds like things are improving, eh?" Sylvia smiled.
"I guess," Gil said. Sylvia deflated a bit and went back to eating her dinner. Everything was quiet for the meal until Phil spotted a vehicle coming up the road.
"Hey, sis? What's that?" he pointed to the van as it passed the trailer park and started heading to the camp.
Sylvia ran inside the family tent and grabbed the scope she stole a few weeks prior. Focusing the scope on the van, she saw the familiar markings of the Valentinos alongside a painting of an angel.
"Is that… David's van?" Sylvia asked under her breath. "What is he doing out here?"
"That looks like her," Valerie pointed to the Zbornaks on the ridge. "Pull around. We'll have Wander lead."
"Copy that, amiga," Isabel said.
Wander hopped out of the vehicle before Isabel even had it in park. Mandy at least waited till the engine was turned off to rush after the Star Nomad.
"Sylvia!" Wander cheerfully called out. "I brought friends!"
"Wander?" Sylvia walked over. "Hey, buddy. What brings you to camp?"
"Sylvia, I would like you to meet Mandy," Wander gestured to the girl. Mandy slid behind Wander, using his massive hat to hide. "You'll have to forgive her. She get's shy around new folks."
"Hey there, Mandy," Sylvia smiled and waved. Mandy gave a shy wave back. "She's a cutie, but did you really drag David all the way out here to introduce me to your friend?"
"Well, it's not the only reason," Wander sheepishly grinned.
"Wander, what did you do?"
"Hey! It's Sylvia's monkey friend!" Bill said, interrupting as the rest of the family approached.
"You mean Sylvia's cat friend," Gill corrected his brother.
"No, Little Bits is a cat. Does this dude look anything like Bits? He's obviously a monkey."
"He's not a monkey either," Phil said. "The Earthlings are more monkey like than the dude."
"Primates," Valerie spoke up, having made it up the hill with Isabel. "Earthlings evolved from primates. Not monkeys."
"Thanks, lady," Phil said. "Your Galactic is pretty good for an Earthling."
"Oh, I'm not an Earthling." Valerie pulled her hood down, reveling her white mohawk and green skin. "Name's Valerie. I came to-"
"Dominator!" the three brothers cried out, then all got into a charging stance.
"Whoa! Easy everyone," Wander jumped in front of them. "No need to fight. We're all friendly here."
"Wander. A word," Sylvia said, grabbing him by the scruff of his neck and dragging him away with Valerie and the two Earthlings.
"What in the blazes are you doing here?!" Sylvia demanded from Valerie.
"What? Mandy wanted to meet you."
"So you came to the camp where everyone hates you on the whims of a child?"
"I mean, I said no at first, but Wander thought it would be a good chance to talk things out," Valerie said, shuffling her feet.
"Of course he did," Sylvia sighed.
"Everyone needs to work things out eventually," Wander said. What better time to start building bridges then on a holiday about family and charity?"
"Right. And what's your role here?" Sylvia asked Isabel.
"I'm the driver and V's back up incase things go south. Plus, I get to watch how it all plays out," Isabel smiled.
"Do you even have a Galactic Translator installed?"
"Not yet. But it won't be necessary if your whole family is as easy to read as your brothers."
"Well, I think this is a terrible idea. You should all hop back in the van and delta."
"And I think that would be a waste of gas money," Valerie said. She picked up Mandy and tossed her onto Sylvia's back.
"Ow! Seriously?" Sylvia gripped, adjusting her posture so Mandy wouldn't slide off.
"Watch the kid for us. Isabel. Wander. With me." Valerie marched up to the Zbornak family with her friends in tow.
"You have a lot of nerve coming here, Dominator," Dorothy spat.
"It's Valerie now. And came here to apologize."
"Excuse me?"
"I've done a lot of grobbed up things in my life. Hurt countless people," Valerie said. "But I've learned a lot since I came to Night City. I have a family now, and the thought of losing them terrifies me. I realize who I was before, and I want to apologize for my actions as Dominator. I want to make things right."
Everyone was silent for a long minute. Sylvia's family stared down Valerie with angry faces, only the soft wind audible.
"Is that is?" Dorothy finally asked. "We're supposed to forgive you now?"
"Forgiveness is the first step to healing," Wander piped up. "Valerie is a good person now, and I think-"
"Wander, no," Valerie cut him off. "They don't have to forgive me. I don't deserve it."
"Then what was that speech for if you don't want us to forgive you?" Dorothy tilted her head in confusion.
"I'm still not sure," Valerie shrugged. "I said I want to make things right, and I mean it. Anything you guys need, I'm willing to help you with. Maybe then… I'll find some sort of… redemption, I guess."
Dorothy's expression softened a little before turning into a small smile. "Valerie, was it? You have heart, I'll give you that. But you won't find this redemption, or whatever you're looking for here. The pain is too fresh for us. But if you keep it up, then maybe you can prove Sylvia right."
"Alright," Valerie nodded. "Thanks for listening."
"Problem at 3'o clock!" Isabel called out. "Our party's about to get bigger."
Valerie looked to the right and saw several more Zbornaks making their way down the hill form the other tents.
"That's Nikki's family," Gil said. "His brother was the one that was killed by Arasaka."
"Grop," Valerie breathed. "Get Mandy back to the van. I'm going to need Sylvia's help."
"What about you?" Isabel asked.
"If we run now, they might follow. Need to talk them down first. Bail if you have to." Valerie told her. They gangster was hesitant, but still ran off. "You too, Wander. This is my problem to solve."
"I'm not leaving your side," Wander said.
"More fighting words from the pacifist," Valerie sighed. "Fine, but don't be surprised when things go south."
"Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged in," the lead Zbornak chuckled. "The grob are you doing here, Dominator? Looking to mock us further?"
"I came here to apologize. For everything," Valerie said, causing the new group to burst out into laughter.
"She's telling the truth, Nikki," Dorothy said.
"And you just forgave her? After everything she's done?" Nikki shouted, causing a few members of his family to shout as well.
"I'm not looking for forgiveness," Valerie said. "I know I've hurt you too much for that. But I want-"
"That's right! You don't deserve anything from us," Nikki stepped forward, putting Valerie on alert. "The only thing you deserve it my fist though your skull."
"Now, let's all take a deep breath. There's no need for us to fight," Wander tried to negotiate.
"Shut it!" Nikki snapped at him. "This freak got away with destroying our galaxy because of you and your idiotic kindness."
"That's enough, Nikki," Sylvia stepped in. "She was just leaving. Go back to your tent. All of you."
"You don't get to tell me what to do, traitor," Nikki turned his attention to Sylvia. "You go and make friends with this monster, and then try to boss us around?"
"We're all alive thanks to me and my family," Sylvie yelled back. "And I said no fights in camp. Stand down and go back to your tent."
Nikki delivered a swift punch to Sylvia's gut, sending her stumbling back.
"Sylvia!" Wander ran up to his fallen friend.
"No one hurts our sis, you jerk!" Gil cried out as he got into a fighting stance with his brothers.
Valerie fired her pistol into the air, the bang drawing all eyes to her. She holstered her gun before helping Sylvia to her feet.
"Easy, choom," Valerie cooed. "You'll be alright. Wander, get Sylvia and her family into the tent. Then get out of here."
"But-" Wander started to argue.
"Just do it." She turned to Nikki and his group as her friends limped away. "You want to hate me, then by all means hate me. But you don't hurt my friends without consequences."
"Ha! Consequences?" Nikki laughed with his family. "You don't have your suit or your robot army. You honestly think you can hurt us?"
"Don't forget, I'm an Earthling now. And you don't grob around with Earthlings. So, I'll give you one chance. Stand down, go back to your tent, and you never screw with Sylvia again!"
"Or else?"
"I do to you what Arasaka did to your gong ass brother."
Nikki pulled his fist back and swung it down at the subject of his ire. Seeing the punch coming, Valerie activated her sandevistan and ducked under the punch. She side-stepped the Zbornak and used her speed to deliver an accelerated punch to Nikki's jaw. The impact made Nikki stumble to the side, Valerie's hit leaving a nasty bruise.
"Fuck!" Valerie shook her hand in pain, her unenhanced knuckles bruising more than Nikki's jaw.
"You grobbing bitch," Nikki huffed. He took several steps back and pointed his horn right at Valerie. "I'M GONNA RIP YOU IN HALF!"
Nikki began to charge forward, forcing Valerie to activate her sandevistan despite the warning popping up on her optic. She ran at the Zbornak and leaped up. Landing on his head, she kicked off to send herself airborne and force Nikki's face into the ground. She landed with little grace, her unpracticed legs collapsing beneath her. With a groan, the green woman pushed herself to her feet and turn to see Nikki doing the same.
"Had enough?" Valerie taunted.
Nikki let out a roar as charged at Valerie again. She tried to activate her sandevistan, but it failed. She instead got another prompt on her optic.
WARNING: SANDEVISTAN - LOW CHARGE
POTENTIAL FOR CYBERWARE DAMAGE
OVERRIDE SAFETY PROTOCALS?
Y? N?
With Nikki barreling towards her, Valerie selected 'Yes' and everything slowed down once more. Her timer started at four seconds instead of eight. She had just enough time to rip the double barrel shotgun off her back and leap out of the way. Just as the sandevistan was about to shut off, Valerie pulled the dual triggers.
There was a massive bang as both barrels discharged, sending a hail of buckshot into the Zbornak's skull. Valerie was barely able to keep her grip on the shotgun as she landed on her butt and watched Nikki's corpse collapse in front of her. She stared at it for a few seconds, panting hard, before she started to vomit violently. Valerie emptied the entire contents of her stomach and then dry heaved for a full minute as everyone watched in shock.
Once she had her nausea under control Valerie wiped her mouth, panting and dripping cold sweat. And then the reality set in.
"Heh… hehehe… hahahahahaha… HAHAHAHA," the green woman fell into a fit of manic laughter as she struggled to her feet. With the flick of a switch, the shotgun ejected the two spent shells. Valerie reached into her jacket, pulled out two more shells for the gun, reloading it before flicking it closed.
Valerie grinned at the rest of Nikki's family, emerald blood leaking from her nose. "Anyone else care to dance?"