Rebecca groaned as she felt her limbs crack, her daily activities contributing to the overall soreness within her. As much as Rebecca didn't want to wake up, especially when she was in the confines of her own home and all she wanted to do this day was to sleep, Rebecca nonetheless prepared herself for the task ahead.

Besides, she has a completely valid reason now to wake up early in the morning besides grumbling about the number of eddies she could make today.

"Hey, Becca. Have a lovely morning today?" David, her kind, reckless, street kid and intern at Builders Security Service output, asked as Rebecca lethargically moved into the seat, reclining inward as she felt the texture of the leather chair.

"Ugh... my head hurts. I knew I shouldn't have taken that bet with Sasha." She complained as she felt the smell of beef pour into her nose. David chuckled at her words, pouting at her output's teasing.

"That's why you should cut back on your alcohol intake. I wouldn't want you to get lost or worse..." Rebecca snorted at David's words before lightly tapping her output's head.

"Don't worry about me, you gonk. I'm more capable than I look. Besides, I worry more about you." David grimaced at Rebecca's words, worrying about her output more.

David: as much as she would've liked to see more of his softer side, act as if he's still living on the edge. The numerous times she'd heard from his squadmates of his growing recklessness was giving her more anxiety, especially when he'd come to her bruised and battered.

And it all stems from his mother, who's still in a coma. If it wasn't for David's mother still in a coma, Rebecca knew that she would've seen a lot more of David's softer side, but instead, those pesky Maelstroms had decided to inflict a parting wound on her hubby before they scattered to elsewhere in the northern Badlands.

Alas, the only thing Rebecca could hope to happen was s for Gloria to recover and properly introduce herself to David's mother.

Despite being a former Mox, Rebecca knew a lot of manners and etiquette; thank you very much! It wasn't as if she was lacking in one. It's that Rebecca tends to let out her inhibitions more, especially in an environment where even a moment's hesitation would lead you straight to your death or suffering a gruesome one.

And she'd seen a lot of crazy shit during her time as a Mox. And as much as she'd like to forget, she can't. Not truly.

That's why she'd found herself incredibly lucky when she met David for the first time. The funny thing about her and David being Input and Output was that she met David during one of BSS's operations on Pacifica.

And to think that she'd almost miss meeting the lovable gonk when she had to choose to accompany Maine into a highly lucrative yet risky operation in Santo Domingo or accept the offer made by her boss, Lucyna.

Thank the Lord that she'd accepted her boss's mission that day.


"You want me to what?" Rebecca could only ask as she heard what her boss lady said.

"I want you to accompany one of the interns who's been killing a lot of Voodoo Boys and Animals in Pacifica." Her boss repeated as Rebecca could only scratch her head in confusion.

"I hope you don't mind, boss, but I need to ask why?" Rebecca asked as she attempted to comprehend the boss lady's gig.

The boss lady sighed after hearing Rebecca's question, "It's because the said intern was related to one of our workers who was put into a coma when the Maelstrom decided to cause harm to our operations upon leaving Night City proper to the Badlands."

"And why the focus on this particular intern, lady boss?" Rebecca questioned because for the COO to take an interest in one of their workers was interesting to hear.

"It's because of his skills. For the past three days, despite repeated insistence from HQ to return to base, the intern had been very stubborn on not returning, instead massacring hordes of Voodoo Boys within Pacifica's Coast View sub-district. And, as much as megacorporations usually use their skills to 'convince' their employees to stay in their company, we don't do that here, as you might've guessed." The lady explained as Rebecca nodded in agreement. The lady boss's boss alone is an example of what an actual ethical, honest corporation could provide to the people, not the corporations that had almost brought the world to its knees.

Fucking megacorps and their insatiable drive to make the world go blind only to gain a few eddies. Fuckers, the lot of them.

"That's why I insist on you convincing the intern back instead of being ordered. Is that clear, Rebecca?" Rebecca sighed, internally debating on accepting the gig provided by the boss lady or accompanying Maine.

It only took her a millisecond before she reached her answer, "Yeah, I'll do it, boss lady."

A gig that only requires her to convince an intern to return to HQ? Pfff, fuck yeah. Sounds much easier than breaking into a 6th Street facility when security is at its highest.

"Good. I'll send you the coordinates of the intern's last location. If you want to know more, read the message I sent you for more details. The intern's name is David Martinez. Good luck." The lady boss' said before disconnecting from the call. Rebecca grinned as she prepared her armaments for the day. She had truly lucked out for the gig she had chosen.

She needs to take more gigs like this in the future, especially if they're going to be this easy.


Rebecca is starting to regret taking this gig now.

Oh, the number of guns, items, and valuables she could klep was invaluable. Even though she'd gained a ton of eddies for accepting Builders Incorporated gigs, it does not mean she wanted to be over-reliant on them.

As much as Rebecca wanted to trust Builders Incorporate, one can not easily remove the distrust people have towards megacorporations, after all.

In any case, this gig that she'd chosen wasn't turning great at all. It's even gotten worse the closer she gets to her target's last known location.

Because the moment she'd entered Pacifica was the moment that all hell broke loose.

Voodoo Boys and Animals alongside each other, employing guerilla tactics like those she'd seen when watching old films detailing the Vietnam War and other war films. The Grand Imperial Mall became the headquarters of the combined gangoons dedicated to slowing NCPD and BSS's advance. For their part, the NCPD and BSS had hardened in response to the gangoons tactics, conducting numerous operations that'll severely weaken the Voodoo Boys and Animal's logistics. Despite the gangoons making GIM their base of operations, the NCPD and BSS mostly left it alone, instead initiating probing attacks to keep them locked within the GIM.

In short, it has become a battle of attrition. And with both the Voodoo Boys and Animals knowing that it's only a matter of time before being wiped out of NC, they've only escalated their tactics even further: with the Animals forcing the people of Pacifica to pay their dues or else, and the Voodoo Boys returning to their pre-Haitian roots.

And this was the situation that Rebecca finds herself in: tons of gangsters out for blood to anyone related to the NCPD or BSS. She knew that the Voodoo Boys had somehow managed to find a link between her and Builders Incorporated because how could you explain being immediately targeted by both the Animals and Voodoo Boys upon stepping foot within Pacifica?

'This intern better be fucking worth the eddies.' Rebecca swore as she took cover near the wall, barely escaping the turret fire pummeling her previous location. As she was about to chuck an EMP grenade into the turret, she blinked as she felt explosions explode toward her. Taking a look, she moved out of her cover, her dual pistols at the ready, before lowering them down to process the brutal deaths the Voodoo Boys had incurred on themselves.

Hearing footsteps approach her, Rebecca instinctively pointed to where the sound was coming from before hearing a sheepish chuckle at where she was pointing her gun, "Uh, sorry about that."

Turning her head, Rebecca blinked as the intern she was supposed to convince back to BSS's HQ approached her, his customized Malorian Arms 3516 hanging by the hips as he scratched his head, "I couldn't help but join in, you know?"

Mentally reviewing the file her lady boss had sent her, David Martinez has problems with authority, mainly stemming from the experiences he'd received during his time as a student at Arasaka Academy. If that's the case, then Rebecca would have a hard time convincing David to return to HQ, especially with his views on authority.

If that's the case, Rebecca shall do what she's doing when meeting someone new:

Be completely wild.

"Hey, choom! That was my fucking kill! Agh! You ruined my gig!" Rebecca shouted as she marched towards David, pointing the gun at his face, which David received with a deceptive calmness.

"I know, and I apologize about it. Still, if you're still angry, let me accompany you if you have any remaining gigs on hand?" David asked as she hummed at his words. As much as she wanted to complete this gig as soon as possible, Rebecca was interested in the man that had gained the attention of the second-most powerful figure on Builders Incorporated.

Besides, the lady boss didn't say anything about deadlines. And it's one loophole that Rebecca's eager to exploit.

Grinning at David, she reached out a hand to David, "The name's Rebecca, choom."

David smiled at her, one that caused her heart to beat faster, as David took hold of her outstretched hand, "My name's David. David Martinez. A pleasure to meet you, Rebecca.


Shaking her head at the memory of meeting David for the first time, Rebecca focused herself back on David, who was smiling at her. A brittle one, but a smile nonetheless.

"I know, Becs. But... I can't help it. It's that... I know that I should stop, but I can't help but not do anything. The last time I let myself get swept up in life was me being beaten senseless by my former classmates at Arasaka Academy. Not being able to do anything because they're given a better position in life than everyone else and seeing everyone below them pisses me off." David started as Rebecca gently patted David's hair, silently listening to him vent his frustration.

"When I heard the news of Maelstrom hiding away at the Badlands, I wanted to chase after them, you know? But I knew that as soon I left for the Badlands, I'd end up in a situation where I'd find myself dead, and I don't want my mother to hear her only mijo was dead because of my stupidity the moment she woke up from her coma." Rebecca snorted as David gave her an annoyed look.

"You gonk, of course, your mother is right to worry." Here, Rebecca gave David a stern look, "I know that you're smart, David, but sometimes, your recklessness outclasses your logical thinking, and if it that Builders Inc. has enemies within Night City, you would immediately leave for the Badlands to murder every single Maelstrom you could find, but I worry for you. David. Every time you walk out of our home, you look as if you're ready to meet Death head-on, not caring about the consequence. Your mother wouldn't want that, your friends and colleague wouldn't, and I-" Rebecca choked up but continued onward, "-wouldn't want that, David."

"That's why I want you to promise me, David. Promise me that I'll find you home safe every day, greeting me with your dumb, lovable smile that swept me off the feet, okay?"

Silence dominated the room before David nodded, his eyes filled with determination. Rebecca released a sigh of relief: knowing that David, despite being a gonk, was a man ready to keep the promises he made dear to his heart.

As their daily routine returned, with David spoonfeeding her his great-grandmother's cooking, one thought permeated her mind as she suited up and called Maine to where they'll meet for today.

'I wish David's mom could recover from her coma. I need to thank her for allowing me to meet David in my life.'