Chapter 1: Prologue-Zeroed
Chapter Text
"Whatever Choom…. Like I give a shit."
As last words go, they weren't bad. Fighting THE Adam Smasher, and doing well enough that he'd forced the living Legend to ignore Lucy (his sweet Lucy…) and Falco as they got away. It had to be enough. He just .. he didn't have anymore to give. He'd tried. Fuck he'd tried so damn hard to be strong enough. To be faster.
...but they'd been right. Rebecca. Lucy. Hell, even Kiwi and Falco had commented on the fact that he should have chromed down. Or at the very least he should have gone slower. Even Doc, that fucker had said that his cyberware affinity was the highest he'd ever seen or heard of outside the Legendary dickhead that was Adam Smasher. He'd casually suggested going slower, but David… god he'd been such an idiot. No time to recover, no, he'd needed to add another upgrade. And another. And another.
It didn't matter that the immunoboosters he'd gotten were gone through like candy.
More chrome. Stronger. Faster. More durable.
From the very beginning he'd substituted training and practice with upgrades.
He'd read about how people with decent cyberware affinity could go beyond the supposed limits if they took their time and adapted to it before adding more chrome.
How good could he have been?
Could he have been strong enough without all this shit?
… Fuck could he have been better off if he'd gone for a checkup at another ripperdoc? Doc couldn't be the best that existed in night city.
All these questions flickered through his brain as he maintained that defiant grin at Arasaka's Boogeyman.
Off to the side, he saw what remained of his Choom… Becca. Fuck… he'd been such a gonk. She'd tried to help him. She'd been a ride or die. And now here she was. Dead.
Goddammit. This wasn't fair.
He'd never been one to lament or scream about the fact that Night City was absolute hell and unfair. But the loss of his friends, his mom..Lucy….
Oh Lucy...you beautiful beautiful woman….
I'm sorry.. I couldn't take you to the moon. I broke… I broke my promise.
"Ah well.."
Came the synthetic almost regretful tone of Smasher.
The Borged out colossus raised his arm, revealing a Projectile Launch System.
He kept smiling as he looked up at the sky, tears beginning to form at the corners of his eyes. Tears… or blood. God he couldn't even remember if he could tear up anymore. He'd chromed up so much.
He wished he could do it all over again.
Please…. Please let me do it all over again.
The shot of the launcher echoed through the city as David's mind went blank.
…. But not for good.
He asked so earnestly afterall. What else was I to do?