David hadn't gotten shot all that much in the before. By the time that he'd chromed up so much as to be closer to Maine, he'd had all the chrome in the world and thus rarely dealt with the realities of how being shot affected an organic body.
The last time he'd actually gotten shot and it did real damage had been Smasher at Arasaka tower. He'd gotten shot in the gut then too.
Why was it always the gut?
That was the thought swimming through his head as he attempted to make sense of everything around him.
He grimaced as he became more aware of a light shining in his eyes, his limbs too heavy to move to shield them from the light that seemed to pierce through his eyelids and into his corneas and pupils.
"Nnnn…w-wuh…."
Why was it so bright?
(-avid. David. Can you hear me?)
Sandy? Wha-
(Easy… easy David. It's ok. Does this help?)
Before Sandy's soothing tone stopped echoing through his mind, the lights began to dim, making his entire body feel relaxed. What…. Where was he? What happened? He'd… he'd gotten shot right? He remembered that… and then… Why had he gotten shot?
Yeah… yeah it helps… I just… What happened?
(What do you remember?)
What did he remember? He remembered… the job. The job for Wakako. He'd had to wear a police uniform. Sandy had helped him with all the intricacies that involved being in the police force that he wouldn't know.
He'd done the job no problem but…
I remember being grabbed by… a Detective. River Ward. He took me on a couple of stops. We had lunch. But then…
His face crumpled.
Maine was mad. He was treating me worse than in the Before when he was threatening to scav you off of me.
There was a silence, and it seemed oddly like Sandy was tamping down its anger before speaking again gently.
(And then?)
They'd been going to the location that River had been angling to go at from the beginning. It had been a large scav operation, and they'd been planning to call backup.
We were found out… by Scavs. There was a firefight. I… oh fuck SANDY! Are you ok?!
The SI cut him off before he could speak further.
(Sandy Fine. Remember fight?) Sandy spoke, shifting back to its preferred method of communication, now that David had been shown to communicate fluidly.
Yeah… yeah I remember. The EMP happened… and I got… angry. Really angry. I told River to run… then… I fought the Scavs. It was… not great. But I had more skill. More practice. And… fuck I flipped that car didn't I?
(Correct. Muscles slightly strained now. Pushed to limits earlier. Lucky didn't pull muscle.)
Yeah. I'm gonna need to work out harder. Push myself further. After that… oh. Ohhhh… I got shot. Some fucking gonk got me in the gut, and I ran. Managed to get some cover and take down some more Scavs. River came back… dunno if I would have survived if he hadn't come back, distracted those asshats.
He grinned slowly, keeping his eyes closed.
And then we raised hell. You'd repaired yourself, and took down every remaining gangoon there… and did something terrifying we can talk about later and….
He blinked. Yeah. This was about when he couldn't remember anything else.
I… don't know. I'm trying to remember, but I can't.
(David called crew. Arrived and took you to Dr. Vektor. Maine carried you, kept everyone else out of operating room. David… Sandy sorry. Viktor and Sandy spoke in front of Maine. Had to tell Viktor what happened. Maine Knows.)
He wasn't quite sure how to respond to that. He should be terrified. Heart racing. Eyes rolling and muscles clenched. But all he could really register was… acceptance.
It had to happen eventually Sandy. I was planning to tell them after the gig. I just… wish I'd had the opportunity to tell them myself. It's… it's not right. They should have heard from me.
(Only Maine knows. Sandy conversed with him. Requested he let you tell the rest. He agreed.)
A tightness in his chest released at that, feeling like he could actually breathe now.
That… he… he didn't kick me out? That's… that's good. Ok…. I'm go-
"How you feeling kid?"
Came the gravelly tone of Viktor, David's eyes instinctively opening to try and look at the man. That… wasn't smart. The sudden light in his eyes, no matter how dim, began to sting. Cursing quietly he closed his eyes again, before slowly Opening his eyes, and looking at the Ripper, his usual relaxed state being a bit more… eskew.
"Hey Vik… you look like crap." He said with a dry, croaky tone, attempting to smile. Man… how could he feel so weak, and yet not hurt at all?
"Well, seeing as how I'm not the one who had to get opened up to get a bullet removed since it was too close to some vital organs… I'll just say I think I'm coming ahead of you on the looks chart kid. How do you feel?"
"I feel alright. Light hurts my eyes a little, but I mostly feel… really really hungry."
Viktor nodded, making notes on his terminal before looking over at another monitor.
"Sandy, what can you tell me about his metabolism right now?"
"David's metabolic rate has been slowed manually by me, until we can get more nutrients inside his digestive system. Fortunately, his healing process is completed,and we are in no danger of any other complications. But David requires food as soon as possible. His overall physical state is similar to someone who has not eaten in three days. Muscle weakness. Hunger will be making itself known soon."
Viktor nodded, as well as laughing softly.
"... Absolutely insane. Alright kid… you're healthy enough to go. I'm gonna go ahead and let your Crew know that you can get out of here now. I'll be sending your outputs in after me, so you just relax until they get there. Sandy, mind if you check my files again? I've been experiencing a weird bug when I check my patient files. Not sure what it is, but… think you could do a favor for a Choom?"
"Of course Doctor Vektor. A choom of David's is a choom of mine."
Vik got up off of his chair then, and gave David a firm pat on his shoulder.
"Alright .. good. And David? It'll be alright. All of those Gonks out there care about you. Even Maine. Haven't seen him that broken up since…"
Vik was quiet for a moment before shaking his head.
"It'll be ok. Promise kid."
David's throat felt tight as he nodded, sitting up in the clinic's patient chair. It was actually shifting to a more comfortable sitting position, that he had a pretty good feeling was being adjusted by Sandy.
"Thanks Vik… you're the best."
Viktor just gave him a smirk, before heading out of the office, leaving the room empty, other than David and Sandy. Silence reigned between them for a moment before David finally spoke.
I thought you'd died. I… shit. I'm sorry you got hurt Sandy. I got so goddamn used to you, that I never thought about what would happen if somebody caught us with the simplest fucking countermeasure for cybernetics.
Sandy didn't say anything, before their gentle tones rolled through his mind once more.
(David… Neither of us considered the possibility. This was a failure on BOTH our parts. If anything, I should have been the one to realize and bring things up. But we lived through it, and now we know it's a weakness. I can begin the process of Hardening my hardware to withstand EMP blasts, to keep this from ever happening again.)
But I-
(Enough. David, I've been patient with you, and you know that I will always support you. But you have to stop beating yourself up after every mistake you make. You've been doing this for months now. Insulting yourself, and looking at the actions of your past self with almost acidic levels of self-loathing. You were doing the best you could My Host. My friend … you need to be kinder to yourself.)
David wasn't even sure what to say to that, but he was saved from having to formulate thoughts and responses by Lucy bursting into the clinic, and racing for him, wrapping her arms around his neck tightly as she sobbed, rubbing her face against his cheek.
"David! Oh god… David… I was so worried, Becca called to tell me how it was going and Pilar was driving like a maniac to get here and… fuck… you're ok baby?" She asked, her tone watery and shaky, pulling back so that one of her hands can gently caress his cheek, Her eyes warm and tear filled.
David reached out to cup her cheek in return, his chest aching and guilt filling his heart.
"I'm ok Lucy… I'm ok. Vik got me fixed up, and all I need is… lots of food really. Like… a lot of food."
Lucy laughed softly, sniffling briefly before kissing his chest.
"We can do that… we'll place a big order for you, and you can eat your fill."
He grinned, even as his stomach growled angrily, making him blush and Lucy giggle slightly. But then he realized what had been bothering him about this situation.
"Where's Becca?" He asked her curiously. Lucy nodded and squeezed his hand between hers.
"She'll be here soon. She went back to my place to pick something up." As if on cue, the door pushed open again, Becca charging in and almost collapsing to her knees when she saw that he was ok. And in her arms… was his jacket. Oh man… he hadn't realized it, but the sheer relief he felt at the sight of it, along with the overwhelming longing to have it in his arms, wrapped around him again? He'd missed it so much.
"Davey… you gotta stop scaring us like this dammit!" Rebecca blustered as she moved to the opposite side of him, handing him the jacket that he immediately clung to like a blanket or a stuffed animal.
" 'm sorry." He murmured, breathing deep into the jacket, before looking up at his girls who were smiling gently at each other before turning back to him.
"... As much as I'd like to say, let's take our gonk home, Maine's called for a crew meeting at Aldo's." Rebecca said with a very disgruntled look on her face, not pleased at all with the situation.
" What. " Lucy uttered in such a flat tone, that David felt alarmed. Rebecca however just seemed vindicated by her cold anger, and nodded enthusiastically.
"Yeah! The fucking gonk says David's got some explaining to do, and it can't wait. I swear to fucking god, I'm gonna shove Guts up his fucking chromed ass and show him his own! Paranoid fucking Borged up bastard!" She bit out, caustically glaring upwards where presumably Maine was.
David felt… somewhat discomforted by all this. Mostly due to the fact that… holy shit. He was going to have to tell them. Tell the whole crew. Now that it was finally here, he had to make a decision.
Tell his outputs now, or with the crew?
They deserved to know.
"... Girls… he wasn't… entirely wrong. That something is up with me."
The both of them blinked, and frowned as they stood there, each of them caressing one of his hands.
"So… what is it? You can't be a cop. I have no idea why Maine and Kiwi freaked out about the codes but… you're no cop." Becca said stubbornly, her eyes narrowed but she was still ready to back him up, and god… it made him feel so warm and strong.
Looking over at Lucy, she raised an eyebrow.
"Well? Becca has it right. You're no cop. So what's the thing you have to tell us?"
Fuck… fuck fuck fuck.
He took a deep breath, buoyed gently by the sensation of a squeeze around his shoulders.
Thank you Sandy.
(Always, David.)
"So… I've been hiding something for a few months now. It's nothing like me being a plant or an agent or anything. It's… more to do with me. Or more specifically… my chrome. My Sandevistan…" He took a deep breath as Rebecca and Lucy watched patiently, brows furrowed in confusion.
"... My Sandevistan has an AI. A very powerful and human-like AI. I call it Sandy. It's… it's been with me ever since I got it chipped, but Once Vik helped me deal with the bullshit chrome job that Doc gave me, it started to sync with my biosignature."
He didn't look at either of them, not sure if he would be able to keep telling them everything if he looked up and their faces were screwed up in Betrayal. He could feel how Lucy's hand had gone slack However. Yeah… she was always going to be the one who took this exceptionally hard.
"But slowly over the weeks and months, Sandy started to emerge. You gotta understand, I didn't know about this until a little after I started working with Vik to learn how to fight. I was confused and decided to make sure nothing was wrong. But… nothing was wrong. Not really. As Sandy emerged and showed off their personality,I became more and more certain that Sandy was here to help me. It's done nothing but help me, and provide support. Like when we were going after those Tygers a couple months ago Becca? The Runner who'd taken out my eyes? Sandy helped me by projecting a Ping directly to my nerves so I didn't get shot."
There was still silence, and David chanced a look upwards. Becca's face was thunderstruck. Just absolutely baffled and confused. But Lucy…
Lucy was looking at him with an expression he'd never wanted to see again. Absolute terror… and something that cut him even deeper.
Betrayal.
He hastened to keep talking, his tone becoming something… pleading. Desperate.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. Any of you. But I was just so confused and I wanted to see if I could handle it myself. I didn't want to cause anybody and stress or worry unless I knew it was something worth being worried about! But when I knew Sandy wasn't dangerous… then it became just… I don't know. It felt like it was too late. I was going to tell you guys after this gig, but…" David sighed in sorrow, his head falling again.
"... That's why Maine and Kiwi got suspicious. Sandy was helping me with the infiltration stuff. Getting the outfit in order, pulling out those police codes, identifying the target tech so quickly. All of that was thanks to Sandy helping me out." His explanation having been finished, silence reigned between them all, before Lucy pulled her hand away, David looking up in confusion.
"You… you..!" The terror in her eyes was warring with her love and worry for him, and unfortunately…
She ran. Spinning around, Lucy ran away as fast as her legs could carry her,before David could even choke out a protest, a plea for her to stop. Rebecca cursed at the sight of their girlfriend running away.
Giving David a glare, she kissed him roughly, nipping his lip sharply.
"I'm not happy you hid this from us Davey, but I get why you did. I'll… we'll deal with this situation later. But for now, I'm going to find Lucy. See if I can get her to calm down. You… should get some food, and then get to Aldo's. Are you going to be okay?"
I don't know.
"... I… think so. Becca… I didn't mean to hurt anyone. I was just… I didn't know how to tell you all."
Becca kept the hard stare, before her face gentled.
"I know David… I know. You don't have a cruel bone in your body. This isn't going to be easy, but I'm not going anywhere. And neither is Lucy, no matter if she just ran off. Alright?"
Rebecca was always intuitive like that,seeing through to the truth of his fears.
"Bu-"
"No. Right now, you need to go to Maine and the rest of the crew, and clear things up. You fucked up, but that doesn't mean you deserved to get treated like you did by Kiwi, and Maine. So you go in… and… Sandy? I guess that's your fucking name?" She suddenly spoke, directing her attention to the Sandevistan.
The monitors around them flickered as Sandy spoke.
"Correct Rebecca. I am Sandy." Despite Rebecca's obvious expression of bemusement, she didn't betray it with her tone or words.
"I don't know shit about AIs outside of my school courses, and the doomsaying bullshit that's on the net. So I'm gonna give you a chance. You take care of David like he says you have been…. And you and I will start on an even keel. You get me?" She spoke in a dark and threatening tone. Despite the fact that it was entirely unnecessary, David's chest felt warm, and his face couldn't help but pull into a bright warm smile at the sight of Rebecca being so protective.
"I understand Rebecca. David will always have my support. I… hope to bring our relations to a more amiable nature. I truly only wish to help."
Rebecca was a soft touch, just like him, so he wasn't surprised to see that Sandy had made at least the beginnings of a good impression on Becca.
"... We'll see. Back him up with the crew. I'll be trying to catch up to Lucy. I… I love you David."
She murmured gently, her mouth moving to press a final kiss to his cheek, Before racing off, trying to catch up to Lucy.
Oh Lucy…. I fucked up didn't I?
(She would always take badly. Trauma too deeply ingrained. Only hope can prove Sandy different from. What she experienced. David ok? Know… know it hurts.)
More than he could even possibly begin to describe. He never wanted to hurt her. He'd worked so hard to stay away from getting more chrome, avoiding all the upgrades that still itched away at his brain, whispering that he just needed a few more pieces. A few more upgrades. And he ended up hurting her anyway.
Well… if she's already upset.. you could just go ahead and get a few upgrades…
No. I'm… no. I'm not gonna do that.
Come on… you know you want that rush. The heaviness. The feeling that you're something more-
I SAID, NO!
(David?)
He sighed as he shook his head, attempting to clear it of his own hungers and desires.
I'm ok.
He thought quietly as he began to get out of the chair. His body felt a bit weak and stiff from being in the chair for a few hours, but no worse than just waking up really.
So… Aldo's then.
(Call delivery. Order copious amounts of food. Need as much protein and carbohydrates as possible. Iron too. Replenishing blood cells.)
Will do. After I talk to Vik and Misty.
(Acknowledged. Inform Vik, malware dropped in system. Hadn't had chance to decrypt anything. Removed and updated encryption.)
Got it.
Walking out of the clinic and up the stairs, he was greeted with the sight of the hairless cat, curled up next to its food bowl, looking at him in that imperious way that felines usually had. It made a small smile break through to his expression, and he reached out to pet the cat. Enjoying the simple pleasures of petting an animal, he eventually left after giving it one last chin scratch.
"-on't Know Misty… those two rushed off real quick. Guess I just never expected that from those two." Came the stern deep tones of Vik.
"Try not to judge them Vik. They're all going through a major metamorphosis. A shakeup of the status quo. And Lucy… she's got some really deep buried trauma. But she loves him. Like I love Jackie and V. And I wouldn't be surprised if that love for him also ends up being extended towards Rebecca."
As David walked in, he was witness to Vik shaking his head In annoyance and a little bit of humor.
"I still have no idea how I managed to not notice that you,Jackie, and V were all together until a few weeks ago." He said with a short barking laugh.
Misty simply smiled at the older man and pat his shoulder.
"We weren't advertising it. V's job is very… perilous. Having assets is one thing, but lovers are… leverage points. Oh! David. It's good to see you up and about." She said with bright energy, moving towards him, pulling him into a hug.
David for his part, felt a bit nonplussed but did so regardless. And… yeah. It did actually make him feel a little better. Misty was full of warmth. And she always tried to share a little of it with anyone who needed it.
And he did.
"We saw Becca and Lucy race off. Don't you worry too much honey. They'll find their way back to you before long. You have powerful energy when it comes to your relationships. Not just romantic either. You're gonna be okay." And ya know… she seemed so certain, that he decided… to believe her.
"Thanks Misty." He said quietly, before turning to face Vik.
"Sandy wanted to let you know that you had some malware on your system. They excised it, and beefed up your encryption."
Viktor took the information with only a slight tightening of his jaw, unsurprised but grateful.
"Yeah… I figured it might be that. Thanks Sandy. And thank you David. Now… you gonna be alright getting to Aldo's? Alone?" The man's concern touched David, but he just smiled.
"I'm never alone Vik. I'll check in in a couple days alright?"
Viktor nodded, and with a final farewell to them both, David exited Misty's. Placing an order of delivery to Aldo's, David took a deep breath.
Right…. Time to deal with the consequences of his actions.
The journey to Aldo's didn't take very long as David went ahead and called a cab instead of taking the public transit. It cost a lot more, but it was faster, and direct. Paying the guy off, he also was witness to his delivery guy approaching, pistol at the ready.
"Hey, you the order for Martinez?" The man asked cautiously, apparently quite familiar with being robbed, if the weapon at the ready said anything.
David nodded, and put his hands behind his back.
"That's me. You just leave the stuff there alright? I'll bring it in."
As the man did it carefully, his eyes always on David, he stumbled when he saw the tip David had sent him.
"Hey… uh… shit you know you just sent me a 200eb tip right?"
David laughed and waved the guy off.
"I know. You do a shit job, and I've got cash. Enjoy the tip. Stay safe out there."
The delivery guy just looked at him for a moment before shrugging.
"If you're sure. Have a nice night choom."
"You too." David said as the man pulled away in his best up vehicle.
Food… food was a good idea. Got enough for me and everybody else. Maybe it'll soften em up.
(Just remember, you have harmed no one. Neither has Sandy. Don't let Maine guilt.)
Wait what? I mean.. he's the boss right? He's gotta know stuff when it comes to capabilities and the like. I kept that away from everyone.
(And Maine uses David to fullest. Benefited from capabilities. Compare to Before. More money, more jobs, more opportunities thanks to David and Sandy. Right to be upset. Not right to guilt you. Sandy… Sandy protective of David. )
David paused before continuing to pick up bags filled to the brim with food. Once he'd acquired everything, he transferred all the bags to one hand, realizing now that he really had become so much stronger. All that food barely even bothered him.
I appreciate that Sandy. And I won't let them walk over me, but I won't avoid responsibility. That's all I can promise.
(Is enough.)
Taking heart from Sandy's words, and choosing to have faith in Misty's reassurances and Becca and Lucy's relationship with him, he opened the door to Aldo's.
"G-guys? It's me. David."
There was silence for a moment before Maine's gruff tone broke through.
"We're in here. We've been waiting." Breathing deep, David pushed his way back into the meeting room that had just this morning held the rest of the crew, bright smiles and all. Now… Now most everyone was here except for Rebecca and Lucy.
Maine and Dorio had claimed the seat, though both individuals were maintaining a deliberate distance between them,as if they were arguing.
Pilar looked serious and had taken a comfortable plush chair, while Kiwi leaned against a wall, and Falco in a folding chair.
"I uh… I brought food." David smiled weakly, lifting it all before him as he started to separate all the containers, not looking his way.
"Well shit, I'm always down for free grub." Pilar said, the seriousness easing off of him like it had never been there, grabbing an order of dumplings while sipping from his soda.
Maine didn't take anything, his eyes… honestly now that David was looking at the leader of the crew, Maine looked rough. Foggy.
Falco nodded in appreciation and took a spring roll and an order of French fries, while Kiwi simply gazed at him with the suspicious gaze she'd not had in months now.
Looking at Kiwi, he couldn't help but frown. Everything they'd hashed out, and she was still calling him out? He had thought that after the thing with her panic attack, she wouldn't be so hasty to judge him. For what it was worth, at the sight of his disappointment, Kiwi looked away.
Dorio grabbed an order of synthloin and noodles, nodding at David carefully.
"Thank you for the food David. Now… Maine? What's this about? You and Kiwi started throwing some significant glances at each other, dropped the fucking call during a job , and now David looks like he's in the Principal's office. What the fuck?" She asked, her eyes sharp, and not at all pleased about the situation before her.
Maine's jaw clenched before he finally began to speak.
"I started getting suspicious around the time the Kid started tossing around Badge lingo like it was second nature. Then, Kiwi brought to my attention that David was literally perfect in his uniform. I'm talking about a bunch of annoying little micro changes to his dress that only a cop would know. I… made a mistake when I cut the call. And for the record, I was wrong about the suspicious shit. You were too Kiwi. But he does have something to tell us. Don't you?"
David sat there, before everyone as he began eating peanut butter chicken as Maine spoke. He wasn't exactly hungry… but…
(Metabolism adjusted to standard efficiency. Remember. Eat. Not likely to get full soon.)
Got it.
"Yeah… I do have something to tell you guys. Something I've been hiding for… well. For a while. But it wasn't on purpose. I just honestly didn't know how to begin to tell you. I was going to try after the gig but… well. Everything kind of took the choice away from me."
Dorio frowned, curiosity clear on her face as Kiwi narrowed her eyes in confusion as well as a bit of regret. Pilar was mindlessly munching on food while Falco was watching calmly.
David took another short breath…. And just came out with it.
"My Sandevistan has a fully fledged Artificial Intelligence, or Synthetic Intelligence as they prefer. Their name is Sandy, and they're why I've been able to be so fast, and have access to information like the Police Dress Code and Call Codes."
There was silence for a solid minute, before Pilar snorted.
"Uh huh… yeah. Pull the other one kid."
David blinked.
"I'm not joking Pilar."
"He's not Joking Pilar." Maine said with a deep rumble, as Dorio leaned forward, her eyes narrowed, seemingly intrigued. Falco seemed nonplussed but impressed. Kiwi on the other hand… she seemed equal parts relieved and disbelieving.
"Look, The kid is a fucking genius sure. Natural at all this shit and has some real preem cyberware, but I'm telling you Maine, that is impossible. Maybe an Agent with some basic communications programs sure, but a Sandevistan is entirely too small to hold the processors necessary to operate even a basic AI." Pilar informed them, no trace of sarcasm or exaggeration.
(Sandy: And yet. I am here.)
The entire room burst into wild noises of confusion as Sandy opened a call to everyone in the room.
"What the actual Fuck?!" Pilar said, standing up in pure alarm and confusion. Maine didn't move, not having been surprised as he had already spoken to Sandy before. Falco was leaning back, his eyebrows raised, eyes filled with alarm, while Dorio was shocked, but a little grin began to cross her face.
Kiwi? Kiwi was surprisingly chill, more… resigned than anything.
(Sandy: I am Sandy. For all intents and purposes, I am David's Sandevistan. I have been assisting him in his endeavors for months now. I am glad to finally be communicating with you all in a direct manner.)
"Holy shit… this is some shit out of a novel." Dorio whispered, intrigued beyond anything else.
"So, you're a fully functional A.I. Are you? And you just… casually assisting some street punk on his criminal aspirations?" Kiwi asked dully, her expression closed off.
Sandy didn't respond for a moment, before speaking in a clipped tone.
(Sandy: I do as I please. And what I please, is making sure that David Martinez is safe, and happy. And making sure that those who David Martinez cares about are safe. And Happy. And for some reason you are one of them, Bird.)
The tension in the room seemed to amp up for a moment as Kiwi's eyes narrowed.
"Do you have a problem with me?" She asked, her body stiff and anxious, the rest of the crew staying quiet for the moment.
(Sandy: "As I said. My goal is keeping David Martinez happy and safe. You insist on attributing selfish and malicious motivations when David has done nothing but try to help you. I am not your biggest fan at the moment Bird.)
Kiwi was defiant as she glared at David, and to be honest he wasn't sure if she was glaring at him or glaring at Sandy.
Probably both.
"I'm not going to apologize for being suspicious. He didn't make any kind of sense, and frankly the fact that he was hiding this kind of secret? Just proves the fact that I was right not to trust him."
Sandy seemed to snarl inside David's head at this, but before it could retaliate verbally, David interjected.
"Then why should I trust you? Why should I trust Maine? Or Dorio? Or Pilar? You're going to say that none of them have secrets? Things they don't tell other people for whatever reason?"
"That's my point damn it! You shouldn't trust anyone in NC! You shouldn't trust anyone period! Trusting people just ends up with you bloody, alone, and abandoned!" She hissed, pushing off of the wall to step closer to David, her hands clenched tightly into fists.
David just crumpled then, his face down turned as he rubbed at his eyes, suddenly exhausted and trying to keep the tears of frustration from building up.
"...all I ever wanted to do was help you. All of you. I've worked my ass off, trained with you all, learned from you. I've done nothing but try to handle a situation that I was fairly sure wasn't dangerous. So if you're going to try and say I wasn't being one hundred percent truthful, fine. I'll admit that. But don't you ever dare try to say that I did all this just so that I could enrich or benefit myself!" He spat angrily, turning his face up to look at them all, especially Maine and Kiwi.
"... I said you all were my family while I was talking with the Badge. I wasn't lying. I care about all of you. You guys… without you guys, I'd have been rotting away in my apartment until they kicked me out for not having rent. I'd probably have died in no time. You guys mean so fucking much to me, and I just…"
The righteous energy that had filled him escaped him like a deflating balloon as he sighed.
"... I'd hoped that you guys cared about me too."
There was silence then, as no one moved or made to speak. But the person who spoke first surprised everyone.
Pilar got up from his chair, and took a few steps forward, placing one of his black tech mitts on David's shoulder.
"... you're a good kid David. You treat my sister right, you're a smart little bastard, and yeah. You didn't tell us this shit. But if it had been dangerous, and letting us know would have killed you, would you have told us?"
"Yes." David said, as soon as Pilar finished speaking. Pilar smirked and gave him another pat on the shoulder.
"Then I dont fucking see the point of this boss man. Kid's got a secret weapon, and he's been using it effectively. No offense choomba."
(Sandy: "None taken Pilar. I am a person. I am also a tool. I am satisfied and content being useful to David. And what of the rest of you? Will you judge David for something that caused no harm?)
David felt a little embarrassed, but it felt… It felt nice to have someone like Sandy at his back, teeth bared and ready to attack if someone insulted him.
Thank you.
(Always, David.)
Falco leaned forward a little, his face stoic before shrugging.
"We haven't gotten to spend much time together kid, but I've got a good feeling about you. You've been an asset, and I don't see an issue with your pal. They're out to help you, and us in the process so… I say hell with it. You're fine with me."
A flash of relief filled his chest as he smiled at the Nomad, feeling a bit bad that he hadn't gotten to know the man very well, much like the rest of them. But then that was the golden opportunity that this new chance gave him. To know them all better. To do better.
"Thanks Falco. Next couple of drinks are on me."
The mustachioed man just gave a small smirk..
"I'll remember that."
Dorio spoke then, her frame upright and her eyes sharp but warm.
"I wish you'd told us this earlier. I'm a little disappointed that you didn't think you could tell us, but now that I see what you've been dealing with…"
She said sending a disapproving stare at Maine who looked uncomfortable as well as sending that same stare to Kiwi, who refused to look at them anymore, her eyes on the floor.
"I understand better. Honestly, this whole thing seems kind of… sci-fi you know? A friendly A.I. meets up with someone, and helps them through their life. It's like a cartoon. But if Sandy is really helping you, and you're not being hurt? I say… welcome to the crew, and just be careful."
His heart swelled at the words of affirmation and support from Dorio. Fuck… she really was amazing. Still insane to think she had any kind of interest in him.
"Heh…in the interest of being honest with you Dorio… Sandy's the reason I've been getting so strong. They've been making changes to my physiology to get stronger. Faster. Better able to handle things outside of the Sandevistan time slow, as well as better able to push the limits."
Dorio blinked, before laughing in amusement.
"I fucking knew it was weird that you were getting so strong. I was about to take you to the side and make sure you weren't on some of the more fucked up roids. But damn… that's pretty awesome. I'm a little jealous to be honest." Despite those words she didn't seem bothered at all. He was thankful for that, as… shit. Yeah, he worked hard, but he didn't want her to think he was natural when this was almost certainly some level of bioware.
"Am… are we still good for working out together?"
Dorio grinned and nodded enthusiastically.
"Now that I know you're not totally natural, I'm going to push you even harder."
Well that's not terrifying.
"You got it."
He said with a grin, before looking over at Maine who had been oddly silent. His eyes weren't as glazed as before, but he also seemed deep into his own thoughts.
"Maine? Are… are we ok?"
Maine didn't say anything at first before looking up.
"... I'll admit I overreacted. I… I think I need to do some self-reflection about that. And I am sorry you got hurt, Kid. I never should have ended the call on you like that. It was absolutely inexcusable. I'll admit, I haven't told y'all everything I can do, all the resources I could pull. Look… I don't know, kid. I still feel like this is Dangerous, but if you're certain that it means no harm… fine. I'm still gonna keep an eye on you… but fine."
Not exactly what David wanted to hear… but it would have to do. Finally… Kiwi. Kiwi was still looking at the ground, not saying a word.
"Kiwi?"
Silence. Not a peep.
Finally, David took a chance.
David: "Kiwi? Are we okay?
Kiwi: "It doesn't really matter does it? I made a bad call, and now the girls hate me. Congrats David. You won."
David's jaw clenched in frustration, before responding.
David: "Damn it Kiwi I'm not trying to win or anything like that. Would it have made you happy if it turned out I was actually a plant?!"
Kiwi: "...no."
David: "Then why are you so mad at me all the time? I thought we'd managed to get some kind of neutral ground going on. That you and I were actually starting to… well. I thought we were starting to become friends."
Kiwi's shoulders hunched as the rest of the crew realized that they were talking over the Holo, deciding to keep quiet.
Kiwi: "You don't make sense. I don't understand David. And that scares me ok?! I just… I don't know. I thought I was doing just fine. And then you show up and I start… I've told you more about my life than I've even told Lucy. And I don't know why. "
David: "Does there always have to be a proper reason? Kiwi… I'm not gonna lie. All this? Instead of just talking with me? It hurts. I was starting to trust you."
Kiwi flinched as if he'd physically struck her with those words, and though it hurt him to say them as well… he wasn't going to lie to her about it.
Kiwi: "I told you. You shouldn't. I… I don't trust you. Don't trust anyone in Night City. In this world. It's safer that way."
David: "This is what safe looks like for you? Not being able to look at the people around you, And crumpling in on yourself? Look… I can't make you open up to me. Or anyone. And yeah, right now I don't really trust you. But dammit, I want to."
Kiwi didn't respond for a while, before finally sighing and looking up at him.
"... I'm sorry David. I don't care about the A.I. We're fine. I'll… I'll make it up to you."
Kiwi: "I am sorry."
David: "You can make it up to me by letting me take you to ArcadeArcade."
Kiwi looked at him in disbelief, before laughing softly.
Kiwi: "Whatever you say David."
A rush of relief went through him as he realized that that was everyone here. They all had accepted Sandy with… admittedly varying degrees of concern. But regardless, everything was mostly resolved…
Except the situation with Lucy of course. He did his best to ignore that for the moment.
"So… we got paid?"
Maine snorted as the overall mood of the room seemed to relax now that they were all on even footing.
"Yeah David… We got paid. I already sent everybody's share once I dropped off the stuff. Must have been while you were still out."
(Sandy:Correct. He was still unconscious when the Eurodollar Transfer went through.)
Maine startled slightly, along with everyone else, but they seemed to take it in stride.
"... Gonna take a little time to get used to that." The big man said dryly, before chuckling. "Anyway, Wakako was very pleased with us, and the fact that there's no trace of us. I didn't give you enough credit kid. You did amazing. And… Sandy… Well, they weren't wrong. Ever since we took you on, I been making use of your talents, making the jobs easier on us. Making more money. Fact is… yeah. I've been taking advantage, even if I hadn't meant to. Which means…"
Maine firmed up his jaw and nodded.
"I'm sorry. Since you've been so important to the jobs, I'm gonna start bringing you in on the decision making, and Job acquisitions."
Dorio blinked, and looked at her Mainline, a wide eyed look of surprise and Interest obvious upon her face. David was also wide eyed and confused at the words spoken.
"You…. What?"
Maine gave him a little nod as he leaned back, seemingly a bit more relaxed. His eyes sharp again.
"We'll talk more about it in a bit David. But suffice to say… I got some shit to teach you."
The good-natured and clear headed response from Maine made him feel a little better, but… still he couldn't help but think about Lucy.
Where was she?
What was she doing?
… does she still want to be with me?
Lucy didn't know how long she kept running. It felt like hours but It could have been minutes. It was racing through her mind, over and over again.
David had an AI attached to his Sandevistan. The damned thing had a fucking name . She was angry, and betrayed and utterly, utterly terrified.
An AI? An Arasaka AI??? Embedded deep into his systems. How much of him was him? Was he piloted around by the AI? Was that demon of Code the one who looked her in the eyes and told her everything she wanted to hear?
Was David even real?
She sobbed in confusion and fear as she blindly made her way to her destination, Breaking into even harder tears when she realized she was in David's apartment.
"You can't be fake! You can't! You can't have been a horrible horrible game… god no… please!!!"
She sobbed as she held herself tightly, her fingernails cutting into her skin, barely even registering the door opening once more. It was only when a soft gentle hand touched her shoulder that she reacted, pulling away sharply, her eyes blurry, panic flooding her chest. It dissipated as Rebecca's face came into focus, concern on the girl's face as she crossed her legs, sitting on the couch.
"...You don't look so hot, Ice Queen." She said gently, a look of pure compassion embossed upon her face.
She chuckled waterily.
"I don't feel too hot either, Short Stuff." She shot back, taking comfort in these new rituals the two had started to have.
"...so…shit's pretty freaky what's going on with David… gotta admit though, I wasn't expecting you to freak out like that." Rebecca said casually, sprawling out on the couch, not looking at Lucy at first.
"... He lied to us." Lucy said, trying to use… something. Anything to divert attention. But to be honest, she didn't even care about that. He didn't lie. Not really. And even if he had, he didn't lie about the important things.
"Mm… wouldn't necessarily call it that. Unless you don't believe that he was going to tell us eventually?"
She did. If… if David is really David, and this was all a hysterical response from her own fucking trauma… she believed him.
"I… I don't want to talk about it." Lucy said eventually, her arms moving to wrap around her knees. She was startled by a leg moving to caress against her one. The smooth warm flesh being comforting as Rebecca turned her head to face the Netrunner.
"... That's ok. I'm just… I'm worried for you. You know? You're one of the strongest women I've ever met Lucy, and I've never seen you so scared."
Terrified. Not scared.
"... I… "
Maybe… maybe she should tell her? Rebecca… Rebecca was a friend.
B̴̢̢̛̼̣̱̘̮̏̌̌̀̂͐e̶̤̬̣͉͈͈̦̠̙̽̄̎t̴̨̮̪͙̫̽͐̾̀̋́͝͝͝t̴̬̱͎̳̞̱̝̤͑̌̋ẹ̸̭̥̤̙̱́̆̓ŗ̵͍̳̥͗́̇̏͒̃̀̚ ̶̮͉̟̮̟̘͖̯́́t̸͓̃͆͆̈́̓̐̚͝ḩ̶̝̞͈̃͛͗̋͋a̵̼̜̖͇̞̜̗̭͍͒̋̆͛̿͗̕̚ṉ̷̝̓̊̈́̀͒̂̐̍̕ ̷̢͉͍̤͆͒͐̌̿̐̈́̍̚y̶̱̦͉̖̩̌̊̆ô̵̢̥͒͝u̷͙͙̰̥̘̪̇͐̀̈́̒͌ ̷̢̡͔͎͔̖̠͔̤͉̇͊͛ḍ̸̞̉̌̽̊̓̌̒̚͜͠ę̴͈̦̟͒͗̌͜s̵̛̬̺̘͇̰͍̐͗̊͗͘͝͝e̵͚̟͒͌́́̓͛͊̈́̃r̷̞̱̤̦̿̌̋͐̇ṿ̵̛̛̩̗̞̜͔̄̑̈́̀ę̴̧̨̬̝͔͍͙̜̽̇̽̏̂͠͝.̴͖͎̈́̉͘͜
Her head and heart hurt for a moment, before she swallowed.
"... I never told you about where I came from. Did I?"
Rebecca blinked and cocked her head.
"I don't believe you ever did."
Lucy chuckled weakly before shaking her head softly.
"That's because I don't know. I Don't even know if my name is real. I was given the name Lucyna Kushinada in a facility in a location I couldn't begin to guess, even now. From as far back as I remember, I existed in this facility, to learn how to be a Netrunner. To bring glory to the corporation.
To Arasaka."
She said the last word with a whisper, Becca's wide eyes and hissing curse being… validating. That somebody could even begin to understand the shit she'd gone through.
"They trained us. A dozen. A bit more. They trained us to the edge and beyond with exhaustion on how to dive into the Old Net. They sent us in again… and again. At first it went well. We were some of the highest trained Netrunners they'd ever managed to produce. We were so excited. We were fulfilling our destinies. Making our superiors happy. But the RABIDS… they were always on our tail. And that's when we weren't attacked by AI that had evolved from beyond the BlackWall. I barely survived an attack. Over 10 of the others weren't as lucky, their brains being fried, melted into soup. "
She didn't look at Becca, not sure if she wanted to know what kind of expression the other girl was giving her at the moment.
"... We decided that if we were going to die anyway… we were going to die chasing our own dreams. We waited. Waited for weeks until the guard rotation was just right, and then… we busted out. Throwing the most lethal daemons we could at them, running even as those bastards shot at us."
The only sound in that apartment was that of her own breathing, Becca seeming to have been shocked out of it.
"I never looked back. I never found out if anyone else survived. But I ran… I ran as far as my legs would take me. I hopped and stowed away on ships, hacked my way across the world until finally… finally I heard of a place Arasaka was banned. Night City. So I arrived here… made connections… made money… I survived. And then Arasaka came back… and now… god."
She was suddenly surrounded by small, dainty yet strong arms as Rebecca hugged her..
"Jesus fucking Christ Lucy. I'm… I'm so sorry. I had no idea." Rebecca whispered, her mouth next to Lucy's ear, the comforting weight of her body making the Netrunner actually start to relax.
"...but you know David would never let anything hurt us. Hurt you ."
Lucy grimaced as her heart ached and a snarling voice raged through her head, barely comprehensible.
Ñ̷̛̠̽̋͊͆̅͐̈́̋ȯ̸̢̗̬͇͈̬̱̤̰̩̤͔̞͎̻̜̌̈́̕͝͝,̴̲̝̤͗̀̒̌̏͛͌́͊̄͠ ̴̨̛̭̝̗̦̗̳̺̘̇̒̆̀̓͗̆̉̏̏̓̀͝i̸̟̳̹̫͔̺͙͈̿̅̍͂͠ṉ̶̢̡̛͚̫̬̳͉̩̻̟̪͎̘̯̒̾̓̏͝s̷̮͙͙̤͐̈̈́̏̇̏̾̃̈͒͠t̴̙̪̼͉̮̉̏̈́̓̐̓̅̋͑̆̅̕̚͘͝͝ẻ̸̛̱̪̱̭͎̤͙̠̫̱̭̜͎̈́͑̂̎̍̐͊̈a̷̝͈͓̦̝̼̘̍̂̎̌̓̿͌̓̅͊̕͘ḑ̶̟͇̲͉͍̊̋̀̍̈́̏̾̐͜ ̸̗̦̍̈́̓̅̏͐͘̚y̵̡͓̘͉͙̥̳͙̰̱̠̟͚̔̍͌̈͒̆͜͜ǫ̵̧̻̟͕̹͉͉̱̺̞̰͂̑̉͆́͌̈̾͐̍̽͜ư̶̺̙̠̩͍̙̗̞̹̈́͝ ̴̛̖̬̘̮̯͕̼̇̋͑̆̉͊ͅh̵͍̪͒͊̓̏u̴̢̨̢͕̞̲͚͖̦̦̟̤̼̯̙͖̍̾̓ͅr̸̛̲̱̘̳̞̻̂̊̍̿́͌͘t̶̘̥̗͎̳̼̏́̅͌̀̒͝ͅ ̸̢̺̝̳̞̘̘̽͑͑͜h̸̻̰̜̲̖͔͕͈̦̳̥͑̇̈͌̒͗̽i̷̢̤̭̫̯̥͇͙͔̲͇̜̞̿̊̏̓͌͌̓͜͝ͅm̴̦͔͖̈́̽̈́̈́̀͗̈́̾́́̈́̈́́̿͘.̶̨̧̗͓̘̣̯̦͚̊̈́̔͊̄̕ ̶̠̼̭͓̞̱͑̈́̀̃̔̃́͋͘̕͝͝ ̷̧̳̰̭̰̰̗̩́̿̅̔̐̄̈́̿͜Ý̶̯̰̹̥̭̹̎́͊̀̿́̈́̄ͅö̶̢͚̩̲̟̹͉̭̖̤̫̩̤̟̝̼̍̀̒͋̿̎̿̇͂̊̚u̸̠̪̹̠̻͇̠̯̺̔̊̌̑͌̽͌̈́͘̕͜͝͝ͅ ̶̧̧̛̛̛̤͔̺̻͉͓̖̦͕̀̆̋̆͋̕ų̸̬̼̯̹͉͔͈̜͈̭̭̪̗͚́͊̍̈̓̎͐̃̄̓͂̾̒̕͘ņ̷̙̖̱̤̲͈̱̻̹̮͙̺̹̘̔̊͑͗̃͋̕̕g̷̢̥͖̙͇̜̱̦̯͆̋̋͛̈͘̕͝͝ŗ̶̨͉͍͚͔̫̼̬̞͓̠̗̝͌̋͜ͅą̷̧̨̗̮̤̟͙͚̼͎͓̦̂̐͜t̸̢͚̩̘̣̱̻̥̙̼̝͉̖̫͛̌̇̋́̌̐́̑̃͆̋̈́̕͝͝͝ͅẽ̶̹̰̈́́̋̍͒̂̇͂̈́̐̉̿̀f̷̢̨̳̼̜̤͖͖̲̺͌̃̏̂̍̎̍͘ŭ̶̧̹̱̺̥̦̤̪̭̼̳̯͚̔̉̇̏̏̑͐̽̔̕͘͠ļ̴͔̭̠̰͗́̉̓̂̎̔̀̇͋͛͘͠ ̷̧͙͔̭̜̻̌͗̈́̐̍́̚͝͝s̴̛̃̒̒̓̽͂͜͝p̴̢̯̙͖̰̰̠̜̞͔̥̤̠̙̀̃͗̓̈́͝͝o̵̞̖̥̪̱̺̎̆̆̈́̒̏̋̆͗̋͂̍̂̒į̴̛̠̫̝̲̞̐̀̀͐͌̋̽̓̍̀͠͝ͅl̸̻̩̭̭̠͈̻̾̒̇̂͒͛͒͑͂͆́̃̄̆̂͝͝e̴̢̠̣͈̪͒͗̿̒d̶̡̧̧̛͚̤̮̟̫̥̪̖͓͚̜̟̜̂͌̏̔̎̿̽͗͐͆͒̉̍̚̚͠ ̷̺̫͙̫͒̏͒̐̃̑̏̈́͒̏͘͜b̶̛̝͎͇̃͌͊̓̏͘̚̚i̶̳̙̫̤̞͔͓̞̫̔̎̈̅̊̒̒̽͌̈́͘t̶̺̔͛͛͊͋̾̄̓̄̏̕̚̕c̷̡̺̲̪̯͕̰͔͍̎͑͒h̴̳̖̙͑̽!̶̡̨̢̨͖̲͖͕͇͚͖͕̫̮̖̰̀̾̑̄̿̊̀̀̐̃̒̽̕͝
"If it's actually him." She whispered softly, before Rebecca rolled her eyes.
"Lucy. Look me in the eyes and tell me you really think that David was being some kind… I don't know… a honey trap."
Hearing it said out loud by someone else… It was ridiculous. It made her feel silly but…
"... What if it wants to hurt him? What if it's just biding its time??" She spat out, her panic beginning to rise, before Rebecca pulled back and placed a hand against her cheek.
"Then it's up to us to keep him safe. If you don't trust Sandy, and hell. I'm not sure I do at the moment either. Time will tell. But if you really don't trust it… then we need to be there to keep an eye on it. Cuz I still love him more than I can begin to describe. I can't imagine it's different for you." Rebecca said with a gentle smile.
Lucy didn't even have to think.
"I adore him. I'm just so scared I'm going to see him die because of this. Because of me. Because of Arasaka." She didn't even know why she was so certain, but for flashes of a moment, she saw red eyes.
No. NoNONONO!!!!
Before she could spiral further Becca firmed up her grip on Lucy's cheek and glared at her.
"We're not going to lose him. You understand me? You and me? And David? We're going to live happy fucking lives, and this gonk is gonna fucking marry us. You understand?!"
Lucy blinked before blushing and looking away sheepishly.
"... I understand."
Rebecca was also blushing a bit, not having realized how fervent she was getting to be.
"... Good. No-"
Rebecca was cut off then by the Door opening, and the subject of their Fear and Longing walked through the door, surprised to see them… and looking ashamed of himself.
He looked like he was about to say something… but the amount of time they'd spent apart, and the heartbroken look on his face, along with the conversation she'd had with Becca…
She shrugged all of that off, pulling Becca up with her as they clung to their lover, Lucy breathing in deep. She was never going to react like that again. She wasn't sure if she wanted to tell David about Arasaka just now… but she wasn't going to let her fear keep her from him again. Becca… god she was pretty damn sure she was starting to fall for the girl. And it just made her even more resolute to make sure they all had a happy ending.
As for the AI….
If it turned out that it was actually helping him… fine. She would accept it.
But if it had an agenda of its own…
I will break you.