Act 2: In His Shadow

It was always the same with Claire Russell. Keira would drive over to her garage, they'd talk over a cold soda, before Claire would carry Keira into the bedroom whilst their lips were locked onto each other. It'd always end the same, with both cuddling into one another in bed. For both, it wasn't because of love, but for relieving each other of their stressful lives. . . and because they were also very good friends. Whilst both had demanding jobs, they'd always make time for each other.

Keira held onto Claire closely, who was taller and muscular compared to her and not even a singular piece of cyberware adorned her frame. A moment like this was always comfortable. "Remember when we first met Keira?" Claire said aloud, stroking her friend's hair.

"Yeah. V took me along to meet Rogue in the Afterlife, and during the meeting, you arrived with a David Martinez, a Jackie Welles and a Johnny Silverhand. You wore that awesome pride necklace and I said that's an awesome necklace. You were blushing and almost spilt my drink, but caught it in the last second."

Claire smiled, "You wouldn't stop staring at my chest whenever I bent down to give you a drink. Sure a guy or two did it, but you were completely hypnotised."

Keira laughed at the memory, "I think Rogue was more surprised that you always came to say hi to me. Look at us now, two friends meeting up for a "yoga" session and cuddling up afterwards to forget the stress. I'm glad we can do this."

"Same. . . Even if we've had one or two noise complaints." Claire and Keira giggled as they kept close, both keeping each other warm. The bartender slash engineer looked at the photo of herself and her husband Dean, with the sun setting behind them. Despite giving up her need for revenge and retiring from races after letting Sampson go, she felt like she was beginning to heal. "So what's the next big gig for you Keira?" She asked.

Keira looked up and said, "I think Rogue's wanting me to do some small gigs for now. After that whole ordeal with the Longridge case, she felt it'd be good for me to handle delivery stuff. First stop is delivering some new tech band equipment for Kerry Eurodyne and the girls from Us Cracks up at North Oak."

Claire smirked, "You don't sound at all excited, nor dissapointed. I mean Kerry was and is one of the living faces of Samurai. . ." She let Keira climb on top of her, both feeling the urge to go another round.

"I still haven't listened to any of their albums Claire. . . So can't really make a judgement until I have." The young Merc said as she closed in on her friend's face, biting her lower lip as she felt the firm but gentle hands carress her back.

Claire kissed her on the nose, "That's why I like you Keira. You always give something a chance, even if it's not something you're normally into." She said before being silenced by a kiss.

Eurodyne estate - The following day. . .

North Oak. The place of the famous, the Corpo bigwigs and the rockstars. It may look like it'd be surrounded by invading paparazzi, but the reality was that it's a quiet area, out of the way but still in the city. Keira sat in a van with the listed band equipment by herself, wearing her usually punky attire minus the jacket. The sun was blazing down, the skies mostly clear but dark grey clouds coming from the south, most likely heavy rain. The Rockstar's large doors opened, letting her drive in carefully. Upon parking, she noticed several security bots patrol the grounds, alongside cameras to survey the less patroled areas.

"Not a bad place." Keira thought to herself upon exiting the van, ready to be greeted. The mansion doors opened and revealed a half asleep Kerry Eurodyne, wearing nothing but a nightgown, blue flip flops and sunglasses. Judging by the slow walk and the clutch of the head, he was hungover.

"Fuuuuuuck me. . ." Kerry said aloud as he looked to the parked van, "Never mixing whiskey, vodka, and tequila ever again. . ." He groaned out. But when he looked closer at the van, a sudden burst of energy surged through him. "Fuck the hangover! I see my delivery!" He exclaimed as he jogged towards the amused driver, who waited quietly.

Kerry stopped in front of Keira, removing his sunglasses. "You're early." He said, smiling. "Wasn't expecting you for another few hours." Stating as he took a look at the driver, a part of him swore that they met. "You know you kinda remind me of someone. . .".

This prompted Keira to reply, "Everybody tells me that." She smiled as she went to open the back of the van to show the new equipment. Judging by Kerry's face, he was more than happy. He was absolutely overjoyed. He inspected the gear, checking for any damage. His smile grew wider upon finishing the inspection.

"Now that's what I call an efficient delivery. Seriously you've made me and the others very fucking happy. I'll let the crew take it from here." Kerry said as he waved to a group of men, most likely tech support and movers who knew how to set up band equipment. The Rockstar gestured Keira to follow him, who left the van for the crew to handle the gear.

The mansion interior made the young Merc gasp. Though a little messy with boxes of takeouts, bottles and cans, and what appeared to be torn up trousers on the sofa, this place was more than comfortable. Keira was led to the living room, taking a seat on the leather couch.

"So uh. Is the tech all you needed?" Keira asked, raising a leg over the other, eagerly wanting to recieve her pay and just leave them to it. Kerry sat opposite her, grabbing a computer tablet.

He smiled, "It's exactly what we needed before I go on tour with Us Cracks." With a tap on the tablet, the money was transferred instantly. Keira was satisfied with the amount, suppressing her need to stim knowing she did a good job.

Kerry took another at her, and noticed the small tattoo on her right wrist. It depicted an iteration of a fox, baring its teeth with golden eyes. The Rockstar also took note of the larger tattoo on her left shoulder to her elbow, which were a pair of black angelic wings. "Are you a nomad?" He asked.

Keira raised an eyebrow, "What gave it away?" She asked. "Is it the way I sit?" She added. It wasn't long until they were soon joined by three colourful iconic ladies. Purple Force, Red Menace and Blue Moon strolled down the steps together.

"Kerry-San! You could've told us you had a visitor!" One girl shouted.

"Just paying our courier for the delivery!" Kerry shouted back, "I knew a guy with a similar set of tattoos. You've probably heard of him? He's called V." He said as he finished transfering the credits to Keira, who nodded in both the amount of eddies recieved, and the question that was asked.

Keira answered, but rather be honest, she told a simple white lie. "I've heard the stories about how he managed to break into Arasaka with fellow Nomads. Also heard that he killed Adam Smasher by himself too." A part of her hoped Kerry would back off from the questions, especially when she didn't want to stay around and hear about her brother's well known story.

"Guy always knew what to say. Stopped me from destroying my own career, and now I'm going on tour with Us Cracks. V even brought an old friend along to bring Samurai back for one night only."

Kerry sent the money as he spoke, "Anyway. I bet you've got other deliveries to deal with. Thanks again and maybe I'll see you in a concert."

With simple nod, Keira stood up, "Maybe you will. Have a great tour Mister Eurodyne." And with that, she left the Rockstar's home, letting out a breath of relief now that she could focus on the next delivery.

Later that day . . .

Keira stared into space as she sat on top of the van, not too far from a now abandoned Nomad camp. The radio quietly played away whilst she contemplated if she should tackle another big gig, especially so soon after taking down a serial killer and gang boss. It seemed that no matter where she went, her brother's influence and reputation always came along with her.

She understood why, because it was her brother afterall, and everything she learned and did would come from him. A part of Keira was tired of being in her brother's shadow, whilst another part was grateful that he went above and beyond just to ensure that she would live comfortably and survive on her own in Night City.

"Wish you would call more often V. . ." She thought silently, "Where do I go from here? Keep doing these simple gigs and play it safe? Or do I say fuck it and start aiming higher?" Conflicted by her thoughts, she let out a sigh, unable to make a decision.

The drive back into the neon city was straight forward at least, with traffic moving without issue. Keira continued listening to the radio, eager to get back home. It wasn't long until she reached the car park just beside Megabuilding H10. With the van being picked up by a contact tomorrow, Keira was eager to get into some sleepwear and rest. The apartment complex was quiet, a few residents outside would have a smoke or a drink to pass the time. For the Nomad, this was less of a hassle than going from camp to camp back when she was younger. Upon entering her apartment, the lights automatically turned on, illuminating the room for her to see. Keira locked her door and kicked her boots off and took the rest of her clothing off, leaving only her undergarments. With a switch into a black t-shirt and white shorts, she sat herself down on the bed, pushing a switch to dim the lights. Not finished, she activated her radio to listen to the latest news and occurences in Night City.

"Our top story tonight, the newly elected Mayor of Night City: Elizabeth Peralez has pledged the citizens of the city to take part in a major cleaning operation in regards to the once popular beaches of the city. This is Misses Peralez's second month since taking over from her husband: Jefferson Peralez, who suffered from cyber pyschosis and is currently being treated at his private apartnent in Heywood."

Keira continued to listen, curious about the clean up operation. The radio host played an audio from the Mayor. "Night City is our city, and it is our duty to look after it. The new beach clean up project is planned to not only recycle and remove garbage, but to also encourage families to come back and breathe life into them once more."

The audio ended and switched back to the positive host. "The Mayor's project has recieved praise by many, and even some of the other parties have voiced their praise and are wishing to partake in the project. All citizens are invited to volunteer, and will be paid for helping in cleaning up the beaches! Truly a remarkable way to bring the city folk together."

"Does seem like a less stressful job. . . Doubt the pay will be any good but the money could go to a homeless shelter." The young Nomad smiled at the idea and intended to go through with it. She turned the radio off as she felt her eyes grow heavy, the gentle humming from the air conditioner somewhat assisted in bringing her to sleep.

Another simple task right?

End of Act 2

Author's Notes:

Hello all! I apologise for the absence as I have been trying to improve myself as a person and as a fellow writer. I certainly hope to get back into the swing of things so fret not! I will continue my work to the best of my ability and will hope to share my work with you all!