Authors Note: I do not own Cyberpunk 2077, just an avid game fan.

Rated M for MATURE.

(MACHINE GUN KELLY AND TRAVIS BARKER - A Girl Like You (Paradise City Soundtrack)) Copy and paste into Youtube.


I awoke in a room bathed in a soft morning glow, Enveloped within Judy's apartment. For a moment, I savored the warmth and comfort under a small blanket. As consciousness settled in, I yearned to see her silhouette sprawled on the couch, only to realize I was alone there. The events of the previous night lingered like fragments of a dream.

My bleary gaze shifted to the coffee table where a ham and cheese sandwich lay with a coffee, a new message sounded within my halo as I opened the screen to find a text from Judy. Her words danced across the display.

Mornin' sleepyhead!

Had to run, didn't wanna wake you.

Made you breakfast, eat up!

A sense of gratitude washed over me, accompanied by the lingering warmth of her care. Nervously, I ran my hand through my hair before sending a reply over some contemplation.

Thanks Jude. :)

I sat up, folding the blanket onto the back of the couch, grabbed the coffee as I casually strolled to inspect her robotics desk at the nearby window.

"Didn't know she dabbled in robotics."

Johnny digitized within the chair as I sipped onto the lukewarm coffee.

"Now that's shimra!" He remarked with pride, waving towards the bots, "Think that's how she winds down?"

"After a day's work of tuning hardcore smut, heh I wouldn't be surprised." I agreed, glancing towards the floor at the ones already built.

Like a whole tech collection…new and old. "Oh, interesting." I mused out loud.

"Place looks like a whole antique museum." Johnny remarked, looking between the robotics on the floor as well as the current one within the desk.

I smirked, teasing, "I guess you should feel right at home."

Johnny leaned on one knee inspecting the robots closer remarking, "Chicks got taste—except for one thing."

I raised an eyebrow, feeling a snarky response coming, "And what's that?"

Johnny looked into me, "The way she looks at you, don't pretend you haven't noticed." He attempted to fidget with the bots, his hand waving through them, "Makes you all mushy inside, I can feel it."

Red heat tinted my cheeks as I discreetly took another sip of coffee, hoping to conceal my embarrassment as I finished it. Eventually, I decided to grab the ham and cheese sandwich, tossing my empty coffee signaling my departure. With a subtle glance around, I locked the complex behind me, carrying the lingering traces of last night into the air outside.

The bustling city greeted me as I stepped out, a cacophony of distant sirens and the hum of passing hover cars. My first stop was a local drop point, where I intended to sell the recent loot acquired in my escapades. I left with a handful of eddies on top of my savings so far.

Among the neon-lit vendor's stall displayed an array of trinkets and oddities, I browsed through racks of fresh duds, seeking a style to match the ever-evolving cityscape. The mirror reflected a transformed image – a fusion of utility and flair, a statement in the urban sprawl.

Chippin' in with Viktor came next. The familiar scent of sterilized air met me as I entered, and the whir of machinery echoed through the cyberware haven. After a discussion with the tech-savvy Ripperdoc, I emerged with enhanced reflexes and a subtle augmentation, ready to face the challenges of the cybernetic world.

Upon reaching the megabuilding I called home, I made a detour to the weight room. The familiar clink of metal plates and the low hum of the air circulation system welcomed me. As I delved into the workout, the burn intensified with each passing moment – a relentless clock measuring the seconds of strain.

In the mirror, I glimpsed the reflection of effort and dedication. The playlist in my ears provided a soundtrack to the struggle, a cadence of beats matching the tempo of my exertion.

As the session neared its end, a mix of exhaustion and accomplishment settled in. Time, both ally and adversary, marked the period of transformation within those walls. Exiting, I carried the echoes of the workout into the night, a reminder of strength found in the passage of those relentless minutes.

In the heart of my megabuilding, Byte, the little iguana, observes as I head for a refreshing shower. The ambient light casts a comforting glow as I prepare for the night.

After the shower, dressed in new clothes and a bulletproof vest, the small iguana seems to sense my presence, and with a gentle touch, I pet Byte's scales. It's a sweet moment of connection, and Byte appears to relish the attention with head bobbing.

Chuckling at Byte's reactions, I playfully patted its head, creating a shared warmth in the room—a bond between human and reptilian companion. It's a simple, delightful interlude as I prepared my gear to make my way to Clouds once more.

Every echo of my footsteps seemed to carry the gravity of the task at hand, a silent reminder of the weight of the mission ahead. The city's neon lights flickered overhead, casting an eerie glow on the damp streets, mirroring the seriousness that lingered in my thoughts. As I approached the rendezvous, the air thickened with anticipation, and the shadows seemed to whisper secrets of the impending encounter.

I rounded the corner to find the crew standing tensely composed of Tom, Roxie, and Judy who greeted with a wave, "Hey, V. You ready?" Johnny digitized on top a concrete block behind her, a hand on his knee as he slouched his cybernetic arm across his other.

I nodded my chin towards her, "Any idea how I get to Huromi?"

Judy crossed her arms all business as she explained, "Pulled the blueprint, got it all figured out." She shrugged, dropping her arms, "Kay, not all, but we're good on the penthouse front."

Johnny leaned his head towards her as she continued rubbing her arm nervously explaining, "Best bet is to access it from maintenance level, got a way in from there."

I looked amongst the crew, "Alright, we goin' in?"

"Let's do this." Judy agreed as we strided for the elevator.

The three of us stood within the elevator as I pressed for maintenance, Judy ordered, "You two head in right after us. Go straight to Clouds."

"Bout fuckin' time." Roxanne agreed grimly obviously worked through her previous hesitation.

We fixated on the elevator doors as we rose, "Stay sharp, gangoons might be lurkin'." Judy warned with her arms crossed.

She connected us to a com together before the door opened as she immediately led the way on the maintenance floor as Tom and Roxie continued upwards.

"They'll see us, get outta sight!" She hissed quickly taking cover in a crouch, "Gotta jack into the panel on the other side." She looked nervously at the three guards wondering in the room, "Can you take 'em out?"

I nodded activating my sandevestan as I sprinted towards the first leaping over him like a frog as I twisted his neck before landing with a roll over my shoulder and grabbing the next who crouched beside a vending machine I put him into a choke hold as I swiftly jerked my arms snapping his neck. I pulled out my pistol in a flashy motion aiming towards the last one's head as it splattered against the wall behind Judy. As the time split to normal she stood with an impressed laugh exclaiming, "Nova! Couldn't see but a blur!"

After dumping the bodies in dumpsters I met Judy beside the panel as she tweaked it with her tools, "What then? Everyone in position?" I inquired while cocking my pistol.

"Tom and Roxie should already be in Clouds." She looked over her shoulder at me, "Maiko should be keeping Huroshi occupied in the conference room. First, we need to get you into the penthouse." She finished adjusting as she rested a hand against the panel.

"Ok, I'm on my way." I announced.

She looked to the right pointing with her free hand, "Elevators on the other side."

As I stepped forward she warned, "Be safe." I took into a sprint towards it before tapping the button for the roof.

As the elevator rose I could hear Judy call on the com to Roxie and Tom, "What's the sitch?"

"We're inside at Clouds" Roxanne whispered.

"Who's takin which floor?"

"I'll take the lower level, Tom'll head upstairs." Roxanne replied.

"We're all set." Tom agreed.

I adjusted the sights on my pistol still waiting on the elevator to arrive.

Once the doors opened I remarked, "Alright, on the roof."

"Jump down onto the balcony, careful though, Ok?" Judy ordered to me.

I climbed the various roof mechanics noticing the balcony for the penthouse below. Within a front flip I landed onto the back of a guard using my hand into his neck to slam his head into the ground. I brushed dirt off my shoulder as I stepped towards the entrance.

Once my doors opened Roxanne exclaimed, "They punched the alarm!"

"Not if I got anything to say about it." Judy responded coolly.

I darted in with my sandevistan activating my spine as I leaped headfirst over a guard shooting him in the face before landing on my feet, I sprinted towards another kneeing him into the groin and as he hunched in slow motion I unloaded lead within his head. Time split to normal once more as I ran upstairs where another gangoon perched on the balcony unsure of what he saw until I gripped his jaw from behind in a fatal twist.

"Oh Jesus fuck!…" Roxanne exclaimed into the com with heavy breathing, "I killed them…I killed them all"

"Same here!" Tom called.

I opened the doors of the conference room as Judy ordered them into the position of a surveillance cam.

"You're here, finally," Maiko remarked, her gaze fixed on the cityscape beyond the glass wall. Inside the conference room, couches encircled the center, with a large TV built into the back wall. However, instead of just Huromi, two other men, one large and one Japanese, sat there, all three encosed within a braindance.

Maiko turned to me with arms crossed, "Was beginning to think you wouldn't make it." I rolled my eyes to Maiko.

Johnny digitized next to Maiko leaning his shoulder against the window support, "Right, wrong—chicks'll give you shit no matter what you do." He nodded his head towards Maiko, "This one's a real charmer."

I darted my eyes from Johnny to her distainfully, "I don't like her either. She tries too hard." I scoffed under my breath.

And not just because she's Judy's ex output.

I narrowed my eyes adressing Maiko, "Could've called off the guards, y'know. Would've been quicker, simpler."

She strided behind Huromi with a cigarette in hand replying "I don't have the authority, yet."

"Why are there three guys, what's she playin at?" Judy questioned me into the com.

"Don't have authority 'yet'? Sound damn sure of yourself." I remarked crossing my arms.

Maiko shrugged, "Left no room for error, we're exactly where we need to be. Their watching a demo reel of the next top doll, selected by yours truely." She waved towards the men on the couch, "Lucky girl is gonna replace Evelyn. Hope she proves smarter."

"Who are the other two?" I interrogated stepping towards the center of the room.

With a puff of smoke she replied, "Target audience for todays presentation. Huromi answers to them directly, now their going to watch him die in a pool of his own piss." She began to pace around the couches.

What? Cutting a deal with them?

"This is not what we agreed." I crossed my arms.

"Look at me, see this? This is a look of un-fucking-surprise on my face." Johnny waved erratically at his face before crossing his arms.

Maiko shrugged, "I know Claws, to them power is a question of strength and ruthlessness. This is the only way."

She picked up a tablet on the coffee table, "I'm about to jack them out. They will not be chirpy after their rude awakening. One show ends, another begins. Just as good and unforgettable, understand?"

"Maiko!" I yelled in frustration but it was too late.

The Japanese man leaned forward as his wreath shut down, "Well she's no Parker…Wait, what's going on? Who's this?" He pulled the wreath off aggressively as the meathead next to him balled his fists looking around in confusion. Huromi stayed oblivious within his braindance.

Maiko strided to me raising her hands up, "Living proof that Huromi Satos time is up. This Merc has already disturbed the clientele at Clouds once. She murdered Oswald Forest. And now she's invaded Satos private residence."

What the hell?!

I squeezed my crossed arms tightly, but Maiko continued clicking onto the tablet to display Tom and Roxie onto the TV screen stating, "As if that wasn't enough, this is where Huromi's sheer incompetence has led us to." She pointed into the screen as the men turned to see.

Johnny took his aviators off staring into me as the Tyger Claw bosses exclaimed, "What….? What the hell?"

"Looking at this, I think it's obvious he's outlived his usefulness." Maiko stated setting the tablet down on the coffee table once more.

She's going to kill us all.

"V? What the fuck she doin'?!" Judy demanded into the com.

I held up my hand to interrupt, "Hold on Maiko. I think your getting carried away." I narrowed my eyes into her.

The two Tyger Claw bosses crossed their arms with glances towards each other, "I see not all has been agreed." The lean one observed.

"V! You gotta take 'em down! That's why we're here!" Judy yelled in a panic.

"Bored of all this chatter. I'd rather we cut to the quick." I nodded my head to the side as I raised my pistol.

The Claw bosses stood within the slight movement, I repeatedly fired into the largest one into the body and head. Taking him out as the biggest threat, but I thought wrong as the lean one dashed fast with a katana slicing across my chest as I narrowly stepped backwards, he adjusted fast slicing into my arm as I attempted to side step the blade. Blood and adrenaline roared in my ears as I activated my Sandevistan but even with slow motion he had fast reflexes catching the back of my shoulder as I crouched in front of him avoiding slicing my head off in a spin. I raised my pistol to his chin but as he brought the katana down and I abandoned focus sliding between his legs on my back as I fired into his head repeatedly until it was a slow burst of blood and brain matter.

Panting on the floor time split to normal, his headless body dropped forward with a thud. I swiftly adjusted my aim to a headshot at Huromi killing him as well within his braindance. With the threat over I groaned in pain as I rolled onto my stomach and pushed off the floor seeing Maiko before me at the exit door.

"V what the hell were you thinking!? Do you have any idea what's going to happen now?!" Maiko screamed with a face full of rage.

"Hmn, what might that be?" I mocked facetiously as I walked over to their corpses shooting them yet again each in the head once more.

Maiko crossed her arms with a face of distain, "They'll have their revenge, you've turned Clouds into a ticking time bomb."

You cant know that for sure!

I marched towards her shaking with fury, gash wounds bleeding freely, gripping my iron tightly as I waved it. "Tried to pull a fast one on everybody, didn't ya? Jumped aboard the liberation train, pretended you wanted to help..." I cocked my head sideways with my lip curled in disgust. With a harsh laugh, I added, waving my gun to her, "But all you wanted was to take Huromi's place!"

Maiko clapped slowly. "Bravo. But you missed one detail." Her hand reached into the chest of her dress pulling out a knife, "I still can. No one will stop me, not their corpses, and certainly not yours!"

The knife flung as I swiftly sidestepped but it still sunk into my right shoulder as I brought up the hilt of my gun regardless of the searing pain. Within the lunge I abruptly cracked her skull into a knock out. She dropped limply to the floor.

I yanked the knife from my arm in a squelch, flinging it to the ground beside her head as I grabbed a MaxDoc, stabbing it within the same arm in a rush of instant medical relief. "Woo... all clear."

"Alright, V… Get outta there," Judy ordered, her voice shaking. "Exit is on the lower level of the apartment. Then find the elevator." Her voice resounded stronger and steady.

(MACHINE GUN KELLY AND TRAVIS BARKER - A Girl Like You (Paradise City Soundtrack)) Copy and paste into Youtube.

Walking down the stairs and through the kitchen, I grabbed a towel, holding it against my shoulder wound firmly as I splayed my hand on the bar. Glancing over to the body of the Claw on the floor, I stripped off my shirt revealing my bulletproof vest until I unclamped it clad in a sports bra. I inspecting my shoulder wounds with my fingers and my chest uncut.

Thankfully, due to my fast reflexes, they arnt deep.

The MaxDoc had already slowed the bleeding almost to a stop. I left the towel as I crouched over the gangoons body pulling off his Arte Urbano Elegant Nanostitched Shirt. I slid my arms into the crisp sleeves of the button-up, feeling the fabric cool against my skin. The soft rustle of cloth accompanied each deliberate movement as I made my exit with the elevator.

"Get down to street level, waiting by the food stalls," Judy called to me through the com, and I realized then Tom and Roxanne were already disconnected.

Once down below, I reached the rendezvous point, spotting Judy overlooking the glass ceiling of the shopping center with paper lanterns below. She leaned tensely with elbows on the concrete, smoking a cigarette. I didn't say anything as I joined her in a lean beside her, raising my head to the starless night sky.

"Fuck… shoulda seen that comin'," Judy hissed in frustration breaking the silence. "Probably had this planned from the start—same sec we walked into her office." She tapped the ash of her cigarette over the rail, stating flatly, "Jesus, am I a gonk."

I pulled my gaze away from the bleak night sky to address her, turning my body towards her with my right hand still leaning on the rail. She took a puff of her cigarette, shaking her head.

Still, somehow… believing in people is the rarest quality about you. I've never felt…so much more than a pawn.

I scrunched my eyebrows with a soft gaze trying to formulate my thoughts, "Don't be dramatic, Judy. There's a difference in bein' a gonk and believin' people want to do good." I replied.

She shifted her feet, dropping the cigarette before turning to me with a smile lit with dimples. "I know you are, don't need to believe that. I just know it."

She let go of the rail to face me, rubbing her arm momentarily nervous, her slender hand guided up my arm as she squeezed my uninjured shoulder, whispering, "Thank you."

Unexpectedly she leaned in on her toes, pressing a gentle kiss on my cheek. The soft touch of her full lips left a lingering warmth, and the pleasant surprise rendered me breathless as a heated blush warmed my face in realization.

As Judy gracefully stepped back, her gaze held mine, surveying and savoring my facial expression. My lips parted open, stunned beneath her curious eyes, a silent exchange of emotions in the air. She toyed with her tongue against her teeth in subtle satisfaction as she coyly whispered so very softly, "I'll see ya around, V."

She walked away almost reluctantly, biting her lip slowly over her shoulder, her eyes still locked onto mine in a hooded expression—an intense, lingering gaze that spoke volumes.

My heart echoed the surprise, and for a moment, time seemed to stand still in the wake of that unexpected and intimate gesture. I watched the playful swing of her hips retreating as her focus shifted forward, the weight of the unexpected kiss lingering in the charged atmosphere left between us.

"See you, Judy…" I breathed finally finding my voice as I raised my hand casually.