Another day, another idea. So, I've been doing some thinking once again and this time, I got an interesting idea. So, I will admit that this idea was heavily inspired by the new anime Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. So, I will state this outright, there are spoilers for this show in this fic. If you do not wish to be spoiled, please put a bookmark on this one and bypass this idea for now and return once you finish the anime series. It's a 10-episode binge, it shouldn't take you too long. So, with that warning out of the way, what's the idea?
As you know in Cyberpunk 2077 gigs can be split up into a story chain, if you will, spanning several different side gigs until it reaches a conclusion. Some may be two parts; some may last much longer than that. So, with that idea in mind. What if V was contracted by Rogue to do a series of tasks that seem completely unrelated, one of which being before he gets Johnny's chip, that leads up to the reveal of who the contractor was who tasked him to do these seemingly unrelated tasks.
And that contractor: Lucy.
Yes, that Lucy from the Edgerunners anime. The initial gig was sort of randomized and left to Rogue's discretion to choose a proper Solo to do the job, but the rest are directed towards him after Konpeiki Plaza. As for those tasks? Well, I can't tell you since that'd ruin the entire experience of reading this idea. But what I will say is that those gigs will be spaced out so they'll be like individual short stories leading to the conclusion. Another thing is that there will be some delving into some of the conspiracy theories in-universe. But with that all being said, let's get this show on the road.
Title: [undecided]
Rating: M
Pairing: None decided or if it would be relevant if there was one. Though heavy hinting at Panam/V and David/Lucy is there.
Summary: V has been receiving a series of gigs from an unknown contractor through Rogue all of which appear to be random. But they're not. Follow along with V as he goes on these gigs to find out just what this contractor is looking for.
Disclaimer: I own nothing other than my copy of MS Word and my desktop. Cyberpunk 2077 belongs to Mike Pondsmith and CD Projekt Red, and Edgerunners to Studio Trigger. See the forward for the full disclaimer.
WARNING: If it wasn't obvious already, there will be spoilers ahead for Edgerunners. Turn back now if you care about that.
XxXxXxX
You know that you've made some waves in Night City when you're approached by the Rogue of Afterlife for a job, even if it is just a simple data smash and grab gig that seems completely random. A little backstory first.
I, V, am a sometimes-Solo Edgerunner. Why 'sometimes-Solo?' Well, obviously my choom Jackie isn't always going to be available and you always need to put food on the table, even if it is a burrito made of synthetic beans and meat. Or working an extra small-time gig or two for some extra Eddies for a new, shiny piece of iron that catches my eye. Or wine and dining a 'Mamacita' (as Jack would put it) for the night, always with mixed results. But what was this gig?
Well, Rogue needed someone with a history with Arasaka, specifically their network security. You see, I got a dirty, dirty little secret that only Jackie truly knows (and apparently Rogue): I'm a former IOC officer for Arasaka. That's right, I'm a former corpo-rat. A former rat with a massive axe to grind. I didn't know why Rogue's contractor wanted the data; I didn't care. But I did ask if it'd hurt 'Saka and she said that it apparently would. So, she could sign me up.
Night City harbor is where I found myself. I stood on an overpass for street traffic as I looked at the target of my data heist: what appeared to be a yacht. The name was Opalescence and according to public maritime records it was privately owned by a 'Saka exec, one who I'd never heard of. It had only been about six months since my abrupt firing from the company, was this a newer exec from another branch who just happened to be in town? It didn't really matter to me, but it didn't mean I wasn't a bit curious.
I looked over the text from Rogue again with the details again. "The Opalescence will be docked until tomorrow morning. You are to retrieve the data located in the server room on the detached drive provided at this drop point. Silence and discretion are of the utmost essence. They cannot know you were there. Reply back when you've got it."
Seems simple enough.
I saw a camera looking over the harbor and scanned it, it belonged to Night Corp (the city's corporation). I hacked into it to get a better angle on the boat. From what I could see, there were three guards. One on the dock itself on a chair and two more on each level of the yacht strolling as they patrolled both decks. It seemed lazily done like they weren't expecting trouble. Like the posting was just for intimidation more than anything else. There was one way in and I'd need to wait until dark to do it. I sent a Ping quick-hack which lit up the three agents as well as a hidden fourth, a netrunner. This may make it more complicated. I left the backdoor I used to enter the camera open.
I went to a nearby components shop and got what I'd need for a makeshift rebreather and went back to my apartment. Inside I spent the remaining time constructing the oxygen canisters and planning the route. In order to both make it in and out unseen I'd need enough canisters for around the turning point where the ship and the guards would be out of sight as well for the return trip. Luckily, I had a pair of goggles from that one time I had, on a dare, gone for a swim just outside of Pacifica. It was disgusting and I swore I would never do it again, but yet, here I am.
If there was another thing to hate the corpos on, it was ruining the environment.
Night rolled around and I pulled up to one of the many abandoned warehouses and parked my car on the side, making sure to cover it with a tarp for it to not stand out. I got the wetsuit I rented and the rebreather and made my way into the absolutely disgusting water. I swam out until I was under the one of the many piers that jutted out. In the shadows of this pedestrian pier, I secured the mask and rebreather and went underwater.
The water was mucky and muddy. I could only see a few feet in front of my face if I was lucky. I found... quite a few cement shoes down there. I made sure to make GPS markers to report anonymously to the NCPD when I was done and very, very far away (see: the other side of town).
I followed the nav marker until I was right under the boat, underneath me was a good ten meters of nothing. I then hacked back into that camera and watched the guards again. While the guards had changed, they were following the same routine. I Pinged it again and there was the same netrunner as before. I floated until my head was a few centimeters below the surface at the rear of the vessel and had the camera go offline for five minutes, forcing a reboot. I rose from the water silently onto the rear of the ship, what would have traditionally been a diving outcropping. I PnP'd the camera feed into the corner of my eye and waited for the guard to turn back around, I loaded an Optical Reboot quick-hack and let it hit him, combined with an auditory buzz to hide my footfalls. The hydrophobic materials were completely dry and no water was left in my wake.
The guard was busy of doing the old 'slap it until it works' thing as he slapped the back of his head to get the buzzing to stop and near his eye socket to get his eyes working again. While I could have gotten a lot more malicious, like spamming dead memes, I needed it to look like a technical issue. I opened the door on the deck of the yacht and slipped inside to the inner quarters on the first deck before closing the door behind me.
The interior is what I would expect from a corpo executive-owned yacht. It was opulently decorated to an obscene extent. If it were up to me, I'd rig it with enough explosives just out of spite. The couches were of some white leather, almost guaranteed to be real and not fake leather (or even that from cloned cows). There was a full bar that could seat at least ten comfortably with all the fine wines and liquors one could ask for. There was even a lounge with a large projector ready to display whatever the occupants desired. Hell, I think there was even a pole for dancers.
But today was a quiet 'ghost' gig. No one was to know I was here. I went down into the hold below the waterline where the server room and the netrunner were. Along the way, I quick-hacked the cameras to recognize me as friendly and used an old IR trick to keep the camera from identifying me if played back as it messed with the live feed.
I found the room and used a shard of a mirror to look under the door. The netrunner was in a cradle, almost guaranteed they were fighting off some kind of cyber-attack. I opened the door and snuck inside, making sure to change the camera angle to look at the other side of the room. I pulled out the data drive and plugged it into the server racks access panel. According to Rogue, it'd do its own thing, just had to wait for the red light to turn green.
I drew the suppressed Lexington I had. It was some gonk-brain's I snagged during a recent gig. If there was anything tried by the netrunner, at least the pistol didn't belong to me and it had been scrubbed of any semblance of belonging to me. No prints, no nothing. The screen next to the server farm showed digital artifacting, so whatever this drive was doing, it searched what it looked for. While it was none of my business, from what I could tell it looked like 'Saka personnel files. Or, at least it looked like it involved people. The light on the device turned green and I yanked it and slipped it back in the watertight pouch I had pulled it from.
I slowly made my way back to the door and did the same as before, no one was there. I opened the door and placed the camera back where it was before and closed the door behind me as I left. I looked at that minimized camera and saw the guard back at his post and the other one about to walk back to the front again to look outward at the bay again. I loaded the same three quick-hacks as before – Optical Reboot, Auditory Hallucination, and Reboot Camera – and once the same guard was swearing under his breath again, I snuck my way to the rear of the yacht and quickly donned the goggles and rebreather before quickly, and quietly disappearing under the water again.
I swam once more to the nav point I set for myself and emerged from the water underneath that same pedestrian walkway again. I swam easily to shore and stripped down to my skivvies before donning a cheap and forgettable shirt and pants with flip-flops. I'd dress myself up again once back in the apartment. I stuffed the rest of my suit and equipment, sans the data drive, that went into my glovebox.
I picked up my phone and texted Rogue, 'Job's done.'
'Silent?' she replied.
'Not a peep.'
'Good. The client wants you to drop it off at this drop point. Coords attached.'
They appeared and I plotted it on my GPS. I pulled out of the lot carefully to make sure I didn't attract too much attention. NCPD probably wouldn't care that someone pulled out of this block, but I didn't want to take any chances. The drive was uneventful. Even the gangs in Santo Domingo were quiet – which, to be honest, I have no idea if that's a good thing or bad – at this time of night. I walked up to the drop point after parking on the street and left it in the drop point.
'Done,' I texted Rogue.
'Good. Gig closed. The client will transfer Eddies in a bit.'
I didn't have to wait long. A few hours later my account was five thousand Eddies richer. Though, my mind did wander and wonder as I drove to that drop point of what was on that data drive.
XxXxXxX
Well, it was official. I was going to die.
Not in some blaze of glory. Not in some fight against some kind of perceived injustice.
I was going to die because I happened to have a chip in my head as Dexter DeShaun shot me in the head. Yeah, not the way I saw myself going.
Vic thinks I maybe have a year or two left to live, and that's if I can get the chip to stop consuming my brain matter. Without it gone though... maybe a couple of months. This, of course, didn't endear me to 'Saka. They took Jackie away from me and his family. My family. He deserved better than that. And so, I raged a bit harder. Instead of taking down my former coworkers and underlings with non-lethal means, I killed. All in the name of Jack.
That didn't last long though thanks to Takamura. I knew the guy was on the level, for a corpo-rat that is. I heard about him during my time in 'Saka IOC, he was the 'old man's' bodyguard and allegedly – and I have to stress that as anyone who could have seen that fight has either been zeroed or under an NDA under threat of death – he's gone head-to-head with Adam Smasher in a sword fight and survived without a scratch. He had an old Japanese 'honor code' and all that. As in OG Bushido. He and I had come to an accord to work together. I could trust him, at least for now as our goals aligned.
Whatever doom-thinking was delayed by a call, from Rogue.
"V," Rogue greeted, "got another job for you. The client was impressed with the previous job you did for them so they asked for you, by name," she added.
"Well, that's nice of them. What's the gig?"
"The client wants you to get two packages from the BioTechnica farms."
"Ok, did they say the size or weight of what they were?" I ask. Asking for an Edgerunner by name through a very famous Fixer, but just asking them to make a delivery run? That stood out to me. And not in a good way.
"Bare minimum? A hundred kilos a piece." OK, so no bike. Will have to take my Thorton I may or may not have klepped from an Animal at some point.
"Any additional details?"
"When you reach the farms, the client will be in direct contact. Though they said the same as before on the last job. Quiet and under the radar. No shootouts."
"And if I have to?"
"Acceptable losses to the client though it isn't preferable." Ok, so at least kills weren't off the table. "They did say to bring an empty Shard."
"An empty one?"
"They didn't say why, only that you'd need it."
Two hundred kilos at least to carry? I could do one hundred easily, but I couldn't dual-wield boxes while keeping a hand free just in case. "Will the client have an issue if a bring a choom to help carry the packages?"
"As long as you can trust them."
"I'll take it."
"Good. I'll send them the notice. They'll be in contact with you when you get there," Rogue said as she disconnected the call.
Let's see, who did I know who could help me out with this? I smirked as I thought of just the person.
XxXxXxX
"V, when you said you needed help, I was under the assumption this was for our Asasaka business," Takamura complained.
"No, I asked if you were in the middle of doing anything and if you could use some Eddies," I counter. "You just assumed it was 'Saka-related business," I say as I drive closer to the BioTechnica farms. "Plus, this far out and minutes from a job, are you going to leave a choom in need?" I ask. My phone started to ring, "Hold that thought."
"So, you're V," the voice on the other side stated. It was distorted six ways 'til Sunday.
"I sure hope I am, otherwise I'd be having an identity crisis," I cheekily replied.
"Cute." There was a pause. "I see your cell signal is near the BioTechnica farms complex. Approach Gate 5 and walk on foot to Gate 6." There was another pause. "As for your companion, his tag is giving of Arasaka."
"And? Will that be a problem?" There was a very long silence. I had no idea what they were doing, perhaps doing a background check on Takemura. He was on the outs with the company, but considering that he was trying to zero Yoronobu and to get in the company's good graces, that may not look good.
"No," came the curt reply. "Approach the closed-off complex in the rear of the Flats." V did so and drove down the dusty roads between the greenhouses until he was at the gate.
"Alright, now what?"
"Take the empty shard and jack it in, I will download a package into it. Do not open it on your deck," the client instructed. I did and saw a download loading bar. Not wanting to tempt fate, I ejected the shard and put it in my pocket. "The complex is comprised of two networks, the gate security, and the internal network where I need you to go." A map appeared with a diagram in two colors showing the two networks. "Slot the shard in the gate's security terminal box."
"And then?"
"I'll take it from there." I stepped out of the car and walked to what looked like a card or RFID scanning terminal. I took the shard and slotted it. The scanner's LED light turned on, flipped to red, and then a second later turned green. "Remove the shard, you'll need it inside." I removed it as they continued, "Go around back and park in the loading dock."
"As for security?"
"I have full control of their external security. Currently, they're watching a loop from an hour ago. However, this will not last for long." I pull the off-roading car around the back as specified and park it, backing up so the large trunk could have whatever cargo the client wanted just dropped into the back, not to mention it'd be extremely easy to delta on out of there.
The two of us stepped out of the car and saw no signs of security. I saw a camera whose sight angle was well outside where we were parked and used a Ping on it. No one showed up. "Tak, you're not seeing anyone, are you?" I ask.
"No, I am not," Takemura replied. His hand was hovering over an Arasaka-branded pistol. Didn't shock me, brand loyalty, that is. Doubly so after being burned so soon. I know I used 'Saka equips solely for a few weeks just out of comfort in using them before Jackie opened my eyes to the other manufacturers out there.
I take out the slung Militech Saratoga named 'Problem Solver' from under my jacket, extend the folding stock, and insert a mag before charging it. To continue with the gig's requested silence, I slap on an Alecto suppressor to help with that. I approach the door and stack up against it, and Takemura does the same. Seeing my action, Takemura drew a tanto blade. I hacked the door and disabled the lock and motors to allow it to move freely. Opening it slowly, I looked inside to see no one.
I entered followed by Takemura. "I'm not sure if I should be disappointed or expecting an ambush," I comment as I sweep the area clear.
"Always stay vigilant," Takemura suggested.
"Plug the shard into the terminal," the voice instructed. I did so and slipped it into the computer terminal. It flashed as whatever viral load was loaded into it. "Done, retrieve it." I removed it and placed it into my pocket. "One moment."
I looked around and saw that it looked like a normal office building. Well, for a corpo-run contract farm, that is. It was orderly but looked to have a level of grim and grit appropriate to the city it was based outside of. If I had to make a guess, middle managers and other site staff worked here. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if it was done remotely to save BioTechnica a few Eddies. Bandwidth was cheap these days, well, at least by corpo standards.
"Done," the voice said. The door behind them opened which opened into a vehicle bay that was currently empty. "In the back is a service elevator, take it to the lowest level."
Takemura drew his pistol and kept it in his other hand as we walked to the elevator, heads on a swivel. We entered and a new option appeared on the panel, "Production?" I ask.
"Yes, that's the one."
There wasn't a number by it and I looked to Takemura who shrugged just as out of the loop as I was. Saying a small prayer to whoever was listening quietly, I pushed the panel and the elevator started to descend. And then it kept descending to the point where my ears popped from the pressure difference. Looking up, the lights from the room we had been in were now a speck above us. I looked to Takemura and he gave me a look. The look of 'what have you gotten me into?' The elevator finally stopped and two doors opened. Both of us snapped our weapons up ready to fire, only to find a sterile hallway.
"I have access to the local network, downloading the map," the voice reported. A map was downloaded into my HUD. "The room next to you is a locker room, grab a lab coat and a hard hat."
We stepped inside and quickly grabbed two conveniently left-out lab coats that were extremely baggy, baggy enough to hide our normal clothes and weapons when clasped. The coats were long-sleeved so I slipped a Punkknife on my arm, securing it in place with a shoelace I had found. Granted the Mantis Blade I had would work just as well, but that'd make a mess on top of not being subtle. You know, completely counter-intuitive to the plan.
"Double doors at the end of the hallway you came in on," the voice instructed as the next waypoint.
We entered to see rows and rows of tanks. As in the liquid-filled kind, not armored cavalry. "What... is this place?" I ask.
"This is the BioTechnica Mono-clonal Research lab," the voice replied.
At some point, Takemura had been looped into our call. Takemura stated, "I've heard of such a lab. Back in 2020. It was full of rumors and speculation."
"I thought, you know, that cloning was illegal?"
"It's in a legal grey zone," the voice replied and Takemura nodded. "The cloning of animals was done during the early 2000s as a stop-gap for the food crises at the time. When it was found to be too expensive for the average person, it was abandoned. However, it's still used in scientific circles for new cybernetic testing, general animal testing, cloning endangered species for mid-tier corpo-rats as exotic meat as gifts from higher-ups, as well as other things."
"Other things?" I ask.
"I think he means human cloning," Takemura commented.
"I do," the voice confirmed.
"Ok, I know that's illegal even in Night City," I reply.
"Both yes and no."
"What?" I ask dumbfounded.
"Cloning of human organs isn't illegal, only the cloning of a full human is illegal," Takemura clarified.
"Because parts aren't people," I mutter thoughtfully.
"Indeed." Human cloning. On one hand, I was shocked and appalled, on the other, this was a corpo we were talking about, morality doesn't exist in their playbook so I shouldn't be surprised. Can still be appalled though.
"The object is through the right side in an area for 'side projects.'"
A new nav marker appeared on the map. I looked to Takemura and stated, "Onwards."
He nodded and the two of us left the balcony and went down a few corridors. They smelled of antiseptic and had that yellow tiling that made it easy to clean bodily fluids off of them without the color being stained hinting at what happened in the past. Only what is happening now, potentially.
The two of us continued to walk, our boots echoing on the flooring. The minimap in my HUD showed many smaller rooms next to us and some that led downstairs and into much bigger chambers. As for what, I could only make assumptions. But soon enough, the arrow for 'side projects' appeared and we followed it.
There was a pair of double doors that opened for us. The voice came back, "Fourth door on the left."
The halls were deserted as we approached it. "How come it's so empty?" I ask.
"A sudden work order has appeared on the other side of the facility taking mostly everyone from this sector."
"I have a feeling it's bogus."
"You'd be correct."
"So, we're on limited time, that would have been good to know," I say as I pick up the pace.
"Telling you earlier may have alerted those around you before you made it this far." He was right. Thinking that you had a smaller timetable that you're used to would make anyone potentially make mistakes.
The door opened to show translucent tubes filled with fluid as well as a mass inside. "Wait..." I say as the door closes behind us and the lights turn on. "We're klepping a clone?"
"Two clones to be exact. The tubes you'll need to extract are these." Two serial numbers appeared on my display. I sent one to Takemura and he nodded. "A cart will be nearby, use it to transport the enclosures."
I looked around and found it. Takemura was already moving towards the rear of the large room. "V, I have found the number you gave me," Takemura stated. I took the cart over to him. Inside, sure enough, was a human. However, it looked different than the ones surrounding us. In fact, it was a completely different sex, female as opposed to male. The clone appeared to be physically maybe a preteen if he was right. He grabbed the other side of the enclosure and lifted it as Takemura did and the two placed it on the cart.
"That's one," I say.
"Now for the other," Takemura finishes.
I nod and we walk to the ends of the aisles where it shows the batch numbers, no wonder Takemura was able to find the first so fast. Then again, why a secret corpo compound wouldn't be organized slipped my mind was beyond me. Maybe it was the Relic messing with me? It'd make sense. The migraines from it have increased in intensity every morning to the point where for almost an hour every morning I'm on the floor in general misery. At least Johnny and I were on relatively good terms.
We found the other one, like the others around it, he was different. Different nationalities and all that. How was it that with all the clones in this room, presumably of a very rich person, no one noticed the difference in one's sex and another's nationality? Either the workers never asked questions and didn't care, or BioTechnica wasn't the sharpest tools in the shed. Considering that they provided the largest market share of fuel and foods, I didn't know how to feel about that. We lifted it up and placed it in front of the other. There were ratchet straps and we quickly tied down the canisters. Then, it hit me.
I looked to the canisters, then to the doors, then to the canisters, then to the doors again. "I don't know if these will fit in my truck," I state.
"What do you mean 'it won't fit in my truck?'" Takemura asked pointedly.
"I was told the weight, not the size of these things. I'm sure I could fit one easily in the back without suspicion. But two? I dunno."
"Is it a Mackinaw Larimore?" the voice asked.
"Yeah?"
"They'll fit; you'll need to put them in the bed at an angle."
Takemura gave me a look. "Hey, I was counter-intel, math was never my strong suit."
"That's not what I'm worried about," he replied solemnly.
"You're worried about the Relic frying my higher functions?" He didn't say a word, he didn't need to. "I'm aright, see?"
"For now, you are," he replied as he took a tarp and covered the tied-down canisters.
We weren't friends by any stretch of the imagination. After all, he had to keep me alive long enough to get into the company's good graces, or at a bare minimum bring Yorunobu to justice. Though, he has let a few things slip here and there. Things that suggested that he didn't have many friends and wanted at least one before the end.
We started to wheel the canisters on the flatbed and were about at the elevator when we were stopped. "Halt!" a male voice called out. I turned slowly to see a guard with a rifle at low ready. "Where are you going with this?"
I let the 'corpo sleaze' ease its way back into my mannerisms. "Orders from the top, someone requested that these be transported," I say. It wasn't a lie, not entirely.
"I'll need to confirm that." He raised a hand to his comms.
'I don't suppose you can intercept that?' I ask via text.
"No," the voice replied back.
I initiated an Optics Reboot quickhack and a second later he was hitting his head to reboot his eyes. Taking this moment, I got behind him and put him in a sleeper hold. Takemura kept his hand on the man's gun and trigger finger to prevent him from discharging his rifle. Eight very long seconds later he collapsed in an unconscious heap. I snagged the rifle and threw it on top of the cart.
Takemura gave me a look. "We might need it," I simply reply as I drag the guard into the locker room from before. I found a locker and placed the man inside, and may have grabbed the Eddies in his wallet (though I'd never admit to it). I returned and no words were said as we returned to the elevator and tapped the button to return to the surface. "Secret cloning facilities, not how I saw today going," I commented as the elevator brought us up.
"And how did you see it going?" Takemura asked.
I shrugged. "Oh, you know. Normal Night City bull."
"Normal?"
"Not clones. Everything else? Completely expected."
The rest of the gig was completed without any further complications. We got the door for deliveries opened and placed both canisters in the back of the Thorton. The drive back into Night City saw us dropping the canisters at some sketchy-looking garage where The Voice said that they'd send someone for them. I dropped Takemura at some intersection where he went his own way and I went back to my apartment.
In the back of my head, the question still remained: what the hell did this guy want with two clones?
XxXxXxX
I had just gotten back from the Aldecaldos, Panam, and Saul coming with, me to the Afterlife to coordinate with Rouge and her people for the assault on Arasaka. A plan had been formed using the tank that I had acquired with Panam as a glorified battering ram. Once an opening was done, we'd be able to storm the tower, get into the bowels, and access Mikoshi. As for me? I headed back to my apartment and paid off my rent for the next month and left an access card with Mama Welles just in case, on top of a Will that will be distributed upon my death should this all go sideways. In my apartment, I made final preparations. All my weapons were cleaned and lubed. Ammunition purchased and loaded.
I went into my stash and selected my arsenal. The first and obvious choice would need to be Johnny's Malorian; its AP and incendiary properties made it an asset beyond compare for its size. For melee, I had a couple of options, the first being my Mantis Blade arms which I went to Vik to get tuned up and 'spit shined'. Vik knew I had a gig but he didn't know what it was though. Another option was Satori, the blade I had klepped from the Arasaka patriarch's AV back in Konpeiki Plaza. Back when I did that, it was cathartic as it was revenge against the Old Man's company, but that blade was a quality that you'd never see, after all, it was a traditionally made katana in the 'Old World' style before the Gang of Four. It seemed cathartic to bring it with me to use the Old Man's blade to destroy the Old Man's legacy. I selected a shotgun, and there was only one that I could think of: Guts. It was a modified Budget Arms Carnage that threw people across a room. Whoever the original owner was, they were a madman. Well, madwoman from my research into the weapon; but semantics. The only modification I added to it was a velcro patch on the side for shell cards. I needed a smart weapon, so I grabbed Divided We Stand, a modified Nokota D5 Sidewinder I won in a competition with the 6th Street Gang during a Fourth of July barbecue; the only shots fired that day were me capping some targets. Lastly, I needed a tech weapon, one to punch through the heavy hitters and mechs that 'Saka would have. I settled on Widow Maker, a modified Militech M-179e Achilles formerly wielded the Raffen's leader Nash. I would have preferred having Breakthrough, but that was a sniper for longer-range engagements and this was going to be a bunch of CQC fights.
Next, I armored up. Johnny's shoes were comfortable enough, same as his jeans. Those had been modified with Armadillo armor so that nothing below a rifle caliber would make its way through and shred my innards. Got to protect the family jewels. Next was a shirt which also happened to be Johnny's, complete with his former US Army dog tags. As for the jacket, some guy named Falco had sent me a former paramedic's jacket, it was bright yellow with white phosphorescent bands. He said that it belonged to his group's former leader before he passed and that the two of us were very similar, that being an axe to grind with Arasaka. Inside the lining of the jacket, I sewed Molle lines into it and attached magazine pouches for the various weapons that I'd be using in my assault. The jacket was filled with Sidewinder mags, Achilles mags, shotgun cards filled with Carnage shells, and the custom magazines for Johnny's Malorian which hung from my hip on a proper holster. Besides the Armadillo armor mod I installed into it, the jacket weighed probably close to twenty pounds heavier than I got it as, but I was armed out the ass. Luckily, I could lug this amount of gear without being winded. I kept Johnny's sunglasses and threw on a Samurai hat that I got from that one superfan vendor. Happy with my kit, I started loading the magazines, and when done putting them into their place in the jacket.
My phone started to ring, it was from The Voice. "V, I have a gig for you," they said in their distorted voice.
"Now's not a good time, got a big gig and I don't know if I'll be coming back from it," I reply.
"I know about your planned assault on Arasaka Tower," the voice said which immediately gave me pause.
"How'd you-?"
"I keep my ear to the ground for everything Arasaka-related. And the rumor is that something's going to happen, though no one knows what. Don't worry, I'll keep your secret."
"How kind of you," I growl out. This felt like an attempt at blackmail.
"Not kindness, but mutual feelings towards them. I share no love for Arasaka."
"I see," I say as I resume loading the mag I was currently on. "And what is this gig, can it not wait?"
"It coincides with your own gig."
"How so?"
"What I need you to retrieve is within the Tower, in the room of Mikoshi."
That immediately gave me pause. "Go on."
"I need you to retrieve two Engrams from Mikoshi on biochips."
"Of who?"
"David Martinez and Rebecca [redacted]."
I paused. "Is this the same David who was a former Edgerunner before dying to 'Saka last year? Known to El Capitan and a guy named Falco?"
There was a pause. "The same."
"And the other?"
"A friend of his."
"What is it to you? Why this gig? The 'why me?' is simple as I'm going to be there anyway."
The voice paused once more, probably contemplating what to say. After all, clients didn't have to disclose why they wanted something done with their contractors. "What do you know about Martinez's crew?"
"Only that it was wiped out outside of Arasaka Tower a year ago. Only a few members escaped and live in the shadows now."
They paused again. "If you make it through this and retrieve the chips, I'll tell you. Contact me when you've made it out and collected them. And V?"
"Yeah?"
"If you run into that fuck Smasher, kill him. I'll throw in an extra 50k if you do," the voice this time was no longer disguised, but that of a woman. "Good luck," she said before disconnecting the line.
XxXxXxX
"Panam, listen to me, we need to finish this fight otherwise we'll be joining him," I say to Panam as I hold her face in my hands, looking deep into her eyes to distract her from Saul's mangled corpse. "Alright?" She tried to look but I kept her from doing so. "Listen, we'll give him a good funeral with all the bells and whistles when we get out of here, you hear me?" She nodded, a tear escaping. I knew their relationship was complicated, to say the least. On some days she hated the man's guts, on others, she borderline worshipped the ground he walked on.
"Alright," she said as she grabbed Saul's dropped rifle.
I walked over to Smasher who was on his knees as his borged-out body's legs were crippled, he was on fire and his arms missing. I drew out the shotgun Guts. I would need the power it had to break through his reinforced borg skull. Remembering that private bounty, I started a video recording.
"What do you want?!" Smasher asked out of frustration.
I pointed the muzzle at his skull and had my finger on the trigger. "This is for every gonk you've killed. And Johnny."
"What!?" the question came more out of confusion, but it didn't last as the heavy shotgun shell blasted the borg's skull apart; what little grey matter he had was splattered on the wall behind him.
I ended the recording and sent it to The Voice. Figured she'd like it. Plus, it'd ensure it made it out of here if I didn't.
"One final push," Johnny said at the last door, the final barrier to Mikoshi.
I readied Johnny's Malorian and the door opened. Alt probably did it, wouldn't surprise me as she was in their systems now. The techs and remaining half-dozen guards were surprised that Smasher didn't stop me and I ended them all. I fell to the ground, the Relic causing another malfunction. Panam grabbed me and wrapped my arm around her shoulders as she did mine.
"Place him in the coolant," Alt ordered over the hidden speakers in the room. Panam moved with me, me more relying on her to move, and placed me inside the ice-cold liquid. The cable I needed was lying next to me.
"Listen," I say to Panam. "Alt may ask you to do some things while I'm under, I want you to listen to her instructions to the letter, alright?" She nodded as she grabbed the cable, ready to plunge it into my deck. "Alright, see you on the other side."
XxXxXxX
It had been two months since the attack on Arasaka and I had returned. Alt had basically given me the keys to the kingdom, funneled hundreds of thousands of Eddies bordering on millions into my account from Arasaka's coffers. I was a rich man now, and what better way than to enjoy a luxury apartment on top of my old Megabuilding for a couple of months. Panam wanted to leave right away, but I had convinced her to stay a little while longer until one final job was done.
At first, she protested as I expected she would. But I told her that it was a job that required us to deliver the biochips we klepped from Arasaka but that the client wasn't ready for them yet, so I had to remain in the city until she called. The money for my private bounty cleared the moment I walked outside the tower. I spent it on the down payment on the luxury, two-story apartment with a loft-style bedroom. To say that much sex was had in it would be an understatement. What was that one joke from that one film? That's right. If one were to light up a blacklight, every surface would be glowing right now. Plus, I had to stay in the city to see a doctor and ripperdoc about my 'procedure.' The results were in, I have maybe ten years left to live. It wouldn't be a full life, but at least I could make something of the next decade and make peace with it.
Money wouldn't matter much to me after my passing, so I lived the high life of one of the ultra-rich. Ordering actual food for once, a delicacy reserved for low-level CEOs on a holiday. I treated Panam to many gifts in the realm of experiences. Who doesn't want to join the 205-Mile-High Club? Or skydiving? Or scuba diving off of one of the few untainted islands in the world? We invited Judy along for that one; figured I'd treat her for showing me her secret diving spot behind the dam. She liked it. Or just visiting other cities around the world that weren't shitholes (the answer is that they could be counted on one hand)? We may or may not have crashed a few parties under hacked, assumed names; some AVs may or may not have been defiled without their owners' knowledge.
But finally, the day came for my last job in Night City.
I woke up to Panam tracing circles on my bare chest. Her warm body pressed against mine as she was draped over me. I ran a hand along her side from breasts to ass enjoying the soft warmth of her skin against my hand. I gave her rear a little squeeze.
"G'mornin'," I say with a yawn.
"How are you feeling?" she asked as she shifted slightly to show me more of her naked torso.
"Feeling that this is the second-best way to wake up."
"Oh? And what's the best way?" she asked in a teasing tone and a sultry smirk. She reached down and wrapped her soft fingers around my shaft. "Me between your legs worshiping your cock and balls with my mouth?"
"From my experience these last few months, it's been the best way to wake up," I tease back, taking the bait as I slide my hand up to cup her exposed breast and 'accidentally' flick her nipple. "Right before that tight snatch of yours polishes me off."
"You know, with the number of times we've fucked, some might think you're trying to get me pregnant."
"Would that be such a bad thing?" I ask. "You'd make a great mom."
"I wouldn't know the first thing about it."
"Well, I think you'd also look pretty hot pregnant."
She swatted my shoulder playfully, "Perv."
"Not really. I think that any woman who became the mother of my children would be the hottest woman in the world."
"You're just saying that to get in my pants," she smirked as she came in close to kiss me.
"It seems like it's working. After all, you're not wearing any pants," I quip.
"Smartass," she said as she straddled me not quite putting myself in her, and kissed me passionately.
We parted and to have the last laugh I add, "Brave words coming from someone with a great ass."
"Flatterer." Before she could kiss me again and start another heated, passionate act my eyes glowed showing a call was incoming. I looked in the corner of my HUD to see if it was one that I could let go to voicemail. It was 'The Voice,' she was finally calling.
"V here," I answer causing Panam to sit up on my chest, her delectable breasts hanging, teasing me to ignore the call. She even gave a pout of 'Stop ignoring me and fuck me.' Oh, honey, I'm paying attention to you. Patience is a virtue after all.
"I'm ready for you to bring the goods," the voice said in her feminine tone.
"Alright, when do you want me to drop it by?" Panam was already grinding against me to get my attention. That naughty little minx.
"As soon as possible. I'll send you the coordinates."
"How about in two hours?" I ask.
"That will suffice. See you then." The call disconnected.
"Two hours, hmm?" Panam asked as she slipped my shaft into her snatch with a moan.
"One hour," I corrected as I groped her chest. "We need to have some cleanup time. We can't be smelling of pussy and semen."
"I don't know, it's a signal we belong to each other."
"True, but I'm meeting the client in real life, I need to make a good impression."
"So... a little something-something in the shower?" she hinted.
"I can't say no to that," I smirk. This lovable minx. If this is what my mornings for the next ten years look like, I won't be able to complain.
Two hours later after a vigorous morning workout and getting clean to get dirty to get clean again in the shower, I was at an apartment not too different than mine. Though it looked like it had seen better days. Specifically on one of the other Megabuildings that were more... luxury in feel. Delamain had dropped me off on the landing platform and stood by as he was committed to being my chauffeur while I was in Night City, and I let him. He was a good guy for an AI. I could tell walking up to the apartment that it hadn't been lived inside of for a while and that it had been moved back into long enough for one last stay.
In my right hand hung from a carry handle was an insulated case that held the two chips at the proper temperature. Slung over my other shoulder was that yellow paramedic jacket that had been requested to be brought as well as the shotgun Guts. I think I had all the pieces of the puzzle, all I needed was the client to confirm it. I stopped at the door and looked at the camera. The door reinforced glass door buzzed and I opened it and entered.
Inside was musty. That type of scent associated with dust and mildew. It definitely wasn't the worst smell I had ever sniffed, but it was definitely out of the ordinary for such an upscale apartment. Still beat out some of the shitholes I had cleared out in other gigs. Now that I got a better look at it, it looked like my apartment. Whoever built this must have been going off of the same blueprint. There were lights on, but many were kept off.
"Thank you for coming," a woman's voice said from the loft above.
I look to my right and at the top of the stairs was the source. This woman looked to be in her twenties – late teens would be stretching it – had pastel white hair with what appeared to be rainbow highlights at some points, light purple eyes, and appeared to stand at about five foot seven inches. She wore a black 'onesie' netrunner suit – which appeared to be more like an old-school swimsuit if I was being honest – with stockings and what appeared to be micro-shorts being held up by a belt. On her shoulders was a white hooded coat that was cut off at about the midriff. For cyberware, I could tell she had a monowire installed; I had looked into it and found it much too dangerous and unpredictable for my tastes. All others until revealed would be unknowns.
"You have me at a loss," I reply.
"I suppose for recovering something as important as this knowing my name would be a courtesy," she replied in turn as she finished descending the stairs. "Lucyna Kushinada, though you can call me Lucy."
I knew that name, why did I know it? Wait… it was coming back to me. A year ago, an incident had been filed with Counterintel of an incident in Night City surrounding an experimental piece of 'Saka equipment that started the hostilities between Militech and 'Saka again hinting at a Fifth Corpo War on the horizon. And the central person of interest in that was a Lucyna Kushinada. But that's not all. The dossier on her was redacted to borderline being all blacked out, like in those old spy thriller films. The only reason you'd have something like that is if you were deep in company activities. And not a rival corpo, but…
"You're former 'Saka," I claim.
"As were you," she counters. "Though I am pleased you didn't go back to them like a battered dog."
My thoughts wandered to Takemura. He was burned by the company, but everything he did was to get back in the company's good graces by exposing and killing Yoronobu. One thing that Alt had exposed to me was that the Old Man had an Engram of him saved in Mikoshi, something that she took great pleasure in torturing before deleting it on a byte-by-byte level. The Old Man may have lived on beyond death, only to be killed by something greater than him on a conceptual level. I had hoped my time with the man would disillusion him with the company to the point of quitting when his tour of revenge was done, but I don't think I broke through to him or not.
"Please, set the case here," she instructed, pointing to the counter. I did and unlocked it with the combination I had set for it. It opened revealing two slots on either side of the case. On both of them was a sticky note, one with R and the other with D.
She took the D chip out and walked over to a pair of beds that had life support equipment on them. The clones that appeared preteen when I had recovered them were now young adults – late teens to very early twenties. Clearly, my client wanted them to 'cook' for a while longer, hence my longer stay in Night City. She reached into the shard slot and slotted it into the male.
"I'm sure you have questions," she asked as she stood up.
"I can think of a few," I say as I watch her. I had set the coat and shotgun far enough away. "I know those are biochips and am… intimately familiar with how they work." I nod towards the two clone bodies. "Why go through all that trouble?"
"What do you know about the Edgerunners. The group, not the term for mercs," she added for clarification.
I took a seat on one of the barstools. Lucy took this opportunity to take the R chip and slot it in the girl clone's shard slot. "I know it was during my time still with 'Saka, so I only have the official reports on top of what rumors I've heard from people like Wakako and El Capitan. Was a group of mercs that existed and operated about two years ago until last year when all members went to ground, those who survived Adam Smasher, that is. From what little I was able to get out of Falco in our texts, the leader for a time was a man named Maine and was later led by a David Martinez."
"That would be the clinical timeline of events, yes," Lucy admitted. Her eyes wandered to the two on the beds. "The three of us were friends. Close friends. One of us closer than the other."
"He was your output," I concluded and she nodded in confirmation. "And the girl?"
"His best friend and the closest thing he had to a sister. She felt differently about him."
"I see." So, unrequited love. "When they wake up, what's next? Rebuilding your group?"
She shook her head. "No. Like you, I intend to leave Night City with them. While this city has the opportunities for someone to make it big, most never make it out of the mud and die in it. Those who survive are forever changed."
"This is not the city for happy endings. Wrong city, wrong people," I quote Johnny's line to me while in Mikoshi.
She nods in agreement. "That's why I'm leaving with them. Rebecca used to have a brother, but he was lost to a cyberpsycho; their parents were long dead. David's mother, the jacket being his mother's, was lost two years ago due to her low-level insurance package; his father was never known to him so he could be a high-level corpo or just some random output she was with for a time who passed. As for me? This city took everything from me. My childhood, my life, my friends. I would love to see nothing more than its complete destruction. These two deserve a better life and on the Moon I can provide them that."
"The lives of clones are shorter than humans." Probably longer than me, though.
"True, but it's better that they get to enjoy life to the fullest on their terms and go when they're ready."
"If that'd be all, I'm sure you'd rather see me off. Best not to spoil your reunions," I say as I stand up.
"No, I'd like them to meet the man who destroyed Adam Smasher."
I paused for a moment. These two were killed by the borg and they likely wanted closure of some kind. I know I would if I were resurrected from an engram. After all, I helped Johnny find closure. "Sure. I can do that."
The end.
XxXxXxX
And with that, this monster of a story is complete. Well, it wasn't that large, but it certainly was one of those ideas I just wanted to cover. For the idea itself, is there any reason to really make it into a full story? I mean, I covered what I wanted to cover. If I expanded it, it'd be adding potentially some more Johnny/V interactions or expanding it beyond that a bit to get V's companions' thoughts on these jobs. The only thing I could see myself doing is exploring the eventual Phantom Liberty DLC when it comes out in an alternate universe where Lucy and co. join in and help V in his superspy task. However, in every angle I try to look at it as to how it can be expanded, there's not a whole lot that could be done. So, I'm comfortable in ending this idea like it is currently. On to other projects.
I've gotten a few new ideas recently. Just two. Ok, I lied, it's a little more than that. The first is more of a thought experiment involving Edgerunners, that being if David was ReZero'd (aka when he dies, he gets sent back to the beginning), would he make the same choices again and would he even make the same friends again? The second is an idea that someone's already started writing, so I'll need to make sure I put my own spin on it, that being a Fate/Cyberpunk 2077 idea where the next Holy Grail War happens in Night City. Next is a Cyberpunk 2077 oneshot surrounding V and Blue Moon, it won't be super long so I hope to have that one out soon. Next is a Fate/Persona 5 idea where Shirou finds himself a family member in the Phantom Thieves and goes to reconnect with them right before the events of the game. I have another oneshot/pilot idea for Breath of the Wild involving Zelda and Link. And lastly, I have a Persona 5 idea involving Kawakami and a male OC. Thus far, these are the newest ideas I've had. On to real life stuff.
So, I'm an unhappy camper. So, someone has tried to defraud me. Not anyone from this site, so don't worry about that. I mean actual fraud of the monetary variety. So, I get a notification from my banking app that I made a purchase, then another, then another. Two of the three failed and I find out that I didn't make them, so I froze my card. I start doing a little research into where they were attempted at and nothing makes sense. I started investigating on my own, but I'll need my bank to help out. I'm definitely going to file a chargeback on the one thing, even if it was for a dollar just out of pure spite. If I find out that this is some kind of scam (which the more I look into it, the more it does) it's going straight on . I'm just venting right now, but I'm pissed. The fact that I may need a new card again is annoying in and of itself. The only silver lining from the last update is that I've finally tricked out my hunting rifle with a 4-12x scope and a reproduction M1 Garand sling. Yaboi's ready for deer season. I was going to buy a bipod, but someone had to ruin that (the aforementioned thing).
But that's all I have this time around. Let me know what you thought about this idea in all the usual places. Anon tip jar addresses are in my bio if you want to support me that way. And I'll see you in whatever I decide to do next.
