Chapter 1: New Beginnings
2 months have passed since the Arasaka Tower attack made by Johnny, Rouge, and Crispin. Both Crispin and Rouge died in the battle with Johnny the only one left. V gave his life to give Johnny a second chance to live within V's body which is now his to use.
Within the month of September with Johnny Linder living in his old home state of Texas to be within the bar to look up to see Arasaka has been crippled by Johnny and team's actions. "Well at least they been knocked down a peg for a while," he said to drink his beer in a glass.
"So here you are Johnny," a familiar voice said as Johnny turned around to see a purple-haired Korean woman behind him.
"Oh, what a weird surprise. Songbird, I got your message. It seems like you look better than before," Johnny said as Songbird got rid of her chrome from Militech to look normal. She is sporting a black and red Netrunning suit along with red knee-high boots and a jean jacket.
"Yep, on the moon they got rid of all that junk out of me. Replaced with simpler cyberware, still got my Cyberdeck and Monowire set up," So Mi said as she sat beside him to get a drink herself. "So V is gone huh?" she asked.
"Yep, that bastard managed to save both our lives, and here we are. Drinking away a brand-new tomorrow," he said.
"Yeah, I didn't believe it. V went out of his way to save us and we are here now," So Mi said to drink her beer.
"Yeah, but how about Myers? Heard about her?" he asked.
"Nothing, I got rid of all that Militech shit when I was on the moon. I had been cured and all that investment was gone. She will find someone else," So Mi said.
"Not looking full borg anymore," Johnny said.
"Still am, just looks more natural," So Mi said as they saw the report about the Night City Spaceport being attacked by unknown soldiers. "They covered that up as always," So Mi said.
"So got any plans?" Johnny asked.
"Not really, after my treatments. I don't have a place to go," So Mi said as Johnny places a kind hand on her shoulder.
"You can crash at my place in Austin. We got a warm couch with your name on it," he said.
"Thanks, Johnny, kindness is hard to come by these days," So Mi said as she thought of something. "What do you do nowadays?" she asked.
"I work on bounties made by the Texas government. I used V's skills and cyberware to make a living here in Texas. The military can't do everything so they let me clean up messes in the state. It pays good money," he said.
"Well, I can help. My Netrunning and agent training will come in handy," So Mi said as a black woman looked out the window from her booth to see some Nomads coming up to the bar in the middle of the road.
"Oh boy, those Chooms look like trouble," she said to see several of them coming into the bar holding guns in their hands.
"So you are the one who stole V from us," the Nomad said as Johnny looks back to see a bunch of Aldecaldos looking very pissed at him.
"Well should have seen this coming," Johnny said to reach for his M3516 pistol.
"Panam sends her regards," the nomads were about to fight but the black woman came in to wield a Unity pistol to nail them in the head putting them down.
"Get down," she said as more nomads came in with guns blazing killing off some of the people inside along with the guards. Johnny and So Mi leaps over the counter to take cover.
"What did you do to piss them off?" Songbird draws out her Kappa Smart machine pistol to use her smart link to pepper the nomads with smart rounds to drop them onto the floor.
"I went low after the Arasaka Tower attack and I left Night City without telling his friends. It would be too hard to understand, better for them to think he is dead," Johnny uses his hand cannon with the large rounds blowing off their heads.
"That's pretty fucked up but with the Relic. I understand," So Mi uses a Quickhack to set a Nomad on fire while caving in one with her smart bullets.
"Seems like they need help. Hey over here, through the window," the woman said as activated her Militech Berserk to harden her skin to become briefly invulnerable to all small arms fire. She uses her powerful Gorilla Arms to tear and rip up the Nomads to scatter their broken bodies onto the floor.
Johnny looks on to see a beautiful woman rescuing them from the hostile nomads trying to kill them. "What a woman," Johnny looks on with awe and interest.
"See something you like big guy," she flirted as Johnny got a good look at her.
She is a lovely African American woman standing 5'10 tall while having dark brown skin, bright orange eyes, and long dark brown dreadlock pigtails. Her outfit consists of an orange crop jacket with a white sports bra, and blue jean short shorts fitting her tall curvy hourglass figure. She is wearing knee-high brown boots and white fingerless gloves.
"Oh yeah sweet cheeks," Johnny said as the woman giggled.
"You're cute, I am Chandra. I will cover you both to your vehicle," Chandra said in a cute southern accent to draw out her Unity to feel bullets hitting her back to shake it off. She grabs a table and tosses it into the group of nomads to crush them to go outside.
Johnny is not happy to see his ride has been destroyed by the Aldecaldos to wield his magnum pistol to blow off limbs and get nasty headshots. Through the relic, he had gained V's combat experience and Cyberware allowing him to easily land headshots.
"Well, I got my ride over there. We can go there," Chanda said as she grabbed an Ajax assault rifle from the dead Nomad which has an underslung grenade launcher.
"Gee, having another gun is nice," So Mi hacks a truck to smash into a Nomad to crush them on impact.
"Indeed, you are a quite talented Netrunner," Chandra said as she could see So Mi tearing enemies apart with her Cyberdeck chip
"Quite the understatement, you are very strong," So Mi is locking onto targets with her Kappa taking out enemies.
"Oh yeah, I'm always the alethic type," she said as she used her super strength to shove a car to send it into a group of Nomads reducing them into a red strain on the pavement.
Johnny uses his Apogee Sandy to evade incoming fire to use his pistol to turn their heads into red mist. "So sweetheart, where is your ride?" Johnny asked to toss a Gash grenade which let out beams of lasers to slice into the Nomads into burned piles of sliced meat.
"Over here, hop in," she said as they leaped inside to speed off.
"Fuck, Panam. Johnny has backup," the nomad said.
"I didn't expect that. Go kill them and drag Johnny back. I am going to get V out of his dumbass brain," Panam ordered on the radio with Nomads chasing through Texan highway in their armored cars.
"They are chasing us," So Mi said as she was using her Cyberdeck to trigger one of the Nomad cars to self-destruct killing everyone inside in a big fireball.
"Hey handsome, take the gun. Cover me," Chandra hands him the Ajax with the two fighting off the nomads as Chandra puts her car at full speed down the highway within the desert.
"Yes Madam," Johnny lobs grenades to take out incoming Nomad cars. He fires the rows of 6.5x45 rounds tearing through the windows to cut through their heads to see the cars moving out of control to crash into large rocks and large signs.
"Good shooting handsome," Chandra said as her sweet southern voice got Johnny's heart buzzing.
"It's nothing, I have an eye for nice things right in front of me," Johnny said flirting back as So Mi didn't find this amusing.
"We are getting shot at, take it in the back of a motel room," So Mi tracks the tires with smart bullets ripping into them to see the vehicles crashing behind them.
Johnny can see his rifle is empty to tosses it away to use his magnum to punch through the window to kill the driver to see the last car crashing in the sand. "Finally," Johnny said as the two can relax with Chandra having a big grin on her face.
"That was crazy. Why are the nomads pissed off with you?" Chandra asked.
"Long story, a dead boyfriend and a pissed-off lover," Johnny said.
"Did you kill him?" Chandra asked.
"It's a misunderstanding. Sadly she will be too stubborn to care what I have to say," Johnny said
"Well, I believe you. You are a bounty hunter right, people are going to go after you,"
"Usually they end up dying for it to matter," Johnny said.
"Where is your place?" she asked.
"On the east end of Austin," Johnny said.
"So I am not from here. So I was wondering since I saved you. Can you do me a solid and let me hang at your place while I am here?" she asked to show him a charming smile.
"Gee, she is pretty with those pearly whites," Johnny can't resist the request of a beautiful woman.
"Well, I got a guest room I am not using. You can live there until you get your feet up,"
"Thank you handsome, you are so sweet," Chandra said with her sweet bright voice music to Johnny's eyes.
"Got anyone living with you" So Mi asked.
"Nope, me and my lonesome," Johnny said.
"Oh so lonely I can fix that. I didn't get your name sweetheart," Chandra said giving him an interested look with her big orange cyber optics.
"Oh right, I am Johnny Linder and this is So Mi. My new partner," Johnny said.
"Hey," So Mi said with a flat tone.
"Nice to formally meet you both. I am Chandra Dawn, I am a Bounty Hunter like you, I can help you in exchange for staying at your place," she said.
"Sounds good to me ladies, let's go," Johnny said as they went towards the town of Austin.
Elsewhere The nomads were setting up camp in a valley nearby with Panam not pleased with what happened. Johnny and his new whores kill her family members. "That fucking asshole," she swears out loud,
"Seems like Johnny went into Austin. We can't go in," a nomad said on the radio.
"Then find a way through that concrete hell and find that bastard. Bring him to me, I am going to save V even if I have to rip him out of his stolen body," Panam said on the warpath to save her love from the lying cheat, Johnny Silverhand. "I am going to be your worst nightmare, I am going to save him," Panam feeling deep anger by Johnny's betrayal.
Back with Johnny and the girls, they managed to reach Austin, which is a big metropolis in the middle of a large wasteland. "The Oasis in the wasteland. The capital of the Texan Republic. Fighting the good fight since 1999 becoming its own Nation," Johnny said as they drove into a huge metropolis with signs of Petrochem in the distance which is a Texan Megacorp.
"So where is your place?" Songbird asked.
"Over here in this area," Johnny said as they went into an old warehouse.
"This is your home?" Songbird asked doubting this.
"It's been converted into a two-story home. It has all the ends you want, bathroom, bedrooms, living room, kitchen, armory, and garage," Johnny said as they saw the doors slide open to enter inside.
"Interesting, you made this all by yourself?" Chandra asked.
"Well it was owned by a Solo and he didn't want it anymore. So I brought it out of it for a fair price and now it's my base of operations. You girls will be nice and cushy here," Johnny said.
"Very resourceful John," Chandra said as they went upstairs to show off their rooms.
"Make yourselves at home," Johnny flops onto the couch to watch the TV screen to see the news.
"Well seems like the NUSA once again are targeting one of Texan spaceports. The Texas Government is trying to find a peaceful solution," the reporter said as Johnny knows from Dogtown Myers doesn't care to find a peaceful solution.
"She is at it again," So Mi said to come from her room to sit on the couch.
"Yeah, not our problem," Johnny said as So Mi was not happy with that answer.
"She has plans to invade this state and bring it back into the NUSA. It will be our problem when this happens," So Mi said.
"Well, I did think about this. We can move into the OAN (Organization of American Nations) via Mexico and set up shop there. I doubt Myers is going to move on Texas anytime soon," Johnny said as the OAN consists of a ton of Central and South
"Gee, you think of everything," So Mi said dryly as Johnny had a cheeky smile.
"Of course I did, I would be dead otherwise. I am not wasting this new life," Johnny said.
"So what happened in Mikoshi?" So Mi asked wanting to know what happened in Arasaka Tower.
"Alt split us apart but it was too late. V is going to die, so he came me the body so we can both live. Me in his body and him beyond the Blackwall with Alt," Johnny said.
"Damn, At least you both got what you wanted," So Mi said.
"Yeah, I am grateful for him. I am going to live my new life without all that baggage I carried in the past," Johnny said.
"I can relate to that. We are both given a second chance by V and I am not going to waste my. Partner," So Mi said.
"You are not going to stab me in the back, right?" Johnny joked.
"Come on, I was in a bad place. I know you are trustworthy and I am happy I got someone who has my back," So Mi said.
"No problem," Johnny said as So Mi looked over to see two pigtails nearby.
"I am leaving, your girlfriend is here," So Mi said lightly to let the two be alone.
"Hey there handsome, thanks for letting me stay here," Chandra said to sit beside him.
"No sweat. My place is your place," Johnny said as he stared at her ample chest. "Damn those things are huge even in that sports bra," he thought as Chandra noticed this.
"36G," she said her bra size as this made Johnny flinch a bit. "It's my cup size, you were staring and I gave you an answer since you seem so interested in my boobs," she said.
"Yeah, who wouldn't be interested," Johnny said still staring at her huge chest as Chandra giggled at this having a cute laugh.
"So cute. How long have you been here in Austin?" she asked.
"A few months, I was in Night City for something big and then went it to settle down," Johnny said.
"I see, my papa told me never to go there. Very dangerous place, I come from Georgia. Went here to Texas to seek better jobs for myself," Chandra said.
"Nova place didn't hear good things about that lately," Johnny said.
"Yeah, only the Northeast region got any real development. Everywhere else in the NUSA is very bad," Chandra said.
"Well, you came to the right place. We will be doing some jobs together, it would be nice to see you in action," Johnny said to flirt with her.
"Oh, you were paying close attention to my moves. My papa was a former Solo, he taught me all he knew. We will work well together," she said to place her hand on his shoulder to get off the couch to sway her wide hips keeping Johnny's eyes on her big booty in those small jean shorts showing off those thick curvy legs.
"Fuck me, I need to take a shower to calm myself down," he said feeling a bugle in his pants as Chandra gives him a sexy wink to head up to her room. "This is getting interesting," Johnny said to have a new team to work with to live his new life as a bounty hunter in the Texas Republic.