Maine's favor: the Maxim Job

David headed for the rendezvou point Maine sent him. He expected something more fancy like an underground bunker or secret hideout in the city. instead it was just a warehouse on the outskirts of Night City. It was just past noon, with the sun high in the sky.

He spotted the warehouse, the one with the garage door opened slightly, enough for a guy like him to slip through with a crouch. He looked inside and saw the big man himself.

"Hey." David heard Maine, and saw him standing at a door further inside the warehouse. "In here."

David shrugged and followed. The sooner he got this job done, the simpler things would be for him. His 'debt' would be paid - assuming Maine kept his word - and he could work with Lubbock and the others in Avernus. Maybe even look into finding more targets. Or a new apartment to live for himself.

They also had to get Saeko used to working with the others. Fighting is second nature to her, but she's rarely ever fought with others on her side. 'Then again, with her bloodthirsty attitude, it won't be much of an issue.'

"Good to see you made it. You ready?" Maine was waiting for him, seated on a couch along with Dorio and a third person David didn't recognize.

She was a tall lady with short blond hair in a bob cut wearing a red trench coat. She looked David over and huffed. "Wasn't lying, he is a kid. Can he keep up?"

Maine just grunted back. "Maybe."

Pilar was standing around behind them, hands on the couch, probably trying to look menacing. The mechanic chucked "Now, Now. I know he's a Sweet little Thang, but keep those grubby mits to yourself."

The lady groaned at him. "Why do we even put up with you?"

Maine gestured to the lady. "This one here is Kiwi. and Dorio and Pilar you've met. Make yourself comfy."

David nodded and sat down across from them. "My name's Davi-" he sensed an attack, activated Sandy and moved back while pulling out his lance stake and axe head from his back holsters. In less than a second, he stood back both weapons drawn at Maine.

Maine Pilar, Dorio and Kiwi just stared at him in surprise. They knew about Sandevistan, but didn't know where he got the weapons, or that he looked ready to use them. David just met Maine's gaze, lowered both weapons, and sighed. "Really?"

Maine glared at him. "Try a stunt like that again, and I'll smack ya through a wall. Got it?"

"Keep your hands to yourself, and I won't do that again." David replied. He took his weapons and stowed them away on his back under his jacket.

Maine places a data shard on the table. "Let's get right down to biz. Slot the shard."

David did so without fanfare. On it, he saw a record of a wrestling match, and their target.

"Say hello to Arasaka Corpdriver and Bodyguard, Maxim." The person in question was a bulked up man with blond hair, wearing a red shirt and blazer. "We're gonna swipe the Nav Data from the Limo he rolls around in."

"Just the data? Not the car." David asked.

Maine shook his head. "We klep the ride, and Saka ninjas swarm us like flies to shit. So yeah, just the data."

David nodded. "Alright. How we do that?"

Maine grinned, and continued. "Betting on fights is this leadhead's sole joy in life. His ass fills one of those seats every weekend. He always puts a fat stack on the butcher, bankin on that skull-splittin uppercut o' hers. An he ain't alone; Most peeps show up just to see her paint the cage red with some poor gonk's blood."

David shrugged. "And how the hell does that help us?"

Main frowned. "I'm gettin to that. That's what usually happens… except, this weekend ain't gonna go down like that. The Butcher's gettin Butchered in round one, like a sad sack of meat."

"What makes you so sure?" David asked. He would assume he's gonna have the fight fixed, but wanted to be sure.

"Just trust me on that." Maine grinned. David wanted to scoff at that, but didn't. Now wasn't the time. "Anyways, He in the habit of drowning his sorrows in this one hole-in-the-wall Drive. That's where you make your move. A few drinks in when he's good'n'greased."

David was starting to see where he fits in this gig. "I swipe the key to his car, right?"

Maine nodded. "Grab it and pass it to Dorio. She'll forge a copy to pop the lock. Then, we klep the nav data while Saka muscle Maxim's still shitfaced and out. Leave that part to us; All you gotta do is slip the key back in his socket 'fore he catches on."

David removed the shard and placed it back on the table. Plan seemed straight forward, but. "What if his boss calls him up? It's his day off for sure, but Saka corpo's don't give a shit about that."

Maine shrugged. "If it happens, we improvise."

David kept his face neutral but was still worried about that. If there's one thing he picked up from Katsuo's palace, it was that plans didn't always go straight. You need to prepare for the worst.

From there, David, Maine, Kiwi and Lucy headed to the bar to get ready. Dorio headed to the match to make sure the fight goes how they want it to.

Things proceeded from there exactly as Maine described. Butcher got totaled in the first round, and Maxim headed to the Jacked Pinecone to get wasted. David and Dorio got in position at the bar. Everything according to plan, Except…

Just as Maxim enters, David gets a call from Lubbock.

Lubbock: [ Hey man, how's it hangin? ]

David tsked. 'I didn't have time to talk shit with you right now.'

David: [ Not the time man. On the job for Maine. ]

Lubbock: [ Yeah, I can see that from across the street. ]

David glanced outside, and sure enough, Lubbock was leaning against the wall across from the bar, as if without a care in the world.

David: [ Seriously? The hell are you doing? ]

Lubbock: [ Watching your back, what else? ]

David: [ I'm hanging up; I need to settle this job… ]

Lubbock: [ give me a sec, I'll be quick. Now, odds are Maxim'll be called in to work. Fortunately, he's wearing lace shoes, so if he gets a call, here's what you need to do… ]

David wasn't sure what fucking shoe he wore would help him; then, when Lubbock explained, he thanked whatever entity made the world that he had preem backup.

They waited a few minutes, subtly watching the Saka driver as he drowned his sorrows in his drinks. He eventually leaned over the bar, his 5th drink still in his hands and half full.

Dorio: [ He's buzzed. Swipe the shard. ]

David zipped over to Maxim, grabbed the key, passed it to Dorio, and retrurned to his spot, all within a second. Dorio started copying the data. David assumed that Kiwi was monitoring Maxim while in Maine's car and Lucy was somewhere near the vehicle to act as needed.

Kiwi: [ Hold on… his master's calling. ]

Maine: [ Damn. no rest for the wicked. ]

Kiwi: [ Not good. His boss needs I'm there. ]

Maine: [ Shit. On his day off? ]

Dorio: [ Data's not copied yet. ]

David: [ Got an idea. Take less than a minute to pull off. ]

Maine: [ Fine, do it fast; let's see what you got, rookie. ]

David grinned before firing up the Sandy. He dashed to Maxim and knelt down to untie his shoelaces. He then tied them together. Hopefully, it would knock him out; if not, he had backup. He then rushed back to his seat by Dorio and turned off Sandy.

Maxim took a step then fell face first on the ground. David tuned the Sandy again to fix his shoelaces, like it never happened. His work bought them some time, but Maxim was still conscious. Fortunately for him, his backup walked in through the door.

Lubbock entered the bar and, acting the noble citizen, moved to help Maxim up. "Hey man. You alright?"

O'Brian dusted him off while also subtly moving one of his monowires to Maxim's neck. "Man dude, How much Dream Needle did you drink today?"

Maxim just looked at him, confused. "What? I, I never drank… any…" he said no more as he fell uncousnious. O'Brian had to catch him before he hit the ground, and dragged him to one of the booths. He struggled to lug the big guy, but he managed it.

O'Brian glanced at David while he was dragging Maxim into a booth to lie down. David looked to Dorio.

David: [ How we doin on the download? ]

Dorio: [ 94… 97… 100. We're good. Slip the key back. ]

David grinned at that; he zipped over, slotted back the key into Maxim's neck, and zipped back. Maxim would never know what happened.

After that, Dorio and David left the bar, with Rebecca joining them. They met up around the block, meeting with Maine and Kiwi. Lucy joined them as well, leaning on the wall opposite of them.

David smiled. "Gotta say it worked out pretty-" Maine grabbed him by his collar and hoisted in the air. 'I had to jinx it, didn't I?' "Yes?"

Maine did not look happy. "You wanna explain why your buddy was there during our gig?"

David kept calm. "...Not…really?" He raised his arms in protest as Maine kept up his glare. David just sighed. "I didn't know he'd be there. O'Brian, tell 'em!"

At his call, O'Brian walked into the alleyway and faced the big man and his crew. He let out a cough, catching Maine's attention. "I had a hunch about what you were after and narrowed down the general target area, the four of us splitting up to stake out for you and Maine's crew. I happened to get lucky in spotting you, and realizing you were after Maxim; I just went with my gut."

Maine let go of David, who backed away from Maine. Dorio and Lucy didn't seem as annoyed; they were just glad they got the deets without any issue. Becca just glanced between them, enjoying the show. Kiwi on the other hand…

"How'd you knock Maxim out?" Kiwi asked. "I couldn't detect any quick hacks."

O'Brian shrugged. "I used a mono wire trick to get him sleeping."

Lucy just put out her smoke. "Any chance you can teach the trick to others?" She drew her Monowire and swung it around in a short cord.

O'Brian just smirked at that before shaking his head. "As tempting as that is, a magician never reveals his secrets; dulls the wonderous magic of it all, ya know?"

David realized exactly what the trick was, and why he faintly sensed something… unnatural just before Maxim was knocked out. 'Metaverse Magic. That's how he did it. Which means he and the others could use it IRL… just like I did back with Maine.'

He was to strung up on emotion to notice the minor whirlwind he made to push Maine back. He never planned it, it just happened. But if I can practice with it, and use it in the real world…' the possibilities were

Maine kept glaring at his choom, so David decided to do something about it. He got between Maine and O'Brian. He shot O'Brian a look, who took the cue and backed away. David then turned to his current team leader. "Look, we did the job the best we could. No muss, no fuss, target secured, total success. So a bystander helped…" he gestured to O'Brian. "Not like he'll say anything."

Maine glared at both David and O'Brian. "You agree with Davey? Won't say nothin?"

O'Brian shrugged and called out, "Yeah, I won't say a word. Ain't got a clue what happened anyways! I was just helping out a gonk down on his luck, who fell to his drink. Nothing more than that."

Maine huffed. "Fine. I'll let it go then." He finally dropped his scowl, his expression brightening up. "Improvisations aside, you did good work, David. We'll meet at Aldo's tonight to celebrate. You'll get your cut then."

"Okay. I got some errands to run before that. meet you then." he walked away, O'Brian following his lead.

_30 minutes later_

They kept walking, making sure that Maine or none of his crew were tailing them. When they were sure they were clear, Lubbock led the way, David following. He mentioned having some surprise ready for him. "This better be good. I had othe things planned for the day."

Either scouting Dis on his own or find a new pad to stay in. Avernus he'd explored and fought in, both with backup and on his own. I figured he could sneak around Dis easily if he went on his own. Finding a new place to stay was also on his agenda; he can't keep living in Igor's place forever.

"If you brought me somewhere to just be an ass, you can just… wait a minute…" He glanced around the neighborhood in Arroyo and the megabuilding they stood in front of. He knew this place. "Why are we here?"

O'Brian just clapped him on the back. "For the surprise, obviously."

"Come on, give me a break. What's this all about?" He did not like Lubbock's smirk. Looked like mischief.

O'Brian grinned and walked in. David just sighed and followed. They approached the door to his old apartment. Before they went after Katsuo, he'd already contacted the owner who had at that point sold it to a new tennant. Yet here they were… in front of his former apartment.

"You gonna hack in again? I know a simpler way in…"

His right hand man shook his head. "No hacks required…" he used a key to open. "Afterall, I own the spot."

"You bought my apartment?" David blinked as he walked inside afte Lubbock. Inside, he saw Ryuko, Ejiro and Saeko hanging out. The former two were on the sofa, while the latter sat at the small table in the kitchen.

It seemed that Saeko brought food, cause they had a full spread.

"Welcome back ya gonks! Heard the gig went well!" Ryuko cheered, a drink already in hand.

Ejiro grinned beside her. "Never a fan of stealth, but I hear you two made it work. Good job!"

"I kinda hoped I would aid you in a battle against Tygerclaws, but…" Saeko sighed from the kitchen area. "Alas another time then."

"What is all this?" David finally asked.

Lubbock grinned and hung his arm around David. "You managed your first gig as a Cyberpunk and, with my help, succeeded. That's cause for some celebration. Also, I got some space in my newly bought appartment, so… wanna be roommates?"

David shook his head, but kept his grin. "...Fine, but only cause you'd be lost without me."

"Bah!" Lubbock let go of him and waved his hands, seeming exasperated. "Lost my ass! You'd still be wandering about for a vendor if not for me."

David laughed at that. "Damn, you guys rock, you know that?"

David and O'Brian sat down, and the crew dug in. they bickered and bantered to anyone else, that's what it looks like. Lubbock teased Ryuko and Edge, Ryuko threatened to beat him up, Saeko discussed training regimens with David, Eijiro added some details about his training schedule, and Lubbock tried to get Eijiro to be his wingman and learn the wonders of fine women and hooking up with them. They ate till their stomachs were full and satisfied. All and all, a good time.

Saeko also mentioned someone else she wanted to bring on the team… some 'trash hermit' her family traded with regularly. She said she was working on bringing said hermit to the table to talk. Apparently he was a clever and cautious guy, cause he handled everything on his own, minimal communications unless he personally set them up and checked them thrice over for bugs. David agreed to see what his deal was in person.

Till then, they operate as usual. After Dealing with Maine's Temper and his crew, it was totally satisfying, just chilling out with his own. Their brand of crazy was something he was slowly but surely getting used to.

My take on the Maxim Job, and its aftermath. It went mostly as canon except David's interactions and the end result. Avoiding the car chase is gonna affect the crew and how Faraday reacts to David.