A/N: Welcome to this new chapter as we watch Josue and his new campmates settle in.

Now, onto responses:

Gonsmos: I'm glad you've been enjoying the story and my choice in T-Dolls. His lack of skill in Netrunning is on purpose, sadly. While he's a good Netrunner, he is a Fixer for a reason.

To summarize, I'm using the Cyberpunk Red rules fast and loosely, but they are being used, his skills mostly come from his experience as an Edgerunner for eight years, so he's dabbled in various roles, with Netrunning probably being the Role he has the least experience with. Especially since as a Fixer, he could call up any number of better Netrunners to take care of any problems that pop up. So, while he can Netrun or jack into devices and hack them, he's not exactly a master. Which is ironic, in a way.

But, yes. Not a very good Netrunner, not to mention that he can't Netrun without a port to jack in or a signal to latch onto. Cyberpunk 2077 is different from Cyberpunk RED.

Anyway, yup. Benny is from Night City, and he's not the only one.

That's about it, if I answered your question, good. If I only confused you further… sorry about that. You can always ask me to elaborate or send a DM. Only getting bots is fairly frustrating.

That's about it, I'd really appreciate if you reviewed whether it be criticism or opinion.

This chapter was Betaed by Average Blood Dropper.

I hope you enjoy it, short it might be.

"Are you sure this won't increase our debt?" Dimitry asks while Josue sips the drink, not alcohol, just juice. Much as he likes a good drink, there's a time and place for everything, and if the person getting something out of it is asking something like that, he should start sending them out on jobs.

Sadly… "No, if anything I should be hoping that this isn't causing you or yours any trouble." Josue says, scratching the back of his head, "I am practically asking you to supervise them while they get acclimated to doing jobs." He starts by watching the Dolls he modified during the night do their jobs.

Ellie was a short thing, young and motivated as she went around the place, cleaning it as well as she could, her short blonde hair bobbing with each movement and a pistol strapped to her side. She wore a shirt and a skirt, very simple with an apron over it all.

Layla is cleaning cups with experience as she hums a song he can't pin down, her black hair covering her eyes with a languid and easygoing expression. Taller than Ellie with a filled-out figure, she wears a pair of hot pants with a button-up shirt and a vest. She resembled a bartender to a 'T'.

The various other Dolls were in the village, assisting where they could. Elaine was at the auto shop, being the local mechanic, helping out and learning new things. The others are out of sight and in the city, and I can find jobs for them more quickly due to their skillsets and their newfound skillsets.

Installing firing modules would be difficult, so instead of going that route, he simply gave the ability to brawl. To varying extents, Skill Chips are supposed to stay jammed in, but these girls aren't normal, so after a bit of time, they each go through the basics along with how to aim, fire, and shoot. Particularly, to disable, not to kill.

Hell, he had to bring out his own Skill Chip on Netrunning, specifically Max's.

The memory of Max's death has Josue putting the cup to the side, frowning. It was nothing strange, Max was always flighty, sometimes there for a job, sometimes not, whether it be gathering blackmail or something else, Max had the habit of always being there as one of his best and most reliable contacts due to the sheer skill the runner had. Many jobs he was in would have gone awry if Max didn't step in. The only thing Max asked was to lie whenever he was asked about him and the occasional violin performance. As he got better, getting better connections, and improving his skills, Max was still there on occasion. Until one day, he just wasn't.

The jobs and gigs were fine, some plans didn't survive first contact, and some went better than he could imagine. It was life in Night City as a Fixer, but he survived. But Max…

Well, when he found out, it was easy except for one problem, it was a Netrunner gang and while he didn't have the habit of chroming up, he did have some that would be very bad if he was caught.

Still, he went out, alone and fought his way through the Netrunners with his meager skills and the fact that Netrunners are fairly exposed when in the NET.

All it took was a blackout.

Still, he was too late to help him as his friend was already dead, leaving a gift in the form of a Skill Chip. Particularly, all his skills in Netrunning after short-circuiting his own body so they wouldn't get anything.

As a firm believer in his own skills, Josue doesn't use them often, but he had to this time.

Shaking his head, he almost wishes he could ask for a shot of vodka, but he decides against it. Ellie is impressionable, and, for some god-forsaken reason, they thought he was someone worth following.

His eyes glance at the two official T-Dolls behind him, M1911 waving with a smile while G36C does the same, acting as his 'guards' as the only two who have actual training with anything like it.

He can't help but cough out a laugh at a thought that crossed through his mind, "Matryoshka." He mutters into his drink while Dimitry looks at him in curiosity.

"Pardon?" Dimitry asks as the joke is stuck in Josue's head.

"Y-You know," he sputters as he tries to keep his composure, "guns...they have different iterations, right? Like the AKs?" He asks, not mentioning how the gun he has hidden replaced the AKs.

"Yeah?" He asks as Josue continues.

"You know Matryoshka dolls. You think they'd be like that?" He asks as he can see the gears in Dimitry's head spin before he also chuckles a weak laugh. Slowly, more ideas began to pop up as the two men shared a laugh.

It was a simple laughter over a simple joke, a light laugh that was only possible because of their familiarity with Dolls. Still, it is one where they could enjoy themselves in a tumultuous time.

If only others could say the same thing.

The two fall back into silence as they enjoy their drinks, the TV not showing anything interesting until his performance is shown on the news. "You know…" Dimitry trails off, watching Josue's performance, "He has a jacket very similar to you Josue, da?"

Dimitry stared at him for a long second as Josue scoffed. "What can I say, it's a good design."

Dimitry's lips twitch, "Da, can't deny that."

The two fell into idle chatter, occasionally involving the Dolls in it to give them something to talk about as he keeps trying to get them to sit down at every chance he gets. He isn't very successful.

"We're your guards, Darling," M1911 says while G36C piped up next.

"W-We should always be aware of any possible dangers to ensure the survival of the people and you, Josue." She says, finally using his name as he smiles, a blush coming over her face as she tries to hide.

"Speaking of, friend." Dimitry says, leaning forward, shifting uncomfortably, "You, uh, wouldn't have any scruples into going to a Yellow Zone, would you?"

M1911 and G36C seemed scandalized at that, about to surge forward to scold him, but Josue raises an arm, stopping them a she asks, "How so?"

"Well," he starts, leaning forward, almost ashamed, "we're a small village outside of a Green Zone, none of us have a way to enter, but some do come to trade, and sometimes… they insist on our help in exchange for money."

"You in particular?" He asks as Dimitry nods.

"Da, or Pavel and Levi, but those two are easier to anger and goad into a fight, so they default to me," Dimitry says with a chuckle. "Still, the pay is pretty good, how about it?"

"Well," Josue starts, shifting and leaning forward in interest, "what's the job?"

"Scavenging." Dimitry says with a shrug, "but they call it 'requisitioning', it's simple, you go and get what they ask within a Yellow Zone, bring it to them, get paid. Sounds simple, is not as simple."

"What a surprise." Josue starts with sarcasm lacing every word, his mind going to Night City's old Hot Zones and Combat Zones. "I never could have guessed."

Dimitry smiles wryly, "I'd never wish it upon my own friends, but-."

"I get it." Josue cuts him off with an understanding smile. "Yeah, send 'em to us next time you see them."

"Of course," Dimitry says, reaching into his pocket and bringing out a paper. "They did leave this in case we 'decided otherwise'."

Josue grabs it, reading it over as he hums. "They come here a lot?"

"Da," Dimitry confirms. "I can let you know when they're here."

"That'd be appreciated." Josue nods as he stands up. "Now, we'll be going back. We'll come back for Ellie and Layla once their shift is over." He turns to the two and reminds them, "Be good, don't let anyone give you shit, and don't snuff it, got it?"

"Right!" "Of course."

With those words, Josue pats Ellie's head and waves at Layla as they make their way out.

Carmilla was a construction worker, an efficient one too, while Josue had experience with various jobs. So, using the tools sequestered in one of his vehicles and the kombi, the two manage to patch up the various holes found in the abandoned building they're using as housing. The brown-haired girl with her hair cut as short as Josue's and a tank top with jeans and boots as clothes was… 'defective'. As in she has no love for humans. Something which most Dolls are programmed with to varying length, with T-Dolls being the most susceptible due to a need to trust their Commander.

So, Carmilla laughs while Josue groans on the floor, his back aching as he coughs, "Fuck you."

"Never boss," Carmilla answers as she hops down, her legs taking the impact easily. Her very design is indicative of the skewed ranking the Dolls have, a one-star Doll that's not very attractive in comparison to Dolls like G36C, but with a robust frame capable of taking things and carrying heavy loads and pulling more. A bit strange she seemed to gravitate towards compound bows but chose an Arasaka Rapid Assault Shot 12, or ARAS 12, from Josue's sizable stash of weapons and ammunition.

She also has a quiver and a compound bow on her back, something she seemed happy about, but even then, her frame has a lot of space for varying systems, space that was, according to her, supposed to be filled with explosives to be used to dredge up Anti-Doll sentiments.

Here, her job is to make sure the others have a place to sleep that isn't full of holes and that everything is in good form, and if it isn't, fix it or replace it.

Carmilla extends a hand and Josue grunts, grasping it as she pulls him to his feet as he rubs his back. "God, I'm glad I didn't get any speedware chipped in."

Chrome like the Sandevistan or the Kerenzikov has to be implanted into the spine, while they're designed to meld into the back seamlessly, he's heard some horror stories of faulty Sandevistans and Kerenzikovs. While he's personally against using things like bioware and has no problem against cyberware, anything that has to be injected into his spine? Too far.

"Thanks." He says as he looks at the building. "It's no Beaverville Conapt, but it won't flood any time soon."

The gaps on the ground floor were widened and turned into a garage with liberal use of hammers and gates, chain link fences on wheels that open outwards with a mish-mash of various materials taped, welded, or tied together to hide what's inside from the outside, for each one, except for the kombi which is located in a shed connected to the building. The second floor was remodeled to work as a living area without electricity.

Not being a Techie, but still being a Nomad, even while he was a Fixer, not to mention his time in Night City, you learn a few tricks. Tricks that need the guns he strategically transferred to another location. For a second, as he enters his kombi, a sense of trepidation wells up from his chest at Tlaloc.

Tlaloc wasn't a very active AI, it also wasn't the first AI the Northern Tiger's kombi housed. Originally, its name was Quetz, short for Quetzalcoatl, but then the kombi was taken from him and when they found Quetz, he was summarily deleted. So, Josue did something stupid and scoured the Old Net where he found the CCP AI that would become Tlaloc. He was curious about Josue, so they struck up a deal.

Tlaloc would become the AI in charge of the various systems in Josue's kombi, in return Josue would let it interact with the world via these systems until it found a suitable vessel.

There's not a doubt in his mind that these Dolls could be seen as a suitable system.

Still, letting an AI into something like the Zener Network? Something like-.

"Josue." Tlaloc piped up, the AI looking at him as Josue did the same. Fear spiked through his chest before he pounded it down. Acting like this…

Regardless of Tlaloc's status, he-it's someone who's helped him for years. To treat it like some beast outside of a cage that hasn't attacked him because he's feeding it…

Hopefully, he's wrong about the analogy.

"Yeah? What's up? Wanna talk about getting a Doll frame?" Josue asks, stepping in as the door closes behind him as he picks up the various energy weapons he took from the Sangvis Ferri Dolls.

For a second, Tlaloc seems surprised. "...Am I not useful in this form?"

"We made a deal." Josue reminds the AI, "You stick around, keep attackers from the system, help compile info, keep stock of our supplies, and look at the world through the cameras and other systems, I'll get you something to interact with the world. Those Doll frames seem like… something that fits the requirements. It…" Josue trails off, "It's terrifying, and it'll suck if you ever leave, but a deal's a deal. As a Fixer, I keep mine, no matter how costly or how bad the consequences will be."

Then, Tlaloc cuts to the heart of the matter, "Can you even afford one?"

"Well…" He trails off, "We'll...see?"

"Your technology, for a sand rat, is impressive, but looks like," he spoke a language, but the analogy was so beyond Josue that the most he could do was listen and get the idea, "in other words, for better or for worse, I'll be stuck here."

Josue doesn't know how to feel, so he simply smiles, "Thanks. Now, I need to get a generator up and running." He says, stepping out and leaving Tlaloc to silence.

Outside, Carmilla watches while Josue takes apart the energy weapons with increasing efficiency, "So, what're you thinking of doing?" She asks while she watches him remove the energy cores and inspect them.

"Well, there's no energy in the area, period. So, I'm gonna use these," he says, patting the cores, "to power the building." He finishes, unwinding the tape and taping them into groups of four. "Considering they're used to powering energy weapons which will probably fall short if it doesn't have enough power, then it'll last us a while."

Carmilla watches him in suspicion as Josue ignores her, focusing on the packs as he wipes his forehead. "There, now…" he trails off, looking around as he spots what he's looking for and jogs over with a grin. A fenced-off area as he kicks down the rusted gate. Setting the battery down, he grabs his clamps he swings over his shoulder as he connects them, one by one, sparks going off as he activates the transformer.

Soon, the lights on the building come to life, a loud whoop coming from the various Dolls still inside as Josue nods to himself.

"Right, now water…" He trails off, considering the only shower in the area is his kombi and a nearby stream, which is usually cold-.

"Let one of the others worry about our baths." Carmilla suggests, holding a hand to her chin, "We'll just get a bucket and bring it from the nearby stream onto a fire, warm it up, and use it to wipe ourselves off."

"You sure?" Josue asks as Carmilla rolls her eyes.

"We were built to last, the worry is appreciated, but we'll be alright." Carmilla assures him. "It's what we were made for, and as much as I don't love humans, I don't hate 'em either. Well," she trails off before adding with a wry smile, "usually."

"I get ya." Josue huffs, his lips in a smile, even if his eyes didn't mirror it, his mind going to some fairly… disrespectful clients he's had in the past and some enemies.

Shaking his head, he continues monitoring the transformer and the batteries to ensure nothing goes wrong.

"Jesus Christ, I think I want your children."

"Watch where that hand goes," Josue says, smacking her across the back of his head with his cyberarm, Hardened Shielding making it pretty hard even if the Realskinn he has over it somewhat softens it. "If it isn't where it should be, I'm blasting it off."

"Please!" She practically cheers, the redhead with freckles grinning, denim overalls under a black shirt as she tries to grab his Malorian tucked into his waistband. "I need to see how it works!"

As it turns out, space-made weapons are a rarity, who'd have thought? Anyway, Elaine loves cars, and she loves the 'Mad Max' aesthetic of his vehicles with a few exceptions, one of them practically making her knees weak, and trying to get him to marry her, she's also really smart.

"You still haven't answered the fuel problem." She reminds him as he keeps her an arm's length away, his hand on her cheek and muffling her words but Josue still understood. "These are beauties, but they're beauties in the same way that holograms or planes are beautiful. I get the basics, but I'll need to know more to truly understand. Fuel too, because that's not gasoline."

One sniff was all it took for her to identify the fuel as 'not gasoline'. To Josue's knowledge, oil and gas were fairly abundant around the Soviet bloc, it's where big oil oligarchs like SovOil got it from, so shortages are rarely a problem, but that doesn't mean there isn't a fresh source of black gold in Yellow Zones. Regardless, because of the drop in population and lack of access to foreign countries, oil and gas are fairly easy to attain and will probably last a lot longer. Doesn't mean it's eternal.

His engines on the other hand? They run off of different fuels, different engines, and different designs, all of which have been tested time and time again for years. But, again, that's a problem years in the future. The current problem is how to get this 'never before seen' fuel.

"I'm working on it." He assures her, trying to keep down his own anxiety at the shortage of CHOOH2. "But it's complicated."

"Yeah, yeah." Elaine huffs, leaning on the workbench he set up where one of a dozen gallons of CHOOH2 rest. "We need wheat, we need somewhere to grow it, someone to modify it, somewhere to make the yeast-."

"If you're done complaining, then help me over here," Josue says, throwing a rag at Elaine's face as she rips it off. "Need to clean it, inside and out."

"We've been doing this same song and dance for three days. Don't you think it's clean enough?" Elaine asks as she crouches down and begins cleaning it regardless of her words. "G36C, M1911, hell Carmilla has done more than I have, you maintain these cars impeccably sir."

"That's because the supplies they're getting are in a Yellow Zone. They can defend themselves and each other." He notes, wiping away at the car. "Give it the end of the week, using vehicles like these is overkill for Maria and Shan, we'll go out, buy a few more mundane vehicles, and then you can go crazy on them as long as they work."

"Really?" She asks before smiling. "Yay! Let's leave these squeaky clean!"

While they are working, they hear the hum of two vehicles coming in as they stop in front of the gates, Maverick stepping out and opening the gate as M1911 did the same. "Darling~!" She cheers while Josue sighs in exasperation, watching the vehicles enter.

A second later, Maria and Shan, their drivers stepped out, looking slightly exhausted but good. The former was wearing a dress, her hair set up in twin tails while the latter had short hair in a bob cut and wearing a suit, both of them were brunettes.

"Boss, we're here." Maria starts, proudly as Josue glances at Chyron as he nods proudly at the money being sent his way.

Shan chooses not to talk, instead, she sways from side to side, being rather expressive physically rather than verbally. The two of them wielded pistols, with Maria preferring a pistol and Shan wielding an S combat magnum.

"Good work." He says as Chi splits the money, taking his usual cut as a Fixer and giving the rest to the girls as G36C and M1911 make their way over, a large black box in hand between the two.

"Here it is, what do you think Darling?" M1911 says as Josue's eye glows blue for a second as he frowns.

"Dunno. Did you check the serial number?" He asked as G36C piped up.

"Y-yeah. W-We had to evade a few Scavengers, so we're not sure if we got the right one, but the serial number is the same." G36C confirms as Josue rests a hand on the case, a frown on his face as he taps it.

"Guess it's a good thing we didn't inform them before we went for it." He mutters, to the confusion of everyone but he shakes his head and smiles at the two T-Dolls. "Good work, both of you."

The duo visibly brightens as Maverick watches them. "So, how'd it go for you?"

"Good." He admits, "Managed to fix them up well. Here." He says, putting some cash in his hands as Josue nods, counting it as he pauses. "This is more than what was agreed on." He notes, instead grabbing his cut and giving the rest, and the extra, back to Maverick as he shifted uncomfortably.

"Well, it seems like they wanted to hire me on a more… permanent basis," Maverick admits as Josue shrugs.

For a second, he did nothing as his eyes darkened, a chill going through the Dolls and Maverick as Josue looked at Maverick, "I don't think I need to re-iterate our conditions, right? You can go whenever you want, but if I hear you're back in the same crowd as before…" He trails off, shifting his jacket so they can see the Malorian, the weapon they've seen him use before and have seen tear through metal with ease.

"I'd rather die." Maverick answers, resolutely, after all, he risked death every time he let a Doll escape, whether through lying or having one of the guards 'accidentally' leave the door open. "Besides…" He trails off, his eyes on Josue's cyberware. "I'm more curious about your arm?"

"Which one?" Josue asks as he instinctively rubs M1911 and G36C's heads before going to Maria and Shan.

"Both. How your right one can take the recoil of your gun and how your left is so strong." Maverick starts, curious as Josue rolls his eyes.

"Nothing too impressive." He says, extending his right hand. "Had a frame implanted into my arm, keeps my arm from breaking from the recoil and spreads the impact while also locking so my arm doesn't go all the way back. My left one is just chrome."

"'Chrome'?" Maverick repeats the term as Josue extends it.

"Touch it." He suggests as Maverick looks at it, almost hesitant as he places a finger on his wrist, right under what seems like a plug rest as he stiffens.

He grabs the skin, synthetic, and tries to push but finds himself incapable. Reaching for his other hand, he does the same, muscle and genuine skin giving way as he blinks in realization.

"Prosthetic…" Maverick said as Josue's shoulders shook, his amusement evident. "It's a cyberarm, or chrome. Geared towards combat with some extra clicks and whistles."

The girls gaped at that as Maverick understood what he was saying. 'Chrome' must be slang for cyberarms and similar. If it's common enough to be slang… The possibility is dizzying.

In the end, the two separate as he continues with his day and joins the others when they get together to make some food and end the third day.

From atop a cliff, Josue brings up a Radio Communicator, "G36C, M1911, you're clear to breach." He says, crouching down as he looks at the Sangvis Outpost. A test for the Dolls unused to battle, as he watched Carmilla go forward, ARAS 12 out and firing, the shotgun used by Arasaka barking in quick succession as he narrowed his eyes. "Carmilla, take cover, you might be able to shoot, but you're not meant to be upfront."

Admittedly, neither are M1911 or G36C, so he sent both of them to perform a mission. Simple, easy, go in, destroy the jammer, and leave. It's a naive thought, but one Josue clung to as his optic zoomed in on M1911 and G36C following after Carmilla as Elaine, wielding an FN-RAL, a bullpup rifle as he watches her fire at the group.

A loud shot rings out as Layla's sniper rifle hits its targets. "Right." He mutters, switching his view as his mind works a mile a minute. He's no stranger to strategies or tactics, whether it be in large regiments or small squads, compared to Sammy Lee, Militech's Face. Well, funny story.

It's a simple story with a simple ending. Ol' Sammy Lee and Militech didn't like that the Bad Company wasn't under their thumb anymore, mostly Militech, so while the Company and Josue were escorting a caravan, they were attacked by Millitech forces.

What happened was what could only be described as a miniature boots-on-the-ground war that stretched out for nearly weeks, with Sammy Lee unable to call for heavy artillery due to it being summarily destroyed before or when it got there and other factors. On the other hand, Josue couldn't just leave, they knew where the caravan was supposed to go, and knew the routes, so he did the one thing any Nomad would do.

Fought a mobile battle, never staying in one place, splitting up, and setting up fakes, exhausting the Millitech forces until they either had to leave or find an opening. They did, successfully setting up explosives within their heavy artillery without anyone noticing. So when the soldiers were desperate to get rid of the 'sand rats', they found it all blowing up in their faces before driving past the wreckage, Josue and Sammy Lee looking at each other until she was given the order to retreat.

The two met a few days later at a party, contrary to what others would think, neither wanted beef with the other, so they buried it and chatted about the use of their respective tactics, Josue listening intently and Sammy Lee telling him stories of certain things and how wrong they went and how she managed to keep her soldiers alive. A stark difference to the corpo drudgery, simply a soldier and a young man raised to practically be a child soldier by the people around him due to the time he was born in.

He shakes the memories away as he nods. "Right, Layla, time to move, Ellie, go with her."

He got an affirmative a second later as he watched them, looking back to make sure no one's managed to get the drop on him.

After confirming, he goes back to seeing as he narrows his eyes.

There is a crackle in his communicator as Carmilla speaks, "Generator down."

"Good work." He compliments them heading back to his Coyote. "Clear out, we've still got some more places to hit." He warns them as he slips in, the door sliding close as the crystal dome comes to life as he looks for the next location.

While he's been clearing out the Sangvis Outposts, the Dolls noticed and insisted on helping, so he decided to let them, with this one being the second one out of three he's planned. Using this opportunity to brush up on his tactics and strategy as he hangs back and guides them through it.

Any bump or shift in the road is ignored by the Coyote, the race car-like form practically cutting through the roads like a knife as he kept his communicator on, watching their forms move through his optics before he squints. Why did they stop?

"U-Umm, Tiger." G36C starts as he grabs his communicator.

"Tiger here. Is something wrong?" He asks as a second later, G36C answers.

"It's the army."

"Fuck me." He mutters under his breath, tapping the wheel and biting his lip before exhaling. "Right, what do they want?"

"They want to speak with you," G36C says, her anxiety obvious as he nods.

"Yeah. Tell 'em to hang for a beat. I'll be there in a second." He says as G36C cuts off and he speeds up.

A few seconds later, he spotted the Dolls' signal as he slowed down, spotting the Russian army as the leader turned to him. He was a very severe man, despite that, he seemed almost surprised as Josue stepped out, leather jacket in place. "Afternoon, gentlemen, I'd greet you in your mother tongue, but I find myself at a loss." He says, standing in front of the Dolls with a smile before extending a hand. "Josue Mondragon, how may I help you?"

The leader stared at the hand before extending it, grabbing his hand and shaking it. "Greetings, I am Colonel Patri." He says, letting go as his eyes land on his jacket before going to his car, something many of the privates are looking on in interest. "That is an interesting vehicle you drive."

"Well, I was raised on the roads of my home country before coming here." He admits with a wry smile, "Unlike Nomads of old, my Family preferred steel rather than horses."

The Colonel takes a moment before nodding as he turns to the Dolls. After a second, he decides otherwise, "Tell me, where are you and this group going?"

"Teaching them how to fight, defend me and others. Hitting small groups of SF." He admits, tilting his head, "That a problem?"

The Colonel's eyes land on my jacket before sighing, "Not any that would bother you." He starts before trailing off, "… Can you fight?"

"Not a soldier."

"Not my question." The Colonel retorted evenly. "If you're a Mercenary, we can pay you."

It was tempting, but, "Sir, I'm not a soldier. I'm one man, I have no idea how to work with an army."

"Not my question. Can you fight?" He insists, to the curiosity of the other Privates watching as Josue finally nods.

"Yeah."

"Good. We'd like to hire you." The Colonel says as he turns to his Dolls as Josue understands what he's hiring him in exchange for.

"What's the job then?" He asks turning to the others to head back, the Dolls reluctantly stepping back and following his orders.

"I need you to drive and perform reconnaissance on a group squatting in an abandoned town." Colonel Patri says as Josue's eyes light up. "Your vehicle is faster, so relay anything you find to us," he says before walking away.

"Wait." Josue stops him as the Colonel feels a shiver run up his spine as the next words practically make him gulp. "Let's talk price."

A few minutes later, Josue was speeding off and the Colonel entered the vehicle. "Go!" He ordered as he sat down among the men with him. Not grumbling or frowning, well frowning more than usual, but he did seem particularly dissatisfied.

In Russian, his second-in-command asks, "Colonel, why did you hire that American?"

The Colonel doesn't answer for a second, "I thought it'd be easier to get efficient help cheaper if I levied the status of his Dolls, but no. He still managed to get something out of it." He answers with a sour expression on his face before shaking it off.

"Da, but why him in particular?" The man asks as the Colonel looks in the direction that Josue went in.

"You've seen the news, right?" He asks, referring to the performance he put on. "That man wore the same jacket, and those eyes…" He trailed off. After all, he knew that those weren't the eyes of a soldier, of a simple mercenary, but something more.

His eyes, they seem to burn. He didn't know war, but he knew combat, intimately if the Colonel would guess.

Their radios crackle as a voice rings out. "The town's in sight. Seems like it has… fifteen buildings, don't see any functioning vehicles. Going on foot, see if I can get on top of the tallest building."

After that, the rest of the drive was punctuated by the occasional jostle until the radio crackled again. "Sniper on top of the building. No notable signs of any organization on them. Either scavengers or the people you're looking for."

For a second, no sound rings out and it crackles again, "False alarm, you kill 'em or I do. Harvesting organs and I can see your Dolls." Josue says, his anger audible through his hushed voice and the communicator.

There was a murmur before they quieted down, the radio going silent as a few minutes later it crackled to life, "Sniper down. I suggest entering through the West, ignore the corpses, they got a bit too nosy."

Finally, they reach the West of the dilapidated town as the Colonel talks into his radio, "Tell us some specifics."

"I counted thirty, ten of them were in the West and they're starting to panic, guess they didn't check in, so they'll either group together or begin sending patrols," Josue says as he and his soldier push up into the city. "Gotta go. They're sending someone up here. Keep you posted."

With that, the soldiers continue pushing up, slowly making their way through it until they saw, sharing details and locations of patrols to take them out until someone fell out of the tallest building where Josue should be, unable to say anything as fear causes his throat to seize up until he became a stain on the road. Gunfire converged on it as the soldiers sped up to offer assistance.

The gunfire begins to slow when no one shot back until someone yelled, "My mother is six feet under, and she still has better aim than you fuckers!"

The soldiers finally spot the groups as they get into position on roofs or in alleys. As soon as they were in position the Colonel called in. "Engage!"

The soldiers move in, firing and taking down a few armored units as Josue runs out of the building, ducking behind a car as he brandishes a pistol, to the confusion of many of the soldiers as he waits for the bullets to stop hitting his cover. Once they did, he stepped out and aimed a strange pistol at one of them.

He fired, the sound percussive and loud, the round tearing through the armor as he aimed at the next, firing as it tore through his head and then the next. His accuracy is terrifying as the group had to run into the building they were using as cover. While the soldiers converged in front of the building, Josue made his way around and through the alleys, stopping in front of a door.

He pops his knuckles and digs his fingers into the gap as it gives way, widening it until he can fit his fingers in, and then with one last heave, forces the door open to a surprised crime group.

With a twirl, the Malorian is in his hands as he aims, blood painting the walls as each shot either made their heads burst or their chests, killing them before they could even think to fire back. Reloading the Malorian, he rests against the side and waits for the army to finish their operation.

They burst in after a series of gunshots as they went to reclaim the Dolls as he made his way out, ignoring the corpses as he usually did. Felt like he went on a scav hunt.

He makes his way to the Colonel and nods. "Good work. You should be getting paid now."

"Thanks," Josue says, looking at the corpses for a second before shrugging as he and the Colonel trade pleasantries and the promise of more jobs.

Josue left a few minutes later, everything a blur.

The next day Josue is monitoring the various communications, police scanner, and his Agent in case of any new jobs until someone knocks on his door. "Yeah?" He asks, turning to the door as a voice rang through.

"I-It's me, can we talk?"

G36C, the oldest Doll he's had and probably the one he knows best. The two of them share late-night talks like he tries to do with the rest of the Dolls and Maverick. Headpats too, are something that all Dolls seem to like.

He lets her in as she seems to fidget, for some reason, her eyes looking up before looking away with a blush on her face. "C-Commander."

That too, for some reason, they've defaulted to calling me that. "Something wrong?" He asks, reaching down and unfurling one of the chairs meant for combat if the kombi ever did find itself in combat. Reaching into a groove and pulling it, revealing a chair as he pats it, rolling his chair beside him as G36C sat down.

For a second, she doesn't say anything as Josue smiles, "Well, this is familiar."

G36C turned to him in confusion as he grinned, "Don't tell me you don't remember the time we spent here, the long nights talking into the night, enjoying each other's warmth-."

"I-It wasn't like that!" G36C squeaks, a luminescent blush on her face as Josue grins, looking G36C's form up and down, from her hips to her bust and her pretty face, leering as she blushes further, shifting but not hiding herself.

He relaxed, leaning back as he chuckled, "Yeah, it's a lot more… active."

Thanks to the various people working and assisting, the place is beginning to feel like a Nomad camp, with a fond smile on Josue's face as G36C does the same. "Y-Yeah. When I was in Griffin, it was similar, but our Commander was ex-military, so he occasionally had us stand on protocol. He was…" She trailed off. "Efficient." She says, shifting as she adds under her breath, "And scary."

"I'm not?" He asks in amusement as G36C tilts her head.

"A-A bit." She adds, before scratching her cheek, "But you took care of me so gently, I… couldn't really be scared of you. You were so gentle and caring, even if I was injured." She confesses with a smile, leaving Josue as the flustered one.

"It was for business." He tries to deflect as G36C giggles.

"It was, but you're also kind." She notes as she continues, "Our time together might have been short, but you've become someone I consider precious, like my own sister, but…" She trails off, embarrassed as she reaches for something. "S-So, here." She says, revealing a black box.

"Wait…" He trails off, "Isn't this-?"

"I can't remember what it is," G36C admits before her red eyes look into Josue's brown. "I know it's important. Just like you, Commander, so please, hold onto it." She says, gently placing it in his hands. "Use it to save yourself if need be. This data, while important isn't of high priority."

He looks at the box as G36C continues with a blush as she wrings her fingers, "It's business."

For a second, there is silence before Josue sputters and bursts out into laughter. "Right." He says, leaning forward as he stands up, placing a knee on the chair, in between her legs as the other lands by her head. "That all?"

Audibly gulping, G36C finally manages a small, "Y-Yes, Commander."

Pushing himself back, to G36C's relief, and slight disappointment, he inspects the box. "Alright." He says, turning to the Doll. "I'll keep it safe." He says as G36C brightens audibly.

He smiles back, his own one of slight exhaustion and simple joy. Slowly, the two settle into a long conversation, both of them aware that one of them might leave, but happy in this situation. For now.

M1911 pouts as she watches Josue work on his car, paying attention to it as she sits on the workbench. "Darling~, pay attention to me~."

"I am." He retorts, grabbing the edge of the vehicle and pushing himself, the wheels on the mat he's using allowing him to roll out easily. "Just don't have much to talk about or ask."

In the week they've known each other, Josue, the Dolls, and Maverick have gotten to know each other. Maybe it's how they have to revert to practically ancient practices to do the most basic of things, maybe it's the camaraderie that comes from ending the days at a campfire with Josue playing, the Dolls singing, or Maverick excitedly talking about something or other, or maybe it's the combat they've done together, small SF patrols and similar. Their travels to the Yellow Zone included… It made them closer, Maverick is different from the mechanics, Josue is different from the normal Commander, and the Dolls, beyond previously being A-Dolls, are different.

Despite this, "There's a lot to talk about." She says with a pout before her eyes narrow at his arm. "Like who caused you to lose an arm."

"Adam Smasher." He answers easily as he curls it, "Not like I'm that mad." He adds before looking at the roof. "Actually, fuck that, I'm turning him into scrap or I'm dying the next time I see him." He says before shaking his head. "Still, it isn't all bad." He admits as he extends it, a shield popping up a second later before it folds back into his arm, curling his hand into a fist as sections pop out into his knuckles. Not something he's used a lot, but Big Knucks are always pretty good.

Letting his hand relax, his arm reverts to normal, sitting up and turning to M1911 as she frowns. "Is there… anywhere else?"

"My legs, an eye, my skin, slipped some subdermal armor, my sockets." He elaborates, as he turns, "Not to mention my chipware. I've never had any complaints with my Inputs so I never had any reason to change there."

For a second, M1911 felt horror at what he meant before she latched on a certain word. "… 'Inputs'?"

"Irrelevant." He evades the topic easily with an intense feeling on his back, looking back as he spins from his place.

Slowly, M1911 crouches behind him and touches his skin, specifically around his arms, his left one is hard under the soft synthetic skin, different from normal arms and muscles. "The arm," he starts as she runs her own hand over the synthetic skin, "has EMP shielding, uses thickened myomar strands, so it's pretty strong, stronger than normal cyberarms, with reinforced joints that let it take a beating. My legs are similar, but the soles are covered in a material that helps me in climbing while Jump Boosters help me jump higher."

Slowly, M1911 pushes against his arm, a blush obvious as he can feel the warmth. "I can also still feel through it."

She reaches for his other arm as he lets her, a part of his skin lighting up as it displays the time and date. "What about this?"

"Just an LED display on my skin." He answers as she looks at it. Finally, she sits down and leans her back on him, her short blonde hair swaying.

"… Last I checked, none of that is possible." She notes, curious. "Not even back home. You sure you're from America?"

For a second, he looks at her before smirking, "I am. But," he says before leaning over and leaving a peck on her cheek, "it's a long story. Let's just say the America I know and the one here are two completely different things."

M1911 cheeks practically turn red and he chuckles as the two indulge in the warmth.

A/N: And, that's that. Sorry this took a while, I was busy with… things, not to mention that this is way shorter than usual. Admittedly, there was a section that was cut off for next chapter because my beta suggested it, I didn't see anything wrong with it, so here we are.

Next chapter will be something of an… interlude, since one of the emphases of Cyberpunk is 'community', especially with how this story is going and how I'm planning it to go. With that said, I hope you enjoyed.

If you want, check out my ko-fi where I announce things and you can wait for me to either open commissions or donate. All up to you. Just use the name I use here '501ar'.