Chapter 69: Recruiting Gloria, The Ever-Growing Crew
Following the doctor, they moved Gloria from the recovery capsule to a private room.
Leaning against the wall, Rhys and Maine were talking.
"Did you really just call Rogue?"
"Who else was I gonna call? It's not like we know the market rate for that kind of gig. How much did you used to make on a hit?"
"A few K, maybe. Ten K for a named target. But six hundred K for one body... Tsk. Yeah, never done a job like that," Maine admitted. "Gigs that pay that much are for top-tier solos. We're talking gang leaders, corpo execs..."
Even though the crew was suddenly flush with eddies, that didn't mean money had lost its meaning. The Badlands gig had been a chaotic mess; if it had been a simple pickup, Rogue would have only paid them the original ten thousand.
"But you were right to shut that 6th Street old-timer down. He's bad news," Maine added. He'd been a soldier, seen the battlefield. He knew one thing better than most: in Night City, being ex-military wasn't something to be proud of. It just meant you were a tool, a cog in the corpo machine, fed a line of bullshit about protecting your home.
The legendary Johnny Silverhand had been a soldier, too. And look how he turned out—a bitter, anti-corpo punk rocker.
So, all that talk from Gunner? It was just noise. You buy into that, you end up chewed up and spat out.
"She's awake!"
A voice from inside the room cut them off. They walked over and saw Gloria, hand pressed to her forehead, slowly sitting up.
"Mom? Mom!" David rushed to her side.
Gloria didn't seem to hear him, her eyes unfocused. But the moment she saw David, her instincts kicked in. She grabbed him, her hands digging into his shoulders. "David? Are you okay?"
He froze, then collapsed into her arms, burying his face in her shoulder, his body shaking.
Gloria was stunned. Only then did she seem to realize where she was, seeing Rhys and Maine standing in the room.
"..." She pursed her lips, pulling David closer, her hand gently patting the back of his head. "It's okay. It's over now."
"Don't worry... David."
"You don't even know..." his muffled voice came from her shoulder.
She didn't. If it hadn't been for Rhys... what would have happened to her? David wasn't stupid. He'd put the pieces together from the conversation with Gunner. If that EMT had really taken her to the 6th Street clinic... a clinic that worked with Scavengers... what chance would she have had?
"It's okay, it's okay, I'm fine," Gloria soothed. After a moment, she looked up at Rhys and Maine, her expression complex. "David, could you step outside for a minute? I need to talk with them."
"..." David stood up and nodded. He knew this was about the "business deal" Maine had mentioned. He thanked Rhys again and stepped out into the hall.
Dorio, seeing the look on the kid's face, grabbed Rebecca and pulled her out too, despite Rebecca's protests. Dorio was perceptive; the kid needed someone.
That left Rhys, Maine, Jackie, and a very interested Kiwi in the room.
Gloria swung her legs over the side of the bed. "He knows, doesn't he?"
Rhys paused. "Knows what?"
"That I almost died," Gloria said with a self-deprecating smile, running a hand through her red hair. "Taken to that clinic... with no eddies to pay for a package... the only thing left for me was the chopping block. Best case, they sell me to the Scavs, use me for black-market BDs until I break. Worst case... I'm just parts, sold on the black market."
She wasn't afraid to talk about it. She knew the industry's dirty secrets. And with this crew, there was no point hiding it. She'd already run a scan on Maine. She'd been completely wrong about them. Rhys, the kid she thought was a nice, normal neighbor... was now one of the street's rising stars.
"How can I thank you?" she asked, her gaze fixed on Rhys.
"Thank us?" Before Rhys could speak, Maine stepped in, grinning. "You should thank us. We almost started a war with 6th Street in this hospital for you."
"But let's talk business. I'll buy that Sandevistan you have. The eighty thousand eddies I paid for your medical package? That's the down payment. You get me the hardware, I'll wire you the rest."
Gloria nodded. She knew there was a "but" coming.
"But," Maine continued, "that's just eddies. There is... one other thing we need your help with."
"Name it. I'll do what I can," Gloria said, her voice firm. She wasn't a good person, not by a long shot. She was greedy, ruthless, and had her hands in plenty of dirt. But she was a good mother. This incident had shown her how close she'd come to leaving David alone. Without her... could he survive in Night City? She couldn't bear the thought. So yes, she was grateful to Rhys and Maine. And she was in no position to refuse.
"We have a lot of... hot hardware. Implants, weapons. We need a reliable fence. You have the contacts. You're the expert in this area."
Maine thought for a second. "The fee... how about a five percent cut of every sale?"
Gloria's eyes lit up. She'd been prepared to do it for free, to repay the debt. But with a cut? She needed the money, now more than ever. David still had to get through school.
"How much hardware are we talking about?"
"Right now? A few hundred thousand eddies' worth," Maine said casually.
"Okay. I can do that," Gloria agreed.
"Then... welcome to the crew," Maine said, his grin widening as he held out his massive hand.
"?" Both Rhys and Gloria stared at him, confused.
Rhys was surprised. This was a one-time deal, right?
Gloria was even more surprised. When did I say I was joining a merc crew? She didn't have the chrome for that. She was a scavenger, an intel broker, a fence... not a soldier. She'd been in this game since she was fifteen; she knew her strengths. But if she had to raise David, she might have become a full-on arms dealer.
"Don't look so confused, hermana," Maine said, his voice earnest. "We need a logistics person. Someone like you, who knows the market, who has the connections. We're gonna be bringing in more and more high-end gear. You're exactly what we're missing."
"I promise, you won't regret this decision."
Gloria looked down, considering. After a long moment, she sighed. "Okay. I'll think about it." She did need protection. After being flagged by 6th Street, her EMT job was probably blown. And as today had proven, in Night City, having no backup meant you were just meat. Maybe... maybe Maine's crew could be the protection she and David needed.
Maine was already beaming. He nudged Rhys in the ribs. "See? Our crew's getting bigger," he whispered.
"So... time to buy that office?" Rhys joked.
It was true. He'd changed so much. Sasha was alive. Gloria was alive. Jackie had joined the crew.
The current roster: Rhys, Maine, Jackie, Dorio, Rebecca, Pilar, and Kiwi.
And he knew Dorio was still looking for a driver... was Falco next? The best wheelman in Night City.
Plus the two new probates: Gloria and Lucy.
This wasn't a crew anymore. It was becoming a full-fledged organization.