At The Dump HQ, David Martinez's life was strictly divided into two parts: one was binary language learning under the guidance of a servo-skull, accompanied by painful electric shocks.
The other part was assisting Osiris in Glenn's makeshift clinic, observing and recording crude cyberware implantation and neural connection surgeries.
Today, David had just finished a brain-numbing round of knowledge acquisition and was leaning against the wall, trying to calm his overused biological brain.
His personal communicator rang; it was an unknown number.
He hesitated for a moment before answering.
"Mr. David Martinez?" a professional-sounding male voice came through. "I hope I'm not disturbing you. I represent the 'New Life Charity Medical Foundation' and understand the condition of your mother, Ms. Gloria Martinez."
David's heart skipped a beat. "New Life Foundation"? He had never heard that name before.
"Our foundation focuses on assisting families severely affected by accidental neddielogical damage," the voice continued, with that perfectly pitched sympathetic tone. "We've noted that Ms. Martinez's ongoing treatment requires a special medication called 'Neddie-Synaptic Regenerator - Type IV.' This drug is indeed... expensive and has limited availability."
The caller accurately stated the name of his mother's required medication, which slightly eased David's caution, but his long-ingrained Night City instincts prevented him from immediately trusting them.
"What do you want?" David's voice was wary.
"We want to offer help," the voice replied sincerely. "The foundation has an emergency assistance program, and after initial assessment, we believe Ms. Martinez's situation meets our funding criteria.
We can provide full medication assistance, including 'Neddie-Synaptic Regenerator - Type IV,' as well as a series of follow-up rehabilitation support."
Full medication assistance? David felt his breathing quicken.
It meant his mother could escape her suffering, and even potentially recover better, which was an almost irresistible temptation for him.
"What are the conditions?" David forced himself to calm down; he knew there was no such thing as a free lunch.
"We need to conduct a final, in-person professional assessment of Ms. Martinez's condition to determine the most suitable assistance plan and dosage," the voice explained. "The assessment will take place at the 'Aqua Purifica' private medical clinic in Charter Hill. The time can be set by you, the sooner the better, as the patient's condition cannot be delayed."
The caller's words were impeccable, full of allure.
But David did not agree immediately. He made an excuse about needing to think it over and hung up the call.
Immense hope and deep unease intertwined in his heart. His first thought was Lucy, the team's netrunner, who might be able to uncover the truth about this "New Life Foundation."
When he found Lucy, she was sitting in her corner, wearing headphones, seemingly immersed in data streams.
David walked up to her with some trepidation and explained the situation.
Lucy listened, then took off one headphone, her pale purple eyes calmly looking at him: "The foundation's name, and the clinic's name."
David immediately gave her "New Life" and "Aqua Purifica Clinic."
"Wait for me," Lucy said, standing up. Her next action completely caught David off guard.
Without any hesitation, she began to take off her upper garments.
First her jacket, then the close-fitting tank top underneath.
Her movements were natural and fluid, as if she were simply preparing for a routine task.
David froze instantly, his gaze uncontrollably falling on Lucy's exposed upper body.
Her skin was very fair, glowing with a porcelain-like luster in the dim light of The Hideout. Her shoulders were gracefully sculpted, and her collarbones were delicately defined.
Most striking was her chest... David's brain buzzed, blood seemed to rush to his head instantly, his cheeks and ears becoming scorching hot.
He had never seen the body of the opposite sex so closely, so clearly.
At Arasaka Academy, he was an ostracized poor student, with few opportunities to even speak to girls.
Now, a primal, intense urge rose from deep within him, leaving him parched and his heart pounding.
He could feel a distinct change in his lower body, which filled him with immense shame and panic.
Almost instinctively, he abruptly turned his back to Lucy, his voice stammering from nervousness: "I... I'm so... sorry! I... I didn't mean to..."
Lucy's calm voice came from behind him, seemingly with a hint of unnoticeable confusion: "What's wrong? I'm about to get into the ice bath. How can I connect the data cables without taking off my clothes?"
Only then did David realize that Lucy was undressing for deep hacking work, which required physical cooling.
He felt like a fool for entertaining such suggestive thoughts.
But he still dared not turn around, fearing he might see more that would make him lose control, and also afraid Lucy would see his flushed face and embarrassed state.
He heard a faint splash, Lucy lying down in the bathtub that was always filled with ice water.
Then came the subtle sound of data cables plugging into neural ports.
"You can turn around now," Lucy's voice chimed again, with a slight electronic distortion from the interference, a sign that her consciousness was already diving into cyberspace.
David slowly turned around then, his heart still beating rapidly.
He saw Lucy lying in the ice-filled tub, the water covering her chest, only her head and neck, connected to cables, visible.
Her expression was serene, her eyes closed, already immersed in cyberspace.
Even though he couldn't see her body anymore, that fleeting glimpse had been deeply etched into his mind, refusing to fade.
He struggled to suppress the agitation in his body and the heat on his face, forcing himself to focus on the task at hand.
The waiting period was not long.
After about ten minutes, Lucy's body trembled slightly, and she opened her eyes.
She unplugged the data cables, sat up from the ice water, and picked up a towel nearby to dry her body and hair, once again uninhibitedly beginning to dress.
This time, although David was still a little embarrassed, he tried to control himself and not avert his gaze, though his ears were still flushed.
"I found it," Lucy said, putting on her tank top, her voice returning to its usual calmness. "The 'New Life Charity Medical Foundation' has clean registration information. It hasn't been established long, and its funding sources are vague, but on the surface, there don't seem to be major issues.
It does have some indirect ties to Arasaka, mainly through several medical equipment suppliers and drug distribution channels influenced by Arasaka."
She paused, looking at David: "The drug you need is itself a key controlled product of Arasaka Biotechnica. It makes logical sense for this foundation to have connections with Arasaka.
I infiltrated their internal communications and financial records, and I haven't found any obvious red flags for a trap yet. It looks... genuine, though it might be a charity project with not-so-pure motives."
Lucy's investigation largely dispelled David's doubts.
If the Foundation was indeed involved in Arasaka drug production, then their offer of drug assistance seemed reasonable.
As for an impure background? In Night City, which large organization's background was entirely clean?
The strong desire to save his mother finally overcame his last shred of caution, and David decided to visit the Aqua Purifica clinic.
But he hadn't completely lost his mind.
He found Rebecca, explained the situation, and asked her and Lucy to be his backup.
He planned to enter the clinic alone, and if he didn't come out within half an hour, or if communication was lost, he asked them to find a way to intervene.
"You're a clever kid, knowing to find someone to cover your back." Rebecca patted his shoulder. "Alright, Lucy and I will go with you. If those guys in white coats dare to play tricks, I'll blow up their clinic!"
Lucy also nodded in agreement.
The three of them took an inconspicuous vehicle provided by Falco and arrived at the Aqua Purifica clinic in Charter Hill.
The clinic's exterior indeed looked like a high-end private medical facility, with a quiet environment and strict access control.
At the clinic entrance, David took a deep breath, nodded to Rebecca and Lucy, and then walked in alone.
The front desk receptionist seemed to have already known of his arrival, enthusiastically guiding him to a private assessment room; everything appeared normal.
However, the moment the assessment room door closed behind him, the atmosphere abruptly changed.
Two "doctors" wearing white uniforms, but with robust physiques and sharp eyes, walked in and locked the door from the inside.
"Mr. Martinez, we need to perform some basic physiological tests to ensure the safety of subsequent drug use." One of them said, approaching him with a scanner-like device.
David felt something was wrong and instinctively took a step back: "What tests? This wasn't mentioned before."
"It's just standard procedure, please cooperate." The other's tone became forceful, and he reached out directly to grab David's arm.
David tried to struggle, but he currently had no combat cyberware on him except for a basic neural interface and data cables for learning.
His strength and speed were no match for the professionally trained and possibly basic-enhanced corporate operatives.
The opponent easily twisted his arm and pinned him against the wall.
The other "doctor" quickly pulled out a prepared syringe and accurately injected it into his neck.
Cold liquid flowed into his blood vessels. David felt a strong wave of dizziness and weakness, his vision quickly blurred, and his body slumped to the ground.
Before losing consciousness completely, he vaguely heard one of them whisper into a communicator: "Target controlled, preparing for transfer."
Rebecca and Lucy, waiting in the car outside the clinic, watched the time tick by.
The agreed-upon half an hour passed, and David didn't come out. Rebecca tried to call David, only to hear an unanswerable busy signal.
"Damn it, something happened!" Rebecca slammed the car door, her face grim.
Lucy immediately tried to track David's personal terminal signal, but found that the signal disappeared shortly after entering the clinic, clearly having been blocked or destroyed.
"Contact Maine!" Rebecca made a snap decision, simultaneously pulling out her handgun. "Lucy, try to find something from the network level! I'll watch the entrance!"
The message quickly returned to The Dump HQ.
Maine and Dorio immediately sprang into action, gathering equipment and vehicles, preparing to head to Charter Hill.
Meanwhile, deep within the workshop, Osiris' massive body stood before a control panel, analyzing micro-data of Bartmoss' neural structure transmitted by the servo-skull.
Suddenly, a low-priority alert from the external monitoring system triggered a thread in his processing core.
The alert was linked to a tiny sub-program he had implanted in David's personal monitoring program.
The biological signals and location data transmitted by the program showed an abnormal interruption and violent fluctuation, consistent with characteristics of a violent kidnapping.
Osiris' crimson optical lenses flickered slightly, and he quickly retrieved the data records before and after the alert and the last known location — Charter Hill, Aqua Purifica clinic.
"An expected development." His steady synthesized voice echoed in the empty workshop, betraying no emotional fluctuation. "A desire unprotected by strength always easily becomes prey in the eyes of others."
He did not take immediate action, as he was already aware of Maine's crew's movements.
Since Maine's crew had already been dispatched, this incident could serve to test the capabilities of this team, in which he had invested resources, in responding to unforeseen crises.
At the same time, this would also be the young apprentice's first severe test from the real world.
He needed to observe, to observe David's reaction, to observe Maine's crew's efficiency, and to observe the true motives of the mastermind.
Then, his attention returned to Bartmoss' unique brain neddien connection map.
In comparison, an apprentice's kidnapping incident was not yet enough to disrupt his established research rhythm.
The city's shadows swallowed a young soul, while a larger entity calmly watched everything from the darkness.
—
The Dump HQ was instantly enveloped in a tense atmosphere.
Maine's roar echoed in the empty space: "Everyone! Equipment check, departing in five minutes! Falco, bring the car to the entrance!"
Dorio quickly stuffed heavy magazines into her tactical vest, her tone steady but with an undeniable resolve: "The target is the Aqua Purifica clinic in Charter Hill. David lost contact inside and is likely controlled. The opponent's identity is unknown, but their methods are professional. Stay alert, everyone!"
She did not wear the power armor Osiris made for her; that thing was far too conspicuous. Even just removing the two power gauntlets from the power armor would be very eye-catching in Night City and could even attract the Psycho Squad.
So, she would not easily use this trump card unless necessary.
Pilar mumbled while checking his weapons and ammunition: "I knew this kind of 'charity' was no good… Now look, the kid got caught and used as a guinea pig."
Kiwi and Sasha were already seated at data terminals, their fingers rapidly gliding across the light screens.
Kiwi was responsible for attempting to cut into the municipal surveillance system around the clinic, looking for suspicious vehicles and personnel movements.
Sasha, meanwhile, tried to delve into the network traces behind the Foundation, using the information Lucy provided, hoping to find clues to a transfer route.
Rebecca and Lucy anxiously waited for support outside the clinic.
Rebecca impatiently tapped her fingers on the car window frame, her green cybernetic eyes constantly scanning the clinic exit and surrounding streets. "Why aren't Maine and them here yet! If we drag this out any longer, David will be transported to who knows what remote corner!"
Lucy was relatively calm; she reconnected to the network. Although unable to penetrate the clinic's internal shielding, she began scanning nearby communication signals, attempting to capture any encrypted communications that might be related to this kidnapping.