Neon lights pulsed through the bar as a colorful crowd moved to the heavy beat on the dance floor. Lucy stepped inside, her expression flat as she took in the familiar scene.
She was used to it—almost every bar in Night City looked like this. Maybe people came to blow off steam, maybe for something else. Who knew?
Either way, she was only here to meet the fixer she'd grown somewhat familiar with recently.
"Yo, Lucy. You made it. Take a seat."
A Black man with dreadlocks pushed up his sunglasses and grinned at her.
"Yeah. This time, I'm looking for a team to work with. Know anyone?"
"Oh? Thinking about taking on something big?"
Haider gave her a surprised look; he'd figured she would always stay a solo runner.
"Well… I'm short on cash lately."
Lucy nodded, scanning the crowd around them.
"That might be tough. I know a lot of crews, but none of them seem to be recruiting right now…"
Haider rubbed his chin, muttering to himself—until he suddenly spotted someone familiar and his eyes lit up.
"Right! I'll introduce you to someone. You should get along great with his sister."
…
Meanwhile, in a corporate office far across the city, Roland—who was slacking off and leaving the work to his subordinates—suddenly shot upright.
Who?! Which big shot was tipping him now?!
…
"Hey, Pilar! Get over here!"
"Huh? What do you want, kid?"
Pilar stomped over wearing the expression of someone who didn't recognize family. He slammed his hand onto the bar counter, then made a suggestive mock gesture with his fist.
"What, you want me to perform for you too?"
"Screw off."
Haider snorted and handed him a bottle.
"Well damn, didn't expect a stingy guy like you to treat anyone. Rare sight. So? What's the favor?"
Pilar raised an eyebrow, genuinely intrigued.
"This girl here's looking for a team. Since you've been taking your sister on gigs lately, I figured you could bring her along."
"Hey, hey—my team isn't a daycare. Get that straight."
Pilar stared at Haider, exasperated. Then he glanced at Lucy, leaned in with a sleazy grin—
And—
"Yaaah!!"
Pilar suddenly flailed wildly, sparks shooting from the back of his head. A moment later, he stiffened and collapsed onto the floor with a thud.
"Hahahahaha! Serves you right, you perv!!"
Rebecca, not far away, grabbed her stomach from laughing and pointed at him, howling with delight.
Not long after, a silver cyber-hand rose from beneath the bar and flipped her off.
Rebecca walked over to Lucy, pulled out a stool, sat beside her, and extended a hand.
"I'm Rebecca. That guy on the floor is my brother. Total creep, but he's not actually a bad guy. Just… don't mind him."
Lucy blinked, then shook her hand.
"Lucy. Nice to meet you."
Pilar eventually climbed back up—Lucy hadn't hit him with anything serious, just a goofy little program.
"Looks like you two are getting along. I'll leave you to it—someone over there needs me."
Haider lit a cigarette, chuckled, and headed toward another group.
"You're looking for a team, right?"
Rebecca leaned across the bar to look at Lucy.
"Yeah. Just relying on netrunning gigs doesn't cut it. So I want a team—makes it easier to take other kinds of jobs."
"Then join ours. We're really short-handed—just me and my brother isn't enough. But since we don't know each other yet, we can run a small job together first."
Rebecca twisted around, leaning back against the bar and looking up at Lucy.
"Sure. I don't mind."
Lucy nodded. Questions surfaced in her mind. These two felt… different from the runners she'd met before. So did Haider. They felt… more human?
No, not just a bit—much more.
"You and Haider seem pretty close?"
"Mm-hm."
Rebecca nodded, then glanced at Pilar, who was half drinking, half staring blankly at a girl nearby.
"He and my dad were old friends. Dad helped him out a few times, so Haider takes care of us. Honestly, someone like Haider is rare in Night City. You're lucky to know him."
Rebecca tilted her head and smiled at her.
"I see…"
Lucy nodded and looked toward Haider, who was chatting with a group of edgerunners.
Suddenly, she noticed the pistol strapped to Rebecca's thigh. It was an unusual model—and it looked like it had a very small magazine.
"Here."
Rebecca simply handed it to her, catching Lucy off guard.
"What? Weren't you looking at it? Take a look. Just give it back later—I treasure this thing."
"…Thanks."
Lucy accepted the gun and examined it.
"I don't think I've ever seen this model."
"You're into guns too?!"
Rebecca lit up instantly, hopping onto her stool to lean in close, forcing Lucy to reflexively lean back.
"Kinda. But not deeply."
"Oh, awesome! We should talk guns sometime. This pistol isn't available on the market, so it's normal you've never seen it."
"Not on the market? Then where'd you get it?"
Lucy looked at her with curiosity.
"Jhin gave it to me."
Rebecca said it casually, sipping her drink through a straw.
"You mean Jhin—the one people have been whispering about as a rising legend?"
Lucy stared at her, surprised she had ties to someone that influential.
Though… Rebecca probably had no idea Lucy herself had ties to the CEO of PROJECT Corp.
Lucy couldn't help thinking that, by comparison, the CEO of PROJECT Corp outranked a potential mercenary legend by a mile.
These days, she'd learned a lot about PROJECT Corp. Before absorbing Agas City, PROJECT was just another small Night City corp.
But after swallowing Agas City, PROJECT Corp had become a giant—
and even secured partnerships with several of Night City's top corporations.
It was now among the elite powers at the top of the city.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser