🕙 10:00 AM
He gunned the Warlock. Arrived back at the garage. Jackie was waiting.
"¡Ándale, hermano! I've been out here waitin'!"
"It's 10:20."
"Still late! Help me with these bags."
Jackie handed over breakfast and a rare vase of bio-coffee.
"With your fancy machine? Gonna be magic."
Upstairs, bags were tossed. Coffee brewed.
They chatted.
"Man, that Edgerunner group? They're huge now. Hitting Afterlife. You're gonna be big league soon."
The bell rang.
Vik entered.
Fresh coffee in hand. A long sip. A nod.
"Mama Welles' blend. Damn, I missed this."
He passed a shard with Jackie's cyberware profile.
Low-end processors. Overclocked and undervolted by Vik — masterwork with garbage parts.
"He took trash and made it run. Almost pro."
Diagnostics booted.
"0.00001 sec lag. Fast enough to be a pause."
They entered V's private lab.
"No hallway?" Jackie asked. "You converted it?"
"Yep."
Vic whistled. "This is... elite. Ripperdock suite, engineering lab, netrunning hub?"
"And even elevator mod — I can bring the Warlock up for service."
Jackie: "Mierda. If I buy that Arch, I'm coming here!"
"Sure, sure."
Netrunning room impressed them.
"Got a future netrunner in mind. Also good practice space for me."
"Used gear?" Vik asked. "Are you nuts?"
"I like to break things."
"Did you test it?"
"Cleared some lazy traps."
Jackie: "Bro, are you the second coming of Blackhand and Bartmoss combined?"
V laughed.
"Alright, let's scan you, Jackie."
Jackie took a seat. The chair lit up. Diagnostic needles whirred.
"Some firmware reset to defaults. That's why you've been sluggish."
Vik: "Told him. He skipped checkups for months."
Jackie shrugged. "Misty, gym, Mama, errands for Padre. And that Arch bike... I've been bugging friends nonstop. They might block me."
V checked readings. "Okay — starting upgrades."
💉 Chrome Plan:
Kerenzikov Boost System: improved reflex time.Self-ICE: personal anti-hack firewall.Mechatronic Core: enables modular limb upgrades.Zetatech Military 2.0: modified berserk + optional 30% Sandevistan boost.Basic Quickhacks pre-installed.Kiroshi 'The Oracle' Optics: enhanced HUD, multi-target scan.Bionic Joints, Dense Marrow, Epimorphic Skeleton, Para Bellum Booster: full muscle & bone integration.Ballistic Coprocessor: arm targeting enhancer.Fortified Ankles: reduces fall damage, stabilizes jumps.
"You're turning me into Adam Smasher?" Jackie joked.
"Not even close. But your arms — once you adapt — will hit like mid-grade gorilla arms. Eventually, we can craft nano-fiber chromes, tuned to your DNA."
Vic slumped in a chair.
"You're building custom cyberware?"
V grinned. "Why do you think I built the engineering lab?"
22 hours later...
Jackie: asleep.
Vic: sitting on the floor.
"Even with perfect chrome, the brain has limits. I forgot to pace myself."
Jackie's compatibility: 0.002 misalignment. No meds required.
"That Arasaka DNA regulator... is insane," Vik muttered.
"I tweaked his firmware during install," V admitted.
He sedated Jackie for 6 hours. Set the system to auto-monitor vitals.
Vic curled up on the couch.
"Mind if I crash here?"
"Be my guest."
🕒 3:00 PM – The Aftermath
V woke up groggy. Jackie was beginning to stir.
"Time to test the new chrome..."
💉 Jackie Upgrade Day
V stood by the table, final dose administered. Jackie would wake in sixty seconds. Vic snored lightly in the background, slumped against a med bench. "He's just a man," V muttered, smirking.
Jackie stirred. Groaned. Blinked at the ceiling.
"Oye... what happened? Did I get shot?"
"Nah," V said. "You got upgraded. Limit chip's installed — keeps your power at just over your old levels, gradually ramps up. Try not to hug Misty until you're stable, alright?"
Jackie paled. "You serious?"
"Nope. But also yes. The chip's real. Your muscles can now bench a Militech Behemoth, and your bones can take a dive off Arasaka Tower. You need to ease into it. Gym, protein, meditation, all that."
"Damn... that serious, huh?"
"In a month, we can do your final phase. For now, rest, lift, and try not to punch through walls."
Jackie stood — and immediately bonked his head on a ceiling beam.
"Put the chip on before you kill yourself, choom."
Vic stirred, eyes half-open. "He looks the same. But he's not."
V nodded. "Under the hood, he's a beast."
Vic sat up. He looked over, eyes thoughtful.
"You know, V," he said, sipping the last of his synth-coffee, "I've worked chrome since chrome was wires and screws. But what you're doing? You're rewriting the book. Hell, you're burning it and coding a new one from scratch."
He smiled. "If you don't mind, I'd love to drop by sometime and use the lab — chrome some clients."
"You're whitelisted, Vik. Door's always open."
Jackie stretched, wincing. "You didn't have to go this hard."
"Nah. I did. I got big plans, choom. Gotta build the dream team. Might even pull in that fruit salad Kiwi someday. I like her — she's antisocial like me, so when we work together, it'll be perfect."
"You? Anti-social?" Vic snorted.
V grinned and checked his messages.
📩 [Emilia] — more revealing selfies.
*"Still waiting on my check-up, pretty boy. Come fix me — professionally or personally, I don't care."
V replied: *"Soon. You're next."
📩 [Lucy]
*"You settling in alright?"
V: *"Yeah. Lab's up. Night City hasn't killed me yet."
📩 [Dorio]
V: *"Let's schedule Maine's checkup for 9AM tomorrow. Can you arrange that?"
"Done. See you at 9."
📩 [Rebecca]
*"Morning, daddy. You ignoring your best girl? I sent you fireworks... in 4K."
V rolled his eyes. *"She's not far off."
📩 [Judy]
*"Thanks for helping my crazy girlfriend. And, uh... maybe don't sleep with her? No pressure!"
📩 [Fukui] — a thigh-high stocking shot.
*"Now that you're dressed up, puppy, how 'bout an oil change?"
"What is wrong with this city?" V muttered, closing the HUD. 0.0001 seconds had passed.
V turned back to Jackie. "You'll be sore. But the gym will help. If you need cash, just say so."
Jackie shook his head. "You're already saving my life, mano. My pride's fine. Besides, one day we'll hit a gig worth a billion. Then I'll owe you scraps!"
Vic laughed. They left together in Vic's beat-up Galena.
🛠️ V had a few hours to spare. Time to fine-tune gear.
He tinkered, calibrated, adjusted implants. Time blurred.
🔔 The bell rang.
"Did I forget something?" He checked his HUD. No alerts. "Who is it?"
📣 "Rebecca! Forgot my wallet!"
"Wallet? Do you even use wallets?"
"Not really!" she grinned. "But I wanted to see you."
She stepped inside. "Nice upgrades, daddy. But what's with the fashion explosion? Boxes everywhere."
"Want something to eat?"
"Sure."
He whipped up synth-omelets, toast, and orange synth-juice.
"You ghosted me," Rebecca said. "Ignored my messages. I send you fireworks and get silence."
"Sorry, cupcake. I was saving the world."
She smirked. "Save me next time."
📱 POV: Jackie
Back at Mama Welles' bar.
"Mamá, I'm stronger now. Got a good deal. My friend — turns out he's an ex-corpo doc. Smart as hell."
She worried, but relaxed as Jackie explained. Then, to the gym.
Misty met him at the garage.
"Oh, querido, come help me make my protein shake."
They laughed, kissed, shared quiet affection.
📩 [Kiwi]
*"Heard you're upgrading mercs now. Don't die doing something stupid."
V replied: "You're sweet, Kirki. Hope our paths don't cross in crossfire. Still owe you a fruit salad."
📱 POV: Emilia
Texting V nonstop.
"Judy wants to chrome up. I'll buy the gear. You install? Vic says you've got magic hands."
Still no reply.
"Ugh. I'll just send him this pic. And this one. And this angle."
Judy walked in. "Sending him nudes again?"
"Caught me!"
"My heart's yours, Emilia. But my cat needs some XY fun."
📩 [Rebecca] (Follow-up)
"PS: I never lost my wallet. Just missed your kitchen, choom. Also, I fixed your wardrobe. And yes, I clean too. Multitalented~"
📅 22:00 — V collapsed in bed.
Spirit broken. Muscles aching. Messages flashing.
V: "I'll ping when free. Got an emergency client, then you. Judy's next. Stay frosty, chrome prince."
V groaned into his pillow.
"Night City — you never sleep, but I need to. Just five hours. Maybe."
7:00 AM.
V groaned awake to the buzz of a call.
"Mmm... yeah?" he muttered groggily.
Dorio's voice came through. "Sorry for the early hour, but Maine took a gig — something important. We'll have to reschedule."
V rubbed his eyes. "Alright. But listen — Maine's already showing signs of cyberpsychosis. I saw it in a side scan, didn't even go deep. His chrome's all messed up."
"I know, V," Dorio said. "We had a fight. He promised he'd come see you, but... he's not himself lately. He's afraid you'll downgrade him."
"Is he stupid? I specialize in compatibility issues. I wouldn't touch anything he didn't want touched. Just stabilize him. After the gig, call me."
"I will. And V? We don't know each other well, but... I appreciate this. I know you can handle yourself."
"That's for sure," he said with a dry smirk.
Call ended.
V sighed. No Maine. Time to call someone else.
"Yo, crazy one," he messaged Emilia. "Got a free slot. Wanna come over and see what we can do about your chrome?"
Her reply was instant. "How's my prince? Ready to fix me? Professionally... or not. Hehe."
They exchanged flirty banter. She said she'd drop Judy off at Lizzie's for some editing work and swing by. "Give me 30 minutes."
Ten minutes later, the doorbell rang.
Emilia stood at the threshold, practically vibrating with energy. "Couldn't wait, sweetie. I'm bursting with juice."
V smirked. "Because your chrome isn't meant to run 100% non-stop. A few weeks like that and you burn out. Time to fix it. Come in."
She entered, eyes widening at his fully-equipped ripperdoc setup.
"These look familiar... Arasaka-ish. But different."
"Custom made," V said smoothly. He wouldn't mention they were repurposed Arasaka units — heavily modified.
She sat in the chair. "So, big guy. Good news — the happier you make me, the bigger the tip. Judy got a payout from Arasaka. Guess who it went to?" She winked.
"Let's begin," V said, already jacking her in before she could get too carried away.
Emilia whistled. "Buzzkill..."
The firmware updater whirred to life. V moved fast — unlocking each chrome module to its max capacity, patching liver integration code, reinforcing bone sheathes, syncing oculars and neural links.
He reprogrammed her chrome to sever all ties with Arasaka servers, freeing it into a secure standalone mode. Then he loaded his custom firmware — performance now twice what an Arasaka executive could legally have.
Three hours later, Emilia dozed lightly in the chair. V had worked slow by his standards, enjoying the care and precision. This was no combat rush — this was craft.
He woke her gently.
"Limiter chip's in," he said. "To keep you from killing anyone on accident."
"Spoilsport," she murmured, stretching like a cat.
Her power level had gone from 0 to 400, post-overclock. She'd been 50 before her chrome was disabled. Now she was reborn.
"There's still some rejection," V warned. "We'll phase in hardware changes over time — or use immunosuppressants if needed."
She thanked him — and then climbed into his lap.
"Let me thank you properly," she whispered.
Fade to black.
Lizzie's Bar
The scent of incense and fresh chrome lingered in the air as Judy Alvarez entered the upper lounge, meeting with the one and only Susie "Q", the sharp-tongued leader of the Mox.
After the Arasaka incident — the stabbing, the scandal — Susie had moved fast. Dumped half a million eddies into security and chrome upgrades for the club. The joytoys were no longer just pretty; they were packing top-grade hardware. New leverage. New rules.
"Funny how getting gutted turned out to be good PR," Judy muttered, tapping through chrome orders on a holo-tablet.
Susie "Q" sipped a tumbler of synthwhiskey, legs crossed in fishnets and boots that could kill.
"That girl Emilia's got grit," she said, not looking up. "Took a blade like a damn pro. Still managed to flash that corpo attitude on the way to Vik's table."
Judy's lips twitched. "She's... complicated."
"She's fire," Susie replied. "And fire either lights up the room or burns it down. Depends what you give it."
"Deep," Judy said dryly.
Susie glanced over. "Don't roll your eyes, chica. I've seen enough to know. You keep loving projects, you'll burn out one day. Emilia's sweet now. But trust me — she's been conditioned. You start leaning, she might lean back with a blade."
Judy stiffened slightly. "She's not like that."
Susie shrugged, tapping her chrome nails on the glass. "Hope not. You're a good one, Judy. Hate to see you cry over someone with a kill switch in her spine."
Before Judy could reply, she got a ping on her HUD. She stood, brushing off her skirt.
"Gotta prep some BD edits. We'll finish this later."
"Do that. And Judy — take care of yourself. Not just everyone else."
Judy paused at the stairwell, the weight of the words sinking deeper than she expected.
BD Suite — Lower Hallway
Judy stepped inside her studio, letting the door hiss shut behind her.
That's when she saw her.
Evelyn Parker.
Leaning against the wall like she owned it — glossy lips, glassy eyes, and too much confidence for someone who'd ghosted Judy half a dozen times.
"Hey, choom."
Judy tensed. "Evelyn. You're not on the schedule."
"Was in the area," Evelyn said, inspecting her nails. "Heard Mox got a big payout. New chrome. New leadership."
"Funny. You always show up when there's money on the table."
Evelyn's smile didn't waver. "Don't be like that. I've missed you. Missed this place. Thought maybe... you and I could collaborate again. You've got that corpo girlfriend now — Emilia, right? Maybe she wants in?"
Judy narrowed her eyes. "You don't miss me. You miss control. And you're not getting any."
"Judy, come on—"
"No. I know your games, Ev. I'm not buying it this time. Not for all the chrome in Night City."
Evelyn's facade cracked for a second — just a blink. Then she turned with a flip of her hair and sauntered off.
"Your loss," she said over her shoulder.
"Already counted it," Judy replied.
As the door closed again, Judy let out a breath, her fingers curling slightly.
Her past always found ways to crawl back in — but this time, she wasn't opening the door.
Scene Change: Maine's Crew Implodes
The air in the ripper van was hot with tension. What was meant to be a soft hit on a corpo smuggler had spiraled into a nightmare.
Maine stood over the smuggler's ruined body, chrome fists still twitching. His breathing was erratic, pupils blown wide. Blood streaked his chrome. Dorio yelled something — Maine didn't hear, or didn't care.
"Yo, chill!" Kiwi barked.
Too late.
Maine turned and slammed her into the van wall, a thunderous crack echoing off metal. The van's side visibly bent inward under the force. Kiwi crumpled to the floor, gasping and clutching her ribs. Sparks flew from the shattered jaw interface as her cybernetic lower jaw and breather rig clattered to the ground. Her HUD flickered wildly. Oxygen alarms blared. She coughed blood.
"Maine!" Martinez shouted, shoving the older merc back. Maine reeled, eyes blazing with static. The two locked into a brutal brawl—chrome-on-chrome, fists and elbows clashing like wrecking balls. Sparks flew.
Dorio jumped between them, pushing Maine off as blood ran from her split lip. "Enough!"
Lucy didn't wait. As the others screamed and fought, she jacked into the target's shard, diving headfirst into the net. Her body twitched slightly, motionless otherwise, while her mind chased ghost data through black ice.
Later, slumped against the wall of the van, Kiwi's trembling fingers reached for her internal comms.
📩 Message to V:
"Thinking of leaving Maine's crew. You still need a netrunner? I'm done getting hit for loyalty."
Scene: V's Apartment, Morning
V tossed on a shirt, still catching his breath when Emilia, still naked and stretching across the bed, cracked one eye.
"Where you off to now, puppy?"
"Kiwi. Something went sideways. Might be bad."
Emilia propped her chin on her hand. "Need a good solo on backup? I'm available, rates negotiable."
"She says it's under control. Just checking in."
Emilia pouted. "Fine. But if you get hurt, I'm not fixing your ribs with kisses. Maybe."
She stretched cat-like and rolled out of bed. "Call me if you want round four. Or five? I lost count."
She grabbed her boots and holster on the way out. Paused at the door. Blew him a kiss. Then vanished.
V sighed, slipping into his jacket. The message from Kiwi flashed again in his HUD.
Something about this felt off.
Really off.
He headed for the door.
Scene Change: Maine's Frenzy
The situation snapped. Maine, in a full frenzy, had just murdered the corpo smuggler—only to realize too late that the target was platinum-tiered. A trauma team ping hit the grid. Cops responded instantly.
Falco, the crew's wheelman, saw things spiraling out of control and bailed out — vanishing into the chaos to save himself.
Maine roared and burst forward — colliding with Falco and knocking him out cold without a glance.
Dorio stepped forward. "Maine, stop! You're losing it!"
A wild punch from Maine sent her flying.
She stumbled back, blood dripping down her temple. "Maine—please."
He hesitated... then his eyes blanked. He raised his arm.
One shot.
Dorio collapsed. Dead.
Sirens wailed. A MaxTac AV shrieked into the air overhead, descending.
Kiwi scrambled out of the wreck, limping badly. Her jaw implant sparked uselessly. Her chest heaved.
Lucy tried to drag David Martinez forward — but just as she reached the van door, an EMP pulse slammed down nearby.
The concussive force knocked Lucy flat, her systems scrambling. Sparks burst from her broken jaw unit. She collapsed beside David.
Kiwi reached them seconds later, crawling into cover. Her breath rattled.
They were out of time.
Scene: V's Ride, Just Outside the District
"Shit," V muttered.
He didn't know if he was going in to help or clean up.
But he was going in.
Then the Sandevistan flared.
Time fractured.
In a streak of augmented motion, V bolted forward. Within seconds — less — he'd scooped Lucy, Kiwi, and David Martinez from the wreckage and carried them back to his car. Lucy and David were unconscious, smoke still trailing from her damaged chrome. Kiwi, jawless, couldn't speak — but her eyes flicked, HUD lit. She connected to V's comms.
📩 "We need to bail. Now."
V looked back toward the chaos. "I promised Dorio I'd help Maine."
📩 "Dorio's dead!" Kiwi screamed through the link. "Maine shot her! He's lost it. There's nothing to save."
V glanced at the ruined district. Cops down. Civilians crushed in the collateral. Blood everywhere.
His hands clenched. "Not our problem," Kiwi snapped.
He sealed the back doors of the car and whispered: "Don't worry, Kiwi. I'm hard to kill."
He triggered the autopilot, directing the vehicle to Viktor's clinic.
Simultaneously, he pinged Vik:
📩 "Incoming. Lucy, Kiwi, and Martinez — critical condition. Keep them stable. I'll follow for full treatment after."
Kiwi was mistrustful, her eyes darting.
"They're going to Vik," V reassured her aloud. "You'll be safe. Just hold on."
He closed the door.
The car sped away.
V turned back toward the battlefield.
Body parts scattered. Chrome-streaked walls. Blood in the gutters.
"I liked the idea of Night City," V muttered. "But this… this is something else."
His eyes hardened. "Damn it, Maine. Your stubbornness killed the one who loved you most."
He took a breath, then activated the Sandevistan again.
📩 Kiwi: "Falco's still out there. Somewhere. Don't die on me."
Message processed in 0.00000000001 seconds.
Didn't matter.
MaxTac AVs were descending, operatives jumping from their crafts like precision-guided ghosts.
But V was faster.
To anyone watching, it looked like a ghost phasing between frames. He didn't move — he appeared. From ruin to ruin, breathless and unnatural.
His augmented legs thundered beneath him, blasting toward Maine. He slid across cracked asphalt and launched onto Maine's back. A hardwire jack stabbed into his chrome spine.
He jammed the hardjack in — and reality folded.
Cyberspace.
Empty. Cold.
Maine's projection stood hunched, flickering. He looked broken — eyes red-rimmed, guilt saturating his features.
"I killed her, didn't I?" he muttered.
"You did," V said. His voice was steady.
Maine turned. "You came to mock me? Laugh while I rot?"
V shook his head. "Do I look like that kind of guy?"
Silence.
Then Maine chuckled — low and cracked. "I lost it, choom. Thought I was different. Thought I could fight it."
"You did your best. We all do."
"I've got one favor to ask."
"What is it?"
"Kill me. Clean. And take my arms. Give 'em to David. I promised. And they meant something."
"I will."
"Tell David… better than me."
The space dissolved.
Reality returned.
0.0001 seconds had passed.
V's Sandevistan still flared. His lighter-edged Mantis Blades snapped free.
One clean strike — directly into Maine's neural core. Instant death. No pain.
The light in Maine's cyberoptics dimmed — then went black.
A second precise cut — cleanly removing Maine's cyberarms at key junctions, preserving the neural and mechanical nodes. Perfect for transplant.
He hefted the arms over one shoulder.
His visor swept the carnage — then locked on. Falco. Alive, barely.
Boosters on his legs roared to life.
He moved like a thunderbolt — loud, lethal, and already gone.
Scene: MaxTac Commander POV
"Eyes on the target," the MaxTac squad leader barked.
"Where the hell is the cyberpsycho?!"
"Sir — he's down."
"What?"
"He's down. Dead. And… someone took the arms."
The commander's HUD flicked through surveillance.
Just a blur.
A figure. Unregistered. Gone.
He frowned. "I want facial ID. Any trace. Now."
His second-in-command shook her head. "No visuals. No trace. Just… gone."
She paused. "Sir, permission to activate personal Sandevistan? Maybe I can backtrack…"
"Granted."
The officer flared her system. But the moment she tried syncing, it became clear — whoever that was, they moved in speeds beyond standard calibration. No afterimages. No signal trail. Not even heat displacement.
She blinked off her gear.
"It's like trying to chase a ghost, sir."
The commander stared at the shattered district. Chrome limbs. Dead cops. A flatlined cyberpsycho with surgical kill wounds.
"Maybe my gear's glitched," she added, unsure if she was trying to comfort herself or explain the impossible.
The commander narrowed his eyes. "Whoever that was… they weren't just fast."
He paused, swallowing hard.
"They were surgical. Like a scalpel in a storm."
High above, the MaxTac AV hovered still. But on the ground, the wind scattered blood and shattered chrome like fallen leaves.
And the ghost?
Already gone.