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What's Left Behind (Cyberpunk Edgerunners / Cyberpunk 2077)

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Having lost David, Rebecca and Lucy struggle to find purpose and meaning in their tragedy. What was it all for? They both loved David, so how do they keep his memory alive? How do they move on? Do they even want to move on? David wanted Lucy to follow her dream and leave Night City behind, but it turns out that even if you walk away, that insidious prison of greed will find ways to bring you back.

A story about loss, friendship, desperation, closure, revenge, and comfort as Rebecca and Lucy try to help each other cope with their grief following an alternate ending to Episode 10. Their journey will take them far from Night City, to the Moon, and back to where it all began.

Tagged for eventual crossover with Cyberpunk 2077, as the story will eventually overlap with the events of the game.
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Chapter 1: Left Behind
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    • TheBleachDoctor

    TheBleachDoctor

    Secretly a Cat
    Location
    The Plane of Infinite Kittens
    Pronouns
    She/Her
    Cross-Posting from Archive of our Own, some chapters may not be posted here due to content.



    The mixture of emotions Lucy was feeling at the moment all warred against each other. Saying that she was happy that David had rescued her would be an understatement, she was elated. She loved him, wholly and completely, so being reunited lifted her spirits… however that was more than countered by the despair she felt. In coming to rescue her, David had condemned himself. He'd chipped the Cyber-Skeleton, the thing that Lucy knew would ruin him. She'd tried so hard to keep him from that fate, but in the end her efforts only resulted in her being captured and used as bait… The anguish at knowing that David had been manipulated into this through her only served to carve the guilt deeper.


    Even so, through it all, there was hope. Hope that perhaps this wasn't the end. There was no known treatment for Cyberpsychosis, but before David there wasn't anyone who could use a Sandevistan so many times in quick succession, day in and day out without succumbing to it. Yes, Cyberpsychosis had caught up to him, but even so, that tolerance was special, right? Maybe David could somehow recover? There was that hope, and as much as Lucy knew it was foolish to hope for it, she knew that she had to.


    She had to hope that she could save David, like he had saved her, or else what was there to live for? What reason would she have to keep existing?


    So, she let David and Rebecca help her into the back of the van, the former using the Cyber-Skeleton's massive bulk to shield them both from the hail of gunfire from Arasaka goons. Were they really going to make it out of here all in one piece? It was almost too much for Lucy to hope for.


    "Ugh, no rest at all…" Rebecca grumbled as she fetched her large machine gun from the trunk, hefting it over her shoulder. The gratitude Lucy felt towards her diminutive teammate was immense. One look at this insane rescue plan should have told the smaller girl that it was suicide. But still, Rebecca came, and the mission would have probably failed without her.


    "Glad you're back safe."


    "Huh?" Lucy hadn't expected Rebecca to say anything to her, the sudden words snapping her out of her thoughts.


    Lucy's teammate barely met her gaze, adding almost reluctantly, "For David's sake, I mean."


    The tired Netrunner smiled at Rebecca. Yes, aside from being on the same team there was one thing, or rather, one person who tied them together. They both had David. They'd do anything for him. For a moment, Lucy felt a deeper bond with Rebecca, and she knew the other girl felt the same.


    The moment didn't last long.


    It was impossible not to notice. Almost like an oncoming train but wrapped in malice and cruelty. It was literally descending upon them, looking to crush them like ants. No one who felt that presence before could ever forget it.


    Lucy's mind raced a mile a minute, going through her options. She had nothing. This was physics. Gravity brought all things to the Earth.


    Rebecca noticed it at the same time with a gasp and reached her own conclusion in an instant. She was never one to angst over choices or dilemmas. If something was coming for her and her own, she'd meet it head on. She raised her machine gun to the sky and pulled the trigger. The sudden pounding of heavy gunfire behind David made him start in surprise.


    "We're having a moment here!" The smaller gun-toting girl screamed at the chromed-up monster plummeting towards her, both of their guns blazing, "Fuck Yo-!"


    For a split second, Lucy saw the two of them, Adam Smasher and Rebecca. The former was like a god of death, coming from on high to smite them all. The latter a defiant firebrand, weapon aimed towards the heavens as if to deny fate itself. The barrels of their firearms were bright with opposing gunfire, so close that they were almost touching.


    Then the ground exploded, glass shattering and steel warping. Lucy screamed as the world seemed to collapse around her. Rebecca, what happened to Becca?! There was vertigo as the van began to fall, and she tried to grasp at anything, to hold on. It couldn't end like this!


    Lucy hit the floor of the van hard, the wind knocked out of her as it came to a jarring stop. A storm of glass and torn metal rained down upon and around the van, filling the air with a storm of noise.


    Slowly, gradually, the cacophony began to subside. The dust began to clear. With trembling arms, Lucy pushed herself upright, straining to see where Rebecca was. She was almost certain that she'd see her small friend's obliterated body, smashed and smeared on the ground. But as the air cleared, she saw something else, something that filled her with joy and anguish in equal measure.


    Rebecca, safe in the embrace of David's left arm.


    David, with the right arm of his Cyber-Skeleton torn off.


    The entire machine was barely holding together, and only one Anti-Grav Generator remained intact, the sole device struggling to hold up more than half of the exoskeleton's total bulk. David himself was missing part of his face, his right eye was gone, and his skull exposed. Lucy could see his ribs through his chest.


    "David!" She screamed, clambering her way out of the van to him.


    Beyond David, Lucy saw a shape lumbering out of the darkness. It was Smasher, eyes promising agony and destruction. Rebecca was already jumping out of David's arms, drawing her shotgun. Even having narrowly avoided death, the fire inside the girl hadn't dimmed in the slightest.


    "Back off already!" Rebecca snarled as her gun roared twice, the rounds bouncing off of Smasher's body to no effect, "Eat shit, you damn-!"


    Smasher swung his arm, and Rebecca was flying through the air, her body one way and her arms another. She hit the ground with a sickening crack.


    "Rebecca!" Falco shouted, rushing to the armless girl's side.


    Was this a nightmare? Lucy could hardly tell. What kind of monster was Adam Smasher? She'd heard the rumors, the legends, but to see how he so effortlessly incapacitated one of the most tenacious members of their team… it chilled her to the bone.


    Lucy heard David growl in anger at Smasher's casual callousness towards their friend. He made to move, the Cyber-Skeleton groaning and visibly deforming in protest, but Lucy held him back and stood between her love and the demon of steel before them. It was her turn to protect him.


    Without a moment to lose, she began to hack into his implants. Military-grade ICE? She'd cracked protections like that before! But there were no weaknesses, no cracks to exploit. Smasher's systems were fortified and reinforced tighter than anything she'd ever seen before. He seemed to grin, and suddenly the connection broke off.


    "H-How did he-?!" Lucy could hardly believe it, but before she could even start to think of a countermeasure, she felt an implant short out, staggering her. Damn it, that was important! She couldn't wirelessly hack into Smasher without it, and she'd never survive to get close enough to jack into his port!


    "Fine, have it your way." Lucy grit her teeth and deployed her Monowire, "I won't let you touch David!"


    She swung the deadly-thin wire forwards, the glowing string of death wrapping around Smasher's right arm and snapping taut. With all her strength, Lucy yanked hard on the Monowire.


    Nothing. His armor didn't give. That titan of a man didn't budge. The thin wire strained and creaked but failed to cut.


    "…Is that all?" Smasher asked, almost sounding disappointed as he grabbed onto the wire restricting his limb, "Then it's my turn."


    He pulled, and Lucy felt her feet leave the ground.


    For a millisecond she could feel her body being pulled along by her arms towards that steel butcher. Nothing she could do would save her.


    "Lucy!"


    David's hand wrapped tight around her and held her in place. He kept Smasher from pulling Lucy close, but the man kept pulling, and something had to give.


    With a screech, the interior mechanisms of Lucy's cyberware gave way, both spools and assemblies ripping out of her forearms in a spray of blood and metal. A scream left her throat as agony ripped through her lower arms, the insides literally torn out. Her hands went numb and dead, the relevant connections severed, ripped out.


    "God damn it!" Falco ran back to David, having deposited Rebecca in his car, "David, we have to delta! We can't win this!"


    The young man looked the older edgerunner in the eyes with grim determination, and Falco understood with a sinking feeling what the younger man was trying to tell him. David wasn't going to make it. He couldn't be saved, but the same didn't hold true for everyone else.


    "Falco, guess I'm going to need that favor after all." He chuckled with morbid amusement, holding Lucy out to the older man.


    "D-David, wait!" Lucy protested, trying to fight and get free as Falco lifted her over his shoulder, but with her arms gutted and hands unresponsive she couldn't gain purchase, "Let's go, we can still-!"


    "Hey, Lucy," David met her gaze, and the world seemed to narrow down to his face and his words.


    "I'm sorry. I wish we could've gone to the Moon together."


    He said it with such a finality. He smiled gently, one final goodbye. Lucy tried to reach out to him, but it was futile. He was going to sacrifice himself for her. She didn't want this, but this was just the kind of man he was. The kind of man she'd fallen in love with.


    As Falco carried her to the van, Smasher took exception, raising his arm and deploying a launcher, "No one leaves the slaughterhouse alive!"


    His shot was sent wide as the ground around him caved in, David's remaining Antigrav Generator howling as he pushed it to the limit.


    "Getting distracted, Choom?!" He barked with a laugh, "I'm the one you want!"


    Adam Smasher seemed to consider ignoring David and continuing to pursue them.


    But only for a moment.


    He turned and swung at David, and the last thing Lucy saw before the van door shut behind her was of David, the man she'd wanted to spend the rest of her life with, being torn apart as he stared back at her with a smile on his face.









    "Turn back!" Lucy all but howled in anguish as the van rocked around her, carrying the three of them farther and farther away from David, "Please, Falco, we can't leave David behind!"


    She would have clawed her way to the wheel if she could. She would have hacked the car and directed it to drive back. But with her arms mangled and cyberware damaged, neither was an option. So, she begged. She pleaded. It couldn't end like this, it just couldn't!


    "Sorry, I can't do that, Lucy." Falco answered, pain in his voice as he gripped the wheel tight enough to turn the knuckles on his organic hand white, "This was David's last request… He wants you to live."


    He… He asked that? No, of course he did, but she didn't want to live if it meant sacrificing him! She couldn't lose David!


    "Besides…" Falco glanced back into the passenger compartment at Rebecca, the petite young woman lying on the floor of the van, "We gotta get Becca to a Ripper. You too."


    Lucy looked at the shorter girl. Falco was right. Rebecca was bleeding, and her back was… not bent right. Her arms were torn off at the shoulder, and her breathing was uneven. Lucy could see the inside of her friend's mouth slick with blood. Rebecca was barely awake, struggling to keep her eyes open.


    "Then… Then let me out!" Lucy insisted, trying to open the rear door with her ruined arms, her limp fingers just sliding off the handle. "I'll stay and help, I've got to-!"


    "If you go back now, then David dies for nothing!" Falco shouted.


    Lucy froze at that. How could he say something like that?!


    "David isn't dead!" the crippled Netrunner turned on her friend, "We can still save him, we can still-!"


    "He was gone before we got to Arasaka tower." Falco cut her off, his pained expression clear in the rearview mirror, "His meds stopped working. Went full Cyberpsycho. Started talking to Becca thinking that she was his mother. I guess he pulled it together enough to rescue you, Lucy, but he was a dead man walking."


    No… No, this couldn't be happening. This couldn't be true. Her rational mind was telling her that it was, that she'd seen David's deteriorating mental state even before he chipped the Cyber-Skeleton. He was already teetering on the edge of Cyberpsychosis, an implant that invasive would have certainly pushed him over the edge… but fuck her rational mind! She just couldn't accept that David was gone!


    "Rebecca, tell him!" Lucy looked to her, "Tell Falco that David can't just be gone!"


    Even through her pain, Rebecca turned to look at Lucy as much as her ruined body would allow. She couldn't talk, it was just a struggle to breathe… but she could still cry. That look of despair, of grief, the tears cascading down her cheeks, it said all she needed to say.


    Lucy collapsed. It was like all the strength had left her body, and a black hole of anguish was swallowing her whole. She curled up in on herself… and screamed. Screamed for this accursed world not to take David from her, to not take the one bright thing she'd found in this bleak existence.


    But the world didn't answer, and her friends couldn't find the words to comfort her, because none existed.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Chapter 2: Finding Direction
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    • Lucy and Rebecca sat in silence, their spartan safehouse quiet save for the soft buzzing of the fluorescent lamp. Maine had set this place up a while ago, just in case they ever had to hide out in the Badlands, but nobody had ever thought that they'd have to use it. If they had, perhaps they'd have considered that the crew wouldn't be in the best of moods when they arrived, and some decorations might help brighten things up.

    No such consideration was given, however, and so all the tortured young women had to gaze at were stark gray concrete walls.

    That was fine. It was bleak, but that was how they felt.

    The physical pain had stopped. The Ripperdoc had seen to that, at least. Lucy's forearms had to be completely overhauled, the ruined Monowire systems inside replaced with a new and intact unit. The damage that was done to the organic parts of her arms, though, that couldn't be fixed. Ripperdocs were great at swapping out meat for chrome, but they weren't a real doctor. If something was wrong with your organic parts, their go-to solution was to swap it out with metal. A large patch of the skin on both her arms were completely synthetic now, the original tissue torn to ribbons in the fight with Smasher.

    Lucy flexed her hands, grateful that she could move them again. Her limbs tingled slightly as her nerves continued to adjust to the new setup. At least it didn't hurt anymore.

    The pain she felt inside, though? The kind that clawed at her soul and mind, the kind telling her that her whole world was crumbling around her? That wasn't eased and felt like it was only growing by the second.

    Rebecca shifted atop the small cot she'd claimed, the soft rustling of rough fabric briefly bringing Lucy out of her stupor, the Netrunner glancing over at the small Solo. Rebecca looked a lot better than she had just the previous night, when she had been a twisted, armless mess in the back of Falco's van. Her shattered spine had been replaced with a cyberware prosthetic, a couple of obliterated internal organs had been similarly swapped, and she had a new pair of arms that resembled her old ones.

    Both girls were slightly more chromed up than before, less themselves than before. Just more things that they'd lost in addition to their leader and friend.

    As Lucy drifted back into her own thoughts, lost and drowning in misery, Rebecca looked at her friend in helpless pity. What could she say to the Netrunner to help her? Hell, Becca was barely holding up herself, but she knew that David wouldn't want them to languish like this.

    David…

    He was just… too good a person. Too kind. Night City took the selfless and altruistic, chewed them up and spat them out. Rebecca wasn't one of those people, this city was the only place where she felt like she belonged. But David? Thinking back on it, she should have insisted earlier that he cut back on the Chrome, maybe start planning on leaving this hellhole for a better life. But she didn't, not because she never thought about it, but because she was afraid. Afraid to lose David.

    If he left Night City, she couldn't come with. It was the only place for her… but now there wasn't anything left for her here either, was there? After tangling with Arasaka like they did, there was no way the Corp was going to let them keep living the lives they'd led up till this point. So why did she go with David to attack Arasaka tower if it meant that she'd never be able to live in Night City again? Why did she stay, even when it was clear that David had passed the point of no return, and it was clear that they weren't going to walk off into the sunset to a happy ending?

    Well… she hadn't thought too hard on it at the time, but now that she had, it was with grim realization that Rebecca concluded that she hadn't honestly thought she'd survive. It was every edgerunner's dream to go out like a supernova, cementing their legend in Night City. If she couldn't live happily with David afterwards, Rebecca was perfectly fine with going out in a blaze of glory.

    But here she was, with Lucy. David was gone, and all Rebecca had left was the woman that David had sacrificed himself to save.

    Was she bitter? Perhaps. The small Solo had loved David. She loved David so much that it hurt, but the gonk only had eyes for Lucy. Still, she respected that, and she knew, he wouldn't want his death to destroy them.

    But… what to do? What to say?

    As she agonized over it, someone knocked at the safehouse door.

    The two edgerunners tensed, Lucy running out a length of Monowire while Rebecca grabbed her pistol and chambered a round. Then there was a second knock, followed by an immediate third, then a fourth after three seconds.

    They sighed in relief. It was just Falco.

    The door creaked open and the man stepped inside, holding a couple of bulging plastic bags.

    "Urgh, 'Saka goons are all over the city." He grumbled, holding out a can of Nicola to both of them, "I checked out both of your apartments. NCPD's crawling everywhere, including David's penthouse. We'll have to hire someone to get your stuff if you want it back."

    He sat down next to Rebecca, the smaller girl scooting to give him room as she opened the drink and had a big gulp. Falco popped open his own can and took a swig.

    "…We already have our reward money." He hesitantly added, "David wants us to split it among ourselves. Something he told me before everything went down."

    Lucy scoffed, placing her drink to the side untouched.

    "Money… all the eddies in the world can't fix this."

    "Maybe not," Falco shook his head, "but didn't David want you to fulfill your dream?"

    "…My dream, huh?" She repeated listlessly. Yes, she had dreamed of going to the Moon, but the enthusiasm she used to feel at the prospect was strangely lacking.

    Rebecca's eyes flickered as she took a brief look at her finances. That was a lot of cash… Pilar would have freaked out if he saw how many digits that was.

    "Hey, Falco," the Solo looked at the Nomad, "What're you doing with your cut?"

    "Hm, I dunno, maybe finally settle down." He glanced at the door, "Maybe fix my ride first, do a few more easy jobs… what about you, Becca?"

    If Falco had asked last week what she'd do with this much money, Rebecca would have had a whole laundry list of fun and borderline-illegal activities that she'd love to participate in, but now? Her goal was much more undefined, and it wasn't clear that money could buy it at all.

    "I dunno," She leaned back, staring up at the ceiling, "It's just… I didn't think I'd be here, y'know?"

    That moment when Adam Smasher was falling towards her, as she spat profane defiance at him, she could have sworn that it was the end for her. Honestly, she wouldn't have minded such a death. It would have been one for the history books, immortalizing her as a Night City legend.

    But that wasn't what David wanted for her. He saved her, using his Sandevistan to interpose himself between herself and Smasher just as they were about to collide. The damage he sustained sealed the outcome of that fight. David wanted her to live, even at the cost of any chance he had at salvation.

    In a way, didn't that show that he loved her as much as he loved Lucy? In a different way, perhaps, but still. At least, that's what Rebecca was telling herself. She wanted it to be true so badly.

    "I…" Lucy spoke, making the two of her teammates focus on her, "I'm going to the Moon."

    The Netrunner had thought long and hard about it. David wanted her to accomplish her dream. The money she'd saved up, along with the reward money, was more than enough to get her a ticket. The leftover amount could buy her a comfortable life there.

    Honestly, Lucy felt like going to the Moon at this point was just following the motions of a long dead dream, but if she didn't do it, then what had David died for? So she'd go, stand on the Lunar surface, and try and feel the freedom there that she'd sought for so long. She supposed that she could try starting anew there. And if she couldn't, if memories of the past and of the love she'd lost wouldn't leave her be? Well, the airlock would always be a short walk away.

    Rebecca saw the look in Lucy's eyes and gripped the blanket she was sitting on. No way, Lucy couldn't be thinking about flatlining herself, right? But she'd seen that look on many a hopeless soul in Night City. Always some poor choom with nothing left and no hope in sight. The city would be collecting their cooling body come morning. David had given everything for Lucy, and that gonk of a girl was already thinking of throwing it all away?

    "Then I'm coming with." Rebecca declared, drawing a sudden look of surprise from Falco and Lucy, "I kinda wanna see the place you and David wanted to go to. Besides, not like I got anything left for me here. So sure, lemme delta outta here with ya. It'll be fun."

    Rebecca met Lucy's gaze, and the older girl wondered why the diminutive Solo would suddenly decide to come with her. Falco, though, Falco was slowly getting it. If he thought about it, this was a good thing. Sure, Rebecca probably wasn't lying in that she was interested in seeing the Moon. Who wouldn't be? But it was more important that Lucy wasn't left alone. If she was going to go so far away, it was best that a friend went with her.

    Otherwise, Lucy might do something stupid.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Chapter 3: High-Flying Dreams
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    • It'd been days since the raid on Arasaka tower. Corpo security wasn't quite on edge as it was right after the incident, but it was still noticeable all-around Night City. However, it had lightened up enough for Lucy and Rebecca to sneak back in. Of course, they couldn't be out in the open but that was where Falco's connections with the Nomads came in. A generous "donation" later and they had a snazzy Nomad car to drive around for a week or so. The one-way window-screens really helped to hide them from any cursory examination. Sure, Nomad cars in Night City attracted some attention, but who would think that a cyberpunk would have the audacity to drive around in the open like that right after attacking Arasaka?

    Lucy pulled into the parking lot at Afterlife while Rebecca was on a call with one of the local Fixers. This was the first time they'd ever used a Fixer to hire someone else to do a job, usually they were on the other end of things.

    "Well…" Rebecca sighed as she ended the call, "I got some good news and bad news. Which do you wanna hear first?"

    "…The good." Lucy shut off the engine and braced herself for whatever her teammate had to say.

    "First off, the runners we hired to grab our stuff came through. Wakako says it'll all be delivered tomorrow."

    That was a relief. Not only did that mean they'd have a proper change of clothes, but it also meant that all their personal keepsakes were back in their possession… and that included all of David's stuff too.

    Lucy wondered what she would do with the ashes of David's mother. She'd only met Gloria a few times but leaving her remains behind felt disrespectful… and she was sure that David would have insisted that she have the urn.

    "The bad news though…" Rebecca scowled, muttering expletives under her breath, "She tracked down David's body. Arasaka grabbed it and the rest of the Cyber-Skeleton. There's no way we can get it now."

    Lucy closed her eyes.

    "So, we won't even have anything to bury." She stated, voice wavering in barely repressed grief, "I see. I suppose I should have expected this."

    Just another way that she'd failed David. Lucy had hoped that she'd still be able to take David to the Moon with her, even if it was just his remains, but no. She was denied even that. She supposed that maybe she deserved this misery. But it wasn't fair to David. He didn't deserve to have his body languish in some evidence locker at Arasaka tower. That was, of course, assuming that they would even store it and not just throw him unceremoniously into a furnace.

    Becca reached out to hold Lucy's hand, "Hey, we can still hold a funeral or something. Doesn't make it any less special. He'd appreciate it anyways, right?"

    Lucy stared at the hand grasping her own, making no move to reciprocate.

    "I suppose he would." She muttered, "I just hoped that… nevermind."

    It was stupid to hope for anything. That's what Lucy had learned. She should just be thankful that she hadn't died back in the facility she was raised in, as mere fodder for Arasaka's ambitions. If she came to treasure anything, it would be taken from her. If she began to love anyone, they would leave her. If she didn't value anything, it wouldn't hurt when she lost it.

    Rebecca didn't know what to do. Lucy had always been a withdrawn introvert, but after David died it was like she had closed up shop. A walking corpse going through the motions. A shell of the person she used to be.

    It hurt Rebecca to see Lucy like this. Sure, before David the two of them hadn't really been friends. Just fellow edgerunners who occasionally worked with each other. A couple of cyberpunks who had little to no reason to interact outside of work. Becca still liked to tease Lucy back then, but at best their relationship had been civil. At worst, they grated as the smaller Solo tried to drag the older Netrunner out of her bubble of isolation.

    After David, though? They both liked to hang around the young newbie, and as a consequence interacted with each other more in a casual context. As Lucy had opened up to David and their friendship turned to romance, Becca had been surprised to see that there was a person beneath that moody exterior. Hell, she saw Lucy smile, and not in the smug or snarky sense either. An actual, genuine smile! She slowly dropped her defenses, and their little group of edgerunners began to feel like a family.

    Even after Pilar got zeroed things had seemed okay. Granted, nobody really liked Pilar as a person. But then Maine went Cyberpsycho, and Dorio got flatlined that same day. That was when Lucy started to fall apart. That was when David became obsessive about getting stronger and more chromed up.

    In retrospect, Becca felt rather ashamed. She had just enjoyed getting to work with David without Lucy around. It had felt nice to have the lovable gonk all to herself, even if it was just during work. If she had paid a bit more attention, maybe she would have seen the signs. Maybe she could have stopped it.

    But she hadn't, and thus did nothing. She lost it all, almost her entire found family. All she was left with was…

    "Lucy, come on." She gently squeezed the other girl's hand, "You look like you're about to jump in front of the Metro. I don't like seeing you like this, choom."

    Lucy scoffed, "You don't like seeing me like this? Don't you mean David wouldn't like it?"

    Rebecca pouted indignantly, "Hey, I'm sure he wouldn't, but I mean it. I don't like seeing you all down and out. We're friends, aren't we? We've been through a lot together! We fought Adam Smasher and lived to talk about it!"

    "Yeah, well," Lucy closed her eyes, "not everyone walked away from that fight."

    The smaller woman would have lied if she said that didn't hurt. It hurt a lot. But she wouldn't let it stop her.

    "I guess that's just another thing we have in common. Him." Becca pulled at Lucy's hand, "Now come on, let's go see if that gonk has his own drink yet."





    "I think that's the first time that they've just let me through the door…" Rebecca glanced back at the bouncers with a puzzled frown, "Why do you think-?"

    "Hey, you two!" Claire, the bartender, waved the two of them down from her usual spot behind the counter, "Sit down, I've been wondering when you'd drop by!"

    Lucy nervously slid onto a stool, Rebecca doing the same. Weird, people kind of knew Lucy from when she used to run with Maine, and Rebecca was a prominent member of David's crew, but they were getting a lot of looks. A lot.

    "Not used to the attention, huh?" Claire chuckled, cleaning off a couple of glasses, "Better get used to it, at least for a while. Not many edgerunners can boast about having tangled with the Adam Smasher."

    Lucy wasn't loving being eyed by so many people, but she had to admit that it made sense. David and the crew had certainly made waves by assaulting Arasaka tower so directly. Hell, the amount of carnage on city infrastructure was enough that basically everyone knew that something went down.

    Rebecca nodded, taking it in. Was this what it was like to be a celebrity? She silently apologized for laughing at pop stars who complained about paparazzi.

    Claire smiled, placing two glasses down, "I take it you two ladies would like a David Martinez each?"

    Lucy flinched, but Rebecca forced a smile.

    "Yeah, I think we will."

    A shot of vodka on the rocks, topped with some NiCola. It was David's usual, a combination he grew fond of once he'd developed a tolerance to fizzy drinks and alcohol. It wasn't a bad cocktail, but Lucy couldn't stomach more than the first sip. It reminded her too much of him.

    "He was a good kid." Claire sighed as Lucy stared into her glass and Rebecca downed her entire drink in one gulp, "Got any plans, you two? After Arasaka is done scouring Night City for the two of you, that is."

    Lucy waited to see if Rebecca was going to say anything, but the other girl didn't speak at all and just looked expectantly at Lucy.

    "Actually, we're just wrapping up some unfinished business." The tired Netrunner eventually answered, "After that's done… I'm going to the Moon."

    "-And I'm coming with!" Rebecca added.

    Claire whistled appreciatively, "The Moon? That's quite the vacation!"

    Lucy didn't feel the need to correct her. Let everyone think that they'd come back one day. As for herself, Lucy didn't really think that she'd ever return. There was nothing left for her in Night City.





    Orbital Air Space Center was always busy, packed with travelers, tourists, corpos on business trips. Among the upscale cars and limos lined up at the dropoff area, one stood out. A dusty armored Nomad van, showing signs of recent patchwork repair. The license markings were freshly painted too. One cowboy-looking guy had just pulled up in it, and his passengers, two cyberpunks, were getting out. It was an odd look, and definitely attracted some stares, but everyone had flights to catch, places to be. They had no time to deal with mercs, whatever their reason for being here was.

    "You gals gimme a call, y'hear?" Falco said as he finished unloading Rebecca and Lucy's luggage, "Lemme know what it's like living large on the Moon."

    Lucy extended the handle on her suitcase while Rebecca hefted her duffle. They hadn't packed too much, mostly keepsakes, personal effects, and some unique articles of clothing. It wasn't that they didn't want to bring more, but rather that there was a weight limit per passenger. Given that they were already packing more chrome than the average tourist, and neither of them were heading up without at least their pistols, that didn't leave much left that they could take.

    She supposed that she was grateful that Gloria's ashes didn't weigh too much.

    "You know, you could've bought a ticket too." Rebecca pointed out, to which Falco just shook his head.

    "Nah, I like my feet planted on solid ground. Headin' up into space, that just don't sit right with me. Besides, someone's gotta stay behind and keep their ear to the ground."

    Yeah, just because they were done with Night City didn't mean that Night City was done with them. With Falco sticking close by, hopefully he could warn them of any trouble if their past tried to catch up with them.

    "Hey, Lucy, chin up." Falco smiled at her, "You're getting out. What you always wanted, right?"

    "Yeah." Lucy looked at one of the many advertisement screens lining the dropoff area, in particular the one that showed a large rocket lifting off from the launch pad, with the Moon directly overhead, "What I always wanted…"





    Arasaka Counter-Intelligence Operative Valerie looked out the window of her boss's office at the distant beacon of light ascending into the starry sky. Must be a bunch of tourists heading to the Crystal Palace or the Moon. One day she hoped to be high up enough the ladder to kick back and enjoy luxuries like that. Until then…

    "Hey, V, stop spacing out." Jenkins snapped at her, "I have to show my worth to the executives if I want to get ahead of Abernathy, so what did you find?"

    "Ah, right." Valerie returned her mind to the present, "Well, looks like the old department heads were trying to leverage a local Fixer to manipulate some cyberpunk gonk into chipping a military-grade prototype so they could run a field test."

    Jenkins scowled, "That's absurd. You sure that's what they did?"

    When she nodded, he scoffed, "Imbeciles. Well, that's why they're out now, and I intend to fill their positions. Did you find out what sort of prototype that they were testing anyways?"

    Valerie's eyes flickered as she pulled up the files she'd gathered.

    "Something called the 'Cyber-Skeleton'. Based on what footage I could grab from public broadcasts, it's some kind of powered exoskeleton. Pretty powerful from the looks of it. Unfortunately, all of our security footage of the incident is classified, executive eyes only."

    Jenkins scowled, "Guess they're trying to sweep all of this under the rug. Good, that means there's some potential blackmail material there. Anything else?"

    "Not really, something odd, but it's a dead end unless you've got insight I don't." She shrugged, "When the autopsy report for the cyberpsycho that Smasher flatlined was uploaded to our systems, the server load was over a thousand times what I'd expect from just a mere autopsy report."

    "Over a thousand…" Jenkins mused, "Were you able to grab a copy?"

    "Nope, that was locked up tight too." Valerie sighed, "It could be any number of things… but that's the thing. There are too many possibilities. Was someone trying to sneak a daemon into our servers? Trying to hide illicit documents? Or maybe that cyberpsycho had exabytes of porn saved on his chrome that someone is trying to sneak home? Point is, it's so open-ended that it's a dead end unless you have a lead I'm not seeing."

    Jenkins thought about it for a minute before shaking his head, "No. I don't. Leave it be for now. I'll put out some feelers, see if I can't get some answers. For now, I want you to focus on finding out if there are any loose ends in this entire debacle. If something comes back to bite us in the ass, we'll be the next to go down."

    Valerie nodded and left the office as he dismissed her. Before crossing the office threshold, she took another look back out the window. The rocket was long gone, only a trail of smoke left that was already dissipating in the strong winds. Yes, just like that rocket she'd soar high, all the way to the top of Arasaka, where nobody would be able to fuck with her.

    Until then, she was well within their reach.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Chapter 4: Lunar Dreams
  • Threadmarks
    • Rebecca stared in awe through the small window. It still hadn't really hit her yet. She was actually off-planet. The Lunar city of Tycho certainly was one to make an impression. A massive dome dominated the surface, shining windows scattered across its surface competing with the stars in the sky. A ring of tall windows encircled the dome halfway up, providing a glimpse into a verdant forest.

    "Lucy, look!" She tugged on her friend's arm, "Are those trees?"

    The Netrunner followed her Solo friend's gaze, nodding, "Yes. Tycho maintains a large self-sustaining ecosystem of imported flora as a major part of their life support systems. They've also got hydroponic gardens for food."

    "Really? That's preem. We should check it out later." Becca whistled. At her noisy behavior, a few other passengers shot her irritated glares. She just flipped them off and went back to taking in the sights.

    Ever since boarding, the two of them had been the subject of fearful or disdainful looks. Lucy didn't blame them. They were edgerunners, cyberpunks, mercenaries who earned a living through blood and violence. Their presence here either meant that they were here for a job, in which case everyone around them was at risk, or they were paid top eddies for their work, which also meant that they were dangerous.

    Still, Lucy couldn't help but fight down the urge to scream at them, to lambast them for daring to judge her. Wasn't she Human like the rest of them? She bet that most of them weren't even smarter or more skilled than her, or even Becca for that matter! How were they any better than her? But what galled her more than anything is that if David were here, they'd be thinking the same things about him. If life hadn't been so cruel, David could have stayed a top student at Arasaka academy. He could have climbed the ranks and with a mind like his she didn't doubt that he would have become a top executive one day. Even though Lucy had no love for Arasaka, even she had to admit that many of their employees and executives lived long and comfortable lives.

    But that wasn't what happened. He became an edgerunner, burned brightly like one, and burned out young like one. He'd deserved a better life. He deserved a better death.

    Lucy just couldn't tolerate the idea that these pompous elites would have sneered at David, thought him to be less than them. Subhuman trash beneath their respect. Looking away as to hide the flickering of her eyes, she swiftly connected to the shuttle's local net and slipped little custom viruses past their pathetic ICE and into their implants. Not to kill them, David wouldn't have liked that. No, she'd just fuck with their Biomoms, make them feel sick tomorrow morning. The thought of them blowing their guts over a toilet in misery made her smile a bit.

    With a shudder, the shuttle finally touched down, the cutting-edge suspension systems turning the landing into a gentle rocking inside the cabin. As everyone began to undo their harnesses, the PA popped on with the cheerful voice of the shuttle's stewardess.

    "Welcome to Tycho! Your Lunar Adventure begins here!"





    "…Nova." Rebecca gaped at the sight before her, and even Lucy was awestruck.

    It was beautiful. She'd seen photos before, but her BDs had only covered the surface. The Lunar city of Tycho itself… was something else to behold.

    A cavern drilled and melted out of the Lunar ground, creating a space taller than the highest skyscraper in Night City. The elevator they were in raced down alongside the cavern wall, which itself was made out of melted glass, smooth and shimmering. Large panoramic windows offered a stunning view of Tycho city itself, sprawled out along the bottom of the man-made cavity like a network of shining brilliant lights that sparkled against the reflective walls of their subterranean world.

    "I can see why you wanted to come here." Rebecca hopped excitedly, although in the low Lunar gravity this caused her to float up and bounce against the ceiling of the lift, "Whoa! Uh, Lucy, help?"

    Lucy felt an amused smile start to form, but it quickly faded. Wordlessly, she pulled Becca back to the floor and made sure she grabbed the railing.

    "Yeah. This isn't what I wanted to see, though." She looked out the window with a distant gaze, "Let's drop our stuff off at the condo… then I'll show you."

    Rebecca was thrilled. Not just because she was genuinely excited, but because this was the most engaged she'd seen Lucy since David died. The kid had given everything so that she could be here. That it wasn't going to waste… well, Rebecca felt happy for him. For her. Maybe this was what Lucy needed.





    "Okay, this? This isn't preem."

    The smaller girl had been having a blast ever since they arrived. But that had been in the pressurized interior of Tycho city. They had long since left that area, taking a small transport to a tourist facility where they gave guided tours of the Moon's surface… only to ditch the tour and go hopping off in some random direction.

    Rebecca really decided that she hated space suits, and trying to run on the Moon was, uh, hard.

    "Don't worry, we're almost there." Lucy looked back at her, "I'm familiar with the area. It's exactly like the BDs."

    "Exactly like them?"

    "…Not quite." The Netrunner admitted, "But like it in the way that matters."

    As they came up on the crater, Lucy was struck with an intense sense of déjà vu. How many times had she been here in the BDs? More times than she could count… but only once that really mattered.

    "What's so special about this place?" Rebecca asked as she looked around, "It's just craters."

    "Ah, well, it's my favorite spot," Lucy smiled at the memories, "and besides…"

    The sun glared through her visor, and she lifted her hand to shield her eyes. A reflexive move, entirely unnecessary due to the auto-tinting visor and her own cybernetic eyes, but it felt right. For a moment, the light of the sun made everything else look dim. It was hard to see her surroundings or Rebecca.

    "Whoa, check this!"

    That voice. She thought that she'd never hear it again. How was she hearing it again? Lucy's vision slowly sharpened, and against the bright surface of the Moon she saw the impossible.

    "I can feel the sun!"

    A bright white and yellow jacket. That sharp brown hair, his hand raised to stave off the warm, unrelenting rays of sunlight.

    It… couldn't be. But… he was right there, laughing in delight.

    "Da… vid?"

    He turned around, smiling brightly with such innocent enthusiasm. Seeing him again, hearing his voice again, Lucy couldn't help but smile. The events of the past week seemed to blur away, as if they'd never happened. She was here. He was here. David was with her. Joy began to bubble up within her chest. Everything was going to be okay. Everything was-

    "-cy! Lucy!"

    Rebecca was there in front of Lucy, grabbing her by her arms. Still, the Solo wasn't tall enough to block the other girl's unrestricted view of the Lunar surface, devoid of anyone but the two of them. There was nobody else there.

    There was no David.

    It all came crashing back. The past week. The nightmarish night in which he died, leaving her with nothing. David had wanted her to accomplish her dream, to escape Night City and reach the Moon. Well, here she was, standing where she'd wanted to stand for so long. Her dream had been realized. So why did it feel so empty? So unfulfilling?

    Why did Lucy feel completely, utterly devastated?

    "Lucy, snap out of it!" Rebecca shouted at her friend, whose expression had gone from shocked, to relieved, and then to utterly horrified over the span of the past minute as she stared at nothing, "Lucy, what's wrong?!"

    Finally, finally Lucy looked down, meeting Rebecca's gaze.

    "I… I don't want this." She whispered, slowly sinking to her knees, "I don't want this, Becca."

    She grabbed at the smaller girl's arms, shaking, "Where is he? He… He was just here! Where did he go?!"

    "Who was just here, Lucy? You aren't making sense!" Rebecca tried to steady her friend, but it was like the other girl's legs had given out completely. Becca couldn't do anything but hold Lucy as the despairing young woman broke down completely.





    She… really thought that Lucy was getting better.

    Ever since the rocket had lifted off, Rebecca thought that she saw Lucy slowly coming back to life. Yeah, she didn't expect that the Netrunner would suddenly recover from David's death so quickly, but any improvement was good when the starting point was "clearly contemplating suicide".

    Now, though? Now was worse.

    Rebecca had basically had to carry Lucy back to the tourist center. Thank god for Lunar gravity, otherwise they'd have never made it.

    It was hard convincing the staff there not to call for whatever passes for an ambulance on the Moon, but Rebecca managed to finally get Lucy all the way back to Tycho city, to the little condo they'd bought. Made more sense than an apartment, especially if they wanted to stay. The door slid open and she led the taller girl inside. Lucy was walking now, at least, but she just looked… hollow. She had that same devastated look in her eyes, like despair was eating her up inside and there was nothing Becca could do.

    She led Lucy past the various rooms, a kitchen, dining room, living room, and bathroom. Apparently very upscale for accommodations on the Moon. Even the master bedroom was nice and big, the large queen-sized bed in the center with the steel headboard up against large floor-to-ceiling windows, through which the sprawling city could be seen, shimmering in the "night" lighting. Very preem. But so much less important than it had seemed earlier when they dropped off their bags.

    The smaller Solo gently laid Lucy down on the bed, glad to have removed their spacesuits earlier, even though it had been quite the chore since Lucy didn't actively help. Lying down in those things would have been very uncomfortable.

    "Okay, Luce', I'm gonna grab you some water, okay?" Becca moved to head to the kitchen, only for Lucy to sit up and wrap her arms around the other girl from behind.

    "Don't…" Lucy's voice was quiet, almost a whisper, "Don't go."

    Was there even a question of what to do? Becca acquiesced, laying down with her friend on the bed. In other circumstances having Lucy pressed up against her back, turning the Solo into the little spoon, would have been a bit exciting… but not now. All Rebecca could think of was how to help her friend. She had never been good at this feelings stuff. Not with her own feelings, nor that of other people. She was out of her depth. And yet, if this was what Lucy needed, then Rebecca would be here for her.

    Eventually Lucy's breathing evened out, she stopped trembling, and fell asleep. Breathing a sigh of relief, Becca let sleep take her too.





    Before the dawn, as Becca lay fast asleep, Lucy rose and walked over to her suitcase. Unzipping it and flipping it open, she pulled out a bright yellow jacket, David's jacket, and draped it over her shoulders. She stood by the large windows, holding her hand out to the side and grasping the air, as if someone's hand was there.

    "See, David?" She spoke to the silence, surrendering to the delusion and the comfort it offered, "We made it! Isn't it wonderful?"

    She smiled, even as her eyes seemed to shake, much like David's had. Yes, this was her dream. She could be happy like this.

    "Mmmrgh… Lucy?" Becca mumbled, wearily sitting up with an awful case of bed head, "Who're you talkin' to?"

    Lucy's hand closed on thin air. Her gaze steadied as she was brought crashing back to reality. This… wasn't right. She didn't want this life.

    "…No one, Becca." Lucy brought her arm to her chest, pulling David's jacket tighter to her body. She offered her friend a comforting smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, which stared through the smaller girl into nothing.

    "No one at all."
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Chapter 5: Bad Habits
  • Threadmarks
    • CW: No explicit acts are detailed, but Becca plots depravity and uses lewd words to think about it.

    When Doc heard the news about David, he honestly wasn't surprised. Did he feel bad about it? Kind of, but in the end the kid knew what he was getting into. Admittedly Doc had been a bit concerned that David's girlfriend, whose name he didn't remember, would come after him in some misplaced quest for revenge. Thankfully, that didn't happen. She had just sent him a message cursing him out before saying that she was leaving the city for good, to the Moon in fact. He didn't really appreciate getting blamed for everything that happened, but he did feel a bit glad that the girl was leaving. Night City was a cesspit, and kids like that shouldn't die here.

    Actually, after reading that, Doc had decided that he'd had enough. How long was he going to take advantage of the impoverished and dispossessed in Santo Domingo? Sure, they begged for his services and paid him good eddies, but… well, it was starting to weigh on him.

    So, he sold his clinic, packed up all his stuff, and ordered a moving van. Maybe that girl had the right idea. Perhaps it was time to leave this city behind.

    But as he stood on the curb, waiting for the van to arrive, a different vehicle pulled up. A Chevillon Thrax 388 Jefferson, all hard lines and dignified in matte black. The windows were tinted too. Strange, those things were normally used by Corpos, what was one doing there?

    The driver-side door opened and out stepped a young Asian woman in her late 20s, with a hard expression on her soft features. She was definitely a looker, but Doc could tell, this woman was only trouble.

    "I take it that you're the Ripper who operates… or operated, this clinic?" She asked, and the look in her eyes made Doc shiver a bit.

    "I nuh know what yuh chattin' 'bout, Corpo." He tried his best to wave her off, "Go look fa' somebody else ta badda'."

    "Please, don't play dumb, sir." The woman smiled, "I'm operative Valerie, but you can call me V. I'm with Arasaka Counter-Intel. It's to our understanding that you installed a black market Sandevistan into one David Martinez around a year ago, correct? Please, take a seat in my car and you can tell me all about it."

    "Gonna pass on da offa', Corpo," He didn't move, "I'm busy."

    V's smile turned icy, "I don't think you understand, sir."

    Doc's breath caught in his throat as his vision lit up in distorted warnings signs, his implants going haywire. With a strangled scream, he collapsed to the ground, twitching and helpless. V stepped up to the writhing man, looking down.

    "I wasn't making a request." She raised her boot and brought it down on his head.





    Lucy stood in the bustling streets of Tycho city, with people passing by on both sides of her. She hugged David's jacket close to her body, breathing in deeply. Amid the rich smell of the city itself and the lingering notes of the forest that recycled the air, she could still smell him. This jacket still smelled like David.

    "You know, you look good in that."

    With a warm smile, Lucy turned to look at him. When she saw David, all her grief, despair, all of it just seemed to melt away. He stood there with her as the crowd parted around them, body still whole, (mostly) untouched by Chrome, just like when they'd first met.

    "Do you think so?" She asked, "I mean, it is your jacket."

    "Nah, you keep it." He nodded, "Looks preem on you."

    She was glad. With this, it would be like he was always with her.

    "Hey, Lucy! Who you talking to, choom?"

    The Netrunner turned to see Rebecca, the shorter Solo approaching with a couple of soda cans.

    "Oh, Becca, David was just telling me-!" She turned to look at her love… and there was no one there.

    But… wasn't he right there? No… No, of course not. David wasn't with them anymore. He was dead. She had just… forgotten that, for a moment.

    She clutched the jacket tighter to herself.

    Rebecca handed her one of the cans, a concerned look on her face, "You were talking to… David? Lucy, you sure you're okay?"

    "Fine. I'm fine." The white-haired girl answered sharply, "Let's go. Our tour starts in an hour."

    Without waiting for her friend, Lucy walked off into the crowd, making the shorter girl scramble after her.





    Something was wrong with Lucy.
    Was that even really in doubt? Ever since her breakdown the previous day, she'd been acting weird. Rebecca was no psychologist or whatever, but she wasn't dumb either. She'd noticed something about Lucy had changed. The girl talked to thin air when she thought Rebecca wasn't looking. She hugged David's jacket against her body like some sort of security blanket. Hell, when the tourism office asked how many tickets Lucy wanted, she said three!

    Rebecca was torn. On one hand, whenever Lucy seemed to get pulled into whatever delusions she was having, she looked happy. She was smiling. It was almost like the awful events at Arasaka Tower never happened. But whenever something happened to bring her back to reality, Lucy turned back into that haunted shell she'd been before.

    The Solo just didn't know how to handle this! She wanted to help Lucy, but this was also the first time Rebecca had lost someone that she really loved! It hurt, it hurt a lot, and there were definitely some parts of David's death that were too painful to think about, but she was trying to be strong! David wouldn't have wanted her to wallow over his death! He sacrificed any chance he had at winning against Smasher so that she could live! He sacrificed his own sanity so that he could rescue Lucy! If Rebecca couldn't find joy in living, if she couldn't do her best to enjoy every moment… wouldn't that mean he died for nothing?

    To be truthful, Rebecca didn't have much to live for anymore other than just living like she always had. David was gone, the crew was gone, and frankly Falco was just a friend and ally. Close, and important too, but not in the same way that David was.

    Not in the same way that Lucy was.

    When had the way Rebecca thought about Lucy begin to change? Well, it was probably around when David started to go out with her. Not only did Becca see a different side of that distant, nerdy girl, but if she was happy, then David was happy. He… He had been the first person she ever loved. He didn't love her back, not in the way that she wanted, but that was… well, not fine, but tolerable. Even if he didn't give her what she wanted, he was more than a good friend.

    But the real change? That probably happened right around when David died. The two of them had loved him. The two of them had lost him. They were perhaps the only people who could understand each other.

    At least, that's what Rebecca thought. Kind of. Maybe not so much in words, but in feelings.

    Besides, Lucy was kind of hot. Becca had tried both sides, and a little in between. Guys? Girls? A mix of both? Bring 'em on, she could handle it! Night City was definitely an easy place to explore one's sexuality. So yeah, Rebecca could see what David saw in Lucy. Sure, she ribbed on her attitude and personality, but she didn't mean it. Not anymore.

    Couple that with seeing Lucy as a bit more than a friend now… oh, crap, did she actually like Lucy? Like, like like?!

    "Hm?" Lucy glanced back at her friend as they walked through the city, and caught her staring, "Something wrong?"

    "Nothing! Nothing wrong at all!" Rebecca replied, a bit flustered, "Everything's preem!"

    Shit. Maybe if they got a bit more intimate, Lucy might feel better? Hell, it'd make Becca feel better. Ah, but then she kind of felt like she was robbing David! He wasn't alive anymore, but it still felt like a bit of a betrayal! Gah, well, if David was still alive, what would he think about it?

    The little chaos gremlin thought hard, and in her mind she created a little imaginary David to ask.

    "David, choom!" Imaginary-Becca cheerfully greeted her deceased crush, "Got a question for ya! Since you got your gonk ass flatlined, mind if I fuck your input?"

    Imaginary-David made a show about considering it before replying, "Well, Becca, you know I would want Lucy to be happy. If you can make her happy, you know I'd be fine with however you could do it. Also… not gonna lie, that sounds pretty hot."

    Imaginary-Becca grinned, "Nova!"

    Becca thanked Imaginary-David for giving her the go-ahead, and began to formulate Operation Therapeutic Tribadism!

    …

    Name pending.





    "-and here we've arrived at the First Tunnel!" The tour guide up at the front of the tram gestured to the smooth glass walls around them that ran deep and far ahead, "Here, the first colonists used drills and nuclear smelters to carve out the first of many subterranean passages that were used to-"

    More stares. Less so than at the start of the tour, but those sitting around Lucy and Rebecca gave them cautious glances. True, among the mostly-'ganic bourgeois on this tour, the two Edgerunners stood out a lot. She'd already planted little surprises in their cyberware as retribution, but that didn't stop making things uncomfortable.

    Rebecca leaned against Lucy's shoulder, sighing, "Lucy, I'm bored…"

    The girl in question lightly bonked her friend on the head, "You were the one who wanted to come with me. You have nobody to blame but yourself for this."

    "Well, I mean, yeah, but…" Becca whined plaintively, "I wasn't gonna sit around on my ass in Night City when my last good Choom delta'd off to the fucking Moon. I don't wanna go back to being a Solo."

    It'd get lonely real fast, and if she got flatlined in an alley somewhere with no one to tell her friends… well, Becca didn't want that.

    "…Fine." Lucy sighed, "We'll go try to find something… fun for you to do. But lower your expectations. This isn't Night City."

    The shortstack smiled, "Nova. Can't wait."

    And she really, really couldn't wait. She was practically vibrating in her seat for the rest of the tour.





    Finding a weapons store in Tycho City was a bit hard. There just wasn't that many, and to be fair it made sense. With the exception of security guards basically nobody was packing heat. The two young edgerunners had gone the whole visit without seeing one murder, mugging, rape, or any other common sight in Night City. Hell, the most intense thing they'd seen was one guard with a stun stick incapacitate a thief who tried to steal some jewelry.

    That's not to say that there weren't any stores selling guns. In fact, there was one major one. A two-story affair at the bottom of a residential tower called "Walter's Weapons". Large glass doors slid aside to let them in. Large display cases showed a variety of shotguns, SMGs, rifles, and handguns. Rebecca bounded through the door the moment she saw them all.

    "That's more like it! Come to momm-wwaAAH!" She flailed as her jump took her higher and farther than expected. She careened towards one of the display cases, clawing at the air, "LUCY HEEEL-!"

    Smack

    The glass didn't shatter, but Becca was spread eagle against it. Lucy couldn't help but laugh a little at it. Some of the other patrons helped the mortified Solo down, who winced at Lucy's smug face.

    "It's been a day, still getting used to the gravity here?"

    "Can it, Luce', I haven't had tons of practice in BD like you!"

    Pouting, Becca followed the still-laughing Lucy to the counter. It was embarrassing, but at least she helped to brighten the girl's mood. One step at a time.

    As the two jacked into the shop's local net and began to browse their selection, Rebecca noticed a trend.

    "Hey, mister." She stood on the tips of her toes to make herself seen over the counter, "You got anything heavier than this? All I'm seeing is low-caliber shit and handguns."

    The shop owner raised an eyebrow, "Sorry kid, it isn't legal to own heavy weaponry on the Moon, unless you got special Corpo permission."

    He pointed up at the ceiling, "We all live in a pressure dome, see? Any wall might be the bulkhead that stands between you and a cold suffocating death."

    Oh yeah. Becca had to agree, that would be bad.

    "We're from Night City." Lucy chimed in, "We're just used to a bigger selection. Thanks for letting us know."

    "Yeah, I could tell from the getups." He gestured to their hair and Rebecca's skin and eyes, "Lemme give you two a tip, since I'm pretty sure you're cyberpunks. Don't know how or why you're here. I don't care. But the edgerunning scene here is more white-collar than you're used to. We got professionals in Tycho City. None of that amateur gun-for-hire shit that goes down on Earth. Stakes are a lot higher up here, y'see."

    "Understood." Lucy nodded, "We appreciate the info, but we're not here on a job. I guess you could say… I'm settling down."

    "Oho?" His eyes widened in surprise, "Well, I'll be. Didn't think you edgerunners outta Night City ever retired. Well, in the regular sense, anyways."

    "Almost didn't." Lucy pulled a little on David's jacket, "Alright, I know what I want. You done yet, Becca?"

    "Almost." Her eyes flickered, "Alright, gimme my stuff, old man!"

    To Lucy, the man handed a single HJKE-11 Yukimura in yellow with green highlights.

    Rebecca was given a duffle with two G-58 Dians, a DB-4 Palica, an M221 Saratoga, and a DB-2 Satara.

    Lucy stared speechlessly at the purchase before finally muttering, "Jesus, Becca. We're not here to wage a war."

    "Yeah, well, you know me, I'm a bit of a Rimbo." Rebecca grinned deviously as she checked over her new acquisitions, "I got a reputation to keep, even on the Moon."

    "…I have never heard anyone call you a Rimbo before."





    Tycho City was pretty safe. Crime was super low, and really what most people there had to worry about were Corpos with itchy trigger fingers.

    That being said, it wasn't like there was no crime at all. Sometimes people got it into their heads to stir up shit. Usually, it was folks from Earth who thought that because things were so peaceful up on the Moon, that they could carve out a little empire for themselves.

    They never got past the formative stages, in most cases. Law enforcement was pretty good. Every now and then, however, some evaded detection until they were too strong to take down without significant risk. Luckily for the two surviving members of Maine's/David's crew, there was one such group that the authorities were willing to pay good scratch to take out.

    "Come on, come on!" Rebecca cackled as she strafed the abandoned warehouse, a Dian in both hands. The smart-bullets curved through the air to riddle the punks hiding out behind boxes and crates, "Is that all you got? Try harder, this is just too easy!"

    Lucy took down some borged-up freak with Gorilla arms, her Monowires slicing straight through his skin. She sighed as she checked up on her partner. Loud and aggressive. That was Rebecca alright. At least they would get through this job quickly. Plus, she had checked this section's schematics earlier. The rooms on all side were pressurized, so they could let loose. Even their most powerful gun could only go through one thin wall.

    Of course, that did mean that some of these gonks had subdermal armor, but her Monowire could handle them.

    She pinged a nearby camera, making every device and implant on the local network transmit to each other. Based on their location and distance of transmission, an overlay faded into view, showing Lucy where every machine and person was in the warehouse.

    And there was someone hiding out behind a buggy. She drew her smart pistol and locked onto them. She fired upwards, and the bullets curved around the vehicle to hit them. Perfect.

    The shooting stopped, and Rebecca started to stalk around the room, looking for anyone else to perforate. Lucy had to quickly put a stop to that.

    "We're done here, Becca. Got everyone."

    "Whaaat?" She pouted, "But I was just getting into it! You sure we can't do any more jobs today?"

    "No. Fixer said that this was really the only thing that required guns. Unless you want to run errands or something similarly boring."

    Rebecca huffed, "Fine! Well, if that's how it's going to be, then I've gotta find another way to let off steam! Where's the nearest club?"

    Honestly, Lucy hadn't thought that her escape to the Moon would involve such a… rambunctious tagalong. If anything, she'd hoped that she'd be here with David. But Rebecca was her friend… and maybe a night out drinking was just what the doctor ordered. It would stop her from feeling so awful every time she remembered that her boyfriend got zeroed by Smasher.





    "The Moon, huh?" V crossed her arms, staring at the gomi bastard slumped in the chair in front of her. Night City was full of trash like him, willing to ruin lives for a quick eddy. Scum in human form. She felt rather satisfied at the beating she'd given him. He swayed weakly under the sole light in the dark room.

    "Ya… 'Tat's every'ting I know." Doc coughed, blood running down his chin. One of his arms was torn off and the other was dented and limp, "Can ya let me go now, Corpo? I got nuttin' ta do with your biz'ness."

    V nodded, "True, you did tell me everything I asked, and there's no mission-pertinent reason for me to kill you, however… I can't help but wonder if the city would be better off with one less piece of shit who's willing to chip kids with black market chrome for eddies?"

    With that, V drew her Kenshin, "I'll give you ten seconds."

    With wide eyes and a panicked gasp, Doc shakily lunged away from the chair, stumbling towards the distant exit sign lit up in the dark. V slowly leveled her gun, counting aloud.

    She fired. There was a cry of pain. The exit door banged open. Aw well. He'd either bleed out or leave the city in a panic. Good either way.

    V dialed HQ as she holstered her pistol, "Get me a direct line to our Lunar base."
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Chapter 6: The Bonds of Friendship
  • Threadmarks
    • The thing about life on the Moon was that the gravity was much lower than on Earth. This affected every aspect of daily life. Cooking had to be done carefully in specially-designed kitchens, practically all drinks were consumed through straws, and for tasks that were absolutely impossible to do in lunar gravity, anti-grav generators were used to normalize the area to 1G.

    One thing that Lunar gravity changed, though, that absolutely no one minded, was dancing.

    Lucy had practiced moving in Lunar gravity, so her dancing was controlled. Her movements were slow, deliberate, and some might even say graceful.

    At least, it was compared to Rebecca's first attempt to jump to the beat of the club's pounding music, which nearly sent her into the ceiling. Lucy just had to laugh as the crowd helped hold onto the mortified girl.

    The club was called "Diamond Sky", and it was absolutely packed. The dance floor was filled with young men and women sporting bright clothes and flashy hairdos. Light flickered all over the mass of bodies, cast by a holographic array of bright lights orbiting around each other hanging just below the ceiling.

    Neither of the two edgerunners had ever been to a club like this. In Night City, every club was full of desperation, lust, and an almost frantic need for escape in the face of ever-present danger.

    This place, however, was all excitement and… fun. Tycho City was different from Night City for sure, and that was reflected in the people. These people weren't shackled by the rat race of the city of dreams. They weren't under constant threat from gangs. Perhaps Lucy was looking at them through rose-colored lenses, but to her they seemed free.

    That atmosphere of honest excitement was positively infectious, and Lucy began to smile. She'd never dreamed that she could relax like this, could just enjoy herself. She felt so light, like the world's burdens had been lifted. She closed her eyes as she jumped a few inches and twirled, slowly descending in the light Lunar gravity.

    Her only regret, the chains of guilt that clung to her mind, was that she wasn't here with-





    The silence was sudden, and her feet landed not on the hard dance floor, but soft sand.

    "Lucy?"

    That voice…

    "David?" She opened her eyes. Before her was the vast expanse of cratered gray, contrasted by the dark void of space and illuminated by the Earth, which hung like precious jewel in the sky.

    "You look like you're having fun."

    Standing there, in the middle of it all, was the person she wanted to be with the most. He held out his hand with a smile.

    "Mind if I join you?"

    For a second, her vision flickered, and Lucy saw the dance floor, the club, then it went back to the Moon. The Truth of her reality shifted back and forth.

    A part of her realized what this was. Cyberpsychosis was different for everyone. Every person had their limit, and that limit could change. It could manifest in many different ways, but it always caused the person in question to… lose their grip on reality.

    Was it finally happening to her? She…. She could see the divide between Reality and the Delusion, though. It felt like with a little effort, she could reassert herself in the here and now.

    But… did she want to?

    When she was with David on the Moon, she was happy. She could forget about her misery, and feel the joy that she'd been searching for her whole life.

    Living in a fantasy…

    Lucy reached out, and took David's hand in her own. Her world settled, becoming the vast expanse of Lunar soil.

    "Of course, David." She smiled, "There's nothing I would want more."



    At some point, Lucy started to dance like she had a partner. There was no one there.

    All these little things were adding up, and Rebecca didn't like the conclusion they were pointing towards. She had to do something to anchor her friend in the here and now, before she lost her forever.

    "Got room for one more?" Becca pushed her way in front of Lucy, trying hard to match her movements. It was hard, since all her practiced dance moves were made useless in Lunar gravity. Still, she had to try. That distant look in Lucy's eyes as she stared at something that only she could see was… haunting.

    The smaller girl took the Netrunner's hands as they jumped, sending them on a gentle arc through the air. Lucy's gaze seemed to sharpen, and she looked down at the small Solo floating in the air with her.

    "Becca?" She spoke, confusion hanging on every syllable.

    "No checking out on me, choom." Rebecca smirked in determination, "You gotta live in the moment!"





    One moment she was spinning around with David, their laughter filling the Lunar sky.

    The next, Becca was twirling her in the air, a broad grin on her pale face.

    Lucy's world was a whirlwind, a storm of changing, shifting landscapes. Of changing, shifting faces. Where was she? Who was she dancing with?

    Did… did it matter?

    "Hey, stay with me choom." Becca gazed intensely at her friend and teammate, "We're already on the Moon, Luce', you don't need to space out anymore."

    What? What was that supposed to mean?

    It took a second. Then it clicked.

    She barely stifled a laugh, "R-Really? What kind of pun was that?"

    "Hey, if it works, then it works!"

    Lucy started to laugh, she just couldn't help it! That joke… it was so awful! Becca pouted as the two of them continued their dance, and Lucy hardly noticed that she wasn't seeing the Moon anymore.



    "Chica! I haven't seen you in forever!" Jackie clasped his longtime friend's hand as she walked into his booth at Lizzie's, "Sit down, have a drink and tell old Jackie what's got your braguitas in a knot."

    V gratefully accepted a shot of tequila as she sat down with the boisterous Solo, "Good to see you too, Jackie. How's business been?"

    "Ah, more of the usual," he shrugged, "Nothing too exciting. Still pays in eddies, though. But we didn't come here to talk about me."

    "No, that we did not, Jackie." She held out a Shard, "Detes are on the Shard."

    With only a moment's pause, he accepted the data chip and slotted it. His eyes flickered as he quickly read through the info.

    After about a minute, he ejected the Shard and handed it back with a disturbed expression.

    "V, you know we go way back, and you know I would take on a lot of jobs for you that I wouldn't for others, but even so, this?" He jabbed his finger at her, "qué mierda, Valerie, have you lost your fucking mind?"

    "I ain't asking you to zero 'em, Jackie." V raised her hands defensively, "I mean, fuck, I'm not that much of an asshole. I think."

    "I would hope not." He downed his shot and waved the waitress over for another, "So what is it that you're asking me to do? Given you're sending me to the freakin' Moon after 'em, I doubt it's just for a friendly conversación."

    "Might be just that. Depends." V leaned back and crossed her arms, "Does the name 'David Martinez' ring any bells?"

    "Yeah, 'course it does." Jackie nodded, "That's the crazy motherfucker who took over Maine's crew after the pobre bastardo got flatlined by MaxTac. David zeroed himself going up against Adam Smasher himself over a week ago. There's even a drink named after him in the Afterlife now. Kid's a Night City legend now, descansa en paz."

    "You familiar with his crew?"

    "A bit, yeah." He smiled at the waitress as she gave them new drinks, "Don't know all that much about that Lucy girl. She kinda dropped off the radar after Maine died. But Rebecca? That crazy little la zorra is practically infamous. The chick without a mouth, Kiwi or something, got gunned down the same day David did. Don't know too much about Falco, I've just heard that he's a good driver. Why not start with him?"

    "I tried," V sighed, "but he's delta'd out of the city proper, as far as I can tell. Disappeared into the Badlands. I'm not going to find him."

    "Hm…" Jackie gave V an intense look, "So that why you sending me after these two nińas? They're the only ones who can be found, and your bosses want to get even?"

    "I already told you, Jackie, I ain't looking to zero 'em. For Christ's sake…" the Corpo agent looked around, "Alright, look, let's take this somewhere a bit quieter."

    Begrudgingly, Jackie followed his pal into one of the private rooms. He was starting to wonder whether he even recognized his friend anymore. Working for Arasaka was twisting her into something inhuman.

    V shut the door and leaned against it with a sigh, "Okay, look Jackie, this isn't really an official mission from Arasaka itself, okay?"

    "Oh?" He kicked back on the couch, interest renewed.

    "The higher-ups aren't looking for revenge. Honestly, they tried to sweep everything under the rug. But just because you stop acknowledging a problem doesn't mean it stops being a problem." She huffed in annoyance, "My boss and I are next on the chopping block if this all comes back to bite us in the ass. He wants assurances that yesterday's problems won't become tomorrow's problems."

    "Still sounds like he wants you to zero these ladies, V." Jackie shook his head, "Why shouldn't I just walk away from this job right now? And don't say it's because we're friends. Even our friendship has its limits, chica."

    "Yeah, I get that Jackie." She walked around the counter and sat down next to him, "Do you want the honest truth, buddy? I'm asking you because you're a people person, and if I ask anyone else to do this, it's going to get violent for sure. I've already confirmed where they're staying, so all I need you to do is make contact, maybe get to know them a bit. Just find out what their plans are. If they've decided to retire to the Moon, then great, nobody needs to do anything. If not, though… then just come home. I'll handle the rest."

    Jackie stared long and hard at V, an almost sad air about him. Working for Arasaka really had changed her. He had no illusions about how V would "handle" things if he said that those two girls were a future threat. So, he made a few private decisions right then and there.

    "Alright, chica. I'll do it."

    "Nova. Knew I could count on you, Jackie." V grinned widely, her eyes flickering as she sent Jackie his travel details, "Sorry about the economy seats. Boss is paying for this op out of his own pocket, so we can't afford to break the bank here. Still…"

    A second deposit of a thousand eddies appeared in Jackie's vision.

    "Little bit of a bonus from me, eh? You'll be there for a week, after all. Feel free to do some touristy stuff. In fact, I encourage you to do the tourist stuff. It'll help with your cover. Oh, and by the way…"

    She leaned in with a playful grin, "Better get me something nice as a souvenir. I might even give you a special thank you, just like old times."

    "Valerie, I got a new girl now." Jackie gently but firmly refused the offer, "I'll still get you something nice though, chica. You like T-Shirts?"

    V pouted, leaning back, "Fine. I'll take what I can get… and who's your new output? She hot?"

    "Don't be an idiota, V. You poach my girl, I won't forgive you."

    They both laughed, but Jackie was already feeling the regret creep in. He didn't want to lie to Valerie, but… he had to follow his conscience.

    He only hoped that she would forgive him, if she ever found out.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Been keeping up with this on Ao3, Becca is ride or die, but Lucy just melts my heart somehow... I like seeing a bit more of the Corpo V's backstory. Are we ever going to learn what happened in Mexico?
     
    WSR said:
    Been keeping up with this on Ao3, Becca is ride or die, but Lucy just melts my heart somehow... I like seeing a bit more of the Corpo V's backstory. Are we ever going to learn what happened in Mexico?
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    They smuggled Kinder Eggs into NUSA. Shocking, I know. If that got out, V would be shot on sight.
     
    Have to admit, this is a fun alternative way to do cyberpsychosis as compared to the 'maim, slaughter, kill' as it's commonly portrayed. I doubt Lucy will ever be fully 'normal' again but who knows; maybe Becca will be able to pull her back from the edge a bit.

    Meanwhile Jackie is intending to take the Paragon route. Here's hoping it doesn't get you and V zeroed as a result buddy.
     
    TheBleachDoctor said:
    They smuggled Kinder Eggs into NUSA. Shocking, I know. If that got out, V would be shot on sight.
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    The FDA is still alive and well only this time they have guns to enforce.

    jwolfe_beta said:
    this is a fun alternative way to do cyberpsychosis as compared to the 'maim, slaughter, kill' as it's commonly portrayed.
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    I mean most if not all cyberpsychosis deals with some kind of psychological trauma. David dying would definitely do that to Lucy.

    She might not go homicidal but if it progresses would be like some kind of delusion/dementia. Unable to quite tell what is and is not reality.
     
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    Just caught up. Really liking this so far; you've got the feel of the world and the characters down nicely.
     
    jwolfe_beta said:
    Have to admit, this is a fun alternative way to do cyberpsychosis as compared to the 'maim, slaughter, kill' as it's commonly portrayed. I doubt Lucy will ever be fully 'normal' again but who knows; maybe Becca will be able to pull her back from the edge a bit.
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    Mercenary said:
    mean most if not all cyberpsychosis deals with some kind of psychological trauma. David dying would definitely do that to Lucy.

    She might not go homicidal but if it progresses would be like some kind of delusion/dementia. Unable to quite tell what is and is not reality.
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    Well all it would really take to turn Lucy's Cyberpsychosis from denial and escapism into the homicidal PTSD episodes that Cyberpsychosis is known for is for her to start recalling her days Deep Diving for Arasaka. Thinking that she's in a hostile environment surrounded by rogue AI that want to tear her mind apart, when really she's in a crowded public space full of civilians who have virtually no defenses against a panicked Netrunner? Yeah, that won't end well.
     
    TheBleachDoctor said:
    Well all it would really take to turn Lucy's Cyberpsychosis from denial and escapism into the homicidal PTSD episodes that Cyberpsychosis is known for is for her to start recalling her days Deep Diving for Arasaka. Thinking that she's in a hostile environment surrounded by rogue AI that want to tear her mind apart, when really she's in a crowded public space full of civilians who have virtually no defenses against a panicked Netrunner? Yeah, that won't end well.
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    True but at the same time you're having her madness focusing on David. This is different from the other cyberpsychos in that it's not inherently an ever worsening loop of horrible moments of her life resulting in her lashing out uncontrollably.

    Instead she's clinging hard onto the illusion of David because it makes her happy. for the PTSD episodes, I can mostly see them occuring when somebody tries to break her out of a Cyberpsychosis episode. Beucase somebody is taking David away, just like Arasaka did.
     
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