Author's Notes: Chapter edited and corrected by Scott Fellman.
"Oh god, this is delicious!" moaned Pilar as he chewed his pulled beef and vegetable sandwich. Really, with 10 people in the apartment, cooking a meal suitable for everyone would take too long without magic.
Besides, I didn't even have a table suitable for so many people. So I prepared something easy and quick to eat without much fuss.
"Little sister, if you can't drag her to your bed and keep her there to cook our food every day, I'll be very disappointed in you," Pilar groaned once more.
"Shut up, gonk! Enjoy your food, I'll tell her never to cook for you again!" Rebecca yelled before taking another bite of her food while moaning. "This is so good." She moaned with her mouth full.
"What kind of meat is this, and where can I buy it?" Dorio asked incredulously. I chuckled slightly.
"Don't even think about it, Dorio, this is 100% real, organic food," Rebecca scoffed. That stopped almost everyone in their tracks.
"What?! I can't afford this!" Gloria said with a horrified look as she stared at her half-eaten food.
"Don't worry, this is on me," I said simply. Gloria seemed like she wanted to argue, but she was eyeing her food longingly. Finally, she gave in and took two more bites while moaning with pleasure.
"heh." Rebecca laughed amusedly.
"If all your patients are waiting for this treatment, you'll surely be very famous." Kiwi mocked as she drank the smoothie I had prepared for her, which she was drinking through a straw with her mask on.
I'm glad I asked; I don't even know if she can eat solid food. How did that work? I haven't the slightest idea, but she was drinking happily.
Or well, I think so, her eyes seemed to smile happily, but without the lower half of her face, it was hard to tell.
"Don't dream, you're lucky I'm in a good mood, so enjoy it because I'm never cooking for anyone else again," I said dryly.
"But for me, yes, right?" Rebecca asked hopefully. I rolled my eyes.
"Yes, for you I will." I said playfully. Rebecca raised her fist in victory before continuing to eat.
"Is it really that expensive?" David asked as he looked at his food.
"If it is, it's not just real food, it's good quality, much more expensive, so enjoy it, kid, you might never eat it again in your life." Maine grunted as he grabbed another portion of food.
The food was gone quickly, and once we finished, Maine cleared her throat and looked at GLaDOS, who was standing nearby, tinkering with the Chimera's laser cannon. She had eaten a little, just for show, but then she started playing and fiddling with the weapon, ignoring all of us.
"So, I really don't have to take immunosuppressants anymore? The cyberpsychopathy symptoms are gone?" Maine asked seriously. GLaDOS hummed softly as she dropped the weapon and looked at him.
"You don't need them," GLaDOS said directly. "But you can take them if you feel the urge. Your body is used to them, so it will take time to adjust otherwise. If you feel the need to take some, here." GLaDOS stood up, grabbed a nearby bag, and tossed it to her. "Those are the weakest immunosuppressants I have."
"Weak?" Maine asked as he looked inside the bag.
"So much so that they're almost placebos." GLaDOS nodded while shrugging.
"Does the placebo effect work if you tell the patient?" Kiwi asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Of course. We shouldn't deceive the patient; we should deceive the body. These remedies are still immunosuppressants, but only in a very low dose. Your body will still receive the same medicine, but it will be greatly reduced."
"Since your body already feels 'fine,' it will think the medicine is working and won't ask for more doses. Take one a day, then space it out, every other day, one every three days, and then more occasionally until you stop taking it." Explained GLaDOS simply.
"Understood, doc." Maine said as he put the bag away.
"Now, regarding cyberpsychopathy, no, it's not curable. Or at least I don't have a cure. This is preventative treatment, as the name suggests, it prevents cyberpsychopathy. Most of those who get implants, as I mentioned in Maine, experience some kind of pain or discomfort and get used to living with them."
"The point is that human beings are so adaptable that they learn to live with it, and the body adapts to those circumstances. This ends up changing brain patterns, nerves, and neurons to adapt to a suboptimal configuration of their own body."
"The brain is a very delicate organ; changing something incorrectly, such as even a slight blow, can completely change a person. Now, brains are configured for each person's own biological body; forcing their brain to adapt to things it really shouldn't, due to a misconfiguration, is what leads to cyberpsychopathy."
"Although you feel great now, you have to come in for maintenance. Implants are delicate things, even if they don't seem like it; there could be a microfracture somewhere that's causing discomfort without you realizing it."
"I would normally say that you should come in every... two weeks because of your chosen line of work, as you will be putting the implants under greater stress, but coming in once a month and in times of emergency should be sufficient," GLaDOS said simply.
Everyone else looked at her, slightly surprised and confused.
"I... I see, I suppose it's not something that's taught everywhere," Dorio said almost solemnly. GLaDOS shrugged.
"This is for those who want to see it, but implants are part of the culture; this is a part that nobody wants to accept," GLaDOS said easily.
"Do I have to come to you, or would any Ripperdoc be able to perform maintenance?" Maine asked, and GLaDOS made a face of disgust.
"Although I hate the idea of anyone else touching the things I've created, you can go to any decent Ripperdoc. They should be able to calibrate or repair them properly. If they ask about the programming, say it's my personal creation and that they should contact me." GLaDOS said as she sent her data to Maine.
"Wait, programming? What did you do to Maine's implants?" Lucy asked, frowning as she looked at us suspiciously.
"I removed the existing software and installed new software," GLaDOS said honestly. Everyone seemed to bristle at that. GLaDOS just rolled her eyes. "Implants from different manufacturers create conflicts that generate cyberpsychopathy," GLaDOS said simply.
That stopped everyone in their tracks, and they paled slightly.
"What?" Pilar murmured incredulously. GLaDOS snorted.
"Do you really think the Corps would let anything of theirs be on the streets unprotected? There's a lot of redundant or useless code inside the implants. And not only that, do you think they guard their blueprints and programming so jealously, or are they arrogant enough to think they're better than everyone else?"
"Each Corp has its own programming that is completely different from the others. This programming causes them to clash because they speak 'different languages,' generating more problems than they should and increasing the rate of cyberpsychopathy. So I remove everything redundant, put in my own language, and reprogram everything," GLaDOS said simply.
I could hear several people cursing and spitting out the names of the corporations. I grimaced because, yeah, screw the corporations of this world.
"If you don't have faith in my work, one of you can have your implants checked, or simply take them to another Ripperdoc to have them checked. I didn't put anything else inside the implants. I couldn't care less about you; I'm just doing my job," GLaDOS said dryly.
"You want us to trust someone whose affiliation we don't know?" Lucy scoffed, crossing her arms.
"I already told you, I'll tell you again, I'm not affiliated with any Corp in this world, I'm just working as a mercenary. Now, if my employer is part of a Corp, that's another story." I said while shrugging.
"That's what anyone would say." Lucy scoffed, and I rolled my eyes.
"And you work for Faraday, the lapdog of Militech and Arasaka. What's the difference?" I mocked her.
"The difference is that it's impossible for two people with your skills, your tools, and your resources not to be under the thumb of a corporation." Lucy almost growled. I raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, I'd say it's the opposite, we're that good, good enough that the corps can't tie us down." I mocked her.
"That's not how the world works." Lucy grumbled. I laughed and smiled condescendingly.
"Projecting, Lucyna Kushinada?" I mocked her. Lucy's skin bristled.
"You know nothing about me," Lucy snapped. I laughed slightly.
"Oh, on the contrary, I know enough. Like, you've been trying to access our database ever since you entered this room, and the only reason GLaDOS hasn't melted your brain is because I've been forbidding her from doing so." I said coldly. That made her freeze, just like the rest of the crew.
"The first hour was entertaining watching her patrol for my client's safety, then she became sad and a nuisance that made me want to eliminate her." GLaDOS said, seemingly unbothered by anything.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, let's take a step back." Rebecca said, stepping between us. "First, thanks for not killing that idiot Lucy." Rebecca said in my direction. Lucy crossed her arms. "And second, Lucy, seriously? You got your ass kicked digitally, why would you think it would be any different in person?" Rebecca asked incredulously.
Lucy blushed slightly, huffed, and looked away.
"I don't trust them." Lucy grunted simply. I could see that everyone on the crew was tense; Kiwi just nodded in agreement. Gloria stood in front of David, tense and pale, as if a bomb were about to explode.
"Alright, that's enough," Maine said as he stood up. "It's time for us to go. We have a concert to plan, and I have a Sandy to test out." Maine said easily. " Becca, are you still going with her?" Maine asked, pointing at me.
"Of course," Rebecca said without hesitation, and he nodded.
"Fine, you take Lucy." He said simply, and Rebecca and Lucy's eyes opened wide; my eyebrow raised slightly.
"What?! Why do I have to take her to my date?" Rebecca asked incredulously.
"We trust each other with our lives during our concerts. If you're going to keep seeing her, then Lucy has to overcome any animosity. I don't want any problems between us," Maine said bluntly.
"Oh come on! There are better ways to do this than interrupting my date!" Rebecca complained.
"I've already spoken, team cohesion comes first," Maine said simply. He looked at GLaDOS and nodded in her direction. "Thanks for your attention, Doc, I'll be back in two weeks," Maine said simply, and GLaDOS just nodded.
"I should have a clinic by then, stop by that place," GLaDOS said simply. Maine nodded.
"We'll be coming too! Make an appointment for us! We want the same calibration! Damn, Corpos ruining even the implants." Dorio growled, and GLaDOS just nodded.
"Let's go." Maine said simply. Rebecca moaned once more and looked at Lucy.
"This is your fault." She huffed as she crossed her arms.
"I'm not happy either." Lucy snorted with a grimace.
"Well, if you had been less of a bitch, we wouldn't be here," Rebecca grumbled.
"Behave yourselves!" Dorio shouted over her shoulder while smiling.
"Sorry, sister, your problems, too bad they interrupted your cunt like this." Pilar mocked before bursting into laughter. Rebecca grabbed the nearest piece of metal and threw it directly at his head.
"Ah, very well, let's finish this." I said as I stood up and grabbed my things to leave.
"Wait!" David said almost frantically. "Can I join you?" David asked.
"David?!" Gloria exclaimed incredulously. We all looked at David.
"""""No,""""" we all said in unison before continuing to move. David looked as if we had kicked his puppy. Gloria came over and began to scold him.
"Alright, let's go." Rebecca grumbled as she left the penthouse. Lucy snorted, but followed her immediately.
"I'll be back later." I told GLaDOS, and she just gave a slight nod. I glanced absently at Gloria and David, who were the only ones left.
"Excuse me, Ms. GLaDOS, I have an offer of-"
I ignore Gloria's offer and keep walking; GLaDOS could handle her own business.
----------------------
"And that was the last place I had to go." I hummed as I unloaded things from Rebecca's very cluttered Maimai.
"You took me running errands all day and practically used my Maimai as a moving truck," Rebecca complained with a sigh. I chuckled slightly.
Just as she had said, we had spent most of the day going back and forth to different places in Night City. First, we went to one of the warehouses that GLaDOS wanted to rent. I signed and paid for everything immediately. Then I had to pick up several purchases that GLaDOS had made, and I was sure that half of them were illegal items or from the black market.
It would have been quicker if I'd been alone; sending everything through a portal would have been much easier. But since Rebecca and Lucy were there, we had to load several things onto the Maimai and return to the warehouse multiple times to unload them.
I'd even managed to get a pretty decent spot a few blocks south of where we were, still in Japantown, but a bit closer to Charter Hill. GLaDOS didn't really care about the location, so any option was fine.
"I told you it would be boring," I said playfully.
"I know, but I thought that would mean killing the occasional Gonk or something." Rebecca snorted. I chuckled slightly.
"I'm sure you don't spend all your days killing gang members," I said playfully. Rebecca snorted.
"Of course not, but this is a date, I thought it was implied." Rebecca remarked. I smiled broadly.
"You're lucky, I was forced to work for free all day." Lucy grumbled beside us. My eyes twinkled slightly.
"Blame it on Maine," I said casually.
"Oh, don't worry, that's what I'm doing," Lucy said, taking a puff of her cigarette. Rebecca sighed.
"I'm sure you'd want to go through it with Dimples." Rebecca said, wiggling her eyebrows. Lucy looked puzzled.
"Who?" Lucy asked, confused.
"Gloria's son? I can't remember his name," Rebecca said casually. "But he was staring at you half the time we were there," Rebecca teased. Lucy snorted.
"Like I cared. I didn't even notice," Lucy said, rolling her eyes. "I had better things to do," she added.
"Yes, spying on my things." I said playfully.
"Exactly." Lucy confirms with a mocking smile.
"Okay, let's get out of here. Can we go somewhere more interesting? We could even go see a movie or something." Rebecca pleaded, almost pitifully. I chuckled slightly.
"Well, I wasn't planning on going for a few nights, but... I have another mission to do, if you want to come with me." I said playfully. Rebecca immediately turned to look at me.
"Are we going to steal another tank from Hansen?! I missed the first one, I'm not going to miss the second one!" Rebecca said immediately.
"I don't think it's possible to steal another tank," Lucy said dryly.
"Well... it's something similar!" I said with a crooked smile, and Rebecca got even more excited.
"What are we waiting for? Let's go!" Rebecca said as she ran off towards Maimai. I could hear Lucy sigh.
"I hope it's something interesting, or Rebecca is going to be disappointed," Lucy said dryly as she tossed her cigarette aside. I smiled slightly at her.
" Well, it's something quite important about Arasaka, so I think you'll be interested too," I said playfully. Lucy paused momentarily before looking at me and smiling slightly.
"Well, color me in curious one, let's see what you have planned for the date," Lucy said playfully.
"Move it, Gonks! We have a tank to steal!" Rebecca yelled as she banged on her car door.
"I didn't say I was a tank!" I retorted playfully as I approached her. I glanced slightly up at the sky, which had begun to darken; it was as good a time as any.
Just like we'd been doing throughout the trip, I sat in the driver's seat, and Rebecca climbed onto my lap while Lucy took the passenger seat. The Maimai really was small, so there weren't many other ways three of us could fit in there.
Once Rebecca settled into my lap, with more movement of her bottom than necessary, I wrapped my hands around her body. One hand landed on her stomach and the other on her thigh. I began to move my hands aimlessly.
"Where to?" Rebecca asked excitedly.
"Hmm, do you know a club called Empathy?" I asked simply. Rebecca frowned and tapped the handlebars lightly.
"It sounds familiar... isn't it a porn BD club?" Rebecca asked simply, and I nodded.
"That's the one, do you know where it is?" I simply asked.
"It's in Corpo Plaza," Lucy said, her eyes sparkling slightly. "I'll send you the address, though I'd like to know why we need to go to a hardcore porn and strip club to rob Arasaka." Lucy tapped her knee with her fingers.
"Looking for information? The location is near the ' saka,' there's bound to be something to dig up there," Rebecca guessed as she started the Maimai and began driving.
"Right on target, there's someone I need to talk to who works at Emphaty," I said simply. Rebecca nodded as she sped off.
Well, I guess it was time to steal from Adam Smasher. If I could get his attention and make sure he's in Night City, all the better.