With a good start, everyone quickly got to know each other, at least gaining a basic understanding of the others.
Lucy concealed the fact that she had defected from Arasaka, only saying she was a netrunner.
David was a clear-eyed student, a complete greenhorn.
V couldn't be bothered to play hide-and-seek mind games. Her identity wasn't anything to hide: second-in-command of Arasaka's counter-intelligence department.
Lucy was a bit flustered at first when she heard V's identity. Then she looked at Schwarzer, who didn't smash a cup as a signal for three hundred axemen to burst into the room and seize her.
Calming down and thinking it over, given the power Schwarzer had shown earlier, she wouldn't need to go to such lengths just to capture her.
Lucy's subtle movements were painfully obvious to V. Paired with her standard-issue implants, the answer was clear.
"What, scared to see me? I'm not here to arrest you."
"We're all teammates in the same crew. As a welcome gift, I've erased Arasaka's kill order on you."
Schwarzer doesn't just pull people in randomly. V had already noticed David's talent—though she didn't know how Schwarzer had spotted it, she trusted her judgment.
Therefore, Lucy must also possess some special talent to have 'been' added to the team. She could tell Lucy was a bit afraid of Schwarzer, clearly another victim of a compulsory transaction.
That being the case, V took the initiative to show some goodwill. Lucy being hunted for defecting was a trivial matter in V's eyes, something she could resolve with a single word.
"Huh?" Lucy hadn't expected her identity to be exposed so soon, let alone for V to help erase the kill order.
"Th-thank you." The fantastical turn of events left her at a loss, and she could only thank her subconsciously.
Corpo V was on a completely different level from them, whether in terms of skill, authority, or even social graces. In one move, she used her advantages to win over both David and Lucy.
David and Lucy were around the same age, and for some reason, they took a liking to each other. With V acting as a social lubricant, they were able to hit it off quickly.
Watching the cheerful team, Schwarzer nodded. Her decision to bring Corpo V on board was indeed the right one.
But it was about time. Schwarzer stepped forward to interrupt them.
"[Announcement] It seems everyone has gotten acquainted. I knew you would get along well. Now, let's get down to business."
"[Main Point] Regarding your mother, David, and the matter of the Sandevistan she had, I've brought her 'creditor'."
"Creditor?"
David was completely bewildered. He knew nothing about a Sandevistan, nor what his mother had been involved in.
To pay for his tuition, David's mother operated in a gray area, often pocketing cyberware left behind from body retrieval jobs and reselling it to mercs.
The military-grade Sandevistan from the cyberpsycho that was taken down last time had been taken by her and already sold to a crew of mercs.
"Kid, where's my Sandevistan? I paid Gloria a hefty deposit for it."
A crew of mercenaries fitted with bizarre cyberware walked in, led by Maine, a hulking man with a pair of massive arms.
However, his tone was extremely respectful now. Even as he was 'questioning' David, he spoke very softly.
The Afterlife was no place for Maine's crew to act recklessly, and Schwarzer had booked a private room, no less.
Mercs like them understood the weight of all this better than anyone. Although he was here to retrieve the Sandevistan he'd ordered, he was the one who had to be the most careful.
"Sandevistan?"
"Simply put, the piece of cyberware your mother obtained before her accident has already been sold. Now the client has come looking for it."
After thinking for a long time, David finally remembered. After being rescued by Trauma Team, he had indeed received a package.
But the news of his mother's coma and his special training with V had completely occupied his mind, and he hadn't paid any attention to it.
"So that package contained a Sandevistan, and a military-grade one at that?"
"That's right. I took on a lot of jobs to scrape together the money for that Sandevistan. You're not going to back out of the deal, are you, kid?" Maine emphasized again that he had paid.
"Of course not. I'll give it to you." David was clearly still an honest kid, incapable of breaking a contract.
"[Negative] A 4th-gen experimental Apogee Sandevistan. The experimental model gave no consideration to human compatibility. If you install that thing, you'll go cyberpsycho."
Schwarzer cut David off. In game terms, this experimental Sandevistan was basically an epic-tier item, its drawback being the immense strain it put on the human body.
With Maine's constitution, installing it would be a guaranteed trip to cyberpsychosis. She didn't bring Maine's crew here to let them die, but to have them babysit.
"It's that dangerous?" Maine frowned. Buying chrome from such questionable sources was always risky, but he hadn't expected it to be this serious.
"Sandevistans are high-risk chrome to begin with. The fact that you dared to buy one off the black market... I don't even know what to say to you."
Even V was surprised at how 'lucky' Maine had been. Normally, you couldn't find much good stuff on the black market. A Type-1 or Type-2 Sandevistan would be top-of-the-line. But to stumble upon an experimental 4th-gen model...
"[Proposal] I'll refund you double the money for the chrome. And while we're at it, are you interested in taking a gig from me?"
"Double? Thank you for your generosity. Is there anything I can help you with?"
Maine hadn't expected to 'win the lottery' so quickly. If he had actually installed that level of cyberware, he would have become a cyberpsycho, one hundred percent.
But through this twist of fate, he had connected with Schwarzer's group. Maine knew this was a great opportunity. He would take any mission they offered.
"[Explanation] The job is simple. These three... two will temporarily join your crew. You'll take them with you on your usual gigs,"
Schwarzer pointed at David and Lucy. She had originally wanted V to go play along as well, but on second thought, she decided against it. This kind of make-believe would be boring for Corpo V.
"This? Of course, no problem. But our line of work isn't safe. Lucy will be fine, but can this kid David handle it?"
"Of course, I can." How could a man say he couldn't? Especially when he'd said even Lucy could do it. Why couldn't he? David stepped forward resolutely.
"[Affirmative] David has more than enough talent. Just treat it like you're training any other rookie."
The matter was settled in just a few words. No one wanted to object to Schwarzer's proposal.
"[Addition] Your current abilities are still a bit lacking. Come with me tonight, and I'll get you some new chrome."
"Huh? Me? What am I getting installed?"
"Don't worry, I won't charge you. After all, it was originally yours." Schwarzer smiled faintly.
Mine? When did I ever have cyberware?
David looked at her smile and felt that something wasn't quite right. Then, he thought of the only possibility—the Sandevistan.
________________________________________
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