Both of them had been busy.
North Long Beach. Rocky dropped Rebecca at her apartment and walked her to the door.
Inside, Pilar looked like he had just come back. He reeked of booze and lay on the sofa with his eyes half-closed. The door opened; he cracked an eye, saw Rebecca, and laughed.
"Hahaha, am I drunk? Rebecca's already back? So you two really just went for a ride. Guess our Rebecca isn't that attractive after all."
Her good mood soured in an instant. Rebecca drew and fired. Pilar jerked aside. Fresh bullet holes stitched the sofa where he had been lying.
"You idiot. Whether I come back is none of your business. I said we're just friends. Are you brain-dead? Do you not understand plain speech?"
For some reason, his needling turned her irritation up. She had a great night with Rocky, but now it feels slightly empty.
Pilar noted she had aimed at flesh, not his chrome. Rebecca's marksmanship was accurate. When they fooled around, she usually shot his cyberware. This time, she was furious.
Dropping the smirk, Pilar finally spoke like a normal person. "Friends? Think you can fool me? Or are you fooling yourself? That's not like you, Rebecca."
"At least for now, we aren't at that point," she said. "We've only known each other a week."
Rebecca safetied the pistol and tossed it onto the weapon crate. She shrugged off her jacket, pulled her legs onto the sofa, sat cross-legged, and chugged a canned drink.
Pilar leaned on the wall with arms crossed, watching her with interest. It was the first time he had seen his little sister like this since childhood. Was the hot-headed loli really falling for someone?
"For a week? So what?" he said. "I used to be faster than that. Dry wood and fire. Why all the circling?"
"So? Where did your so-called talk get you?" Rebecca shot back. "You're so good at it, and now you only mess with VR junk in braindance. And don't think everyone's head is full of the yellow trash you keep. In your eyes, love is only that thing."
Pilar, ready to brag about his past "glory," was left speechless. He coughed and pushed on anyway.
"Tsk. I'm trying to comfort you—no need to be so harsh. But you're right about one thing. I don't want you with someone like me. Still, take my advice and lock him down early.
"There aren't that many gentlemen in Night City. Men and women are the same. Don't take it out on me if he rolls into someone else's bed one day."
"Don't worry about it. I know what I'm doing," Rebecca said after a beat.
She didn't want to admit it, but his last sentence made her heart twitch. Will someone take him away? What would I do then? Rocky and Lucy sitting together flashed through her mind. She shook it off before the image could spread.
"See? You don't know a thing," Pilar said, seeing her calm down. "Only men understand men. Want me to teach you two tricks that make any guy like you and never leave? Be prepared, hehe."
"Get lost." Rebecca beaned him with the empty can and ended his "lesson."
…
On the other side, Rocky returned to the clinic after dropping Rebecca off.
It was late, and he wanted to sleep. But too much had piled up. The Konpeki Plaza job would be dangerous. Before that, he tried to stack as much strength as possible.
For Rocky, money is strength.
He headed to the lab to finish the last steps of the soldier-serum run, aiming to collect a payment before the commission and make more money.
In the workshop, he sorted the ten doses of Advanced Soldier Serum he had just produced, then sent the edited email with the product brief.
[Ascension Technology — New Product Sales Notice]
[Sender: Ascension Technology][Recipient: ***]
[Our company's second powerful formula is now on sale. The first batch has only ten doses—limited quantity, first-come, first-served. Orders placed on Day 1 enjoy an extra 10% discount. For details, see the attached description.]
[Attachment: Advanced Soldier Serum — Product Manual]
[Product Name: Advanced Soldier Serum]
[Description: An enhancement serum developed by Ascension Technology. After injection, it comprehensively raises physical strength, reaction speed, and cognitive capacity. It can bring an untrained person up to top tactical-soldier standards. It also increases the body's tolerance for cyberware and resistance to cyberpsychosis.
[Sample Image]
[Order Price: 20,000 euros per dose]
After hitting send, Rocky exhaled. Next step: wait for replies.
At dawn, the inbox already held order requests. Several clinics decided to buy and clear the limited inventory.
Night City ripperdocs are sharp. If the product description is true, the drug will sell. With the earlier stimulant's reputation, even without a physical sample this time, many clinics chose to take the risk—especially with a first-day 10% discount that saves thousands of euros on even one or two doses.
It was a gamble.
For now, only six clinics have placed orders. Others were still watching. Not everyone treats twenty thousand euros lightly.
Rocky had the result he wanted. The batch was sold out. Anyone else would have to wait for the next run.
Because he needed to move fast, he had no time to find a courier and handled the delivery himself. It went smoothly. Most ripperdocs knew not to pry, and Rocky would not answer if they did.
Back at the clinic, he checked the transfers and smiled. The vault, nearly drained by the formula and raw-material purchases, returned in time. He spent another 40,000 euros to order the next batch of materials—deposit balance: 150,000 euros.