Afternoon.
Japantown.
Rocky's warehouse.
Lucy arrives at the agreed time. She authenticates at the door and steps inside. Rocky isn't here yet, but Jackie came early. He clocks the newcomer and walks over.
"Hello, you must be Lucy. I'm Jackie. Don't know if L mentioned me."
"Yes. I'm Lucy."
"Haha, L didn't tell me you're a beauty. Anyway, welcome aboard. Have a seat. L should be here soon."
"No, thank you."
Lucy declines the chair, moves to the wall, and waits quietly.
"Alright. I heard from L that your skills are strong. With you on board, this job should land."
"Do you usually like praising people?"
"Heh, I guess so—loyalty, friendship, kindness, enthusiasm. Good qualities. My mamá taught me that.
But L is a bit different from me. He isn't warm to many things or people. —only the ones close to him, the important ones.
You're the first hacker I've heard him praise. Usually, he wouldn't have much patience for past commissions, most netrunners."
Lucy nods. She had thought L was the type to be warm to everyone. Maybe not. Thinking of last night, they barely knew each other. If Jackie is correct, why did he care that much? Perhaps it is her talent. She will figure it out later.
"How long have you known him?" she asks.
"L and I? Almost two years. First saw him in an old friend's clinic as an apprentice.
My friend said he was hardworking and had learned everything. I thought he had promise. Then one day he found me and said he wanted me to work with me. We've been brothers since."
Jackie stops himself before he spills L's past. "Sorry. Can't say too much. If L doesn't like others knowing, I should respect that."
"I understand," Lucy says.
The rolling door lifts. Both look toward the entrance as a car glides in—classic American design from the 1980s, with a metal body and rear wing that declares performance. The gullwing door opens, and Rocky steps out.
"L, when did you get this? Looks luxe, but the style doesn't look like you," Jackie says, walking up to eye the car.
"Just picked it up. It looks old-fashioned, but it costs real money. Performance will surprise you."
He had planned to buy a car for a while, and this commission gave him the reason.
{ Vehicle Module: Deluxo }
{ Deluxo is a classic vehicle from GTA V. It has strong on-road performance and can switch to flight mode. Speed drops in the air, but maneuverability stays high. Land and air capable, highly modifiable. Can mount machine guns, missiles, and high-strength defensive armor. }
{ Price correction: None }
{ Item module: 30,000 euros per vehicle (default top modification) }
{ Technical expansion: 400,000 euros }
It does not flash like a supercar, but it reads expensive. More important is performance and defense. Guns and missiles hit hard, and flight opens options. For rushing or escaping, terrain stops mattering. That is why he chose it.
An ordinary Deluxo is not enough, though. The stock two-seat layout, armor strength, and weapon power are a bit light for Night City. Fortunately, Deluxo has derivative expansion modules that solve the problem.
He spends 10,000 euros on the Deluxo Four Seat Expansion Module, 20,000 euros on the Deluxo All Round Enhancement Module to boost armor and weapons, and 10,000 euros on the Deluxo Jet Propulsion Acceleration Expansion for mobility—total outlay: 70,000 euros.
"Don't fool me, L. I don't buy it," Jackie says, unconvinced.
"You'll see," Rocky answers, then waves them toward a side room.
He leads Jackie and Lucy into a compartment he built into a small operations room: terminals, a weapons rack, a conference table, just for this kind of thing.
"Let's rerun the basics. First, Lucy needs to book a room on the target floor for me and Jackie using fake identities. Any issue with that step?"
"Let me check."
Lucy nods, grabs a tablet, logs in, and queries Konpeki Plaza's reservation system. Data flickers across her eyes.
"The target is the fortieth floor. Rooms are available for small- and medium-sized enterprise staff. It is a lower-tier package, and there is only one suite option. As long as we pose as SME employees and book that type, we can ensure we are on that floor. Very simple."
She unplugs.
"That's good. Perfect."