The stars crowd the sky above the crater rim. The Earth hangs blue and bright.
"How do you feel after the moon trip?" Lucy asks.
"Great. Thank you for the braindance," Rocky says. "Honestly, I am already looking forward to stepping on the real moon."
"I am glad you like it. This is the first time I have brought anyone here. I used to think I could be happy on the moon by myself. Now I find it feels even better with someone beside me."
"Then I can keep you company."
She laughs. "Thank you."
They sit at the crater's edge. Rocky studies the horizon; Lucy watches the Earth's curve.
Will you really always keep me company? she thinks, eyes on the planet's glow.
After a while she remembers why they came up here. "By the way, did you not have something to tell me?"
Rocky meets her gaze, quiet for a moment. "Yes. When we were in Konpeki Plaza, the Arasaka hacker went deep while searching for data on you. He said you were once Arasaka property. Only Jackie and I know this. The hacker died before he could upload anything, and I destroyed his head. Arasaka does not know, so you do not need to worry."
He had not wanted to break the calm, but this is the place to be honest. The moonlight makes hard things easier to say.
At the words "Arasaka property," Lucy startles. Hearing that the trail died with the hacker, her shoulders ease. She has never told anyone about that past, not even Maine's team. In Night City, the only person you can trust is yourself. If others knew, would they sell her to Arasaka one day?
Now that Rocky and Jackie know, there is only acceptance. Besides, they rescued her at Konpeki. She has not known them long, yet they feel more reliable than most.
If Rocky meant to sell her out, he would not warn her now. She thinks of earlier tonight: his voice steadying her, the promise he made, and then bringing him into this moon braindance. Somewhere along the line, she already filed Rocky under trustworthy and circled it.
"Well, you know it," she says at last. "Yes. I used to be an Arasaka netrunner. I escaped to Night City."
"You asked me before why I fear Arasaka. This is why. I was trained as a hacker since I was a child. No parents. Only drills. There were many children like me, all tools to Arasaka. When we grew up, they threw us into the Old Net to search for valuable data. The Old Net is full of malicious code and defecting AIs. Every run, someone got hit, died, and stayed there forever. We never knew when it would be our turn, so we resisted. We used the skills Arasaka taught us to kill our handlers and ran.
"I kept running, never stopping, afraid Arasaka would find me and lock me back in that place without sunlight. When I reached Night City, the chaos helped. No one cared about my past, and the pressure of being hunted eased, but the fear did not. Wherever Arasaka covers, it feels like hell to me.
"That is why I yearn for the moon. I have always dreamed of landing there so I can escape Arasaka forever. Maybe it sounds shameful. Maybe it sounds cowardly. It is still my dream."
Her voice lightens as she speaks, like a stone is finally lifted. The secret has sat too long in her chest; saying it out loud feels like release.
"No," Rocky says, shaking his head. "I understand you. This is not your fault. It is Arasaka's. They are too large. Anyone in your position would run. That is not cowardice, and it is not shameful. For ordinary people, Arasaka is a behemoth. Fighting them is the same as suicide.
"My earlier words were too heavy. If they troubled you, I am sorry. Before I came to Night City and after, I have hated these corporations. I look forward to the day I can break their rule and stand at the highest point of this city and this world. That is my dream. But it is mine, not yours. I should not ask you to work for it."
"Is that your dream?" Lucy asks. It is the most unrealistic dream she has ever heard someone state calmly. People talk about becoming a legend, getting into corporate leadership, or making enough to leave the city. No one says they will stand at the top of the world.
"L, you are crazy."
"Maybe," he says. "Even if you think it is unrealistic, I will keep working for it. Whether it is my dream or yours, I will make it real. Believe me, Lucy. I will take you to the moon. I will become stronger than Arasaka, crush Arasaka, and make sure you do not fear them anymore."
He smiles and holds out his hand, as if inviting her to witness what comes next.
Lucy stares, caught by the picture: the light at his back makes it look like he stepped out of the sun to pull her from the dark.
"Why?" she murmurs. He said he should not make others work for his dream, yet he is promising to realize hers.
"Because I am the same as you. I understand you. I want you to live in the sun one day. I want you to be happy every day like you are now. That is my dream too."