"This is my dream too."
Rocky speaks without decoration, truth only. He tells Lucy what he wants with no disguise and no lies. He wants her to stop being afraid, to smile every day, to stop living in her private hell. He wants to build her a place that feels like sunlight. She smiles, and this time it reaches her eyes. She catches his hand and pulls herself to him. The braindance headset lifts away, the lunar horizon falls out of view, and her answer finds his mouth before words can.
She has shown him everything about her past, fear, and dreams. No one has ever told her to be happy or live in the sun daily. If he says it, then let him be that sun. Rocky's heart slams hard in his chest. He lets the thoughts drop for once and holds on as the moment unfolds.
…
A buzz cut in.
Rocky sits up, still a little lightheaded, and taps the call."Yo, hermano, did I crash your sweet dream? Sounds like you slept great," Jackie says. "I'm at the clinic. Drove your car back. You free? I'll transfer the reward."
"Wait there, Jackie. I'll be right down."
He glances at the time, almost noon.
"How's Lucy? Is she okay?"
Rocky looks over. Lucy is awake, leaning against the headboard with a cigarette. They meet eyes, and last night flickers back between them. She smiles.
"Lucy's "
Her optics flick; she jumps onto the call. "Thanks for the concern, Jackie. I'm fine. Nothing happened."
Outside the clinic, Jackie's eyes go wide at the voice in his ear. "Lucy, how'd you hop in here? Are you with L right now?"
"Jackie, she's right next to me," Rocky cuts in before Jackie launches a bit. "We'll be there in a minute."
Jackie takes the hint and leans into the joke anyway. "No rush. It's lunchtime. I'll grab a bite. You two play. We can talk tomorrow. Take your time. Don't worry about me."
"Stay put. We're coming straight over."
Rocky kills the call, takes the toiletries Lucy hands him, and cleans up fast, ignoring the "like" ping Jackie just sent. They dress and head downstairs together.
Jackie splits the commission, drops the car keycard into Rocky's palm, and bounces before he becomes a third wheel.
With the clinic quiet again, Rocky nods to Lucy. "Come on. I want to show you something."
Last night she gave him a secret. Today is his turn.
He leads her into the back studio. Benches. Glassware. Racks of labeled vials. It looks ordinary if you are not looking closely.
"This is my real base," Rocky says.
Lucy studies the space, not yet seeing what makes it different. She waits for the rest.
Rocky opens a cabinet and lifts a green vial to the light. "You know this?"
"Some stimulant? I've seen Maine's people use it."
"Right. A speed booster. I call it a Power Stimulant. I made it here. Not just this, I've also made a strong enhancement serum. These are what I have now, but I'm not stopping. Next come better weapons, chrome, and tech no one else has. Piece by piece, I'll build it and release it."
He meets her eyes. "That's why I dare to say I'll fight Arasaka and the corps. I have the tech to change this world. I need time to grow it. They're too strong to punch head-on. One person's strength is limited. So I'll outbuild them until I'm stronger."
Lucy gets it. The plan is a company his company scaled until it can face any other. She wants it to be true so badly she can taste it: Arasaka underfoot, maybe gone. But that road is long, and she fears more the day Rocky dies trying.
"L, promise me one thing," she says. "Live. No matter what."
Warmth moves through his chest. "I will keep myself safe. For me. For you. So… Lucy, will you join me and make a future that belongs to us?"
"Of course," she says, smiling. "Then this is my dream too."