Viktor paid James.
The transfer notification flashed briefly on the shard—10,000 eurodollars. For the lives of thirty-two Scavengers, the price felt almost laughable. Still, it was the maximum sincerity Viktor could offer.
His cyberware clinic had only just stabilized. The machines were second-hand, the parts often mismatched, and the income barely covered maintenance and rent. Worse, Viktor had a habit that didn't belong in Night City—he gave credit to the poor. People who came to him desperate and broken often walked out with debt instead of rejection.
To be honest, James was surprised Viktor could even scrape together ten thousand. It probably came from old savings, leftovers from his brutal boxing days—money earned through blood, sweat, and broken ribs.
James didn't complain.
He didn't refuse either.
Because the real reward wasn't the money.
The Scavengers' weapons, cyberware scraps, and firearms alone would fetch a decent price if recycled properly. That, combined with what he had already gained, made this job far more profitable than it looked on the surface.
Without hesitation, James split the money in half.
One part stayed with him.
The other was transferred directly to Lucy.
When there's money, you spend it.
James followed Lucy's requests exactly—real food, not just nutrient paste. Frozen meals, synthetic meat, canned drinks, even a few luxuries that Night City residents usually ignored unless they were celebrating something important.
And tonight was worth celebrating.
It was their first mission together.
Lucy's apartment lights glowed softly, neon bleeding through the blinds. The air smelled faintly of coolant and artificial citrus. She leaned against the counter, cold drink in hand, her lips curved into a rare smile.
"We're partners now, right?"
She raised her can in a casual toast.
"I guess so," James replied, lifting his own drink.
Lucy paused.
Then she pulled her hand back.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"What do you mean, 'I guess so'?"
James exhaled and leaned back.
"I still have something I need to finish first."
Lucy tilted her head. "Finish what?"
"My father died under mysterious circumstances," James said quietly.
"I need to find out why."
The room went silent.
James had never forgotten. No matter how much time passed, no matter how deep Night City tried to bury the truth.
His father was rarely home, always tied to corporate schedules and sealed contracts—but by Night City standards, he was responsible. He protected his family the only way he knew how.
Before, James had no power. No leverage. No system backing him.
So he endured.
But now?
Now it was different.
Lucy didn't answer immediately.
Her eyes trembled slightly.
She knew where James's father came from.
Arasaka.
The name itself poisoned the air.
If it had been any other corporation, Lucy wouldn't have hesitated. But Arasaka wasn't just an enemy—it was a nightmare carved into her childhood.
Unlike most kids in Night City, Lucy hadn't grown up starving or running from gangs.
Her early life had been… comfortable.
Her father was an Arasaka employee, a veteran of the Fourth Corporate War. Her mother belonged to a high-level hacker collective, people who lived half their lives in data streams.
They lived in an Arasaka-built community.
A villa.
A garden.
Security drones humming quietly at night.
It looked like a perfect family.
It stayed that way—until Lucy showed talent.
When she was seven, curiosity got the better of her. She hacked into her father's terminal.
What she saw shattered her world.
Combat logs.
Civilian casualties.
Suppression orders disguised as "security operations."
From that moment, Lucy rebelled.
She escaped into the Net, deeper and deeper, trying to outrun the image of her father's loyalty to the corporation.
But Arasaka never lets assets go to waste.
When the corporation decided to explore the Old Net, they needed expendable "miners."
And Lucy's father—loyal to the end—offered his own daughter.
After Bartmoss released the Roving Virus, the Old Net collapsed. Artificial intelligences went feral, turning into rogue entities that hunted anything human.
NetWatch failed to reclaim it.
So they built the Blackwall.
The internet as people once knew it died that day. Only sealed local networks remained.
Miners like Lucy were sent beyond the Blackwall.
If a rogue AI found you?
Your brain burned out from the inside.
That was why Lucy hated hacker chairs.
The moment she lay down, she could almost smell scorched neural tissue—the ghosts of friends who never came back.
James knew all of this.
That was why he didn't push her.
"Don't worry," he said gently.
"Once I sort it out, I'll come find you."
Lucy looked up sharply.
"Can you really do it without me?"
James blinked. "What?"
"You're not even a hacker," she shot back.
"Without me, you wouldn't even know which direction Arasaka's main gate faces."
Her tone carried sarcasm—but also concern.
James laughed weakly.
"Hey, I've been inside the Arasaka gate, okay?"
Still… she wasn't wrong.
In Night City, nothing moved without a hacker.
Corporations were fortresses of data.
James leaned closer, resting his arms on his knees.
Lucy sighed, then spoke softly.
"I'll help you."
He looked up.
"But I'll charge extra," she added quickly, as if trying to justify herself.
James smirked and leaned closer, invading her personal space.
"Lucy," he said lightly,
"You're being awfully nice to me. Did you fall for me or something?"
Her face flushed instantly.
She froze.
Lucy might look mature—cold, seductive—but emotionally?
She was completely inexperienced.
After escaping Arasaka, she drifted endlessly. City to city. Job to job.
Until James saved her that night.
That was the first time she felt… safe.
James reached out and placed a hand on her head, gently brushing her hair.
"Anyway," he said quietly,
"I think I've fallen for you."
Lucy's heart raced.
Her cybernetic eye flooded with abnormal biological data—numbers she didn't understand.
Slowly, she closed her eyes.
Raised her chin.
James understood the signal.
Their lips met—soft as feathers, sharp as electricity.
In Night City, there are no living legends.
But there is one thing stronger than tomorrow's uncertainty.
Choosing to cherish the present.
Later—
"Lucy," James said.
"Yes?"
"I've always wanted to ask…"
"What?"
"This of yours… it's real, right?"
A sharp impact answered him.
James hit the floor.
"That kick was vicious!" he groaned.
"Do you want your future happiness destroyed?!"
"If it breaks," Lucy replied calmly,
"I'll buy you a new one."
"Nothing beats the original!"
She hooked his leg and pulled him back.
"Practice is the only way to test truth."
James nodded seriously.
"You're right. Thorough testing is necessary."
---
Somewhere else—
The pure white space.
Titan James grabbed Cyber James by the neck and shook him violently.
"You bastard! I'm fighting for my life on an alien planet, and you're over there flirting?!"
"Aren't we the same person?" Cyber James protested.
Titan James was surrounded by danger—IMC patrols, hostile terrain, no supplies. Every day was survival.
No respawns.
No checkpoints.
Meanwhile, Cyber James lived comfortably—synthetic food, warm beds.
The imbalance was infuriating.
Still, their shared memories kept all versions alive.
Finally, Cyber James disconnected.
---
Morning came.
Lucy woke up to an empty bed—and panicked.
Then she saw James in the kitchen.
Relief washed over her.
She hugged him from behind, clinging like a koala.
"Wash your face," James said softly.
"Breakfast is ready."
Later, as they ate, James's thoughts returned to his father.
Arasaka was a wall too high—for now.
So he decided to wait.
Grow stronger.
Because once he stood firm in Night City—
Even Arasaka could bleed.
------------------------------
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