Chapter Text
"David… David! Mijo, you need to get up."
He let out a soft groan as he sat up in his bed, rubbing his eyes gently. "Mama, it's too early. What-" He cut himself off as he looked up at his mother, her EMT jacket pulled tightly around her lithe shoulders as she stood in the dim light streaming in from the window. Her face was much more serious than he usually saw on her as she palmed the handgun she seldom let him see, preferring to keep it locked in a bedside dresser. "I'm sorry, but there's going to be an emergency in-call, and I didn't want it to scare you awake. Go in the bathroom, and don't come out until I tell you, okay?"
It took little to know that she was the furthest thing from joking. Nodding, he jumped to his feet and made his way over, eyeing her worriedly before she hurried him in with a grim look on her face. The medic bag she kept on hand was sitting on the ground, already open, with a basic collapsible stretcher in the center of the room. Closing the door behind him, he barely had time to collect himself before the hiss of the front door heralded the stomping of heavy boots on the floor. "Glo! Fuck, it's bad!"
Pressing his ear against the door, he strained to hear any details possible as his mother hushed the deep male voice hurriedly. "Hush Maine. We can't wake anyone up; the suits will be all over us. Close the door and stay quiet while I work." They did so, and he could barely hear his mother whisper. "Oh Sasha, Quierda, what were you thinking…"
The voices quietened then, and he could hear the hum of her clunky cybertools as she worked. He was desperate to learn what was going on. What did she mean the suits would be after them? Was this because of Arasaka, what would happen to his scholarship? Did he have to go back to that viper pit? Questions raced around his mind for the longest time, but eventually, he sighed and walked over to the toilet, sitting on its closed lid as he closed his eyes, too wired to even think about catching up on some of his shuteye.
As such, he didn't register as another voice spoke up, her voice quiet. "I'm going to clean up." His mother was slow to respond, but she eventually called out as quiet steps approached the bathroom door. "Ey, ey, Keira, don't-" It was too late; the bathroom door slid open, and David stared up at a woman that looked out of place in any of his worlds. She wore a straight maroon trench coat, her mouth and jaw replaced by a cyber prosthesis that left her looking distinctly inhuman if her cold eyes didn't do that for her. Stalling, David noticed her hands, covered in dark crimson blood that seemed crusted on, his breath stolen from his throat as he stood up. "U-Um… A-All yours."
For what it was worth, her eyes creased at the edges in what remained of her smile as she nodded gratefully, walking over to the sink and scrubbing her digits clean. Stepping out nervously, he found a scene he'd never expected to see in his apartment. A massive man, with dark skin where his chrome hadn't reached, a woman just a head shorter than the colossus with short blond hair and muscles that could pop his head like a grape, and finally, his mother kneeling over a girl who looked maybe a year older than him, monitoring her vitals with blood leaking down from the stretcher onto the linoleum that made up their flooring. She didn't seem pleased, at least not with him as she glared up at the two. "Is it just me, or does your crew not listen to any commands, Maine?"
The man, Maine, chuckled nervously as he scratched at the point that linked his torso to what looked like gorilla arms, his eyes flitting between her and David. "Heh, afraid it's universal. David, right? Sorry to barge in dawg, had an emergency, and Glo's an old friend."
Well, the situation looked like an emergency at least, and judging from the fact his mother's handgun remained at her hip, she hadn't felt the need to threaten them yet. Bowing his head, he responded politely, his nascent training in 'Asset Management' coming into play. "It's no bother; it's nice to meet you, Maine." Turning back to his mother, he asked curiously. "Is everything alright? I-I guess you wanted me out of the way, but…"
She sighed in annoyance, tilting her head back towards the mop in the corner. "It's fine, Nino, should've known you'd find out eventually. Get the mop. This meathead can introduce himself and his crew." Walking over, he prepared the mop bucket with a squirt of generic sanitizer and a few litres of hot water and got to work cleaning up the blood on the floor. Maine, for his part, walked over to the couch with his friend and took a heaving seat, looking almost comically big compared to it. "Well, this here's Dorio, my second in command. In the bathroom's my netrunning ninja Kiwi. Word of advice, don't call her anything else. On the ground's Sasha, our… newest recruit, Solo."
Solo? That meant they were… His mopping ceased for a second as he gulped, staring at the girl's prone form. "You're Edgerunners?" Oh God, this was a wake-up call and a half. Fuck, he'd spent years fantasizing about becoming a street samurai, taking his life into his own hands and getting strong enough to make those corpo brats in school beg for forgiveness. The power he craved from the XBD's Doc had him hawk for a few extra eddies seemed so much worse when he stared down at what happened when things went wrong. His mother scoffed as she looked up at him, with a meaningful lilt in her voice. "You see why I didn't want you to see them? A boy deserves to dream a little longer. David, this is what happens when a job goes wrong. Your friends waiting to hear if you're going to make it, and a whole host of people looking to finish you."
He hadn't signed up for this amount of sobering reality in the morning, but now, he just had to take it. Kneeling down next to her, he looked her up and down, his brain going back to what it did best, or at least, what his grades said it did best. "She's cold; her cyberware's too damaged, she'll start seizing."
Gloria looked up at him with a hint of surprise before nodding, a smile stretching across her face. "You're right, I hadn't even thought. Can you…?"
He walked over to his bed, grabbed the comforter, the only blanket-esque thing in the house, and brought it over, allowing his mother to reposition her slightly until she was wrapped in the residual heat. Dorio gave Maine a knowing grin before looking over, calling out. "You planning on being an EMT too, David? Looks like you've got a knack for it."
His mother snorted as she answered for him. "No, my David is meant for bigger things. Corporate Ripperdoc, my boy can recite your nerve clusters and rewire them until you're flexing your thumb when you should be sneezing. Besides, he gives the most amazing massages."
He blushed at the praise as Maine snorted in laughter, watching as Kiwi walked out of the bathroom, towelling her arm off. "That so, huh? Gonna be a big-time neuro-ripper? Keep the corpos from collapsing from stress, or you gonna be outfitting 'Saka ninjas with two-foot cocks and machine-gun tits?"
Glaring up at him, he took a deep breath as he looked back down at Sasha. She looked so… peaceful. It made him wonder if she had meant to become an Edgerunner, she was cute enough to be a model, hell, maybe she could've been the latest Kitsch pin-up, but that was a question for an awake Sasha if he ever got to meet her. "Neither. I just want to give Mama a good retirement and maybe have a clinic to myself. Doesn't need to be corporate, doesn't need to be fancy, just… mine."
It was always a sticking point between him and his mother. She seemed to abhor any future for him that didn't involve a company holiday party and a cushy Trauma Team Gold package, even if it meant he'd have every bathroom break monitored and lose any privacy he'd have for the rest of his life. The academy already had him in the councillor's office twice a month for hanging around Doc's clinic, learning the quick and dirty way of Ripping, and supplementing that with the 'by-the-books' way. Hell, if he had the equipment, he was confident enough in his abilities to slot someone with an upgrade, and he was on his way to learning how to no-'ganic someone from the neck down. Not bad for seventeen, but they didn't give him that scholarship for nothing.
Kiwi sat down with the rest of her crew, casting an eye over David and Gloria as she cut through the conversation with icy focus. "We're going to have to lie low for a few weeks. Biotechnica will look all over for her profile, and they'll know we're in her circle by now. Once her reveal starts hitting their bottom line, they'll be too focused on getting their house in order to look for us. What's the plan Maine?"
He hummed, his head tilting back. "Shiiit… Dor and I can bunk up at my place; you've gotta take care of your own and, no offence Kiwi, you're not exactly the best at bedside manner." As if sensing the upcoming question, Gloria stood up and put her foot down quite literally. "No, absolutely not! I'll help when I can Maine, but I'm not putting a known criminal in our home and-!" "Mom! Calm down now."
She blinked, turning back to see David putting his hand on Sasha's shoulder as she started moving erratically in her sheets, her face curling in pain. Her voice died in her throat as Maine grinned knowingly, waving his arm towards the two teenagers with a smile. "C'mon Glo, gonna deny your kid his first patient? Dawg, you good to take care of her while your mom's outta the house?"
David barely looked up at his mother as he turned his head back down, letting his hand fall from her head as she calmed down. He knew it wasn't his house, he knew this was stupid and dangerous, but… "I… I'd be happy to, Mama, I promise, this won't affect my grades. And she needs a safe place to rest and rehabilitate. I know I've not taken the Oath, but I'm not about to-" "Oh fine."
He blinked as she offered him a soft smile, pulling her jacket close around her. "You don't ask for much, Mijo, and I give you enough bother about where you'll end up. If you want to take care of a pretty girl for a couple of weeks, then I can live with that."
Maine chuckled as Dorio rested her head against his chest, a knowing smile on her face as she gave her friend's a quick holo-message. "Oh, that girl's in for a treat when she wakes up and finds him fussing over her, huh?"
Kiwi just seemed resigned as her boss slapped his thighs. "Sounds good. Dawg, you're a lifesaver… Heh. Y'know what, Uncle Maine's not gonna letchu go without your own compensation, you get me? Kid like you, you probably need your own rip-gear right? Might know a guy, goes by Vektor up in Watson. My people and I use him, does good work. I'll put in a good word, see if you can't see about an apprenticeship, huh?"
Gloria, honestly, didn't seem too upset about the offer as she raised her eyebrow. "Better than that mystery ripper you shadow… Do it, Maine. And I'll be expecting a little compensation myself if that's how you're playing this." He snorted with laughter, his eyes lighting up for a second before Gloria blinked in surprise. "Ten bands now, another five when she's walking, and Davy here's in Vik's." There seemed to be a silent conversation between them before Gloria sighed, nodding nervously. "Thanks, Maine, everyone… David, baby, she might need to use your bed for a while. We'll go and get you a futon, I promise. But for now, you three, out. I need to get ready for work, and you need to get your things in order for your lay-low."
They seemed to take that in all seriousness as they stood up and started funnelling out of the apartment. The last to leave, Kiwi, turned back to David and fixed him with a long, discerning stare. He gulped, wondering what was wrong before he suddenly felt a glitch in his system, and suddenly, he had a new friend that he hadn't accepted, and a holo-call began that he hadn't picked up. "Sorry, kid, welcome to our world. Let me know how Sasha's doing, daily check-ins, and don't you dare think about copping a feel while she's under."
His cheeks lit up in a blush as he responded indignantly. "W-who do you think I am!? I-I'll take good care of her, n-no groping!"
She seemed to smirk through her prosthesis as she left, continuing the call even as she walked away. "She's precious to us, and you have no idea what she's gone through. Hurt her, and I make sure you never rip in this city. Understood?"
"C-Crystal clear, she's in good hands, on my mother's honour as a medic."
"Hmm… You're a good kid. See you around; don't let our world swallow you up."
The call disconnected, and David sighed as he helped his mother lift Sasha up and onto the bed without hurting her spine more than it already was. In any other city in the world, they'd need a full medical facility, but in Night City you could make most anything work if you had the equipment in the room. Tucking her in, he stepped back, sighing as he looked down at her sleeping form, now looking much healthier, as his mother came up behind him and hugged him around the shoulders.
She kept him wrapped up for a few minutes longer before whispering sadly. "It's… I'm so sorry , I-I don't think this was good for you, but… You should know something about me, why I know them all." Humming curiously, David turned around, sitting on the bed as she sat next to him. "It started when I learned you were as smart as you were. I knew you deserved more, so much more, and I thought the best way to give you that was Arasaka Academy. I saved, skimped, as much as I could, but on my salary it'd never be enough, even with the academic scholarship, so… I-I looked to the people I was carrying away in the hearses."
Oh he hated where this was going. Steeling himself for what was about to come, he nodded for her to continue, even as the haunted look in her eye shook him to the core. "I… made a stop on a solo run and used what I had to rip a pair of gorilla arms from this Maelstromer they'd found in the gutter. Nobody even noticed, nobody cared, and I ended up selling them to a mere who used to live in the building. With the money… I just couldn't get over how much more it was. I was making twice my monthly salary off that sale alone. So I kept it up, and before I knew it, I had enough for your four years at Arasaka. But… Now, it's time for you to make a choice."
He blinked, tilting his head as she continued, a sad look in her eyes. "I know you're struggling there. Not with the coursework, but people like us, we're never going to belong in the corporate world. You might get the training, the manners, but someday, they're going to view you as just another first-generation Arasaka corpo, and if you have kids, they'll just get the same. Maybe a few generations down the road, Martinez will be the name of the best rippers in Arasaka, but I… I just want you to be happy, Mijo, and I think you're old enough to tell me what will actually make you happy. So, what will it be?"
His voice caught in his throat as he looked over at her. She seemed defeated, resigned, but resolute in giving him the choice. She hadn't said the alternative, but even now, it was obvious what it was. Serve people like Sasha, Maine, Dorio and Kiwi, mercenaries, edgerunners. Not living his life on the edge, but being their support, getting his hands on whatever he could and offering it to them without questions. Hearing amazing stories, bringing people back from the brink of death, and getting his own privacy, his own clinic… "I'll meet Vektor, and see if he'll take me on as an apprentice. M-Mom, I'm sorry, but I just can't go corporate. But I promise, ten years down the line, we'll be looking back and thinking this was the right choice. I'm no edgerunner, but running a clinic my way as an independent ripper? Now that's more like it."
She didn't respond, apart from to lean over and wrap her arm around his shoulder and smile sadly, planting her face in his shoulder and taking a deep breath, as if getting ready to yell in defiance of the future. "Then tomorrow, we pull you out of Arasaka Academy, and I turn the rest of your tuition into the future. Let's do this, D, and… Thank you for letting me live a mother's dream for these years. Here's to more of them."
Being a dropout suited him.
Arasaka Academy had only been too happy to let him go, even if his grades were some of the best in the class. He'd watched as his mom made the call in their home, busying himself with washing the grime out of Sasha's hair as she slept off her injuries. The principal was quiet, almost sad in his tone as he confirmed that the one hundred and fifty thousand eurodollar balance would be returned to them. The weirdest thing had been how he'd wished David the best in his future. He'd only ever heard contempt from the man, but he supposed nobody was as they seemed, even if they were a stuffed suit.
The stress had drained out of his mother's shoulders after the call was over, and David could only feel happy as she gave him a nod. By the end of the day, he signed up for the Cybernetic Implant and Maintenance Qualification test at the end of the month. He'd pass it easily, especially now that he could focus with the material he had saved from Arasaka Academy's library. Weirdly, there wasn't a practical portion to the test, but he supposed it was difficult to regulate when as many models of ripper equipment existed as there were applicants.
And that's how he spent the two days after his world changed around him. Tending to Sasha, polishing up his knowledge, and getting to know a little more about the kinds of cyberware that Maine and his crew were using. It was much more exciting than the usual stress regulators and neural processors he was used to, and took the edge off from not diving into those XBDs Doc had hooked him on. He'd sent messages to Kiwi, but the woman was as icy through them as she was in person, only reacting to his updates on Sasha with dispassionate thumbs-ups. That was right until he got a call from her, his eyes scrolling over the theory behind 'cyberware affinity' as he sat on a chair next to his patient. "Hey-Hey. Can I help?"
"Maine wanted me to call. How's Sasha?"
He looked over at her form. Truth be told, he was expecting her to make a recovery, but that was only when she woke up, and it was getting into the territory of being concerning. "She's physically responsive. I've done what reflex tests I can, and she's got movement in all of her limbs, and she's mumbling in her sleep. I'll give it until tomorrow before we consider trying to force her awake for a bit, get some food in her."
Kiwi was silent for a moment before she responded, gentler this time. "I'm glad. Thank you for taking care of her. I'll let Maine know. He also had a message for you, 'Go to Misty's Esoterica and ask for a reading.' He wanted it to be a surprise, but you're getting your interview with Vektor. Don't fuck it up, let me know how it goes."
With that, she cut the call, and David sighed as he smiled, shaking his head. Let it never be said she wasn't to the point. Giving a check to his patient, he got dressed, and checked the path to the address. It was a legit business, small, new-age shop. He guessed that, being an independent ripper, Vektor had a front to weed out those he didn't want to find him. It would be a pretty quick NCART ride, and with the few thousand his mother had wired him from his tuition and the metro station at the bottom of his mega-building, manageable. Hopping on, he took a seat on the flaking faux leather and turned his attention back to his study material; the city flying by around him.
By the time he was at his stop, it was solidly midday, the Californian sun burning in the sky as he joined the rat-race. The walk itself didn't seem too dangerous, with plenty of well-patrolled pedestrian footpaths and crosswalks, and only a brief turnoff into an alleyway. Averting his eyes from the skin shop just opposite, he turned into the shop he'd travelled to, the old-school bell attached to the door chiming to signal his arrival. Inside, it was a riot of colour, with a deep scent of incense that calmed his nerves as easily. At the desk, a woman in a blue knitted sweater offered him a smile. "Welcome. What can I do for you?"
He walked over, offering her a nervous smile. "David Martinez, I'm here for a reading?"
She blinked, only to give him a knowing smile. "Oh, Maine's right? That man, he needs to take a break; his energy is souring by the day… I'm Misty, nice to meet you. " She pulled out a deck of old-school cards, turning them over in her hands expertly. "I know it was a code, but may I take your reading? It won't take two minutes, promise."
Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Besides, if he got this apprenticeship, he'd be seeing a lot more of her. "Sure, why not? What do I need to do?"
Misty finished shuffling before setting the cards down, sliding them over to him with a mysterious smile. "Draw your past, present, and future. Set them down and flip them over. I'll tell you what they mean, okay?" Slowly, he slid the three cards over to him with practiced precision that only came from being trained in tea ceremony. Flipping the first over, he saw a figure he couldn't even place to a concept. "The Hierophant. You've lived your life according to tradition, expectations. But I guess that's not what you wanted; that's why you're here after all…"
This was getting spooky. He turned the next card, a little shakier than he might've been before. Misty's eyes widened as she continued, leaning down and resting her chin in the heel of her hand. "The Magician. You're creating, you're inspired… and now, the future."
With more trepidation than anything, he turned the next card, and he blinked as he realized that he'd accidentally picked up two cards and put them in the 'future' spot. "O-Oh, sorry, should I…?" Misty shook her head, a kindness in her eyes. "Everything happens for a reason, David. Let's see them."
Turning the two over, Misty gasped, and he wondered if it was bad before she clapped her hands, giving him a bright smile. "The Lovers, and the Chariot. You're going to be a force to be reckoned with, and you'll be doing it with new friends, new connections. Thank you, it's rare I get a reading this hopeful in Night City. The doctor will see you now. Don't be a stranger, okay?"
He nodded, too spooked by the entire experience to really say his farewell as he went out the back of the store, finding himself walking down a set of stairs into a dingy basement. The fact that this was a Ripper Clinic might've thrown him if he hadn't seen the state of the building Doc was in. The metal grate slid open, and he looked over at the doctor himself as he worked on a patient in his chair, tuning the responsiveness of a pair of Zetatech Arms, niche, but stylish, on a teal-skinned woman. "Excuse me, I'm busy with-" The doctor turned around, only to smile as he saw who was standing at his door. "Ah, David, right? Come here; let's get down to business."
David did as he was told, keeping a safe distance as the patient gave him a cheeky smirk. Vektor moved the monitor over to him, and he took the chance to take in the details. This was… Oh god it was all wrong. "Rebecca here hasn't felt anything in her fingers since yesterday. Can you tell me why?" David turned to him, his eyebrow raised. "Apart from the fact they're not installed remotely correctly, and still have the biometrics from their last owners? Ma'am, when did you have these installed?"
She hummed, thinking for a second. "Well, probably… five years ago? Got a good deal on them."
He had to swallow the choice words he wanted to say about the quality of the deal as he turned back to Vektor. "She needs a full firmware update, re-tune, and her interface needs de-laced. I'm guessing you've had a bad shoulder too?" Her nod confirmed it, and David sighed at the thought of the workload. Vektor just watched him work with a thoughtful look, staying in the shadows as David sat down next to her, addressing her with an apologetic smile. "Doctor Vektor will need to take them off for a bit and rewire your sockets. Meanwhile, I'll be scrubbing them clean, giving your joints a tune-up and tightening, and re-code them to your profile. It might take an hour."
Rebecca opened her mouth to respond before Vektor chimed in. "Actually, it'll just be him doing the work. I'll be observing to make sure he's being safe, but if you agree, I can give this one to you for free, Becca." She seemed a lot more excited at that as she sat up in the chair, giving him a cheeky smile as she responded. "Letting some handsome fresh meat poke around in my guts, and I get it for free? Sign me the fuck up Doc. Don't be afraid to give my tits a tune-up too Hot Stuff, I like 'em sensitive~"
David coughed into his hand, hiding his blush as he turned back to Vektor with a concerned frown. "Doctor, I've not received my CIMQ licence yet, and I haven't gotten used to your equipment… Are you sure?" Vektor nodded, giving him a calming smile. "I am. If you're going to make a mistake, I'll step in, but something tells me you're gonna be fine. Besides, you're going to be doing a lot more work on Becca here if you pull this off. She's part of Maine's crew after all. This kid's the one looking after Sasha."
She gasped in excitement before pouting. "Luckyyy! I gotta throw myself out a building too… Okay, David, right? Make me sparkle, baby!"
With a nervous nod, he took a deep breath. His first surgery, nothing terrible, he wasn't poking at internal organs. He can do this; he will do this, today, and every day from now on.
"You're going to feel a slight pinch."