[TN: Sorry for to post this yesterday]
"Mom, why do you have to get involved with that corporate dog—I mean, corporate employee?" David said, clearly annoyed. "Did you forget how we were left to die on the highway by Trauma Team?"
Technically, David's first encounter with Leo was on the freeway.
That day, he had just finished his school break. Gloria had made an exception and picked him up by car, chatting with him on the way about his plans for the new term—how much things might cost, and how they'd cover it.
Then, the Valentinos clashed with the 6th Street Gang. Their little beat-up G240 was caught in the crossfire and blown up.
If Archido from the Valentinos hadn't pulled Gloria out of the wreck, she probably would've burned to death in the car.
David owed that to Archido's gun—and to Big Boss Burger King's help at the hospital.
If even one of those things hadn't happened… he might not have a mom anymore.
Thinking about it now, the fact that he hadn't paid Leo a cent, and even earned a commission off him…
He felt unbelievably ungrateful.
David suddenly felt ashamed of himself.
Gloria, without even turning her head, lectured him:
"Good relations with neighbors matter. Besides, this guy works for Trauma Team. Sure, Trauma Team wouldn't save people like us. But if someone on the rescue crew knew us—maybe they'd give us a hand. If one of them had been our friend back then, maybe they would've pulled us out. It doesn't take that much effort."
David pouted. It was like all old folks believed you could still build relationships in a world where everything ran on money.
But in the end, wasn't it still about money?
Just then, two Trauma Team operatives walked past them and stopped right in front of Kanek's apartment, knocking loudly.
David quickly pulled Gloria back. Their steps slowed to a stop.
Bang bang.
A man banged on the door, shouting:
"Kanek! I know you're in there! You've been holed up in there for a damn week!"
"Hey," a woman's voice cut in. "What are you doing?"
Judging by the voices, one was male and the other female.
The man was loud and sounded pissed.
Reminded by his partner, he clicked his tongue and softened his tone:
"I'm sorry for what happened. The company is sorry too.
Could you say something? I mean, if your mental state is unstable…"
David was surprised: these corp dogs actually sounded kind of… human?
But the next second, the man added:
"If that's the case, then the company has to terminate your contract. Damn, can't we just do this remotely?"
"Shh! The company needs to evaluate his condition, not have you make it worse!"
The woman pulled out a tablet and, in a gentler tone, began delivering the official script:
"You're not the first. Every year, 3–11% of our employees experience something similar.
With the company's help, most of them quickly return to a normal life. You should accept treatment proactively."
"Tch. What's the big deal? Somebody died, and now he's falling apart? Pathetic."
The man crossed his arms and stepped back two paces—just enough to notice David and Gloria standing nearby.
He glared and snarled, "What are you looking at, punk?"
David forced a smile to mask his anger. "Something happened? I live upstairs."
"Then go back up. Stay outta other people's business."
"Diez, cool it! He's a neighbor!" the woman barked.
After failing to get a response from the door, she turned to David and said, "Don't mind him. Our colleague's going through a rough time."
Diez looked like he wanted to say more, but his partner—Petro—sent him a message:
Petro: "Kanek Roswald might be resistant to us due to trauma. We could try having his neighbor make contact."
David kept a straight face, but he could already tell—his mom was itching to speak up.
To keep control of the situation, he stepped forward and cut her off:
"What happened exactly?"
Petro spoke with a heavy tone:
"His best friend—maybe even someone he saw as a future wife—died during a mission. He's completely broken down. We're worried he might do something drastic."
Diez scoffed.
"Oh, come on. The way that guy struts around on rescue missions, you think he's the type to break down? He acts like he's out collecting lottery winnings, not saving lives."
Petro shot him a glare, then turned back to David:
"Could you talk to him? He might not want to see anyone from the company."
David sighed and glanced at his mom, then at the door of apartment 0613.
Honestly, his mom had a point. In Night City, you really do need connections in all directions.
But… was this really his problem?
David replayed everything the Trauma Team duo had said and done after arriving. Finally, he raised his head:
"I think you were right."
"Huh? About what? That he doesn't want to see company people?"
"No, the part you said first: mind your own business. This is your job. I don't really see a reason to get involved. But… if there's a budget for it, I might reconsider."
Petro blinked in surprise, giving David a second, closer look—
And her specialized cyber-eye finally picked up something:
David's hand was in his pocket, but the bulge in the pocket wasn't natural.
[TN: Is that a monster in your pocket or are you happy to see me?]
That wasn't just idle hand placement.
She immediately shifted into professional mode, her voice cool and composed:
"Mercenary? If you can get Kanek to respond, I can offer a bit of compensation."
"Alright."
David gave Gloria a gentle nudge, signaling for her to stay put. Then he sent a message to Lucy.
[David: "Lucy? You there? Got a quick gig. H4 Megatower, unit 0613. Trauma Team wants someone inside to respond."]
[David: "Can you check what's going on in there?"]
[Lucy: "Find me an access point, I'll take a look."]
David headed to the other side of the hall, where there was a port that could tap into this floor's building systems.
Once Lucy jacked in, they quickly had their answer.
[Lucy: "No good. Cameras are all off—might be broken. But I can open the door if you want."]
David looked up and signaled Petro—he could unlock the door.
Not the ideal outcome, but Petro made a quick judgment call and nodded.
Through David's enhanced optics, a holographic HUD projected a progress bar over unit 0613's door. As it filled, the red "locked" indicator switched to green—
Click.
The door creaked open. The lighting was dim and flickering.
David stepped aside, gesturing for them to go in, and that it was time to settle up.
Transaction received: +500 eddies
Gloria watched the whole thing in stunned silence. She stood there holding a bag of cheap stress-relief meds, unsure if she should go in or head out.
"Mom, let's go. They're on official duty. Corp dogs don't do favors on company time."
"But… but he's our neighbor. I want to know if he's okay…"
Gloria looked toward the open door. Petro and Diez exchanged glances, then cautiously stepped inside.
But at the very moment they crossed the threshold, David's enhanced auditory implant picked something up through the background noise—people, music, wind.
A faint buzzing—incredibly subtle, but so out of place in that messy soundscape.
The implant immediately analyzed the waveform—
It was likely a sensor device activating, some kind of electronic oscillator humming in a circuit.
This sound also appeared… when an infrared-triggered landmine was activated.
David's Sandevistan kicked in automatically, slicing down his reaction time.
Petro hadn't even planted her foot on the ground yet—
BOOM!
Fire erupted and swallowed the entrance of unit 0613 in a flash!
Flames danced in the eyes of someone watching from the shadows.
"Two targets. One fatality."