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"Saul..."
I nodded to my second-in-command, who was mostly running the clan. The fact that I was formally in charge had greatly increased the trust people had in him. As a result, Regina had started giving the Aldecaldos extra jobs. It's not like she was heavily into smuggling, but she had very significant needs, as any fixer does. So the smuggling gigs were steady, and if you factor in Dakota Smith, who had been providing all the clan's jobs before...
In short, the clan was pulling itself out of the gutter.
"David..."
He nodded at me and raised an eyebrow questioningly.
"...I see you're all put back together?"
"Yep. Alright, so here's the deal. My girls are working on the shards right now. Regina got some corpo training programs, programs for a very high level of training, and I'm hoping they can crack and copy them. So think about who in the clan needs a skills upgrade first."
"Uh..."
"It won't be for free, of course, since the shards were crazy expensive, but I'm not going to gouge anyone, either. A portion of their income after the upgrade will go not only to the clan's coffers but also to me and the girls. I'll provide a contract as soon as the girls crack everything."
"Got it..."
"Next, I have a feeling that life in Night City is about to get VERY interesting, so get ready to move the camp even farther from the city. I think we have about another week to get this done. In that time, we need to get the reactors working to provide us with electricity and also get the drills ready to dig for water. Those are the main tasks right now. Use the clan's funds to buy rebar and tarps, which we'll set up in the desert as big tents where we can continue working on the tech. And, of course, organize the transport of the tech to the new camp."
"Did something happen?"
"Yeah... some gonk-asshole is stirring up trouble..."
"Huh?"
"Dex... he needs a big job, and considering how much Arasaka is in the media right now, I have a faint suspicion that the job will be aimed right at them. He's been messing around for a while, but right now, I have this feeling that a huge shitstorm is coming. A global one."
"Well, he's not a psycho..."
"He's worse... he's a fixer who's convinced of his own genius. So we need to retreat farther toward the border so we don't get tied into anything. I know how corps work; they'll first order a MaxTac sweep, then they'll scratch their heads and, with a shrug, say, 'Well, we made a mistake, it happens.' So the clan needs to be as far from the city as possible right now."
"Hmm... alright..."
"What about the jobs?"
"Right now, three crews are on gigs. Two jobs from Dakota, two from Regina."
I nodded.
"Good, then get started on the plan..."
"Yeah..."
I left Saul's tent and headed to the place where the girls and I lived. They had set up some comfortable runner chairs there and were lying in them, connecting the cooling systems to their occipital ports.
"How are they doing?"
Becca was sitting next to them, thoughtfully looking at some data on a tablet.
"They're working... before they got into it, they asked me to make something sweet..."
I scratched my cheek thoughtfully.
"Cake?"
"That'll work..."
She gave me a look full of anticipation.
I nodded and went to the small outdoor kitchen, where I started prepping the ingredients for the cake. The girls definitely deserved a reward for their hard work... and even if Panam and Becca weren't as busy, it would just be nice to surprise them.
I got so into the process of making not just one, but several cakes, that I didn't notice Panam and Becca had settled into some small folding lounge chairs next to the kitchen.
"So you really talked our David into making a cake?"
"Well... I just said that our runners would be happy if they were greeted with something tasty after they finished their work..."
I looked up at the girls, who weren't embarrassed that I could hear everything.
"I can be a tyrant, you know... and, say, put two sneaky chatterboxes on a diet..."
Panam's mouth opened, then snapped shut. Becca just stared at me in shock, her eyes full of disbelief that I could be so cruel to her.
"And don't look at me like that, it won't work."
"Well, I'm sorry..."
I raised a questioning eyebrow.
"...I didn't mean to take advantage of your responsible attitude toward our crew; I just really wanted a cake..."
I kept cooking, but I looked at Becca intently and sighed. Ugh, how could I stay mad at her? She was just too cute...
"Alright, fine..."
"You're not mad?"
"No... it's impossible to be mad at you... it's impossible to be mad at any of you... sometimes I regret that I decided to put together a team of girls..."
"Now that's something new..."
I glanced at Panam, who had sat up in her lounge chair.
"Don't get me wrong, I'm not against you or the other girls, but think about it, if I had guys in my crew, would I go out of my way to make them food? Snacks? Take them out for barbecues?"
"Well, I guess not..."
"Exactly... and I wouldn't keep them so far away from the fighting, either..."
I sighed.
"So we're always in reserve because we're girls?"
Becca sat up and looked at me indignantly.
"That's part of it..."
"Daaaavid..."
"What, David? Well, that's how I was raised; you have to protect girls, even if they're strong and independent like you. You have to nurture and cherish them... And I'm doing that as best as I can..."
"It feels a bit too much... I'd rather participate in combat ops."
Becca looked at me intently.
"Well..."
"Yeah?"
"There's an option..."
"What is it?"
"You can take training shards on infiltration and general subversive work. Then I'll take you with me, but Panam will have to take not only sniper training but also just general weapons training so she can provide good cover for our runners."
"Well, I'm not against it; it's more fun than just being a driver..."
Panam shrugged.
"But that's boring!"
"Becca, that's why I don't want to give you a chance... 'Boring,' she says... but you like getting paid, right?"
"Well..."
"And you can't get that kind of money without 'boring' work. At least not consistently and without unnecessary risk."
"I get it! Fine, I'll take the training!"
I gave her a stern look.
"Becca, you understand that if you decide in the middle of a mission that you're bored..."
"Am I that stupid?!"
She looked at me angrily and even jumped out of her lounge chair. I just shook my head.
"You're just easily distracted..."
"Well... maybe a little..."
She calmed down right away and, with a shrug, sat back down on the lounge chair. But this time, she sat up straight and pulled her legs to her chest.
"...but I... I'm not a total idiot. I know when I can goof around and get distracted, and when I can't..."
"If you didn't know, you wouldn't be with us after the first mission."
"So..."
"After you finish your training, we'll do a couple more tech gigs. If it all works out, we'll sell the hacked shards through Regina, and buy you a Sandevistan..."
"Huh?"
"It's a very useful piece of tech. You'll just have to switch from firearms to knives. Although lately, I've been thinking about getting two tonfas, preferably with energy blades."
"Hmm... give up firearms?"
"At those speeds, they're just a liability. I mean, at minimal speeds, you'll just have to take a short break before continuing, but at really high speeds, firearms are more of a hindrance."
"Ahem..."
"Yeah, yeah, I know, you're a firearms maniac. But with the way our crew works, we'll have to rely on close-quarters combat weapons."
"Hmm..."
Becca frowned.
"Alright, I'll try..."
"You know, something's bothering me..."
"Hmm?"
Becca looked at Panam.
"Didn't you notice? It really bothered me that he said we'd get a profit and then he'd buy you a Sandevistan... are you out of money?"
I shrugged.
"Not exactly out..."
"David, stop beating around the bush..."
Panam looked at me with an extremely piercing gaze.
"I still have money for food, but I can't buy any more chrome."
"So you spent everything you had on us?"
Becca joined the conversation, her eyes wide with shock as she looked from Panam to me.
"Well... not everything, and you guys will work it off... so it's not a problem..."
"You're crazy!"
And in that exclamation, there was not only admiration but also condemnation.
For a while, we fell into silence, as I had no desire to continue the topic, and the girls were waiting for something. What? I had no idea, but I was grateful that they just let me make the cakes in silence...
"Why is everyone so tense?"
Judy was the first to appear from the Behemoth. She came out just as I was decorating the cakes, and she froze at the exit of the car. Someone clearly ran into her from behind.
"Why'd you stop?"
"Uh... wow... you'll see for yourselves..."
Judy moved aside, letting Lucy and Kiwi come out, and they reacted very excitedly to the cakes I was finishing.
"Uh... so, what was I saying..."
Judy looked from the cakes to me, then back at the cakes, then back at me, and after that, she looked at Panam and Becca.
"Oh... I remember... why's the atmosphere so... awkward? We've got a treat waiting for us..."
"Oh, it's nothing special..."
I gave Becca and Panam a threatening glare. Panam was about to open her cute mouth and say something, but I quickly sent her a message that basically warned her of possible sanctions. To put it simply, I threatened to take away her sweets.
"Panam?"
"Ahem... well... you see..."
"Panam?"
Becca looked at her friend in surprise, but then she got the same message. That, however, didn't have the same effect. She just turned her gaze to me and narrowed her eyes wickedly.
"You see, here's the thing... this guy spent all his money on us..."
"Huh?"
The exclamation was in sync, and after it, all the girls' gazes were on me.
"What? The cake won't be ready for another ten minutes... and the second one for about twenty..."
"David..."
"What?!"
I looked from one girl to the next with a bit of irritation, making sure my annoyed look landed on each one.
"What do you want from me?"
"Well... it's just..."
"It's a bit shocking..."
Kiwi was drilling me with her intense gaze. The girls just nodded at her words.
"I'll get it all back anyway. Not quickly, but I will, so I don't see what the big deal is."
"Well, you might not see it... but as I understand it, all of us..."
Kiwi looked at the girls.
"...have a slightly different experience with men in general and with those who command us, in particular... so something like this is a bit new to us... The fact that you gave us credits and fed us for free was already very unusual, but the fact that you spent all your savings on us..."
Kiwi looked at the girls.
"Alright, Lucy, Judy, I suggest we don't take a share from the sale of the chips after we crack them. Let all the profit go to Dave..."
"Denied."
I interrupted Kiwi, not letting her finish her sentence.
"No way. Those shards are going to sell like crazy, and I think a lot of people will want to improve their skills, so this isn't a one-time thing. I'm not going to keep all the profit for myself. So just calm down..."
"But that's not fair..."
"What's not fair..."
I looked at Lucy.
"...is if you guys abandoned me right now and went to work for another crew. But this is just an investment in the future. And yeah, I'm sorry, Lucy, but the trip to the moon is postponed for about six months."
"Uh..."
She looked at me in shock and nodded.
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