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About a week flew by since the Proxy appeared at the Aldecaldo camp. Saul had been warned about the possible problems, but just like the girls, he decided not to leave this place. He only worked with me on a new patrol scheme, and we significantly beefed them up.
At the same time, the girls and I worked hard on the operative training shards, as did those in the clan who had already gotten copies of them. I also sold these shards to Rogue and Regina, who were, to put it mildly, not expecting that from me. I guess they both knew I had bought the shards, but they didn't expect me to not just study them, but to crack them and sell them...
We also cleared out five more of the Wraiths' bases...
The work was pretty much routine and didn't take us long. Damn, we spent more time getting from one base to another than we did at the bases themselves!
In short, everything was business as usual. The girls, according to them, were almost done cracking the next training shard, and I was almost at peace...
A call interrupted my work on a rare revolver I was repairing. I got this job through Rogue.
"Listening, Regina."
"David, I have a job for you..."
"Yeah?"
"You'll have to work on Wakako's turf at first, but everything's been agreed upon with her. I'll even say more, she's the one who gave me this job because she needs it to be done VERY quietly. And she doesn't know anyone better than you. But you don't work with anyone other than me and Rogue..."
"Well, actually..."
"Yeah, I know about your little fling with Dakota, you cheater..."
A slight note of mockery was in Regina's voice.
"Regina, I'm sorry!"
My avatar put its hands together in a prayer gesture.
"A demon clouded my mind, and I didn't know what I was doing!"
"A demon? Which demon exactly?"
"Hmm..."
I pretended to think about it.
"Probably the demon of greed and boredom."
"Hmm?"
"You and Rogue yourselves told me not to go into the city, and you can't find any jobs outside of Night City. So I just jumped at the chance to have a little fun."
"So it's our fault?"
"Yeah."
I grinned.
"Tch... you little bastard..."
Regina shook her head.
"...alright, that's enough of this nonsense. In short, you have to save a fighter from an underground arena."
I blinked in surprise. Since Regina fell silent, I decided to chime in with my own little comment.
"I need to send his opponent to the clinic?"
"No..."
"Well..."
I shrugged.
"...I don't work against children or civilian women, so kidnapping a wife and kids is out. And I know you don't take jobs like that anyway."
Regina nodded.
"So what do you need me to do?"
"It's pretty simple. He's a prisoner... he was supposed to lose his last fight, at least according to the Tiger Claws' plan, but he refused to take the money and told them to go fuck themselves. In short, he zeroed out his opponent, who they were trying to pass off as an underdog and on whom some powerful people were supposed to make a lot of money."
I nodded in understanding.
"In short, the guy crossed the wrong person at the wrong time..."
"Exactly."
I sighed.
"The place?"
"Japantown, one of the Tiger Claws' dojos..."
"Alright, the rest is in the message?"
"Yeah... good luck, and be careful..."
"Is there something I don't know?"
"I'm not sure about the information yet..."
"Regina..."
"Alright, a girl is looking for solos to go up against you. She's offering money, and it's good money, too, but so far, she's only asking average-tier solos, who, when they find out they'd have to work against you, quickly turn her down."
"I see..."
"Judging by your tone, you know something..."
"Parker?"
"So you know her..."
"Yeah, she's Judy's ex, and she's tried to drag her into a very shady situation more than once. And it seems she wasn't happy that Judy now has her own family with me at the head..."
"I see..."
I got a message and immediately opened it.
"Alright, I've got the details. I'll study them, and then we'll go and do your job."
"Uh-huh..."
The call ended, and I got to work studying the job details, forwarding them to all the girls at the same time. Soon, we were all gathered in front of the Behemoth in a kind of lounge and dining area.
"So, our reclusiveness is coming to an end?"
Lucy looked up at the sky thoughtfully.
"Looks like it, yeah..."
I sighed.
"Although our vigilance will have to be at its absolute maximum. We'll be living by the principle of CONSTANT VIGILANCE!"
I shouted this so loud and so unexpectedly that the girls all jumped up from their seats. I, meanwhile, just grinned at them.
"David!"
Panam, who was sitting—or rather, standing—next to me, brought down her punishment in the form of a fist that she drove into the top of my head.
"Alright, alright, alright!"
I pretended to shrink in fear and pain, and Panam soon stopped her "torture" and sat back down.
"But I wasn't kidding about our new way of life, because not only the Arasaka corporation, to whom we're essentially just bugs, can throw a wrench in our plans. And since we haven't been doing anything for a week, it's also unlikely that they'll start doing anything. With their capabilities, they could have zeroed us out almost immediately..."
"Who else?"
"That Parker... she just won't quit..."
"Parker?"
Judy looked at me in surprise.
"Yeah... Regina said she's trying to hire solos to go against us. She's working with average-tier solos for now, and they know what they're capable of... well, most of them do, so they won't mess with us. But if she starts going after newbies or serious solos..."
I sighed.
"I see..."
I noticed Judy's look, and I didn't like it.
"Judy, what are you thinking?"
"Huh? Nothing, I..."
"Don't lie to us."
Kiwi looked at our Judy with disapproval.
"Exactly..."
The other girls supported her and me in our desire to know what our Moxie was up to, and she had no choice but to tell us everything.
"I just thought... we have to solve this problem... for good..."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah..."
Determination was in Judy's gaze.
"...I should have left her behind when she disappeared after the commotion at Arasaka, but I was..."
Judy sighed.
"...we were happy together... well, that's what I thought once. And for the sake of everything that was between us, I brought up the idea of finding and saving her... But... now..."
She shook her head.
"...now I realize I shouldn't have done that."
"Judy..."
I got up and, going around the table, I stood behind her. I put my hands on her shoulders, after which they slid down to her collarbone, where they crossed, hugging her and pressing the back of her head against my stomach.
"Don't regret what you did... and don't think that we won't support your decision about Parker. Just think about it again, what do you want..."
"Are you trying to talk me out of it?"
Judy slightly lifted her face to look up and meet my eyes.
"No, I'm just reminding you, for the hundredth time, that you have to evaluate your actions and their consequences. And not just in terms of what they'll lead to, but also in terms of what you'll feel right here..."
I touched her right breast with one hand.
"In her boob?"
Becca commented sarcastically from her seat.
"Well..."
Judy lowered her gaze to my hand, and then she put her hand on mine and slowly lowered it. At the same time, I noticed a smile, albeit a weak one, appear on her lips.
"The heart is in here..."
I shrugged.
"Maybe. But touching your breast is a lot more pleasant. And besides, if I had put my hand over your heart instead of your breast, you wouldn't be smiling right now. But this way..."
I hugged her a little tighter.
"You've relaxed a little."
"Yeah... you're right... I really have relaxed a little, but the problem still needs to be solved... I'll connect you all to a conference call, but don't interfere in the conversation..."
"Alright..."
We all nodded, and we immediately got a call that we answered. After ten seconds, Parker answered the call.
"Judy! I'm glad you decided to call me yourself! That tyrant is far away now, and you can speak freely?"
"Parker... I'm not in the mood to talk to you, and I would have been happy not to dial your number. But you forced me to do it."
"Judy, come on, I'm doing all this for you, for us..."
"You're doing all this for YOURSELF, and we've already established that. Just as we've established that I don't have any feelings for you anymore, and that I asked David to save you only for the sake of what was once between us."
"Judy, I'm not..."
"And now I'm hearing that you're trying to hire solos to eliminate David and probably the rest of the crew..."
"No! Just him! I just want to free you!"
"I don't need to be freed! And it looks like you don't understand simple words..."
There was steel in Judy's voice.
"...then I'll talk in ultimatums. Get out of Night City. Disappear from this city and never come back. Never try to contact me again, don't try to harm my family, and don't try to contact any of them... You have three days. If you don't disappear, I will personally zero you out."
"Judy..."
I could hear confusion and disbelief in Parker's voice.
"I've already said everything. Disappear, or I'll personally make sure you never bother us again."
"I... I understand..."
The words were clearly very hard for Parker to say, but I didn't hear any sincerity in them. Judy, meanwhile, just hung up and ended the conference call between us.
"I doubt she..."
"She won't leave..."
Judy gave a sad grin, cutting off Panam, who was trying to say the same thing.
"You just couldn't help but give her a chance?"
Lucy looked at her friend with understanding.
"Yeah..."
"Well... we'll support you no matter what."
Becca gave a friendly smile and, taking out a pistol, she looked at it carefully.
"And when the time comes, we'll..."
"No..."
Judy cut her off.
"...I'll do it myself. I'll have to finish this myself. I've relied on you guys too much in this matter. I have to finish this myself, at the very least."
"That's what a Family is for..."
"To solve problems?"
"No, you fool..."
Becca got up from her seat, came over to us and Judy, and hugged both of us, snuggling up to us.
"It's to share not only the joys, but the sorrows, too. It's not just to enjoy the good times but to help each other in the hard times."
"I..."
"Just shut up and accept our care and our help."
Panam grinned and also came over to us and hugged us... soon, all the girls had us and Judy in a cocoon of hugs, in which we stayed for about five minutes...
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