Chapter 10: A Subtle Shift
A heavily modified car sat parked beside a shipping container in Santo Domingo.
Inside the container, a bare incandescent bulb hummed, illuminating a chaotic mess of furniture, food packets, and discarded clothes. On a sofa that was relatively clean by comparison, the crew was assembled.
Maine sat sprawled on the sofa like he owned it, hands on his thighs, leaning forward. His gaze was fixed on Rhys and Sasha, who were sitting side-by-side. Pilar sat next to Maine, his expression just as grim.
Sasha had already patched herself up. The bullet had passed clean through her shoulder, missing anything vital. The wound wasn't even serious enough to need a ripperdoc. Just a quick component swap was all it took. While that was technically a ripperdoc's job, a netrunner of her caliber who couldn't handle a minor self-repair would go broke fast.
So, in Maine's eyes, the mission was a success. A close call, but a success.
Still, every time the image of Sasha and Rhys leaping from the fourteenth floor flashed in his mind, he felt his heart seize up. What a fucking gamble. If he hadn't hired Rhys, if Rhys had failed to get them out...
When he and Pilar arrived, they would have found...
Maine's fists clenched unconsciously. He'd drilled the idea that they were a family into his crew time and time again. In Night City, that kind of thinking was naive, almost deceptive. What edgerunner crew actually thought of themselves as family?
But Maine meant it. Every word. Death was a part of daily life in this city, a statistic on the morning news. But even so, he refused to let it happen to his own.
He looked at Sasha and Rhys. "So," he said, his voice low and serious, "is one of you going to tell me what the hell happened up there?"
"And, Sasha, you owe me a serious apology."
During the frantic drive from the City Center back to their hideout, Maine had only made one call—to Dorio. He'd told her there was a complication but that everything was under control now. He told her to stay put and look after Rebecca. Dorio had said she'd bring Rebecca over as soon as it was safe.
At Maine's words, Sasha nodded seriously. She raised a hand near her face and spoke softly. "I screwed up. I let my personal feelings compromise the mission and create a variable. For my part of the payout... I'll forfeit it."
A muscle in Maine's jaw twitched. "You think that's what I'm talking about?"
"I..." Sasha hesitated, glancing at Rhys before lowering her head. "I shouldn't have cut comms. I should have told you what was happening and waited for you to extract me, instead of going on a suicide run."
"I don't know what happened to make the most disciplined person on this crew break her own rules. But Sasha, whatever it is, you should have told me and Dorio. I've said it before: we make eddies together, we share the good times, and we take the heat together."
"We've been running together for six months. You still don't trust me?" Maine's voice was heavy with sincerity.
Was six months a long time? Not really. But in the merc world, six months was an eternity, long enough for a whole new generation of edgerunners to rise and fall. So, in its own way, it was a long time.
Sasha fell silent. She didn't know how to explain. If Rhys wasn't here, maybe she would have told Maine everything, begged for his forgiveness. But no matter the reason, she had nearly tanked the mission and put the whole crew in danger because of her own emotions. And now, after lecturing Rhys in the Afterlife just a few hours ago, she'd been rescued by him and was now being reprimanded by Maine right in front of him.
Did she have no pride?
"I'm not going to press this. I won't ask you why you did it. But Sasha, I want you to do some serious self-reflection," Maine said sternly. "Think hard about what I just said."
"Thank you, Maine," Sasha said, looking up, her expression earnest.
"Alright, lecture over. Now let's talk about the gig," Maine's tone shifted, a wide grin splitting his face. "The job's done. When the eddies come through, we split it four ways. Everyone gets an even cut."
Normally, Maine split the pay among everyone, but only four of them had worked this job. That meant Dorio and Rebecca wouldn't get a share. But in practice, it was all the same. Maine and Dorio, Rebecca and Pilar—their eddies all went into the same pots.
"Maine, about my cut..." Sasha raised her hand. She seemed conflicted, her expression out of character, but after a moment, she made up her mind.
Maine looked at her.
"Give my share to Rhys," she said, trying to sound casual. "If it weren't for him, I'd be flatlined for sure."
"That's not how we do things, Sasha. That was his job. He was hired for this, and his payout was already the highest," Maine said with a frown.
Sasha shook her head. "It's different. I created the danger. This gig should have been clean, no risk. Rhys shouldn't have had to put his life on the line to save me. I have to pay for my own mistakes, right?"
"Besides, it was my life," she said, her cat-like lips forming a smile. "You think you can just find another netrunner better than me on the street? This is what I promised him." She turned to Rhys and winked. "It's all yours."
Rhys gave her a thumbs-up, not refusing the offer. He desperately needed the eddies. He knew how precarious the Mox's situation was; they needed money for everything. Plus, he needed to invest in himself. And... he had to rent an apartment. He wasn't about to keep sleeping in a shipping container.
Just then, the rumbling sound of the container's main door being rolled up filled the space, followed by Dorio's voice.
"What happened?"
Dorio and Rebecca were back. She looked at Maine, her face etched with worry.
Maine leaned back on the sofa, turning to smile at her. "It's all sorted out."
Rebecca let out an annoyed "Hah!" "Then why didn't you just meet us at the Afterlife?"
"Because we were running for our lives, you gonk," Maine said, looking at Rebecca. "I wanted to go to the Afterlife for a drink and to brag a little, but we almost had a goddamn AV on our ass. Speaking of which, I think we need a dedicated driver."
Sasha greeted Dorio and Rebecca. As Dorio's gaze fell on Sasha and Rhys sitting so close together, she raised an eyebrow and shot a meaningful look at Maine.
Maine winked back at her.
"Maine, is there something wrong with your eye? Bro, check Maine's optics!" Rebecca shouted, having noticed the exchange.
Instantly, all eyes in the container were on Maine. He was about to say something, but Sasha stood up.
She turned to Rhys, her arms crossed. "Come outside. I need to talk to you."
"I'm coming too!" Pilar yelled before Rhys could even answer.
Rebecca's crimson-and-yellow eyes darted between Rhys and Sasha. Her instincts were screaming that something was off. Her brother was clearly on guard against Rhys for some reason.
"Don't be a damn idiot," Maine said, grabbing Pilar before he could get in Sasha's face. He then looked at Rhys. "Rhys, it's not good to keep a lady waiting."
After seeing Rhys's skills firsthand, Maine was more determined than ever to recruit him. A guy like that on the crew was a literal life insurance policy.
Rhys stood up silently, and Sasha turned and walked out of the container. He followed her out into the Santo Domingo night.
"What's with them?" Dorio asked, sitting down next to Maine.
Maine let out a booming laugh. "Just a small... subtle shift."
He laughed again and kissed Dorio. "Just like with you and me."
Dorio didn't push him away. She understood now. The hero saves the girl—the oldest, cheesiest, but most timelessly romantic story on the street.