Inside Afterlife's most exclusive black-gold VIP suite, the air was heavy with smoke, neon light, and tension.
Rebecca, Jackie Welles, David Martinez, Maine, Dorio, Pilar, Lucy, Kiwi—and Dexter DeShawn's personal netrunner, T-Bug—were already gathered around the long obsidian table when the door slid open.
Neo walked in.
Before anyone could speak, Rebecca launched herself at him like a bullet, wrapping her arms around his neck. Subtlety had long since stopped being part of her vocabulary; she didn't care who was watching. In her mind, the whole of Night City could know—Neo was hers.
Jackie grinned. "Heh, choom, about damn time you showed up."
David straightened up politely. "Mr. Neo."
"Maine," Dorio, and the others nodded in greeting.
Pilar smirked. "I'll skip the honorifics—only 'cause my sister likes you."
Lucy gave a polite, "Hey Neo," while Kiwi, half-lidded eyes glowing cyan, just gave a silent nod.
Across the room, the door hissed open again.
Dexter DeShawn waddled in, dressed in his trademark gold-thread jacket, a cigar already burning between his teeth.
"Ah, Mr. Neo," he said, grinning wide. "Your name's getting louder by the hour. In all my years in Night City, I ain't seen anyone rise so fast."
Neo took a seat—Rebecca glued to his side—his hand absently stroking her hair as if to calm a restless cat. His expression stayed unreadable, calm as ever.
"Alright, Dex," Neo said quietly. "Enough small talk. Let's get to business."
Dex sank into the couch across from him, exhaled a cloud of smoke, and smiled. "Straight to the point, I like that. Tell me, Mr. Neo—what's your take on Evelyn Parker?"
Neo tilted his head slightly. "Clever… but not that clever."
Dexter burst out laughing. "Ha! Sharp and simple—just like I like it. You got a good read on people."
He flicked ash onto the floor. "So, how much do you know about Arasaka Corporation?"
Neo leaned back. "The self-proclaimed kings of Night City. Militech, Biotechnica, Kang Tao—they all compete in the open, but here, in this city, Arasaka sits alone at the top."
Dex nodded, pleased. "Right again. Now, about this Evelyn chick. Used to be a top doll at Clouds. Classy, seductive, smart enough to fake innocence. She's been on every bed in this city—from gutter gangoons in Watson to Yorinobu Arasaka's penthouse suite."
He smirked. "Pretty, ambitious… but that ambition's bigger than her brain."
He tapped the crate on the table—the crate containing the Flathead.
"I like to think I'm a name in this city," Dex continued. "And you, Mr. Neo—you and your crew? You wiped out Maelstrom, made the city shake. Now, imagine what happens when we work together. Two big names, one big score."
He leaned forward, voice low and conspiratorial. "Because let's be real. When a job's this big, you don't want a woman with too much lipstick and not enough firepower making things messy."
He chuckled. "No offense to the ladies present."
Neo understood perfectly.
This wasn't small talk. This was Dexter DeShawn rewriting the board.
He wanted Evelyn Parker gone—cut out of the loop. He'd replace her as the client, take control of the operation, and claim the prize hidden inside Konpeki Plaza: the Relic.
And honestly, it made sense.
In the original chain of events—the one Neo remembered from Cyberpunk 2077—Evelyn found Dex, Dex found V, V and Jackie did the job, and everything spiraled from there.
But the logic of it had always been off.
Why would legends like V and Jackie—and a top-tier netrunner like T-Bug—risk everything for one ambitious doll chasing a dream?
No. This version made more sense.
Now Dexter DeShawn was taking the reins. The middleman became the master. The doll was discarded, and the job—the heist for the Relic—was finally taking shape the way it should've been.
Whether Dex replaced Evelyn or not didn't matter. Konpeki Plaza was destiny. The Relic was there. Johnny Silverhand's ghost was there. And beyond him—Yorinobu Arasaka, the heir to the empire Neo planned to burn to the ground.
Partnerships were temporary but goals were not.
"So," Dex said, breaking the silence. "What do you say, Mr. Neo?"
Neo leaned back, eyes half-lidded. "Dex… in our line of work, trust is rare, but reputation is sacred. I started this job through Evelyn Parker. If I cut her out now…"
Dexter smiled, showing gold teeth. "If you what?"
Neo met his gaze. "Then you'll have to pay extra."
Dex froze for a moment—then burst into booming laughter.
"Ha! Knew I liked you, choom. Alright then. We'll talk numbers."
…
By the time the cigars burned out and the bottles emptied, the deal was sealed.
Dexter and Neo's crews spent the rest of the night laying down the foundation for the biggest heist Night City had seen in years.
The target: Konpeki Plaza.
The objective: steal the Relic.
The date: three nights from now.
Dex would use his network to map Arasaka's defenses—security rotations, AI-linked drones, Yorinobu Arasaka's private schedule, escape routes, the works. He'd secure entry, gear, and the getaway.
"Leave the logistics to me," he said confidently. "I'll get us in clean and out cleaner."
Neo listened quietly, swirling the amber drink in his glass. When Dex finished, he spoke just once:
"One change."
Dex raised an eyebrow. "Yeah?"
"T-Bug's out," Neo said. "Kiwi's in. She'll handle the net."
Dex puffed on his cigar, studying Neo's face. Then he nodded. "Fair enough. Your call."
…
When the meeting broke, the group scattered. The night outside Afterlife was still humming, the neon veins of the city pulsing with their usual chaos.
But Neo didn't go back to All Foods with the others.
He slid behind the wheel of his car and drove through the rain-slick streets alone.
Past the warehouses. Past the alleys. Past the noise.
Until the familiar building came into view—the run-down complex beside the Turbo bar.
Lucy's apartment.
He parked below, engine idling softly, and pulled out his holo-comm.
"Hey, Lucy."
Her voice came through after a moment, sleepy and soft. "Neo? It's late."
He smiled faintly, looking up at the faint light glowing from her window.
"Yeah. I know."
"Come to the window," he said quietly. "Look down."
The hum of the car engine filled the silence. Then, above, a curtain rustled.
And in the glow of the city lights, a pale face framed by short white-and-blue hair leaned out. Her eyes met his.
Neo smiled.