When Neo saw the contents of Lucy's screen, his lips curved upward almost involuntarily.
He had expected something—but this?
Dexter DeShawn, the once-famed fixer of Night City, had been richer than he ever let on. The man wasn't just swimming in eddies—he was drowning in them.
Every district, from North Oak's glass towers to Japantown's neon valleys, had at least one or two high-end properties under his name—each tagged with permanent residency rights.
Neo chuckled to himself. "Even in 2077, real estate's still the safest damn investment, huh?"
Cars—don't even get started. From hypercars that could outrun police choppers to classic bikes and even artisan cycles, every garage in those houses was packed to the brim.
And the digital bank accounts? Nearly fifty million eddies. Stocks, corp investments, private portfolios—the man had his greasy hands in every pie in the city.
Neo exhaled, shaking his head. "Guy was loaded. Should've just killed DeShawn first instead of running gigs for him."
Lucy's voice interrupted his smug grin. "Neo… I'd like to make a request."
He turned to her. "A request?"
Her silver hair glimmered faintly in the dim light, her tone suddenly soft. "I was wondering… could we use a little of that money? Just enough to buy tickets. I want to go to the Moon—with you."
Neo blinked. "That's it? You could've just done it. You don't need my permission."
Lucy shook her head, calm but firm. "That's not right. DeShawn was your target. You hunted him, you killed him. His spoils belong to you. I'd never use what's yours without asking."
Neo froze for a second.
Cold and quiet on the surface, a corporate hacker to the bone—but behind that, this woman…
Loyal. Careful. Soft in all the right ways. A sharp-edged angel guarding his world.
Who the hell could resist that?
He set the relic case down, took two slow steps toward her, and pulled her into his arms. Lucy let herself be drawn in, her breath catching softly against his chest.
The world outside the room faded, drowned in the hum of old electronics and heartbeat rhythms.
When they finally fell back onto the bed, Night City's lights poured in through the blinds, painting their bare skin in gold and violet.
...
Two hours later, the room was quiet again.
Lucy lay with her head on Neo's chest, tracing absent lines on his skin with a lazy fingertip.
"Congratulations," she murmured, her voice half a sigh. "You've done it. You're a legend now."
"The man who ended the Terminator of Legends—standing higher than anyone before."
Neo smiled faintly, brushing a strand of her hair away. "A legend, huh? Maybe to the rest of the city. But to you—and to the crew—I'm still just me."
Lucy looked up at him, eyes soft. "Yeah. I know. That's exactly why I…"
She didn't finish, just pressed closer, her arms tightening around him.
Neo stared at the ceiling for a moment. "You ever feel like this city's a cage, Lucy? Like everyone in it's just another inmate in a prison made of neon and chrome?"
Her eyes widened slightly—because he'd said what she'd never dared to. But she didn't answer. She didn't need to.
Neo's voice dropped, low and sure. "Then I'll break the cage. If this is hell, then I'll burn it clean—from the ashes of Night's Ember, something new will rise."
Lucy's hand tightened around his. She didn't speak, just held him closer. For the first time in a long while, she believed him.
...
Later, when the room had gone still again, Neo slipped out of bed.
Lucy stirred, her voice drowsy. "You're not staying tonight?"
He was pulling his jacket back on. "Not tonight. I need to study the relic. It's… important. Might change everything that's coming."
She yawned softly. "Fine. I won't walk you out. Too tired."
Neo leaned down, kissed her forehead. "Sleep well, Lucy."
"Mm."
He grabbed the relic case from the table and stepped into the hallway—only to freeze.
The door across from Lucy's room creaked open.
Rebecca stood there.
"Uh… evening?" Neo tried.
"Evening, my ass!" Rebecca's voice came out sharp and accusing. She stormed toward him, eyes wide. "Two and a half hours, Neo. You were in her room for two and a half hours!"
Neo stiffened, the tiniest bead of sweat rolling down his temple.
Oh no.
Rebecca crossed her arms, glaring. "I told you, I don't mind being second to Lucy—but you walking straight past my door after that? Not even a look? That's disrespectful!"
He raised his hands quickly. "No, no, that's not it—of course not! I—"
"Don't 'no no' me." She grabbed his wrist, tugging hard. "Inside. Now."
Neo sighed as she dragged him toward her room. So much for studying the relic tonight.
...
By morning, sunlight poured through the blinds. Neo lay sprawled across Rebecca's sheets, barely awake.
Last night had been… intense.
He slipped out of bed quietly, glancing back at the still-sleeping girl tangled in her blankets, a lazy smile on her lips.
"Wild one," he muttered, amused.
After a quick shower and clean clothes, he finally sat down at his desk. He opened the relic case carefully. Inside, the chip gleamed like a sliver of captured starlight.
Next, he reached for the Unregistered Katana X hanging on the wall.
When he placed the relic beside it, he didn't even need to scan it—his instincts screamed that these two were linked.
He turned the blade in his hand, noticing a small indentation at the base of the hilt—an input slot, the exact size of the relic.
So that's it.
He slid the relic chip into the slot.
Click.
The moment it connected, a web of crimson circuitry raced across the katana's blade, glowing brighter, brighter—until the whole room shimmered with neon light.
And then—
A voice.
Rough. Sarcastic. Familiar.
"I'm getting the hell out of here, you hear me? Anyone tries to stop me, I'll burn 'em down. All of 'em."
Neo froze, eyes darting around the room.
Another voice followed, dry and impatient. "Hey. You got a smoke?"
Then—"No? You kidding me? I need a smoke."
Neo turned his head slowly.
And there he was.
Johnny Silverhand.
Leaning against the doorframe like he owned the place, hair messy, shades tilted down, that eternal, half-pissed smirk on his face.
In the original timeline, Johnny only appeared after the relic fused with the host's brain—after Dex shot the protagonist in the head and Viktor worked his miracles to bring them back.
But this? This was different.
Through the Katana X, Johnny existed independently—no neural link, no parasitic merge. Just his digital soul, preserved and encoded by Arasaka, projected through the relic's data stream.
The sword wasn't just a weapon. It was a vessel.
And now, Neo held Johnny Silverhand's soul in his hand.
He'd just hijacked the culmination of Arasaka's decades-long Relic Project.
He'd stolen their ghost.
Johnny's voice broke his thoughts again. "Hey! I'm talking to you, choom. You deaf or just dumb?"
Neo blinked once. "Neither. Just thinking."
Johnny scowled. "Well, stop thinking and hand over a cigarette, yeah?"
Neo's grin spread slowly. "Right. Been thinking about that, actually."
He leaned back in his chair, smirk deepening.
"You don't have a body, Johnny. How the hell are you gonna smoke?"
For a second, Johnny just stared. Then his scowl twisted into something that almost looked like pride.
"Smartass."
Neo's grin widened. "Welcome back to Night City, legend."