Viktor paid Kael ten thousand Eurodollars. It was a staggering amount for a man who often treated the poor of Kabuki on credit, likely draining the last of his old boxing savings. To Kael, it was more than just a payment; it was a gesture of absolute sincerity.
Kael didn't argue. He split the haul down the middle, transferring five thousand Eddies to Lucy.
"Partner's cut," he noted.
With their pockets lined, they decided to celebrate. Kael raided a high-end vending machine for actual pre-Collapse style snacks and a few bottles of decent synth-wine, heading back to Lucy's apartment.
"So, we're official now? Partners?" Lucy asked, raising a chilled drink. Her rainbow-gradient hair caught the flickering neon light from the window, making her look like a glitch in a beautiful reality.
"I guess so," Kael replied, raising his glass.
Lucy pulled her hand back, her eyes narrowing. "What do you mean, 'I guess so'?"
Kael's expression shifted. The "Calculating Survivor" took over, his gaze turning distant. "I have a debt to settle first. My father died in the middle of an Arasaka power struggle. Until I find out who pulled the trigger, I can't give you a hundred percent."
The air in the room turned cold. Lucy's hand trembled slightly at the mention of the name. Arasaka.
To most in Night City, Arasaka was a looming god of steel and greed. To Lucy, it was a waking nightmare. She had been born into a corporate villa, the daughter of a loyal "corpo-dog" and a master hacker. When her own talent surfaced at age seven, her father didn't protect her—he sold her.
She had been a "miner," a child forced to dive past the Blackwall into the Old Net to salvage data for the corporation. She had watched her friends' brains cook inside their skulls, smelling the ozone and burnt neurons every time a Rogue AI caught them. That was why she refused the Hacker chair; it felt too much like a coffin.
"Don't worry," Kael said, noticing her silence. "I'm not dragging you into that fire. I'll handle it myself."
Lucy looked up, a sharp, sarcastic edge returning to her voice. "And how, exactly? You're not a Netrunner. You wouldn't even know which Arasaka subnet to crack to find a janitor's schedule, let alone a Counter-Intel file. You need me, Kael."
"Hey, I was an Academy student. I know my way around the gate," Kael retorted, though he knew she was right.
"I'll help," Lucy said, her voice dropping. "But I'm charging extra for corporate work."
Kael leaned in, closing the distance between them on the sofa. "Lucy, you're too good to me. Are you falling for me?"
Lucy's face flushed a deep crimson. She was a master of the Net, a dangerous Edgerunner, but in the face of Kael's intense, honest gaze, she was a novice. She had spent her life running; she hadn't realized that Kael was the first person she'd ever actually stopped for.
Kael reached out, gently stroking her hair. "Because I've definitely fallen for you."
Lucy felt her heart hammer against her ribs, her cybernetic eyes flashing with data she couldn't interpret. Instinctively, she tilted her chin up and closed her eyes—the universal invitation.
Kael didn't miss it. When their lips met, the grit of Night City faded. It was a spark of something real in a world of synthetic copies.
In Night City, there are no living legends. But as the saying goes: only eternal love.
"Lucy," Kael whispered after a moment.
"What?"
"I've been meaning to ask... this body of yours. It's all original, right? No synthetic skin-weave?"
The romantic tension shattered as Lucy's foot connected with Kael's shin, sending him tumbling off the bed.
"You absolute pig! I'm bleeding from a bullet wound and you're checking my specs?!"
"Hey! It's a technical inquiry! I appreciate the craftsmanship!"
"If you want to test the truth, Kael, you'd better be ready for the consequences," Lucy smirked, hooking his leg with her foot and pulling him back toward her.
In the White Space, the atmosphere was considerably less romantic.
Titan-Kael had Cyber-Kael by the throat, shaking him with a mix of exhaustion and fury. "You bastard! I'm out here on Typhon eating dirt, dodging IMC Stalkers, and trying to find a battery for BT, and you're over there 'verifying' Lucy's biology?!"
"Technically, we're all experiencing it, aren't we?" Cyber-Kael wheezed.
Titan-Kael's life was a nightmare of survival. The game's plot had derailed; the IMC had surrounded BT's chassis with an entire battalion, waiting for the "acting Pilot" to show his face. Without the "Power of Three," he'd be a memory.
Ghoul-Kael, meanwhile, was the most relaxed of the three. His world was mundane by comparison, filled with school, training at the Academy, and trying to navigate the complex social cues of his twin classmates.
The three Kaels synced their data once more. Cyber-Kael gained the raw, desperate survival instincts of the Frontier; Titan-Kael gained the technical knowledge to repair his gear from scrap; and Ghoul-Kael gained the cold, calculated precision of a Night City mercenary.
Kael woke up the next morning to the smell of reheated convenience food. Lucy was hanging onto his shoulders like a koala, her usual aloofness replaced by a quiet, fierce dependency.
"Breakfast," Kael said, setting the synthetic protein on the table.
"Together," she insisted, dragging him toward the bathroom to wash up.
Despite the domestic bliss, the shadow of Arasaka loomed. Kael's father had been a supervisor in the Counter-Intelligence Department—the snake pit of the corporation. To find the truth, Kael would have to infiltrate a local area network that was virtually impenetrable from the outside.
He decided to wait. He needed to build his reputation, his strength, and his "Power of Three" before kicking the hornet's nest. He had Lucy to protect now; he couldn't afford to be reckless.
Lucy felt a wave of relief. She wasn't ready to face her demons yet, but with Kael beside her, she felt that maybe—just maybe—she wouldn't have to face them alone.