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After hanging up the phone, Jax looked at Maine, whose excitement was barely contained. "Rogue? I mean, Jax, are you talking about the Rogue? The Queen of the Afterlife?"
"What does she want with you?" Rebecca asked, crowding into Jax's space and peering up at him with her one good eye.
"Damn it... she's not coming to zero us, is she?!" Pilar shrieked, his face contorted as his new cybernetic fingers nervously pulled at his synthetic skin.
Even Dorio, usually the anchor of the crew, looked tense. "We made a massive scene yesterday. If the Queen is calling, it's rarely just for a social visit."
"You guys know Rogue? That's preem!" Jackie joined in, his voice booming with a mix of awe and curiosity. Having been a solo for two years after leaving the Valentinos without much to show for it, meeting someone who got personal pings from Rogue was like meeting a god.
Jax, still trying to process the call himself, shook his head. "I don't know why she's looking for me. But she made it clear—she wants to see the whole crew."
"Good news or bad?" Maine whispered.
"We won't know until we get there," Jax replied.
"Holy shit, this is huge!" Jackie punched the air.
"Huge? I'm terrified!" Pilar's face seemed to sag even further. Jax, despite seeing all kinds of modded skin at the Moxes, still couldn't figure out what kind of elastic material Pilar's face was made of to stretch like that.
"Rogue is a professional," Sasha analyzed, her voice returning to its calm, logical baseline. "Kerfu's death was a splash, but not enough to draw her personal attention unless there's a bigger play. She has a reason."
Kiwi, who had finished adjusting her red mask, spoke up coldly. "Speculation is a waste of time. If Rogue wants us dead, we're dead. Our only choice is to show up and see what she wants."
"Wait, Kiwi... did you just say 'us'?" Rebecca caught the slip immediately, a mischievous grin spreading across her face.
Maine and Dorio joined in the smiles, and Pilar let out a sarcastic, drawn-out "Oooooh~"
The cold, distant netrunner who had spent the last two days saying, "I haven't agreed to join you yet," had finally signaled her surrender.
"Shut up!" Kiwi cursed at Pilar, her ears flushing red under her hair. Her carefully maintained persona was disintegrating at record speed thanks to this chaotic crew.
"Let's move," Maine said, his voice turning serious. "Don't keep the Queen waiting. From here, we can hit the Afterlife in ten minutes."
Maine led the way out, offering a quick nod of thanks to Viktor. The doctor merely waved a hand, his eyes never leaving the boxing match on his screen. Maine didn't take it personally; a ripper like Vik was a rare treasure—fair, safe, and professional.
"Let's go. Time to see the Queen."
"Uh, Old Vik... I'll see them off," Jackie hesitated, then hurried after the group.
Viktor watched the big man go, muttering to himself, "You were never meant for a quiet life, Jackie. Heywood was always going to be too small for you..."
Outside the clinic, Jackie found the group waiting for him by the cars.
"See? Told you he'd follow," Maine grinned at Pilar.
"Damn it! I'm out five hundred eddies!" Pilar wailed.
Jax looked at Jackie. "Something on your mind?"
"Just... seeing you guys off, mano," Jackie said, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Exchange numbers," Jax said, pulling out his link. "You said I should look you up if there was work. I'm holding you to that."
"You bet! You won't regret it! I might not be a legend yet, but just you wait!" Jackie thumped his chest, radiating that infectious confidence that Jax remembered so well.
As they walked to the cars, Jackie started rambling about his past jobs. He was clearly skilled, but in Night City, skill was only half the battle. Luck hadn't been on Jackie's side—bad fixers and the baggage of leaving the Valentinos had kept him in the shadows. He was a lone wolf waiting for the right pack.
Jax considered inviting him right then, but with Rogue waiting, the timing was wrong.
"Alright, mano. Call me if anything happens—"
BEEP-BEEP!
The shriek of tires and a blaring horn cut Jackie off. From the car behind, Pilar's voice screamed over the comms: "Maine! 6th Street! They found us already?! How?!"
At the end of the block, a customized truck roared toward them. The sunroof slid back, and a light machine gun emerged, spitting lead. "RAT-TAT-TAT!" Pedestrians dived for cover as the pavement erupted in sparks.
Jax lunged forward, grabbing Jackie's wrist. "Get in!"
"Wait—!" Jackie tried to plant his feet, but he found himself hauled into the car with a strength that completely overrode his own.
"Maine, floor it!" Jax barked.
He couldn't help but feel a wild sense of amusement. In a few days with Maine's crew, he'd seen more action than in five years at Lizzie's.
"Haha! If we weren't in a hurry, I'd turn around and flatten those bastards!" Maine roared, spinning the wheel as the tires screamed in protest. The smell of burnt rubber filled the cabin as the two cars drifted out of Chinatown.
Jackie was squeezed into a ball in the back seat, his massive frame wedged uncomfortably between Jax and the door, his head nearly in Maine's lap. He looked utterly bewildered.
"Wait, what just happened? How am I in the car?!"
The cabin was a chaotic mess—Sasha was giggling as she white-knuckled the overhead handle, while Kiwi was rolling her eyes at the absurdity of it all.
"Jax, you having fun?" Maine yelled over the engine's roar.
"A little too much, buddy!" Jax laughed.
"I promised you a good time, didn't I?"
"Stop acting like heroes! They're gaining on us and our armor isn't rated for that caliber!" Dorio screamed from the passenger seat. She'd tried to peek out the window and nearly lost an ear to a stray slug.
Jax and Maine looked at each other in the mirror, caught in the middle of their "cool guy" moment, and burst out laughing together.
"But this is fucking Night City!" Jax yelled, the adrenaline lighting up his eyes.
Jackie, infected by the raw energy of the moment, let out a booming laugh of his own. The confusion on his face was replaced by a wild, hungry excitement.
"Damn right, mano! This is fucking Night City! A chase is the only way to start the morning!"
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