[Check Out My P4treon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!! And get chapters before publishing them here for free on my p4treon][https://p4treon.com/ThePlotHoleRefuge]
===
"Jax, you're sure about this? It's Rogue we're talking about."
"What's the problem? Rogue said it herself—gang business is gang business. She has no reason to stop me. Besides, I didn't sell my soul to her; I just moved her to the top of my contact list."
Jax offered Maine a reassuring smile as they stepped out of the club. He respected Rogue, sure, but that respect was grounded in the lore he knew—the connection to V and the history of the city. He wasn't naive enough to let "fanboy" feelings cloud his judgment. You didn't become the Queen of the Afterlife by being a saint.
If he followed her blindly, filtered by the perspective of a video game protagonist, he'd be devoured before he could even count his eddies. There are no free favors in Night City. Every dessert has a trap hidden beneath the frosting.
Stepping out of the Afterlife—or rather, being shown the door by Weyland—Jax stood on the streets of Watson, squinting against the afternoon sun.
Actually, this felt right. Watson had been the ground zero for the nuclear blast decades ago, but the reconstruction had given it a character that Santo Domingo lacked. With its mix of industrial ruins and neon-lit nightclubs, it was the city's beating heart for those who lived in the shadows.
"I say, how about a few drinks? I still want to chat with you guys," Jackie suggested, falling into step beside them. He wasn't ready for the party to end. These were the people Rogue had hand-picked; Jackie knew a good opportunity when he saw one. Plus, he genuinely liked Jax and Maine. He had a nose for "good people," even in a city of monsters.
"That actually sounds preem," Pilar agreed, swallowing hard. "Rogue had me so tight I nearly leaked. I need to rehydrate or I'm gonna seize."
"You didn't actually piss yourself, did you, Pilar?" Kiwi asked, her voice dry as she lit a cigarette.
"Drinking in broad daylight?" Jax hesitated. Since joining Maine's crew, he'd noticed that Maine was either drinking, thinking about drinking, or recovering from drinking. It was the mercenary's cycle: risk your life for eddies, spend the eddies to forget you risked your life.
"How about... a change of pace?" Sasha suggested, pointing toward a restaurant just outside Chinatown. "I've never actually eaten at a sit-down place with anyone but my sister. Let's try being 'normal' for an hour."
"That place look like it serves real booze?" Dorio asked, squinting.
Rebecca jumped up, waving her chubby hands to get attention. Her new Kiroshi optics were glowing bright, and she looked more energized than ever. "Who cares?! I want two meat patties and something sweet! One day without a buzz won't kill us!"
"Pizza," Maine decided after a moment.
"Mano, pizza is for tourists. You want a real burrito," Jackie countered.
Jax looked at the restaurant across the street. The sign read Duowei, and the menu was a chaotic fusion of everything: lotus-leaf steamed pork, pizza, burritos, and burgers. It was a mess, but it was crowded.
"Let's do it," Jax said, a strange warmth settling in his chest. In five years in Night City, he'd never just... gone out to lunch with friends. Sasha's suggestion felt like a bridge back to the life he'd forgotten he missed.
The crew marched toward the crosswalk. As they reached the corner, the light turned red. They stopped.
"Damn," Kiwi whispered, looking up at the signal. "I think this is the first time in my life I've actually waited for a traffic light."
"I haven't waited for one since I was thirteen," Dorio added, her expression unreadable. She'd spent her youth as a star athlete, always rushing, always pushing for the next prize. The world of an Edgerunner makes you forget the small, civil rhythms of life.
"I could just hack it?" Sasha suggested, her eyes beginning to glow.
"No, don't," Jax said, gently catching her arm. "Waiting won't kill us. I'd rather not have the NCPD on our tails because we were too hungry to wait thirty seconds."
Sasha blinked, smiled, and then leaned into Jax's arm. He stiffened for a second, surprised by the casual intimacy, which only made Sasha's smile grow wider.
The group stood there at the crosswalk, a bizarre island in the middle of the crowd. On one side, ordinary citizens kept a wide, fearful berth around the "fierce and menacing" crew. On the other, the mercs themselves were laughing and arguing about toppings, completely oblivious to the terror they were inspiring.
Beep—
The green light flashed. Maine and Jackie started across, arm-in-arm, debating the merits of habanero salsa. Jax and Sasha followed, whispering to each other, while Rebecca trailed them, her ears practically twitching as she tried to eavesdrop.
Kiwi stayed at the back, her cigarette trembling between her fingers. She looked at their backs, her eyes losing focus. The scene felt wrong—too bright, too peaceful. This wasn't the world she knew. Edgerunners weren't supposed to look like this.
"Kiwi! Move your ass! You being picky?"
"Pickiness is a virtue, Maine! Only kids eat whatever's put in front of them!"
"You wanna go again, you old fossil?!"
Jackie just grinned like a big black bear, happy to be included. Jax turned back, saw the dazed look on Kiwi's face, and a mischievous spark lit up his eyes.
"Last one to the table pays for everyone!" Jax roared, grabbing Sasha's hand and sprinting forward.
Rebecca let out a "Wow!" and grabbed Maine's arm. Maine let out a deep laugh, tucked Rebecca under his arm like a football, and charged. Pilar and Dorio weren't far behind.
An hour ago, they were fugitives. Five minutes ago, they were under the thumb of the city's most dangerous woman. And now, they were racing across a public street to avoid a lunch bill.
Kiwi's eye twitched. She flicked her half-finished cigarette onto the asphalt, sparks flying as she watched Pilar's retreating back.
"Fuck all of you!"
Her red coat flared behind her as she broke into a run. She didn't just run; she reached out with her mind.
Pilar. System Reset.
Pilar, mid-stride, suddenly stiffened and face-planted into the sidewalk. Kiwi sprinted past his prone body, looking back just long enough to give him a very specific hand gesture.
"Go pay the bill, you stupid asshole!"
Jax looked back, seeing Kiwi actually use a quickhack just to win a race, and burst out laughing. This was the joy of being a "natural"—no system for the netrunners to shut down. He saw Maine's massive back, Jackie's bounding stride, and Rebecca's wild laughter.
For the first time, Jax was glad he'd stepped out of the basement of Lizzie's. Sometimes, going slow was the fastest way to feel alive.
===
Note: So far this story is published up to chapter 50 on my patreon, go check it out
exclusive 18+ character images, and early chapters, please visit my Patreon. Thanks for your support!
p4treon.com/ThePlotHoleRefuge
if you want more updates == supports with power stones
Every 15 Power Stones == Bonus Chapter
every three 5-star reviews == Bonus Chapter