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Jax sat there, caught in the middle of a literal and figurative firepower gap. He had expected today to be a professional meeting—sell the chips, split the eddies, and maybe pitch Lucy on the idea of joining Maine's crew. He hadn't expected Rebecca to "ambush" him at the entrance of the restaurant and insist on following him.
Rebecca's reaction to being called a "kid" was instantaneous. She didn't just stand up; she practically levitated with fury, her small hands slamming onto the synthetic wood of the table with enough force to make the coffee cups rattle.
"Who are you calling a kid, you pale-faced net-slug?!" Rebecca snarled, her cybernetic eyes glowing a dangerous red.
Lucy didn't flinch. She leaned back in her chair, elegantly crossing her legs, and took a slow sip of her drink. Her eyes drifted from Rebecca's face down to her light-up sneakers, then back up. The silence was deafening.
"Jax," Lucy said, her voice like ice, "I thought you said you wanted to talk business. I didn't know you were running a daycare service now."
"Daycare?! I'll show you daycare!" Rebecca reached for the oversized holster at her hip, but Jax's hand was already there, gently but firmly pressing down on her forearm.
"Becca, sit," Jax said, his voice calm but brookign no argument.
"But she—!"
"Sit."
Rebecca huffed, a sound like a tea kettle reaching its boiling point, and plopped back onto the bench, crossing her arms over her chest and pouting so hard her cheeks looked like they might pop.
Jax turned back to Lucy, clearing his throat. "This is Rebecca. She's a teammate. Like I told you yesterday, I'm an Edgerunner. She's our... well, she handles the heavy ordnance."
Lucy raised an eyebrow, looking at the tiny girl who looked like she could be blown away by a stiff breeze but carried a shotgun twice her size. "Heavy ordnance. Right."
She turned her attention to the small pile of chips Jax placed on the table. "Did you move the goods?"
"I talked to a contact in the Moxes," Jax lied slightly—he'd actually just had Pilar run them through a clean-room wipe to maximize their value. "Total take after the fence's cut is twelve thousand eddies. Your sixty percent is seven thousand two hundred. I already sent the transfer to your account."
Lucy checked her internal HUD. The notification popped up instantly. Her expression softened, just a fraction. Money was the only universal language in Night City that everyone respected.
"Speedy," Lucy remarked. "So, you wanted to talk. Talk."
Jax leaned forward. "My crew is moving up. We're taking jobs from Rogue now. We have muscle, we have tech, and we have a top-tier netrunner already—but in Night City, one ghost in the machine isn't enough. Especially if we're hitting Arasaka or Militech targets."
Lucy's posture stiffened at the mention of Arasaka. It was subtle, but Jax caught the way her fingers tightened around her glass.
"I've seen your work on the subway," Jax continued. "You're fast, you're clean, and you're wasted lifting chips from salarymen. Come meet the boss. Maine isn't like the other fixers or leads out there. He treats the crew like family. You wouldn't have to hide in the subway anymore."
Lucy looked at Jax, then at the still-fuming Rebecca. She let out a short, dry laugh. "Family. That's a dangerous word in this city, Jax. Usually means someone is about to sell you out and call it 'tough love'."
"Not with us," Jax said firmly.
"And why me?" Lucy asked, her emerald eyes searching his. "You said you already have a netrunner. Why bring in competition?"
"Because," Jax said, a small smile playing on his lips, "I have a feeling you're looking for a way out of the shadows. And we're looking for someone who knows how to navigate the deep end."
Rebecca finally chimed in, though her tone was still prickly. "Look, if Jax says you're good, you're probably okay. But if you try to hack my Kiroshis just to be funny, I'll blow your legs off. Understood?"
Lucy looked at the "kid" and then back at Jax. After a long moment, she stood up.
"I'm not saying yes," Lucy said, adjusting her white jacket. "But I'll meet this 'Maine' of yours. If I don't like the vibe, I'm gone. And Jax?"
"Yeah?"
"Tell your little sister she needs to work on her poker face."
"SHE'S NOT MY SISTER!" Rebecca screamed, but Lucy was already walking toward the door, a faint, triumphant smirk on her face.
Jax sighed, rubbing his temples. This is going to be a long week.
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