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"You guys…"
The gang member didn't even have time to finish his sentence before Rebecca exploded into motion. With her astonishing jumping ability—powered by the high-end leg actuators Viktor had just calibrated—she soared directly over Jax. She tucked her knee and delivered a brutal flying strike right into the face of the man who had just turned around.
Crack—
The sickening sound of cartilage shattering echoed through the quiet restaurant. The man went down hard, slumping against the bathroom door as red and yellow fluid splattered the floor. Before the others could react, Rebecca landed gracefully and lunged forward, agilely driving a heavy steel dining fork into another man's thigh.
"Shit! Malos is down! Get them!"
Pandemonium erupted. The remaining gang members reached for their holstered pistols. The crowd in the restaurant scattered like birds in a hurricane, fleeing for the exits with a chorus of terrified screams.
"Cyberpsycho! It's a Cyberpsycho attack!"
"Call the NCPD!"
In the center of the chaos, Lucy sat perfectly still. She propped her cheek on her palm, her other hand lazily stirring a spoon through her synthetic meat soup. Her emerald eyes were fixed on Rebecca, colorful data streams flickering behind her pupils. Although she thought Jax and his team were "meddling idiots," she was already spooling up a quickhack.
Why was she helping? Kindness? Lucy had left that behind in an Arasaka research lab years ago. She had no sense of security, no home, and no reason to trust anyone. Maybe it's for the five thousand eddies, she told herself. It was her habit to find a cynical reason for everything she did.
But just as she was about to execute the hack, her hand slipped, and her chin nearly hit the table in surprise. A blur of black and red light flashed past her—scorching and absolute.
"AHHH!"
The air was suddenly filled with the smell of ozone and burnt meat. Two large arms hit the floor, both severed at the elbow, still clutching their pistols.
Jax stood in the center of the room, his thermal Katana trailing a line of red heat. His left hand shot out, palm flat, slamming into a large, stubbled face. With a burst of raw physical strength, he shoved.
Boom!
The gang member was launched backward, his body slamming into the dented metal bathroom door alongside his unconscious companion.
Rebecca, meanwhile, was in her element. She weaved and swayed through a hail of clumsy lunges like a professional boxer. She delivered a lightning-fast hook to a man's abdomen, folding him like a shrimp, then followed up with a puff-cheeked uppercut that snapped his head back.
She turned around, looking for more targets, but the room was already silent. Jax was standing over the waitress, comforting her while his Katana remained pointed at the last standing gang member's throat.
"Don't worry," Jax told the waitress. "I have a friend with the Valentinos. This is their turf, right? They'll make sure these Animals don't come back."
The waitress looked at Jax with tears in her eyes, bowing repeatedly. "Thank you... truly. I don't know what I would have done. My cousin is with the Valentinos too; I'll make sure he hears about your help."
Rebecca walked up to Jax, looking up at him with a rare, quiet expression. "Jax... will this cause you trouble? You're already on the Tyger Claws' list."
She knew these guys were Animals—the gang that preferred hormone supplements over cyberware. They were dangerous and vengeful.
"Trouble?" Jax smiled, reaching out to ruffle Rebecca's green hair. "No. You did what you thought was right. That's never trouble."
Rebecca blinked. "Maine and the others... they usually tell me to look away."
"If they really wanted you to look away, they wouldn't have made me your partner."
Jax winked. He knew Maine's plan. Maine knew that Rebecca had too much heart for this city—the kind of empathy that made her rescue stray cats in the middle of a gunfight. In Night City, that kindness was a death sentence. But by pairing her with Jax, the strongest person in the crew, Maine was giving Rebecca a chance to be herself without getting killed for it.
Jax felt a kinship with her. His own empathy, his refusal to be assimilated by the "chrome-and-grind" culture, was what made Susan scold him constantly. Now, two "misfits" had found each other.
"Time to go," Jax said, looking over at Lucy. "The sirens will be here in three minutes."
Lucy stood up and joined them. She glanced at the waitress, then at Jax. "I'll consider your offer. But I need time."
"Understood."
They stepped out into the Heywood air and hopped onto Rebecca's motorcycle. Rebecca took the handles, but as Jax sat behind her, she reached back and grabbed his hands, pulling them firmly around her waist.
Jax was startled. He looked at the back of her head—the twin-tails and the small, determined set of her shoulders. He didn't say a word, just tightened his grip as the engine roared to life.
Santo Domingo, Rancho Coronado.
When they arrived at the container warehouse, the whole crew was already gathered. A sleek, expensive-looking red car was parked nearby—likely Maine's new prize.
"Look at you two, smiling like you just hit the lottery," Pilar shrieked, eyeing them as they dismounted. "What happened? You find a stash of eddies?"
"None of your business, Pilar!" Rebecca shouted back, immediately returning to her usual combative self and giving him the middle finger.
Maine and Dorio exchanged a knowing glance. They could see the lightness in Rebecca's eyes. Jax was indeed her best partner.
"Alright, knock it off," Maine said, his voice deep and authoritative. "Rogue's first job is in. That's why I called Jackie over."
"Good afternoon, mano!" Jackie waved, looking excited to finally be part of the briefing.
"Where's Sasha?" Rebecca asked, noticing the empty spot.
"Can't make it," Dorio said. "She's in Dogtown with her sister. Apparently, her brother-in-law is a badge and needs her help with something. Kiwi's on her way, though."
Maine smiled, leaning against his new car. "Rogue's giving us a change of pace. It's not a high-danger job, but we have to leave the city for a bit. We're heading out to the Badlands."
Jax nodded. In five years, he had never stepped foot outside the city limits. He looked toward the horizon, past the skyscrapers and smog, toward the vast, dusty expanse of the desert.
The Badlands—a place even more lawless than the city. It was time to see what lay beyond the neon.
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