Chapter 34: Jackie Joins, and Is That... David?
"How could you do that?!"
"That's cheating! Fuck, you cheated!"
In a corner of the MultiTaste diner, Pilar was practically vibrating with rage, stomping his foot on the bench. Kiwi's stunt had twisted his face into a mask of fury. He flailed his limbs like an overheated monkey, his Gorilla Arms whipping around like loose cables. One accidentally smacked Rebecca across the face.
Incensed, Rebecca slammed her foot onto the table, pulled out her Omaha, and racked the slide. If Dorio hadn't reacted instantly, she would have put a hole straight through Pilar's chrome hand.
The moment Maine's crew had walked in—especially the intimidating figures of Maine and Jackie—the diner's noise level had plummeted. Patrons quickly got up and scurried out.
Seeing the mass exodus, the diner's owner, a white guy in his thirties or forties, sighed wearily. He glanced back towards the kitchen window, where his 'chef' was nervously fumbling with synth-food packets, his movements sluggish with fear. The owner knew he had to step in.
Grabbing a datapad, he took a deep breath, walked out from behind the counter, and approached the table of heavily chromed individuals who screamed 'mercs' from a mile away.
"You lost fair and square, asshole. Besides, didn't you guys jump the gun first?" Kiwi retorted coolly, sitting beside Sasha.
"Then why'd you hack me?! I was in last place!" Pilar shrieked, pointing accusatorily at Rhys and Maine. "You didn't hack the girls, okay, sisterhood, I fucking get it. But why didn't you hack Rhys or Maine? They were the fastest! Why me?"
"Okay, Maine's the boss, you don't hack him, maybe you're scared he'll fuck you over later. But why not Rhys? Shit, are you crushing on Rhys too?"
Pilar's voice was loud, echoing in the now mostly empty diner. Everyone at the crowded table heard him. Interestingly, when Dorio glanced at Sasha, the netrunner just put on her innocent, wide-eyed cat smile. But next to her, Rebecca suddenly ducked her head.
"Fuck..." Dorio stared at Rebecca, stunned. No way. Seriously? Rhys has only been with the crew for a few days! Has he already charmed every woman here except me?
Although... Dorio blinked. If she wasn't already with Maine, she wouldn't necessarily mind getting involved with Rhys either. Strong, handsome, gentle... and that core kindness, that thoughtfulness so different from most people on the street. He didn't talk much, but he did things. It was hard not to admire a man like that. Was it something he picked up from the Mox? Nah, there wasn't anyone else like Rhys in that gang, and she'd spent plenty of time at Lizzie's.
Kiwi's eyes narrowed, her optics flashing. The vents under her jaw hissed faintly. "If you don't shut your mouth, you won't be eating this meal either," she said, her voice dangerously low.
"..." Seeing Kiwi genuinely pissed, Pilar grumbled and sat down, though he couldn't resist muttering, "Fine, then hack Jackie. It's his first day, make him pay. Good initiation, right?"
"Who makes a friend pay on the first day? Are you insane?" Maine smacked Pilar upside the head, exasperated.
Jackie quickly jumped in. "It's fine, I can pay! It was my idea to come here anyway. Honestly, I just didn't want to split up so soon. How about this, I..."
"Forget it! I lost, I pay!" Pilar slammed his hand on the table. "It's just one meal!"
"Owner!"
"Coming, coming!" The owner hurried over, still shaken from seeing the green-haired girl rack her pistol. He'd seen plenty of shit running a diner in Watson, but it never got easier. One wrong move, and you're flatlined. How could a normal person ever get used to this kind of stress?
"Get over here! How are we supposed to order if you're hiding back there?" Pilar yelled.
The owner approached, forcing a smile. "What can I get for you folks?"
Rebecca held up two fingers. "Double burger combo, large NiColas for both!"
"One pineapple pizza, one tuna melt pizza. Dorio, what do you want?"
"I'll try this... noodles. Never had them before," Dorio decided after a moment.
Sasha and Kiwi spoke almost in unison: "Anything with high sugar content." They glanced at each other and shared a small smile. High-sugar synth-food, the fuel of choice for netrunners everywhere.
Rhys ordered too, opting for a synth-steak after scanning the menu.
"Don't worry, owner. We're just here to eat. We won't cause any trouble," Maine added, noticing the man's trembling hands. He understood the fear. Just a few days ago, some psycho in a charcoal suit had opened up with a heavy machine gun down the street. The NCPD showed up, watched him get back in his car, and drive away. Didn't pursue, didn't investigate.
In Night City, the gap between the haves and have-nots was wider than the gap between humans and cyber-dogs. Don't believe it? Check the price of high-end pet food. That stuff was basically standard rations for low-level corpo-dogs – nutritious, palatable – but completely unaffordable for the street poor.
The food arrived quickly, microwaved pre-pak meals dumped onto plates. Rebecca grabbed her burger and started inhaling it. Kiwi and Sasha picked at their sugary 'desserts.' Jackie dug into his burrito. Rhys examined his synth-steak, cut off a piece, and put it in his mouth. The texture was rough, unnaturally chewy like cheap plastic, but the flavor wasn't bad.
As he ate, Rhys spoke up. "Maine, I have a suggestion."
"What's up?"
"Now that we're working for Rogue, her gigs are probably going to be tougher. Maybe we should expand the crew a bit more. What do you think?" Rhys looked up at Maine.
Everyone at the table immediately understood what Rhys was getting at, their eyes turning to Jackie.
Jackie got it too. He paused, then said, "Look, chooms, honest truth? I've been tagging along because I do want to join you. Like you said, I'm pretty down on my luck right now. But... are you sure you want me?"
"My situation... it's complicated. Hard to explain. And I'm not chromed-up like you guys," he hesitated.
He wasn't being coy. Ever since meeting them at Vick's, he'd wanted to throw in with them. Who wanted to run solo if they didn't have to? It wasn't that Jackie didn't have friends; he was well-liked in Heywood, plenty of people owed him favors. But the Valentinos had put the word out: anyone in Heywood who helped the "traitor" Jackie Welles within a certain timeframe would answer to the gang. Leaving a gang wasn't the same as quitting a job; it was betrayal. That was the code. So, Jackie was cut off from his support network. That was why, despite his skills and connections, he was barely scraping by.
If Rhys and Maine were assholes, it wouldn't matter. He'd use them and ditch them. But after just one morning, Jackie could tell they were different. They weren't typical edgerunners. He couldn't bring himself to screw them over.
"My situation's unique," Jackie continued. "For me, making a name for myself is worth dying for. Even if I catch a bullet, I gotta go out blazing. But if I join you, I'm afraid..."
"Afraid of what?" Rhys interrupted him gently but firmly. "Jackie, you might not believe this, but... us? We've got that... what do you call it? Chemistry?"
Jackie looked up, surprised. "Mano! No lie, I feel it too! That's why I stuck around!"
Kiwi, sucking nutrient paste through a straw inserted into her mask, nodded slightly. Maine's crew... they really were different. Any other crew, during the Janus hit, would they have risked everything to save a teammate who got compromised? Let alone pay for her treatment afterward? That was probably why, despite finding them incredibly annoying, Kiwi was still here. In the backstabbing cesspool of Night City, Maine's crew felt like... something else. Like a light. Maybe it was like Maine said—Here, you don't have to worry about betrayal. We're family. That sense of security... Kiwi wasn't used to it, but she didn't hate it.
If Rhys knew what she was thinking, he'd agree. He'd seen it in the anime. David, in his situation, joining any other crew? They would have stripped him for parts, sold his Sandevistan, and left him for dead. But what did Maine do? That Sandevistan was meant for him. But when he found out David had installed it, heard his story... he didn't hurt the poor, orphaned 'rich kid.' He took him in, treated him like a little brother. Maine truly was a good leader, a patriarch. The idealized image from the anime hadn't shattered against the harsh reality of Night City. And that was the main reason Rhys had decided to stay.
"Jackie, let me be straight with you," Rhys said. "I like you. I felt a connection right away. If Rogue hadn't called, I was planning on talking to Maine about bringing you in anyway. You see our setup."
He paused. "Maine, Dorio, and me handle combat. Rebecca's support. Kiwi and Sasha are our netrunners. Pilar's our techie."
"We could still use more muscle."
"But I don't have eddies for chrome," Jackie said, rubbing his head.
"You walked away from the Valentinos mostly organic! You're already that strong without chrome? Imagine what you could do with it!" Maine threw an arm around Jackie's shoulders. "Eddies aren't important. I'll stake you. Right, mano?"
Maine grinned at Jackie. He genuinely liked the guy. Even if Rhys hadn't suggested it, Maine wouldn't have just let him walk away. It wasn't just his personality; it was his potential. Look at him! Maine needed a ton of chrome just to match Jackie's natural bulk. The guy was built like a brick wall, a damn bear. His physical baseline was clearly way above average.
More importantly, Jackie had something Maine valued above all else—heart. Humanity. That was the core of his crew.
"Since you put it like that... I'm not gonna argue!" Jackie's booming laugh returned. "I'm in! So, we're family now?"
"Of course. We're happy to have you," Dorio said with a warm smile.
Jackie beamed at her.
Rhys watched them, feeling genuinely happy. Anyone who played the game probably had the same thought—was there any way to save Jackie? The game used flashbacks to show their year together, building a life in Night City, but even that short time was enough to make Jackie a beloved character. His death was a gut punch, a major source of player angst.
Rhys took a sip of water. Jackie was in. So... what about V? He, or rather, she?
As he thought this, Rhys glanced out the window and froze. A kid in an Arasaka Academy uniform was walking past, head down.
Rhys immediately stood up. The rest of the crew looked at him, confused, as he walked outside. Maine followed his gaze and saw the kid with the punk haircut.
"Ah, the neighbor."
"Neighbor?" Jackie asked, lost.
"Rhys's neighbor. Kid's alright," Maine said, walking over to join Rhys. He saw Rhys call out to the boy.
"David? What are you doing out here?"
"Huh?" The boy, walking with his hands in his pockets, looked up, startled. He saw Rhys and Maine, his young face surprised. It was David.
"Isn't it school time right now?" Rhys asked, amused by David's dazed expression.
Well, Rhys thought, V's background is still unknown. Corpo V is unreachable, Street Kid V is in Atlanta, Nomad V is probably still eating dust in the Badlands. Compared to tracking down V, the kid right here... he had potential too.
"Hey, kid! Come on in, grab something to eat. Our treat," Maine called out. He remembered the kid lying to protect Rhys. He had guts. Maine didn't mind getting to know him.
"Uh..." David hesitated, looking completely bewildered to run into Rhys here in Watson. After a moment, though, he took his hands out of his pockets and walked over.
"Your mom told me to keep an eye on you. Said she'd bring me dinner for it. So, you gotta tell me why you're skipping class," Rhys said, throwing a friendly arm around David's shoulders and pulling him closer.
David blinked, then offered Rhys a weak, hesitant smile. The reason he skipped class? Oh, that was a long story...