"I'll get out here," Lucy said suddenly, her hand already reaching for the door handle.
Neo shook his head. "No need." He didn't bother to hide the incoming holo-call flashing across the dashboard. "Go ahead, Jackie. What's up?"
Jackie Welles' voice came through, smooth and energized. "So, I just wrapped up talks with Maine's crew. We're teaming up for that big job I mentioned. You know, the one I said could change everything?"
Neo leaned back. "That so? And I assume you didn't call me just to brag?"
Jackie laughed. "C'mon, hermano, you know me better than that! I'm calling to invite you in. I've told you a dozen times already — you're destined to be a legend in Night City. Hell, you're already the prequel to one! A guy like me never lies. So, what do you say, choom? You in?"
Neo didn't even hesitate. "Sure."
There was a pause on the line. "…Wait. What?"
"I said yes," Neo repeated, calmly.
For a second, there was only static — then came a loud, joyous yell from Jackie. "Yes! Hell yeah! I knew it, hermano! With you onboard, this job's already half-won!"
Then his tone softened a bit. "But, uh, one more thing, V… you sure you don't wanna get any cyberware installed? Look, I get it, you've got your whole samurai purist thing going on, but this ain't 2020. Chrome keeps people alive, man. Boosts speed, strength, even your lifespan. You can't keep playin' it old-school forever."
Neo's gaze turned thoughtful but firm. "Jackie, I'll give you the same answer I've always given. I don't need chrome. Not now. Not ever."
He paused, then said quietly, "Like you said, everyone needs something that's theirs. When everything else gets stripped away, at least you've still got that."
"And if the new world's got no place for me," he added, a faint smirk tugging at his lips, "then I'll stay with the old one. Happily."
Jackie chuckled. "Damn, you're deep, hermano. Fine, fine. Every man's gotta walk his own path. I won't push it. Just remember — no matter what kind of legend you turn into, you're still my brother."
He laughed again, a lighter tone returning to his voice. "Anyway, I'll let you get back to your little date. Once you're done, meet me at Viktor's clinic, yeah? I'll ping you the coordinates."
The call cut out.
Neo turned his head slightly — Lucy had already climbed into the driver's seat, starting the car with quiet confidence.
"'The old world's remnant,' huh?" she said, her lips curving faintly. "That's… poetic. Almost sad."
She looked at him through the neon wash of the dashboard. "Wanna come over? Have a drink? Maybe watch something… interesting?"
Neo didn't even think. "Sure."
Lucy blinked. "That easy?"
He gave a small grin. "I'm a terrible navigator. I go wherever the driver takes me."
…
Turbo Street
Lucy's apartment sat above a small turbo-diner, its flickering sign casting a dull red glow through the stairwell. Neo followed her up, passing walls painted over with layers of graffiti — surreal eyes, crooked faces, abstract chaos.
Something about them felt… familiar.
"We're here," Lucy said, stopping before a steel-gray door. A flicker of light passed over her eyes as the biometric scanner confirmed access. The door hissed open.
"Come in."
Neo stepped inside. The air smelled faintly of ozone and smoke. Sparse furniture, pale light, cold walls — the quintessential Night City single flat.
Lucy gestured loosely toward the room. "Same as every other shoebox in this city. No design, no style. Just a place to crash."
She walked over to a fridge, opened it — rows of bottles gleamed under the dim light.
"What'll you have?"
"Rum, if you've got it. If not, surprise me."
She grabbed two beers, tossed one to him. They clinked caps off with a flick of their thumbs, then drank straight from the bottle.
Gulp. Gulp.
Lucy exhaled smoke from a fresh cigarette, her voice slow and teasing. "So, tell me… is this your first time?"
Neo blinked. "What?"
Her lips curved. "First time in a woman's apartment. First time drinking with one — at night."
Neo smirked faintly. "No."
"Hmm. You look nervous," she teased.
He finished his beer in one go, wiping the corner of his mouth with his sleeve. "Not nervous. Just… not built for Night City's version of casual."
He met her gaze. "Lucy, some things are better when they mean something. You don't have to pretend everything's shallow. Not with me."
Lucy's laugh was soft, amused. "Didn't think there were still people like you around."
She downed the rest of her drink, glass clinking on the counter. "Alright, samurai. Time to show you something good."
…
She picked up a Braindance wreath, its wires coiling like a halo, and began calibrating it.
"Braindance, huh?" Neo said. "You'll be disappointed. No ports, remember?"
"Don't underestimate a netrunner," Lucy replied, a hint of pride in her tone. "Braindances came from the old dream tech — dreamglasses. These are the upgraded version. I've got a modified pair that syncs visuals and audio through light sensors. No plug needed."
She tossed him a sleek visor. "My own design. It'll link with my wreath. Try it on."
Neo slipped it over his head. Lucy's fingers danced across the controls of her wreath, selecting a file. "Let's take a trip."
[BD File Loaded: Lunar Voyage]
The world dissolved.
Suddenly, they were standing on the surface of the moon.
A silver wasteland stretched out before them, endless and still. The sky above was black velvet, punctured by the harsh blaze of the sun.
Neo raised a hand to shield his eyes. "I'll give you this — the resolution's insane."
Lucy stood beside him, her white hair glinting beneath the simulated light. "What you're seeing isn't even full immersion. If you had a neural port, you'd feel it too — the weight, the heat, the vacuum pressing against your skin."
She extended her hand toward him, her voice softer now.
"Come on," she said. "Take my hand."
Neo hesitated, just a second. Then he did.
"Let's run," Lucy whispered.
And together, they leapt into the air — bounding weightlessly across the moon, two small figures against the cold infinity of space.
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