Chapter 144: David Takes the Bait
At the Badlands bastion, David Martinez's life was strictly partitioned into two segments. One part was binary language learning under the tutelage of the servo-skull, accompanied by painful electric shocks.
The other part followed Joric's instructions: assisting Dr. Glen in his crude, makeshift clinic, observing and recording the rough cyberware implantation and neural splicing surgeries.
On this day, David had just finished a round of mind-numbing study. He was leaning against a wall to rest, trying to calm his overworked biological brain.
His personal communicator rang. It was an unknown number.
He hesitated, then answered.
"Mr. David Martinez?" A professional-sounding male voice came through. "I hope I am not disturbing you. I represent the 'New Life Line Medical Charity Foundation.' We have learned of your mother, Ms. Gloria Martinez's condition."
David's heart skipped a beat. "New Life Line Foundation"? He had never heard the name.
"Our foundation focuses on aiding families suffering from severe neural damage due to accidents," the voice continued with a perfectly calibrated tone of sympathy. "We have noted that Ms. Martinez's continued treatment requires a specific drug known as 'Neuro-Synaptic Regenerator Type-IV.' This medication is indeed... costly, and distribution channels are limited."
The fact that the caller precisely named the drug his mother needed caused David to lower his guard slightly, but the instinct developed from living in Night City kept him from trusting immediately.
"What do you want?" David's voice held a note of caution.
"We wish to offer assistance," the voice was sincere. "The foundation has an emergency aid project. After a preliminary assessment, we believe Ms. Martinez's situation meets our funding criteria.
"We can provide full pharmaceutical assistance, including the 'Neuro-Synaptic Regenerator Type-IV,' as well as a subsequent series of rehabilitation support."
Full pharmaceutical assistance? David felt his breathing quicken.
It meant his mother could be free from pain, perhaps even recover better than expected. This was an almost irresistible temptation for him.
"What are the conditions?" David forced himself to stay calm. He knew pies didn't fall from the sky.
"We require a final, professional face-to-face assessment of Ms. Martinez's condition to determine the most appropriate aid plan and dosage," the other party explained. "The assessment location is the 'Stillwater' Private Medical Clinic in Charter Hill. You may set the time, though the sooner the better—the patient's condition permits no delay."
The stranger's words were impeccable, filled with allure.
But David didn't agree immediately. He used the excuse of needing to think about it and hung up.
Immense hope and deep unease warred within him. His first thought was Lucy. The team's netrunner might be able to dig up the background of this "New Life Line Foundation."
When he found Lucy, she was sitting in her corner, wearing headphones, seemingly immersed in a data stream.
David walked up somewhat apprehensively and explained the situation.
Lucy listened, took off one headphone, and looked at him calmly with her pale violet eyes. "Foundation name. And the clinic name."
David immediately reported "New Life Line" and "Stillwater Clinic."
"Wait a moment," Lucy said, standing up. Her next action was completely unexpected to David.
Without any coyness, she began to strip off her upper clothing.
First the jacket, then the tight-fitting tank top underneath.
Her movements were natural and fluid, as if she were simply performing the most ordinary preparation.
David froze instantly. His gaze fell uncontrollably on Lucy's exposed upper body.
Her skin was very pale, glowing like porcelain in the dim light of the bastion. Her shoulder lines were graceful, her collarbones delicate and defined.
Most eye-catching was her chest...
David's brain buzzed. Blood seemed to rush to his head instantly; his cheeks and ears burned hot.
He had never seen the body of the opposite sex so close, so clearly.
At Arasaka Academy, he was the ostracized poor student, rarely even having the chance to speak to girls.
At this moment, a primal, intense impulse rose from deep within him, leaving his mouth dry and his heart pounding wildly.
He could feel a distinct physical reaction below his waist, which filled him with immense shame and panic.
Almost instinctively, he whipped around, turning his back to Lucy. His voice stammered with tension, "S-sorry! I... I didn't..."
Behind him came Lucy's flat voice, carrying a trace of imperceptible confusion. "What's wrong? I'm getting in the ice bath. How can I jack in if I don't take my clothes off?"
Only then did David realize—Lucy was stripping to perform a deep dive, which required physical cooling.
He felt like an idiot for having those kinds of thoughts.
But he still dared not turn around, terrified of seeing more sights that would make him lose control, and afraid Lucy would see his crimson face and embarrassment.
He heard the faint splash of water as Lucy lay into the tub always prepared with ice water.
Then came the subtle click of a data cable jacking into a neural port.
"You can turn around now." Lucy's voice sounded again, this time with a slight distortion from electronic interference—the sign that her consciousness had begun diving into cyberspace.
David turned back slowly, his heart still racing.
He saw Lucy lying in the tub filled with ice, the water level covering her chest, leaving only her head and the cable-connected neck exposed.
Her expression was peaceful, eyes closed, already entered into the Net.
Although he couldn't see her body anymore, the fleeting glimpse from earlier was deeply branded into his mind, lingering stubbornly.
He struggled to suppress the restlessness in his body and the heat on his face, forcing himself to focus on the business at hand.
The wait wasn't long.
About ten minutes later, Lucy's body trembled slightly, and she opened her eyes.
She unplugged the data cable, sat up from the ice water, picked up a towel to dry her body and hair, and once again began dressing without any reservation.
Although David was still embarrassed, he managed to control himself this time. He didn't look away, though the tips of his ears remained red.
"Found it," Lucy said as she pulled on her tank top, her tone returning to its usual cool detachment. "'New Life Line Medical Charity Foundation.' Registration info is very clean. Established recently, funding sources are vague, but on the surface, there are no major issues.
"It does have some indirect connections to Arasaka, mainly through several medical equipment suppliers and drug distribution channels influenced by the Corp."
She paused, looking at David. "The drug you need is a strictly controlled product of Arasaka biological tech. It makes logical sense for this foundation to have ties to Arasaka.
"I infiltrated their internal comms and financial records. I didn't find any obvious trap markers for now. It looks... real, even if the background might not be purely charitable."
(End of Chapter)