Cyberpunk - Badland Madman [Cyberpunk 2077]

Gloria felt angry. David was everything to her. But at the same time, she couldn't help but feel angry at him. First, he involved himself in this mess by opening his mouth and getting arrested. And now this… he tried to rat on her employer. That was one thing you don't do in Night City if you want to keep working.

"I'll go with you," she replied.

"Mom! No—"

"David, you're going home. Now! You've stirred up enough trouble already. Say one more word, and I'll zero your pocket money and ground you," she shouted back, on the verge of tears already. "Y-Your mom made a mistake and… I need to fix it. He's not that type, so don't worry. I'll be safe. Trust me."

She saw him ready to open his mouth, but she shook her head quickly. He finally took the hint.

"I'll go home, Mom."

"Good." She brushed his face, trying hard not to let the nerves show. "I'll make something nice when I get back. Grab some food till then, yeah? You got the eddies?"

"I got some, Mom."

She nodded and stepped away, turning to follow the lawyers. She followed Ashcroft into his AV and buckled her seatbelt. She watched David outside as the door closed. There was barely any noise inside, just a low hum one could ignore.

She looked around. Ashcroft was seated across from her, legs crossed, eyes glowing blue. It wasn't just him; the other three lawyers around her were doing the same, likely working on something, or perhaps talking to each other

Gloria took in a deep breath and closed her eyes. Her fingers clawed at her jeans; she felt suffocated even in that airy EMT yellow jacket. She'd been through intense mornings before, even before starting her EMT career. But ever since she had David, this was the first of its kind.

And David was dragged into this mess. The only person she had to get angry with was herself. She tried to backtrack her steps to see where she went wrong. Who could have leaked her name? Every EMT with the Meatwagon was doing what she was doing. All she did was make it more organized and help get all the EMTs better, stable deals.

She had no complaints with her employer. That man always paid instantly. But she knew the fault was her own. Maybe some EMT found out about her shady, private dealings for extra eddies.

Woosh!

By the time she woke up from her thoughts, the door of the AV was already opening. She looked out; it was the rooftop of a tall building somewhere in The Glen.

"Aren't you coming?" she asked Ashcroft.

"We're legally obligated to avoid seeing him, Ms. Martinez."

She nodded, took a deep breath, and got out of the AV. It was a simple rooftop AV pad, nothing special. She saw an elevator door not far away and walked over to it.

Ding!

Before she could even press the button, the doors opened, and a voice spoke out from the speakers. She recognized it easily.

"Get in, Ms. Martinez."

"Mr. Blackwell?" She talked back, but the voice didn't respond to her. Inside, she didn't need to press the bell as the specific floor's button lit up on its own.

Every second, her nervousness grew. But she noticed a few things. On the large, flat screen on the back, flat side of the lift, an ad was showing. It was just a visual animation, however.

"The Atlantis?"

####

Trauma Team, Medcenter,

Cypher left Judy's apartment and went to see Lucas before his surgery. When he arrived in the private room, the kid was already up and eating a big serving of breakfast. The television on the wall was playing some movie about a techie samurai.

"You good?"

"Mr. Blackwell!" Lucas beamed up. "I thought you wouldn't come."

Cypher nodded, asking himself the same question. Why did he come? But maybe it was the guilt of leaving the kid helpless again, especially before a brain surgery.

"Well, here I am. Go on, eat, you're up for surgery. You remember anything at all? When'd you smack your head that hard?"

"I…" Lucas looked down, eyes squeezed shut, thinking. "Hmm… I used to fall a lot before I got my early chrome. One time, a car smashed into me, but I only hurt my shoulder. Hm… One time, I was running from Scavs and fell down a trash shaft. I don't know which one you're talking about, Mr. Blackwell."

"..."

Cypher was speechless. Yeah, this kid was both lucky and unlucky at the same time. Handed the shorter stick in life, but still somehow alive.

"Eh, doesn't really matter now, does it? They're gonna take care of that blood clot and patch you up. After that, we'll see about lining you up with a job. You're a kid, I get it, but I ain't running a charity here. But don't stress it, it won't be dangerous or painful."

"Really?! I'll do my best, Mr. Blackwell. You're really nova! The best!"

Cypher nodded and stepped away as the door opened and two nurses walked in. They were hot, Cypher had to agree to that. Tight bodies, flared out hips, perfect, glossy skin on their faces, and sleek hair made in a bun. Combined with that tight-fitting uniform, it was really fantasy-invoking. As far as he remembered, the pretty ones only served the private rooms, which were usually taken by the executives most of the time.

"Good morning, Mr. Blackwell. We're here to take Lucas into surgery."

"Go ahead." Cypher stepped away and watched as they helped Lucas change into a hospital gown.

The kid didn't look scared, however. He was chatting with the nurses, calling them pretty, and asking for their names. No shame either, as they stripped him naked.

Well, he was a kid alright.

Finally, they put him on a plush, comfy electric chair.

"You'll be out cold for a few hours," Cypher said. "I gotta head out, got work. Don't freak if I'm not here when you wake up. I'll swing by soon, alright?"

"Got it, mister. And… Thanks for saving me. They woulda' flatlined me for real if you didn't show. I saw them kill one before they strapped me on the table."

How could a kid say all that while smiling?

Lucas did just that, waving at the same time. Clearly, Lucas was mentally scarred for life. No kid in Night City was safe in the first place. You either grow up early, or face the consequences that range from death to worse.

He remembered what Evelyn Parker's fate was, or would be perhaps if nothing changed. Scavs were truly amongst the worst insects in the city.

"Don't mention it. Just looking out for the chrome I lent you, kid. Now go get your head fixed up."

"Yes, sir!" Lucas seriously saluted, back straight. "I'll pay you back for everything, I promise."

"Go."

Cypher watched the nurses take him away. The entire time Lucas was talking, asking them questions. Eventually, the automatic door closed, leaving him alone.

[Cypher, will you truly charge him money?]

"Huh? C'mon, I ain't that cold, Atlas. Anyway, let's roll and check out that club. Whole damn building's ours now."

[You're softer than you portray yourself as, Cypher.]

"Well, you're wrong about that."

[How?]

"Cuz those damn nurses left me hard as fuck."

[...]

Atlas said nothing after that, and Cypher went out. One of Delamain's taxis was already waiting for him there.

"Welcome, Mr. Blackwell."

"How you doing, Del? When are you gonna kick off that AV thing? Atlas hooked you up with funding already, didn't he?" Cypher asked once he sat inside the cab.

Bald Delamain nodded in the screen. "He certainly did, Mr. Blackwell. Eddies are not a concern. I am in the process of acquiring all necessary licenses and permits, and should have them in about two weeks. I am also negotiating a fleet of custom AVs from Zetatech, plus several luxury AVs from Rayfield.

"The plan is to open access to mid-tier clients and expand the market footprint. His Holiness Atlas, is helping with market research to assemble a targeted client list, reducing unnecessary advertising costs."

Cypher nodded, looking sideways at Atlas seated beside him, skin dark, hair white, Morgan Freeman in flesh but visible only to his organic eyes. "You're helping him?"

[The more he grows, the more we benefit.]

"Why? We don't own the company, right?"

[That is correct. But he has committed sixty percent of it as collateral. I will support his expansion, but not enough for him to settle his debt within the allotted time. Ultimately, it will become ours by design.]

"Damn, you're ruthless."

[He would have done the same. It's only a matter of intelligence.]

Cypher stopped conversing inside his head and looked at the screen. "Hey, Del, make sure you get me a luxury AV. I'm gonna use it for corpo shit or if I gotta impress some corpo chick."

"Of course, Mr. Blackwell. As the new owner of the Atlantis, it is only natural," Delamain replied.

"Also, if I end up making an AV someday, you're buying them. No debate. Mine'll be faster, safer, and way more advanced, I know that for a fact."

"I wouldn't expect anything less, Mr. Blackwell. Obsidian is at the cutting edge of new tech, no surprise there."

"Fucker's buttering me up."

[He's scared of you, Cyph.]

"That's good."

______________________

Check out Cypher X Panam, Cypher X Gloria, Cypher X Judy NSFW ART, and advance chapters at [email protected]/MrPlotThickens Or Subscribestar.adult/mrplotthickens

Advance chapters on [PATREON] are in long-form format. I have 8 long chapters of this story on P@treon. That's equal to 26-30 NovelFire chapters.