Chapter 3: Are You Ready for the Party?
After dumping the contents of his duffel and grabbing his gear, Arthur's eyes lit up with excitement. Without hesitation, he grabbed David by the wrist and sprinted toward the elevator.
"Come on, no time to waste!" he shouted over his shoulder.
David stumbled after him, utterly confused. His mind still spinning, he blurted, "W-where are we going?!"
Arthur didn't answer right away. As the elevator doors slid shut and they began descending to the underground garage, Arthur pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek, thinking quickly.
He tapped his personal link. "Delamain, spare me the crap about availability and regulations. I know damn well you can get what I need. Fine, fine—charge me the handling fee. Double? Tch. No wonder you survived the vampire economy."
David watched him with growing alarm as Arthur casually negotiated like he was ordering takeout, not planning whatever reckless stunt he was obviously about to pull.
Ding!
The elevator doors opened, revealing the underground garage bathed in flickering yellow light. Parked neatly in one bay was a familiar black Delamain cab.
Arthur pulled David along and shoved him into the backseat before climbing in himself. Once Arthur connected his neural link to the vehicle's system, the doors auto-locked with a reassuring click.
"Destination set: Night City Rehabilitation Center. Estimated time of arrival: 10 minutes."
Only after hearing that did Arthur finally remove the cigarette from his mouth and exhale a long cloud of smoke.