Cyberpunk Patriarch

Judy's gaze lingered on Arthur's arm, her expression shifting as she studied the gleaming mechanical limb. Arthur noticed and chuckled softly, already understanding the unspoken weight behind her stare. Judy was still young—sharp, sure—but ultimately sheltered by the Mox gang's embrace. She believed she'd seen enough of Night City to understand its darkness, but in truth, she'd only skimmed the surface. She hadn't felt blood mist on her face, hadn't breathed the metallic tang that replaced air when the killing started.

Trying to defuse the tension, Arthur leaned back and smiled. "This," he said, raising his arm slightly, "is a genuine Mantis Blade. You won't find this model in any store. Experimental prosthesis—gifted by a 'friend' from the company. They scrapped the project because it fried too many brains."

Judy smirked, unconvinced. "A friend, huh? Must've been real tight with this 'friend.'" She didn't buy it, and Arthur didn't blame her. She probably thought he'd looted the blades off some corpo corpse. Technically, she wasn't wrong. The Mantis Blades were Arasaka tech—swiped during a black op that spiraled out of control. What she didn't know was how much they'd contributed to his downward spiral into cyberpsychosis.

"You've got a lot of brothers, huh?" Judy asked, switching gears. "But the one you pulled this data from? His brain's practically a void. Only thing he remembered was getting 'taught a lesson' by you and blowing someone's head off. That—and relieving himself on loop. I deserve hazard pay for sitting through that."

Arthur let out a sheepish exhale of smoke. "That's my brother for you," he muttered.

Judy continued, "He owns property in Pacifica—some kind of old factory. If you track him down, you might be able to get it transferred."

"Pacifica?" Arthur raised an eyebrow. "That place is a wasteland."

"Apparently, he bought into the freehold craze. Thought he could flip it someday."

Arthur pinched the bridge of his nose. "And that's how he lost his mind. Makes sense now."