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Chapter 88 c
🕑 Added 2025-03-14 16:54:38 +0000 UTCChapter 88 c
Viktor and Misty’s street was as lively as always. The ragged man who wore trash bags like clothes was still on his corner, loudly proclaiming his conspiracy theories. Sadly, he hardly had an audience; most people who wandered over just wanted a photo for social media, ignoring his frantic shouts.
Diagonally across from him stood a nightclub, where scantily clad dancers performed pole routines in the display window. Even they seemed to draw more onlookers than the conspiracy theorist did.
After greeting Misty, V and Jackie headed down to Viktor’s clinic in the basement. Leo and Lucy stayed upstairs; too many people crowding Vik’s workspace would only make things harder for him. They decided to wait outside.
A scruffy-looking man pushing a shopping cart soon wandered over, his grin crooked and eyes glinting with something unpleasant.
"Well, damn. You look sexy as hell," he drawled, giving her an obvious once-over. "Ever think about working as a lady of the night? First week would get ya twice the pay, easy."
He let out a wheezy chuckle, tapping the dented camera in his cart. "Or maybe this lil’ beauty’s got something even better on it—something that could change your life."
Before he could get any closer, Leo stepped in front of Lucy and shoved the man back by his shoulder.
“Stay away from her, you piece of trash.”
The man stumbled, anger flashing across his face. But when he spotted the Muramasa at Leo’s waist and the big revolver in its quick-draw holster, his fury vanished as fast as it came. He raised both hands in surrender, then scurried away, pushing his cart with all the speed he could muster.
Leo knew exactly what that lowlife had been after. Hard to believe that in 2077, there were still idiots trying to rope strangers into filming shady adult vids right on the street.
Suddenly, Leo’s phone rang. The screen showed an unknown number.
“Who is this?”
A hoarse male voice came through. “They call me The Captain on the streets. I’m a fixer in Santo Domingo.”
Every district had more than one fixer, but Leo had heard of this "El Capitán"—real name Muamar Reyes. He was a rising player in Santo Domingo, going toe-to-toe with older big-timers like Faraday.
“I got your number from Regina. There’s a job I want to see if you’re interested in.”
“All right, let’s hear it.”
“Here’s the situation…
.....
..
.
So, you think you can handle it?”
Leo’s brows furrowed slightly. “That’s not your average gig.”
El Capitán’s proposal was different from the jobs Leo and his crew usually took. What made it more complicated was that two key members of his team were currently in Vik’s clinic getting cyberware implanted.
“Regina says you’re solid.”
“She’s right. I’m reliable,” Leo said, “but this is going to cost you. I want double what you just offered.”
The Captain didn’t hesitate. “No problem—deal. But let’s be clear: you only get paid once the client’s safe. If they die, nobody’s paying, got it?”
Leo raised an eyebrow. “You think I’m some rookie merc who doesn’t know how fixers operate? You just have that money ready.”
“It’ll be there. One more thing—after you finish this job, I’ll have a personal favor to ask. That can wait, though. I know things need to happen one step at a time. I’ll call you again later. Gotta go.”
The moment Leo hung up, Lucy spoke up beside him. “Another gig?”
He nodded. “Hmm one good thing about Night City is that you never have to run dry on gigs as long as you are good.”
“But… what about the others?”
Lucy glanced at the entrance to the clinic under Misty’s shop. She remembered how Vik had insisted on keeping her under observation for three full days after her surgeries. Now, V and Jackie were only installing a Kerenzikov, which wasn’t as invasive as Lucy’s implants had been—but it was still major surgery. They clearly needed recovery time; fresh out of surgery, they couldn’t just jump into a mission.
“No worries,” Leo said. “Let them rest. I can find someone else. I’ll make a call.”
He had never intended to drag V and Jackie straight into a new job the moment they got off the operating table. That was something only a heartless boss would do. If he was short on people, he could always hit up Maine’s crew for some backup.
A short while later, Rebecca’s lively voice echoed from the other end of his holo-call. She was apparently just getting up; from what Leo could see of her background, she was still in pajamas.
“Hey, Leo! Genki?”
A couple of centuries ago, the global hub had been Europe; a century ago, the United States. By 2077, Asia had risen to the top in both military and economic might, and cultural exchange had shifted accordingly. Modern young people often tossed in bits of Asian slang—unless they were stubborn rednecks.
And, admittedly, he had a little of that redneck stubbornness in him, too. Maybe that’s why he never really used the slang himself.
“I'm Good, So, are you free right now?”
“Huh? Right this moment?”
“Yeah,” he said. Above the call’s feed, heavy metal music blared in the background, so loud it made Leo wince. “Your place sounds crazy. What are you up to?”
“N-nothing, hold on a sec…”
Rebecca had always acted sweet as sugar around Leo, but the moment she turned away from the camera, her expression flipped.
“Hey, big bro! Turn that damned music down—I’m on the phone!”
Standing in the middle of the room, a lanky figure with long arms and legs—Pilar—put a hand to his ear and drawled, “What? Can’t hear you!”
Boom, boom, boom!
In an instant, the heavy metal that nearly shook the ceiling fell silent. Two speakers, each riddled with bullet holes in a neat vertical row, crackled with stray sparks. Pilar stared blankly at the damage.
“My dumb little sister! Do you know what you just did? I bought those speakers brand-new!”
“Shut up! One more word and I’ll rip your junk off and shove it in your mouth!”
After a brief frenzy of curses and clattering, Pilar stalked out, lugging his shot-up speakers in search of salvage or repair. Although Leo’s holo-call only showed part of the chaos, the gunfire and Pilar’s cries told him enough. He sighed.
“You and your brother have… a pretty special relationship.”
“That’s just how he is,” Rebecca replied. “No use talking sense into him without a little demonstration.” She held up the two handguns Leo had sold her—one tech pistol and one smart pistol—and grinned. “Thanks to these babies, I bagged eleven kills on our last job.”
Leo smiled modestly. “A good gun is only as effective as the hands that wield it.”
Rebecca giggled, her eyes curving into crescents. “See, that’s why I love talking to you. You always know what to say. So, you calling to ask me out or what?”
“Wait, why is that the first thing you assume?”
“Huh? Isn’t it?”
“Course not.”
“Well, what’s up then?”
Leo cleared his throat. “I’ve got a job and could use your help. Could you get in touch with Maine for me?”
Rebecca sighed. “That might be tricky. My crew’s all busy right now.”
“Busy?”
Leo glanced at the time and at Rebecca in her pajamas. It was just past nine in the morning. If she and Pilar were still at home, their team clearly didn’t have a job lined up. So how could they all be too busy to help?
