Cyberpunk: Angel of Chrome

POV: V – 10:00 AM

The HUD ping jolted V awake. He groaned and picked up.

"Yo," he muttered.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty," Emilia chirped. "What's up?"

"You don't sleep, do you?"

"Judy was talking about you. I might be softening her up."

"Back to work—"

"Don't clo—"

Click.

Too late.

V blinked. "Damn that girl… moody as hell in the morning—probably dreams in 4D and wakes up still flirting."

Ding.

"Don't hang up on me!" Emilia barked. "Anyway, Judy's birthday is coming up. I want to plan a surprise, and you can't say no. Love ya. Cya. Smouches."

"Gimme back my sleep, woman..." V muttered.

He looked around. Panam was sprawled awkwardly on the couch, snoring softly.

He padded over to the Ripper Clinic. "Yo, cat girl—how're we feeling?"

Sasha grinned. "Feeling good. I sent you my full chrome remodel list. Stealth solo-netrunner hybrid. Now that Martinez left, someone's gotta cover that silent-kill role."

"Yeah, makes sense," V nodded. Even though Martinez never actually had a stealth build—just a Sandevistan with no alpha build at least. Really hope the kid doesn't do anything stupid… who I am kidding, he thought.

Just need a little time to fine-tune your chrome stack, catgirl.

He leaned against the frame, grinning. "Still down to be my secretary?"

Sasha gave a playful salute. "Always. Only now? Your secretary comes with built-in stealth, monowire, and murder potential."

V laughed. "Perfect combo. Killer instinct and calendar reminders."

Sasha smirked. "I file your death threats under 'urgent memos.'"

"True. Alright, let's get started in an hour."

She kissed him on the cheek and went off to prep breakfast.

V glanced over the list: Electrifying Monowire, ThreatEvac RAM Reallocator, nano-plating modded with optical overlays, NetWatch NetDriver Mk.1, Kerenzikov, Axolotl, custom pain editor, agility-focused skeleton implants... ninja mode, basically—and so many more.

He preloaded everything into the DNA regulator, prioritizing frontal cortex mods.

Ping.

"Hey, Lucy. What's up?"

"Morning, V. Just reminding you about dinner tonight. Also—David won't be coming. He left to find mercs for his own crew."

"Right. You bringing food?"

"Yeah, thought I'd cook at your place. Need the change."

"Alright. Sasha and Panam are here. I'll send you 2K eddies, buy something good."

"No need!"

"Too late, it's done. I got a surgery this morning, see you this afternoon."

"Don't clo—"

Click.

Back to work.

Thirty minutes later, the frontal cortex mods were ready. But that was just the start.

V began stripping the old hardware piece by piece, removing legacy implants and poorly aging software stacks. Every socket was cleaned, every node recalibrated. His toolkit moved with surgical grace now—efficient, practiced, almost automatic.

He mapped out the full chrome flow—nerves, reflex tuning, RAM allocation, ICE threading, and heat management. From there, each new mod slid into place like it had always belonged: precision-welded muscle implants, augmented nerve stabilizers, skeletal enhancers that danced in harmony with the nano-plating.

The firmware flashed clean every time. No glitches. No lags.

He smiled as he installed piece by piece. The more he worked, the more efficient he became. The firmware customizations flowed smoother than ever.

One day, I'll build my own chrome lines, he thought, grinning. Maybe I can even make chrome better than my modded stuff. A man can dream, he smiled.

An hour flew by.

He inserted the final intravenous injection. Sasha's eyes snapped open—and she instantly shot upward, embedding herself in the ceiling.

"Whoops. Forgot the limiter... again."

She peeled herself off the ceiling like a confused cat with murder software.

Sasha and V walked out of the clinic room, Sasha a little red in the face.

"Hey hey, don't be angry! Honest mistake—I just forgot the limiter. Could've been worse, you know."

"Mmm," Sasha gave a small fake pout.

As they stepped into the loft, they found Rebecca and Kiwi lounging like queens.

"Panam?" V asked.

"Went to her clan for some errand," Rebecca answered. "Yo, V."

In the corner, Lucy was silently smoking by the window, face tense.

"How long till food?" V asked.

Lucy checked the timer. "Thirty minutes."

V nodded, checked his HUD—one missed call. Unknown.

Decryption: Hiromi Sato.

"Alright… looks like it's payday."

"Delamain, bring me a fly mount."

"You mean VTOL, sir?"

"Yeah yeah, that one."

He paused, glanced at the window, then opened it with a dramatic swipe—expecting a breeze and a waiting VTOL.

Nothing.

Just silence and the hum of the city.

He blinked.

Rebecca leaned over the back of the couch. "What, did your fancy ride get stuck in traffic?"

Sasha smirked. "Maybe the stealth mode's too stealth."

V crossed his arms. "I swear, it was cooler in my head."

Rebecca snorted. "You can't stay in one place too long, huh?"

"Guilty as charged," V grinned.

Lucy, still at the stove, didn't look up. "Don't be late, or we're eating without you."

Right on cue, the VTOL decloaked with a soft shimmer beside the open window. The side hatch slid open mid-hover.

V flashed a peace sign to the girls and dove clean through the frame into the hatch.

POV: V – Hiromi's Penthouse

Inside, Hiromi lounged back comfortably, eyes half-closed as he relaxed into the quiet of the room. The gentle hum of neon lights outside was barely audible, creating a calming backdrop. He barely moved, enjoying this rare moment of tranquility.

Then his phone pinged sharply, pulling him back to reality. With a sigh, he reached over lazily and glanced at the screen.

"Ah, Mr. Vincent," Hiromi greeted nervously. "So nice of you to call back."

"You seem to know me."

"Of course. Your reputation precedes you."

"Then you know I don't like being played."

Hiromi chuckled weakly. "Yesterday's mess? That was Hasagawa's fault. I bear no grudge. In fact, I'm willing to compensate."

"Compensate? What's your life worth, Hiromi?"

Silence.

Then—V's voice echoed behind him. "I asked you a question."

Maiko seemed frozen. Her eyes didn't move, like time itself had stopped around her tray.

Hiromi spun around. V was behind him.

"I have fifty million in liquid assets… I'll give it all."

V smiled coolly. "Smart. Not even lying. Send it."

Hiromi's hands trembled as he transferred the funds.

V's eyes flicked over the confirmation. "Alright. Consider yourself forgiven—for sending your little squad after me."

Hiromi exhaled, visibly relieved.

"But," V said, his voice flattening into something darker, colder, "what about the girls in the freezer?"

Hiromi's face paled. "They—they're just old BD recordings. I haven't had time to—dispose of them."

"Old BD recordings," V repeated, tone dead quiet. His jaw clenched, eyes narrowing like crosshairs. "You talk about them like they're scrap data. Like they didn't matter."

He stepped forward. Calm. Methodical.

"You know what I hate more than lies, Hiromi?"

Hiromi shook his head slowly.

"Men who treat people like broken software."

With a flick of his wrist, V deployed a deep ICE-breaker. Hiromi's cyberware stuttered—he froze in place mid-breath, paralyzed. A silent, invasive hack ran beneath the surface.

V's neural HUD lit up:

Transfer complete. Hidden Assets Seized – 30,000,000

Locked Tiger Claw Holdings Remaining – 20,000,000

"I told you I forgave you," V said, stepping close, leveling the Malorian with surgical calm. "But that wasn't for them."

Bang.

Hiromi's body dropped like dead code, a clean hole through the skull, the scent of ozone and blood thick in the air.

V holstered the gun and turned without a word.

No mercy for monsters.

Maiko suddenly jolted back to reality, unaware she'd ever stopped pouring tea—until the overflowing liquid splashed onto her lap.

"Oh, damn it," she mumbled, bewildered, fumbling with the teapot before noticing the crimson pool on the floor. Her eyes widened comically as realization struck. "Is that—?"

"Poor Hiromi," came V's voice casually from the corner, lounging as though discussing the weather. "Natural causes."

Maiko stared at him blankly, mouth half-open, trying to process the absurdity of the statement alongside the blood on the floor.

V tilted his head with exaggerated sympathy. "Heart trouble. Stressful line of work. Happens to the best of us."

He stood smoothly, stepping toward her with mock seriousness. "Maiko-chan, remind me—who's running things here now?"

She gulped, regaining enough sense to set the teapot shakily down. "Woodman and...me. But mostly Woodman."

"Then please inform 'mostly Woodman,'" V smiled coldly, leaning close as though sharing a secret, "that if he touches even one doll heading to Afterglow, he'll experience sudden, tragic, completely natural causes too."

And before Maiko could blink again, V had vanished.

POV: David – Neuromend Center

David stepped into the sleek lobby. "Morning. Here to visit Pilar."

"Name?" the receptionist asked.

"David Martinez."

She scanned his hand. "You're cleared. Room 7C."

David Martinez walked confidently through the clinic hallway, passing rows of patients fitted with high-grade chrome—and even a couple of MaxTac personnel—until he reached Pilar's room.

Inside, Pilar was jogging in place impatiently. "Seriously, choom, I don't know why they're keeping me here. Feel better than ever."

A doctor entered behind David, scowling at Pilar. "Better than ever? According to your pre-op report, you were half-dead. Two feet in the grave. Chrome misaligned, cheap counterfeit junk. Your last ripper nearly flatlined you. Whoever fixed you up after that—best ripper work I've seen in years."

Pilar rolled his eyes dramatically. "And yet, here I am, still breathin'. Docs always exaggerate."

The doctor huffed in frustration and stormed out.

David smirked, leaning casually against the wall. "You actually look better than before, Pilar."

"Gotta thank V for that. Rebecca said he cut me a pretty sweet deal. Lucky, huh?"

"Luck's just another skill in Night City," David said, his tone confident and self-assured.

"Anyway, they said I'm almost clear to leave," Pilar continued, stretching his limbs theatrically. "Wanna check out my latest BD?"

"Later," David dismissed casually. "Right now, let's talk chrome."

Pilar paused, a playful grin forming. "Already got a ripper lined up. Charles Bucks. Cheap and takes credit. We hit him today."

David raised a brow. "What happened to V? Thought he was your chrome wizard."

Pilar smirked. "Oh, V's the best, no doubt. But I already owe that choom more eddies than I got chrome in my spine."

David folded his arms. "So why not keep riding that wave?"

Pilar leaned in, voice dropping to a mock whisper. "Because he's riding my sister."

David sighed, smirking. "Yeah… figures."

"Right?" Pilar threw up his hands. "Full-on neural tango. Guy's in her head and her bed. I can't exactly ask him to calibrate my optics when he's been syncing up with my sister's... internal systems."

David chuckled. "That's more overlap than I ever wanted to think about."

"Exactly. I need a ripper, not a future brother-in-law." Pilar clapped him on the shoulder. "So yeah—Charles Bucks. Might be sketch, but at least he's not sleeping with family."

David laughed. "Only you, Pilar."

"Oh, and I met a netrunner here," Pilar added. "New girl, sponsored by Wakako. Calls herself Bugbear—solid code slinger. She's looking for a crew too. Might be worth checking out."

David nodded. "Let's shake this city."

Pilar grinned. "What do we call ourselves?"

"Devil Spawn?"

"Too edgy."

"Shadow Syndicate?"

"Too anime."

"We'll brainstorm," David said, smirking. "We need a name that sounds like legends live there." Plenty of time to pick a name they'll never forget."

Ping.

POV: V – Back Home

The windows slid open quietly, revealing V standing at the threshold with an easy smile. "Hope I didn't miss anything important."

Sasha looked up from the stove, grinning widely. "Nah, your timing's perfect. Food's almost ready."

"Perfect," V said warmly, stepping inside and sliding the window shut behind him. "Food's always better with family."

He paused, letting the warmth of the scene envelop him. Rebecca sat at the table, animatedly telling a story with wild gestures, her laughter ringing through the room. Sasha flexed his chrome fingers theatrically, teasing Rebecca by mimicking her exaggerated motions. Lucy stood near the window, smoking in silence, her face tense but eyes softening as she watched their antics.

V felt a gentle tug of nostalgia in his chest. This wasn't just a crew—these people had become family. Rebecca's loud laughter and infectious energy filled the room, Sasha's quiet confidence provided a comforting presence, and Lucy, with her thoughtful silence, reminded him of someone from his past—a calming yet complex presence he'd once known and missed deeply.

"You listening, V?" Rebecca's voice broke his reverie, eyes twinkling mischievously. "I was just saying, Pilar's probably driving the docs crazy right about now."

V chuckled, shaking his head. "If he hasn't gotten himself kicked out already, I'll be surprised."

"Oh please," Sasha laughed. "Knowing Pilar, he's probably trying to set up a BD business from the recovery room."

Neuromend Auto-Alert: Patient Pilar has exited without authorization. Refund processed. Further visits will incur double charges.

V frowned as the notification sank in.

Everyone laughed, the room filling with warmth and humor. V took a seat, relaxing into the familiar comfort. Whatever tomorrow brought could wait. For tonight, surrounded by laughter and companionship, this was more than enough.

But then his gaze returned to Rebecca, and he sighed inwardly.

Now I've gotta tell her Pilar really bailed on the clinic. Great. He smirked to himself. Incoming drama, no doubt.