Making It in Night City

I sat on Zaria for a minute before the adrenaline dump into my system finally caught up to me. I experienced a crash so hard I thought I would pass out. My head became dizzy, and I lost balance before falling sideways onto the ground.

The lightheadedness settled in and was paired with a chill that invaded my body. Cold sweat dripped down my forehead and pooled near my tear ducts as I shook. Or maybe I was just crying. Or maybe both. I honestly don't know at this point.

It took a few minutes before my brain could think clearly again, and I could get enough control over my body to get up and take stock of the situation. Besides getting stabbed in the shoulder, my other wounds were all pretty light. I had some light burns across my arm, neck, and shoulder and a few scrapes here and there. Thanks to the Epimorphosis perk, the wounds were already scabbing, and new skin was growing back at a visible pace.

The gash in my shoulder needed more time to close up properly, but it wasn't bleeding anymore, which was nice. It was also weird watching flesh grow back onto me, shoving dust and a few pebbles that got in there during the scuffle-out, like a bizarre and gross timelapse video. Since it kept all the nasty stuff out, unlike MaxDocs or BounceBacks that just healed over the foreign objects, I'll let my body do its job and have Vic look later.

My jacket had burned to a crisp, leaving only small scraps with smoldering edges. Shame I liked that jacket. My shirt wasn't in as bad of a condition, but there was still a big hole over my right shoulder, so this shirt would have to be trashed as well.

I checked my rifle for any damage since it took the brunt of the force when I used it as a barrier between Zaria and me. The HJSH-18 was made primarily of metal and heavy-duty polymer, so it faired better than my clothing. Besides some scorch marks on the top rail and melted plastic on the cheek riser, the gun was perfectly functional. A quick session with Wilson will have it back in tip-top shape.

I can't just leave Zaria here. The only people remotely interested in dealing with a cyberpsycho are Regina and the NCPD. The NCPD doesn't take in psychos as much as they just take them 'out' instead. I guess I'll contact Regina and have her take care of this.

I opened my contact list and called V. A couple of rings later, she picked up my call.

"How's it going, Basil?"

"Not goin' to lie, it was pretty bad, but things are getting better now."

"Need more muscle?"

"Preesh, but I got it under control. I'm calling to ask if you have a fixer called Regina Jones number."

"Uhhh... Yeah. Why? You need her for something?"

"Nah. I got my hands on something I think she'll be interested in. Mind shooting that number over to me?"

"Sure."

A few seconds later, I got a text message from V with a phone number.

"Got it. Thanks choom. I owe you one."

"Don't mention it. Holler if you need anything."

"Will do. Later."

It was nice having the main character as a contact. It means I can use V to access all the other prominent NPCs. Though I don't think it's accurate to call them NPCs anymore.

I hung up the phone and immediately called the number sent to me. While the phone rang, I put the HJSH-18 back into my storage, and I took out my revolver and reloaded the thing before holstering it. While doing admin with my weapons, I remembered why I was here in the first place. I walked over to the wrecked van at the end of the alley and pried open the doors to the trunk.

Sitting in the middle was a crate with the top open. I rummaged inside, finding dried herbs, incense sticks, strange talismans, tiny statues, and even some mummified body parts. This must have been Misty's shipment. The box was missing some contents, and many of the bags were torn open or completely empty.

Looking back at the ritual site, I saw a few piles of burnt ashes spread around the five red lights. I guess the Maelstrom cultists stole it because they needed supernatural supplies to complete their ritual. Who knows, it might have even worked. Zaria was anything but natural.

While I was rummaging through the van and trying to get all the bags and containers back in the crate, Regina picked up my call.

"Regina Jones here."

The familiar voice of the former media came over the line. I turned around and used the ledge of the trunk as a seat.

"Hey, Regina. Names Basil. Heard you were involved with getting cyberpsychos some help."

"And why do you want to know? You interested? No offense, but you sound too coherent to be a psycho."

"No, nothing like that. I managed to knock one out, and I figured I give you a chance to scoop her up before MaxTac gets here and euthanizes her."

There was a moment of silence on the other end, probably from Regina, considering whether or not I was legit. Hell, If I were her, I'd be a bit suspicious if some random dude called me and told me they knocked out a cyberpsycho too. Cyberpsycho pacification is reserved for MaxTac for a reason. Ordinary people don't stand a chance, and if it wasn't for my system and chrome, I wouldn't have either.

"Send me your cords, and I'll have someone come over."

Guess she decided to trust me.

"Sounds good. Later."

I hung up the call and sent my location information over to Regina. Afterward, I made sure Zaria was still out cold before driving my van closer to the alley. This way, I wouldn't have to walk far to move Misty's stuff into my van. I moved Misty's shipment out of the area and into the back of my van.

Right as I closed the rear doors, I heard the low rumble of an engine in the distance. A black and silver Chevillon Thrax 388 made a turn on my street and pulled into view. The large sedan cruised down the road and came to a slow stop behind my van. The headlights then shut off, and the driver shut down the engine. I leaned against my car's back, crossed my arms, and waited for someone to get out.

The driver's door opened, and a black male in a syn-leather trench coat and sunglasses stepped out. He walked up to me with the casual but purposeful gait of a professional gunslinger.

"Where's the package you spoke about?"

The knock off Morbius asked with a deep voice. I pointed with my chin further into the alley.

"Her name's Zaria, and she's lying on the ground with her arms cuffed behind her back. Can't miss her."

Regina's associate gave me a slight nod before marching away. The front passenger door opened as we finished our short interaction, and an Asian woman came out. The woman lit a cigarette and took a long puff before approaching me.

"Hey, names Regina. But I think you already know that. Smoke?"

Regina pushed an open box of smokes toward me, and I rejected her offer by raising my hand and waving. She shrugged as if saying 'your loss' and tucked the pack back into her pants.

Regina was only an inch or two shorter than me and looked exactly as I remembered. She wore simple jeans, a white button-up polo, and a gold cross necklace. Her hair was done in a ponytail, with an eyepatch covering her right eye.

I never learned what happened to her eye, but you could see the tail end of a scar poking out below the patch, hinting at some kind of slash wound. It was strange in this world for people with the type of connections and power Regina had to not fix the damage, but who am I to judge? Maybe it's something deeply personal, and she wants a constant reminder of what happened.

"I'm Basil."

After introducing myself, the driver returned with Zaria slumping over his left shoulder. He gave Regina a nod and waited for her to give him his orders.

"Put 'er in the back of the car and get the car started. I'll have a few more words with our friend here."

The man immediately moved to the rear passenger door and opened it. He then gently let Zaria down before placing her in the seats. He then walked to the front of the car and returned to the driver's seat. The car started back up, but he was kind enough to not turn on the lights so they didn't blind me.

Regina took another drag of her cigarette. Her eye flashed blue for a second, and I was notified that twelve thousand Eddies had been transferred to my account.

"Thanks for bringing her to me. I appreciate you giving her a chance instead of leaving her with the NCPD. You looking for more of this type of work? Pay will be very similar to what I just gave you."

It was good money, excellent even, but considering what I just went through, it'd be too soon if I never had to fight another cyberpsycho.

"Appreciate the offer, but brawling with a cyberpsycho isn't exactly something I want to make a habit out of. And I get that you're trying to do a good thing, but if you're going to hire mercs to keep doing this, you gotta at least send them out in teams of two."

Cyberpsycho fights were never a big deal for me in-game, but I think that was mostly because I started doing them towards the late game, and I was stacked at that point. Not much a cyberpsycho can do to someone with the best cybernetics, weapons, and over a hundred MaxDocs stored for emergencies. But now, having dealt with them firsthand, I don't see how anything but the most experienced solo can handle them.

It wasn't just that they were heavily chromed, but that something broke mentally within them. No self-preservation means their strength and strategies are tough to deal with. Not to mention how unnerving it is to fight someone who has completely lost rational reasoning.

Regina sucked another breath from her smoke. I watched as the ember grew bright orange before it dimmed down again when she removed her lips from the but. She turned her head to the side before blowing out a sizeable plume of smoke. Regina then flicked the thing onto the ground before stepping on it with her heel and grinding it out.

"I'll take your advice into consideration. If you ever change your mind, you know how to contact me."

She turned her back on me before getting into her car. The lights turned back on, and the car hooked a U-turn before speeding away from me. Deciding it was about time I left as well, I got into my van and drove toward Little China.

If you are reading this, it means that you are reading a novel stolen from the original author. If you want to support me, the original author, and read ahead for free, you can find me on scribblehub under SPS4.

Fifteen minutes later, I was back on Bradbury and Buran, carrying the shipment into Misty's Esoterica. I couldn't use my hands since they were full, so I pushed the door open with my back instead. The doorbell rang when I entered the shop, and I gently put the boxes down somewhere off the side.

"Misty! You here!"

A familiar voice came from deep within the store.

"Basil? Yeah! Give me a second, and I'll be there."

A few moments later, a familiar ball of frazzled hair emerged behind the counter. But instead of walking over to me, she took one step to the side before looking back from where she came and motioned with her hands like one would while trying to get a dog to come to you. The next thing I knew, another girl walked out after Misty. She waved shyly at me and kept her head down, occasionally taking a quick peek at me.

Apparently, Yumi woke up.