It had been a week since the Northside contract and the discussion with Ruby about Cyclops, and Tubio had recovered and hidden the masks Ruby could have used. She took it well and was even happy about it, in spite of the reaction she'd had at the fast-food restaurant where she'd contradicted herself. Tubio kept an eye on her. But clinging as she was to him, he knew that as long as he was around, she wouldn't turn into Cyclops. Maybe she would. Well, no, he didn't know. But the week went by without a hitch.
After Ferak had talked to the widow. He had made Tubio understand that his client was perhaps a bigger fish than he had expected. Explaining to Tubio that if he wanted to win the bank, he'd have to be reactive. But nothing, for a week.
Neither from him nor from the chick from 6th Street. Despite days of hiding now, Versa had never set foot behind Cybermatrix, and even the girl didn't show her face after a while. Never calling or showing the slightest sign of life.
All his stories seemed to have stalled, as with the Lianovack family. Tubio had no news other than Pavel. Following their visit, the family had a big argument, so strong that Ivan and Solena left the family home. Becoming much more distant than before, only Talia's condition seemed to be worrying and she had panic attacks and other physical and physiological problems. Tremors, fevers... Tubio closed his heart to all this. Talia hadn't called him, and maybe it was for the best. Tubio was afraid of her. Or rather of what she might say, because he didn't care. After all this time, he no longer wanted to hear her voice, no longer wanted to be the one constantly comforting her. It might be cruel, but the way she treated him was worse in his opinion.
Tubio got up, leaving Ruby sleeping. On his way out, he met his mother, who smiled with a knowing look on her face, coffee in hand, which made Tubio's white skin flush to his ears.
Not wanting to embarrass him further, his mother asked him what he was doing at the moment, and he couldn't tell her much.
-I'm waiting to hear about one contract and a lead on another isn't bearing fruit.
-Patience mi hijo, you'll see that situations will probably arise faster than you can handle them.
Less than an hour after that, he received a call while shopping for lunch. From the Crimson Spear, Irene.
She was one of the girls from the party where they'd met Ulrik and his gang. Tubio remembered her veeeery well, with her tanned skin and beautiful frizzy hair, her skirt too short and her breasts...
Slapping himself back to reality, he regained his seriousness before responding to the holo, where an enthusiastic voice answered.
-Hey! Tubio. How are you?
-Good, what's going on?
-Sorry to bother you, but we might have a job for you, interested?
-It depends on what it is, but tell me.
-We need a driver to take someone out into the desert from Night City. You pick him up and drop him off at his destination. No pressure, everything's already taken care of and paid for.
-Can I ask why your regular driver isn't able to handle this, if you don't mind my asking?
Of course, he was caught in a shoot-out. He's all right, even with a few cuts and bruises, but his car's ready for the scrap heap. So...
-Send me the info. However, I'd like to ask you a favor...
*****
Tubio was in Boréale, parked on Corpo plaza, and looked with indifference at the jungle of buildings around him.
The Corpo Plaza district was completely rebuilt after the war. Today, it's home to Night City's most recognizable installations. Kang Tao tower, Arasaka, Militech, Night Corp... This renaissance also marked the return of corporate power after long years of humiliation and disgrace. The district's giant skyscrapers and mega-buildings once again housed the offices of Arasaka and Militech, the same corporations that dutifully destroyed the city half a century ago. Tubio had only heard the stories from the old-timers, and even if the situation today wasn't great, at least Night City wasn't at war, and for that reason alone, he was glad he hadn't lived through those times.
The main feature of Corpo Plaza is the Memorial Park, a huge traffic circle between corporate headquarters that commemorates the victims of the Fourth Corporate War. The area is a veritable anthill of corporates of varying rank, always hurrying to their next meeting. Autonomous armored vehicles were all around, meanwhile, the ferry executives were across the sky. Quite simply, the only colors in Corpo plaza were white, gray and black, sometimes with company logos and a touch of color associated with the company to which the person belonged. Anyone else with something different didn't belong inside one of these buildings, or was the big boss.
It looked peaceful, but NCPD agents and armored company guards patrolled constantly, reminding everyone who was really in charge of this district. Everyone has to pass through several security checkpoints to enter any building.
Looking at one of the many sponsored armed groups, Tubio wondered how much time this must be wasting for everyone. He looked at the memorial park, the first sign of greenery he'd ever seen in real life. He smiled, remembering his amazement. A holo called to him. Ulrik.
-Ulrik.
-Tubio, I'm glad you're with us. Normally I'd leave you with the girls, but as this is our first contract together, I wanted to mark the occasion with a final recap.
-Fine by me.
-Simple. It's all taken care of, you're just the driver, your client Thomas Gory. We pay you for the transport, you drop him off and he takes care of the rest. As for the details, from what he told me, his boss screwed up and the witch-hunt is on. Taking the lead and not wanting to disappear with his old boss, he decided to leave town. After handing in his resignation this morning. There you go. Don't ask. Quick and easy.
-All right, then.
Tubio hung up and waited. Watching the people pass him by, he contemplated the ostentatious artistry of Corpo Plaza as best he could. An elderly Asian man in a suit approached the car. Tubio got out. And the man accosted him.
-Tubio?
-Mr.Gory?
-Delighted, we can go.
The man was quite old, and his hair, which once must have been black and perfectly slicked back, had given way to a greying start. All he had with him was a simple grey briefcase. With a slight smile on his lips, he went to the back of the car, where Tubio opened the trunk for his luggage. Tubio watched the man's face, tired but happy. He had one of his devices hooked to his ear, reaching all the way to his eye. It was transmitting live company information at the same time. A red tie with a gray suit and you had the average worker of any corporation. If a little old.
He climbed in beside Tubio, put on his belt, removed the device from his ear and threw it out the door. Waiting no longer, Tubio turned on the ignition.
*****
Earlier this morning
-No, seriously, I'm fine.
-Ruby, you haven't set foot outside without me since you got here. You need to get out, my mother's not here to entertain you. Besides, Irene and the girls will be delighted to see you again. I'm sure after last time they haven't forgotten you. I'm sure you'll find plenty to talk about.
-But I don't feel like it...
Now
Why had she said yes. In front of the elevator Ruby was having a mini panic attack. Well, not really. Hooded, she descended to level 13. The gates opened as people passed by on their way to the local stores, which were designed for adults. A store selling lingerie, weapons, security and cybernetic equipment caught her eye. But Ruby managed to avert her gaze as she moved deeper into the level, deftly dodging the clusters of people passing around her. She finally arrived at the fortified storefront bearing the gang's name. Crimson Spear. A red neon sign underlined the store's name.
She hesitated for a moment before the double door opened in front of her and a young man with a gun came face to face with her. The boy had an assault rifle in his hands, but what distinguished him were his facial implants, an I running from his forehead to the tip of his nose, with two modified red eyes. From a distance, they looked like glasses on a tattoo, but the whole thing was a facial implant looking like a cross. The nose, the eyes, the forehead, even part of the jaw and under the cheeks. He had tattoos all over his arms and a black jacket with red patches. His hair was black, shaved on one side and patchy on the other.
Seeing Ruby, the young man stood open-mouthed, stammering some euh. Before another figure emerged from behind him. Like him, he carried a weapon on his back. Much taller than the other man, he wore a red cap with a full face mask made of scrap metal. Ruby couldn't see it, but under an imposing raincoat she suspected the man to be heavily chromed. With a blasé look, he looked over his companion, red eyes filled with indifference turned to those of surprise as he raised his eyebrows. In a deep voice, he spoke through his mask in a deep voice.
image [https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/1178789115622326365/1210603239675011142/Pitar.jpg?ex=66101320&is=65fd9e20&hm=4795590141a974f4d76fba455144fd644830cffb621c44df74851c473419dce5&=&format=webp&width=365&height=597]image [https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/1178789115622326365/1210603240262082570/Tristan.jpg?ex=66101320&is=65fd9e20&hm=7b57220e3315d1aba291b01d9fcbaf4bbeda294f3ccd56eab930c00511c945bf&=&format=webp&width=365&height=597]
-Well, for a surprise. Ruby, right? How do you do? I'm Pitar and this is Tristan, I don't know if you remember us, we had a night out. Do you remember us?
Ruby saw Tristan's face and let out a crystalline laugh before nodding. Her anxiety was completely gone now. Tristan's face said it all. She greeted Pitar, the big choom with only his eyes to show for his mood. He in turn chuckled at Tristan. He invited Ruby into the store, which came naturally to her. She smiled as she entered the armory that was the store. From pistols to knives and remote-controlled machine guns. Clearly, the store had something for everyone. The store itself was average in size and decoration, but everything was clean and saleable.
As she explored, she saw a window through which stood a shooting range where gun buyers or owners could train, opposite behind a grilled window and reinforced by a grating was the transaction counter, also reinforced by a grating in addition to the undoubtedly armoured glass. On the other side of the glass was another face she'd seen before, a certain Milour, a blond man with a chrome frame around his face, a small cross on his forehead and lots of tattoos on his neck. He smiled when he saw her, but before he could say anything a girl she immediately recognized came out of the side when she heard Pitar calling her name.
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Irène ruthlessly pushed Milour aside to take her place. exclaimed when she saw Ruby.
-Ruby. I've been waiting for you, how are you?
-Fine and you, I just passed a boy who didn't even stop me, are you sure it's very safe?
-Tristan? Forget it, he's always like that with girls, let's go grab a coffee.
Opening a door, Ruby greeted Milour, who shrugged with Pitar returning to stand guard in front of the store and him behind the counter.
Ruby smiled as Irène hugged her, her lioness-like mane covering her face. Wearing more casual clothes than at the party, her body was covered and no sign of chrome could be seen, making one wonder if their affiliation with the Maelstrom was true. Her tanned skin was supple and pleasing to Ruby, who followed her by the hand into a break room with a coffee machine. As she sat down, another girl who'd been at the party came in. Rosie had brown hair with a slightly violet tint, she too was more relaxed than at the club and her face lit up when she saw Ruby. She immediately went and sat down next to her on the sofa.
-Ruby! You didn't contact us again, were you shy? No need to be. How have you been?
-Well, I guess I was a little. And then, you know, after that, a lot of stuff happened...
Coming closer with a cup of coffee for them, Irène served everyone before sitting down opposite them.
-Well, now, how did it end with the handsome guy?
Ruby immediately began to blush as she recalled the evening.
*****
In the car, Tubio and Gory were about to leave Night City, and Gory, increasingly relaxed as they left Corpo Plaza, removed his tie and unbuttoned his shirt. Finally, he asked Tubio if he could smoke.
-Yes sir, once in a while won't create an odor.
-Ah. Sir, I'm not a sir anymore.
Tubio didn't say anything clearly, the man must had a long history with the corporation before this morning. But that didn't stop Gory from talking.
-You know, Corpo life is good. It's all you can dream of, and the worst that can happen to you. 37 years, for 37 years I've followed and applied the rules of the company, I've fought, I've been betrayed, I've made sacrifices...
He took a drag on his cigarette, as if reflecting on the past.
-The rare victories were those behind the scenes. Where my boss of the moment, collected all the laurels of his employees sacrificed on the altar of the corporation, or of his own interest... While the employees at best got a bonus, or a beer after work.
Tubio remained silent, driving cautiously towards Night City's main exit. They had crossed the streets of Night City, passing into the Glen and then Vista Del Rey before climbing the Arroyo expressway into Santo domingo and passing over part of Rancho Coronado. Now they were in sight of the desert. The road bisected the mountain making a gap surrounded by billboards, the direction arrows on the road signs pointing in the direction of Norcal and a town called Rocky Ridge.
They passed the Sunset Motel, a fitting name on the way to Night City, then along the road they passed a garage called Dakota, a second hotel the Sunshine hotel, this time under the guard of Militech guys, and finally that was it. The desert, scrub, sand, dry earth, along a railroad track, circular wind turbines could be seen on the horizon slowly turning in the inconsistent wind. Gory was silent, murmuring to himself Tubio was enjoying the trip. They were easy eddies and the old man wasn't the most troublesome customer. Continuing further and further into the badlands Tubio followed the coordinates Ulrik had given him, turning left onto an old desert road. Old and creaky, the road still bore Boréale's weight well.
Tubio finally arrived at his destination. I-9 EST Badlands North. The sun was scorching even before noon when he stopped at an old bus stop opposite several abandoned mobile homes. Stopping, he saw that the place was abandoned, filled with garbage and wrecked cars. His client Mr Gory was smoking nonchalantly as he got out of the car. Tubio followed him out of politeness. But instead of going to the abandoned housing estate, he went to look at the bus stop seats, staring at them for several seconds before sitting down at the bus stop, beckoning Tubio to come and sit with him.
-Would you do this poor devil a favor before you go your separate ways?
It wasn't even noon, and the fact that Ruby was finally getting out of the house prompted him to accept the offer. They both sat down on the concrete bench. Then Tubio asked a question that had concerned him ever since they'd been here.
-Is there a special reason for coming here?
He took a drag on his cigarette before pointing to the mobile homes.
-You see, almost a century ago my grandfather lived in one of these. I never made it myself, but my father brought me back here more than once in my youth. Explaining to me that this is what we had and all we'd be left with if we didn't work hard.
-You must have been poor back then.
-My grandfather was a corporate dog. Doing all the hardest jobs and not the best paid so that my father could afford the corporation's studies. My father... never had to work as hard as Grandpa. But alas...
-Something's happened…
-Haven't you heard about the destruction of the Arasaka Tower?
-Everyone's heard about it, the headquarters of one of the world's largest corporations reduced to a pile of rubble.
-But few of us are still alive. My father was a security boss. We never got the details, only that he was dead. And for that, we were given a sum of money, which left me, my mother and my grandfather to fend for ourselves. Thanks to the money, I followed in my father's footsteps, earning a good living, yet no matter where I went, I never got promoted. Years of bonuses, good returns and other results. But never a single promotion. Any idea why?
-No, I don't know.
-My superiors felt that my father's failure to defend the Arasaka Tower should be blamed on me. Can you believe it? My father literally sacrificed his life for them and they made me, his son, pay for it decades later. Hypothetically to please Mr. Arasaka, who doesn't even know I exist. That was 50 years ago now, can you believe it? I'm sure that's more than twice your age.
He smoked his cigarette. Once again, time seemed to stretch. Tubio couldn't understand how anyone could have such twisted ideas. The wind blew, while the sounds of the desert were the only ones around them. The wind turbines still above the rocks on the horizon around them turned slowly, rust devouring the once immaculate white, now eaten away by the constant winds. The mobile homes had rubbish bags all around them, packages and other belongings left at the mercy of the elements.
-Did you accept it? Couldn't you have just left?
-And do what? My life was there. My friends, my job and my family, my wife and children. Until it wasn't... Over the years I've lost everyone I cared about. My grandfather died with a smile on his face, proud of me and my father. My mother died in an explosion caused by a Cyberpsyko. My children grew up and with my wife, sickened by my constant absence they left Night City. My friends changed, some died, others disappeared or left. The last friends I had... Let's say I regret today what happened between us.
-Is he... dead?
-Nah, we... don't talk anymore, but... How do you fix a quarrel from ten years ago.
-... Apologies?
The old man contorted his face before sneering.
-Yes, indeed.
-That would be a start. And then, whether he accepts them or not, you can say you tried.
He looked thoughtful. Gory looked at Tubio, then took out another cigarette and offered one to Tubio, who politely declined.
-It's this job. It eats you up inside. It makes you think that everything you do is for the common good, but no, it's just for those higher than you. And when you realize that you'll never get anything more without fighting or stabbing your neighbor. You become someone else... The only reason I'm so old is because all the others who got my promotions are dead. How many young, dashing men and women in magnificent suits costing 100 times the average wage have passed me by to die in the gears. I could name you a dozen ways and reasons why I know they're all dead, black ops, murder, industrial sabotage, competition, threat to his superior position... I don't even know why my last boss made her last deal. I knew it was a bad idea but...
-Fatigue, or maybe it was one time too many?
-Maybe it was. Corpo life... everything you can dream of and everything you can dread.
Tubio let the old man smoke. He thought about the story. He'd thought of leaving before his adventures with the Maelstrom, but never had the courage and stayed. It took all his adventures and a crazy idea, he didn't want to end up like Gory, bolting his life in a corpo and losing everything. He looked at the old man, now worried about what he was going to do.
-What are you going to do now?
-Now? I've got my wife to win back. Sons to dine with and remake the world, my first niece to hold in my arms. Don't worry, Tubio, right? I'm not done living and I intend to savor every moment. I'd just come to say goodbye to my father and grandfather before I left.
Keeping his cigarette in hand, he walked over to a pile of garbage next to a car wreck, then began to pull the bags, tossing them aside unceremoniously, quickly revealing a shape beneath the garbage. Tubio didn't wait for the signal to give the old man a hand. Tubio realized that the bags weren't full of garbage, but of sand. Once the whole thing had been tossed aside, an airtight tarpaulin revealed the shape of a car. Gory lifted the tarpaulin, revealing a magnificent car. A blue Villefort Alvarado V4F 570 Delegate in all its sun-kissed glory.
image [https://images-ext-1.discordapp.net/external/n4G8nOWzB9ECpI8Pau1UEbIp9yg-F-sfQfOp4p79ADo/%3Fcb%3D20210222134032/https/static.wikia.nocookie.net/cyberpunk/images/0/00/Villefort_Alvarado_V4F_570_Delegate_%25282044%2529_Database_CP2077.png/revision/latest?width=1440&height=472]
The car has four doors - two large doors for the driver's area, and two smaller suicide doors for rear seat occupants. Its exterior is defined by its six-wheeled configuration.
Other exterior styling features include a single large headlight on the driver's side, a large hood ornament, and roof that is painted a different color than the rest of the vehicle. In the back, it has three full tail lights (two 'fin-style' side tail lights, and a light bar) which is rare compared to other night city vehicles. The rear wheels are partially covered by fender skirts. The Alvarado comes in convertible and fixed hardtop options.
As an executive-class car, its design is focused more on interior comfort than on practicality. Despite a relatively large size, the car features seating room for only four passengers in the interior. Each passenger has access to a cup holder and a suite of controls. The interior is accented with burlwood. Seats do not have headrests. Rear seat passengers each have access to a screen and built-in console mounted on the seat backs of the front seats.
Under the hood, the car featured a V-shaped engine with an unknown amount of cylinders. Each cylinder bank has its own oil fill cap, which indicates the engine has two oiling systems.
-Not bad, eh?
-I have to say that if I didn't have Boréale, I'd be jealous.
-With an Alvarado you don't drive, you cruise in it.
He went to get his things and put them inside his car. He started it up. Tubio watched him get out of the car to shake his hand.
-Some advice from an old man, a Corpo won't help you if it doesn't have something to lose or something to gain, with as little risk as possible. Don't wait for change. Plan it, plan your escape now. If you know you're going to be betrayed and you have no solution, survive, survive as long as you can, don't die and you'll be able to rise again. Thank you for listening to this old man's story. I don't know your situation, young man, but I wish you all the luck in the world.
With these last words of wisdom, he got into the car and pulled up in front of Tubio. He then passed something through the window.
-Consider it a gift from me. I won't be needing it.
Tubio took a shotgun out of the window and Mr Gory, full of panache, drove off towards the main road, leaving a trail of dust behind him.
Tubio stood there watching the dust fall as he looked down at the shotgun in his hands. The constitutional arms M2038 Tactician. Old, practical, you can count on.
He walked a few steps and as he was about to get into Boréale looked at the tags on the concrete seats at the bus stop, in white letters Tubio read, Broken. No Regrets. He smiled, thinking back to the old man.
Climbing back into Boréale, Tubio placed the rifle between the two seats before wondering what he was going to do. He wasn't wrong. A good reaperdoc is just as likely to be found in Portland as in Night City. Shaking his head, he called Ulrik to close the deal. After all, it wasn't the place to plan this sort of thing in the desert.
-Tubio?
-The old man left for the desert a trail of dust with him.
-Fantastic. I'll send the eddies, you can drop by the store anytime. From what I've seen, Ruby and my girls aren't getting ready to go back to work today. Translation, come get your girl, so she'll stop distracting them.
Ulrik hung up and Tubio let out a laugh, imitating Ruby, "But I don't feel like it".
Starting Boréale, Tubio thought about what he was going to do, as he didn't want to go home just yet and ruin Ruby's outing. Then, being in the desert, he remembered that Solena had quarreled with her father. Maybe now was a good time for a heart-to-heart talk. After all this time, Solena. The only one to make contact with his mother after his death deserved his thanks.