John walks along the streets as he makes his way through the labyrinth-like maze of identical blocks towards Night City. It’s a quiet early morning as few people are out making their way along as homeless people lay on the streets asleep.

Passing by an intersection, he comes across a familiar face that stops and stares at him. Ignoring the gaze, John continues to walk along.

“John?” The voice murmurs.

John looks straight ahead, ignoring the voice calling out for him.

“John, is that you?” The voice grows closer as a homeless looking man walks towards him, John glances over as he starts to walk faster.

“It’s me, from the VA, Jakobi. I thought you were dead after you disappeared.”

John stops as he looks back at him.

“So it really is you, huh.” Jakobi looks around as he turns back to him.’

“Mind if I walk with you?” Jakobi asks.

“Sure. I’m a little busy but I’ve got the time.” John says.

“Doctor Linda wanted me to give this to you if I ever saw you again, and said it was the last one.” Jakobi says as he pulls something out of a bag, it’s a prescription from his lungs. John looks at it as he squints, taking it and putting it away.

“Thanks.” John says as he thinks to himself.

They walk along together.

“You look a lot better, new clothes, clean feet.” Jakobi says.

“Yeah, I met an old friend who took me in.”

“An old friend? Shit I wish I had someone like that.” Jakobi says as he laughs.

“Yeah.” John replies.

“Everyone at the VA thought you were dead, said they heard gun fire at a homeless camp. A bunch of girls went missing that night, wives, daughters. I’m glad you’re alright.”

Thinking to himself, John seems to wince in pain as he spots an ATM.

“You know, I never got to thank you for what you did for me.”

“Oh, don’t say that, helping others is the least we can do for each other.” Jakobi brushes him off.

“No, I’m serious. Didn’t have any hope after everything I went through, showed me that even in the darkest of pits there’s always someone who’s willing to help.”

Jakobi smiles.

John turns towards the ATM as he walks past him.

“Hold up, I’m going to make a quick stop.”

Walking towards the ATM, Jakobi tries to stop him. As John brushes him aside.

“It’s okay John, I don’t need your money. And besides, it's going to cause some problems with my medical assistance.” Jakobi says.

“It’s cash, just don’t report it, who else needs to know?”

“That’s against the law.”

“So what? What have they ever done for you?”

Walking up to the ATM, John puts in his card as he checks his balance ¥48,380. Seeing this he smiles as he selects withdraw, entering in a custom amount of ¥5,000 he hits confirm as it begins to come out in divisions of ¥100. Taking an envelope out, he puts the money inside as Jakobi just watches in shock.

John walks over to him and hands him the envelope as Jakobi just looks at him.

“I- I can’t take this.”

“Think about it like a favor, give some to Linda for me as a thank you gift.” John says as Jakobi tries to give it back to him, John begins to walk away as he waves.

----------------------------------------

Walking inside of the club, John looks around to a similar but much busier scene. Several hosts and hostesses move around as they seem to get the venue ready for a busy day. The Manager nowhere in sight as a few recognizable hosts can be seen guiding and giving orders.

John walks over towards them as a bouncer spots him and gives him a nod.

One of the hosts spots him as he looks over.

“Hey, white boy. Head inside the boss is waiting for you.” The host says.

“Thanks.” John says with a smile.

He walks past them as he makes his way through a doorway.

In the corridor, he passes by several other hosts and hostesses as they move various things on carts and carry objects towards the front room, large decorations and props.

Reaching the gambling area, John stops. The room is being refurbished as much more expensive tables and seating are being put inside. Waiting near a lounge, the Manager looks over at him as he enters.

“You’re finally here.” The Manager says.

John looks over as his eyes stop in front of a giant golden dragon.

“Beautiful isn’t it? From where I’m from, they represent wealth, prosperity, and strength.”

“Getting ready for a busy night?” John asks.

The Manager just smiles.

“Come, sit down.” The Manager waves towards John to come over.

John complies as he makes his way towards the lounging area.

The Manager claps his hands twice as around them, several hosts begin to drop what they are doing as they suddenly head towards the exits. John looks around as he watches them leave.

“Cool trick.”

“Trick? It’s what power looks like.” The Manager says.

“So are we here to talk business?” John asks.

Taking out a lighter, the Manager takes out a cigar as he begins to light it. Taking in a deep breath, he exhales as he looks over at John who tries to not care.

“Did you find the money I gave you last time was to your satisfaction?”

John nods.

“Good. Good.” The Manager takes another smoke.

“Here in the company we have a saying. Those who put their worth first and foremost will be rewarded, ten fold the amount of effort put in. While you are not Chinese, and do not know of our ways, I believe that you and I can have a beneficial relationship.”

“I’m listening.” John replies.

“Though, it won’t come without great risk.”

John nods.

“How does the amount a thousandth fold the amount that I gave you sound for this job?”

“You mean five million?”

“I’m glad you catch on quick.”

“Alright, now that’s what I like to hear.” John says.

“Before we move forward, there’s something I’d like to show you.” The Manager says.

“Bring her in.” The Manager says in Mandarin.

“It is also to say that those that betray our trust or turn their backs to us, will also suffer a similar fate. I want to ask you something, is there anything that you haven’t told us that you wish for us to know?” The Manager says as he looks John dead in the eyes.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

John shakes his head.

“No, not at all.” John replies.

Suddenly, the sound of a woman’s cries for help can be heard as one of the doors is loudly opened, carrying a latin american woman, a group of men make their way towards them. She tries to desperately break free as she tries to punch them but it does nothing.

John looks over at her with his eyes open.

“Hmm.” The Manager says.

Grabbing the girl by her neck, one of the men brings her toward them.

“This is one of my girls, someone who I trusted with many secrets, she was the head mistress until recently, I learned that she was talking with my competitors about leaving with some of the nicer girls. It would have cost me a lot to lose all of them, but with one, I’m sending a message.”

The Manager calls over his lackey as the woman is dragged along.

He gets up as he walks towards a cabinet, opening it up, he pulls out a decorative golden desert eagle, on it we see a red dragon along the barrel, he inspects it as he cocks the gun, slowly making his wave back towards the lounging area.

The Latin American woman begins to cry as tears can be seen falling down with her broken makeup as a gag covers her mouth.

“Please!” She tries to say as it comes out garbled.

The Manager sighs as he looks over at John.

“I heard from a few other clubs that you were looking for work, is that true?”

John looks away.

“Well?” The Manager raises his voice.

“Y- Yeah, bills ain’t going to pay themselves. And besides we didn’t sign an exclusivity contract or anything like that.” John says.

The Manager walks over calmly not saying a word.

“I can respect a hustle.” The Manager replies. In front of the woman, she begins to cry as she’s frozen on her knees. He stares at John as he points the trigger at her head.

“Just know this, break my trust.”

BAM!

Blood falls onto the Managers face as he continues to stare at John.

“And you won’t live to talk about it.” The Manager finishes.

Putting the gun on the table in front of John, he sits on the coach as he looks at him. Almost as if testing him to take the gun. The Manager waves his hands as he looks over at his men.

“Deal with this bitch.” He says in Mandarin.

John looks over at the hosts as they begin to slowly drag the woman’s corpse, picking her up, they slowly walk away and exit.

“Now that you know how serious I can be. Let’s do business.” The Manager says.

John crosses his arms as he gives the Manager a serious look.

“So, what’s the job?”

The Manager lets out a small laugh.

“Now that’s what I like to hear. Stick to that and you’ll have a golden reputation around here in no time.” The Manager reaches for the table as he picks up his cigar.

He sighs.

“One of my clients is looking for some information on one of their competitors and is willing to pay handsomely to whoever can find them any information in regards to their trade secrets. Seeing as though you were so easy to get into the last job, I felt as though this would also be a breeze for someone with your talents.”

“What can I say? I’m a natural.” John responds.

“Don’t get cocky. While the job is similar it’s much more difficult, failure here can lead to a punishment far worse than death.” The Manager immediately replies.

John doesn’t respond.

“I’m glad you understand. Now, the job is relatively simple. Your job is to infiltrate a Yasuda Research and Development Institute and either steal files regarding a project known as SHARD or to take pictures of valuable prototypes in their labs.”

John stands up straight in his seat as he looks over at the Manager.

“Wait, did you just say break into a Yasuda Research and Development Institute. Of thee Yasuda clan? One of the largest megacorporations in the world?”

The Manager smiles.

“That’s exactly what I said.”

“You’re out of your goddamn mind.” John says.

“You’ve done it once already, though it was under a different name and alias, still it was just another shell company. The only difference now is it’s the real deal.” The Manager responds.

John thinks to himself as he facepalms.

“Tell me about the options.” John says as he looks over at the Manager.

“Perfect. ¥500,000 for pictures and ¥5,000,000 for the files. Do one or both, it’s your choice. As for the details of the operation itself, I have some information that will be useful for you. Nothing too big, but enough to help you get started.”

John stretches his neck.

“Alright, let’s hear it.” He replies.

Taking out a mini projector from his pocket he throws it onto the table. It begins to show a hologram of the scene, we’re greeted to a large scale building, a megastructure with a weird mixture of modern brutalist designs favoring more modern colors to concrete only.

“Shit looks like a fortress.” John comments.

The projection shows a building outline encompassing the several blocks inside and regions. The projection shifts as it begins to move to show a series of steps in order to get to the region where Project SHARD should be located. Strangely enough, it’s located a few stories underground of the facility, passing through a security gateway.

The Manager grabs the projector as it stops.

“Any questions?”

“How’d you even get your hands on this? How do I know it’s real?” John asks.

“This was provided to us by the client.”

John thinks to himself.

“Judging based on the gated entryway, it’s gonna be hard getting in, I’m not sure how I’m going to be able to get inside if I can’t even do that.” John comments.

“That is why you’re going to need to find a team if you’re going to do this.”

John looks over at the Manager.

“Any suggestions?”

The Manager smiles.

“Will you take the job?” The Manager asks, ignoring the question.

“I don’t know.”

“There’s a limited time frame for the mission, New Years Eve, the company that they use to hire the security members replaces their security workers with temporary members for the holidays. I need to hear your response now.”

John stops as he thinks to himself.

“Don't the Yasuda’s have their own Security Firm?”

“They often outsource for smaller scale operations that do not require the main families attention.” The Manager says firmly.

John seemingly hesitates.

“I’ll do it.” John says.

The Manager stands up and smiles.

“Good, someone dependable will always find opportunities wherever they are.” He says.

The Manager walks towards John with the projector in hand, John gets up as the Manager seemingly hands him the card as he grabs his hands.

“I look forward to seeing your progress on it.”

John smiles.

“Am I free to go now?” He asks.

“Of course, and good luck.” The Manager says as he walks away from John.

John watches as the doors open and a familiar host can be seen walking inside carrying a tray. Looking at the host give the Manager a cup of tea, John starts to walk away.

As he exits the door, the host looks over at the Manager who sighs.

“Walking into Yasuda territory, you think he’ll make it out alive?” The Host asks.

“Sink or swim. Whatever the result, a loose end or a valuable new partner. Does it matter?” The Manager says as he looks over at the Host who closes his eyes.

“No, no it does not.”

----------------------------------------

Walking down the steps of the building, John takes out his phone. He quickly dials Jamar’s numbers as he puts the phone next to his ear.

“Hello?” Jamar answers, it’s staticy as the reception is poor.

“Hey, just got our second gig. It’s a hell of a lot harder than our first one.” John says.

“John, is that you? I can’t hear you, you’re breaking up.”

“Second gig, I got us our second gig.”

“Second argot? What?”

John sighs.

“You know what? Nevermind, I’ll call you back later.”

“You’ll what?”

“I’ll call you later!” John shouts as he hangs up.

Walking down the street, John sighs.

“Why am I being upset with him about anyways?” John thinks to himself.

“Ah, great. I’m being an asshole.”

“Looks like I’m gonna need to form a new team.” John says.

He begins to break into a cough as he walks, opening up his jacket, John takes out his prescription of pills as he downs two.

“Ah, should head to the VA and see how Jakobi is doing.” John says as he turns towards a new direction slowly making his way over.

----------------------------------------

In the distance, John can see the VA Office. Next to it he sees an ambulance and a series of police cars around the block surrounding it, seeing this John freezes as he watches first responders seemingly walking out.

A Police Officer walks away as he speaks into a radio.

“Yeah, we got a 10-56, suicide by overdose. No insurance, please bring the clean up crew to the residence of the Veterans Association.”

John looks over at the Officer, hearing this John begins to slowly walk into the slums.

He looks around as people seem particularly more distraught than usual.

A few veterans can be seen crying next to doctors and medical experts.

An EMT can be heard as he walks away.

“It’s a damn shame, dying in front of a hospital of all places.”

John walks over until he sees a crowd, making his way towards and through the crowd he reaches the front, then he sees it. The dead body of Jakobi. John looks over at an EMT who’s seemingly writing a report.

He grabs him by the shoulder.

“How did he die?” John asks the EMT.

The EMT looks over at John confused and bewildered.

“How did he die?” John asks again.

“Fentanyl, overdose.” The EMT responds as John lets go of him.

“No.” John says.

A female doctor makes her way to the scene as she looks around. It’s Linda.

“What’s going on here? John?” Linda asks.

----------------------------------------

On the outskirts of the slum, John and Linda talk to each other.

“Well, he did talk about you. Said you were doing just fine, when he handed me the money, I could hardly believe him. But seeing you now, it just doesn’t seem real.” Linda says.

John stares at the ground.

“It’s all my fault. I gave him the money.” John says.

“Don’t say that.”

“It’s all my fault.” John says in a daze.

“There’s no way you could have known what he’d use it for.”

“How could I not? Homeless on the streets and a veteran? There can only be one excuse. I’m such an idiot.”

“That’s not true, many of my patients come in for a variety of reasons, not just drug abuse, and he wasn’t one of those. Not from the start.”

“You knew?”

Linda doesn’t respond.

John stares off at the ground as he sighs.

“Looks like we’re both monsters.” John says.