Diego drove us through Night City for a while to ensure the Tyger Claws hadn’t tagged us for the death of Jotaro. When he finally decided that we weren’t being tailed, our group left Watson and headed towards Arroyo. We knew we couldn’t stay in Tyger Claw territory; things needed to cool down first. They’d be looking for whoever had killed Jotaro, and their best lead would be Cyndi and John. I was hoping that by bricking the security system and Zion killing Takeshi Kazou, none of the other Tyger Claws would know who Jotaro had up in his playroom.

Diego dropped Cyndi, John and I off at a place that was similar to the No-tell – a rundown hotel that didn’t ask questions or wonder why three teenagers, two covered in days of grime and one coated in blood, were renting a room. Anna, Deng, and Zion took the white panel Scav van and Callum Black’s Villefort Cortes to a chop shop that Zion knew about in Arroyo. Diego, meanwhile, wandered off to buy some clothes for the three of us who had been in Jotaro’s ‘playroom.’

After a quick shower and a change of clothes, the three of us piled into Diego’s van and rode out to an abandoned highway underpass. Deng must have called Fred and Mor to tell them about the situation – how we found two victims at Jotaro’s – because they were there to meet us. Fred and Diego took charge of caring for John and Cyndi, both of whom were starting to worry me.

John was submissive, almost like he didn’t care what was happening around him. I remembered back at the Ho-oh club, Cyndi had been practically dragging him along behind her. I thought he’d been drugged up and that he’d snap out of it by the time we got him away from the club, but it seemed like he was retreating further into himself. My memory flashed back to him in the cage, silent and broken, and I wondered if he’d ever heal from his experiences. While Fred and Diego took charge of Cyndi and John, I flicked a bunch of eddies to Mor to head out and get some food. When he came back, Fred loaded up a plate of “meat” for John, who stared straight ahead, while Fred talked to him.

Cyndi wasn’t doing much better. Sure, she was more alert than John, but that wasn’t necessarily a good thing. Both Diego and I could tell something was off about her. She was like a cornered animal, staring around at everything and ready to lash out at whatever threatened to harm her. Diego sidled up next to her, talking to her in a calm and soothing voice, trying to get her to relax a little. Whenever I looked over at her, I could see the rage in her that threatened to boil over. She looked like she wanted to punch something until it broke, and the anger that never left her face worried me.

By the time Anna, Deng, and Zion returned from the chop shop and met us at the underpass, Diego had managed to calm Cyndi somewhat. She still didn’t look like she trusted us much, but at least Diego had managed to keep her from attacking anyone and got her to start eating.

Deng and Zion immediately went for the food that Mor had brought and started tearing into it with relish. Anna, meanwhile, moved over to sit next to Diego and Cyndi and I saw her chatting with the two of them. Both Diego and Anna saw the same thing I did in Cyndi – a woman who wanted to burn everything around her. I had no clue what to do to help her or John, and I just hoped that the rest of the group had some kind of idea of what they needed.

Fred noticed me hanging out on the fringes of the group and came over to me with a smile. “Damn kid, this whole thing is nuts. Mor said you were doing some biz with Deng, but he didn’t say you’d be saving two kids from the Devil of Kabuki.”

I grunted, lost in thought. What was I going to do with the two of them? I couldn’t just have them hanging around, could I?

“What’s on your mind?” asked Fred.

“I couldn’t just leave them there. It was…bad. But at the same time—” I huffed, not knowing what to say. “—what do I do with them?”

“Deng and I will help. Mor too. I think it’s best if we all talk about it. With them. You gotta find out what they want to do. You can’t just make the decision for them.”

We were silent for a minute while I watched everyone devour the food and chat about random things. They were decompressing after a long day, and I didn’t know how to interrupt that to ask what we should do with Cyndi and John.

“So, what do you think about it?” asked Fred.

“Uh, about what?” I questioned, having no clue what Fred was talking about.

He traced his eyes around the underpass. “About this place. You know I’ve been talking with Mor and Deng about me setting up a camp for the homeless.”

“Up in North Watson, yea. How many times have you warned me—”

Fred held up his palms to forestall my argument. “I know, I know. I’ve already heard all about it from Mor and Deng. I told them I’m not setting up in North Watson, but I figured I could give it a go around here.”

“Wait, you’re leaving Watson?”

“I’ll still be around. But…” he sighed and went internal.

“What’s up with this obsession with building a camp? I thought you were happy around Lizzie’s.”

“I am,” he smiled and then sighed. “Not everyone takes to the streets like you did. Mor and I didn’t really need to do much to help you out. We just pointed you in the right direction, gave a couple tips, and you learned quickly. You still make a bunch of stupid decisions, but you picked everything up pretty fast.”

“So…you want to move here to try and help out new homeless or something?”

“There’s this guy traveling around to all the camps in Watson,” said Fred. “I think he’s been stretching out further too. He’s been talking about all of us helping each other out and building something new; working together and all of us pulling in the same direction…stuff like that. I kinda like the message.”

I nodded slowly, taking it all in. Fred had always been there for me, and now he was trying to do the same for others who needed help. Maybe this underpass would be a good place for a camp, and maybe he could do some good out here in Arroyo. I started giving the idea of John and Cyndi staying here some thought. At least temporarily. It was out of the way, and perhaps they’d be able to heal a bit while learning from Fred.

Fred led me back to the group and I grabbed some food. It was…barely edible. The food in Night City still tasted strange to me, but I needed the energy, so I scarfed it down.

While I ate, I stole glanced at the group and noticed that John and Cyndi sat apart from the conversation, their expressions a stark contrast to each other. John was quiet, his eyes fixed on some unseen point, still lost in the shock of his ordeal. Cyndi, on the other hand, was combative, her eyes darting around, ready to lash out at anyone who approached too quickly.

When the conversation inevitably shifted to what we should do with Cyndi and John, Cyndi interjected.

“I’m not going back,” she growled, starting to rise from her seat.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Diego quickly raised his hands in a calming gesture. “Nobody’s talking about sending you back,” he said, his voice steady and reassuring.

“They’ll need new identities,” said Zion, crumpling his empty plate in a ball and tossing it aside. “If the Tyger Claws find them, it’s game over. They’re the only lead to what happened to Jotaro.”

Deng nodded in agreement. “They’ll be looking for some kids. It’s better if they stay out of Watson until we can figure something out.”

I winced in realization and Deng caught it. “What is it?” he asked.

“I know a guy who could help us out with the whole identity thing,” I offered. “But he’s in Kabuki.”

Zion snorted out a laugh. “We just said they should stay out of Watson, and you want them heading straight into the district most controlled by the Tyger Claws?”

“He’s the only shoemaker I know,” I explained. “He’s…eccentric, but he’s good. We can get them some new clothes, maybe dye their hair or something, and we sneak them into his shop, and he can get to work.”

We talked about everything we’d need to make sure Cyndi and John wouldn’t get tangled up with the Claws again. I divvied up the cash from the day’s events and distributed the shares to Diego, Zion, and Anna. Deng knew that skeletons for Cyndi and John cost a lot, so he messaged me privately to tell me to set aside his share for that. It went together with the cash I made, and after some quick mental math I figured we’d be able to afford everything.

With what we grabbed off the Scavs, the money we took from Malcolm Bell’s apartment, and the proceeds from selling the white panel van and the Villefort Cortes to the chop shop, our shares worked out to about 6,000 eddies apiece.

Not a bad haul.

Zion, at least, seemed satisfied. As we all drifted apart to go our separate ways he pulled me aside, explaining he had some doubts about my ability to set up a gig in the beginning. “You’re still new, but it wasn’t the worst gig I’ve ever done. You ever need another shooter, keep me in mind.”

Deng and Fred both volunteered to stay behind at the underpass with John and Cyndi. When Cyndi protested that she didn’t need a babysitter, Diego gave her a small smile.

“Think of them as backup.”

Anna, Mor and I piled into Diego’s van, and he drove us out to Lizzie’s. On the way there, Diego peppered me with questions about how I believed the gig went down.

“Uh, it wasn’t too bad,” I said. “We took down the Scavs, Malcolm, and Callum. Plus, I put Jotaro in the ground. His operation should be shut down. The Tyger Claws were never big fans of his…proclivities. They simply kept it going because it made him happy, and he made them happy with all the money he earned for them. The BD shit he did, that was just for him. It wasn’t an official Tyger Claw business.”

“I figured you’d be over the moon,” said Deng. “You got rid of a bunch of bad guys today.”

“Hmm, my plan wasn’t…great. There were a couple points of failure that I was lucky to get away with. Plus, there are still a bunch of people from Jotaro’s organization that slipped through my fingers.”

As Diego drove us to Lizzie’s, I told them about all the people who worked with Jotaro who hung out in Westbrook. I couldn’t go after them because it was Tyger Claw territory, and I didn’t trust myself to pull off solo wet work. That was something that the day had really hammered home for me. I was like a discount Batman. Give me some prep time and I could make a somewhat decent plan and ambush people. Well, more sucker punch people and run away when they aren’t looking. But if I had to get involved in a gunfight, I would be SOL.

“Fingers is out in Westbrook. He’s almost as bad a monster as Jotaro. He’s a ripperdoc who helps dispose of Jotaro’s victims. Helped. Stripped their cyberware out and would sell it to his joytoy clients. If they couldn’t pay with eddies, he found other ways for them to take care of their debt.”

Disgust flashed across Anna’s face. “I can tell Susie about him. She might find a way to get to him.”

“There’s also a guy named Lenny Nero, also out in Westbrook. Skeevy looking dude. He’s a BD pusher that Jotaro used to move all his product; helped drum up an audience for all the sick shit Jotaro did. I don’t think he actually brought him victims, but he definitely profited off the monster.” I could see the anger creep into Diego’s face at that, but he kept quiet.

All of us went silent for a while, lost in our own thoughts, until Diego finally spoke up. “Those kids we helped; they remind me of my daughter a bit.”

None of the rest of us knew what to say about that, and the way Diego left the statement hanging there said he didn’t really expect us to say anything anyway. Finally, he added, “Kid, I’ve been doing merc work for a while now. Ever since I left Militech. They taught me enough that I was able to make a living out here in Night City. But most merc work, it’s one corpo trying to screw over another corpo. Or it’s a corpo trying to flatline some rando that pissed them off.”

He sighed and gathered his thoughts. “What I’m trying to say, kid, is that if you wanna do this again, let me know. Deng talks about you a lot—”

“Yea, about how much of a pain he is,” Deng interjected.

“And you got some talent. But you’re also relying on luck and the stupidity of your enemies.” He sighed as he tried to figure out the words for what he wanted to say. “What was your plan if you couldn’t get the security blinds up in the club?”

“What?”

“When you were in the club, after you killed Jotaro, you broke into the security system and opened the security blinds. That let Zion snipe a few people on the third floor. What if you hadn’t been able to break the security? Zion told me he saved you from two Claws you ran into. If they had got a warning out, you’d have been swarmed and we wouldn’t have been able to pull you from the club.”

“Yea, I was…lucky.”

“You were sloppy. And that wasn’t the only part of the plan that was sloppy,” said Diego. “Eventually your luck is going to run out, and not everyone you go after is gonna be a Scav who is strung out or a Tyger Claw who wouldn’t expect a killer loose in their club. You’re gonna find yourself in a shootout, and Deng and I can help train you for it.”

I didn’t really know what to say to that. Diego had military training, and the way he carried himself showed he was highly skilled. Someone offering to train me up so I wouldn’t embarrass myself too much if I did something stupid again sounded like a good idea.

When Diego dropped Anna, Mor and myself at Lizzie’s, he waved us a goodbye and I had the sneaky suspicion that his night wasn’t over. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was heading over to Westbrook to deal with Lenny Nero himself.

Mor waved his goodbye moments later, headed towards the alcove, while Anna and I walked into Lizzie’s. She was going to report to Susie that Jotaro was no longer a problem, and I was just excited to finally spend time in a bar I had often visited in the game.

We split at the entrance, with Anna assuring me she’d make sure Susie didn’t tell everyone that I was the one who killed Jotaro. I had put too much into my anonymity to start getting a rep now.

Once inside the club, I navigated through the crowd and sat down at the bar, drumming my fingers on the bar top, a grin spreading across my face. I was seated exactly where V sat when meeting with Evelyn for the first time. I shot a quick glance to my left, daring to hope that Judy and Evelyn would be there. No luck. Instead, the bartender approached, I ordered a drink, and carried it to an empty table in the club.

Anna joined a couple minutes later, bringing a bottle of alcohol with her, saying it was “compliments of Susie.” We clinked glasses to celebrate the successful gig, and I finally started to relax. Everything that had happened, with killing the Scavs and Jotaro and getting compliments from Diego and Zion, helped to lessen some of the tension I had been carrying. A successful gig, a couple fewer bad guys in the world. I smiled and polished off my drink before pouring another.

Anna pulled out a cigarette and lit it, taking a deep pull before turning to me. “Susie’s offered me a spot with the Mox. It’s not a bad gig. I’d be protecting the girls around here, stopping johns from getting too handsy.”

I nodded. The Mox would be a decent fit for her. They were only of the less repulsive gangs in Night City. By that, I mean they didn’t take part in human trafficking or drugs. They were mostly just a protection racket for local joytoys and that was the best that a lot of people in Night City could hope for. They’d give her work, and she’d be good muscle for them.

“I’m gonna turn her down.”

“What?! Why would you do that?”

She snorted. “Don’t think I wasn’t listening in when Diego and Zion were blowing smoke up your ass. They’re offering to work with you on more gigs. As am I.”

I was just about to explain that I didn’t have anything lined up and wasn’t used to working with a team and a handful of other concerns, but she held out a hand to stop me. “You did more good in a shorter period of time than I was ever able to do with the NCPD. I figure you’re not going to be robbing orphanages, so…your crew is as good as any. I’ll stick with you for a bit.”

I jolted forward in my seat, holding out my hands to stop her. “Anna, I don’t have a crew. And I’m not a crusader or anything. I’m a criminal, and I’m willing to break the law, and I can’t promise that all my targets are going to be like Jotaro.”

She shrugged and kept smoking her cigarette. “If you can point out a few people that deserve to be put in the ground, that’s good enough for me. We help people out, I make some money doing it, a couple shit heels end up in the ground. Win-win-win in my book.”

“You might not like what I have to say, and what I plan on doing.”

“Try me.”

I glanced around to make sure no one was listening, and then leaned closer to her.

“I’ve got something I’m working on,” I said in a low voice. She leaned closer, understanding that whatever I was asking for was better left only spoken about in our small section of Lizzie’s. “You know an Officer Kirk?”

She nodded, her expression hardening. “Yea. Piece of shit working the Watson beat. Not well liked around the station. At least, not by real cops.”

“He beat on Fred a while back. I asked Mor about it, and he said that he’s gotten worse over the past month or so. Officer Kirk used to be just a violent badge who picked on the homeless, but something’s changed. He’s more vicious now. I think that’s one of the reasons that Fred is trying to get out of Watson and over to Arroyo.”

Anna nodded and took another drag of her cigarette. “Well, you’ve heard about the NCPD losing money, right?”

I shot her a puzzled look and shook my head.

“Mayor Rhyne basically declared war on the NCPD. Says it costs the city too much money, we don’t make enough arrests, he wants cops to be more self-sufficient, blah blah blah,” she explained. “Everyone’s being hounded to make more busts. We’ve let Charter Hill and most of City Center fall under the control of the corporations. We don’t patrol Pacifica. I’ve even heard a few rumors that there’s going to be mass layoffs among the underperforming officers.”

“Let me guess, Officer Kirk is underperforming.”

“That gonk? Shits not even performing, let alone underperforming. From what I understand, he’s gonna be one of the first to go. He hasn’t done anything in Watson except beat on people. He hasn’t developed sources or made any significant arrests or anything like that.”

“So, what? He’s trying to be more violent to show his superiors he should still be on the job? How’s that helping him?”

“Well, he’s never been all that smart.” Anna took another drag, the embers of her cigarette glowing brightly in the dim light of the club. “But he’s dangerous. If he’s getting more vicious, it’s because he’s scared. And he’s still a cop. NCPD doesn’t take kindly to people going after their own.” She narrowed her eyes, lost in thought about her own experiences. “Normally.”

I sighed, leaning back against the wall. “Well, let me ask you one more thing. How would you go about meeting a CI? A source?”

She stubbed her cigarette out in a nearby ashtray and gave me a long, hard look. “Shit kid. You just jump from one frying pan to another, don’t you.”