Semi-vacation was good for me. After the election madness and getting The Pack all set up – and dealing with all that came with it – the crew had decided to take a breather before trying to pull any new jobs. It was a rare moment when I could finally afford to slow down and see the city. For about a week, I roamed Night City like a tourist, seeing all the places that I wanted to see when I first got to this world but never had the time.

I caught a show at the Red Dirt – the dive bar where Samurai played their first gig. I made sure to check out that giant statue in corpo plaza, the one that kicked off the whole FFO6B5 conspiracy/mystery that a bunch of people had been chasing on Reddit since the game first came out. Something about that puzzle still gave me a weird sense of curiosity, even if I wasn’t as invested as all the rest of the people who posted on the forums. I knew that it eventually led you to the Badlands where you could get a monster truck, but that was only because my V was a car collector. And then there was the Arasaka Memorial, towering and cold, a monument to all the people who got crushed under the weight of the conflict between the world’s largest and worst megacorp and the narcissistic ass that was Johnny Silverhand.

Overall, it was a good time. Most of the crew was off doing their own thing – relaxing, recalibrating, doing whatever they did on a daily basis. I kept in touch, sure, but we all knew this was a rare chance to step back, breathe, and get our heads straight before diving right back into the chaos.

That’s how I found myself sitting in Westbrook, across from a place called Eden Plaza, just watching the world move around me at its usual breakneck pace. It was a rare moment of stillness for me in a city filled with chaos, and I had decided to embrace it.

Across the street, there was a small crowd gathering – tourists, maybe, or wannabe media types, clutching Agents and deploying camera drones, snapping photos of celebrities I didn’t recognize. Their faces glowed with the light of their screens, all caught up in trying to capture some fleeting moment of fame. To me, though, they were just more faces in a city full of them.

I was sitting in a cluster of concrete benches that felt more like a bus depot than a hangout spot. The benches were all chipped and weathered, but solid and arranged tight enough that it would force people to sit close to one another. Not that there was much of anyone around at this time of day.

Holographic displays floated around the benches, flickering with news, stock prices, and ads. One screen cycled through updates from N54 news – some corpo scandal, which of course would end with nothing substantial happening to the corporation. Megacorps didn’t get punished. Nothing new. Another screen flashed ads for some new braindance experience, and a kid nearby was swiping at an interactive panel, probably dreaming of a virtual escape that would only set him back about a hundred eddies per month.

For once, I wasn’t desperately scrabbling to pull together a job or scrambling for the next hustle. No fixers were blowing up my Agent, no one from the crew bugging me for the next move, and no gunfire echoing in the distance. It was just me, the rundown benches, and the hum of Night City moving around me.

The stillness felt somewhat strange. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d just let myself sit still and…exist. Usually, I was in motion. Always the next gig. Always the next job. Gotta figure out a way for the crew to survive. But now, anchored in this little corner of Night City, watching the chaos swirl around me while I just sat there, it was a nice change of pace to what had become my life.

And, naturally, the moment I realized that, it was interrupted.

I accepted the call that splashed across my vision and Anna’s voice came over the line. “Noah, you got a minute?”

“Yea, what’s up?”

She sighed, like she was still figuring out how to break the news. “So…I’ve been talking to some of the badges I know, letting them know about the rumors you heard – about the layoffs. Word’s starting to slip through the ranks.”

“That’s good, right?” I asked, not quite sure where she was going with this.

“Yea. Kinda,” she said, her voice uncertain. “I’ve been putting feelers out, getting my recruiting hat on. Told a couple people we might be looking to take on some extra muscle. It was going fine. Just a handful of calls, nothing major. But now, with these layoff rumors spreading? I’m getting flooded with calls. Everyone’s coming out of the woodworks and wanting to know if we’re hiring.”

A smile tugged at my lips. A ready-made force of trained cops, eager to jump ship, all looking for work. If things went south and I needed people to commit violence on command, that was exactly the kind of asset we could use. But my good cheer slowly turned sour as I started getting what Anna was worried about.

“Shit,” I muttered.

“Yup. I figured you didn’t want to just start hiring every badge that comes our way. How are we gonna pay them all? Deng suggested I loop you in, see if you had any ideas for jobs we could pull off soon.”

I sighed and looked around me. My eyes flicked between the security cameras perched on a pole nearby, an underground structure hidden near where I was seated, and what sounded like a party a block away. Ideas churned in my mind, but none of them were fully formed. I hadn’t completely screwed around over the past week. But I didn’t have anything ready for right now.

“I got a couple things in motion,” I said, leaning back on the bench. “John’s working with Fred and Mor to get the homeless organized. They’re scoping out areas, tracking smaller gangs we can hit or extort for some quick eddies. But that’s gonna take time. It’s not like we’re gonna be swimming in the eddies tomorrow.” I hesitated for a moment before adding, “How do you feel about working with the Animals?”

Anna paused. “Better than Maelstrom or the Tyger Claws, that’s for sure. All I know about the Animals is they get hired as huscle. Bunch of small businesses have work for them. Haven’t heard much else.”

“I’m thinking about pulling them in on a job I’m cooking up. Might need a LOT of muscle.”

There was another pause on the line. I knew she was as wary as I was. The Animals were unpredictable. And we did just have a tiff with them during election day. That would need to be ironed out before we agreed to anything.

“There’s one more thing,” Anna said, her voice shifting to a more cautious tone. “Albert called me.”

“What’d he want?”

“I’m…not really sure,” she admitted. “He was speaking corpo at me, throwing out all this business lingo, but the gist of it? I think he wants to take over recruiting the badges. He’s been bringing in a lot of former mercs and corporate security guys lately. It sounded like he wanted to merge them with the badges we’re looking at.”

I frowned. Albert was more the organizing type than the field guy. He…rubbed people the wrong way. Corporate security who were used to dealing with suits? They understood him. But a cop who just got fired and is jumping ship to work for the other side? I couldn’t see him having much success there.

“You think he’s trying to cut you out?” I asked.

“No, not exactly. But it felt off, you know. Like he wants to have more of a hand in recruiting.”

This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.

I slumped back on the concrete bench and rubbed the back of my neck, weighing it all. “He’s been doing good work with John. Keeps things running smooth. That being said, I doubt he can talk to the badges like you can. I’ll back you with whatever you decide, but I’d say you should tell him to fuck off. But…you know, politely.”

“Alright. Just thought I’d give you a heads-up.”

I shifted slightly on the bench and saw Cyndi and John making their way down the street toward me. Cyndi caught my eye first. It was hard to ignore her considering she was wearing her leather ‘I’m gonna stab your face off your face’ jacket and combat boot ensemble. I gave her a quick nod before shifting my attention back to the call with Anna.

“Thanks for that, Anna. Keep me in the loop if anything changes. And let me know soon how many badges you’ve got lined up.”

I ended the call and quickly fired off a message to Sandra. She’d been quiet lately, probably processing the bombshell I dropped on her about Night Corp being entangled with rogue AIs and trying to create some kind of Skynet/terminator/Manchurian candidate type of situation. It was a delicate balance that I was walking: scaring her enough to be cautious but not enough to make her bolt out of the city.

Noah: hey, there’s a cluster of security cams at the intersection of Pardey and Lele in Westbrook. Think you can check them out? Let me know if you spot any weaknesses in their setup.

Sandra: k. Any updates on new gigs for my people?

Noah: Working on it. Might have something big for netrunners soon.

Sandra: Like what?

Thankfully, I was seated in a bus depot like area with tons of ads spamming my vision.

Noah: Haven’t you ever wanted to look where eyes can’t see?

Sandra: …You’re short-circed. Don’t give me the detes over the phone.

Noah: Wasn’t planning on it. I’ll stop by and we’ll work on something.

I closed the message just as Cyndi and John reached me. John gave a simple nod, while Cyndi offered a half-smile, her hands deep in her jacket pockets and her eyes scanning the area. Diego had been training her well. It was easy to see she was starting to act like him and move like him. She was already giving off that ‘I can kill you if I accidentally move too fast’ look that Diego had down pat. It was intimidating when she added it to her Mantis blades and her new Lynx Paws.

“So, what did you two see?” I’d sent Cyndi and John to scope out a Tyger Claw gambling operation to get some ideas on whether or not The Pack might be able to open up a spot of our own. I didn’t expect John to get into any fights, but it was always good to send Cyndi along with him as a battle buddy.

“It’s definitely a Tyger Claw den,” Cyndi chimed in before John could. Her voice was low. “Underground gambling den. I’m surprised you even knew about it. It’s not exactly public knowledge. No advertising, but still doing good business.”

The only reason I even knew about it was from my hours spent playing the video game. Wakako had once sent V there for a gig. Or would send V there for a gig. My timeline of the game and real life was slightly off. I didn’t know when exactly we were in connection to the anime or video game.

“Tygers have a pretty good setup there. Small, but tight operation. Security’s solid. They’ve got dealers, bartenders, food, drinks…all the essentials to keep people coming back. Low-key, but they’re raking in a lot of eddies.”

I could practically hear the gears turning in my head. “Think we could pull off something similar?”

Cyndi glanced at John, urging him to speak up with just a look. He hesitated before giving me a quiet, “Yea.”

“The problem’s real estate, though,” Cyndi cut in. “I mean, Diego’s been telling me about how almost every block in Night City’s already claimed. Maelstrom’s up in North Watson, Tyger Claws have got all of Westbrook and a big chunk of Watson. Heywood and Wellsprings are ‘tino territory, and 6th Street has Santo Domingo. All the gangs have their own slice of territory.”

John, barely audible, muttered, “Not the Animals.”

“Yea, the Animals are more like mercs with muscle and a mean streak,” I said, nodding in agreement. “They’re not all that interested in territory. They got their underground fight clubs and boxing rings, but most of their money comes from offering muscle-for-hire, not holding turf.”

I sighed, glancing at Cyndi and John, weighing my options. “You two got some time to do some scouting?”

They exchanged a quick look before John gave a nod. “Yea.”

“Good. I want you to drive around, scope out a few areas. Look for spots that might be under the radar. See if you can find any small-time gangs we could push around. Find us somewhere we could set up shop.”

“Anything specific you’re looking for?” asked Cyndi.

“Not really. Just stay away from any territories where The Pack might end up in a full-scale war if we move in. We’re not there yet,” I said. “And definitely stay the hell out of Pacifica.”

That got their attention. Cyndi tilted her head, confused. “Pacifica? Isn’t that place basically a combat zone? Wouldn’t it be easier to find something there?”

I shook my head. “Nah. Not worth the trouble. We’re trying to open a gambling den or two. And for that, you need people. Plus…I don’t want us getting tangled up with the VDB. At least not right now.”

Their blinks said they were confused.

“VDB?” Cyndi asked, her voice unsure.

I couldn’t help but grin a little, remembering a line I’d heard a hundred times from Judy during one of the missions in the game. “Spine-chillin’ netrunner crew. Hard to find ‘cause they don’t wanna be.”

More silence. I sighed.

“They’re a bunch of assholes who came over with the rest of the Haitian diaspora. Took over in Pacifica and turned it into their playground. You also got a bunch of Scavs running around out there, doing God knows what, and Barghest out in Dogtown. That whole area’s a nightmare. We’re not ready to pick a fight with any of them.”

Cyndi’s expression slowly shifted as she processed it. “Alright, so we steer clear of Pacifica. Got it.”

“Good. Everywhere else is fair game, but keep your eyes open. This city’s full of cracks. Find me one we can slip into.”

They both nodded and turned to leave. As I watched them disappear down the street, I leaned back on the chipped concrete bench and pulled up my Agent interface. My eyes drifted over the contact list, and I stared at the name Angelica.

It had been a while since we’d spoken – or rather, since I’d last threatened to burn her alive if she didn’t back off from meddling with my election sites. That little chat probably had her sprinting to a ripperdoc to fix her hearing. She’d probably be good by now, but that didn’t mean things between us would be any less tense. Still, I couldn’t shake the idea of partnering with her and the Animals.

The Animals weren’t a gang I knew a whole bunch about a week ago. Sure, Sasquatch was a beast of a boss fight in the game – probably the toughest one. But aside from that? They didn’t seem like heavy hitters in Night City. V ran into a few on some side gigs, but they weren’t as big or as organized as Maelstrom, the Tyger Claws, or even 6th Street. They were more like…random mooks that were there to be shot.

I’d asked Zion and Diego about them, but they didn’t have much insight to give me. Both of them were more focused on merc work, not gang politics. But Deng, Fred, and Mor? They knew better. They knew Night City in a way that only those who lived on the street knew it. The homeless community, especially, had to be hyper-aware of all the invisible borders of Night City and who ran which street. It was a survival tactic. You cross into the wrong territory without knowing whose colors fly there? That could be your last mistake.

Deng told me that the Animals mostly ran underground fight rings – brutal, bloody, and lethal. Fights that ended with only a few broken bones were considered boring. I’d heard a bit about them in my day to day wandering through the city, but Deng was able to give me a little more context into how they ran their business.

The Animals focused on the spectacle of violence. People came to their clubs for the carnage and the chance to see someone being dragged out of the ring in pieces. It was raw, savage entertainment. But their fights weren’t their only hustle.

The Animals had their own line of steroids that turned regular people into walking tanks, boosting their physical strength to dangerous levels. They ran a few gyms, too – places where they could push their obsession with size and strength to the extreme. What set them apart from most other gangs in the city was their focus on enhancing the flesh rather than going full cyber. Sure, everyone in Night City had some chrome, but the Animals took pride in keeping their bodies as human as possible. Only…bigger, stronger, and more intimidating than most people thought was healthy.

But the thing that stuck out to me and made me think that the Animals could be a good partner to The Pack, was the fact that their gang wasn’t exactly rolling in eddies. For all their muscle and physical intimidation, they didn’t make a whole lot of money. Hell, they were barely worth being called a gang. Sure, they were eye-catching – how could you not notice a walking mountain covered in biomods? But they weren’t major players. None of their muscles translated to power or wealth.

Instead, the Animals were more like hired muscle, renting themselves out for protection gigs and brute force jobs. Businesses would pay them to act as security or to clear out troublemakers. That was their bread and butter – trading violence for money. It kept them visible, sure, but it didn’t make them powerful.

I leaned back, staring at Angelica’s name on my contact list. Was she going to hold a grudge for the whole “threatening to set her on fire” thing? Most people in this city probably would. But she seemed understanding. And all I needed to do was figure out something that the Animals wanted more than to push my nose in the dirt.

After a long sigh, I finally hit the call button for Angelica. It didn’t take long for her to pick up – whether that was a good sign or meant she’d been waiting to chew me out was up for debate.

“The last time we spoke, you were throwing around a lot of threats,” she said, her tone flat, sharp as a blade. Clearly, she wasn’t thrilled to hear from me. “Is this going to be a repeat of that?”

“Hey Angelica,” I greeted, trying to keep things light, though I knew this conversation wasn’t going to go like that. “I don’t think I ever properly introduced myself. I’m Noah Batty.”

“I know who you are. Told you I do my homework.”

I gave a small chuckle. “Right. Well, I also told you that I might have a business proposition for you. I’ve got something in the works right now, and I think there could be a place in it for the Animals.”

There was a beat of silence on the other end before her frustration boiled over. “Now you call?” I could practically hear her eyes roll through the phone. “My boss wasn’t exactly thrilled with how things went down on election day. You screwed up my gig, Noah, and I’ve been taking the heat for it ever since.”

“That was simply business. Nothing personal. And this? This is potentially a LOT of business. The Pack’s gonna be doing something big, and I’m offering to cut the Animals in.”

The silence this time was longer, and when she finally spoke, her voice was laced with skepticism. “My boss isn’t exactly feeling charitable after what happened. She’s going to demand a meeting.”

Yea. That made sense. If I’d sent Diego or Anna out on a job and they came back empty-handed after getting steamrolled, I’d be asking questions too.

“Alright,” I said, leaning back a little on the bench. “You set it up. Three days from now.”

“I can try,” Angelica replied, her tone more cautious and guarded now, like she wasn’t sure if she could even trust me. Who would, after the last encounter? I probably didn’t make the greatest first impression.

“Good. I’ll be there. And I’ll even make amends for what happened. No need to let one bad night get in the way of a partnership that could benefit everyone.”

There was a pause where I think Angelica was weighing her options, thinking about how she could answer me. Finally, she spoke. “Three days, Noah. Don’t make me regret this.”

The call ended before I could say anything else. That could’ve gone a lot better. Now, all I needed to do was secure my “amends.” As well as some bolt cutters. And maybe…glitter?