Ti keeps moving. Night City keeps stinking. Our David is training.
Maine took David through Vito's commission and wrapped it up clean. Dov's remaining people have been reunited with Dov. But Maine noticed sothing: David has talent, raw and real, but no training behind it. The verdict was simple. David needed a crash course.
Evenings: physical conditioning. Mornings: hand-to-hand. Afternoons: marksmanship. The process of grinding through all of it brought him closer and closer to the rest of Maine's crew.
Captain Maine — massive, veteran-built, the backbone and decision-maker of the whole operation. Handles fixer contact, carries serious chro.
Vice-captain Dorio — just as built, hand-to-hand specialist, Maine's right hand, and the one who keeps the team from flying apart at the seams.
Lucy — team netrunner. Handles intel and cyber-security. Her weapon of choice is monofilant wire.
Kiwi — second netrunner. Network intrusion specialist. Wears a face mask at all tis. Makes other people's cyberware do things their owners never intended.
Pilar — technical expert. Equipnt maintenance, technical support, whatever the crew needs that involves tools.
Rebecca — Pilar's sister. One of the team's primary firepower. Small, and an outstanding shot.
Bang!
David missed the target again. His trigger pull kept dragging him back to the day of his mother's accident. He shook his head hard.
"Only way to protect her is to get better."
He said it to himself, not out loud, and fired again. Still not center mass, but better than before.
Maine walked into the range.
"Switch guns for practice. The one Vito gave you will serve you better when the training's done. Using it now just makes everything else feel wrong in your hands."
David ran his thumb over the compact modified Unity, clicked the safety on, and put it back in the holster.
"That explains why it feels so different from everything else."
Rebecca pulled the pistol out of David's holster at a speed he couldn't have tracked, turned toward the range, and put three rounds into the target.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
Head. Face. Face. Clean grouping.
"David. Where did you find a gun this good?"
Rebecca hooked her arm around his, using the particular tone she reserved for getting what she wanted.
"Uh — Vito gave it to . He does weapon modifications. I can ask him what it costs to make another one."
Rebecca let out a cheer. She eased the pistol back into David's holster with obvious reluctance.
"What's it called?"
David looked slightly embarrassed.
"It's... it's called Compact an Piece-of-Work."
"Ugh. That is the worst na. Don't forget to ask him for , David."
She walked out of the range to get a drink.
Maine moved up and continued working with David on his form.
"I called Vito today. Told him the commission was done."
David adjusted his grip and kept his eyes on the target.
"What did he say?"
Maine corrected his stance.
"He asked about you. I told him everything was going fine and you'd started your training."
David fired twice. Closer to center than before.
"Thanks, Maine. How is Vito doing? I've been staying in Sakura Market these last few days and we haven't really talked."
Maine paused. He let out a dry laugh.
"He's all over the Valley. Word's spread. He's currently the most efficient rc in the whole district."
David blinked. He pulled the shot and the round went wide.
"Maine. Can you be more specific?"
Maine pulled up Vito's fixer profile and showed him.
Na: Vito
Team: dical Dispute Resolution Unit
Team mbers: Vito, Jackie Welles
Team cyberware: Kiroshi optical implants, Trajectory Generator, subdermal armor (self-reported; no installation records on file)
Assessnt: Efficient, precise. Excels at small-team breach and low-number hostage rescue. Team leader Vito skilled in stealth and close-quarters elimination. Strong team firepower. Weapons of untraceable origin.
Maine added:
"I've seen a lot of edgerunners co out of nowhere. Every single one of them had corporate backing. Soone like Vito — first ti I've seen it. Day before yesterday they picked up five commissions at once. Yesterday, all five were delivered."
David tightened his grip around the gun. He had to keep pushing. He couldn't afford to be dead weight behind Vito.
On the other side of the city at that sa mont.
"Jackie. What's the target?"
Jackie's eyes went slightly red, the tell of a neural search running.
"Annie Cornwall. Lost contact thirty-seven minutes ago. Last ping puts her inside the Fuji Bar, Tyger Claws territory. Suspected kidnapping. We breach the Fuji Bar, extract the target. If she's already dead, we retrieve the body and clear the building."
Vito checked over the weapons he'd brought. He frowned.
"Lost contact thirty-seven minutes ago and they're already planning the funeral? Who posted this?"
Jackie wasn't carrying Reason this run. Instead he had two modified pistols — a pair of Nues that Vito had reworked and renad the Golden Hellcats.
"Fixer didn't say who the client is. But the way this is structured reads like a corporation."
Vito finished his check.
"Then we do it our way. Client's already written off the worst case, so let's not drag it out. There's another job after this one. Both of them pay well enough that you can buy yourself a new motorcycle."
Jackie holstered the Hellcats.
"We need a netrunner. Right now we're just walking in on feel. Playing ball with our eyes shut."
Vito handed Jackie two EMP grenades.
"Fair point. We'll have the old captain help us scout a candidate after this. If he can't find anyone, I'll put in a request to Maine's crew and see about borrowing their netrunner for a few runs."
Both of them ready, they walked toward the Fuji Bar entrance.
"Bar's closed. Get lost."
The Tyger Claws door man made sure they could see the hardware on his hip.
Jackie started to say sothing. Vito had already drawn a modified Shigure SMG from behind his back and removed the doorman's ability to have opinions.
"Closed bar doesn't need a doorman. Jackie. Sa as always. In the door, weapons hot, find the target, get out."
Jackie drew the Golden Hellcats.
"Let's go, mano. Legends in the making!"
The Tyger Claws inside heard the shot and locked into position imdiately. They had their guns trained on the entrance when an EMP grenade ca sailing in.
Thud — crackle.
The grenade detonated. Anyone close to the door dropped as their cyberware and weapons arced and shorted. Anyone further back had their cybereyes whited out.
"Watch the eyes — here we go!"
Vito swept through the entrance. The Shigure opened up. Vito had pulled the fifty-round magazine and replaced it with one that held a hundred and twenty-five — enough sustained fire to keep a small army pinned. Jackie's Golden Hellcats put down anything still standing.
"First floor clear. I'm going up the left staircase. Jackie, take the right."
"On it."
"Left staircase clear. Moving to the manager's office."
"Right side, contact. EMP grenade away. Vito, what do you want for dinner?"
"Not fried noodles. I'm at the manager's door."
"Right side clear. At the manager's side entrance."
"Copy. Synchronized breach in three."
"Ready!"
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