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From Badlands To Good Times A Cyberpunk 2077 Tale	By : Crystal_Dreams_Writes Category: -Misc Video Games/RPGs > AU - Alternate Universe Views: 3904 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Cyberpunk 2077 nor the characters from it I do not make any money or profit in any way from the writing of this story

Chapter List
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“We met a long time ago, back in Heywood. I wasn’t with the Valentinos just yet, but I was still doing runs for them. I saw the big cars, and everyone had gold-plated chrome, and all the jewels, all the chicas too… That’s what I wanted for myself, I looked at those vatos and swore I’d be just like them. Then I met this skinny boy from Watson, he was smart, and he caught me shoplifting once, but instead of turnin’ me in, he distracted the clerk so I could get away”.

Jackie and V were sitting at the edge of the landing pad, the vista of Night City before them. V had calmed enough to listen to him without wanting to break something. “We became friends, he distracted people, I took their things, then we split everything 50/50” V remained quiet, but she was instantly transported to the night she met Jackie and agreed to make a career together and split everything in the same way. “I used to invite him over to my house, whenever mi papá wasn’t around, it wasn’t good to be around him, y’know? He loved my mom’s cooking too. The perfect day was running the streets, lifting a few items, and comin’ over to my house for my mom’s sopa de fideos… As far as I know, he didn’t have parents, and he was embarrassed to talk about his family, I never went to his house, but I didn’t press him either, a man has to deal with his life in his own way after all” V then glanced at Jackie, he was fidgeting his fingers, looking down “He said you and him had been best friends for almost ten years” Jackie nodded, looking up to the city “There comes a time when liftin’ a store ain’t cuttin’ it anymore V, you know that better than anybody, and sometimes you gotta escalate. We weren't kids anymore, but we weren’t men either, it’s that awkward in-between. I had scrounged enough eds to get a piece, if there was anything I learned from the Valentinos was that a scared mark will give you everything as long as you promise to let ‘em live. And that was the next step… Come on out like a bandido on the streets, wave the piece around, and get everything…”

Jackie fell silent again, V couldn’t determine if he was having trouble remembering, or if he was looking for the right words “One day I saw this Arasaka suit walking down the street, we didn’t see any escorts, and Vaughn was with me, he asked me to pick someone else, but I figured a corpo would have more money, so I ignored him. I did my dance and number, I was fuckin’ Pancho Pistolas, I was fuckin’ invincible, 'gimme all your money or get your brains splattered on the floor' you know how that one goes… But the gun went off, and the corpo fell to the ground” V winces momentarily, looking forward at the city “Vaughn took the gun from my hand and told me to run. I was scared, I didn’t know what was gonna happen to me, I was more scared at the fact of mi mamá finding out and killing me… So I ran, and last I saw was the badges and some Arasaka goons surrounding Vaughn” V winced, rubbing her eyes “Jesus Christ, Jackie…” Jackie fell silent again, trying to find the right words “I heard he was sent to an Arasaka detention center, I thought that was it for him, but I was surprised to see him on the streets six months later. They had him enrolled in this low-tier recruiting program, he was working warehouses for them, he was still wanting to be my friend like nothing had happened, and I figured we could make some eddies and—” V interrupted him “You had him take any surplus items and implants from the warehouse” she was almost seething, Jackie nodded “... Yeah, I thought maybe he was just doing the corpo thing because they were makin’ him do it, you know? Like some sort of… Sentence or punishment, but turned out that was what he wanted to do, he wanted a shot at the corpo world”.

V was trying to process everything she was hearing, and comparing it to what she heard from Vaughn. She breathed out, still looking forward “What happened between you two? Sure, he was a corpo, still is, and you’re that kid from Heywood blastin’ gangoons all day long, but something had to happen for you to stop talking to him, you don’t stop talkin’ to chooms just because they take a different path in life” Jackie glances at V, but feels too embarrassed and looks forward instead “I was jealous, mija” he confesses “He was stackin’ boxes in some giant warehouse and was makin’ more money in an hour than I could scrounge in a week, and he stopped havin’ time for us too, he’d say they increased his working hours. So one day we were at Lizzie’s, he showed up with that ‘saka corpo suit they all wear and even two escorts and started goin’ on about a promotion he just had and how things were gonna be different from there on… And I just couldn’t take it”.

Another awkward silence, Jackie was still struggling and finally shakes his head “I called him out on what I thought was something reasonable, him humiliating me, pretending to be one of the many streetkids in Heywood, chewed him out, cursed him out… He didn’t even say anything, he just smiled, nodded, patted me on the shoulder, wished me luck and he left, just like that” Jackie turned to V, looking for a sympathetic look but he didn’t find anything, she was still looking at the city “You used him” she states bluntly, Jackie was about to protest and just looks down “He was telling you all the things happening in his life, and the best you could do was… Use him. Take any surplus, give it to you, and then you’d go 50/50, but if he got caught, it wouldn’t be 50/50 now, would it Jack?” Jackie felt even more embarrassed, looking down “And when things were looking up, when he finally got the chance to get to a level where he felt he could celebrate, you kicked him out of your life… Because he busted his ass in his own way and got far, and you couldn’t take it” V turned to look at Jackie, but he wouldn’t dare look up “Is that what’s gonna happen to me, Jack? Is that what’s been happenin’? Ever since we met, remember? That night you said we’d team up and split everything 50/50, you never mentioned my pay as a smuggler, what if I had said no? Would you have taken the cargo and disappeared on me?” Jackie remained silent, because deep inside, that had been his plan all along: Get the cargo from the smuggler, leave them stranded somewhere near the border, and disappear into Night City “The Dexter DeShawn thing” she continues, Jackie feels a shiver running down his spine “It was clear he was gonna work with Bug, you, and me… And out of the crew, I was the newest, yet you had me talk to him. Not Bug, who was my senior, not you who previously knew Dex, but me… Did you hope I’d be dazzled by Dexter, his gold-plated arm, and his limo to say jump blindly into that trainwreck of a job? Did you hope to shift the blame in case the job went tits up?” Jackie stammered trying to justify himself “What if I started working more with corpos, maybe even politicians? Fuck me, Jack, we already started working with NCPD and have done a few jobs for them, I did a gig for City Hall too, would you have kicked me to the curb? Or are you planning to still do it? Fuck, for all I know I’m too profitable for you to drop me like you dropped Vaughn, is that what this is?”.

Jackie tried to say something, anything, but he couldn’t find the words, V shook her head “All the times you’ve needed help, I’ve been there for you, more than once. All you have to do is pick up the holo, drop me a line and you know I drop everything I’m doing to help you. When you got hurt at Orta’s place, I teamed up with him to get the fuckers who did that to you, whenever you have a contract and you need help I’m there… But I’ve noticed Jack, you try to steer things your way, you opposed doing any kind of deal with Militech before we went into the Maelstrom’s joint, luckily that was never my plan, but what if it were? You dropped Vaughn because you considered him to be the same as you, but couldn’t bear the thought of him rising higher than you, are you gonna do the same to me if the same thing happens?” Jackie shook his head “Chica, this is different, you’re not the same” V hissed through her teeth “Is it? I already am entangled with Arasaka, that contract was meant for the both of us, and I jumped in to save you, so Vaughn wouldn’t go through with what he was doing. I signed it, sold myself because I figured it’d save your life, and you were gonna do the same. But you didn’t say anything, not one word, even if Vaughn pushed you to say anything, do anything… You couldn’t, you wouldn’t… So, what happens if they convince me to do corpo work full time? You gonna turn against me as you turned against Vaughn, Jack?”

Jackie lowered his head “That’s not what this is chica, it’s not the same” he says softly “It sure as fuck looks that way from where I’m standin’, Jack, what happens if I start gettin’ more contracts than you? What happens if Rogue starts asking me for more solo work? Because that’s how I got the City Hall gig, the moment we stop being the same and one of us takes the lead, will you be alright with that? Or will you do everything in your power to ensure that the one on top is you, even if it comes to sabotage?” V slowly stands up, and an alarmed Jackie finally looks up “Chica…” he almost pleads, V shakes her head “I’m gettin’ a call from Vaughn tonight, we start workin’ together and I think it’s going to take a long time, for what I can tell, Arasaka is looking at investigating every angle as to what happened in Konpeki Plaza. I think you and I should spend some time away while I work this mess out” Jackie stammers, standing up “B-but how long is that gonna take?” he finally asks, V shrugs, not even looking at him “A few days, a few weeks, months even… I don’t know Jack, but it’s not like I’ll be free to discuss it with you, after all, I signed a contract, and you didn’t… But once this is over, we’ll need to figure out where you and I stand. I’ve been nothin’ but loyal to you, Jack, you know that, it’s just heartbreaking to find out that is not reciprocated”.

V rode the elevator on her own, leaning against a wall after she sighed loudly. The lights were flickering but they didn’t completely go out. As the doors open, she enters the Afterlife again, Claire sees her come in, but with no Jackie in tow, she decided not to say anything. She reaches Rogue’s booth and Crispin stepped aside, Rogue looks at V “Something in your mind, kid?” she asks, V nods “Anything you know about that Vaughn guy?” Rogue motions her to sit down as she starts “Been working Arasaka for less than a decade, Counterintelligence for I’d say… About five years or so, answers to Arthur Jenkins, the head of the division, but you know that already” V nods as Rogue continues “He’s what’s known in the business as a company man, think a merc with exclusive corpo contracts, he’s well trained and he has top echelon implants as well, he’s somewhere above the Arasaka field operatives, and even special ops, but he’s not elite, not yet anyway, though I suspect that’s what he’s aiming for” Rogue looks at V, she was tense, angry, sad, and anxious. The Fixer Queen didn’t miss a detail, as she pours tequila into a glass and offers it to V “By your line of questioning, I’m assuming you’ll be working for him?” V downs the glass in one go, nodding “Yeah… Says he’ll drop me a line tonight” Rogue pours V another glass “What’s your concern?” she asks, V downs the glass “Sounds like I’ll be workin’ long term with them… I-I don’t know. Last time I worked with a corpo, it was Militech and we barely made it out alive” Rogue chuckles, leaning against her seat “I heard about that one, All Foods plant, there was a betting pool, you know? Over half of the Afterlife waged you were gonna get gunned down, I lost hundreds that night”.

V waited a few moments, then looked at Rogue “What’s it like?” she asks as Rogue pours herself a drink “What’s what like?” she asks before downing her own drink “Well you work with everyone, right? Claire told me you used to be a solo before you became a fixer, so I assume at some point you’ve worked with corps, some maybe long term?” Rogue nods slowly “I was, and I have… But you were a nomad, weren’t you? Surely you worked with corps too, I’m guessing Petrochem or Biotechnica” V nods, placing the glass on the table “Yeah, but never calling the shots, or making decisions, clans have bosses, they work the details out, we just follow them through… Here, I feel–” Rogue interrupts her, pouring her another drink “Out of your element?” V nods slowly, taking the third drink “I felt the same when I became a fixer, I was used to having someone in my ear telling me where to go, who to shoot, what to grab, and when to leave, it’s an entirely different game when you’re a fixer, and if you’re looking to work corporations, is also a different game. The first thing you need to realize is this: Working with corps, you still don’t call the shots, they will still tell you what to do, but if you fuck up they will pile everything on you, you’re their insurance policy, they didn’t fail, you did. So don’t fuck up”.

V sighs, downing the drink again “That’s reassuring” Rogue chuckles, looking at V “You’re just seeing the game for what it truly is, it has layers and levels of difficulty, and there’s nothing easier than being at the very bottom, but your pay will also be at the very bottom. The higher you go, the more interesting and difficult the jobs become, but the pay and benefits also get bigger. If Arasaka determines you’re doing a good enough job, you might get perks from them, maybe an invitation to join them, who knows? What’s important is to keep an open mind, not every corpo is out to fuck shit up, just like not every solo is a paladin of justice and virtue, almost everyone will lie to your face, and the rest will only tell you half-truths”.

Rogue looks around and then turns to V again “I assume you and Mr. Welles had some sort of disagreement?” she was used to seeing them together the whole time they were in the Afterlife that it was strange enough to see one or the other on their own. V nods “Yeah… Something like that” Rogue chuckles again “Even the strongest bonds can be shattered, V, sometimes we just take different paths, and not everyone will follow in our footsteps too” V falls silent for a moment, and she then looks at Rogue “Is it possible to have a partner, someone you trust with your life, and then learn that they aren’t who you think they are? To the point where they could turn against you?” Rogue raises her eyebrows, perhaps something much more than a disagreement had just happened “Yes” she replies bluntly “Look at Panam, when she and Nash came looking for work, they seemed to trust each other and have each other’s backs, and as you know, Nash turned against her, stole her car, and her clients, even if for just a week or so… It happened to me too, I used to team up with Johnny Silverhand back in the day, and I thought we had something more than just the occasional merc job, but Johnny was clearly after something else… And even one of my last partners, Santiago Aldecaldo, kept offering me the nomad dream life and swore he would take me away from all this…” Rogue sighs, shaking her head after reminiscing for a moment “You’re young, and you have accomplished more at your age than even some of the most seasoned mercs in the Afterlife, but you are yet to see plenty more things, both horrible, beautiful, and everything in between. You’ll get to see happy endings, sad endings, and heartbreaking endings, it happens to all of us” Rogue pours herself one last drink and downs it in one go “Besides, I think Claire told you once, didn’t she? Everyone fucks everyone. She didn’t mean only sexually, you should start reading between the lines, V, you’ll get to find lost truths there”.

V eventually left the Afterlife, getting on her bike, and she rode all the way to her apartment. She had a lot to think about, but she didn’t have enough time to consider everything she was still trying to process. As she was riding the elevator, the sun was setting on the horizon. She made it to her apartment and took a long, hot shower. She sat in her living room just waiting, and thinking. Finally, about an hour in, her holo went off, and the caller ID was locked. “Yes?” she picks up “Hello V, I’m Vaughn” V nodded, sighing “Yeah… So are we on?” Vaugh nodded “We’re on, get ready, I’m picking you up in twenty” V stands up as she looks for something to wear “What’s the play?” she asks, Vaughn sends her a map “We’re going to Pacifica, to the Grand Imperial Mall, suit up”.
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From Badlands To Good Times A Cyberpunk 2077 Tale