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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: 3887 -:- 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
- 44
- 45
A few moments later, V and Jackie walked through the threshold and into the imposing Arasaka Tower. Even in the lobby, there were dozens of people coming and going, they could only imagine how many walked through those doors in one day. As they approached the desk, the full-body conversed receptionist bowed to them “Welcome to the Arasaka Corporate Headquarters, how may I help you?” V nodded “Here to see Vaughn, he should be waiting for us” the receptionist nodded as her eyes glowed “Good morning, Director, my apologies for disturbing you, your guests have arrived. Are you ready to see them now? I understand, thank you” the receptionist turned to V and Jackie, and with a well-practiced smile, she directed them to the elevator “Please, proceed to the elevator to your right, Level 50, the Director awaits”.

The duo enters the elevator, and as the doors close, Jackie scoffs “Director this, Director that. Este vato has everyone eatin’ from his hand” V clears her throat, getting Jackie’s attention and subtly addressing the camera. Jackie scoffs again but decides not to say anything else. After a few minutes, the doors open and the pair walk out. The 50th floor wasn’t as different as the 38th, but there were fewer people in it, and it somehow looked bigger. The black and red motif was prevalent throughout, and after walking past, V noticed an entire section with active Netrunners. They stop at another desk “Good morning” the receptionist greets “The Director will see you now, please step into the antechamber for a full scan, thank you” Jackie grunted, V had gone through this already, and even if Jackie had before, he still wasn’t used to it. After being scanned, the double doors opened and the pair walked in.

Vaughn’s new office was significantly bigger, with a better view and more equipment around the windows, which doubled as smartglass panels. V noticed the man had also grown a thicker beard in these last few months they hadn’t seen each other. Vaughn was currently conversing with a familiar face. As the duo walked in, the conversation ended. Frank Nostra, the sole survivor of the previous incarnation of the Special Operations department walked to them “Hello V, Jackie” he greets. He seemed more relaxed, but at the same time, he had signs of exhaustion “I just want to thank you for your service to the Arasaka Corporation, I’m sorry to cut this short, but I have plenty of work, let’s catch up later” the man continues on his way. It was all code, but V caught it, as they continued to Vaughn’s desk, he finally receives them “So? What do you think?” V smirks, the man spent three months without contact, and the first thing he does when seeing them again was act as if he had just moved to a new apartment “Not as cozy as the previous one” V replies, Vaughn nods “Jackie, good to see you” Jackie simply nods, folding his arms on his chest “Vaughn” Jackie was still uncomfortable, but to his credit, he was trying. “I see you managed to keep Frank around, he doesn’t look like a bundle of nerves anymore” Vaughn nods, motioning to the two seats in front of his desk, both V and Jackie sit “After the reveal of former Director Abernathy’s mess, there was a lot of restructuring going on, as you can imagine. All of the Special Operations department was sacked, Abernathy was put on Administrative Leave, which was just a fancy way of saying house arrest, and every member of her team was exhaustively interrogated” Vaughn slowly makes his way to his seat “I was interrogated too, and of course, I cooperated as much as I could. Turns out that Arthur Jenkins had known of Abernathy’s… Shall we say, flickering loyalty, but the corporate structure Arasaka had prevented him from escalating the issue any further, the hierarchy stated that he had to take whatever issues with Abernathy, and Abernathy would decide how to handle it. Of course, he couldn’t bring the case of her treason and deception to her, could he?” Vaughn shrugs, then resumes his explanation “So the departments were re-arranged, and once Frank was cleared from the extensive internal affairs process, he was kept. I was promoted to Special Operations, and thanks to Frank’s loyalty to Arasaka, he was promoted to the seat of Director of Counterintelligence, Counterintelligence now responds to Special Operations, and if Special Operations engages in anti-corporate activities, the Director of Counterintelligence can report that directly to the Board” V smirks, leaning against her seat, understanding what he was getting at “And because you have so much on Frank, he’s not gonna turn on you” Jackie scoffs again, just like a corpo to make sure they had their tentacles wrapped around everyone before moving forward, Vaughn shrugs “I like to think we’re just working together, towards the same goals”.

“And this thing with Trauma Team? What’s that about?” Vaughn nods again “Once the procedures were over, I was given the privilege of extending contracts and benefits to external contractors, without the usual limitations” he begins explaining “And of course, that involves protecting valuable assets. You and Jackie are good, really good, and to my knowledge, you haven’t failed a contract yet, however, due to the nature of corporate contracts as well as the heating corpo-political climate as of late, risks taking corporate contracts increase significantly. So, I’m ensuring that if the worst comes to pass, both you and Jackie will be protected as much as possible, hence, Trauma Team Platinum” It made sense, at least that was clarified “This of course, can include others, should you decide to expand your crew, recruit some people, the works, I’ll just need you to let me know” and just like that, one more person casually tosses the possibility of expanding the crew, by now, either everyone was conspiring against V, or this was a sign.

“So, what about the job?” Jackie asks, breaking the silence in the room, Vaughn clears his throat, remaining quiet for a few moments. That was a first, he was either trying to find the right words to address the job, or he wasn’t confident that Jackie and V would be happy with it “There’s a… Very valuable asset to Arasaka, they have expressed interest in visiting certain parts of Night City, and they are not too keen on taking an AV” V rose her eyebrow, looking at Vaughn “If this asset is so important, maybe tell them that with the way things are right now, going out is not a good idea” Vaughn nods “We did, but this is the kind of asset that can bypass whatever recommendation given to them… The kind of person who will end up doing what they want, but at the same time, is too important to Arasaka to jeopardize, so…” he clears his throat again “This is where you two come in” Jackie frowns, and glances at V, then at Vaughn “So, what, we gonna drive this ‘asset’ around Night City then, vato? We ain’t exactly drivers for hire, why not hire Delamain?” Vaughn sighs “Also considered it, but the Board wouldn’t approve a Delamain contract with the current issues they have going on with some of their cars, even if Delamain is downplaying the impact of those issues, it still represents a risk… We can’t also use any Arasaka-branded vehicles or personnel” Jackie groans again “Perfecto…” he looks at V “What do you think, chica?” V nods, and then turns to Vaughn “This stinks to high heaven, Vaughn, if we’re talking about a pampered corpo, and things go badly, we don’t know how things will go. 6th Street’s getting bolder, Tyger Claws are losin’ patience… Though I suppose if this ‘asset’ just wants to stick around the ‘nice’ areas of Night City, we’d have a better chance” Vaughn nods in understanding “You’ll be very well compensated of course, the asset has a cover they will be using, and my hope is that with your growing reputation on the Afterlife as well as the street, you’ll have a deterrent against people with stupid ideas in their mind” Jackie was shaking his leg as he listened, and V was tapping her fingers on the desk “Alright fine, we’ll do it, who’s this asset?” As Vaughn was about to reply, he gets a call, motioning for V and Jackie to wait he takes it “Yes… Yes, they are here. Of course… Certainly, they have been informed… Uh-huh… Yes, please, do send her in” he then stands up and looks at V and Jackie “Why don’t I let her tell you herself?”.

A few moments later, the double doors opened, and a young woman wearing a relatively discreet ensemble walked in. A black skirt with cuts to the sides and gold accents, knee-length sandals with holographic gold touches, and a plunging loose blouse with open sleeves, she also wore gold jewelry, a discrete watch on her left wrist, and a bracelet on her left, two necklaces, and earrings too. But what got V and Jackie’s attention the most, was the hair. A somehow elegant fauxhawk dyed in metallic blue shades. V also noted that the woman had what Arasaka fanatics called ‘Pureblood Japanese Features’, maybe she was a native from Japan? It would explain why they want to sightsee in Night City. The woman had white cybernetic eyes and a cybernetic left arm. “Jackie, V, this is Michiko Sanderson” To V, the name didn’t mean anything, but she noticed Jackie had his mouth slightly open “Wait… Michiko Sanderson? Danger Gal Michiko Sanderson?” The woman turned to Jackie and rose her eyebrow, V was more confused, she turned to look at Vaughn, who was just quiet, she finally turned to Jackie, as if looking for an explanation “Shit, V, that’s Michiko Arasaka!”.

V was stunned, Jackie being a Night City native knew way more about its history than she did, she assumed there was a reason why she went by Sanderson and not Arasaka, but all the same, this changed things. A lot. She turned to Vaughn again, looking for an explanation as to why an Arasaka princess wanted to be chauffeured around town “Arasaka-sama, my apologies” Vaughn says, bowing to her “These are the contractors I told you about, Jackie Welles and V, well trained, and efficient, they have my full confidence” The woman smirked as she looked at both V and Jackie “I see that, Director, one of them saw through my cover in no time at all!” Michiko was vivacious and had a pleasant aura around her. Despite her fiery looks, she looked way younger than she probably was. She approached both Jackie and V and bowed her head to them “It’s nice to meet you both, the Director has said nothing but good things about you, I hope we become friends” Jackie was still awestruck, and V was, well, weirded out. Michiko Arasaka was probably one of the richest, most powerful people in the world, and there she was, acting like a regular person who just had met new friends at a bar “Arasaka-sama, I must insist one last time, are you sure I can not convince you to take an AV instead? It would be much safer” the young woman shook her head “Thank you but no, seeing things from the air is not the same as seeing things happen on ground level, I know and understand that things are getting to a breaking point, but that’s the reason why I want to see things for myself” V was trying to get a read on her, but Michiko didn’t even have a slight Japanese accent, for all she knew, she was a regular girl born somewhere in the NUSA who just happened to look Japanese, she tried to say something, but the situation was too much. Michiko took the initiative and approached V, holding her hands “And don’t worry about me, Miss V, I’m far more than just a pampered corpo!”.

A few minutes later, V, Jackie, and Michiko were riding the elevator down to the lobby. Everyone who saw them immediately offered Michiko a deep bow, that was going to make things difficult. V and Jackie had tried to argue that things were not going to be very safe out there, especially if she was found out to be an Arasaka. But Michiko wouldn’t budge, she was going to see how things really were in the city. V suggested that she changed her cover at the very least, suggesting the name Miki Sanderson. Not that it’d make things any easier, but if Jackie recognized her true identity based on a name, others around Night City were bound to do the same. They finally arrived at Jackie’s Emperor, they opened the back door for Miki and ensured she was comfortable before getting in the vehicle themselves. “Alright Miki” V finally speaks “I guess we’re at your disposal, where would you want to go first?” Miki thinks for a moment and then smiles “I remember a shop in Heywood, Time Machine? Is it still around? Can we go there? Please?” V couldn’t process the difference between what she thought all the Arasakas were and what she was seeing now. Miki was acting as cute as those girls from Us Cracks acted, she was definitely lowering her guard around her and she didn’t like it. “Sure thing… Uh, Jackie, you heard the lady”.

As they took off, the awkward silence was present, what exactly could one speak about to someone like Michiko Arasaka? V was uncomfortable and Jackie was just as lost “Come on guys, no need for the silent treatment, just treat me like a regular person! It’ll be easier to blend in that way” Miki had a point, V and Jackie were still stressed over the fact of who she really was, but they had to try, otherwise, it’d be a very long day. “Alright, yeah, we can do that, right chica?” V simply nodded, but she had to do her part too “Yeah sure, it’s not a problem, um, Miki” Miki smiled and nodded to both “So what do you guys wanna talk about?” There was a brief silence before Jackie spoke again “I actually got a question for you, but, uh, dunno if it’s my place to ask” Miki giggled and nodded “As long as it’s not Arasaka corpo secrets, you can ask anything!” Jackie nodded, breathing in “I heard rumors that you and… Adam Smasher, you know… Got together? That’s not true, is it?” V blinked, she had heard of Adam Smasher, and she knew he was basically no longer human, with over 96% cyberization, she was now curious and she glanced at Miki, who was blushing slightly “Aww, c’mon, that’s not fair!” V smirked as Jackie cleared his throat “Alright I guess I can ask something else and—” V interrupts him, now suddenly invested “No, no, Miki has to play her part, like we have to play ours, right?” She grins, turning to Miki “So, is it true? Did you and Adam Smasher get hot and bothered?”.

Miki laughed nervously, but she knew V had a point, after a moment, she decides to share “It was a long time ago. Adam was this street punk like many you find around New York City, he loved getting in trouble. Tried for the military but he didn’t last long, he had an issue with authority. And then, one day he got seriously hurt, Arasaka took him in and offered him his first big list of implants and chips in exchange for his services in Night City. That’s how we met, and… Okay yeah there were some sparks, but he was still mostly… You know, organic, and he was assigned as my bodyguard for some time, so he would help me sneak out of the Tower and take me for some fun in town, so yeah we did get hot and bothered for some time” She was fanning herself at the memories, V grinned finally seeing that Michiko Arasaka was definitely not the innocent girl she looked like, that made her think that none of the Arasakas were uptight corpos with only business and money in their minds 24/7. “Gosh, that was a long time ago… I want to say… 2025? I am not sure” 2025? That was over 50 years ago, V glanced at Miki, she looked suspiciously young, maybe too young, but a combination of good genes and the best biosculptors corpo money could buy definitely had a part to play, being on top sure pays off, in more ways than one “I’m still having trouble picturin’ a big vato like Adam Smasher smashin’ a little chica” Jackie spurts casually, V punches him on the shoulder “Jackie!” He turns to V, confused as to why she punched him “What? What did I do? She said to treat her like a compa, right? What’s the problem?” Miki laughs loudly, much to V’s relief “You guys are funny” The brief silence returns, and this time it was Miki who casually spurted “But yeah, he was pretty big, nearly sawed me in half, I don’t remember how I managed to walk the day after our encounters, lots of MaxDocs I can tell you that!”.

A few minutes later, the Emperor parked outside Time Machine. V and Jackie got out first, and opened the back door of the vehicle for Miki, who was very excited “There it is! And it looks the same! Come on guys! I wonder what new stuff they have!” Jackie and V walk behind her, V sends a message to Jackie “So who is this Michiko Arasaka? Another of Saburo’s daughters?” a few seconds later, Jackie sends his reply “Not exactly chica, her father was Kei Arasaka, he flatlined in 2023, some say he offed himself, others claim someone else zeroed him, he was Saburo’s oldest son, which makes Miki his granddaughter, and the apple of his eye” V groaned to herself, not only were her and Jackie driving Miki around, they were driving Saburo’s favorite child around, and if something were to happen to her, there wouldn’t be a hole deep enough to hide from Arasaka. The Time Machine still had that varied assortment of music, instruments, and equipment in general, just as V saw on her previous visit. Miki was all over the place taking shards and records. While the store wasn’t packed, there were several regulars, and while they glanced at Miki, no one seemed to recognize her, much to both Jackie and V’s relief. “Hey choom, how did the shard work out?” Journey Ruiz, the proprietor, called V the second she recognized her, V approaches the counter, still keeping an eye on Miki “Worked wonders, thank you. Still a bit pricey though” The woman smirked “But well worth it, I promise you will see your choom become a guitar master in no time, that choom over Westbrook was heartbroken when he heard I sold it, he even offered twice as much for it, but can’t sell a thing I don’t have, if you’re in the market for anything else, lemme know, I might be able to accommodate you” with that, V nods and rejoins Jackie and Miki “Oh, this too… And… Oh wow, they really have the Black Dog recording from Samurai, I’m getting that one too!” V was surprised, Samurai was probably one of the most anti-corpo bands out there, and definitely the most anti-Arasaka band, but then again, it’s not like Miki was a standard Arasaka, assuming there was such a thing “I think I got everything I want! You guys want anything?” V shakes her head “I’m good, thanks Miki” she smiles, turning to Jackie “And you? Want anything?” He had already taken a Braindance recording “I’ll take the new Kartel Sonoro BD, I hear good things about it” Miki, in one swift move, took the Braindance recording and took everything to the counter “H-hey! I can pay for that, uh, Miki!” Miki grins “Nuh-uh, I got it” Journey Ruiz smiled at the haul Miki had, and started checking out every item “Got preem BD’s from Samurai too, some Eurodyne stuff too, and maybe Perilous Futur if you’re into them, it’s definitely not for everyone” Miki shook her head “Maybe next time, for now, this is all I’ll take!”.

A few minutes later, Miki was already aboard the Emperor Jackie and V were hopping in. V started to think that maybe the day wouldn’t be so bad, it seemed like it was just a glorified shopping spree. “Alright Miki, where to next?” Jackie asks, V tried to guess, maybe Jinguji? Avante perhaps? Any neokitsch corpo store for sure “I hear one of the most beautiful and breathtaking views in town is on top of a dam, it’s somewhere in Santo Domingo. I’ve heard so much about it, I’d like to go there next!” And there was the alarm again, V and Jackie glanced at Miki “Miki, not only that’s in Santo Domingo, that’s specifically in Arroyo” Miki nods, looking at both “Yeah… And what’s the problem?” Jackie and V glanced at each other “Chica, what V is tryin’ to say is that Arroyo has a lot of 6th Street peeps, if someone recognizes you…” Miki smiled again “No one’s gonna recognize me! I’m just a random girl going on a joyride with my friends! Besides, if something ends up happening, you’ll help me out!” There was a brief silence again, V tries one more time “Miki, these 6th Street people are being backed by Militech, and you know how things are between Militech and Arasaka” Miki nodded, her face now looking more serious “I am well aware, V. I know Militech is trying to weasel their way back in Night City politics and they will aim to push Arasaka out of town, but I wanna see for myself, not the sides of the conflict, but the people caught in the middle” Jackie and V glanced at each other as Miki sighs “It’s no secret that I pleaded to the then President of the NUSA so I could stay in Night City after the incident in 2023, I was born here, I had never been to Japan, and it was a strange place to me, so I pleaded and managed to convince the President to let me stay, of course, that branded me as a traitor in the eyes of my family, and the Arasaka Corporation, took decades of hard work to finally convince my grandfather that all I wanted was a fair shot at life, my life… So while I finished school and started to craft my career, I had the idea of creating Danger Gal” She glances at Jackie “The one thing that rang bells for you” She smiles slightly “I’m a criminologist, V, and Danger Gal was created as a corporation offering services of Detectives, Investigators, and Bodyguards, so if I want to understand this conflict, I need to see it” She then looks at V “Do you understand?”

“I understand, I don’t entirely agree with it, because like it or not you were born an Arasaka, and you automatically get a target on your back… But I understand” V sighs, Jackie was waiting on her, and V finally relents “Alright choom, let’s head to the dam, take the scenic route, by way of the 101, safer that way” Jackie nodded, finally taking off.

The scenic route was not as pleasant as Miki had hoped. They were close to the landfills, and there was trash of all types everywhere. She had heard this was where most of the troubles of Night City were buried, and she now believed it. As the Emperor picked up speed, she saw miles and miles of trash leaving Night City, and she could swear there were some people living in it “Was it always this bad? The collection service I mean” she finally asks “Cabrones sometimes don’t collect at all” Jackie replies “There’s a schedule they are supposed to follow, and there are landfills where all that junk is supposed to be processed too, but there are too many junk vendors out there, so the collectors just drop all that trash and wait for the vendors to sort it out” Miki frowned “That’s disgusting! And the city isn’t doing anything about it?” V smirked this time “C’mon Miki, most if not all of City Hall is in a corp’s pocket, mostly Arasaka’s, you surely knew this already” It wasn’t a lie, she knew Arasaka was responsible for procuring the support of several governments, local and federal, on different territories. Even Japan had issues with the trash, but there were chemical facilities that processed most of it, in Night City though, it looked like people just gave up and buried their problems with new problems on top.

Eventually, they reached the dam. Jackie stopped the engine, and V got out first “Lemme take a look” she says “If there’s trouble, you gun it, take Miki back home, got it?” Without waiting for an answer, V starts walking around the area, before them, the district of Santo Domingo, there even was Megabuilding H4 in the distance, the noises of the city were so distant, and she could feel the wind gently blowing. Unfortunately, she could also perceive the smell from the landfill nearby. She walks to Jackie’s window “All clear, let’s get this show on the road” Jackie gets out and they both open the back door to Miki “Oh, sheesh!” She makes a face when she smells the aroma of the area “How can people live with this stench?” Jackie chuckles “You get used to it, Chica. To a native of the area, this just smells normal, Almost no one in Night City is used to clean air” Miki walks towards the view and gasps quietly “It’s stunning” she says “It looks so… Peaceful too” V jumps over to the edge and sits on it, her feet dangling “It’s one of the few things people around here if they want to find a moment of inspiration, whenever they remember to stop looking at a screen that is. You’ll find couples taking in the moment and at night… Well, you can fill in the blanks” Mikie giggles “I take that’s very literal filling of the blanks then”.

Gunshots in the distance were heard, too distant to be worrying, with the three of them having Kiroshi Optics, they zoomed in “Who are they? The people in military gear? Are they Militech?” Both Jackie and V shook their head “No chica, that’s 6th Street. Veterans from the Unification War turned gangers, they operate mainly in Santo Domingo” There appeared to be a car chase, the three were following them with their optics “And the people they are chasing? Another gang?” V nodded this time “That’s the Tyger Claws, they usually operate in Watson, but with the way things are between Arasaka and Militech, they are invading each other’s territories” The gunfire intensified, as the Tyger Claws were chased into an ambush, at least a dozen 6th Street soldiers were waiting for them in an alley, they opened fire, massacring them all. Miki noticed that during the skirmish, several innocent bystanders were hit, they were wounded, maybe even dead “Where’s the NCPD in all this? Aren’t they supposed to respond?” V sighs “The NCPD are usually ill-equipped to deal with anything serious, 6th Street are veterans who usually are allowed to keep their military gear and implants, and the Tyger Claws get most of their weapons and gear through the black market” Jackie then continues “And MaxTac are usually dealing with the cyberpsychos in the city, they usually don’t respond to any reports unless it escalates, as in explosions, demolitions, that kind of thing… Esos cabrones down there are in the awkward in-between. Too serious for NCPD to handle it, not serious enough to call in MaxTac” Miki sighs, seeing how the fighting had died down and now the victors were after the spoils “What about the people down there? Not the gangs, but the normal people?” V shrugs “Iron’s affordable, they can get a decent piece at a 2nd Amendment shop, take a couple of shootin’ lessons, and try their luck, people with more money usually get more protective gear, reinforced duo-layers, padded clothing, kevlar jackets, the works, someone with a decent amount of eds could probably afford defense implants like Wired Reflexes or Subdermal Armor” Miki frowns, turning to V and Jackie “I thought the protective and heavy gear was the standard in Night City” Jackie nods “It is chica, but not everyone has the eds to afford it, the homeless guy down there can’t afford an 1150 eddies aramid shirt if all they can get is five or ten eds a day, a guy gotta eat too, and that's when these poor bastards aren't hooked on drugs” Miki falls silent and steps back from the view “I think I’ve seen enough of Santo Domingo” she says with a nod, there was a hint of sadness in her voice “Jackie, V, could you guys take me somewhere else?” V stands up, joining Miki and Jackie “Sure, where you wanna go now?” Miki forces herself to smile and nods “I’ve always wanted to see the Badlands, I only hear about it, but I’ve never seen it” Jackie looked at V and then cleared his throat “We could… Take you to a part of it, but not too far” Miki frowns “Why?” V offers an explanation “There’s a safe hub not too far from here, past Red Peaks, called Sunset Motel. Lots of Nomads stop by, trade, and leave, you could probably get your taste of the Badlands right there, but if we venture beyond, we risk meeting the Raffen Shiv, and their gang, the Wraiths” Despite spending most of her life in Night City, Miki hadn’t ventured beyond city limits, this was all new to her “The Wraiths are basically a nomadic gang, they are constantly on the move, they set ambushes and traps, they deal in kidnapping, trafficking, and scavenging, their strong suit is their heavily modified vehicles, I know you wanna see all you can, but we have to set boundaries for this one, we can take you to the Sunset Motel so you look around and see how things are, but that’s as far as we’ll take you, deal?”

Miki understood what V was saying and nodded “That sounds fair to me… So, shall we be off?”. A few moments later, the Emperor was on the road again, making their way to the Sunset Motel “I’m guessing Night City is extremely different from what you remembered?” V asked, Miki smirked “Not really actually! Sure, now you have a club called the Afterlife, back in the day there was the Atlantis. The legends of Night City were people I heard about and even got to interact with. Gangs change their names, split up, or get eradicated by another gang, but they are for the most part the same. I just… I want to understand, want to see it for myself, instead of just relying blindly on official Arasaka reports or N54” V was slowly warming up to Miki, and Jackie felt more at ease around her “Be aware chica, the weather in the Badlands changes a lot” Miki giggles “Oh, I’m sure I can handle it no problem, but thanks for the heads up” V grinned to herself, they were about to see for themselves.

About an hour later, they arrived at the Sunset Motel. As expected, the place was brimming with activity, with nomads coming in and getting out, and different kinds of modified vehicles. The second V and Jackie opened the back door for Miki, she felt it “Holy…! What is this?” She gets out of the vehicle to feel the full extent of the Badlands weather “Wow… What, is this… What, 40 Celsius?” V grinned as she checked her interface “50 actually” Jackie and V guided Miki through the hotel, the number of people in the area just made the heat feel nigh unbearable, but Miki continued, with the hope that she could see the happenings on her own before collapsing to the heat “So these people, nomads, what’s their story?” She asks casually, Jackie looked at V. If there was anyone qualified to explain the nomad lifestyle to anyone else, it was her. “Most of these people were displaced from their lands, or they are descendants of people displaced from their lands. Most if not all of them were born on the road, they don’t exist in any registry, and they rely on external contracts that corporations like SovOil, Petrochem, or Biotechnica offer. Most of these people are very good with their hands, they are techies, builders, farmers, mechanics, and tinkerers in general. They have helped rebuild Night City many times, and every time Night City is left standing, the government thanks them by kicking them out, it doesn’t help that most nomads aren’t allowed in the city, and to add insult to injury, the NCPD usually issue announcements and bulletins encouraging violence against nomads” Miki was already sweating, but she kept hearing what V had to say “You seem to know a lot about nomads, did you study them? You know, for your job as a merc?” Jackie grinned, knowing what was going to happen next, V shook her head “No, I’m a nomad myself”.

Miki fumbled her words, V didn’t look like a nomad, but then again, she realized she didn’t have a reference as to what a nomad should look like. “Oh, sheesh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to imply… It’s just that, you know so much about the city, I just assumed you were a Night Citizen too!” Jackie seemed amused, V smiled shrugging “Well I’ll take that as a compliment, maybe I have finally assimilated being a regular Night Citizen” Miki smiled, thankful that V didn’t think of her words as an insult “So if a Fifth Corporate War breaks out, or there’s another earthquake, or any other kind of disaster… All these people will volunteer to help, rebuild the city, help in general… They will be paid, and get rewarded by being booted out of the city they helped save, and on top of that, promote violence against them?” The trio stopped at the second level of the motel, Night City was on the horizon, and it looked so small, yet, their holographic advertisements were still visible. “Pretty much, yeah. And it’s not exclusive to Night City either, every major city does the same thing. Disasters strike, nomads show up to help, they do their part, and they get kicked out once everyone is back on their feet, rinse and repeat” Miki frowns, hard-working people being rewarded with exile after their effort. It didn’t sit well with her “Is there no authority nomads can reach out to?” V smirks “And who would that be? Militech? They are patrolling the border, to them, all nomads are Raffen Shiv, they all fire first, and ask questions never. Arasaka? Same with them… Besides, not every nomad trade is honest, I myself have experience in the less savory side of the law, that’s how I got into Night City” Miki smirks “Tut, tut, naughty V” V smiles, looking at Jackie first, and then at Miki again “That’s how we met, and we’ve been partners in crime ever since” Miki smiles, looking at both mercs “So a happy ending, not bad” Jackie nods “Not bad for this particular story, chica, but not everyone who tries to make it here has a happy ending… There are a lot of horror stories out there, especially during the Unification War. When people heard that Night City was neutral, and a safe place, there were lots of refugees fleeing the war. Every month, thousands of people hoped to come here, smugglers saw their business boom, and some less than honest people would take their money upfront, and leave the refugees to their luck in the middle of the desert, human trafficking also boomed with gangs like the Wraiths and the Scavvers just swooping in and taking whoever they wanted. There are urban legends of bunkers somewhere in the middle of the Badlands that to this day still hold some of those refugees as prisoners” Miki felt down again, maybe it was the heat, she was sweating profusely after all, and before she could say anything, she saw V patting Jackie on the shoulder “Jack, we gotta go” Miki was about to protest, but she saw what V was seeing. Out there on the horizon, a massive sandstorm was forming “Shit, let’s go!” As they were making their way down, Miki saw everyone preparing for the storm. The gun runner was hastily locking her wares, the joytoys in the area finalized their transactions, and almost everyone else was taking shelter in the bar. The wind started to pick up speed when the back door was opened, once Miki was secure, V and Jackie hop in.

“Got a plan, Jack?” Jackie nods as he starts the engine “Yeah, El Coyote, we can wait for the storm to pass in there, and we’ll get something to eat too” V frowned “Are you sure that’s a good idea, Jackie? There’s gonna be a ton of Valentinos in there” The Emperor started to move, as the visibility slowly but surely started to diminish “Yeah, but also Pepe is gonna be there, mi mamá too, and if we’re really lucky, Padre will be having lunch there” V understood Jackie’s logic and didn’t say anything “Hey Miki, you hungry?” Miki blinked, not expecting that question “I… I guess I could eat, why? Where are we going?” Jackie grinned “To the safest spot in all of Heywood, and to the best chile con carne you’ve ever tasted!”.
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From Badlands To Good Times A Cyberpunk 2077 Tale