Life in Night City is always bustling with events—every day something new happens. Each resident has their own problems, and more often than not, they are tied to what's going on in their lives. But if someone has a problem and the money, the solution is usually the same—hire mercenaries.
They can take on jobs of any complexity, from simple debt collection to assassination. In this city, there are those who will do anything for money. But the key point is this: if you can afford their services, life can become a little easier.
Alex had earned a good reputation among the mercs and fixers of Night City, and he was getting more and more job offers. He wasn't picky about the jobs, but he had limits on what he was willing to do. For example, he would never take a job to kill someone just because they accidentally stepped on someone's foot in a bar or punched a cheating husband in the face. Sure, there are those in the city who would take such contracts, but Alex wasn't one of them.
This time, he took a job from a girl he knew, who was being stalked by an obsessive admirer who couldn't understand the word «no.» When Alex found out the details, he was momentarily puzzled: the job involved dealing with a stalker, which seemed unusual. But since the request came from someone he knew, why not help out?
Alex didn't think he'd have to deal with someone who couldn't express their feelings in a healthy way. But when he finally met the guy, it became clear that he was just a stalker who couldn't take «no» for an answer.
When Alex finally confronted him and demanded he leave the girl alone, the guy went off on a rant about his «love» for the object of his obsession. Alex held his patience for as long as he could, but eventually, he snapped and punched the stalker in the face. Now, he stood there, looking at the guy with a bloody nose and a big bruise under his eye.
They were in the stalker's apartment—tiny, even smaller than the one Alex had once shared with Gloria. The place reminded him of Japanese capsule apartments: a cramped six-by-six-meter room that had turned into a complete mess.
Alex watched as the guy tried to stop the bleeding and frantically searched for a medkit. The sound of plastic crinkling filled the room, and Alex irritably glanced at GIR, who had no shame in throwing wrappers all over the floor while the apartment's owner fussed around.
Alex rolled his eyes. «No matter how many times I tell him, he still litters like a naughty child. He only hides the wrappers when Gloria's around, but as soon as she leaves, he scatters them all over the place.»
Looking back at the guy, who had finally stopped the bleeding, Alex asked, «Well, are you ready to talk?»
The guy stayed silent, avoiding eye contact, and after a while, he quietly said, «I just wanted to show her my love.»
Alex's eye twitched at those words. «What do you mean, show love? How can you show love by stalking someone?» he asked irritably, looking at the guy as if he were a complete idiot.
Alex grimaced at the absurd explanation. Sure, a jealous partner following someone might be understandable, but stalking a person who doesn't even know about your feelings—now that was crossing a line.
He was about to explain to the guy that what he was doing was wrong when his phone rang. Alex glanced at the screen: it was Lucy calling. Surprised, he answered, knowing she was supposed to be busy, and they had planned to meet with the group later.
«What's wrong, honey?» Alex asked softly.
He heard Lucy let out a heavy sigh, making it clear that something was wrong.
"It's Maine," she said shortly after a pause.
Alex raised an eyebrow, not understanding what could have happened to Maine, especially since they were all supposed to meet as a group to celebrate his discharge from the hospital after rehabilitation.
«What could've happened to him? He was discharged a few days ago, and everything seemed fine,» Alex asked, frowning.
Lucy sighed heavily and began to explain, «Maine had a seizure. Right now, he's out of control and attacking everyone...»
Alex listened carefully but was distracted by an irritating sound behind him. Turning around, he saw the guy sitting on the floor, muttering quietly to himself.
«Can't you shut up? I'm talking to my wife, and you're over there whispering and distracting me!» Alex snapped. «GIR, give this idiot a 'dose of positivity' to shut him up,» he added, glancing at his companion.
Lucy smiled when she heard Alex's outburst. She liked it when he called her his wife, though she could only pity the guy who was about to get a dose of «positivity» from GIR. One poor soul had already suffered from this method: when a client tried to hit on Lucy, GIR taught him a lesson, leaving the guy's hair literally on fire.
GIR, receiving the command, swiftly shocked the guy with a taser. Alex watched him convulse and, satisfied that the issue was temporarily resolved, returned to his conversation with Lucy.
«So, what's going on with Maine?»
«When he was discharged, the doctor warned him that the 'Sandy' had already exceeded its limits. With that much chrome, he was already on the edge, and installing the 'Sandy' was the last straw,» Lucy said with a heavy tone.
Alex rubbed his forehead, feeling the weariness creeping in. He knew Maine had long surpassed the limit of implants his body could handle. Even Dorio had been against installing the 'Sandy.' Now, with the seizure, it was clear that Maine had slipped into cyberpsychosis.
«And what triggered the episode?» Alex asked, rubbing his chin.
«He just wanted to show off how well he handled the 'Sandy,' but right in the middle of it, the seizure hit,» Lucy explained.
«What an idiot. I sent him a whole file of research to avoid something like this. So, what's his status now?» Alex asked, frowning.
«Dorio and the others are trying to stop him, but it's tough. We really need your help,» Lucy's voice carried clear concern.
Alex sighed and glanced back at the guy still convulsing on the floor. There wasn't much time left for a drawn-out discussion, and he had to make a radical decision—wipe the stalker's memory.
«Alright, I'll finish up here soon and be on my way. Just hang in there a bit longer,» Alex said, deciding what he needed to do next.
Lucy blew him a kiss before ending the call. Alex turned to GIR, who stood over the guy, tossing candy wrappers onto him.
There was no time for moral lessons. Alex could've tried to reason with the stalker, but now there was only one way left—to hit him with a memory-erasing hammer so he'd forget about the girl and stop stalking her.
«GIR, lift his head,» Alex commanded, holding the hammer at the ready.
GIR obeyed, and with one precise strike to the top of the stalker's head, Alex erased his memories. Satisfied with the result, he gave a couple more hits just to be sure. Now, a sizable lump adorned the stalker's head.
Pulling out his phone, Alex dialed the client's number.
«Hey, Rita, I'm done,» he said as soon as the call connected.
«Oh, you're a lifesaver! I knew you'd handle it quickly. But what was that nonsense about? Why was he stalking one of our girls?» Rita asked cheerfully.
«First love, it happens sometimes. But he won't be following Amanda anymore after what I did to him,» Alex chuckled, glancing at the guy lying on the floor.
Rita laughed.
«And what did you do to him?»
«Wiped his memory. Now he won't even remember who Amanda is,» Alex replied with a slight smile.
A loud laugh echoed through the phone. Rita clearly hadn't expected the problem to be solved that way.
«Well, that method works too. We didn't know what else to do with him—we beat him, chased him away, even banned him from the club, but he still managed to stalk her,» she said tiredly.
«Love makes people do crazy things. Anyway, the job's done, my responsibilities end here,» Alex joked, feeling amused.
Rita laughed again, hearing that Alex had completed the job.
«Well, you're adorable. Stop by if you have the opportunity. Amanda wouldn't mind thanking you for your help," she said in a playful tone.
«Maybe, but I don't need that kind of gratitude—I'm a married man,» Alex replied, playing along with the joke.
After saying goodbye to Rita, he realized he needed to hurry to help the team. Grabbing GIR by the head, Alex rushed downstairs to the car, jumped in, and sped off towards the base.
Meanwhile, Lucy had finished her conversation with Alex and turned her attention to Maine, who was fighting everyone like a madman. Dorio had a broken nose, a tooth knocked out, and Falco had a split lip that was bleeding. Pilar was the worst off—his nose was broken. Dorio was desperately trying to restrain Maine, who kept thrashing and flailing his arms.
«GET AWAY FROM ME! LEAVE ME ALONE!» Maine yelled, swinging his arms wildly in a fit of rage.
Lucy narrowly dodged another blow that almost hit her in the face and quickly stepped back. Despite the pain from the blows, Dorio kept trying to hold Maine down, ignoring her own injuries. She landed a powerful punch to his jaw, but he didn't even flinch, as if her efforts were having no effect. He could no longer distinguish between enemies and friends, attacking everyone indiscriminately.
Dorio realized her strength alone wasn't enough. With each blow, she understood that without Alex's help, she wouldn't last long. They had grown close during their time working together, and she thought of him as her crazy younger brother. Alex always found a way to use anything as a weapon and shared tips with her about training and building muscle mass.
«Where's Alex? I can't hold him much longer!» Dorio shouted as she struggled to contain Maine.
Lucy reassured her that Alex was already on his way. Meanwhile, Falco checked on Pilar, who had lost consciousness after being hit by Maine. Seeing that Dorio was holding things under control, he tried to revive Pilar.
But holding Maine down was getting harder—he punched Dorio in the ribs, weakening her grip and allowing him to break free. As Maine stood up, he raised his arm to strike again, but his fist froze in the air—Alex had stopped his hand.
«Hey, Maine, how did it come to this?» Alex asked calmly, staring at the enraged Maine.
Dorio sighed with relief, seeing that Alex had finally arrived. Though he looked lean, his strength always amazed her. She could never beat him in any strength challenges.
«You're a little late,» she said, relieved.
«Well, now it's under control. Relax, I'm here,» Alex replied with a smile, pointing at himself with his thumb.
Dorio wanted to warn him about Maine's other hand, but it was too late—he had already swung his free hand at Alex. However, Alex easily dodged and began thinking of how to neutralize Maine without hurting him too much. Suddenly, Alex remembered a move he'd only used a couple of times, just for fun, against particularly stubborn opponents.
«Alright, Maine, if you can still understand anything, I suggest you brace yourself,» Alex said as he pushed Maine's arm away.
Dodging the blows, Alex looked for the right moment to strike. When that opportunity arose, he seized it instantly, delivering a powerful punch to Maine's jaw. This technique, known as the «Burial Blow,» was perfect for incapacitating an opponent without inflicting serious injury. Maine found himself literally buried up to his waist in the ground from the force of the blow, with only his legs sticking out.
Everyone watching stood with their mouths agape in astonishment, shifting their gaze from the protruding legs to Alex, who calmly stood nearby.
«GIR, give Maine a dose of tranquilizer. One that'll keep him in bed for at least a week,» Alex said, lighting a cigarette.
GIR immediately ran up to Maine, pulled a huge syringe from his pocket, and jabbed the needle into Maine's backside. Everyone watched this absurd scene, mouths agape, not understanding what was happening. How had Alex managed to punch Maine into the ground, and where had GIR gotten such a huge syringe?
These questions floated in the minds of those who didn't know all of Alex's secrets. Lucy sighed wearily and looked away. She knew that move; Alex had once jokingly demonstrated it on some idiot who had been bothering her.
Pilar, who had regained consciousness after Falco helped him come to, was the first to see the legs sticking out of the ground and GIR with the enormous syringe jammed into them.
«What the hell? Why are there legs sticking out of the ground, and why did that little guy stick a syringe in them?» Pilar mumbled, just waking up.
Falco began to explain to Pilar what had happened while he was out cold. Meanwhile, Alex instructed GIR to provide medical assistance to the others. A siren popped out of GIR's head, and he ran towards the injured, making the sound of an ambulance.
Alex shook his head and turned back to Maine. He grabbed him by the belt and pulled him out of the ground. Tossing Maine over his shoulder, Alex headed into the house. He threw Maine onto the couch where he usually slept with Dorio when they stayed at this base. Alex took a chair and sat beside Maine's bed, watching him.
Alex lit a cigarette and began to ponder what had caused Maine's outburst. After all, he had even passed on his research data to prevent a cyberpsychosis episode. Dorio herself had said that Maine had shown symptoms, but they had managed to remove them since they were noticed in time.
«What's wrong with you?» he muttered, exhaling smoke through his nose.
«We don't know either,» Dorio replied as she walked into the room.
Alex turned his head at the sound of Dorio's voice and saw her enter the room, pressing an ice pack to her cheek where Maine had hit her. She sat on the bed beside him and gently stroked his face. Alex didn't interfere; he simply observed her, slowly taking a drag from his cigarette. Dorio sighed heavily and looked gratefully at Alex, understanding that he had managed to stop Maine without causing him serious harm.
«Can you explain what happened? I gave you all the data from my research,» Alex broke the silence, turning to Dorio.
The girl sighed heavily again and looked at Maine, squeezing his hand.
«I don't know either,» she began. «After he was discharged, everything was going well. The symptoms of cyberpsychosis had almost disappeared. The doctor said that 'Sandy' was the limit that his body could handle. And Maine felt fine. But today, when he decided to use 'Sandy' in front of everyone, almost as if to show that everything was under control... he blacked out, and then became uncontrollable,» Dorio finished, her voice trembling with concern.
Alex thoughtfully stroked his chin, analyzing the situation. Everything seemed illogical. In the morning, when he had spoken with Maine on the phone, he sounded upbeat, not stuttering at all, and showed no symptoms. Now something had clearly gone wrong. But what?
«Alright, let's go downstairs and discuss what to do next,» Alex said, standing up from the chair and dusting himself off tiredly.
Dorio nodded, throwing one last glance at Maine, and followed him. On the first floor, Alex saw that GIR had already provided assistance to those injured in the fight. Falco, like Dorio, was holding an ice pack to his face. But Pilar looked as if he had starred in a mummy movie—completely bandaged, with only his golden ears sticking out.
«What happened to you? Last time you looked like a sheikh, and now what, a mummy?» Alex squinted at Pilar.
He turned his head and, hearing the question, mumbled, «Your dog doesn't like me. I know he's doing this on purpose,» pointing at GIR.
In response, GIR slowly pulled out a candy from his pocket, taking his time to unwrap it. Then, crumpling the wrapper into a ball, he threw it at Pilar's face. Pilar instantly got angry and chased after the robo-dog, intent on teaching him a lesson. Alex merely shook his head.
«Everyone here, let's figure out what to do with Maine,» he called to the others.
Pilar, unable to catch GIR, sighed and walked over to the rest. They all settled into their seats, waiting for the discussion to begin.
«We have about a week to do something,» Alex started. «The tranquilizer I gave Maine only works the first time. His body adapts quickly, and each new dose will be weaker. It's safe, but we can't use it indefinitely.»
Dorio nodded, realizing that they truly had little time. Alex continued to question the team to find out what could have caused this sudden episode.
Dorio explained that she had strictly followed all the instructions from Alex's research. Pilar, in turn, had helped with the setup of 'Sandy' so that Maine could adapt to it. Everything seemed fine until Maine decided to show off in front of everyone and test the implant. That's when everything went wrong.
Alex listened attentively, not interrupting. He knew that Dorio loved Maine too much to let him become a cyberpsychopath, and Pilar was an excellent specialist in tuning chrome. All of this truly seemed strange and concerning.
«We have few options,» Alex paused, choosing his words carefully. «The first is the standard procedure for helping cyberpsychopaths. We extract most of the chrome from his body and wait for him to feel better,» he said, a hint of doubt in his tone, realizing that the simple solution might not be enough.
The group began discussing the proposed method of assistance, but no one wanted to accept it. They all understood that if they started removing chrome from Maine's body, he could lose not only his strength but also a significant part of his personality. It would be akin to rehabilitating a drug addict with severe complications, where the old person likely wouldn't return.
Dorio particularly didn't want to take such a step. She hoped Alex would come up with other, less radical solutions. She trusted him and knew he was capable of thinking of something more effective.
«Maybe you have other ideas?» Kiwi asked, looking at Alex.
Kiwi, like Dorio, believed there was always an alternative. Over time, as she grew closer to Alex, she began to understand him better—he always found unconventional ways to solve problems. Although his methods sometimes seemed strange, they turned out to be surprisingly effective.
«The second option is... to erase his memory,» Alex said calmly, holding up two fingers.
Dorio looked at him as if he had lost his mind and wanted to know what he meant. Alex sighed heavily, realizing that his suggestion sounded absurd, and decided to explain further.
«Remember my hammer? Well, we need to hit Maine hard on the head so that he forgets everything that happened,» Alex continued, placing the hammer on the table.
«Are you sure that will work?» Falco asked skeptically, nodding at the hammer.
Most of the group also doubted that a simple blow to the head could solve such a complex problem.
«The hammer works. I just can't guarantee how much memory will be wiped. It could be a month, a year, or maybe ten years. So this option is a last resort,» Alex explained, gesturing toward the hammer.
Dorio thought about it; this option made some sense, but the consequences could be catastrophic—Maine could lose memories not only of recent events but also of his life over the past ten years. Alex sighed heavily again—he had another plan, riskier but possibly more effective.
«And finally, the third option... steal the cure right from Arasaka,» he said, raising three fingers.
These words caused astonishment among everyone. They looked at Alex as if he were someone ready to break into the most secure place in the city for a non-existent cure.
«Have you hit your head? Are you even sure that Arasaka has such a cure?» Kiwi asked doubtfully, looking at him as if he were crazy.
«There's a 90% chance it exists there. Seriously, do you think a corporation like Arasaka doesn't have a way to control or even treat cyberpsychopaths?» Alex surveyed everyone, his confidence unshakeable.
Lucy observed Alex closely, realizing that he could heal Maine himself without resorting to such risks. She wanted to understand why he was going to such lengths if he could solve the problem in mere seconds. Alex caught her gaze and silently indicated that he would explain everything later. Lucy nodded, setting aside her questions for the next discussion.
«Alex, are you seriously planning to break into Arasaka for a cure for Maine that may not even exist?» Dorio asked, not hiding her concern.
«The cure is there. And I already have a plan for how to get in. We just need to prepare thoroughly,» Alex said firmly, shaking his head.
Dorio sighed heavily, realizing that Alex had already made his decision. It seemed he had this plan for a long time; the situation with Maine had simply accelerated his actions.
She understood that it would be a suicidal mission and wasn't sure that Alex could not only infiltrate Arasaka but also make it out alive. She didn't want to agree to such a risky venture, but she realized that they had little choice.
To be continued…