So I've never done anything like this before but just felt I had to do this because I've been playing a lot of cyberpunk 2077. I was originally pushed away by the backlash from all the bugs and glitches that ranged from floating cars to save wipes but a few years later I got my hands on the game and phantom liberty and I've already poured in an ungodly amount of time into the game. The creators put so much care and attention to detail in this game and truly created a dense living world.

I was thinking what it would be like if you could choose different life paths for V and how they might affect the story. I thought it would be interesting to start with a more powerful, chromed V with far more dangerous enemies and thought about having an ex-NCPD start but changed it to ex-MAXTAC after I lost interest in the NCPD idea. The hard part of that is that according to some lore shards in game, Maxtac operatives are people who previously went cyberpsycho (which I thought was just a conspiracy theory among night citizens but actually gets semi-confirmed by Regina when you take down that one cyberpsycho in Pacifica without killing him.) so I either incorporate that into V's backstory or make a very minor change (or maybe it's already the case) that maxtac also hires promising individuals without them losing their minds first. I'll probably decide later although I'm leaning towards the latter which feels smoother and doesn't lead to me dumping exposition on all of you.

I will be taking a few fanfic creative liberties, f the rules.

Anyway, let the badass Maxtac V begin his journey with the star of our fool's journey, Jackie Welles.

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Night City, Watson, 2/9/2077

(V's POV)

My reflection in the window of the AV, the lights of the city through the rain covered glass. Another day of protecting whatever resembles innocence in thi-

"Approaching target location"

I'm snapped out of my thoughts by Jenson's announcement. Dispatch reported a frenzy up at the docks of Arasaka Waterfront. Maelstrom territory so no surprise there. The thing of note is that the Maelstromers are the ones getting gutted.

"Not sure if we should kill this borg or give him a medal. Rhyne's gonna cry tears of joy when he gets wind of the PR boost of a Maelstrom culling." Stanton said, making sure our little psycho on the ground isn't about to punch through our ice.

I shout to my unit, "About to drop, try not to zero this one if you can, commands itching for new recruits after that construction goon crushed Grayson last week!"

"How much of a gonk do you have to be to get flatlined by some regular fuck. Grayson deserved it." That was Lancely, bloodlust psychopath with a pair of mean gorilla arms.

"He could've at least paid me back for that beer." Raging bitch, that one.

"CUT THE CHATTER, DROPPING NOW!"

I shout as I ready my little gift from Militech, an experimental set of arms cyberware I got chipped with after Maxtac renewed it's contract with Militech. We get top of the line weapons and experimental stage cyberware long as we promise to keep quiet about it if it borks out and causes our bosses a 'legal inconvenience'. Not sure how but Militech got there hands on some unpatented smart targeting system and decided on making a built in high caliber smart machine gun. Crazy experimental shit with the processing power it takes, linking directly to a users Kiroshis for split second targeting, put in the arms so there's no concern about recoil control.

Finally on the ground, Stanton puts our target in the factory in front of us. "That's obvious by the fucking mountain of borg fetishists piled up in front you gonk!" Lancely chastises Stanton for the hundredth fucking time. Living volcano that one.

"Any idea what chrome he's packing Stant?" I ask our SPARs netrunner. "Too much to tell. Probably some poor gonk they shoved an entire junkyard of cyberware scrap into, without consent as per usual."

We finally reach the main floor of the factory. The borg is there, missing an arm with a damn tank packed on the other. The kid, wouldn't peg him older than 15 with a Valentino jacket, wouldn't be able to lug it around if it weren't for the goddamn centipede worth of leg cyberware the attached to kid lower body.

"So much for bringing the kid in alive. Better to give him a quick end. A mercy really." Jenson says. Empath of the group that he is. He's right though. No chance the kid could get rehabilitated in his state.

I put him down. One shot to the brain.

"What a waste of time. At least it gives me the chance I needed to do this." What the hell does Lancely mean by t-

*CCRRAAAACCCKKK*

The noise came quick but the moment took forever. Lancely's chrome fist drilling straight through Jenson's jaw. Her Sandevistan gave him no chance to react. Stanton tried to quick hack her but her military grade ICE held him off. Long enough for the damn traitor to strike him god knows how many times in the chest. Coughed up his entire heart.

"PHAAHHAAA OH THATS A RUSH!!"

"LANCELY YOU FUCKING BITCH!" I rush the fucker using my arms to open fire. It dents her armor, really the caliber on these things is absurd, but Maxtac gear is top of the line for a reason.

"SORRY BOSS, BUT ARASAKA WANTS THEIR TECH BACK!!" She charged at me and in that instant it clicked, these arms of mine were stolen. Some Militech agents klepped this from Arasaka, put it in me to get field data and hide the prototype from any spies in their ranks, but it got noticed and they paid this BITCH Lancely to take me out on our next call.

It felt like I had a Sandevestan activated with how slow it all felt.

I felt my arms run out of ammo as she drew closer. Closer. CLOSER AND CLOSER AND CLOSER.

….

And then a truck crashed into her through the wall. Like a gift from some cruel god who wanted me to toil in this bittershit city.

"Hijo de Puta!" Spanish. He's here for the poor fuck I just zeroed. One problem at a time. I grab a cartridge and stock it into my chrome. And I unload into that bitch Lancely.

I don't think I'm bloodhungry like my colleagues but I've never been more satisfied to flatline a person.

"Ey put the crazy ass gun arms down." Said the unlikely savior who might just be the next casualty in this fuck up of a job if tries anything.

"What are you here for?" I ask him. "Who are you?"

"I'm here for him" he points to the Frankenstein's monster they made of that Valentino kid. "Was supposed to get him out of here. Rescue him from these Pendejos. Names Jackie Welles. "

"Well, kid went psycho and did that part for you." Gotta explain this carefully, quickly, and delta the fuck out of here. "Put him down cleanly, poor bastard had his brains damn near fried. Hope that doesn't cause us a problem."

"You fucking Maxtac?" Jackie asks, hands in the air. Reputation proceeds us. "Yup, so was she, before she killed my squad and tried to kill me. Now we gotta delta, I'll move the body of the poor kid into your car. Fixer'll want something to give the family."

"We? Don't you need to call your bosses, tell them about this shit sandwich someone's gotta eat?" Welles asks me.

"I could, but if a Maxtac operative was paid to kill me then I can't trust anyone in my unit. They're after my chrome. I go back and I am royally screwed. Both Militech and Arasaka are gonna wanna rip off my implants and that is above even my pay grade. They'll say I went psycho, killed my unit and send all they got at me. Who knows where my corpse ends up. Unlike most corps, our cyberware isn't locked cause it's all military grade stuff. We torch the place and make a getaway, alright."

"Amigo, no need to explain. Less talking more gangoon torching. Rather not be around when corps start sniffing." Jackie replies.

"Ey, ever thought of Merc work big guy?"