"Even if you don't want to take this job, you don't need to get so angry," Dorio said, glancing at Mann with curiosity. She had noticed lately that Mann's temper seemed to be getting worse.
Mann scowled, slamming his fist on the armrest. "Damn it, Dorio! Wouldn't you be pissed if a lowlife middleman looked down on you like that?"
Dorio stayed quiet, unsure how to respond. Mann's anger wasn't really about Toby Jaes, the irritating middleman. It ran deeper than that.
Mann had noticed a disturbing trend lately: commissions that would have typically been his were being funneled to Peter's team. Peter had recently built a stellar reputation in Night City. Whether it was stealing from corporations, assassinations, or high-stakes rescues, Peter's team completed every mission with precision.
This made him a favorite among the city's fixers. Clients were happier, and fixers earned more when Peter was involved. Mann, on the other hand, found himself receiving fewer opportunities, and it was eating away at him.
"If Gloria doesn't answer her phone by tonight, I'm going to find her myself," Mann declared, his frustration bubbling over.
Dorio didn't argue. She understood Mann better than anyone else. She knew the pressure he was under. In Night City, mercenaries either climbed to the top or crashed and burned. There was no middle ground. The consequences of failure were always on their shoulders.
---
Meanwhile, at David's apartment, the young man sifted through his late mother Gloria's belongings. Among her clothes, he finally found it: the military-grade Sian Weistein prosthetic.
His heart pounded as he stared at the sleek, high-tech piece of equipment. The day's events replayed in his mind, along with the radio reports of stolen military prosthetics. David's breath quickened.
Without hesitation, he snapped a photo of the Sian Weistein and sent it to a prosthetic doctor he knew. The reply came almost immediately:
"Where did you get a military-grade Sian Weistein?"
David's hands trembled as he read the message. Unlike the anime counterpart he vaguely resembled, David wasn't completely desperate, thanks to Peter covering his medical expenses earlier.
But now, with this discovery, David's thoughts didn't immediately turn to selling the prosthetic for money. Instead, he wondered: could installing this on himself give him the power to join Peter's team?
David couldn't forget what he had seen earlier that day. Peter's calm, commanding presence, the security his power exuded, and the massive gap between them made David crave strength more than ever.
Without thinking twice, David typed a reply:
"Doctor, can you install this on me?"
Moments later, his phone rang. It was the doctor.
"Are you out of your mind, kid?" the doctor barked. "This isn't something you can handle!"
The doctor's words were harsh but honest. The original owner of the Sian Weistein prosthetic had been a colonel, a veteran of corporate wars. This kind of high-performance prosthetic required incredible mental fortitude.
"Don't you get it? People have gone cyberpsycho from this kind of tech!" the doctor continued.
David clenched his fists, his resolve hardening. "You've got no room to talk! That pirated chip you sold me earlier destroyed the teaching system at the academy! You think I'm going to let that slide?"
The doctor sighed. "Fine, fine. Bring the prosthetic over, and I'll install it for you. But don't come crying to me when things go south."
The call ended, leaving David staring at the Sian Weistein in his hands. His mind was made up.
Ding.
David glanced at his phone to see another call coming in. The name on the screen made him frown: Katsuo Tanaka.
"What do you want?" David asked coldly after answering.
Katsuo's mocking voice came through loud and clear. "David, no need to be so hostile. We're classmates, after all. I heard about the accident you and your mom were in. Tough break."
David said nothing, but Katsuo wasn't done.
"Though, honestly, I can't bring myself to feel sorry for you. Your mom was a criminal, right? Doing shady deals just to get you into Arasaka Academy? Pathetic."
David's grip on the phone tightened as Katsuo continued.
"Well, it looks like karma finally caught up to her. I mean, she's probably lying in some hospital bed right now, right? Waiting to die? Or maybe she's already dead. Either way, a family like yours can't afford those medical bills."
Katsuo's laugh was cruel and sharp. "She deserved it, though. Breaking the law to make money? Scum like you and your mom will always end up in the gutter."
The call ended abruptly, but the damage was done.
David stood frozen, Katsuo's words echoing in his mind. His blood boiled, and his vision blurred with anger. He clenched the Sian Weistein prosthetic tightly, his nails digging into his palms.
"Katsuo Tanaka!" David roared, his voice shaking with rage.
Ever since the accident, David had made it his mission to protect his mother. Katsuo's insults had crossed a line, igniting a fire within him.
He stared at the Sian Weistein prosthetic, his determination solidifying.
"I must become stronger," he whispered, his voice filled with conviction. "No matter what it takes."
---
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