Just Another Story

Billy and Miz took Vik's advice. After they showered off at the gym, they went back to Japantown and decided to just enjoy the day. The weather had been unusually pleasant for Night City, so they went for a walk through the upper levels of the Market district. Preparations were already underway for the upcoming Matsuri festival, so the paths and walkways were more decorated than usual. They didn't say many words, preferring to just enjoy being with each other.

They did eventually talk about Miz getting help; she was uneasy about baring her soul to a stranger, even if said stranger was a professional. She wanted to make things right, both for her and Billy, and for the crew overall. They agreed to try it on their own first for a while; they would keep each other accountable. He would call her out if she was shutting him out, and she would let him know if she genuinely needed space to work through something on her own with the understanding that he was there whenever she was ready.

The most important thing was that they would communicate with each other, honestly and openly. Not that they hadn't always been open with each other, but it was hard to broach everything Miz had experienced in just casual conversation. It was going to be a challenge, but they knew they'd grow stronger together because of it, and that made it all worthwhile.

--

[One week later]

The sound and smell of scop egg beaters sizzling in a frying pan permeated throughout the apartment. It was enough to make anyone's mouth water, even if it couldn't hold a candle to a Turbo breakfast burrito. Between the snaps and crackles of hot grease, Ky was wincing and trying to dodge getting burned. He wasn't yet used to cooking in an apron... and nothing else. Gonk move, some would say, but he and Max had both developed a few eccentricities as they settled into their somewhat nouveau-riche lifestyle in the Glen. Chief among these, they never wore clothes if they could help it.

Some might feel uneasy doing so in an apartment surrounded on 3 sides from top to bottom by glass looking out over the city, but they genuinely didn't care. Ky knew he was in great shape, and Max was the most beautiful woman he'd ever laid eyes on. Everyone else be damned, they enjoyed each other's bodies, so make it everyone else's problem. He looked away from the eggs for a few seconds to admire Max leaning against a railing with her back arched, looking out over the city as she blew on a fresh cup of coffee. Bad move, as his present nemesis in the form of hot grease caught him on the arm and he nearly shouted.

Max laughed as she walked over to join him, wiping his arm off with a cloth before kissing the freshly red patch of skin. She looked up in his eyes with a cheeky smile, one thing on her mind. He was nearly tempted, but broke away as he said, "As much as I want to, babe, I'm starving", and went back to flipping the eggs over.

Max scoffed at him and said, "Jus' don' fuck de eggs when you figure out wha' a bad choice dat was."

Ky pressed his luck as he said, "What, you won't kiss the burn marks off my dick?"

She gave him a playful love-tap through the apron, from which he recoiled with a chuckle, as she turned and walked to the other side of a counter and continued sipping her coffee.

He smiled wide as he watched her just enjoying herself. She kept him in check, and he loved her for it. He often said, sincerely, that he probably would have gotten himself killed with his usual behavior had they not found each other. She saved his life, gave him a reason to take a step back from the ledge. On the other hand, he had helped her break out of her shell, and taught her how to embrace and enjoy life for all its little quirks.

He turned back to the task at hand, cranking the knob down for the stovetop as he brought the pan over to rest on the counter when a holocall pinged in his head, followed by a familiar voice with a Chicano accent, "Buenos dias, fly-boy!"

Ky smiled wide as he answered, "El Capita-a-an. To what do I owe the displeasure?"

A laugh from Reyes as he said, "Look, man, I'm trying to throw some scratch your way. Is that how you treat a friend?"

Ky kept on, "Define 'friend'."

Reyes conceded. He knew better than to go head-to-head with Ky on banter as he said, "Alright, alright. Got a gig for you. You free?"

Ky answered sincerely, "I'm just sitting down to breakfast with my beautiful better half, but after that, maybe?"

Max blushed a bit behind her coffee cup as she listened to Ky carry on while dishing out the fresh omelette onto a plate.

"Ah shit, sorry to barge in", said Reyes before continuing, "Any time today should be fine, but it's got to be today."

Ky nodded as he took a bite of the omelette and said with a mouthful, "I can swing it, what's the deets?"

Max took a bite from the other end, eyes wide as she nodded in approval. Reyes kept going, "Got a pretty Rayfield Caliburn sitting unloved in a repo lot in Arroyo. Guess the previous owner couldn't keep up the payments. The catch is, he's also into my client for some serious scratch. Client was going to lift the car as payment, but the repo-boys got to it first."

Ky interjected, finishing Reyes' sentence for him, "And now your client needs someone to do the heavy lifting on his behalf."

Reyes laughed and said, "See, man, you get me. The lot is 6th Street territory, so you may want to bring a second set of hands. Rookie's backyard, right?"

Ky defended Billy with a laugh as he chided Reyes, "Shit, amigo. Kid ain't a rookie anymore. Not after he lost an arm to Tooley."

Reyes genuinely didn't know how to answer that, "Ah... shit. I, uh... let's talk scratch. ten thousand eddies apiece, for you and whoever you bring along."

As much he wanted to press Reyes, Ky let him off the hook easy as he took the bait, "Sounds like your client has a major hard-on for this car. Easy to see why."

Reyes hesitated before he answered, "It's also because the drop point is the old construction yard off El Camino Del Mar..."

There was the catch; the major detail. Ky took a deep sigh as he said bluntly, "Pacifica... you really know how to sell a job, don't you?"

Reyes scoffed as he said, "Look, I can farm this out elsewhere, but you're likely the only gonk that can actually pull it off. Your call, hermano."

Ky looked at Max, locking eyes with her before he looked down at the counter for several seconds. She knew that look, and she tensed up because of it. At what felt like a long time, Max reached over and placed her hand on Ky's. As he looked at her again, she nodded with her eyes closed. She had his back no matter what. He smiled and answered Reyes, "Okay. Send me the deets."

"On the way, man", replied Reyes, and the call dropped.

Ky took another bite of the omelette, but all the joy was drained from his face as he looked out the window. Max asked him, "Oye, wha' got ya down, papi?"

He answered, "Reyes has a boosting gig, thought it'd be good to take Billy along, but the drop is in Pacifica."

Max's eyes narrowed, and Ky noticed as he continued, "I-I know. It's a stupid chance to take, especially with the kid in tow."

Max cut him off, "Wha' makes it stupid?"

"It's a warzone, babe", Ky fired back, "Nobody willingly goes through Pacifica at this point unless they have no other choice. And especially not in a Rayfield."

Max nodded and looked down, "Mm... warzone... an' ya na been thwu worse?"

Ky shot up, surprised at Max's response. For once, he didn't know how to respond. Max continued, "If ya worried 'bout ti chen, he can take care o' hi'self. An' mebbe he look afta' you tou. Keep ya out of twouble."

Ky felt a smile creeping on his face. Even if Max knew he'd be putting himself in danger, she had faith in him. But, she also had her own way of keeping him grounded as she said, "But don' forget, you have ta clear it wit' Miz."

Ky nearly spat as he said, "Fu-u-uck! Oh ma-a-an."

Max finished her half of the omelette before rounding the counter and giving Ky a long, soft kiss on the cheek and a smack on his ass as she said, "Mm, bòn chans, papi."

Ky smirked, his stomach turning over. He decided to just get it over with. He rang the holocall, holding his head in his hands. After a few seconds, Miz's voice answered, out of breath and with rhythmic emphasis on every other word, "The fuck you want, fly-boy?"

Ky laughed. Miz appeared to be in a good mood, which boded well for him. He collected his thoughts and said, "Heya Miz. Got a sec?"

Still out of breath, she spoke evenly this time as she said, "Make it quick. Kind of in the middle o' something."

Fair enough, Ky thought to himself as he said, "Reyes has a boosting gig, I could use Billy's help."

Miz rebuked him, "So why the fuck didn't you call him?"

Ky bit the bullet, "The drop is in Pacifica..."

He could practically hear Miz rolling her eyes as she answered, "Oh, Jesus CHRIST! I'm not his fucking mom, ya gonk!"

Ky didn't know what to say, but he could hear Miz offline to Billy, "Hey Tiger, you want to go get shot at in Pacifica?"

Billy's voice answered softly from the background, also out of breath, "W-we stopped for that?! ...I'll fucking shoot him myself."

"Uh-huh", Miz answered as she turned the conversation back to Ky, "Shoot him the deets. He'll get back to you... in an hour."

Miz dropped the call without so much as a goodbye. Ky sat there, trying to piece together what the fuck just transpired before it hit him like a ton of bricks; his cheeks burned red, and he groaned to himself, still standing naked in his kitchen with a half-eaten omelette as he thought, You fucking gonk!

--

[Several hours later, Wolleson Street NCART, Arroyo]

Billy was already waiting, leaning over the railing and having a smoke. While not by much, the air was still cleaner than in the city proper. Finally, the NCART Red Line came around the corner and screeched to a halt. The doors opened, and people fell out of the packed cars, Ky among them as he nearly avoided being trampled. He had a perturbed look on his face as he approached. Billy smirked and tossed his butt over the rail. As they faced each other, Ky asked nonchalantly, "Is there ever a moment you two AREN'T fucking?!"

Billy stared blankly at Ky's face for several seconds before his eyes darted right, then left, then back to Ky as he said with dry emphasis and a head shake, "...no..."

Ky narrowed his eyes as Billy flashed an insincere smile; Ky eventually broke, giving a hearty laugh as they embraced one another and exchanged pleasantries before turning to leave the station. After several seconds, Ky asked a burning question on his mind, "Y'know... why DID she answer?!"

Billy looked dead ahead as he shrugged his shoulders and answered, "Eh, thought it'd be fun to fuck with you."

Ky smiled. Billy and Miz together were proving a dangerous combo, a force to be reckoned with. But to be fair, he had it coming with all the grief he gave them, or at least gave Miz over the last three years. They shared another laugh as Billy asked, "So, Rayfield Caliburn, huh? Always wanted to drive one of those..."

Ky fired back, "Keep dreamin', Billy Bad-ass. You need lightning-fast reflexes to keep one of those babies on the road."

Billy shrugged his eyebrows as he said, "Yeah, I much prefer roughing up jarheads anyway."

Ky chuckled, "Atta-boy. Go fetch me a leg bone from some disillusioned sergeant."

They kept walking for another block before Ky asked, "So, how is Miz? We don't talk as much now that we're across the city from one another. She heal up okay?"

Billy smiled. For all the crap they gave each other, they really were like siblings at the end of the day. He answered, "Yeah, she's doing okay. Got a wicked scar across her cheek now. Swears a mean streak every time she remembers she has you to thank for keeping her alive."

"Yeah, sounds about right", Ky laughed again before he asked another pointed question, "And everything else is good...?"

Even from a vague question like that, Billy knew exactly what Ky was asking as he shrugged his shoulders, "...you know how it is. We're working through it. Vik gave us some good pointers."

Ky placed his hand on Billy's shoulder and said, "I'm really glad it's you, brother. You've been really good for her."

This caught Billy off-guard, and he stumbled over his words a bit as he said, "...t-thanks... Ky."

Not one to miss an opportunity, Ky continued, "Yeah, I guess it wasn't such a bad call to convince Pops against hog-tying you up in front of Totentanz eight months ago."

The emotional whiplash of a conversation with Ky never got old, as Billy laughed out loud and punched him in the arm. Out of nowhere, Ky, pulled both of them into a small nook, indicating their target was a block away. Billy peeked around the corner to size up the situation as Ky pinged a holocall, "Alright, here's the deal. Caliburn's inside that lot, somewhere. Whole place is crawling with 6th Street huscle.' I can find the car easy enough, but what I need you to do is get them to open that gate, preferably without raising any alarms. Dig?"

Billy nodded, "Should be easy enough."

Ky smirked. Even though he'd ribbed Reyes for the very same earlier that day, he still had trouble sometimes remembering Billy wasn't a total gonk. He was quick on the uptake, cool under pressure, and if all else failed, he packed a mean punch. Ky gave him a pat on the shoulder and said, "You don't need me to tell you anything, man. I'll go in from the back, meet you somewhere in the middle."

Billy gave him a wink and said, "See you someplace else", and he stepped out, moving casually down the sidewalk toward the lot's front gate. It was still half a block and a crosswalk to the gate, so he took advantage of the time and lit a cigarette, taking a deep drag as he walked. He never thought he'd be a smoking man, but it'd been six months since he stopped bumming smokes from Miz and started buying his own. As he took another drag, the menthol cool burn lit up his lungs like a Christmas tree, and he exhaled through his nostrils. He was honestly surprised he never picked up the habit before, considering Liv had smoked for as long as he could remember.

Time to focus, he thought to himself, as the gate was fast approaching. The lot was about what you would expect. No chainlink fence, just a simple arm barrier with a single ganger standing guard. The lot itself was unpaved; dirt and gravel, and not much else. The roads on either side ran uphill, closing the lot in a natural concrete barrier wall. The cars were all jam-packed against one another, barely enough room to open a door between them. This likely wasn't a lot where you would actually try and retrieve your vehicle. Billy would have to step carefully to not put them on alert. As he approached, the single ganger straightened up, a hand sliding by his hip. Billy had to assume there was a holster, but it was blocked from his view. He took another drag before speaking, feigning a sloppiness in his diction, "H-hey man... I think my ride got towed here from the Red Dirt a few nights ago?"

The ganger sidestepped him altogether and said, "Fuck off, kid. Ya ain't got no business here."

Billy turned up the charm as he pleaded, "C'mon, ma-a-an! My old lady's bustin' my balls to get this ride back! Do a choom a favor, huh?"

The ganger narrowed his eyes before Billy produced a single 100-eddie bill from his pocket as he continued, "I'll make it worth your while, man. Let me have a peek, and if my car's here, I'll give you another 200 to raise the gate and let me leave, no questions asked."

The ganger looked around carefully before he snatched the single bill and said sternly, "Ya got two minutes. Hurry the fuck up."

Ky chimed in the holocall, "Money talks, bullshit walks."

Billy nodded to the ganger as as he stepped carefully around the gate and made his way in. He could feel the pair of eyes burning a hole in the back of his head as he looked around carefully for a way to stall, or at least a believable vehicle he could quick-hack. Ky spoke up again in the holocall, "Good call on the scratch, man. I half expected you to just clean his clock and walk in."

Billy chuckled as he answered, "It's chump-change compared to what we'll make at the end of this gig."

"Ain't that the truth; it's going to be a good day, brother", Ky reassured him, "I've got eyes on the Caliburn. Coast is clear, I'm moving in."

Billy's eyes settled on a Thorton Colby CX410, not unlike the one they'd driven together during the Farris gig. With a nervous precision, he remembered what Max had told him as he approached the car. He was careful to time it perfectly as he quick-hacked the car's locks at the exact same time he pulled the handle; a click, and the door opened. He smirked slightly before he turned to the ganger and waved, indicating he'd found his car. The ganger shook his head as he hit a switch, raising the arm barrier. Billy spoke up in the call, "Got our way out, where are yo—"

He was cut off by the roar of a finely tuned engine screaming to life, tires screeching, followed by yelling voices from somewhere in the back of the lot. The ganger caught on quick, reaching for his weapon. Billy beat him to the draw as he readied his Liberty and fired several shots, driving the ganger to cover. From the corner of his eye, Billy saw the Caliburn swing around in reverse, passenger side door open as Ky yelled, "Any old time, sweetheart!"

Billy fired three more shots before he sprinted and dove into the car. As the door closed, Ky gunned the car in reverse before jerking the steering wheel. The car swung around, the rear end spinning out as he shifted and gunned the gas again. The car stabilized as they approached the gate. Ky jerked the handbrake as he turned, causing the car to fishtail into the street before he hit the gas and they were on their way. Billy laughed as he cheered Ky on, "Man! That was smooth!"

Ky smirked as he pushed his aviators up and said with an irrefutable cool, "Ya ain't seen nothin' yet, kid."

He was in his element, so Billy kept to himself for a bit as he admired the inside of the vehicle. Premium stitched syn-leather, faux-wood trim, and a full LIDAR array creating a 360-degree view of their surroundings. The exterior of the vehicle was an obnoxious mixture of chromed red and blue reinforced body panels adorned with gold accenting and shiny chrome rims; tasteless as it was, he would be sad to see it go.

Ky was calm and collected as he weaved in and out of traffic, hitting the apex of every turn with a deadly precision. From Crestmont Street, he broke free of traffic as he crossed over to Venice Street, a small back road nestled in between the I-9 and I-5 interchanges. Billy checked behind them before calling out to Ky, "Hey, we got two bad guys in tow. A Mackinaw and a Columbus."

Ky cautioned him, "We can't risk gunfire in a car like this. How's your quick-hacks?"

Billy smirked as he pulled the handle for the passenger door, "Let's find out."

"Hold that thought, and hang on to your lunch", said Ky as he jerked the handbrake and turned again, drifting off Venice Street into the 9-5 intersection. There were three near misses, Billy watching each one in realtime with the scissor door open as horns blared. Ky recovered out of the drift and headed west towards the Night City Ring Road Interchange. Billy was in awe of not only how well the car handled, but Ky's masterful technique. His reflexes were unmatched behind the wheel.

He pulled himself up to stand against the side of the vehicle as Ky tried to keep some distance from their pursuers. He braced himself with his right arm as he targeted the Columbus first, tracking it as it cut across multiple lanes of traffic with complete disregard for anyone else on the road. His eyes flashed blue as he considered his options. He could easily mess with any part of the vehicle, but he decided to keep it simple with a basic engine overload.

Billy's eyes were a solid blue before a single flash. The Columbus' engine overloaded almost immediately, causing a loud bang and a flash of smoke as the van swerved to a stop in mid-traffic before causing a crash. The Mackinaw had to slam on its brakes and swerve to avoid the pile-up as Ky and Billy pulled away. Billy pulled himself back inside and closed the door as Ky was laughing and cheering, "That's how you do it, man! Good fuckin' work!"

Billy had a wide smile on his face. As much as he enjoyed popping off rounds from his iron or getting to demonstrate his arm's raw power, there was a cool edge to being able to stop a vehicle dead in its tracks using just his mind. After a few more seconds, he answered Ky as he looked out the back of the car, "I think we're clear."

Famous last words, as three small motorcycles appeared and gave chase. Billy rolled his eyes as he said, "Fuck, be right back."

He pulled open the door again as he returned to his perch. He tracked his targets, marking each one before Ky had to cut over two lanes immediately to make the exit for Ring Road East, causing his ribs to slam into the roof of the car as he lost his breath for several seconds; the bikes were gaining. Billy quickly recovered as he braced himself with his left arm. He drew his Liberty with his right hand and took aim. To his surprise, his cybernetic arm took on a life of its own as it tracked and followed his tagged targets with deadly precision. He was locked in.

Several shots fired, he shredded the first motorcycle's front tire, causing the bare rim to catch on the pavement. The entire motorcycle flipped end over end, sending the rider flying face first. One target down, he thought as his arm immediately tracked to the second target. Several more shots, and a spew of blood flew out of the second rider's face as his motorcycle wobbled for several seconds before dropping. Billy could see the third motorcycle approaching on his side, the rider flashing a submachine gun and taking aim. He tried to fire, but his own handgun clicked empty. With no time to think, he yelled to Ky, "Brake, now!"

Ky obliged as the tires screeched against the road. Billy spun himself around as he braced his right arm and held it out. The third rider blew past them, catching his face against Billy's fist. The impact crushed rider's left cheek and he lost his grip as he flew back. Ky made a quick course correction to avoid the motorcycle dropping on the road, leaving it a pile of scrap as they sped away.

Billy checked behind them and all around, but found no other pursuers, and he smiled wide before pulling himself back into the passenger seat, the door closing by itself. Ky's smile couldn't have been wider as he continued cheering to Billy about a job well done; but it wasn't over just yet.

They had looped around to Ring Road South before Ky took the Pacific Boulevard exit into Pacifica proper. Instead of drifting this time, he elected to engine-brake and hit the apex of the turn as he cut through another red light. The coast was clear, but the sounds of distant gunfire were growing louder and louder. It was less than a year since Ky had last passed through Pacifica, and the area wasn't even recognizable. The buildings had always been poorly maintained, and the streets lined with trash; but now, the majority of the buildings had been completely shelled out or were still burning. There wasn't a single visible surface that hadn't been strafed with bullet holes. Ky couldn't help but look all around in horror. He hadn't seen anything close to this since the Unification War, and that association in his mind brought a lot of uneasy feelings to the surface. Billy noticed his face had changed completely. He barely recognized the steely-eyed aviator behind the wheel.

The car slowed to a stop as they faced their next obstacle; the Dogtown gate checkpoint. Since failing to contain the conflict within Dogtown's borders, BARGHEST had taken to blocking off the main artery through Pacifica. One of the body panels on Ky's side slid back, creating a window, as a uniformed BARGHEST goon walked over with his rifle at the ready. He stopped at the window and said to Ky, his full helmet obfuscating his voice, "What's your business?"

Ky kept his eyes forward as he said blankly, "Just passing through."

The goon scoffed as he signaled to two others in similar uniforms and fired back, "Wrong neighborhood for that, choom."

One of the two goons took a stance in front, his rifle trained on the vehicle, as the other blocked the passenger side. Behind both of them was another goon with a mounted heavy machine gun. Billy could feel every hair on the back of his neck standing up. He knew flashing iron here of all places was a bad idea, but he didn't want to get caught unprepared. The goon on Ky's side called out, "Tell your boyfriend in there to crack his window."

Ky's eyes met the goon's as he said, "Billy?"

Billy's jaw clenched as he pressed a button and a body panel on his door slid back. The goon on his side readied his rifle as he took an aggressive stance and shouted, "Shit, boss, he's got iron!"

The boss rebuked him, "It's Night City, ya fuckin' gonk. Everyone's got iron."

The younger goon kept his rifle ready, but eased up his stance as he cautioned Billy, "No sudden moves, asshole."

Billy looked the kid in the eyes as he quick-drew his Liberty, pointing it at his head as he said, "Or what?"

Ky smirked as he simultaneously trained his Kenshin on the boss as all the goons took the same readied stance with their weapons. They were cut off by the roar of an approaching engine and encroaching gunfire, and Ky noticed the same Mackinaw from earlier quickly gaining ground on their position as he took his chance and gunned the gas.

The BARGHEST goons panicked, turning their focus to the rapidly approaching truck as Ky and Billy sped through the checkpoint.

Billy looked to Ky as he said, "Sorry, just couldn't help myself."

Ky smiled and said, "Welcome to my world, brother", as he checked the rear-view mirror. Behind them, the heavy machine gun had opened fire, reducing the truck to scrap in short order. It appeared they were free and clear. The goons weren't interested in chasing them. They only liked to harass stationary targets of opportunity. The trick was getting the vehicles to stop long enough for BARGHEST to shake them down. Ky had to assume most people would simply shit their pants at the sight of the heavy machine gun mounted on the truck, and give them whatever they wanted.

After several seconds of silence, Billy asked Ky, "You saw some shit back there, didn't you? Shit you didn't want to see..."

Ky's hands gripped tight around the steering wheel, and his face reverted to stone as he answered, "Reminded me of why I left. This... this is what happens when you let corpos run your military... fuckin' Myers and her imperialist bullshit..."

Billy's heart sank. He searched for the words to comfort Ky, but all he could muster was, "I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up."

Ky snapped out of his mile-long gaze as he turned to Billy and said, "...it's nothing, man. I was young and dumb, and thought I was giving myself to something greater. You know I actually believed the posters and shit. Didn't take long to figure out it was all lies."

Billy asked a pertinent question, "But long enough?"

Ky scoffed, "Y-yeah. Just enough to fuck with my head and ruin me for life."

"Hey man, we all got our shit", Billy comforted him, "It's what makes us family."

A slight smile returned to Ky's face as he said, "...you're a good kid, Billy. We're lucky to have you."

Billy chuckled, "I'm lucky to be here, if not for the crew looking after me."

At last, they turned the corner onto El Camino Del Mar. Ky may have sped away from the checkpoint, but was careful to not draw any attention after that. No flashy moves or tricks, no apex turns; just a pair of special operators going for a nice late-afternoon drive in a fucking war zone. They were greeted with a barren field full of burning vehicles on one side, and 100 meters of abandoned building materials on the other. By now, the building materials, mostly reinforced concrete, had been shredded and chipped to almost nothing by stray gunfire, the rusted rebar protruding. Past the concrete stacks, they were met with half-erected steel frames; skeletons of buildings that were never completed.

From the road, Ky spotted a barely visible trail in the sand, and he pulled off. He was used to Reyes' tricks by now. Billy felt uneasy as they navigated their way in between more stacks of concrete and half-finished buildings. Every corner, floor, and rooftop was another potential hiding spot for a bad guy. He kept his eyes peeled. Ky noticed as he chuckled and said, "Relax, Billy Bad-ass. Reyes runs a tight ship. He won't designate a drop point without one of his guys personally vetting it and keeping watch."

Billy tried to heed Ky's advice, but could only get out, "I'll relax when the job's done. I hate being out here unprotected."

Ky shrugged his eyebrows, "Can't say I blame ya. good instincts. Hey when this is all done, let me buy you a beer at Red Dirt... ah, here's our boy."

As they approached a rare and finished floor in a building, a man in a neon green tracksuit became visible standing inside. He motioned, directing them to pull in. Ky carefully navigated pulling forward before backing the car into the space. With a sad reluctance, he unplugged his personal link from the steering column and killed the ignition. He wasn't ready to let this one go. He let loose a deep sigh as Billy nudged him and said, "Look at it this way... Arch or Rayfield?"

Without missing a beat, Ky instinctively said, "Arch, no doubt."

Billy watched carefully as a smile crept onto Ky's face and he loosened up. Another sigh, this time of relief, and he opened the door and stepped out. Reyes' contact met him with a fist bump and a casual hug as they exchanged greetings and quips for several seconds. Billy stepped clear of the car as he kept watch in both directions outside of the makeshift car-port. The contact took his time, examining every nook and cranny of the car's exterior and interior. Outside of some dirt and dust, it was in preem condition. The contact looked to Ky and said, "Eh, maybe hose her off, but she's clean otherwise, choom. I don't know how you do it."

Ky nodded to Billy, "I had a good man watching my back."

The contact's eyes flashed blue, both Billy's and Ky's HUDs showing a transfer of 10,000 eurodollars each, as he continued, "Keep walking 100 feet up the trail here, you'll find a clean Archer Quartz. Ain't flashy like the Rayfield, but it'll keep a low profile."

Ky exchanged a handshake as he said, "Pleasure as always. Be seein' ya."

They both turned and began walking down the trail. After a few seconds, Billy spoke, "So... Red Dirt?"

Ky smirked as he answered, "Yeah, why not. Your mom working?"

Billy shook his head, "Nah, it's her night off. She and Pops are having an at-home dinner date."

"Ah, that's precious, man", Ky joked and continued, "Well good, then I don't need to worry about judgmental eyes while I get you good and proper fucked up."

"Still have to answer to Miz if you send me home too hammered to perform", Billy laughed and gave a gentle punch to Ky's arm as they continued walking. Another few seconds, and he said, "Think we can take the long way around this time? Don't want to test our luck with those knuckleheads."

Ky answered, "Nah, thought we'd go back and see about skull-fucking those amateurs... I'm in a mood to get my dick sucked."

Billy's eyes cut to Ky as a laugh crept on the latter's face. Finally, he relented, "Yeah, we're not passing through that hellhole again. Don't think they liked us flashin' iron in their faces, so they'll likely shoot us as soon as look at us. We'll cut through the underpass to the 101 and backtrack on Ring Road South."

Another 10 feet down, they found their car. The contact wasn't wrong, it was a piece of shit. But it would fly under the radar, no problems. Billy couldn't help himself as he said, "Our chariot awaits?"

Ky punched his arm and laughed, "C'mon, pile in. I'm thirsty!"

--