Home Sweet Home?

As the truck was traveling down Sagan Avenue and making its turn onto Monroe Street in the heart of Japantown, Stan was doing his morning spiel on the radio, tallying the "body-count lottery" of deaths across all six major districts for the previous day. Sickening when you actually think about it, but such was the state of media in Night City; find a way to celebrate anything, even the bad.

Looking out the windows, Billy's hands began to shake, and he looked even more agitated and restless than when Miz was egging him on. Even she took notice, signaling to Pops, who spoke up, "Hey, adrenaline got you bad, huh?"

Billy looked down, clapping his hands together, "No, it's not that. It's uh... I... f-fuck!"

Taking notice in the rearview, Ky pulled off to the side, lucky to find a row of several open parking spaces along the side of the road. Parallel parking was a bitch.

Billy called out, "I... I need some air."

Pops already had the trunk doors open before Billy could finish his sentence. He jumped out of the truck, pacing a few steps before turning around and coming back, nearly doubling over. Pops climbed down, followed by Miz, genuinely concerned, but damned if she was going to show it.

Billy stood up, looking at both Miz and Pop, "I... uh... c-can I have a cigarette?"

Miz playfully chided, crossing her arms and trying to raise his spirits, "You don't smoke."

By this point, Ky had killed the ignition, and even Max had stepped out of the car to see that Billy wasn't about to jump out of his skin. Pops cleared everyone away from the tailgate and guided Billy to take a seat, hand firmly on his shoulder.

Miz pulled out her softpack, shaking a single cigarette loose and holding it out. Billy reached out, but it took several tries to grab it, his hands were shaking so bad. Placing the cigarette in his mouth, Miz held out her lighter. He tried to stand still, but it took a couple of seconds to actually get a light. Miz finally grabbed the cigarette from his mouth, put it in her own, lit it and took the smallest drag before handing it back to Billy, "Here. Take it."

Just enough to get it started, he smiled and took a drag, almost turning green before coughing smoke all over them. Normally this is where Miz would have laughed and teased him, but even she knew now wasn't the time. Another drag, a subsided cough, followed by another drag, at which point Billy seemed to have gotten the hang of it. His breathing became less ragged, and he was able to take longer, deeper breaths, beginning to calm himself. He scratched his head, running his fingers over the sockets behind his right ear. He made a judgment call then and there; possibly the last one he'd ever make once they got back to H10, but it was his choice. He knew unequivocally that it was the right choice. He unslotted the shard Tooley had given him; Miz assumed it was the tracking shard and stepped up, "Hey, that wasn't our de—"

Billy held up the shard, surprising everyone. With a shaky voice, he spoke, parroting Tooley's words and inflection,

"This is a high-capacity data shard, capable of storing up to 72 hours of recorded footage. We can't risk a direct-link broadcast. That netrunner of theirs is too talented, she'd trace the signal immediately. So instead, you will record and dump to the shard. Then, when you are safely back in your apartment, you can transfer the data to me over a secured link from your terminal. Is that clear?"

Miz spoke softly, "—the fuck?!", as she stepped back. Pops removed his hand from Billy's shoulder and stroked his mustache, contemplating his next words carefully. Ky said nothing, for once. Billy continued, holding the shard out to Max, "The shard's empty, as virgin as it was when he slotted it."

Max narrowed her eyes at Billy, but took the shard, thinking for a minute before she slotted it in her own head. Her eyes flashed blue for a few seconds before she confirmed, "Wi, 'im telling da twuth. Shard's untouched."

She unslotted the shard, handing it back to Billy, who placed it in his pocket this time around as opposed to his head. Another longer drag, exhale. He was getting pretty good at this.

Pops leaned down, looking Billy in the eyes, "Now, you're sure this is what you want to do? No doubt it's the right thing to do, but you know the world you're walkin' into? The choice you're makin'?"

At long last, Billy stopped shaking. He looked down and took a long drag before locking eyes with Pops, exhaling through his nose as he answered confidently, "It's the right thing to do. I've seen the way you all operate. You're more than just a crew. You're a family. You deserve better. Everything I've seen tonight has shown me that."

Pops considered his words for a moment before a smile spread across his face. He nodded slightly, looking over to Miz, who raised her eyebrows in affirmation. Over to Ky, who gave him a wink. Over to Max, who just nodded with no emotion whatsoever. That settled it. He placed his hand back on Billy's shoulder and squeezed lightly. Billy broke into a smile as he took the last drag off the butt before dropping it on the street and stamping it out, hopping down from the tailgate. After a moment, Pops broke the silence, "So... better?"

Ky ruined the moment, "Yeah, can we go home now?"

Miz rebuked Ky with a laugh, "You're such a dick!"

Ky laughed, "It's what I do best, baby!"

Billy laughed and nodded to Pops, "Yeah, much better."

Pops patted him firmly on the arm, "Then let's get on home."

Billy turned to hop into the back of the truck. Miz had a chance to pat him on the shoulder, even had her hand raised, but hesitated and withdrew. instead just following his lead and climbing back in, followed by Pops.

Before long, they were back in the hustle and bustle of Night City's morning commute, making their way onto the Watson Bridge, Megabuilding H10 towering over them and everyone else. Once again, Ky ruined the moment by putting down his driver-side window and waving a middle finger as he asked, "Hey, you think Tooley can see me down here?"

Everyone collectively groaned.

As Ky made the left turn onto Ellison Street, his eyes flashed blue for a second before he spoke again, "Uh, hey guys, we got cops piss-farting around in the parking deck. Doubt it's to do with us, but it might be best to drop you off in front."

Pops agreed, "Good call. Uh, Miz... might want to do somethin' with that jacket..."

Miz noticed for the first time since they had left, her bomber jacket was covered in Chrome-dome's blood. She answered, "O-o-oh, shit..."

Pops waved his hand, "Hand it here, I'll drop it off at the 'Kwik 'n Kleen' when we get in."

There arguably wasn't a single person on the planet Miz trusted more than Pops, but she was still wary any time her jacket wasn't in her immediate possession. With a sigh, she removed it, folding it carefully and handing it to him. With care, he placed it inside his vest as he'd done earlier, and gave it a soft pat and a smile.

Ky spoke up again, "Ah yeah, Kwik 'n Kleen. What's that tagline?"

Nobody was going to bite. Ky continued, "You guys suck, you know that?"

Kwik 'n Kleen's tagline was "Blood, Sweat, Tears, and whatever else! We don't ask questions!" Enough to curdle the shit in your lower intestine if you really thought about it.

And there it was. Ky pulled into the roundabout next to the main entrance to H10, parking next to the massive staircase leading inside. The megastructure was built around a central core from the ground up, making the ground floor sections smaller in perimeter than the rest of the building. Looking up, you could actually see the underbelly of the entire building bearing over top of you. It was dizzying if you stared for too long.

Pops opened the trunk and climbed out, followed by Miz and Billy. Max stepped out from the passenger side, cracking a slight smile at Ky. Pops leaned in from the passenger window, "You know the drill."

Ky nodded, "Stash the guns at the lockup, truck to the cleaners. All good, hoss."

Pops smiled and stepped away. Ky situated his aviators and smiled back before shifting into gear and pulling away. Pops stood for a second, taking it all in. He always liked those few moments of quiet after a job when it finally sunk in that he'd made it back alive.

A private holocall pinged from Billy in Pops' head, he answered, "Y'know I'm standin' 10 feet away from you."

Billy replied, "I... I need a favor."

Pops answered dryly, "I figured you might."

Billy continued, "My Kiroshis were an 'investment' from Tooley. I imagine he'll want to rip them out of my head when he finds out what's happened. I need a ripperdoc."

"I know just the fella. Let me make a call", Pops said as his eyes flashed blue for a moment. Billy's HUD showed a transfer of 5,000 eurodollars to his account.

Billy almost shouted, "Woah, what the... why?!"

Pops answered, "Keep it together. You made the right choices tonight. You did right by us, and that means something to me."

Billy took a moment to collect himself before he said, "Thanks... Pops."

Before ending the call, Pops asked, "What about the tracking shard?"

Billy answered with a strange intuition, "I have a feeling it might come in handy here pretty soon."

Pops turned to the rest of the crew and smiled, heading towards the stairs, "All things considered, I'd say that's a job well done, y'all."

Miz, Billy, and Max followed closely behind. As they made their way up the stairs, the rising steam and smell of the street food vendors hit them all like a freight train. They could probably stand to eat, but sleep was the larger order. A few casual greetings from other residents, head nods, some waves; most of the 128,000 residents in H10 kept to themselves, but Pops had managed to make a few "neighbors" during his stay.

Luck was in their favor, the elevator was already waiting and empty. They stepped on, Miz turning to press the buttons for everyone from muscle memory. Level 4 for Max, Level 9 for Pops. She asked Billy, "What level are you?"

Billy answered, "Level 7."

Miz hesitated for a moment before pressing the button for Level 7. Billy casually glanced to see if she pressed another button. She did not. The elevator rumbled to life as the cage doors slid shut and they began their ascent. A silent holocall pinged between the four of them, Pops spoke up, "This Biotechnica shit throws everythin' out the window on what we agreed with Lex, so things might get a little dicey if we don't play it right. Max, I need you to sift through the data you pulled. Isolate what Lex actually wanted, hand that off to me, and we'll start there. Anythin' else we can use, hang onto for another time, but safe and secure, offline. I know we're all tired, but I just need this last push."

Max replied, "No 'am tired, wi' get started as soon as I settle."

The elevator reached Level 4 and ground to a halt, the cage doors opening. To Miz's surprise, Pops stepped off with Max. He turned to Miz, "Jacket, remember? I'll have them drop it off to you when it's done."

Miz smiled at Pops, who winked back at her as the cage doors closed and the elevator began its ascent. Billy looked down at his own feet, wondering if he should say anything, or just leave well enough alone. Miz seemingly paid him no heed, eyes darting between the panel screens showing N54 News and ads for Sojasil Machistador, Milfguard, and Abydos. Before long, Gillean Jordan's voice came up on the N54 screen, detailing events of a "skirmish" in the abandoned Arasaka Waterfront complex several hours prior. Miz dryly joked to Billy, "Did you ever think you'd end up on the morning news?"

Billy laughed nervously, not really knowing how to answer that. After a moment he asked, "So which apartment are you in?"

She answered, "0618, just around the corner from the Atrium gates."

He nodded, before replying, "I'm in 0639, same side as you, but end of the hall facing to the atrium."

Without breaking her gaze from the screens, she asked, almost disgusted, "You work for the most powerful cocksucker in the building, and he couldn't swing you an apartment with a fucking outside-facing window?"

Billy couldn't argue, Miz had a point. He was searching for the words to answer her when a private holocall rang. Pops spoke, "You asked for a ripperdoc. Viktor Vektor. Best 'doc in Watson, probably the whole city. Corner of Bradbury and Buran, look for a shop called 'Misty's Esoterica'. He's expectin' you. 12:00 sharp."

The call hung up before Billy could answer or even just thank Pops. He smiled to himself. His HUD showed the time as 07:37

At last, the elevator reached Level 7. The doors opened, and both Miz and Billy turned right coming out of the cage. She took the lead, though not intentionally. At this point she seemed to not even acknowledge Billy's existence. It was like she was on autopilot. As they walked through the atrium, Fred waved, glad to see Miz. She waved back. From the vendors and shops, a few poked their heads out to look at her. Robert Wilson of the 2nd Amendment in particular gave a two-fingered salute to Miz, and she subtly waved back. Almost on a dime, she juked right, Billy stumbling to follow. Cutting between two kiosk vendors, she swiped a bottle of Centzon Tequila with her left hand from one of the shelves; the vendor owner reached out and yelled in Chinese before his eyes flashed with an eddie transfer. He changed his tune with a smile and thanked Miz and waved. She smiled to herself as she cracked the bottle open, not breaking her stride, and took a big gulp followed by a sharp sigh of relief. That first drink after a job always hits different.

Approaching the atrium gates, she seemed to slow down a bit before turning, giving Billy a chance to catch up. She turned to him and said, "Hey, you didn't die or fuck up. Good job."

Billy had enough and fired back, "Guess you don't get to brag about dragging me out of the shit, huh?"

Miz gave no expression, but her cheeks flushed ever so slightly. As they turned the corner, 0618 was lit above the door to Miz's apartment. She reached out with her right hand, personal link wirelessly activating the bio-lock on the keypad as the door slid open. Billy put his head down and kept walking before Miz called out to him, "Hey! The fuck you think you're going?"

Billy nearly tripped as he turned to face Miz, unsure of how to respond. She continued, "Come on, you earned a drink."

Billy walked back towards her apartment door before she grabbed him by his webbing and pulled him inside, instinctively checking the hallway and corners before she stepped behind the closing door.

Walking past Billy standing in the entryway, she pressed the bottle of tequila into his stomach and said one word, "Drink."

He retracted a bit from the shove, and watched as Miz kept walking, hitting a switch on the wall to open the shutters, morning sun pouring in. She walked over to her radio, turning a knob and dialing it in to 98.7 "Body Heat" before turning up the volume. He walked in from the entryway and stood awkwardly. Before his eyes, Miz kicked off her sneakers and nonchalantly took off her sports bra before dropping her loose-fits while heading completely naked towards the bathroom, leaving a trail of clothes in her wake. She looked at him and said, "Drink."

Wide-eyed, he caught his breath and said, "W-what about you?"

Not stopping for a second, she called out from the bathroom, "Need a shower. Maybe you forgot, but some guy's face exploded all over me earlier."

The shower started, steam pouring out almost immediately from the bathroom. That was one good thing about H10. Their water heaters were a little too efficient. Good for steam cleaning and scrubbing off a few layers of skin.

Billy looked around for a glass, finding none. He resigned and took a swig straight from the bottle, followed by a contorted face and a sharp sigh. Poison.

He forced himself to take another gulp just as he had with taking the second drag off the cigarette earlier. Less contortion, still a sharp sigh with a bit of a burn. He placed the bottle down on a table in front of a wrap-around couch as he looked around. The apartment was sparsely furnished. An in-wall bed unit was standard for these kinds of apartments, as was the couch attached to the opposite wall. The standard TV and holo units, and a few other odds and ends. Back by the entryway was a small desk with a terminal. Next to it, a small bookshelf with only one framed picture. It was a black-and-white of a slightly younger Pops with a teenage Miz, and a woman resembling Miz, but older. The background resembled the Overlook Point at the Badlands Dam, with Night City off in the distance. They were all smiling. It was warming, but that could also just be the tequila burning in Billy's chest.

He was so distracted with the photo, he didn't hear the shower shut off. He felt a hand grab his webbing and pull him back, slamming him into a wall. Miz appeared in front of him, completely naked, jaw clenched, hair and skin drenched, face threading solid red. Fuck, this is it. I'm dead.

Miz stared up at him for a moment before her face threading changed to a soft pink. She began to rip at his clothes, breathing ragged. She pulled his shirt out from his pants, her nails scraping against his stomach as she breathed against his neck. Undoing his belt, she tore it from the loops and tossed it aside. In her haste, the button snapped off his pants, clattering on the vinyl-tile floor as it rolled somewhere, never to be seen again. She pulled down the zipper before grabbing him and tossing him effortlessly onto the couch. She reached down and ripped off his pants, boots catching them around his ankles. She admired for a moment that his body had the right idea, just the brain hadn't caught on yet.

Billy was in absolute disbelief at what was happening. Looking back up at Miz, he had never noticed for as fit and toned as she was, she had ample curves as well, highlighted by the sun pouring in from the window. Her skin was glowing a shade of gold, the light bouncing off every bit of flesh, the drops of water running from her hair and down her body glistening. That woke him up as the blood began to flow and he swelled.

Miz grabbed the bottle of tequila and took a gulp before offering it to Billy, who knocked back a sizable gulp himself, the burn not even registering at this point. Placing the bottle back on the table, Miz climbed on top on him, straddling and resting herself comfortably against his lap. She pulled both of his arms over his head, pinning them back as she pushed him against the couch, grabbing him by the jaw with her free hand. A light growl uttered from her mouth as she stared into his eyes.

Fuck, this can't be real. Am I dead?!

--

An overhead lamp shined on the desk, a makeshift bench-rest mounted at standing height in the wall. Pops stood with a lit cigarette hanging from his mouth, meticulously cleaning his revolver's barrel with a bore brush. His apartment's window was cracked open, smoke carrying out with the light breeze. The sounds of Night City poured in, but Pops' focus was deadset on the task at hand. Placing the revolver on the desk, he took a long drag from his cigarette before stamping the butt into a nearby ashtray. He picked up a bottle before taking a swig, the condensation gathering at the base before dripping off. Broseph Lager wasn't the best he'd ever had, but it got the job done for winding down after a gig.

A holocall rang, "Oye, bosmang. Ye go' a minute?"

Pops smiled to himself, "For you, Max, I've got all day."

"Ya ya ya, cut de cwap", Max said dryly before continuing , "Need ya ta slo' a clean shard, sendin' over de data fo' Tooley."

Pops walked over to another desk in his apartment, where sat a terminal covered in dust that probably hadn't been touched in months. He always said that fancy tech was no match for a good six-shooter in your hand. He opened a drawer and pulled out a box, cracking it open to reveal a fresh shard. Holding it between his thumb and index finger, he reached behind his right ear and fiddled with the socket for a moment before finding the right groove and slotting the shard. His HUD lit up, Storage ready for use, as he replied to Max, "Ready to receive."

"Wi, sendin' now", Max answered. Within a few seconds, a progress bar popped up, Incoming file transfer.

Once completed, Pops accessed the files, displaying in his HUD. His eyes went wide as he spoke, "Max, this is... this is big."

A rare chuckle from Max, "An' das only de tip o' de iceberg; I'm still sortin' thwu de rest o' de data we pulled."

Pops smiled again, "Max, take a load off. You've done much'a plenty. Get some rest. I'm not askin' now."

A second passed before Max answered with begrudged resignation, "Wi, bosmang."

The call dropped as Pops took another swig of his beer. Another holocall came in almost immediately, this time from a blocked ID. Pops sighed as a deep, muscular voice spoke, "Mr. Tooley requests your presence in his office as soon as possible."

Pops chose his words not-so-carefully, "Tell Lex I'm occupied."

A few seconds passed, "Become un-occupied. You have 15 minutes."

Pops growled under his breath, clenching his jaw as the voice spoke again, "And bring the 'stray'."

Pops made his way back to the bench-rest, setting down the beer bottle and grabbing his revolver, slamming 6 rounds into the chambers one by one before whipping it closed with a jerk of his wrist. He holstered the revolver into his vest and walked towards the door.

--

The radio was blasting Point Break Candy's "Hole in the Sun", the speakers barely drowning out the feral moans of pleasure. Billy tried to push his arms up and forward before Miz resisted, slamming him back against the couch with an aggressive snarl. Her one arm wrapped around his head, she pulled his face forward into her and squeezed her breasts together as she rode him, grinding her hips back and forth. He breathed in all of it, her natural scent mixing with sweat as he pulsed and throbbed in and out of her. She let go of his head, arching her back and whipping her hair out of her face; she tilted his face up by his chin to look in his eyes as she leaned forward and playfully snapped her teeth at him.

Between the blaring music and their combined moans, Miz was so entranced that she didn't hear the dull thud of a fist pounding against the door to her apartment. Her raw moans shifted into a breathy, "Oh f-fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck!", before the door swung open and she screamed, "OH FUCK!"

In a single motion, Miz pushed Billy back, grabbing his sidearm from its shoulder holster and turning to aim at the door, her face threading shifting back to bright red. Pops slowly strolled in, hands raised with a smirk on his face. He surveyed the situation before shouting over the music, "Ya didn't answer. Tooley wants a meetin' upstairs."

Billy's eyes went WIDE with terror and his face turned pale. Jaw clenched, Miz took a deep breath as she decocked the weapon and dropped it on the table behind her. She answered, "Fine... give me 15 minutes."

Pops turned to leave as his voice trailed off, "He already gave us 15. You got five... hey Billy", with a casual wave.

Before Billy could even register this surreal exchange, the door slid closed and Pops was gone. What. The. Fuck.

Despite all this, he was still rock-hard inside Miz as she turned to face him, now more frustrated as she started grinding again, slowly.

But the damage was done. The moment was gone. Miz pulled off of Billy with a wanton disregard as she shouted, "Fuck!"

She walked over to a chair in front of the terminal desk, pulling off a pair of draped-over yoro sweatpants. As she started to put them on, she stopped for a second. Fists clenched, she bought her arms up and buried her head in them before screaming, "Bullshit, asshole, cocksucking MOTHERFUCKER!!!"

Billy just watched all this transpire in front of him, the blood now making its way back to his brain as the rest of him softened. Miz finished pulling up the yoros, tightening the drawstring in a simple knot. The pants barely held on to her hips, exposing the slight v-line muscles on her torso. As she grabbed the same cropped hoodie from the day before and began to put it on, Billy took a chance and spoke, "So... uh... I guess we're done?"

"Am I still riding you?", Miz shot back without looking up, to no reply, "Then yeah, we're done."

Billy stood up from the couch, pulling up his pants, and started to speak before Miz cut him off, "Finish in the fucking shower if you have to, I don't care. Just don't be here when I get back."

He knew she wasn't angry at him, but it didn't hurt any less that he was the target of her frustration. He grabbed the bottle from the table and took a long chug, swallowing hard with a sharp exhale. Miz turned to leave, barefooted, nodding at him with no inflection, "Leave the bottle on your way out."

Billy's jaw clenched. Miz stopped in the entryway for a moment. Her body relaxing, she turned back to him, her eyes changed to soft and warm with a slight smile as she said, "Hey Tiger, thanks for having my back."

Billy nearly melted. He smiled, "Anytime", as he took another sip from the bottle.

Miz turned and kept walking as her voice trailed off out the door, "And, nice dick!"

The door slid shut as Billy did a spit-take with the tequila. Man, she is trouble. And I am in trouble.

--