Old Friends, New Friends

[Present Day]

A holocall pinged in Miz's head, but she declined it. After all, it was 06:00. Another call, another decline.

She was afforded a few minutes peace, until a third call pinged, followed by Ky's voice, "Hey Miz, you up?"

Still groggy, she answered, "How in the fuck do you get declined twice, then call a third time and ask if I'm up? Didn't you fly planes or some shit?"

Ky chuckled, "Are you always this grouchy before coffee?"

She again answered, "It's fuckin' 06:00. I'd answer Pops the same way if he pulled some shit like this."

Ky fired back, "What about Billy, huh?"

"I'm going to murder you in a gruesome fashion", Miz warned him.

He laughed and continued anyway, "El Capitan wants to meet, Badlands Dam at 08:00, thought we could put some miles on the bikes, get out of the city proper for a bit."

Miz ignored all but one part of that sentence, "Oh good, Muamar can help me toss your gonk ass into the landfill."

Ky laughed again, "That's the spirit! Look on the bright side, baby. Anyhow, meet you downstairs in an hour. Swing by Turbo in Japantown, breakfast is on me."

That got Miz's attention. Free food, fuckin' preem!

She still had to force herself to get out of bed. Fu-u-u-uck...

Her eyes finally opened, adjusting to the dark as she looked around her apartment. She propped herself up on one elbow, rubbing her eyes and yawning. Reaching for a remote on the headboard, she pressed a button and the window shutters automatically opened; another button and one of the glass panes opened. Her skin covered in goosebumps as the cool breeze found its way in.

She stepped to her feet and walked over to the window, lighting a cigarette as she looked out towards Japantown and the soft glow slowly coming over the horizon. As she took a drag and exhaled, she admired the calm. There was always ambient noise, cars, people, and sirens, but these rare moments in the morning, everything came together perfectly and the city appeared peaceful. She leaned on the ledge and took it all in as she enjoyed her first smoke of the day and the little headbuzz it always brought. Everything together was enough to make her smile. In a moment of weakness, she thought it'd be nice to have someone to share it with. Unconsciously, Billy flashed in her mind. The look of sheer disbelief and puppy love in his eyes when she was riding him. A shiver went down her spine from the cool air as she shook the thought from her head. She stamped the cigarette in an ashtray and turned towards the bathroom.

The cool air apposed with the steaming shower was a welcome change of pace. Miz might have to thank Ky for waking her up this early. The very thought sent her reeling. He was the mildly abusive older brother she never had, but she also gave her fair ration of shit to him. He was a good friend, and insufferable as he could be, Miz was glad Pops had brought him into the fold.

Among other things, Ky was the one who taught Miz how to ride a motorcycle. They didn't get to ride as much anymore as they used to; Tooley kept them busy with jobs. Money coming in, so they couldn't really complain, were Tooley not such an asshole to deal with. Miz smiled as she remembered he wasn't their problem anymore. Rumors were he'd cleared house since his unfortunate run-in with Pops two days prior. Nobody had seen him since. She liked the idea that he might have left the block altogether, but it was more likely he was just holed up in his penthouse, pouting and plotting.

As Miz scrubbed her scalp diligently and rinsed her hair, the suds running down her body, she reflected on the noticeable lack of muscle throughout the block since then. A few goons here and there, but all the big boys had disappeared. As Miz recalled, most of them were just Animals in suits. Now that Tooley had been ousted as the "alpha", the Animals probably went sniffing for new ass. Either way, he was out of the way for now, and Miz was finally able to indulge in her friend and their shared hobby.

Apparently Billy had made quite a scene as well, was another rumor. The "Rookie from Rancho" stared down the most powerful man in South Watson and made him eat his own words. Miz had to admit, she was impressed. Maybe Pops was right, maybe there was something to him. No, stop that. Bad!

Miz had to cut off her own inner monologue. She'd already played her hand with the note on the tequila bottle. It was only a matter of time before he came knocking. Was it so bad?

Stepping out of the shower, Miz was quickly wrapped herself in a large towel before the cool air got to her. She sat on the couch for a moment, enjoying another cigarette as she watched a few AVs fly by her window at a distance. The glow was getting brighter. Soon the sun would crest over Japantown and illuminate the entire city. It was quite a sight to behold.

Miz took note of the time in her HUD, 06:20. It was time to move. It was a 15-minute walk to the lockup; only a total gonk would leave their cars in the H10 parking deck.

Cigarette still in her mouth, Miz wandered over to her wardrobe, pulling out a white cropped tank top resembling the flag of Japan and a pair of reinforced denim loose-fits. From the bottom of the small wardrobe, she also pulled out a pair of knee pads, ankle socks, and a worn pair of fingerless gloves. While she never wanted anything to do with the Tyger Claws ever again, she couldn't quite let go of their fashion influences. Her wardrobe was still mostly cropped shirts, yoro sweatpants, or loose fit cut-offs. The knee pads and gloves were a carryover from the psycho rocket jockies zooming around the surface roads on their bikes; pretty smart idea, actually. Miz had only dropped her bike twice, both in the early days; but if it weren't for the pads, gloves, and the reinforced jeans, she would have been in a world of hurt. She had enough scars on her body.

With the whole ensemble coming together, Miz kicked on her sneakers before propping her left foot on the table in front of the couch. A few seconds of careful contemplation, she looked at the Unity sitting in its holster. Seven years since Wako had gifted her the weapon belonging to the man who killed her mother, ordering her to kill him out of vengeance masquerading as "honor"; it was her first kill. The weapon had all serial numbers and markings filed off, and had instead been engraved down the barrel with Kanji that read, I belong to the warrior in whom the old ways have joined the new. To Miz, it read like a cheesy one-liner from an old-world Samurai flick, and she wasn't referring to the band (a band that she loved, by the way).

She strapped the holster around her left thigh, pulling the gun out. She ejected the magazine and cleared the chamber before slamming the magazine back in and racking the slide. Safety on, she reholstered the gun. As far back as she could remember, it was common to see people on the street open-carrying in Night City. The crime had gotten so bad, you were considered an irresponsible citizen if you didn't carry some type of personal protection.

Returning to the open window, Miz took one last look at the skyline with a long drag and an exhale of smoke. She stamped the butt in the ashtray and turned to grab her jacket off the table. With careful instinct, she swung the jacket around, her arms finding the sleeves as she pulled it tight around her. It felt warm and comforting, like all was right in the world at that moment. An unconscious reflex, she checked the left inside pockets, 2 full magazines sitting snug. She checked the right inside pocket, relieved to find a fresh softpack and her spare lighter. Walking past the terminal desk, she stopped for a moment to smile at the framed photo on the bookshelf. She spoke quietly, "I'll say hi to Muamar for ya, Mama", as she kissed her finger tips and held them out towards the picture frame. She grabbed a pair of aviator sunglasses off the desk, carefully placing them in her jacket's chest pocket before hitting a switch to close the window shutters, leaving the glass pane open to air out the apartment.

And like that, she was out the door. She walked down the hallway with dim fluorescent lights flickering overhead as she approached the atrium gates. Just her luck, the nearby elevator was temporarily "out of service"; she turned and kept walking down the hallway. There was a reason the main atrium had four separate elevators. A building this big had to be a maintenance migraine.

As she continued walking, she passed by Coach Fred's makeshift gym and fighting ring. Fred probably wasn't awake yet, but that didn't stop others from making use of the weight racks and other equipment. Powerful bodies were sweating and grunting in the early hours of the morning with regimented discipline. Among the group, she caught sight of Billy sitting horizontal on a bench press rack, lifting an ungodly amount of weight over his head. He began to struggle on the last repetition, his spotter reaching down to help. He saw Miz out of the corner of his eye, looking to meet her gaze. She gave him a subtle nod with a slight smile and wink as she kept walking. With this, Billy could almost hear her voice inside his head, you got this, Tiger. He found his second wind, powering through and tossing the weight up and onto the rack. He took a deep breath with a sigh of relief, paying no attention to his spotter praising his efforts as he watched her pass, admiring the natural sway of her hips. She rounded the corner and was out of his sight, and he turned his attention back to his workout.

Miz giggled to herself, feeling a smack of confidence in watching Billy power through just at the sight of her. Her cheeks flushed a bit, wondering how well he could handle her in the ring. He certainly handled me well enough on the couch.

Her cheeks flashed red hot and she covered her mouth to hide a smile breaking from ear to ear. She couldn't believe it; not even a week, and Billy had her in a wash of emotions and butterflies. She was still cautious about opening up to someone else, but she liked the way she felt. It was nice to feel wanted. Maybe it wasn't so bad.

This little episode was short-lived, as Miz looked up and saw Ky holding two cups of coffee, staring at her with a smirk. She tried her best to regain her composure, but he had her dead-to-rights. With a chuckle, he said, "O-o-oh, I know that look."

She rolled her eyes and said, "Shut. Up."

Ky continued to laugh, handing her one of the cups as they both boarded the elevator. The ride down was silent at first, but Ky just couldn't help himself, "So, you fuck his brains out yet?"

Miz blushed. She couldn't tell if Ky was just playing with her to get a rise, or if he really didn't know, but she wasn't going to give him anything. She knew her face probably didn't hide it very well, if at all.

Ky gave her a playful nudge on the arm, "C'mon, Em, just having fun."

Miz took a sip of coffee and returned fire, "Maybe if you finally blew a load into some output, you'd lay off my sex life."

Ky looked down and smiled, Miz took notice of this. Oh shit, that's a new look.

He hadn't told anyone yet, and he had no plans to until the moment was right. Miz was genuinely curious, but she took the easy shot anyway, "Damn, your hand that good?"

Ky's smile turned into a side-eyed smirk as he answered, "Alright, message received."

Miz thought for a moment, and blurted out, "Hey, you didn't decide to take Tooley's Mr. Studd for a ride, did you?"

Ky parroted her earlier words, "I'm going to murder you in a gruesome fashion."

They both shared a laugh as the elevator continued its descent.

--

A holocall pinged in Billy's head, Pops' voice speaking, "Hey pup, you doin' alright?"

Billy answered, out of breath, "Yeah, once I can break the habit of looking over my shoulder every time I leave my apartment."

Pops chuckled, "That feelin' won't just go away once Tooley's gone for good, ask me how I know."

"You'll have to tell me about that some time", said Billy, "And, gone for good? You know something I don't?"

Pops answered, "A man in Tooley's position makes no shortage of enemies, that's for damn sure. But hearsay is he's landed himself a top spot on more than a few people's most-wanted lists after the Waterfront mess."

Billy scoffed, "Man, I'd love to take on that gig."

"I believe you would; maybe you'll get your chance someday", Pop joked, "I heard you handled him pretty well yourself."

Billy saw his chance, "Yeah, but I'm still salty you beat me to the punch."

That sent Pops laughing as he replied, "And speakin' of gigs, I can't say for sure when we'll have anythin' lined up next, but I want to bring you in when we do. You could use some trainin', but you've got a solid head on your shoulders and your heart's in the right place. We could use you."

This warmed Billy's heart. He searched for the right words, but all he could come up with was, "Thanks... Pops."

"Don't mention it", Pops answered warmly.

Billy continued, "And I, uh... about Miz..."

Pops cut him off, "If you're goin' to apologize, don't. My reckonin' is she jumped you. She knows what she's doin'."

Hell yes she does, Billy thought to himself, smiling.

After a moment of silence, Pops asked, "You like her, don't you?"

Billy chose his words carefully, "I uh... I do."

Pops continued, "It might not be all a one-way road. But, seein' as she's all I got, you know what happens if you hurt her."

That was the reply Billy was expecting. He firmly shot back, "I won't."

--

The garage door at the lockup squeaked and creaked, as if to scream and beg for an oil treatment. As the door raised, Ky and Miz were met with a friendly and familiar sight. Inside the garage sat two motorcycles; a custom, one-of-a-kind ARCH Nazaré next to a stripped down Yaiba Kusanagi CT-3X. They had been recently cleaned, which took Miz by surprise as it had been at least 2 months since they last rode. She looked over at Ky, who just shrugged and said, "Eh, I like to come down here sometimes and work on the Arch after a job, thought I'd clean yours up as well."

Miz quipped back, "Yeah, as long as you don't fuck it up."

Ky laughed with a raised eyebrow, "Would I do that to you???"

She gave a playful punch to his chest and said, "Come on, let's go. I'm hungry!"

Just like "riding a bike", Miz swung her leg over one side of the Yaiba and saddled it firmly before turning over the engine. The smooth purr was music to her ears as she cranked a few revs with a smile. Ky mounted his Arch and turned it over, the throaty roar of American muscle harmonizing with Japanese finesse. They both smiled at each other and gave a nod as Miz pulled her sunglasses from her pocket and placed them on her face.

She remembered during her last visit with Vik, he had hooked her up with the latest 2.1 neuralware update; among other things, she could now listen to radio stations in her head. She brought up her HUD and tuned into 107.3 "Morro Rock Radio". A smile broke wide on her face as IBDY's "Likewise" greeted her with pounding bass. The rhythms were perfect for cruising through the city as buildings passed by.

With a smirk, Miz looked to Ky and shouted over the rumbling engines, "Keep up!", as she let off the clutch and peeled out into the street, the howl of the engine echoing through the underpasses.

Ky followed shortly, signaling the garage door to close behind him as he burned rubber to try and catch up.

Miz was already 2 blocks away, weaving in and out of traffic, splitting lanes to hit green lights wherever she could. Up ahead, she saw a light turning yellow, and considered gunning it. A cooler head prevailed, and she let off the throttle, downshifting and engine-braking before leaning forward and popping the front brake with her weight shifted. The back of the bike lifted up, and she rolled to an endo stop before carefully letting the bike down. She firmly planted a foot on the road to stay upright as she waited for the light to turn, her arms shaking with excitement to peel out again. After a few seconds, she heard the rumble of Ky's Arch approaching and he came to a rolling stop next to her. He leaned over and shouted with a big grin, "Very smooth! Maybe we can stick together now?"

To their right, a cop was standing on the sidewalk staring at them both, waiting for a reason to ruin their day. Miz flashed her teeth at him with a big smile as she burned out, spinning the bike around in a circle, leaving a ring of rubber on the road as the light turned green and they both took off. The cop turned and shook his head, not like he could chase them on foot.

Another block down, they made a right turn onto the bridge linking Kabuki and Japantown. As much as Miz wanted to go wide-open, she acquiesced to Ky's earlier remark and kept pace with him. His Arch was fast, but nowhere near as quick off the line as the Yaiba. She liked to throw that in his face from time to time. He had her on handling though; the shorter wheelbase made the Arch way more maneuverable. They were lucky, this early in the morning the roads weren't flooded with cars, so they could ride easy and relax. The sun was starting to break over the skyline, flickering in between the buildings and glistening on the polluted waters of the harbor. It was strangely beautiful, if one could get past the smells of the city.

Another right and they exited the bridge, turning onto Longshore Street. Turbo was only a few blocks down, just south of the Watson Bridge, and Miz was already salivating at the thought of the best syn-beef breakfast burritos in the city. She marveled at the buildings walling in Japantown's dark secrets. She always wanted to live here, but its proximity to the Tyger Claws all but convinced her otherwise. Plus, it was nice being so close to all the crew... even Ky.

At long last, they made their left turn onto Poplar Street, then another immediate right into the parking lot for Turbo. The whole place was sitting in the shadows of Megabuilding H8, the sun tucked neatly behind the massive block. The air filled with the smell of breakfast foods. Turbo was a landmark; it served great food throughout the day, and even better drinks at night. Miz remembered a time around 3 years ago when Falco invited Pops to a party there after a gig with his old crew. Pops not being much for "parties", he decided to drag her along. She particularly remembered a scrappy but cute young kid choking on some type of carbonated mixed drink while he chased this pastel-haired netrunner around like a lost puppy. The kid became a Night City Legend, but at the cost of his life to Adam Smasher. The whole ordeal was enough to make Falco walk away from merc-work altogether. Pops was really brokenhearted over the whole ordeal. Falco was his best friend, and leaving the game unfortunately meant leaving the city and cutting off all ties. It was the only way to keep everyone safe.

Miz's attention was pulled back to the present day as Ky spoke, "Hey, the usual?"

She smiled, "Yeah, and thanks again."

Ky waved dismissively, his voice trailing off, "Nah, don't mention it."

Miz cut the ignition on her bike, putting the stand down and leaning forward on the body to stretch her back. A holocall pinged from Pops, "Hey kiddo, you up?"

Miz answered, "Yeah, I'm actually at Turbo with Ky; we're getting breakfast. Muamar wanted to meet, so we took the bikes."

Pops smiled, "Nova! Tell Muamar I say hello."

"I will", Miz answered, "Hopefully he has some work for us."

Pops hesitated for a second, "Speakin' of work, I uh... I offered Billy a spot in the crew."

Miz thought for a second, her mind a flurry of different feelings in that moment. She wasn't sure how to feel about it. On one hand, he was capable, albeit young and in need of serious training. On the other hand, she didn't want him getting hurt on the job. WHAT. THE. FUCK?!

After a deep breath, she answered Pops, "He needs training, but if you trust him, that's all I need to hear."

Pops didn't buy it, "Uh huh. You doing anything tomorrow?"

Miz knew what was coming as she gritted her teeth, "Not particularly."

Pops continued, "Put the kid through the wringer, sink or swim. I don't doubt he'll swim, but don't go easy on him just 'cause you got a soft spot."

Miz fired back, "Jesus, you all just don't give up, do you?"

Pops chuckled, "Love ya too, Em. Be safe."

Ky was approaching with the burritos in-hand as the call ended. He reached out and handed one to Miz, which she gladly accepted. She wasted no time in ripping open the wrapper and tearing into the food. For mostly "scop" and other synthetic ingredients, there was something about Turbo's food that made it stand out from the rest. Miz's eyes rolled back in her head as she groaned in satisfaction. She'd almost consider moving to Japantown for the food alone.

Between bites, Ky asked, "So... back in your good graces?"

Miz laughed, "Yeah, and then some, I guess."

Ky continued, "So, no jokes, no bullshit. What's really going on with you and the new guy?"

Miz stopped chewing for a second, narrowing her eyes at Ky as she swallowed the bite and shot back, "What's going on with you and Max?"

Ky nearly choked his food as he exclaimed "FUCK! You know about that?!"

Miz smirked, "I do now... nah, I pieced it together on the way over."

Ky's eyes went wide, "How—"

"The way she looks at you", Miz cut him off, "Whenever we're on a gig, even when she's ribbing you, she's got butterflies. The smile she gave you after the Waterfront job, and then the little smile you had when we were leaving this morning and I told you to lay off my sex life and get your own."

Ky was dumbfounded, not knowing what to even say. Miz took another bite, chewing and swallowing before she asked, "Does Pops know?"

He sheepishly answered, "I... I haven't figured out how to bring it up to him yet."

Miz gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder, "Look, like Billy said, we're a family. As long as it doesn't affect the job, Pops won't care. More likely, he'll be happy you two have each other."

Ky gave a sincere smile as he said with a mouthful of food, "...thanks, Miz. That means a lot... so, back to you, what's the story?"

Miz sighed, a smile creeping through, "He's sweet. He's got a good heart. Just... you know how I am."

"It's hard for you to open up after everything you've been through", Ky interjected, "And I get that. Nobody can blame you for having your guard up."

Miz continued, looking down at the ground, "He saved my life on that job. Maelstrom had me dead-to-rights, a cold barrel against my head, and he gave me a chance to get out of it. That means something. He didn't even know me, but he stuck his neck out for me... I-I just don't want to let feelings get in the way of doing the job, y'know?"

Ky nodded in agreement, taking another bite. Miz kept going, "I jumped him when we got back, and just kinda blew him off after that."

Ky's eyes lit up and he said, "Wait, so you actually did fuck his brains out...?"

Miz rolled her eyes, "Yeah... well, tried to. Pops walked in on us because Tooley wanted to meet."

Ky laughed, "Oh man, cock-blocked?! How did Pops handle it?"

"He was really casual about it. Even waved to Billy on his way out the door. He can tell there's something there", Miz answered, "He thinks I should go for it."

Ky had that cheeky smirk again, "So... how was he? The kid packin' a punch?"

Miz's cheeks flushed as she flashed back to it all. Embarrassed, she covered her face, biting her lip to keep from smiling. Ky didn't let up, "Hey, come on! I got to make sure the kid can perform! Maybe I need to teach him a thing or two!"

She regained her composure and said, "He's got potential. A lot of it."

Ky straightened up, "Well, whatever way it shakes out, glad you got some input out of it. A release is good for the soul."

Miz finished the last bite of her burrito, a little sad that it was gone so soon. Looking at Ky, she joked, "Can we please get back on the road now?"

He threw his hands up and laughed, "What, you don't want to talk about your input anymore?"

"No-o-ot really", Miz chuckled as she put her sunglasses back on and turned over the Yaiba's engine. Ky followed suit, smiling wide as the Arch roared to life. He loved that sound.

A holocall pinged between them, and Miz spoke, "Hey, thanks for breakfast, and... just, thanks."

Ky gave her a punch on the shoulder and said, "Any time. Same to you, I'm glad someone else knows about me and Max... so, race you to the dam?"

She looked over at Ky and his trademark shit-eating grin. She flashed her own smile back and said, "You're on, bitch."

They both peeled out, leaving rubber and a cloud of smoke in their wake. It was going to be a good day as the sun finally broke over Night City.

--

Tooley leaned against the railing on the second floor of his penthouse, looking out over the city. His eyes were a flurry of blue activity. He was counting his options, possible plays, any favors he could call in to stay on top. His sad little hill was beginning to crumble out from underneath him after Pops' act of defiance. Downstairs, sitting naked on the couch, his preferred joytoy took a long hit of Slo-Mo from an airhypo, exhaling a thick green vapor as he looked longingly up at Tooley and played with himself.

A holocall pinged in Tooley's head, and a deep Russian voice spoke, "You are in a world of hurt if you are asking me for help. This was not our arrangement."

Tooley spoke calmly, but firmly, "I was given assurances of your support regardless of the circumstances."

The voice shouted back, "You got fifteen of our boys killed! Good boys, that deserved better!"

Tooley held his tongue for several seconds as the voice continued, "We made you, Lex. We can just as easily unmake you. You need to make this right. No more favors. No more excuses. You have our terms. You have one week."

The call dropped, and Lex's jaw clenched. As he gripped the balcony railing tighter, the glass panels creaked and whined under the pressure.

Another holocall pinged, followed by a scratchy robotic voice, clearly Maelstrom, "You got some serious fuckin' explaining to do here, motherfucker! How did I lose two of my best chooms in a day, along with an entire squad?"

Tooley gritted his teeth, "Need I remind you, had your chooms followed my fucking instructions, they would likely still be alive."

The robotic voice snapped, "Your problem for not telling us Scavs were running operations out of our fuckin' backyard!"

Tooley fired back, resigned, "What do you want? I'm weary of empty threats for today."

"Twenty-five thousand eddies per man", the robotic voice answered, "And bring me that little fuckmeat's head on a plate. Bring the body too, the boys need a new cock-sleeve."

Tooley scoffed, "And if I refuse?"

A few seconds of silence passed before the robotic voice asked, "You ever been gang-raped by four metal dicks at once?!"

The second call dropped, sending Tooley into a white-hot flash of rage. He slammed his fists down on the railing, sending a shattering crack down the glass. Like his penthouse now, everything he had built was falling apart.

The joytoy stopped pleasuring himself, sitting up to see what was happening. Oblivious, but genuinely concerned, he called up to Tooley, "W-what's wrong, daddy?"

There was no time for games or frivolous pursuits, not at this point. Not breaking his gaze from the window, Tooley shouted at the joytoy, "Get the fuck out!"

--

As they rounded the last turn approaching the dam, Ky and Miz pushed their bikes to the limit, red-lining each gear and eeking out every bit of speed they could. Ky saw his opportunity and cut inside behind Miz, pushing ahead of her around the curve of the dam. Reaching the last pillar less than a length ahead of her, you could almost hear him screaming for joy over the roar of the engines as they both let off the throttle and coasted the rest of the way. They slowed to a stop at an observation deck jutting out from the rock face next to the dam. The deck overlooked all of Santo Domingo, with megabuildings and other Night City skycrapers off in the distance. From here everything seemed so small, so far away. Like a little beacon of light in the distance, thanks to the sun bouncing off the buildings.

Ky looked over to Miz and held out a fist with a smile. She bumped his fist with hers as she called out, "Nice juke at the end! I won't let that happen again."

A voice called out to both of them with a Chicano accent, "Hey, took you long enough!"

A black and silver Mizutani Shion MZ2 was parked on the overlook. Leaning against it was an interesting looking man with a combination bowl cut and mullet. He wore both a giant gold cross and a pair of dog tags under an open shiny purple blazer, a plain pair of black shorts, black tube socks and polished white and black shoes. An odd look, but this was Muamar "El Capitan" Reyes; corpo-turned-robin-hood of Santo Domingo. If you needed something done in the southeast reaches of Night City, El Capitan was your man.

Miz checked the time in her HUD, it read 07:57, and she fired back, "Hey, you said 08:00, punk!"

Reyes jumped up from his car, cigarette in hand, and walked right up to Miz, "The fuck you just say to me?!"

Ky couldn't tell if they were joking or not, but he was on alert nonetheless. Miz and Muamar stared at each other in tense silence for several seconds before smiles broke on their faces and they hugged one another. Muamar exclaimed, "Ah, it's so good to see you, chica! How's the old man?"

Miz giggled, "He's good, says hello."

Ky loosened up, letting off an uneasy chuckle with a sigh as he spoke, "I knew Pops knew Reyes because of Falco, I didn't know you knew him too."

Miz smiled as she lit a cigarette, "He's the one that took the picture in my apartment."

Ky returned the smile. He turned to Reyes to speak before screeching tires trailed in; an older car stopped on the road in front of them. A overweight middle-aged man climbed out of the driver seat, already yelling as he rounded the hood, "YOU FUCKING IDIOTS!!! I NEARLY CRASHED BECAUSE YOU CUT ME OFF!"

Miz's eyes narrowed and she looked at the man, speaking nonchalantly, "Nearly crashed. Meaning you did not crash? So what the fuck are you complaining about?"

The man answered, indignant and standing his ground, "I could have died from your little stunt! Did you eve—"

Miz unholstered her Unity and aimed it one-handed, ganger-style sideways at the man as she cocked her head forward and cut him off, "You could die right now if you don't get your fat and happy ass back in your car and leave. GO!"

The man grumbled under his breath as he resigned with his hands in the air, walking backwards to the driver-side door of the car and climbing back in. In no time, he was gone.

Reyes looked at Miz and joked, "I see some things never change", before turning to Ky with his hand out, "It's good to see you too brother, how you been?"

Ky shook his hand firmly, "Not bad, man. Could always do with a few more wheelman gigs, y'know?"

Reyes answered, "Hey, as soon as I have some, you'll know. So what's up, you said you wanted to talk jobs? Bigger jobs?"

Ky sighed as he chose his words, "Yeah, well. Our last job with Lex didn't do so well; he actually tried to have us killed by hiring a Maelstrom crew to ambush us."

Reyes interjected, "Arasaka Waterfront was you? Skeevy motherfucker, huh?"

Ky continued, "Yeah. Lucky for us, the chrome junkies got all excited and jumped the gun. Pops and Max managed to piece it all together from the data we pulled; Pops called Lex out, it didn't end well, now we're looking for work."

Reyes pursed his lips as he took a drag of his cigarette, "I hate to tell ya Ky, I'm out of the heavy fixer game. I'm just doing the boost and protection gigs now. Might be I can make some calls, let you know what I find out?"

Ky answered, "We'll take whatever we can get, man. Very much obliged."

Reyes thought for a moment, then spoke again, "Actually, I might have something for you; short notice, though. And not much money. But, I can use it as an in for some heavier gigs with another fixer maybe?"

Miz stepped forward, "We'll take it. What are the deets?"

Reyes continued, "There's a rock bar in Arroyo, off Farragut and Hargreaves, called the 'Red Dirt'."

Miz jumped with excitement, "You mean where Samurai played their first gig?! FUCKIN' NOVA!!!"

Reyes chuckled, "One and the same. Some local 6th Street color has been causing trouble, muscling for protection money and making a mess of the place when they refuse."

Ky cut in, "W-wait, I thought all Santo protection was run through you at this point? What gives? 6th Street knows better than to fuck with you."

Reyes continued, taking another drag, "You would be right, Ky; but Red Dirt is still neutral ground. Owner historically hasn't wanted or needed any protection until now. Taking care of this problem is a test. I was going to farm it out to some local huscle; but given your situation, maybe I can help you get in for steady work with my contact."

Miz and Ky both nodded to each other as she asked the pertinent question, "What's the pay?"

Reyes answered, "Don't hate me for it, but I'm paying this one out of my own pocket as an investment in something greater. For you and for me. Be five thousand eddies per man."

"Well, you know we run a five-man crew now", Ky spoke. Miz narrowed her eyes at him. How the fuck did he know that? I only found out less than an hour ago.

Ky continued, "Actually, it's kinda funny. Fifth man's a Rancho boy, Billy Barrett."

Muamar's eyes lit up, "Yeah, I remember him. Good build, smart kid, just needed some miles under his boots before I felt comfortable taking him on. Last I heard, he took a spot in Tooley's crew?"

Ky answered, "Tooley asked him to spy on us during the Waterfront gig. I guess the kid had a crisis of conscience about his employer hanging him out to dry with the rest of us, so he stared him down and quit the next day."

Reyes whistled, "Ballsy, kid. Man, maybe I should've snatched him up when I had the chance... eh, he'll be a good for you guys."

Miz smiled, Ky took notice, Reyes continued, "So, he fall madly in love with Miz yet?"

Her eyes rolled as she choked on her smoke, Ky seizing the opportunity, "And then some."

"Fuck both of ya", Miz said with the cigarette hanging out of her mouth as she gave two middle fingers. Ky straightened up and asked, "So what's the timing on this?"

Reyes winced as his eyes flashed between both of them, "...tonight? There's a show tonight, couple of bands playing, rumblings are 6th Street's going to make an appearance and blow it all up."

Miz answered for both of them with a chuckle, "That works for me. Kick some jarhead ass, get fucked up, catch a show; maybe I get out of training Billy tomorrow."

Both Reyes and Ky laughed at the last comment. Ky didn't need to think about it, he nodded in agreement. Reyes smiled, "It's a gig! Show starts at 20:00, so you might want to scope the place out a little early. I'll flash over any other deets if they come up."

Miz dropped her cigarette butt and stamped it out with her foot, reaching up for another hug to Reyes, "Hey, it was really good to see you again, Muamar."

Reyes reciprocated, "Same here, chica. You all take care of yourselves, let me know when the job's done, eh?"

Miz and Ky turned to walk back to their bikes as a private holocall pinged between them. She spoke first, "How'd you know Pops offered Billy a spot on the crew? I only found out when we stopped at Turbo."

Ky smiled and answered, "It was a bluff. I had a feeling Pops would anyway, but even if I was wrong, we could spin it and get some extra scratch to split four ways."

She chided him, "You sneaky motherfucker."

Ky chuckled, "Yeah, just be glad I'm on your side."

They both turned over their bikes, engines roaring back to life. Reyes winced at first before his ears adjusted.

Miz fired back to Ky, "Still not convinced that you being on our side is a plus or a minus."

They both laughed as they peeled out.

Reyes was left standing by himself as he pinged a holocall. A catching, strong and yet warm female voice answered, "El Capitan, what's up?"

He answered, "Got you a crew for the Red Dirt gig. Said if they do well, you might have more work for them?"

A few seconds passed before the voice spoke again, skeptical, "Who are they?"

Reyes answered confidently, "Old friends. Phoenix Gray. Same crew that pulled the 'Saka Waterfront job a few nights ago."

The voice seemed surprised, "I know the name. So they can clearly handle themselves."

Reyes added, "And then some. They're based out of your old stomping grounds in H10; Tooley tried to fuck 'em over, they made him eat his own words."

The voice continued, "That could be useful. Good work... hey, you should come down to the Afterlife for a drink sometime. We need to catch up."

Reyes smiled, "Shi-i-it, I'm just surprised you still remember me now that you're on top."

A laugh from the other end, and the call dropped.

--