The desert wind howled softly, carrying dust and regret. Lucy stood still, her gaze locked on the trembling figure of Kiwi.
The old netrunner looked worse for wear—sunburned skin, a torn sleeve, and a beat-up, half-dead junker car beside her coughing out exhaust. Kiwi looked down, unable to meet Lucy's eyes.
"You gonna kill me?" Kiwi asked, her voice dry like the sand underfoot.
Lucy didn't flinch. "No."
Silence stretched out like the endless desert.
"I should," Lucy continued. "After what you did to us… to me."
Kiwi didn't argue. Her shoulders sagged like she'd already died long ago.
"But I'm not like you," Lucy said, stepping forward, voice firm but hollow. "So you're going to live with it. Alone. Out here. Far from Night City. And if you ever come back—"
Kiwi nodded. "I won't."
Lucy turned her back, walking away as the others waited by their ride. Kiwi didn't say goodbye. The door of the rust bucket slammed shut behind her, and she was gone—swallowed by dust and engine fumes.
Rumors in the City
Night City buzzed, restless as ever. But something had changed.
What happened at Arasaka Tower wasn't on the news. Corpo PR buried the explosion under another "technical accident" excuse. But the fixers knew.
Wakako murmured about an unstoppable force tearing through the floors. Padre heard whispers of a silver-armed devil. The name "8" started showing up in hushed conversations. Not on the Net. Not in files. Just spoken. Carefully.
In a hidden place, Faraday was strapped to a table. He couldn't move. Couldn't scream. His mouth was gagged. His eyes darted everywhere, panicked.
"Ohh, you're finally awake."
Faraday turned and saw 8 standing beside him, wearing an unsettling smile.
"You should be honored. You're going to be part of an experiment. You see, I've got all these healing items—but I've never had the chance to really push them to the limit. Lucky for us… you're here now."
Faraday thrashed. Panic. Fear.
A light flicked on overhead. A mirror stretched across the ceiling, reflecting everything—his restraints, his wide eyes, the tools lined up beside 8.
"I saw a movie once," 8 said calmly. "A man torturing the guy who killed his family. The man didn't look scary. No cyberware. Just a father."
8's smile faded.
"And believe me… there's nothing scarier than a man who's lost the people he loves."
He leaned close.
"You tried to hurt my friends. So don't expect a single drop of mercy. God won't save you. Neither will the devil."
Faraday began to sob, struggling harder—tears running down his face as 8 picked up the first tool.
Back at the Hideout
At the Cyberdogs' hideout, the mood was lighter. A celebration thrown together with whatever was left in the fridge.
8 leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, watching the team laugh and shout. Rebecca downed something that probably counted as poison. Lola barked excitedly with a party hat on her head.
Lucy stood up. The room quieted.
"I need to say something," she said. "All this time… I was killing netrunners."
No one spoke. Even the music stopped.
"I didn't want to," she admitted. Her eyes drifted to David. "But I had to. I wanted to protect you. Even if you didn't understand why."
David stood and gently hugged her from behind. "You don't have to explain anymore. You're here. That's enough."
Applause broke out.
One Last Surprise
Later that night, I nudged David and Lucy aside.
"Come with me. I got something to show you two."
The ride was long. Quiet. Past the edge of Night City. Beyond the outskirts. Into the canyons.
When we arrived, the stars were out—and nestled in a ravine, surrounded by rocks and sand, was a rocket ship.
David blinked. "What the—"
Lucy's jaw dropped. "Is this… real?"
I smirked. "Built it myself. Had some help. Stole parts from Militech. Maybe a few from Arasaka. You know—corporate donations."
The hatch opened with a hiss.
We climbed in, but I wasn't about to pilot it.
"Woof."
[Ready?]
"Wait… Lola's flying this?" Lucy asked, incredulous.
I nodded solemnly. "Yeah. 'Cause I ain't flying it. I hate heights. Built the damn thing. You're lucky I'm even standing near it."
David grinned. "You're serious?"
"What do you think? I don't have fears?" I muttered. "Just shut up and enjoy the ride."
As the engines rumbled to life, Earth slowly shrank behind them.
The Moon
They landed on the gray surface hours later. The ramp hissed open. Still holding hands, David and Lucy stepped out into the lunar dust.
For the first time in forever, Lucy's eyes welled up—not from pain, but peace.
She looked up… then at David.
"We made it," she whispered.
"Yeah," he said, wrapping his arm around her. "We really did."
Above them, Earth hung in the sky like a memory.
They smiled— the two standing under the stars, far from the city, far from everything… free.
End of chapter.
I hope you all enjoy this chapter—thank you for everything! And I also hope it inspires you to create your own stories. Don't be afraid—believe me, I know the feeling. At first, I didn't want to write this fanfic because I was scared of criticism. English isn't my native language, and I had no writing experience (you can see that in the first few chapters).
But I'm here to tell you: don't be afraid. Sometimes, criticism can be a blessing. For example, someone once criticized my writing and recommended ChatGPT, and it turned out to be a huge help. Also, seeing people read my story and leave comments makes me genuinely happy.
Who knows? Maybe it'll inspire you to start your own story—and maybe one day, create something original. I believe a lot of people have that potential. Just look at the creators who entertain us on YouTube—like Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss, or SMG4. That guy started out making silly YouTube videos about Mario and his self-insert OC, and now he's behind Glitch Productions—the team that created Murder Drones and The Amazing Digital Circus. In a way, it all began with fan-made content. It's a miracle Nintendo didn't sue him for using Mario, but I'm glad they didn't.
So, in short: you can create a story too. Whether it's original, inspired by a movie, animation, book—or even fanfiction—it just takes one step to start. Just be mindful of what you write, because words can affect others.
Thank you so much for reading my story. Now, I just need to figure out what to write next!"