The next morning, Night City hummed with a different kind of energy. The pre dawn chill was giving way to the hazy warmth of a new day, the towering chromescrapers already reflecting the sickly yellow glow of the rising sun. Neon bled into the overcast sky, painting it in sickly greens and purples.
Teo's basement room, usually a haven of quiet solitude, felt heavier, the lingering scent of stale blood from his jacket still clinging to the air, despite its recent cleaning. He pushed himself off his bed, his muscles protesting with a dull ache that the stims from last night had only temporarily suppressed. Every joint clicked, a dry whisper of exhaustion.
His gear, laid out neatly on a battered footlocker, felt like a second skin waiting to be donned. He pulled on a freshly laundered white wife beater, its cotton soft against his skin, a stark contrast to the hardened shell he was becoming. Then the golden cross, and gold earings.Then came a new pair of black jeans, worn just right, followed by the familiar scuff of his boots from the night before. His jacket, remarkably clean, was draped over the chair, Mama Welles, always looking out for him, must have snatched it during his deep, exhausted sleep.
He ran a hand over the fabric, feeling the sharp, angular outline of the SpecterNet optics still nestled in the inner pocket. She hadn't touched these. On his desk, the gleaming, matte black Zetatech 'Phantom' Cyberdeck sat in its briefcase, a silent promise of unparalleled power.
He left the cold comfort of his room, the spray painted crimson crow on the wall an unsettling, yet oddly comforting, presence, the cartoonish symbol of a new, brutal chapter. As he walked upstairs, the scent of sizzling chorizo and fresh tortillas already wafted from El Coyote Cojo's kitchen, a delicious, grounding aroma. Mama Welles's breakfast. A taste of home in a city that constantly tried to tear it apart, brick by bloody brick.
The bar was quieter now, the morning crowd a handful of early birds hunched over steaming synth coffees, their faces bathed in the flickering glow of news holos. The synth rock had been turned down to a low, throbbing hum, a background pulse rather than an assault.
Mama Welles was behind the counter, her movements precise, a practiced dance of wiping, pouring, and directing a scruffy line cook with a sharp word and a pointed gesture.
And there, at one of the larger booths, was Jackie. His cousin was easily recognizable, even from behind the broad shoulders, the powerful build, the distinctive leather vest he almost lived in. He was sipping a coffee, his gaze distant, lost in the chaotic tapestry of the morning news stream.
Seeing Jackie, Teo felt a familiar wave of relief, a grounding presence in the swirling chaos of his new life. Jackie, despite his gruff exterior, had always been Teo's rock, the older brother figure who had shown him the ropes, connected him with Padre, and quietly looked out for him.
"Jackie," Teo called out, his voice still a little rough, carrying a hint of the night's dust.
Jackie's head snapped up, a genuine smile breaking through his usual hardened expression. He pushed himself from the booth, his chrome glinting faintly in the dim light.
"Teo, ese! You made it. Heard last night was rough, huh? Padre gave me the gist." He stood up, towering over Teo, and clapped him on the shoulder, a firm, reassuring grip that felt like an anchor.
His eyes, though, scanned Teo with a searching intensity, noting the clean clothes but also the lingering shadow under his eyes, the almost imperceptible tension in his jaw. "Should've been there, hermano. I swear, Padre called me in, but I was tied up on a gig, far side of Santo Domingo. A real clusterfuck. Could've used another pair of hands to wrangle that mess." His voice carried a genuine note of regret, a flicker of the 'what if' in his eyes.
Teo shook his head, looking Jackie squarely in the eye. "Nah, choom. It's alright. You got your own gigs, your own fires to put out. We handled it. Apex was there, and Cipher… he bought us the extraction. No regrets." The words felt heavy, solid, but true. He didn't regret the outcome, not the eddies, not the data, only the grim reality of how it had come about. He knew this life was a meat grinder, every day was a gamble.
Mama Welles walked over then, a plate piled high with steaming huevos rancheros and warm, fresh tortillas for Teo, setting it down with a firm thud that made the utensils rattle. "Eat, mijo," she commanded, her eyes softening as she looked at Jackie, then back at Teo. She clearly felt the weight of the last night, the fragile line between life and loss that her family walked every single day. She gave Teo's shoulder a squeeze, her touch surprisingly gentle.
As Teo began to eat, the warm, spicy flavors a welcome shock to his system, a fleeting moment of comfort in the storm, he looked at Jackie. "Hey, you heading out anywhere soon?"
Jackie leaned back, taking a slow sip of his coffee, his gaze drifting to the holoscreen playing a looping ad for synth-protein. "Just finishing up here. Gotta prep for a meet later down in Heywood, some eddies waiting for me. Why? Something you need, ese?"
"Yeah," Teo said, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "I got some new chrome. Vik's gonna install it. Figured you could come along, help me haggle if he tries to hit me with some corpo level pricing. The chrome... It's specialized. Rare." He nodded subtly towards the briefcase beside him, hinting at the high-end gear within.
Jackie's eyes lit up with a familiar spark of interest, a flash of the same joy he got from new tech or a fast ride. "Oh, yeah? What kinda goodies you scoring, hermano? You know Vik's the best choom, always got time for my family. He'd cut me a deal before I even asked, just gotta ask."
The walk from El Coyote Cojo to Viktor's ripperdoc clinic was a journey through the beating heart of Watson, a sensory overload that Teo's new optics would soon render into data. They cut through Heywood's narrow, cluttered streets, past the overflowing stalls of street vendors hawking everything from greasy synth-noodles to bootleg cyberware.
The air hummed with the incessant, multi layered cacophony of Night City, the grinding rumble of groundcars, the distant wail of sirens, the blare of corpo ads from towering holoscreens, and the low, present thrum of power conduits beneath the pavement.
They passed Misty's Esoterica, the storefront a stark contrast to the grimy street. Soft, ambient chimes drifted from within, mingling with the faint scent of incense and exotic herbs. The window was filled with an eclectic display of tarot decks, shimmering crystal balls, ancient looking scrolls, and strange, glowing trinkets that hummed with a subtle, unseen energy.
Misty herself, with her enigmatic smile and serene demeanor, was visible through the cluttered glass, moving with an almost ethereal grace between shelves, her purple hair a vibrant splash of color. Jackie gave a quick, respectful nod to the shop as they ducked inside. The air instantly felt calmer, cooler, a silent acknowledgment of the spiritual calm in the storm of Night City.
"Misty," Jackie greeted, his voice softening.
Misty turned, her eyes, deep and knowing, settling on Teo for a moment before returning to Jackie. "Jackie. Teo. Good to see you both. You seem… brighter today, Teo." Her smile was gentle, accepting.
"Just trying to find my path, Misty," Teo replied, the words coming easily.
Misty nodded. "The stars whisper, and the threads of fate weave on, Teo. Even in the darkest alleys." She gave him a soft, encouraging look, then turned back to Jackie. "What brings you by, Jackie?"
"Just passing through, mija," Jackie replied. "Got some business with Vik. Teo's getting some upgrades."
Misty's gaze flickered to the briefcase in Teo's hand, then back to his eyes, a flicker of something unreadable there. "May your path be clear, then."
Jackie squeezed her hand gently. "Always. See you, Misty."
They went out the back door, into the alley behind the shop, and down a short set of stairs that led to a heavy, unmarked synth steel door. It slid open with a soft hiss, revealing the familiar sanctuary of Viktor's clinic.
The place was exactly as Teo remembered it, clean, utilitarian, bathed in the soft, clinical glow of overhead lights. The air smelled of antiseptic and something metallic, like polished steel. On a large holoscreen mounted on the wall, a boxing match played out in glorious, bloody detail, the heavy thud of punches echoing faintly in the room.
Viktor Vektor, the legendary ripperdoc, looked up from his workbench. His massive arms, sculpted with power and dense muscle, appeared human, yet Teo always suspected they were more reinforced with subdermal plating, hydrolic muscle fibers, something unseen but deeply formidable. He never thought Vik had real arms, not in the way most people did, not with the kind of work he did every day. His broad face, usually stern, creased into a familiar, knowing smile as he saw Jackie, then shifted to a subtle nod of recognition for Teo.
"Jackie, mijo," Vik rumbled, his voice a deep, gravelly purr that resonated in the quiet clinic. "And Teo. Long time no see, chico. Heard you were out there stirring up some dust last night. Padre gave me the heads up." He glanced at Teo's still damp hair, then the lingering shadow under his eyes. "Looks like you wrestled more than just dust this time. You look like you went twelve rounds with a cyberpsycho and barely made it out."
Teo gave a tired smile, a genuine expression of gratitude. He'd known Viktor since he was a kid, accompanying Jackie on his own chrome runs, watching in silent awe as the ripperdoc worked his magic. Viktor had installed his first basic comms implant when he was fourteen, patched him up after a few clumsy street brawls. Vik was more than just a ripperdoc, he was like a silent confidante, a fixer of both body and soul, a man who saw the city's ugly truths and still kept going.
Another good one.
"Hey, Vik," Teo said, placing the matte black briefcase onto the gleaming stainless steel examination table. He unlatched it with a soft click, revealing the gleaming SpecterNet optics and the sleek Zetatech 'Phantom' Cyberdeck, nestled precisely in form fitting foam.
Viktor's eyes widened, a flicker of genuine surprise and professional admiration crossing his face. He picked up the optics first, turning them over in his massive hands, his fingers, surprisingly nimble despite their apparent bulk, tracing the subtle contours. "SpecterNet... Enhanced Interface. Rare, Teo. Very rare. High-tier military intel spec. Not many of these floating around on the street, certainly not outside a black site auction." He then picked up the cyberdeck. "And a Zetatech 'Phantom'? Prototype. Never thought I'd see one of these outside a corporate black site. Integrated Black ICE countermeasures, next gen neural interface, dedicated processing for deep dive daemons... This isn't just good, Teo. This is beyond good. This is what you see on the darknet, whispered about in encrypted forums, rumored to be strictly in Arasaka's or Militech's R&D labs." He looked at Teo, a new level of respect and curiosity in his gaze. "What kind of gig did you pull to get your hands on these, chico? You rob an R&D department?"
Teo just offered a tired, tight-lipped smile. "Long story, Vik. Just... need them installed. And quick. Before BioDyne figures out who they're missing them to."
Viktor nodded, a shrewd understanding in his eyes. "Right. No questions asked. My kind of business." He paused, setting the high end cyberware down. "Look, for gear like this, my usual rates... they're high. Very high. You're talking about systems that cost more than a high end groundcar. But for Jackie's familia... and for what you clearly went through last night..." He gestured vaguely at Teo's worn state, the subtle tremor in his hand. "I'll do it. Just the labor cost. Consider it... a family discount. My contribution to keeping the Welles bloodline kicking."
"Thanks, Vik," Teo genuinely replied, relief washing over him. This was exactly what he needed.
As Vik prepped his tools, his massive hands moving with practiced efficiency, Teo hesitated. He needed something else. Something to help him process, to remember, to prevent him from losing the crucial details, to be better. "Vik," he said, his voice firm, "I also need a memory upgrade. Something that can help with rapid recall, digital forensics, storing more volatile data. Top of the line, if you got it."
Viktor paused, then nodded. "Ah, pushing the envelope, eh? Smart. Got just the thing. Biotechnica Mnemonics Processor. It'll integrate directly with your new neural net, boost your recall, enhance your brain scan capabilities, make your short term memory practically limitless for raw data. Give you a real edge in the Net, and out of it." He quoted a price, surprisingly reasonable for such an implant, clearly still part of his "family discount." Teo confirmed it without a second thought.
Jackie, who had been watching silently, a mixture of pride and concern etched on his face, leaned against the counter, his gaze flicking between Teo and the gleaming chrome. "You're going deep, hermano," he said, his voice low, serious. "Netrunning's one thing, but out there in the meat… you're gonna need more combat chrome. Armor plating, maybe some Kereznikov. You keep going on gigs like last night, being a ghost in the Net won't be enough if they get their hands on you in the physical." His words were a blunt reminder of Night City's brutal realities, a protective warning.
"I know, Jack," Teo replied, the words a quiet promise, a grim understanding. "One step at a time. This is just the beginning."
The installation was a blur of cold steel, searing pain, and then a jarring shift in perception. Viktor worked quickly, professionally, his massive hands deceptively gentle. Teo endured the removal of his old Kiroshis, the precise incisions, the pressure as the new SpecterNet optics were slotted in, the subtle hum of the Mnemonics Processor integrating with his brain. Then, the deeper integration of the Zetatech 'Phantom' Cyberdeck, a complex, invasive procedure connecting directly to his neural net, making his mind a weapon.
When Vik gave the all clear, Teo's world exploded with a terrifying new clarity. Data streamed across his vision, threat overlays flickered, network nodes pulsed with visible energy. He could see the wireless signals, the faint digital footprints of every device in the clinic, the subtle currents of information flowing through the air itself. It was overwhelming, exhilarating, and chilling all at once. He was a ghost in the machine, and now, he was a fucking ghost of the machine. He could feel the raw processing power of the 'Phantom' cyberdeck humming in his skull, the Mnemonics Processor already indexing and cataloging every new piece of information, every sensation.
After a few minutes of calibration and deep breaths, adjusting to the terrifying new scope of his senses, Viktor gave him a final nod. "All done. Take it easy for a bit, let the chrome settle. You're a different animal now, Teo. Use it wisely."
Vik then, with a soft clink, plopped a small hand mirror onto the sterile examination table in front of Teo. It wasn't an ordinary mirror, its surface was a high resolution chromescreen, capable of displaying his reflection with unsettling clarity. "Take a look, chico," Viktor rumbled, his voice devoid of judgment, merely an invitation to witness the change.
Teo hesitated for a breath, his hand still clenching the edge of the table, a phantom hum resonating in his skull from the newly integrated chrome. Then, with a slow, deliberate movement, he tilted his head, his gaze falling upon his own reflection.
The face staring back was undeniably his, the familiar sharp jawline, the subtle scar tracing his left eyebrow. But the eyes... Dios mio. They were no longer merely the deep, vibrant emerald he'd been born with. His irises remained that striking, brilliant green, like polished jade or chips of an alien gemstone, but where his pupils should have been, there were now stark, jet black, vertical slits, narrow, like a predator's, or the precision aperture of a high end optical sensor.
And they glowed. Not just a subtle shimmer, but a bright, luminous, emerald light that pulsed with an internal, almost liquid intensity. It wasn't an external light source, it was from within him, a visible manifestation of the SpecterNet optics' active processing, the constant stream of data his brain was now effortlessly sifting. The glow spilled outward, casting an eerie, green luminescence across his cheekbones, highlighting the newly sharpened planes of his face. Through the glowing slits, he could almost perceive a deeper, complex machinery at work, a silent, ceaseless calculation.
He leaned closer, mesmerized, a chilling sense of awe washing over him. The eyes in the mirror were inhuman, cold, but undeniably powerful. They were the eyes of a ghost, not just a metaphor anymore, but a visceral reality. He saw the Net in every flicker, felt the hum of the 'Phantom' cyberdeck in his very core. He was no longer just Teo, the kid from Heywood. He was a conduit, a hunter, a thing forged in chrome and data. The reflection showed him not just his new eyes, but the terrifying potential they now unlocked. There were no second thoughts left in those glowing, slit pupils, only cold, emerald fire.
Teo thanked Viktor, the words almost unnecessary. Jackie clapped him on the shoulder, a proud grin on his face. "Go get 'em, hermano. Show 'em what a Welles can do."
Jackie looked at his face and shuddered, "Ay, You got some scary eyes, chico."
He just chuckled, and stood up with a long awaited stretch. And headed towards the door, thanking Vik once again.
They stepped back out into the bustling streets of Watson. The midday sun was high now, casting long, distorted shadows from the towering buildings. The city seemed sharper, more vibrant, more alive through his new optics. He could discern the faint heat signatures of concealed weapons on passing pedestrians, the data packet streams of public comms, the subtle energy fluctuations of illegal street cyberware.
"Let's cut through the alleys," Jackie suggested, already moving towards a narrow, grime-streaked passage between two derelict tenements. "Saves us a few blocks, and sometimes you find interesting things."
Teo agreed, his new optics already mapping the alley, tagging potential threats, analyzing the structural integrity of the crumbling walls, identifying rodent activity, and even the faint, residual bio signatures of recent passersby. The air here was heavy with the smell of refuse, stale urine, and decay, but now Teo's enhanced senses could pick out the chemical breakdown of the pollutants, the specific bio agents in the waste. The sounds of the city were muffled, replaced by the skittering of unseen vermin and the drip of condensation.
They rounded a bend, and Teo's new optics immediately flared. Five heat signatures. Five distinct, hostile threat markers. The scene that greeted them was grim, five Scavs, faces obscured by crude cyberware and grimy masks, were crouched over a limp, twitching body. Their crude bio-scanners swept the corpse, their tools glinting in the dim light, hands already reaching for choice pieces of cyberware. Organ harvesting. The lowest of the low, preying on the dead, or worse, the barely alive.
Jackie stopped dead, his broad shoulders tensing, his hand instinctively going for the grip of his iconic La Chingona Dorada pistols. His face, usually expressive, hardened into a mask of cold, predatory calm. He glanced at Teo, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Alright, Teo. Show me what you learned from last night. Show me that ghost you've become."
Teo didn't hesitate. His new cyberware flickered, the SpecterNet optics seamlessly integrating the raw data into his perception. He saw a faint, crimson glowing line, a mental tether, that he could will to connect to each Scav's personal link, their basic sub dermal comms, their crude bio monitors. His hand, as if on its own accord, went to his forearm implant. He wasn't just seeing them now, he was feeling their digital presence, their weak points, their pathetic, exposed neural networks.
With a focused surge of will, Teo sent a daemon, a potent Overload quickhack, through the newly perceived network, aiming for their basic neural interfaces. The Zetatech 'Phantom' cyberdeck hummed, processing the command with impossible speed and precision, bypassing their meager defenses. Simultaneously, across the alley, the five Scavs stiffened. Their crude implants overloaded, their muscles spasmed violently, seizing up in grotesque contortions. They didn't fall, instead, they stood frozen, rigid, their bodies twitching uncontrollably, sparks flickering from their cheap chrome. Their eyes rolled back, milky and dead, and faint screams of agony, digitally distorted and horrifying, burst from their speakers. Paralyzed, electrocuted, but agonizingly aware as their bodies became meat prisons.
Teo's Lexington was in his hand before he consciously registered pulling it. He didn't even hear the click of the safety. The gun felt light, a perfectly weighted extension of his will. One shot, precise and clean, to the head of the first Scav, blowing a messy hole in the back of his skull. The crack of the silenced pistol was barely a whisper in the alley, drowned out by the still twitching bodies. Then another. And another. And another. He didn't flinch, didn't hesitate, didn't feel a ripple of the nausea that had plagued him last night. Each shot was a solution, a finality, a mercy for the living, and a lesson for the dead. The Scavs' bodies crumpled, lifeless heaps of meat and cheap chrome.
Five shots. Five dead. The alley was silent again, save for the distant hum of the city and the faint buzzing of flies already drawn to the scene. Teo shoved the pistol into his waistband again, the weight of it familiar. Jackie was watching him, a slow, grim smile spreading across his face, a silent nod of approval. No words were needed.
Teo looked at the crumpled bodies, then at his hands, steady now, utterly devoid of tremor. The second thoughts were gone. The naive fear of taking a life had been replaced by a cold, hard certainty that settled deep in his gut. This was it. This was Night City. And no more second thoughts. That's how mercs get killed.
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Da moola-
15,750 (Gig cut) + 6,250 (original Bal) = 22,000 total eddies
22,000 - 3,500 (Total fees from Vik) = 18,500 eddies Left over for spending
Cyberware-
SpecterNet - Enhanced Netrunner Interface Optics (optical implant)
Biotechnica Mnemonics Processor- (cerebral implant for memory/recall)
Zetatech 'Phantom' Cyberdeck - (neural net integration, likely via his arm implant or dedicated port)
Arm Implant - (forearm, for data shards, comms, and general quickhack processing/integration)
Obvious basic shi- like his subdermal port injector cord shit and OS (Operating system).
A/N: Yall like? leave a fugin comment or sum shi, give me suggestions on things you'd like to see in the future, or just strait up critisize me on sum shit I messed up on. Im planning on him using pistols, so lemme now if theres a cool gun out there.