"Alright then, how much can you offer?"
Lucy's cigarette trembled slightly between her fingers. Honestly, this was the first time anyone had asked a hacker to handle what sounded like programming grunt work.
Wasn't that supposed to be a job for some hunched-over old netrunner with 100 years of coding experience?
Still, money didn't knock on her door every day. And while she was a hacker, she was technically still a programmer. Something this simple? No problem.
"I don't know the exact price," Arthur admitted. "How about this: I drop the kid off at school, you take a look at the program, and then charge me whatever. If I can't pay, I'll just borrow some cash from our kind-hearted friends over on Sixth Street."
Lucy: "..."
David: "..."
They exchanged a glance. All they could do was silently mourn for the poor saps in the Sixth Street Gang. What kind of grudge did Arthur have against them? At this rate, he'd bleed them dry.
Soon enough, Lucy followed Arthur to Arasaka Academy, with David trailing behind, hands clasped behind his head and a complicated look on his face.
Should he tell Mom about this?
Maybe take a few pictures of Dad doing shady things and send them to her. After all, Arthur had conned him countless times. Wasn't it time for a little revenge?
He was deep in thought when—flash—a burst of light shot across his vision.
Before he could react, Arthur's Mantis Blades deployed with a hiss, stopping just inches from David's neck.
"Whoa, my bad," Arthur said, retracting the blades. "Cyberpsychosis. Flared up again. Thought someone was about to ambush me—just a reflex. Good thing it was you, huh? Because my son wouldn't try anything sneaky, right?"
Cold sweat ran down David's back. His shirt clung to him like a second skin. He forced a nervous smile.
"Of course not, Dad. I'd never try anything like that. Anyway, I'm gonna be late for school. Bye!"
He turned and sprinted toward the academy without looking back.
Arthur, completely unbothered, plucked Lucy's cigarette from her lips and took a drag. "Strawberry flavor? Not bad."
"You're insufferable," Lucy muttered, rolling her eyes. "Let's get out of here. I hate this place."
Arthur shrugged as Lucy tugged his arm. He didn't see the big deal. Sure, Lucy was an escaped Arasaka soldier. Sure, she might be on a few corporate watchlists. But it wasn't like Arasaka was actively hunting her.
...Right?
Lucy clearly wasn't so confident. "Stop dawdling! Arasaka doesn't forget," she snapped, eyes scanning the crowd.
Arthur sighed and followed.
Just as they rounded a corner, Lucy spotted a car parked along the street. Without hesitating, she hacked into the system, bypassed the security, and unlocked the doors.
Arthur raised a brow. "You sure you're not the one who needs a psych eval? This is a Sword in the Stone—way too flashy for a clean getaway."
"Quit whining and get in," Lucy shot back, sliding into the passenger seat. "Rich people have insurance. They'll file a claim. No harm done."
Arthur snorted and got behind the wheel. "You're unbelievable. You know that, right?"
He slammed on the gas, merging into the chaos of Night City traffic.
As they drove, Arthur sent Lucy a file via neural link.
"This is the chip I've been working on," he explained. "It's designed to replace traditional inhibitors for cyberpsychosis. I had someone else code it, but something feels... off. I need you to take a look."
Curious, Lucy pulled up the program.
"You made this?" she asked, scanning the code. "Where'd you even get the data for inhibitors?"
Arthur puffed out his chest. "From me, obviously. I'm my own test subject. I've got cyberpsychosis—might as well make the most of it. Works like a charm!"
Lucy gawked at him. "You tested this on yourself?"
"Yup. Works great."
She pinched the bridge of her nose. "Look, this code's already solid. No bugs, no glitches. If you want performance optimization, find someone else. I'm not touching it."
Arthur shook his head with a sly grin. "Who said anything about optimization? I need you to add some backdoors. And limit the suppressor's effectiveness."
Lucy blinked. "What? Why would you weaken it? Are you trying to—"
Arthur just chuckled, leaning back in his seat as the Sword in the Stone sped toward their next destination.
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