Locking Down the Prize
David paced back and forth inside the stolen Militech AV, his eyes scanning every detail of the vehicle's interior.
It was sleek, high-end, and fully loaded with state-of-the-art military tech.
A jackpot—but also a ticking time bomb if they didn't secure it properly.
He turned to Lucy, who was already jacked into the AV's system.
"How's it coming, Lucy? Can you wipe the tracking system?"
Lucy's cybernetic eyes flickered as she scrolled through lines of code at inhuman speed.
Jack, standing nearby, nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, we gotta kill the tracking, or Militech's gonna have a whole damn strike team on our asses by morning!"
Lucy didn't even look up as she worked.
"Relax. I'm already on it."
A blur of data danced across her optics. Her fingers twitched slightly as she hijacked the AV's security protocols, breaking down its tracking and remote-access systems.
After a few moments, she unplugged her interface cable with a satisfied smirk.
"That fast?! No way—this Militech system must be trash."
David chuckled, shaking his head.
"Maybe it's not Militech that's trash. Maybe Lucy's just that good."
Lucy tilted her head smugly and shot Jack a look.
"Told you. Strong arms, weak brain."
Jack threw up his hands.
"Alright, alright, I get it! I'm just the muscle here."
But Lucy's expression turned serious as she glanced at David.
"Even with the tracking wiped, we still got a problem. If we fly this thing straight into Night City, it's gonna turn heads. A Militech AV rolling into the city? Corpo security's gonna be on us in no time."
David rubbed his chin, deep in thought.
"Yeah... we need to make it look less corpo. Maybe strip the Militech branding, change up the exterior..."
"Just like what they did with the Emperor 740 Iron Armor."
"That's a tall order. You know how much work it takes to make one of these untraceable?"
"No rush. We'll figure it out."
A voice called out from outside the AV.
The tone was familiar, sharp, and young.
David immediately recognized it.
David and the others stepped outside the AV.
The sight that greeted them?
Maine's crew—covered in dust, blood, and exhaustion.
It looked like they'd just walked out of a war zone.
David raised an eyebrow.
"What the hell happened to you guys?"
Pyrrha, who was catching her breath, grinned despite the blood on her face.
"Oh, you know... ran into some Whirlpool gangoons on the way here. Thought they were coming after you, so we gave 'em a little... attitude adjustment."
"By 'attitude adjustment,' you mean you left 'em leaking on the pavement?"
"You know me too well."
Maine crossed his arms, shaking his head.
"Saw a squad of Whirlpool boys scoping out the area. Figured they might be sniffing around for Militech scraps or looking to cause trouble. Either way, we handled it."
David studied Maine for a moment.
He didn't have to help.
That meant something.
David smirked and extended a hand.
"Appreciate it, Maine. Looks partnership's already paying off."
Maine grinned back, shaking David's hand.
"Partners look out for each other, right?"
Rebecca, who had been leaning on her shotgun, rolled her eyes.
"Ugh, enough with the bromance. Are we keeping this AV or what?"
"Yeah, we're keeping it. Just gotta tweak it so it doesn't scream 'Militech property.'"
The group gathered around, discussing their next moves.
Maine tapped a bullet-dented crate with his cybernetic fingers.
"Alright, so what's the plan for this thing? You wanna repaint it? Strip it for parts? Or use it as a flying fortress?"
Lucy pulled up a holo-display, showing the AV's specs.
"It's got top-tier armor, stealth plating, and military comms. We'd be stupid to scrap it."
"I say we keep it. Roll around Night City like kings."
David shook his head.
"Nah. That's just asking to get nuked by the corps. We gotta be smart."
"You still got connections with tech guys? Someone who can make this thing disappear from Militech's radar?"
"Yeah, I know a guy. But it's gonna cost."
"Let me worry about the eddies."
"Big talk, choom. You planning to rob a bank or something?"
David glanced at the AV, then back at his crew.
"Something like that."
Maine's team settled in, catching their breath from the earlier fight.
"Yo, you notice how quick Maine jumped into this deal with David?"
Dorio nodded, smirking.
"Maine acts all tough, but he knows a good bet when he sees one."
Qiwen sighed, shaking his head.
"Yeah... still, this is dangerous. We're not just fighting small-time gangoons anymore. We're in deep."
Pyrrha leaned back against a crate, stretching.
"Welcome to Night City, choom. The world of adults is messy as hell."
As night fell, the AV hummed softly, now under new ownership.
David and his crew weren't just a ragtag merc group anymore.
And most importantly—
Night City had no idea what was coming.
Will David's team successfully modify the AV?
How will Militech respond to the loss of their high-value vehicle?
And what's David's real plan for all this power?
___________________________________
Get membership in to read more Chapters
Extra Chapters available in