Chapter 26

In Night City, the title of "fixer" carries a meaning close to that of an officer.

Because of this, edgerunners—whether solo or part of a team—are creatures who live in anticipation of a fixer’s call.

In a cramped alley in Watson, Night City, inside the shop Esoterica.

Jackie Welles, currently receiving a treatment from Misty, who runs the place as both a fortune teller and a seller of spiritual goods, received a holo-call.

"Heya, Jack. Still playin’ the tough guy today?"

"Mmm, oh!! Jugra, ain’t it? Good to see you’re doin’ alright too!"

The casual tone of the ripperdoc girl—who’d once helped him after he screwed up a job near Japantown and had to rush to her to get a bullet removed from his gut—made him smile. Same as ever, huh?

Jackie, who was quick to warm up to strangers, had spent his childhood in Heywood, where everyone around him was practically family, so he was used to dealing with kids.

But even for someone like Jackie, Jugra was a girl he couldn’t quite figure out.

Still, after sharing their stories, talking about their lives, and getting to know each other, they became friends.

Half a year had passed since then, and though he felt a little guilty for not keeping in touch, he laughed it off.

"So, how’s work? Heard things’ve been pretty messy lately?"

"Ah… yeah. Some military tech from Arasaka caused a whole damn warzone, like a festival of bullets. Cool chrome’s one thing, but this was just a pain in the ass."

"...Yeah, sounds like it. Word is people are still diggin’ around for some underground tech that might not even exist."

"Oh, heard some rumors ‘bout the Sandevistan and monowire poppin’ up somewhere, but no details yet. T-Bug bailed on the team, so our intel’s dried up."

"…………Huh?"

At the girl’s bewildered tone, Jackie shrugged, realizing he’d never mentioned forming a team.

Six months ago, he was still a greenhorn cyberpunk, but after working jobs under Padre, he realized he was missing something—so he went out and gathered a crew.

Through a job, he met a chip shop clerk in Little China who introduced him to a netrunner, T-Bug. When she joined, he thought things were finally looking up.

...But then Dexter DeShawn returned to Night City, and T-Bug just up and left, saying "playtime’s over."

After explaining the last few months to Jugra, Jackie sighed and slumped his shoulders.

"So yeah, just when I was plannin’ to go big, my damn ladder got kicked out from under me."

"...Damn. That’s… heavy."

"Yeah, you get it. So now ‘Team Jackie’ is open for business—know any good folks?"

"Uh… sorry, can’t help there. Can’t vouch for teammates, but I can hook you up with jobs."

"Huh? What’s that mean—"

"Lately, I’ve been dabbling as a fixer on the side. New blood, y’know?"

Jackie’s face lit up with genuine surprise—and then a grin. The wind was blowing his way again.

Misty, who’d been performing chakra healing on him, tilted her head at his sudden smile but didn’t pry. If his energy was flowing right, something good must’ve happened.

"No shit?! That’s fuckin’ awesome! So, you got jobs lined up?"

"Heh heh heh, I am the hot new talent, after all. Got a pile of ‘em, but I trimmed it down to the good ones. Got some solo gigs too—wanna take a shot?"

"Hell yeah! Alright, alright, the wind’s turnin’ my way. Must be Misty’s adjustments workin’."

"That your girl?"

"Ah, we’ve known each other since we were kids, but after I botched a job and went drownin’ my sorrows, she chewed me out. We got talkin’, hit it off… one thing led to another."

"Huh… Love and friendship are rare in Night City. Good for you."

"Heh, yeah."

"Anything else botherin’ you? Need a hand?"

"Well… oh yeah! Since you’re a fixer now, got a little somethin’ to ask."

Jackie glanced at one of Esoterica’s employees—a woman in a pink jacket, shirt, and jeans, lazily sweeping the floor. Sensing his gaze, she turned, her bob-cut black hair swaying as her blue eyes met his.

"So, way back, I was helpin’ my cousin move, and some girl fell onto my car. Hit the mats tied to the roof, so she lived, but turns out she lost her memory. Been wantin’ to find out who she is."

"Damn… that’s some luck. These days, the only things fallin’ from the sky are acid rain, jumpers, and dumbasses who don’t know when to quit. What’s she look like? I’ll dig around."

"Appreciate it. Vic—ah, Victor, my ripperdoc near Esoterica—said the shock from her neural access ports gettin’ severed messed with her head. Short black hair, blue eyes, cute face, kinda cat-like. Was wearin’ a netrunning suit back then. Age-wise… if she ain’t got full ‘plants, late teens to early twenties."

"Hmm… hmm… hmm? Feels like I’ve seen her somewhere. What kinda chrome she got?"

"Heh, netrunner-grade cybertech, plus this real old-school tech hand. Some assassin thing with retractable titanium claws. Rest ain’t obvious at a glance."

If this had been a video call, Jackie would’ve seen Jugra’s face twist as she tried to place the girl.

Shaking his head, Jackie gave the woman a nod before she went back to sweeping.

"Mmm… feels like it’s on the tip of my tongue… Got a photo?"

"Sure, wanna make it official?"

"Yeah. I’ll give you the newbie discount."

"Owe ya one. Sending it now. …Here she is."

Jackie sent a photo of the amnesiac woman—Sachi.

Jugra froze for a second before finally placing her, then spoke carefully.

"Ah… yeah. Listen, can you ask her somethin’ for me? Just pass it along word for word. She’s… kinda complicated."

"Uh, sure…?"

Relaying the message exactly as given, Jackie waited, then frowned at the reply before telling Jugra.

"She says, ‘A cat that knows its time to die goes away to hide.’"

"Ugh… yeah, figured. Anyway, I’ll file the report, but her name’s Sasha Yakovleva. A missing person who leaked Biotechnica’s secrets to N54 before vanishing. If that’s her answer, she’s layin’ low—best leave her be."

"...Ooh, explains why she moves like a pro despite the amnesia. Should I not invite her to the team?"

"Eh, if Biotechnica doesn’t find out, it’s fine—but I wouldn’t recommend it. Maybe keep her on backline support?"

"Got it… Guess I’ll let her keep workin’ here. Misty seems to like her."

"Yeah, playin’ it safe’s probably smart. I’ll pretend I never heard about this—officially, this job request never happened."

"Sorry ‘bout that."

"S’all good. But damn, this puts me in a tight spot… Got any leads? Know anybody on the streets who might fit?"

Jugra’s desperate brainstorming made Jackie scratch his head, wracking his brain for options.

Then it hit him—he didn’t have leads, but he hadn’t asked the person right beside him. He turned to Misty.

"Nothin’ so far. But hey, just realized I never asked you for suggestions."

"Oh! Right, right—gotta move fast, then. And hey, if you’re stuck, don’t hesitate to ask, ‘kay?"

"Heh, appreciate it, chica. I’ll take you up on that."

"Quit with the sappy shit, choom. Just keep me posted if anything shakes loose—worries me otherwise."

"Heh, got it."

With the holo-call ended, Jackie slumped back in Esoterica’s chair and called out to Misty as she tidied up her tools.

"Hey, Misty. You know anybody bitchin’ about wantin’ to join a team?"

"Hmm? Oh! Actually, yeah. There’s this kid who crashes at my place sometimes—always whining about being broke."

Misty—Jackie’s girlfriend—let out a sigh, pressing a hand to her cheek with a wry smile.

Jackie could already tell this was less a lead and more a problem, but beggars couldn’t be choosers.

"Wait, ‘crashes at your place’—here?"

"Nah, my apartment. She only stays here after… certain outcomes. Want me to set something up?"

"Hell yeah. What’s she like?"

"Well, less a netrunner, more a hacker. Calls herself a ‘cyber-hacker,’ but she’s slick enough to crack vending machines for free snacks. From Watson, I think? Street kid. Loves parkour—always vaulting around the city."

"Huh. Sounds like she can handle herself. What’s her name?"

"Said she ditched her real one. Goes by ‘V.’"

The name made Jackie think of another choom from the megabuilding—his V had been all brooding and tequila when they’d met at Mama Welles’ bar. A corpo on the verge of eating his own pistol, till Jackie dragged him out of it with booze and bad decisions. Good times.

"Guess one-letter names are trendin’ now, huh?"

"You know another V?"

"Yeah. Hope the guy’s doin’ alright—was stressin’ so hard I told him he’d better not be corpo. Funny story, actually—"

"Mmm… Anyway, I’ll call her. See if you click."

"Thanks, Misty. Gonna make it big—just you watch."

"...Well, your aura does have lucky money vibes lately. I’ll hold you to that."

With a shrug, Misty hugged Jackie tight, kissed his cheek, and slipped back behind the counter—ready for the next customer.

Jackie debated whether to wait or kill time at Viktor’s… till the door slammed open.

"YOU GOT A JOB FOR ME?!"

A punk-rock hurricane of neon-purple and red hair (shaved on one side), dressed in threadbare streetwear more hole than fabric. The kind of energy that screamed "I’ll rob you or hug you—flip a coin."

And her first words? Cash.

Jackie blinked—then grinned. The winds of Night City had blown in something interesting.