"Come on, politicians in Night City are all the same. At most, one of them might resemble a decent human being."
Johnny Silverhand scoffed, his usual disdain for authority evident in his tone. As a rebel, he had nothing but contempt for politicians, seeing them all as self-serving liars.
Ding—
A call notification appeared in Peter's vision.
[Caller ID: Judy Alvarez]
Peter answered without hesitation. "Judy, what's up?"
On the holo-call screen, Judy appeared tired, dark circles under her eyes hinting at sleepless nights. "Peter, can you come to the Ritz Bar? I need to talk to you about something."
Peter immediately picked up on the tension in her voice. Whatever it was, it wasn't just a casual chat.
"Yeah, I'm on my way."
"Thanks. Also, say hi to Rita for me."
Judy ended the call before he could respond.
Johnny smirked, arms crossed as he leaned against the car dashboard. "Wow, another girl asking for your help? How many is that now?"
Peter rolled his eyes. "What do you know? It's just friendship."
Calling his car, Sword in the Stone, Peter waited as the sleek vehicle pulled up in front of him. He climbed in and took off toward the Ritz Bar.
As he sped through the streets, other vehicles hurriedly made way. Nobody wanted to risk scratching a car like his—it was the kind only corporate elites or high-tier mercenaries could afford. Even a minor scrape could cost a fortune, and in Night City, pissing off the wrong person could get you thrown into a scav den to be stripped for parts.
Johnny whistled, admiring the car's high-tech dashboard. "Nice ride, but too flashy for my taste. My Porsche 911 had more soul. This? Just another corporate toy."
Peter smirked. "Yeah? You wanna drive?"
Johnny gave him a deadpan look. "Hilarious."
Ten minutes later, Peter pulled up in front of the Ritz Bar.
---
A Favor for Judy
As Peter stepped out, he was greeted by Rita, the bar's bouncer.
"Peter! You driving a new car now?" she asked, eyes widening at the Sword in the Stone.
"Yeah, gotta keep up appearances," he replied. "Mind keeping an eye on it for me? I need to talk to Judy."
Rita smirked. "No problem. Just buy me a drink next time you drop by."
"Done. Get whatever you want."
With that, Peter walked past the main area of the bar and headed toward Judy's studio in the back.
Inside, the room was dimly lit, cluttered with unprocessed Braindance recordings, scattered on the floor. The usual neatly arranged desk was now a mess of empty beer cans.
Peter frowned. "Judy? What's with all the drinking?"
At the sound of his voice, Judy stirred, rubbing her eyes. She looked up at him, her face a mix of exhaustion and worry.
"Peter… it's Evelyn. She's missing."
Peter's expression hardened. "Since when?"
"Three days. Ever since that last gig you helped me with, she hasn't answered any calls, and no one's seen her."
Peter knew Evelyn Parker was important to Judy. While Judy had developed some fondness for Peter, her loyalty to Evelyn ran deep.
"You need me to track her down?"
Judy nodded. "Yes. Evelyn worked at Clouds, over in Japantown. This is their address."
She handed Peter a pack of cigarettes with something scribbled on the side.
Peter took it, glancing at the note. "Judy, you know you don't have to pay me, right?"
Judy sighed. "I appreciate it, Peter, but I know you've been busy. Your studio's games are blowing up right now—you didn't have to take this job."
Peter chuckled. "Your friend is my friend. I'll find her."
Judy visibly relaxed. "Thanks, Peter. I don't know a better merc for the job."
---
A Plan in Motion
Peter stepped back into his car, flipping the cigarette pack in his hands. The address for Clouds was written in bold letters.
As he started the engine, Johnny materialized beside him, eyeing the pack. "So, you just gonna hold those, or are you actually gonna smoke?"
Peter smirked. "I don't smoke."
Johnny scoffed. "Then why even carry 'em?"
"In my old life, I smoked when I was stressed. But now? No pressure. No need."
Johnny snorted. "Must be nice."
Ignoring him, Peter dialed Jackie Welles.
After a few rings, Jackie's voice came through. "'Ey, choom! Been wonderin' when you'd call."
"Got work. Meet me at Clouds in Japantown."
Jackie paused. "Clouds? The dollhouse?"
Peter smirked. "Yeah. And before you say anything, it's business."
Jackie laughed. "Sure, sure. You're tellin' me, with Lucy and V at home, you still need to hit up a place like Clouds?"
Peter chuckled. "F**k off, Jackie. I'm looking for someone. You in or not?"
"Of course, hombre. Been dyin' for some action. See ya there."
Ending the call, Peter dialed again—this time, David Martinez.
"Yo, Peter! What's up?"
"You wanna see the real Night City? Meet me at Clouds. Japantown, high-rise district."
David hesitated. "Uh… yeah, sure. My mom's been on my case lately, says I must've pissed you off or something."
Peter raised an eyebrow. "She thinks I kicked you out of the crew?"
David sighed. "Yeah. I've just been gaming too much. Bought a new apartment after our last gig, and she's been all over me about doing nothing."
Peter chuckled. "You coming or not?"
"Hell yeah! If I stay home any longer, she's gonna sign me up for a corpo internship."
Peter smirked. "Good choice. See you there."
---
The Calm Before the Storm
Driving toward Japantown, Peter's mind drifted to the Cyan Bi Building incident—the mission where they took down Adam Smasher. That was when David had seen just how deep the abyss of Night City went.
Now, he was calling David back in for another job.
Would this be just another missing person case? Or was something more sinister waiting for them?
Johnny leaned back in the seat, watching the city lights blur past. "Y'know, this job's got all the classic signs of a setup."
Peter glanced at him. "You think someone's baiting me?"
Johnny shrugged. "Could be. A doll goes missing in a high-end club run by corpos? Either she pissed off a big client, or someone decided to make her disappear. Either way, you're stepping into some corpo bullshit."
Peter exhaled. "Nothing new, then."
Johnny smirked. "That's the spirit."
The Sword in the Stone glided through the neon-lit streets, approaching Japantown's towering skyscrapers. The city hummed with life, but beneath the bright lights and loud music, there was always something dark lurking in the shadows.
And Peter was about to step right into it.
To be continued…
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