Chapter Text
Blearily, Kiwi opened her eyes. The dull gray ceiling of her apartment greeted her like an old friend.
It was already late in the morning. Kiwi sat up on the bed and sighed wordlessly. She had mostly kept to herself after she had gotten back home late last night, only giving short, distant responses to V whenever he asked her about her gig. She wasn’t in the mood to share anything else. And she knew what V would do, what his advice would be.
With his corpo life cut off from him, he had become fully invested in the edgerunning culture and lifestyle. Despite his experience, he was for all intents and purposes a bright eyed, innocent lad that still stuck to the ideas of fire-forged friendships and loyalty beyond death. He hadn’t been burned yet, didn’t know how to grit his teeth and make the best choices for himself, no matter how distasteful.
So for the moment… she would keep quiet. She was the only one on the team who had the capacity to make the decision. It fell to her, as her responsibility. If this went through, and she could bring everyone into corpo life without them knowing what it really cost, then why not take it? She was the only one in the group that wasn’t a bleeding heart.
An image of Lucy, bent over this very bed with a glass of water flashed through Kiwi’s mind. The feeling of a straw being pushed gently into her lips, and Lucy’s white knuckled grasp around the glass. A cold rag dabbing against her feverish forehead. How Lucy finally passed her a pack of smokes once Kiwi managed to walk to the bathroom without a hand against the apartment walls.
Kiwi slammed the bedside nightstand with her fist.
“...Kiwi?” called V from another room, concern in his voice.
Kiwi hissed in frustration. “Just bumped my foot, don’t worry about it.”
But Kiwi knew that V wasn’t the kind of person to be satisfied by that - and like clockwork, the man appeared in the doorframe, leaning against the wall. And while V didn’t say anything, Kiwi knew that the man had noticed that she was very much still in bed, and had made no motions to get out of it.
Always annoyingly perceptive.
“Hey,” said V softly. “You know you can talk about anything with me, right? I mean it. Anything. And no matter what it is, we can work through it together.”
“I know,” whispered Kiwi, with her head down. “I know. I just… need a little time, okay? I need to sort through this shit first.”
V looked like he wanted to dig deeper, but stopped himself.
“Sure,” he said finally. “I’ll give you all the time you need? But if you need help sorting through all that, who knows; I could probably help. Outside perspective and all that.”
He walked over and kissed Kiwi on the cheek, and patted her on the shoulder. A burst of self-loathing erupted in her chest, and she had to stop herself from shrinking away.
“I was heading out, going to pick up some new deliveries from a supplier,” said V. “Let me know if you want to join me later on, okay?”
Kiwi nodded mutely. V shot her one last smile and left the room, and after a minute or so Kiwi heard the front door to her apartment open, then close.
Then silence.
Kiwi finally got out of bed, angry with herself, and stalked to the bathroom to freshen up. As she ran the tap and washed her face, she opened up her holo and ran down the list of messages and call logs that she had received last night.
Another one caught her eye. David? Filled with a faint sense of trepidation, she selected it and let the voice log play.
David’s icon appeared on the screen.
“Uh, hey Kiwi!” the message began. “It’s kind of a… well, the truth is, me and Lucy got into a small fight last night and she left to cool her head. I don’t want to play the overbearing input, but I haven’t been able to get in touch with her since. I know that she used to stay and talk with you when she’s feeling down – er, just let me know if you’ve seen her ok? I may just be panicking for no reason, but thought I might just ask around. Hope I didn’t wake you up or anything. Thanks. David out.”
Great. Just great.
Kiwi turned off the tap forcefully, rubbed her face raw with a towel, and sighed.
If she went through with this, she reminded herself, she would be functionally omnipotent and immortal; at least, the closest you could get to in this day and age. She would easily be able to afford the premium Trauma Team services, and from then on death would be for most part a mild inconvenience. Treatments would allow her to easily live beyond a hundred, and then some. Fixers would dance to her tune, eager to get her business. Corporate wetworks squads would be at her beck and call to destroy any potential threats to her person.
But when she imagined it in her mind, she had a hard time placing V, Jackie and Rebecca into that picture. It just… didn't fit. It didn’t make sense for them to work for Arasaka, even if they fully recognized what they were getting, and also didn’t know what it had cost.
But if she could convince them…
Kiwi’s mind drifted. She remembered Lucy’s blushing face when she admitted that she was happy with David. Her panic when he had been captured by Jimmy Kurosaki, that slimy BD producer.
How she nearly ended her life with her monowire once she realized Kiwi was winning last night, trying to destroy what evidence she had.
Fumbling slightly, Kiwi grabbed a lighter from the depths of her drawer and lit up a cigarette. “Fucking… stupid girl. I swear,” she muttered as she fumed.
And fuck. Fuck. David too. She’d have to give them David too. She’d have to send that sweet boy that only ever wanted to do right by his mother and friends, to a life of experimentation.
With a strangled yell, Kiwi picked up her long unused mask and threw it at the wall with all her strength. The piece of cyberware thumped dully against the concrete and spun onto the ground, clattering noisily. She stared at it, breathing hard.
She needed information. She needed closure.
She needed… something.
Kiwi speed-dialed Faraday’s holo. She chewed on her cigarette as she waited for the man to pick up. And after what seemed like ages, the fixer eventually did.
“Kiwi. A bit eager, aren’t we? I thought I told you to wait a day?”
“The situation has changed,” said Kiwi with a snarl in her voice. “The team already knows something is up, that Lucy has vanished off somewhere, and I can’t throw them off the trail without some forewarning about what we’re actually going to do. Otherwise, I bullshit something, it turns out not to be true and the lie comes back to bite me in the ass. Where are you? Where’s Lucy? You said that we’d have to do this in person, and we don’t exactly have a huge time window here.”
There was a short silence on the line. Kiwi held her breath, counting her heartbeats.
“... I would say that as crew leader, this responsibility falls entirely under your purview, and you should figure this out yourself. But you make a point regarding urgency, and you’ve never been one to cry wolf. Stop by this address in two hours, by that point I should have some answers for you.”
The line clicked, and went silent.
-------------
Kiwi paced quietly in the elevator as it sped upwards towards the penthouse suite in Corpo Square. Typical Faraday; not wealthy enough to truly matter, but wealthy enough to want to flaunt it. Despite the man’s tendency to present himself as an elegant gentleman of means, the vanity always leaked through and was quite apparent for those who knew Faraday.
The elevator doors opened, and Kiwi saw that the beginnings of a small party was starting up in the rooftop yard. Gaggles of Faraday’s armed henchmen and hanger-ons sipped their cold drinks in the afternoon sun, enjoying the smoggy open air of Night City.
The huscle guarding the entrance grunted and let her in without a word. At this point, it was nearly unheard of for anyone in the business to not know at least her name, and any person associated with Faraday automatically knew her by face and deed. She swept by the bouncer, giving the huge man a small nod of acknowledgement before striding towards the person she meant to see.
Faraday presided over the party like a king at his court, standing on a slightly raised platform in front of the penthouse pool. A group of hangers-on shadowed his every movement, tittering and simpering over his words. But they all fell silent when she approached. Was it apprehension? Or courtiers eager for a show from a jester?
“Kiwi,” said Faraday with a small smile. “The woman of the hour.”
Kiwi nodded stiffly. Her eyes drifted to the body in the pool water, covered in ice. Lucy - eyes closed, strung up like a slaughtered animal, wires exuding from all her deep dive ports. Faraday’s men were still busy digging every last drop of data she had on her.
Kiwi felt her fingers jerk involuntarily. She could almost feel herself tugging desperately at the ropes, dragging the girl to the side of the pool and frantically shaking her awake…
Instead, she hummed in slightly interest. “Anything else you find in her head?”
Faraday chuckled. “Oh, plenty. Chat logs, BD records, pieces of useful code… not to mention hefty data on AI intrusion methods and combat doctrine, which were all thought to be lost years ago. They are genuine, and my contacts in Arasaka have verified them as such. They are extremely happy to have them back.”
“So the offer’s been taken?” mused Kiwi.
Faraday nodded.
“Very much so. So much so that they are giving us their full support on our following engagement regarding the Cyber Skeleton. Which is exactly the reason that you’re here.” Faraday leaned down and picked up a cord leading out of Lucy, inserting it casually into the port on his neck.
“Hey Kiwi,” said Lucy’s voice.
Kiwi couldn’t hide her flinch this time. A full shudder ran through her entire body, and Faraday’s henchmen laughed in response. The fixer unplugged the wire and grinned.
“Synthesized, obviously. It’ll be useful for the tasks ahead. But I can’t believe it; I’ve never quite seen that expression on you Kiwi. Still feel a little something for our rainbow-haired runner?”
The laughter died down. Fully conscious of the eyes on her, Kiwi snorted and took a drag on her cigarette.
“How couldn’t I be? Spent a good couple of years with her. Trained her up, put her together. You’d be sad if you had to put down your goldfish too. Or a cat I guess, if you ever had the eddies and time to own one.”
Seemingly satisfied, Faraday turned away and put the cord down onto a small table. Kiwi’s eyes flicked over to it, memorizing its location.
“Alright, I’ll cut to the chase,” said Faraday, with a sweep of his arm. “Arasaka is planning on an armed convoy very soon that will run outside the Badlands. The Cyber Skeleton will be in it, and we’ll be the instruments in play to make sure David Martinez is fully committed to installing it himself. Willing installation is one of the key factors to successful integration, after all.”
Several files were sent to her, and Kiwi skimmed through them. She couldn’t help but grimace when she came across the exact specs of the Cyber Skeleton.
“...full body? Spinal insertion, limb removal, extra sensors, gravitational boosters – can anyone actually survive this?”
Faraday shrugged. “Honestly, not my problem, and neither is it yours. You’ll see what I mean as I continue on.”
Several more files followed, detailing a Militech ambush that Faraday had called to attack the convoy after Kiwi’s group had hit it, and steal its contents. But as impressive as Militech’s armored force was, it only just matched the combat capabilities of a fully functioning Cyber Skeleton. Kiwi exhaled a breath she didn’t realize she had been holding. Faraday was playing both sides; it was becoming more and more clear to her that Faraday was planning his own “betrayal” of Militech, and using the trust he had built up over the years as a Militech fixer to propel his own growth.
Just like how Kiwi was doing it. Peas in a pod, the both of them.
“Ah, I see you are beginning to understand.” Faraday picked up a glass and led her to the edge of the roof. “Militech has declined sufficient protection of me despite my – our, years of explementary service. I thought it poetic that they would be the ones donating their men and equipment for Arasaka’s beta testing.”
“You mentioned protection? From what?” asked Kiwi.
Faraday made a noncommittal gesture. “Arasaka purchased hits, who else? I helped Militech too many times, so Arasaka had finally decided to come down on the constant thorn at their side. They were pleasantly surprised when they realized I was open to negotiations.”
Oh, how this stank. Kiwi snuck a glance at Faraday’s face. Still self-satisfied and pleased as usual. Had the man been squeezed but not realized it? Or did it all actually line up like that? She decided to hold her tongue for now.
“So, let me get this straight,” said Kiwi finally. “My group will be hitting the convoy first, crack it open and gain access to the Cyber Skeleton installation unit. Militech shows up with their APCs and heavy infantry, and faced with insurmountable odds I pressure David to put on the suit –”
“-- along with helpful support from ‘Lucy’, yes,” chuckled Faraday. “That will ensure his will to remain in control and conscious, as he would have clear goals in mind. Which is what Arasaka wanted out of the field test.”
Kiwi nodded. “And then, I make my escape with the rest of my team. How are we supposed to do that?”
“Use the distraction from young Martinez, I’d say. Conventional estimates say that he’d last for approximately 15 minutes before becoming catatonic, which would still be miles ahead of any other tester so far. But for something more solid, I have several Militech IFF codes that would aid in that regard. No matter how the situation turns out, they would provide you with a way to escape in the chaos. Satisfactory?”
Kiwi nodded slowly. As Faraday’s plans went it definitely wasn’t the most foolproof, had way too many moving parts for her liking. But it was still quite impressive considering the short timescale.
The fixer patted her on the back. “Go get something at the bar. It will probably be the last thing you drink that will cost under a thousand eurodollars; I recommend you savor it. The end of an old life, and the beginning of a new one.”
With that last parting statement, Faraday made his way back into the small crowd.
Kiwi scanned the rest of the party. Following Faraday’s advice, Kiwi grabbed a beer and sipped at it as she walked back to the pool. A few small terminals were set up next to it, set to automatically scrape and download from Lucy’s databanks. The progress bar blinked back at her as it made its slow way across the screen.
She feigned interest in it, looking through the setup. Faraday’s men let her do as she pleased, mostly talking among themselves. As far as they were concerned, the only part left for them to do was to wait.
And so it was that when Kiwi reached for the cord that Faraday had used, no one was watching closely enough to notice.
Hiding it underneath her large coat sleeves, she quickly jacked it into her wrist port. An interface emerged, a rudimentary program that would transmit all messages through Lucy’s voice. That was unimportant – Kiwi stepped aside that quickly, instead using the access point to enter into Lucy’s cyberware sub systems.
There! After a brief search, Kiwi found a set of programs that were artificially lowering Lucy’s brain activity, keeping her effectively unconscious. Kiwi winced when she saw them. As a rule of thumb, both her and Maine shied away from using such things, instead opting for tranquilizers and other drugs. Used even under short periods of time the program method could cause unintended effects to the victim’s mental state, leading to unstable emotions or degraded memories.
But fortunately enough, it gave her options. Kiwi sank her own hacks into the program, slowly easing off the pressure they were putting on Lucy’s brain. As a final touch, Kiwi sent a quick jolt of power through their connection.
Lucy’s body jerked imperceptibly, but Kiwi had been ready for that. She locked off Lucy’s control over the rest of her body for now. And while it would have been a terrifying experience for the average citizen in Night City, Kiwi knew that Lucy would be able to deal with it. Netrunners always had similar experiences, one way or another.
Kiwi followed up with a quick ping, a hololink through a secure channel that wouldn’t be touched by Faraday’s data scrappers. She sipped at her beer and waited. Her eyes darted around, making sure that no one had found her sudden interest in Lucy to be suspicious.
The holo connected.
...Kiwi? whispered Lucy.
Incredulousness. Anger. Guilt. A little bit of hope? So many emotions were in that single word, that Kiwi almost laughed. She then wondered how much of that was her own projection.
Hey Luce, said Kiwi simply.
How are you– why are you?--?
To be honest Lucy? I don’t know. Kiwi heaved a tired sigh, and sat down on the edge of the pool. To get things straight, I guess. It just didn’t feel right that with everything between us, the last thing we ever did was a fight to the death that neither of us anticipated.
Lucy was silent.
How about we start from Tanaka, prompted Kiwi. And don’t you get tricky with me. We’re beyond that.
...
Lucy?
I… it was a hard decision, began Lucy. Tanaka was waking up, the dive window was rapidly closing, and I had to make a choice. I hoped, that if I ripped apart everything thoroughly enough, I would be preventing complications in the future. Otherwise, David would’ve never known a single bit of peace.
Kiwi blew out a thin trickle of smoke. How about the rest of the team, Lucy? In fact, how about David? Did it cross your mind that he might be stuck along with us, with Trauma Team busting down the windows?
I didn’t think– well, I…
Lucy, said Kiwi, gazing off into the distance. Be honest with me. Did you think that David would be fine regardless, because of the speed of his Sandevistan? That if anyone could escape, it would be him?
Another tense silence.
Yes, said Lucy. Kiwi could imagine the girl gritting her teeth.
So David’s life against Maine’s, Dorio’s, and Rebecca’s, huh, remarked Kiwi.
And mine, Kiwi. I was fully prepared to –
Fuck off, hissed Kiwi brusquely, and Lucy quieted herself. What gives you the right to sacrifice their lives without their knowing? Why’s this obsession with David anyway? Four lives for one, what gives?
... you wouldn’t understand.
Try me, said Kiwi.
Lucy’s words came out in a rush. He doesn’t belong with us, Kiwi. Us? We were born into this mess. He deserves something different, he never asked for this life. He doesn’t deserve to end up like we do. Besides, you can’t tell me you wouldn’t make a similar call with V.
The stab of an old fear entered her heart, but unluckily for Lucy, Kiwi had an answer for this one. As leader of the group, this situation had cropped up in her imagination far too many times to count. The type of nightmare scenario that flitted around the peripherals of her day to day life, the intrusive thought that never went away.
I wouldn’t make that call with V. Know why? said Kiwi.
Because of your high horse? said Lucy snidely.
No, replied Kiwi. Because it would have broken V if he ever found out. Tell me, Lucy; does David know about your decision that night?
Lucy’s heart rate spiked. Kiwi snorted.
I thought not. Better not let your input know that you were the reason why the entire team almost kicked the bucket, and why his father figure can barely string two words together now. And all for him, too.
I swear Kiwi, if you tell him–
What, you’ll get through all of Faraday’s goons and headbutt me? said Kiwi airily.
Desperation crept into Lucy’s voice. No. No. Please Kiwi, I’m sorry for what I did. But please don’t go along with Faraday and give him David. You can kill me, nail me to a lamppost, strip me for my ‘ware, anything. Just don’t get David involved in the Cyber Skeleton project. You don’t know Arasaka like I do, they’d–
Kiwi flicked away the remains of her cigarette butt, and moved to light up another. She sighed.
It didn’t have to end up this way Lucy. Christ, why didn’t you ever tell me about this shit? We could have maybe worked something out, before getting pushed to the edge like this.
Lucy laughed, her desperation now tinged with hysteria.
Give you the info on me and David, how we were being hunted by Arasaka? Trust you with that, tell you that ‘shit’? How could I trust you, Kiwi? How could I? You told me – repeatedly – that I couldn’t!
It was like a slap to the face. Kiwi’s lighter dropped from her fingers, and clattered onto the ground.
Fighting a slight bout of lightheadedness, Kiwi bent over clumsily to pick it up. Her head spun. Fucking Lucy. Girl rarely talked like this, but when she did… gods. Kiwi didn’t know whether to feel angry, or laugh out loud. Maybe both? The nerve, using her own words against her.
Kiwi?
…
Kiwi, I’m sorry, I… didn’t mean it. Just, David–
Oh no, you meant it, said Kiwi. I guess this would mean this is all my fault then?
Nonononono. Please Kiwi, I’m sorry. It was my fault, and you can toast my brain right now if you want, but please, David–
Lucy, said Kiwi softly. Stop.
Lucy’s pleading came to an uncertain halt. Kiwi toyed with her scuffed and scratched lighter between her hands.
I’m interested in something, Kiwi commented. Tell me Lucy; and don’t you dare lie, I’ll fucking know about it. What would you have done if I was also in the building with Tanaka that night? If ol' Kiwi was there alongside Maine and the others. Would you still have killed the man, brought down TT and NCPD on our heads?
…what?
Just answer the question. Don’t try to butter me up; if you do, I’ll pack David into a box and leave it in Corpo Plaza for Saburo Arasaka to find.
A period of silence passed.
I probably wouldn’t have…? said Lucy. She seemed almost surprised with her answer.
Kiwi sighed. And now that we’re here and I’m on the other side of a similar decision, I’m somehow reaching the same dumb conclusion. Despite your fuckups, mind.
Lucy’s voice grew hopeful. Does that mean…?
What a pair of pragmatic, but inconsistent and emotionally unstable assholes we make. Kiwi lit up another one of her cigarettes. This isn't over. And believe me when I say that we’ll have words after this. But before that? Hold strong, keep steady, and the next time you wake up, be ready to fight. Can you do that for me?
… Yes. Thanks, Kiwi.
Gently, subtly, and as much as it pained her to do so, Kiwi rebooted the program that had been dulling Lucy’s consciousness. And so slowly, the girl drifted back into an uneasy dreamless sleep. Kiwi took a sip from her now lukewarm beer, and noticed Faraday strutting over to her. She tensed.
“Kiwi,” said Faraday. “Still can’t let go of your protege?”
Kiwi saw his eyes drift over to the cord that trailed into her coat sleeve. She scoffed.
“Just testing out the code work, making sure it’s up to par,” Kiwi said nonchalantly. She concentrated, bringing back the voice synthesizer program that she had swept aside on her way in.
“Get in the Cyber Skeleton, David!” said Lucy’s voice.
God it felt gross, puppeting Lucy’s voice like this. But Faraday was satisfied, cracking a small grin and raising his glass to her. She obliged his request and clinked her bottle of beer against his elegantly crafted martini.
“Only the best. That’s why I hire you, Kiwi.”
“Thank you. Send me the details and times for the gig as soon as you can – I’ll have my people right on it. I need to make some preparations as well.”
Faraday nodded. Kiwi took one last sip from her bottle before putting it down by the poolside. She stretched, and left for the elevators.
She had a meeting to call with the team.