Chapter 10: A Good Person
A girl with a sleek black bob, feline whiskers tattooed on her cheeks, and a pair of long, model-tier legs dropped naturally into the seat next to Kay. She leaned her elbow on the bar, resting her chin on her hand, and flashed a sly, knowing smile.
"One Bloody Mary—no chili water. Got it!" the bartender called out.
Kay barely nodded as Sasha, the mysterious hacker girl, finally arrived.
"Our first proper meeting," she purred. "Nice to meet you, Kay."
He took a slow sip of his drink, using the moment to assess her. She was petite, sure, but she gave off the aura of someone who'd burned ICE for breakfast.
"A cute little kitten like you... Sasha, found a crew yet?"
She shook her head with a smirk.
"Not worth it. Payouts are already garbage. If I split it with a crew, I'd be walking away with barely two or three hundred euros a gig."
Kay raised an eyebrow. She wasn't wrong.
"Yeah… a third goes to you, then the fixer takes their cut. It's a joke. But I've got something for you. Clean job. After it's done, you get 25%. Should net you at least two grand. Interested?"
Sasha tilted her head thoughtfully, eyes gleaming. "Three-tenths for the rookie, seven-tenths for the fixer… What a trash system. But two thousand sounds spicy. Deal. What's the gig? Another raid on a Scav base?"
Kay chuckled. "Not this time. Last night, I jacked all the Scavs' brain-computer interfaces. They're in my workshop now. I need you to crack 'em, transfer out the eddies. I'll handle fencing the gear. You get your 25%."
That got her attention. Her eyes lit up like neon.
"You're a good guy, Kay. Let's go. I wanna start right now!"
He watched her drain her Bloody Mary like it was water, no hesitation. Not a trace of hesitation in her voice either.
"Alright, I'll take you to the shop to grab the gear. I don't have all your fancy tools, so if you wanna take it back to your place, go ahead. Just gimme the final count when you're done."
The alcohol hit her like a slow wave. Her cheeks flushed a soft pink, and she glanced at him with playful shyness.
"You trust me way too much. Doesn't sit right, honestly. Cracking BCI systems isn't exactly rocket science. Just bring the goods to my place. I'll have the numbers for you before you know it."
"Sounds good," Kay agreed.
Back at the shop, Kay retrieved the interfaces, stacking them neatly inside a portable cooler. As he worked, Riko Vega strolled into the room, initially headed toward the back—until he spotted Sasha.
Dressed head-to-toe in sleek black, Sasha's hacker aesthetic screamed danger and cool. Riko's eyes widened briefly in recognition—this was the same girl who'd helped out the other night.
He shot Kay a look. Not just a look—the look. One full of dirty implications and a smirk that said, 'You dog.'
Then he turned on his heel and sauntered off, rejoining the rest of the crew who were still riding the high from last night's score.
Outside, Sasha was already straddling a custom bike, its chassis pulsing blue and purple under the dim glow of Watson's dying neon. Kay tossed the cooler into the back of his beat-up Vito van.
"I'll lead the way!" Sasha called. "H10 Skyscraper, Watson District."
"Got it."
Their ride through the city was slow and cinematic. The blue-purple motorcycle glided like a ghost through Night City's dark arteries, with Kay's Vito trailing behind like a loyal dog. Dust swirled in their wake as they passed streetlamps flickering on their last life.
Kay rolled down the window. The night breeze washed over him—cool, clean, free. For the first time since he'd set foot in this city, something inside him actually felt... calm.
The tension of Night City didn't vanish, but it dulled just enough for him to breathe.
---
"Season, we're here!"
Kay snapped out of his trance, pulled from the meditative hum of the road by Sasha's voice.
They were parked in front of the H10 Skyscraper—towering, grimy, and still alive with quiet power.
Sasha was already off her bike, walking back toward him, boots crunching against the cracked pavement. Her posture was casual, but her eyes were sharp.
H10 Skyscraper. The heart of Watson's digital underground.
Kay looked up, knowing that whatever came next—it wasn't just about cracking brain-computer interfaces.
It was about building something.
Something real in a city built on lies.