As the Warlock rolled through the city in silent auto-drive, V sank into the seat, letting the deep purr of the engine vibrate through the cabin. Night City's skyline glittered outside the window — neon, steel, chaos.
Ping ping.
📱 [Rebecca]
"Heeellloooo, beautiful. I'm home alone. Kinda. Technically. I mean, my brother's still breathing somehow — credit to you. You probably saved him, huh? You realize that makes you responsible now, right?"
"I mean, I'm not saying you have to feed him or anything. But still. Emotional consequences. Big ones."
V blinked, then snorted. The chaos had arrived.
📱 [Rebecca]
"Sooo? You find a place in Night City yet? You want help? Need someone to break in the couch? I do incredible foot massages. Hands too. Elbows? Jury's out. But I'm very flexible."
He stared at the screen, chuckling as the car glided over a bridge.
📱 V:
"You're sweet. Maybe some other time. I'm heading to my apartment now — first day in the city. Gonna clean it up a bit."
Ping ping.
📱 [Rebecca]
"I knew it! Let me guess — you were gonna do all the cleaning yourself, like some boring solo with no flair or backup?"
"Well too bad. I know an amazing cleaning crew. Very cute. Has questionable taste in music and too many tattoos. But she's passionate."
📱 V:
"It's you, isn't it?"
📱 [Rebecca]
"Is it that obvious? C'monnnn, I owe you. For my dumbass brother still having both arms. Plus, I kinda wanna see your new place. Make sure it's sexy enough for you."
"Also I will totally bring snacks. And possibly a tiny flamethrower. For cleaning purposes."
V rubbed his temple, smiling despite himself.
First day back in Night City and already... this.
📱 V:
"Alright. Sending the address. I'll be there in thirty. Come when you like — just not after ten. I need sleep sometime."
Ping ping.
📱 [Rebecca]
"You're the best. I promise not to climb anything expensive. Probably. I'll be there fast — but fashionable."
"Tell your apartment to brace itself. I'm coming in hot."
V looked out the window as the car turned onto the elevated ramp toward Corpo Plaza.
Tomorrow would be intense. But tonight? It would start with neon, noise… and one hell of a cleaning party.
🧽 Cleaning Crew of One
As the Warlock pulled into the underground garage, the city's noise dulled behind armored walls and sealed concrete.
Gunfire. Laughter. Screams. Sirens.
All part of the background hum of Night City.
Then: Ping.
📱 [Emilion]
"Vincent! Just a quick ping — the cleaning crew left about ten minutes ago. Oh — and surprise! They also cleaned that extra utility room you're converting for your, uh, engineering projects."
V frowned. "Thought I told you not to touch that."
"Yeah, well, GoldenHome policy: every property gets the full shine. Probably just slipped my mind with how fast everything went down earlier. Sorry, choom! Anyway, welcome home. Ping me if you need anything. Orbital drop, minibar drone, yak sushi... I got you. Cya!"
The call ended.
V sighed and muttered, "Now I look like a perv... and there's nothing left to clean."
The garage door slid open. Only three of these deluxe parking bays in the whole building — and this one was directly connected to his apartment's private lift.
Outside, leaning against the concrete pillar?
Rebecca.
She wore her usual chaotic ensemble: huge tactical jacket, combat boots, and an expression that screamed trouble.
As he slowed the car, she grinned and jogged over.
"Yo! You did get the big boy digs."
V rolled down the window.
"Hop in."
She leaned in and kissed his cheek, completely unbothered. "Time to work, boss man~"
Inside the garage, she hopped out, eyes wide like a kid in a chrome candy store.
"Three-car space? Private lift? Damn, choom, you livin' like a fixer already."
V smirked. "Let's call it an investment."
Rebecca was already bouncing ahead, talking a mile a minute.
"Okay so, real talk — my crew is freaking out. Pillar nearly choked on his protein bar. Dorio grunted for a solid minute. Lucy said — and I quote — 'you better not bring him to the apartment without a psych eval.'"
She laughed. "She's not wrong. You do have that 'might punch a satellite' vibe."
V raised a brow. "And you told them... what, exactly?"
"That I met this chrome ghost with a Warlock and mystery hands. I didn't technically lie."
They reached the lift. Rebecca glanced at him sideways.
"You ever think about joining Maine's crew?"
V shook his head. "Starting something new."
Rebecca nodded. "Yeah. I figured. I owe them too much to just leave... but you ever do start something?"
She tapped her temple. "Ping me."
As they entered the apartment, Rebecca slowed... then dramatically unzipped her huge jacket.
Inside?
Pockets. Zippers. Two pistols strapped to her stockings, a compact shotgun, a small pouch of smoke grenades...
And a sleek silver bottle labeled:
"Come In — Organic Silicone Massage Gel"
V blinked.
"That's not cleanser."
Rebecca winked. "You ready to spuck— I mean sparkle, V?"
Before he could react, she tossed her weapons left, grenades right, jacket to the floor...
Left standing in stockings and that damn bottle.
V rubbed his face. "I really won't have to explain why the place is already clean."
🛁 Girls & Ghosts
Steam curled along the mirror.
In a cozy soak tub above Lizzie's, Judy Alvarez leaned back, arms resting against the edge. Across from her, toes touching hers beneath the water, sat Emilia — freshly alive, still buzzing from her resurrection.
They were both naked. Relaxed. Safe, for now.
Judy smirked. "So… Vincent, huh?"
Emilia grinned. "You keep saying his name like you're testing the taste."
"I just think he's interesting."
"You think he's hot."
Judy shrugged. "That too."
Emilia leaned closer, one finger tracing small circles around Judy's collarbone. "You'd consider it, wouldn't you? For me?"
Judy laughed, cheeks pink. "Maybe."
"But—" Emilia added, "don't get jealous when I flirt with your solo."
"Please. You are the solo," Judy shot back.
They both chuckled — but then Judy turned more serious, reaching for a holopad and tossing it toward Emilia.
"Arasaka blinked. Big time."
The screen displayed a formal settlement.
Emergency corporate casualty clause triggered. Payment issued: 2,000,000 eddies.
Additional reparation to Lizzie's Bar: 1,000,000 eddies.
Emilia raised an eyebrow. "Three mil?"
"They think you're dead. They think they screwed up."
Judy nodded. "And Susie "Q"? The owner?"
"She's furious. Arasaka thought a fat check would shut her up — instead, she called every fixer in Watson. Word is, even Rogue's watching now."
Emilia let the news sink in. "That was the most expensive stab in Arasaka history."
"They gutted you on camera, inside Lizzie's," Judy said. "They just proved we aren't safe — even in our own zones."
Emilia leaned back. "You know what that means, right?"
"What?"
She smirked. "Time to chrome me up again."
Judy smirked. "Think Vincent will help?"
"I know he will. Did you see the way he looked at me?"
"Like he recognized you," Judy teased.
"Maybe I was his corpo handler in a past life."
"Or his trauma."
They both laughed again, wine in hand.
As the heat wrapped around them, the ghosts of the day faded for a moment — replaced by steel, affection, and possibility.
🕔 5:00 AM — V's Apartment
V's eyes opened, hazy blue digits glowing on the bedroom wall.
5:01 AM.
Night City never slept — but somehow, he still needed to.
He exhaled, feeling the warm weight on his chest. Rebecca, curled up like a cat, mouth slightly open, silver lashes flickering with dreams. A grenade tattoo on her shoulder peeked through the blanket.
"Crazy girl," he muttered softly.
Then a thought hit him like a dart to the cortex.
Shit. I forgot to message Vik.
He carefully lifted his arm, accessed his neural interface, and blinked into the messaging HUD.
📱 [To: Viktor Vector]
Hey, best doc in Night City. Sorry for the early ping — when you wake up, I need info on buying a full ripperdoc setup. Chairs, scanners, implants tools — the works. Forgot to mention it in the chaos. Gonna build something personal. Ping when you're up.
Message sent. Elapsed time: 0.001s.
V blinked. The way his synaptic latency was shrinking… it was fascinating.
Will it ever hit zero? Does Einstein even exist here anymore?
He turned his head, glanced again at Rebecca — drooling slightly, still breathing softly.
Time for one more hour, he thought, and slipped back into sleep.