Chapter 41 - Chapter Forty-One

Gloria Hernandez had been hearing about the new city for weeks through Net chatter and short clips on the feeds, a place with clean streets, shops with works that actually care for there customers, actual real parks, and food that wasn't printed or send you to an early grave due to having chemicals that will kill you over time if consumed too frequently, things that could only be considered a lie especially in this time and age, especially if you grew up in Night City, the most dangerous city in the world where you were either unlucky enough to be born there or stubborn enough to show up chasing some dream or trying to make a name for yourself like Morgan Blackhand, so when Gloria convinced David to go with her to check out the city and take one of the new public buses running from the edge of Santo Domingo he agreed to her surprise. Especially since he would need to take a day off of work. So with nervousness and curiosity, Gloria, David, and Buddy tugging the leash as they boarded a sleek armored vehicle painted in matte gray with a clean emblem she didn't recognize, no Arasaka or Militech logos anywhere, and guards in black-and-gray armor posted calmly at the door, their guns visible but not waved around like Corpo rent-a-cops, the seats inside wide and padded, climate control steady, overhead displays listing route points instead of blasting ads, and Gloria whispered, "This definitely isn't Night City's work," while David raised an eyebrow, "That's surprising." By coincidence Maine's crew had taken the same ride, hired to check out the settlement for a fixer, and when the big man and his people climbed aboard David froze for a second before Rebecca spotted him and shouted, "No way, your going too and you even brought your mom?!" which made Gloria stiffen until Maine gave her a respectful nod and said, "Your boy's solid, ma'am," and Dorio added, "Good to know he still has family he can spend time with." which eased her guard a little; they sat across the aisle with Lucy sliding into the seat near David, Buddy curling up at everyone's feet like he already approved, and the bus pulled out through Japantown, past the patched roads and vending towers, leaving Night City behind, the skyline shrinking in the windows. The ride stayed quiet until the scrub beyond the walls appeared different than it used to be, grass now covering ground that had been dust, deer moving along a drainage ditch like they'd been there forever, and Gloria pressed her fingers to the glass, whispering, "Wow." while Rebecca leaned over Pilar and laughed, "Look, choom, a there a group of rabbits eating right there!" and Maine muttered to Dorio, "If this is Biotechnica's work, it's their cleanest front ever." to which Kiwi's voice buzzed in Lucy's earbud, "No trace on the net just yet, but I'll keep watch just in case." When the bus crested the ridge and the city came into view, everyone went silent for a beat, not because it was towering like Night City but because it had wide open streets where everything looked clean, the buildings blending look to be Googie curves with Deco strength and Frutiger Aero shine, plazas framed with parks, fountains where children splashed in actually clean drinkable water without drones buzzing overhead looking for gang members or some cyberpsycho, food stalls where the food were real. Gloria whispered to herself, "It's real, a city like this is real." her eyes wide, Buddy barking once as if to agree. The bus rolled to the terminal and even the platform felt wrong or better yet different. But in a good way, benches you could sit on without checking for needles, water fountains marked clean, a help desk with a smiling face behind the glass, and Rebecca muttered, "What kinda place is this, it's... Amazing! They actually care for people, this has to be a joke?. " as they all stepped out into air that didn't carry the smell chemical or smog, but a clean sharp freshness. They walked together down a boulevard lined with shops selling meat, bread, and vegetables, and when Gloria bought a pear from one of the stall and bit into it she nearly cried, whispering, "This is delicious." while David smiled quietly and Maine said, "This ain't Corpo work, at lease not like we know it," and Dorio warned, "But someone still built it, and no one would build an entire city without wanting something." They ended up in a chrome diner with stools and booths, burgers that tasted of real beef, fries cut from potatoes, sodas fizzing with citrus, and even Gloria admitted softly, "This is what life should look like,l." while Rebecca teased her about Buddy stealing fries, Pilar tried to guess the soda recipe, and Lucy watched David's expression when he bit into food that wasn't synthetic, noting the way his shoulders eased. By the time the plates were empty Maine leaned back and said, "We're not leaving just yet, well be staying for tonight and maybe even longer to get a proper feel for the place." Dorio agreed, "First impressions don't tell you the whole story." and Rebecca cheered because that meant more burgers, Pilar smirked because it meant more chances to poke at new tech, and Kiwi said through the comm, "Be sure to feed me data, I'll pull patterns." While this was happening, Gloria took a side long look at David face to get some measure his thoughts, "Would you like to stay too?" without any hesitation David nodded, giving a shrugging before replacing with, "We might as well, especially since Maine and the others staying." though in truth he wanted to see if this city could become their future home, if it was safe enough for his mother, thoughts he would never say out loud. Money wasn't a problem, Maine's crew had more Eddie's than usual from their gigs and from selling bottles of the soda recipe Kevin had given David, a little side hustle that had turned a real profit, plus David had steady pay from his Vault-Tec deliveries, enough saved to cover a room and food without strain, so when they left the diner and found an inn nearby with acutely clean rooms and working locks they signed in without hesitation, Gloria unpacking a small bag while Buddy sniffed at the corners, Rebecca bouncing on the bed in the next room yelling it didn't even smell like blood or Urine, while Maine decided to step onto the balcony to scan the skyline, muttering, "Not bad, not bad at all." while Dorio leaned at his side and said, "Seem too clean, but the fact that I can feel that way says a lot about the state we live in on the daily.? " David stood at the window with Lucy watching the streets below, children laughing, neon glowing steady instead of hiding in there houses or hanging out with some gang members, and whispered, "Feels like where on some alien planet." Lucy replied with, "Because this place is so different from Night City." as Gloria lay her back on the bed with Buddy curled at her side, eyes closed, breathing air that didn't taste of metal and pollution, as thought maybe, just maybe, this really was the start of something better. A better future, a better tomorrow.