Cyberpunk 2077 – Cyber Dogs

Morning in the Desert 

The sun crept over the desert horizon, stretching bands of molten gold and soft pink across the empty sky. It was the kind of beauty you only noticed when everything else in your life slowed down—something Night City rarely allowed. But out here? In the wasteland? 

Lola and I moved like twin bullets tearing through the dunes, our motions a blur against the shifting sands. Dust trailed in our wake like contrails from fighter jets. Every few seconds, one of us would zig or leap, trying to outmaneuver the other. Training, testing, playing—it all blended together when the goal wasn't survival but pushing limits. 

"Okay, Lola, let's stop here," I panted, slowing to a halt. 

Woof. [Okay.] 

We collapsed onto the warm sand, letting the sun soak into our skin and fur. I reached into my system and materialized a few cold drinks, tossing one to Lola. She caught it mid-air and cracked it open. 

Honestly, she's the only living thing on the planet that can put me on the defensive. That says a lot, considering the absurd mods I've packed into my system. But I never let it get to my head—who knows what horrors this world's black market will cook up next? For now, though, Lola is my gold standard. My sparring partner. My best friend. 

I sipped my drink and flicked open my system HUD. "Let's see... what mods should I mess with today?" 

My eyes landed on something new. 

Faceplate Cyberware. 

"This should be fun." 

A shiver ran down my spine as I activated it. Instantly, my body began to shift. My skin restructured, my frame morphed, and within seconds I stood—correction, towered—as Jackie Welles. Same face, voice, everything. I even caught Lola tilting her head, confused. 

"Hey chica," I said in Jackie's exact tone. "You ever think about joining the Valentinos?" 

Woof. [No.] 

I laughed, then began tweaking the transformation. I retracted everything but one arm, watching it morph into sleek, angular metal. Then both arms. Then my legs. Then— 

"Oh, hell yeah." 

I transformed fully into Genos from One Punch Man. Black and gold limbs, glowing eyes, etched musculature that looked more anime than real. I found a scrap of broken chrome to check my reflection. 

"Damn. I look intimidating." 

Too bad I didn't get the actual powers. I tried summoning fire from my hands—got a weak heatwave that singed the sand slightly, like a busted hairdryer on max. Still, there was potential here. As long as the form was humanoid, I could replicate it. 

I shrunk down to the size of a ten-year-old, then dialed up to a towering nine feet. The mod responded instantly, bending physics like taffy. 

Lola transformed too—her skin folding into a cyber-canine form with glowing red eyes and armored plating. She barked, then flipped in the air like a military drone before landing in a perfect crouch. 

Unfortunately, she was still bound to four-legged creatures. We tested it already—birds were a no-go. She'd tried. Hilariously. 

"I gotta say," I muttered, glancing at my reflection again, "I look more handsome with surface wiring." 

Cybernetic face lines were meant to reduce EM interference, but let's be real—hackers still fried people like Thanksgiving turkeys. 

I stretched, reverting to my normal self. "That's enough for now. Let's head home." 

Woof. [Agreed.] 

Back in Heywood 

Fast travel: a wonderful thing. 

One second we were in the middle of the desert, the next we were standing in our apartment, sand still in our hair. Quick shower, hot breakfast, and a quiet moment to toss our landlord a tip on the way out. Routines like this kept us grounded. 

Heywood was waking up. The streets buzzed with vendors and mechanics, locals chatting on stoops or slinging gear out of vans. Then, a sudden voice: 

"Hey! Can we take a picture with you two?" 

A teenage girl waved excitedly, her phone already up. Lola perked up. 

"Sure," I said, stepping closer. "We don't mind." 

The girl grinned as she took the photo, thanking us before sprinting off to her friends. 

"At least more people want to take pictures with me now," I muttered. 

Woof. [Yes.] 

We continued our walk. Most people knew who we were by now—especially after clearing out Scavs, 6th Street, and Tiger Claws in the area. Contractors and civilian tips kept our mission board full, but today wasn't about gigs. 

We stopped to help a vendor lift a busted vending unit back into place. Lola sniffed out a shorted cable and barked at it until I patched it. A kid nearby was crying until Lola trotted over and licked his face. Instant giggles. 

Even the local NCPD nodded at us in passing. A rare win. 

"Hey, 8! Over here!" came a familiar voice. 

We turned. David Martinez was jogging over, casual in his hoodie, hands in pockets. 

"Yo, David. Out on gigs?" 

He shook his head. "Nah, just walking around. Taking a break." 

"That's good. Want to grab something to eat? There's a diner nearby." 

David accepted the offer, and we headed to the diner. 

As we waited for our food, we fell into small talk—the kind that barely scratched the surface. I noticed his expression was tight, uneasy, like something was gnawing at him from the inside. Was it the food? The lack of flavor? 

Everyone seemed to prefer the meals I provided back at base, and honestly, I couldn't blame them. But I'm not a vending machine. Sooner or later, they'd have to learn to eat somewhere else when I wasn't around. 

Then David leaned forward. "Hey, 8… can I ask you something?" 

I raised an eyebrow. "Why so serious all of a sudden? Shoot." 

He hesitated. "What kind of cyberware are you using?" 

I blinked. "Wait, what?" 

"Your Chrome. During gigs. That speed, that strength—it's gotta be high-tier." 

I facepalmed. I seriously forgot to explain my situation to him. 

"Didn't I… fast travel with you before?" 

David shrugged. "Yeah, but I figured it was a trick, or I was hallucinating." 

I sighed. "No Chrome. My body was modified. Like, rewritten. Miguel did it. Same guy who enhanced Lola." 

David leaned back, wide-eyed. "So... you're not just strong, you're like—superhuman?" 

I nodded. 

His next question? "Wait. How rich are you?" 

I groaned. "Really, kid? That's your takeaway?" 

He scratched his neck, sheepish. 

"If you must know, I could probably start my own megacorp if I felt like it." 

"Then why not? Why live like this?" 

I leaned back. "Because boardrooms and cubicles sound boring as hell. I was given this power and I'm not gonna waste it sipping cocktails in a tower." 

David opened his mouth, but I cut him off. 

"Also, being rich makes you a target. Mercs, gangs, corpos—they hunt rich people. Robbery. Blackmail. Assassination. Arasaka and Militech? They kill rivals over toothpaste formulas." 

David went quiet. I knew what he was thinking—about Gloria. She'd wanted safety. Stability. Arasaka. 

But those dreams? They were rigged from the start. 

Smack. 

"OW! What the hell?!" 

"Sorry," I said, deadpan. "You had that sad look. I instinctively smacked it away." 

David scowled. I grinned. 

"Look, before any of this, I was just a normal guy. My life wasn't flashy, but I appreciated what I had. I wasn't chasing some destiny to be the best. I just lived." 

He paused. "Where are your parents now?" 

"Out there. Hopefully happy." 

We finished our meal and went our separate ways. 

Cyber Dogs Hideout 

Back at base, Jackie and V were hunched over a console I built—old-school NES style, running Street Fighter. Pixelated glory. Ah, the nostalgia. My mom tried to convince me video games were corrupting my soul, while my dad… well, he just spammed projectiles and cheap moves, ruining fighting games for me forever. 

(Yes, this actually happened. So thanks, Dad—you turned me off a whole genre of fighting games.) 

"Damn it! Lost again!" Jackie shouted. 

I smirked. 

"Hey, 8! Wanna join?" 

"Nah, just checking if we need anything." 

"C'mon," V said. "We're all free today." 

I shrugged. "Alright. Gimme that controller." 

We played for hours, talking trash, laughing until my sides hurt. I teased a secret boss and their eyes lit up like Christmas trees. 

Then… the alert came. 

Our Focus implants pulsed—David was in danger. 

We jumped to our feet. Jackie and V placed their hands on my shoulders, and I fast-traveled us near the location. 

The second we landed, Lola and V sprinted ahead. I grabbed Jackie by the collar and dashed behind them, crashing through the doors of a run-down warehouse. 

Inside—David, gasping for breath, pinned by a mountain of muscle. 

I didn't hesitate. I hurled Jackie like a missile. 

He slammed into the brute's jaw mid-air, knocking him back. Jackie hit the ground running, locking the guy's arms in a brutal hold. 

V darted left, disarming a blonde woman before she could fire. 

Lola took down a mohawked man—tentacles whipped out, hoisting him like a ragdoll. 

I appeared behind a white-haired girl, gun to her back just as she reached for her Monowire. 

She tried to hack us. Bad idea. 

My Focus deflected it and hit her with a counter-breach. Sparks flew. She twitched, stunned. I caught her before she fell, gun still trained. 

"Stop!" David shouted. 

Everyone froze. 

"They're after my Sandevistan," he said, coughing. 

I looked again. 

Maine. Dorio. Pilar. Lucy. 

Maine struggled. "That ain't his Sandevistan—I paid for it." 

Jackie didn't loosen his grip. 

I sighed. 

So… it begins. 

End of Chapter