Cyberpunk 2077 – Cyber Dogs

MC POV — Cyber Dogs Hideout 

"Say something, damn it." David's voice cut through the silence as he looked around the room. 

We all remained stone-faced—until, in perfect unison, we broke into mischievous smiles and casually waved back at him. 

The look on his face was priceless—a mixture of confusion, annoyance, and pure embarrassment. Lucy chuckled quietly beside him, trying (and failing) to conceal the slight blush creeping up her cheeks. 

Their relationship was official now. And honestly? Good for them. 

It always bugged me how, in the anime, after someone close died, David and Lucy fell into each other's arms almost immediately. It felt rushed, forced. But here, living it in real time… I kind of get it. This is Night City. Tomorrow isn't a guarantee. People grab whatever happiness they can find in the moment. 

Since the cyberpsycho incident, things had cooled off. Pilar was resting up from his injuries. Doc said he'd be fine, but it'd take time. 

Meanwhile, the Cyber Dogs decided to lie low. No missions, no trouble. Just us, martial arts movies, and a ridiculous amount of snacks. 

David left with Lucy; he kept running gigs with Maine's crew, pushing himself harder and harder. Guess he felt like he had something to prove. 

The rest of us were sprawled across the hideout's couches, watching some old-school martial arts flick—the kind where people hopped rooftop to rooftop in colorful outfits, unfazed by gravity or reality. 

"Man, this is entertaining even without a single gun in it." Jackie said, shoveling popcorn into his mouth. 

I smirked. "That's the charm, man. Back then, people settled disputes with their fists and a bit of style." 

V, stretched across two beanbags, tossed a kernel up and effortlessly caught it in her mouth. 

"I think it's kind of sweet. Simpler times, you know?" 

I leaned back, hands behind my head, letting peace briefly wash over me. 

"Yeah… I used to watch these with my dad all the time. We'd sit on the old couch, pretend we were kung-fu masters. After the credits, I'd be bouncing off furniture, trying to copy their moves." 

(To my readers: it's true. Some of my best memories with my dad are watching those old kung fu movies together. You know, the ones where people run up walls, glide across lakes, and fight twenty guys at once without breaking a sweat. I love that stuff—even today.) 

On the screen, two masters fought their showdown in a bamboo forest, leaping through the air, swords glimmering, strikes ringing like thunderclaps. The dramatic soundtrack rose, then fell, and somewhere in all the chaos, time seemed to fade away. 

Before we knew it, the credits were rolling. Night fell outside; the city's neon glowed against the black heavens, and the distant wail of sirens reminded us we were far from peace. But for a moment, we'd gotten it—a small pocket of happiness. 

It was a feeling we hadn't tasted in a while. 

But Night City doesn't let you forget for long. 

The moment the credits finished, my phone buzzed. I glanced at the ID: David. 

I answered immediately. "Yo, what's—" 

"Guys, I need your help." 

His voice wasn't just urgent. It was desperate—like someone stranded on a rooftop, staring into the abyss. 

The room shifted instantly. Jackie put down his popcorn. V tossed aside the last kernel. I was already on my feet, grabbing my gear without a word. 

The cinematic peace we'd tasted was gone in a flash. Reality came slamming back. 

Something had gone very, very wrong. 

And David needed us. 

David's POV 

Maine called me for a gig. 

A big one. 

Recover some important Arasaka data from a corpo named Tanaka. The problem was, the bastard kept slipping away. It went back and forth for a while, until Kiwi stumbled upon something—BDs from a guy called JK. So I put forward a plan to smoke Tanaka out. 

Of course, Maine couldn't resist poking fun at me first, making a few crude jokes about me and Lucy. I just rolled my eyes. 

Some time later, we were hauling Jimmy Kurosaki's unconscious body through Night City. He tried to blast us with an EMP. Clever… if we hadn't come prepared. 

The pulse took everyone nearby down—optics glitched, chrome faltered—but me? 8's focus tech kept me up and running. It even hit JK hard enough to drop him immediately. 

Now I get why 8 sticks to his phone instead of jacking directly into his head. 

One well-placed shock and it's game over. 

We made it back to JK's workplace—a BD studio. The moment we walked in, two massive drones rose up to confront us—heavy-duty, fully armored, fast. 

Usually, a team might break a sweat against something like this. But I drew my pistol. 

One shot. The first fell. 

A second shot. The last fell and crashed into the editing bay. 

Maine let out a deep, appreciative laugh. JK seemed to realize it was time to cut the crap. Smart move. 

Tanaka had a private BD booking tonight. All we had to do was wait. 

While we were killing time, I poked through JK's files and stumbled across something—a recording of James Norris. 

The original owner of my Sandevistan. 

He'd been a MaxTac lieutenant—until cyberpsychosis turned him into a killing machine. He fell in the showdown that followed. 

JK tried to mess with me, tried to poison my mind. "It's only a matter of time before you lose it, too. Everyone falls eventually." 

I remained silent. There was no need to respond. I know myself. I've got Vik looking after me. I've got 8's tech protecting me. I'm not James Norris. I'm not a MaxTac monster. 

Still… 

For just a moment, a sliver of doubt tried to take root in me. I forced it back, crushed it. 

Tanaka was on his way. 

And when he walked through that door, we'd make our move. 

"Your delivery's ahead of schedule." Tanaka said coolly. 

"Quality scrolls are hard to come by." JK nodded with a smirk. "See, that's what makes this one special. I take it you want it tuned immediately?" 

JK kept babbling, trying to hype up his product, but Tanaka's patience was wearing thin. Ours was, too. We hadn't come here for a sales pitch—we'd come for him. 

Tanaka remained calm, smug…until everything fell to shit. 

He raised his hands, and nails suddenly shot from his knuckles—a hidden injector. Everyone dove for cover. JK wasn't so lucky. 

One struck him directly in the eye. 

He fell without a word, dead before he hit the ground. 

I triggered my Sandevistan. Time slowed to a halt. I darted forward and pressed my pistol against the back of Tanaka's head. 

He fell, unconscious, without a fight. 

Kiwi's voice crackled in over comms: "Trauma Team's on their way. Fast." 

Maine and I rushed forward, grabbed Tanaka, and tossed him in the back of the van. Tied up, gagged, and powerless. 

The drive was silent, oppressive. Tanaka was slumped against the metal wall, a piece of meat destined for delivery. But something felt… off. 

I turned toward Maine. He hadn't said a word the whole ride. His knuckles were white on his crossed arms. His hands trembled subtly, and when I looked into his eyes… something was different. His spark was gone. The light in him seemed… dimmer. 

"Yo, Maine." I said quietly. "You good?" 

He remained silent for a moment. Then a strange, distant smile crossed his face. "Just thinking, kid… thinking about how much chrome I got in me… all the shit I've been through." His voice faltered, then dipped into something nearly threatening. "Feels… good, you know? Feels like I could rip it all apart." 

I felt it then—the first true tremor of fear. 

"Shit, Maine." 

I turned to Dorio. Her face was a mask of worry, but she remained silent. We were all thinking it, but nobody was brave enough to say it aloud. 

Cyberpsychosis. 

The nightmare we all feared… was starting to become a reality. 

Maine's POV 

The world felt like it was narrowing down, the voices in my head growing louder. The overwhelming urge to smash something, to tear someone apart… it was hard to ignore. I wanted to lash out. Wanted to grab Tanaka by the throat and squeeze. 

But I couldn't. I had to keep it together. 

"Get outta my head." I muttered under my breath. But the thoughts kept growing, the rage bubbling up, thick and black like tar. My fists tightened on their own. I could feel the grip strengthening. The others were too busy with the task at hand to notice… but I could hear their hearts racing. I could hear them wondering if I was going to snap. 

David's POV 

Chaos—that's the only way I can describe everything happening right now. 

Maine's on the verge of turning cyberpsycho. 

He knocked Kiwi out while she was still deep-diving Tanaka's files. 

I wanted to abandon this gig. I really did. 

But Lucy stopped me. Said we couldn't back down. 

In the end, she decided to finish it… but I had to stay with her. 

"Deep dive port?" I asked, confused. 

She didn't answer. Just looked at me. So I didn't push. I jacked her in. 

Lucy's POV 

"I really don't want to do this… but I don't have much of a choice. I'll make it quick." 

So many firewalls. But I pushed through in time. 

Found what I needed. Started downloading the data. 

Then something popped up. A file. 

"David?" I whispered. 

I opened it. 

James Norris — Missing cyberware. Sandevistan currently used by David Martinez. Known by few. 

David's POV 

What the fuck is happening? 

Why is everything spiraling so fast? 

Tanaka almost died. Maine's losing it. Trauma Team is inbound. 

I couldn't think straight. But Dorio snapped me back. 

"No choice"—I grabbed Lucy and took her back to the van. 

We waited. For Maine and Dorio. 

But then—gunshots. 

I was about to run back in. Help them. 

Lucy grabbed my arm. "Don't," she begged. "Please… don't." 

I looked her in the eyes. 

"Lucy… is there something you're not telling me? Something you saw in Tanaka's file?" 

She didn't answer. Just kept that heavy, conflicted look. 

This was going to end badly. 

I couldn't do it alone. 

So I called 8. 

8's POV 

We pulled up to the location. The first thing we saw—Lucy. Sitting alone in the van. 

V went to check on her. 

Me, Lola, and Jackie headed up the stairs. 

I told Jackie I'd go on ahead. 

Then I stopped time. 

Now it was just me and Lola. 

I moved up the stairs. Everything was frozen—the world, the people. 

David—mid-sprint—locked in place. Trauma Team—a silent wall in the background. 

Then, farther in—chaos. 

Maine and Dorio were surrounded. 

Maine had his gun raised at her. She was dodging, barely keeping up. 

I took a deep breath. 

"Maine… you fucking idiot." 

Me and Lola got to work. 

Took out Trauma Team and the cops. 

Tied them up. 

Quickhack—knocked them out cold. 

Dragged Dorio to safety. 

Disarmed Maine. 

Then… I started time again. 

"What the hell—where's my gun?" Maine growled. 

"Maine. You fucked up." 

"That voice… 8?" 

He turned toward me, confused. His eyes locked on me… but it wasn't me he saw. 

"Go to sleep, Maine." 

With a quickhack, I made him drop. 

"Maine!!" Dorio screamed, running up. 

Then she saw me. 

"He's fine. Just knocked out. But we don't have time. More are coming." 

Footsteps echoed. Dorio raised her gun. 

I gently pressed it downward. 

It was David. 

Relief crossed his face. 

Then more footsteps. Jackie. 

"8! You came. What a relief. Is Maine—?" 

"He's okay. Unconscious. But we need to move." 

I nodded toward the hostage. 

"Let's untie Tanaka. Jackie—you carry Maine to the van. I'll stay back and distract them." 

"OK." Jackie nodded, effortlessly lifting Maine. 

"Thank you." Dorio whispered. 

Everyone rushed away. 

Except David. 

"Let me help." 

I shook my head. 

"David… go to Lucy. She's not okay. She needs you." 

He looked like he wanted to argue… 

But then he saw me. Changing. Morphing. 

I turned into Maine. 

"David. Just go. Trust me." 

I spoke with Maine's voice. 

He froze, stunned. 

Lola bit him in the ass. 

"Ah! Damn it, Lola!" 

He left. 

I turned back to Lola. 

"Okay, girl. Take this C4. Plant it where I marked. Then join the others." 

"Woof." [Got it.] 

MaxTac was almost here. 

Time to give them a show. 

I stepped onto the balcony, holding two things— 

Tanaka, unconscious in one hand. 

A detonator in the other. 

They saw me. 

I took a deep breath. 

"FUCK YOU, NIGHT CITY!!!" 

BOOM. 

Half the building came down. Rubble swallowed everything. 

"That should be enough. MaxTac'll think Maine died here." 

Then— 

I activated Ghost. Phased through the rubble. 

Let them dig through ashes. 

I made a call. 

"Vik… I need your help. Time to downgrade an idiot." 

End of chapter