Cyberpunk: The Magnet fruit

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The golden sunlight of early morning filtered through the blinds, casting long shadows across the room. David stretched lazily on the couch, only to discover that the aroma of freshly cooked food had already wafted through the apartment. Blinking in confusion, he sat up, rubbing his eyes.

V was already up.

Not only was she awake, but she had also prepared breakfast—something that caught David completely off guard.

The table was neatly set with toasted sandwiches, eggs sunny side up, crispy bacon, and a pot of freshly brewed coffee. The steam rising from the food seemed almost surreal in contrast to the gritty, chaotic world of Night City they lived in.

David stared at the spread for a moment before asking, "V… You made all this?"

V, lounging casually on the sofa with her legs crossed, took a slow drag from her cigarette and blew the smoke toward the ceiling. Her expression was half amused, half smug.

"Huh—who else would've made it? The food fairy?"

David chuckled, grabbing a plate and taking a generous bite of the sandwich. His eyes widened in surprise as he chewed. "Damn, this is actually good. I didn't expect a former Arasaka executive to know her way around a frying pan."

"Former Arasaka executive," V corrected with a smirk. "Big difference."

"Right, right. My bad."

David raised his coffee mug in salute, then took a sip. "Still, you've got skills. This is better than most diners in Watson."

V leaned forward, switching on the wall-mounted television as she flicked the ash from her cigarette. "You better enjoy that. It might be the last peaceful breakfast you get in a while."

No sooner had she flipped to the news channel than the screen lit up with breaking headlines. The broadcast anchor's voice rang out with a sense of urgency:

"Last night, Yorinobu Arasaka's trusted right-hand man, Jenkins, was found dead under suspicious circumstances. Authorities have confirmed his death and have placed a high-priority bounty on the suspected killer…"

A picture of V flashed on the screen—smirking, confident, unmistakable.

David froze mid-chew. V, however, just sighed.

"Well, looks like my face is all over the city now."

The screen displayed more details: WANTED: V — 100,000 Eurodollars Reward

Arasaka Special Operations Group had officially declared her a fugitive.

David glanced sideways at her. "That's a lot of eddies."

V laughed dryly. "For people like us? Sure, it's not life-changing. But to the average merc out there hustling for a living, that's a fat paycheck. Just one capture, no need to storm a Corpo building or survive a death trap—just bag me, and boom, 100k."

"Looks like you pissed off the wrong people."

"Wasn't exactly on purpose," V said, shrugging. "But it is what it is. I burned a bridge, and now I gotta live with it."

She turned to David, a playful smile tugging at her lips despite the gravity of the news. "Guess I'll have to rely on you to take care of me now."

David grinned, unfazed. "Not a problem. One more person on the team's no big deal."

Hearing that, V rolled her eyes and tossed a pillow at his head. "Tch. You talk like I'm some stray cat you picked up from the street."

David caught the pillow with ease, laughing. "Hey, I didn't mean it like that!"

Before they could continue the banter, a knock echoed through the apartment.

Dong! Dong! Dong!

V tensed instinctively, her hand drifting near her holster, but David waved her off and nodded toward the door.

She walked over and opened it to find Lucy and Jack standing outside.

Jack's face lit up immediately when he saw V. "Oye! V! You're really here! I told Lucy we weren't seeing things!"

V raised an eyebrow. "You two look like you ran a marathon. What's up?"

"We were grabbing some breakfast downstairs," Jack explained. "TV in the joint was blasting the news. Saw your mug all over the screen and figured you'd be here. Rushed up right away."

V smirked and turned to Lucy. "Let me guess… You were jealous last night?"

Lucy's cheeks turned a deep shade of red, and the dark circles under her eyes betrayed her lack of sleep. She stammered, "Wh-What? No! Why would I be jealous?"

V grinned knowingly, but didn't push further. Lucy clearly hadn't slept much, and her emotions were still tangled from the previous night.

The truth was, Lucy had been fuming. She hadn't returned to the apartment after storming out and instead found Jack wandering back from Misty's. The two decided to grab breakfast, and Lucy—between bites—vented to Jack about David's "player" behavior.

But when the broadcast flashed V's wanted notice on-screen, it all suddenly made sense.

Lucy realized she had jumped to the wrong conclusion last night when she saw V leaving David's room. That embarrassment still lingered.

"Come on in," David said, ushering them inside. "We were just talking about breakfast and bounties."

Jack let out a low whistle as he stepped into the apartment. "Damn… this place smells better than Afterlife on taco night."

Lucy didn't say much, choosing instead to occupy the far end of the room, pretending to study the TV while subtly sneaking glances at David and V.

David glanced between them all and clapped his hands. "Alright, team meeting."

Everyone gathered around.

V stubbed out her cigarette. "No point in sugarcoating it. Arasaka's gunning for me. The bounty's public now. Which means I've got a target on my back the size of a neon sign."

Jack leaned back, arms crossed. "So, what's the plan?"

David replied calmly, "First, we lay low for a bit. V stays with us until the heat dies down. No solo missions, no going out without backup."

V nodded. "Agreed. I'll lay low. But that doesn't mean I'm useless."

Lucy finally spoke up, her voice quiet but resolute. "What about Arasaka's surveillance? They'll track her movements, maybe even trace her net activity."

"Already thought about that," David said, tapping a few keys on his wrist comm. "I've got a friend in Kabuki who specializes in spoofing identity tags. He'll set V up with a clean ID, ghost credentials, and a new digital footprint."

V raised an eyebrow. "That's fast."

David gave a faint smile. "When your life's on the line, you learn how to move quickly."

Jack chuckled. "Man's got a point."

"Second," David continued, "we need to prepare for retaliation. Arasaka doesn't just let people walk away."

"You think they'll send someone?" Lucy asked.

"I know they will. They always do," David answered grimly. "Probably someone from their Black Ops division. Maybe even Adam Smasher."

The room fell quiet for a moment.

Jack whistled. "Well, that's a name you don't wanna hear with your coffee."

"We'll deal with it," David said firmly. "One step at a time."

V looked around at the group, her smile softening. "Thanks. I mean it. I didn't expect this kind of backup."

"We're a crew," David replied simply. "We look out for our own."

That was when his commlink buzzed again—another encrypted message from their fixer.

David opened it, eyes scanning quickly.

"Looks like we've got a lead on a gig. Something small, low profile. Should help cover expenses and keep our skills sharp."

He looked up. "You in?"

V stretched her arms. "Hell yeah."

Jack nodded. "Always."

Lucy hesitated for a heartbeat, then said, "Count me in."

David nodded. "Then let's move."

As they filed out of the apartment, the TV behind them continued to replay the news footage on loop—V's photo, the bounty, the flashing Arasaka logo. The city was watching, and the game had just gotten a whole lot more dangerous.

But for now, they had each other. And in Night City, sometimes that was all you needed to survive.