She moved like a graceful butterfly, waltzing through the crowd.
Each ti she made her move, the timing was perfect—quick and precise. Even when people noticed her approach, they were captivated by her fragrance and beauty, ignoring the small motions of her hands.
Selling off these chips would be more than enough for her to survive in Night City. She never expected it would be so easy.
Lucy even considered just doing this for a living while she stayed in Night City—easy, low risk, and fast money.
Until she spotted the young man in the frontmost carriage. The mont she laid eyes on him, she flinched as if scalded.
"Impossible. How could he be here?"
Her mind spun in turmoil. She took another careful look and confird it really was the young man who had once helped her. He was standing there with his back turned, gazing out the window, seemingly unaware of her presence.
Lucy shrank back into the crowd, feeling a thief's guilty conscience. Her breathing turned ragged as a wave of discomfort spread through her. She was inexplicably afraid of Leo seeing her now—especially afraid he might discover what she was doing.
Fortunately, he did not seem to notice her. That was her only relief.
Abandoning the front cart, even though it had more corp employees than the rest, Lucy returned to the rear cart, doing her best to hide in the throng of passengers.
When the train arrived at the station, she got off at once, planning to catch the next train and carry on.
But before she could breathe easy, Leo's voice sounded behind her.
"Hey—small world, huh?"
Lucy stiffened all over, forcing a smile that looked anything but natural.
"Yeah…what a coincidence. You're taking the air-rail too? I thought you always drove."
"It's raining too hard today, can't see the roads well, so the rail's safer." He paused. "Hey, have you eaten?"
"Huh?"
The abrupt shift made Lucy hesitate. A few seconds later, he asked again. She shook her head.
"Neither have I. Let's grab a bite?"
They were close to the sa pizza place as last ti, just a short walk away. With the tall buildings overhead, they could stay relatively dry even though it was pouring.
Leo strode on ahead, Lucy following behind. She tried more than once to speak up and ask whether he had noticed her on the train, but every ti she lost her nerve, too afraid of what the answer might be.
…
They entered the pizza shop and ordered the sa things as before. Because of Leo's generous tip last ti, the owner recognized him imdiately. He dismissed the waitstaff and served them personally.
Outside, the rain fell in torrents, pattering against the windows.
"You spend big. What do you do for a living? You a corp stooge?" Lucy asked, blinking curiously. "No, wait—even corporate types aren't usually this flashy. Or are you so rich kid?"
"Wrong," Leo replied. "I'm no spoiled kid, and I'm not a corporate either."
"So what are you, then?"
"I'm a rcenary." He took a swig of his chilled cola. "People pay , I solve their problems."
He set his drink down. "If it's not too personal…why'd you co to Night City? You don't seem to know anybody here."
He already knew her full na was Lucy Kushinada, hinting at a Japanese mixed heritage.
"Sorry…" She bowed her head.
Seeing her reluctance, Leo did not push. "I get it—everyone has their secrets. You don't have to share."
---
A Delamain cab dropped them off at the apartnt building in Japantown.
"Okay, I'm off. Let know if you need anything," Leo said.
"Mm."
Lucy did not go inside. She crossed her arms, hands gripping her elbows, tightening little by little. She could tell Leo was a genuinely good person, and he treated her kindly, without any conditions attached.
Yet she still could not let down her guard. Her past made it impossible to trust anyone or reveal her secrets so easily.
As she hesitated, a thunderous roar ca from the sky. She looked up by reflex.
A Trauma Team AV, trailing thick black smoke, was plumting fast. Lucy could see the Trauma Team emblem painted on its hull.
She froze, her mind going blank, staring as the AV drew closer. Its shadow spread across the pavent at her feet.
In that split second, Leo darted over from the side, scooped her up, and lunged through the apartnt entrance.
A deafening crash followed. The AV slamd into the building, sending rubble tumbling everywhere. Its wing scraped along the walls and snapped off. It tore a path straight through the structure, then finally plowed out into the street. tal shrieked as it skidded along, throwing off sparks before grinding to a stop dozens of ters away.
Outside, pedestrians and drivers cleared out in a hurry. In Night City, nobody wanted to stick around when soone was bold enough to attack Trauma Team—nor did they want to risk an encounter with Trauma Team themselves.
Even though Trauma Team was a dical rescue force, only the wealthy could afford its services. If you weren't a client, you could end up stunned at best—or riddled with bullets at worst.
Long ago, soone wrote a mocking couplet about Trauma Team:
*First line:* There's a hierarchy to saving lives.
*Second line:* Not all wounds are treated equally.
*Horizontal note:* No money, no cure.
Within monts, the street was practically empty, leaving abandoned vehicles and the crashed AV behind.
Bang!
A door was kicked open. Several Trauma Team dics, still breathing, crawled out of the wreck. Two of them imdiately spread out, scanning the periter. Their training remained intact.
A female dic took in the sight of her team leader, bleeding from the stomach. Shock gripped her eyes.
"God, you're bleeding!"
"Forget . Check on the client first."
She pressed a pneumatic injector into his hand, then scrambled back inside the AV.
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