"What did you say?" Jackie wasn't sure he'd heard right.
Not taking the commission — just for agreeing to one thing?
"You heard me. I can waive the payment if you'll agree to do something for me." Vash said.
"No need to make it complicated." Jackie slapped his shoulder and let out a warm laugh, "V, you and I? We're good. In Night City, you need something, you call me. I've got you — always."
Vash said nothing.
Seeing that serious expression, Jackie's grin faded, "You're serious, huh?"
"Do I look like I'm joking?" Vash shot back, "Either you pay me now, or I forgo the money and you agree to one thing."
In the game, Jackie was a flesh-and-blood character — fiercely loyal, a rare kind of friend in a cold cyberpunk world. In the original storyline, he died during the Relic Heist.
Now that Vash had stepped into this world, he was determined to change that stubborn fool's inevitable end.
"V, I don't quite get it." Jackie said, scratching the back of his head.
"We're not in one of those soap operas your mom loves. Yes or no — pick one." Vash said, cutting straight to the point.
Jackie hesitated. What money did he have right now?
But this was a guy he got along with, and Jackie was simple at heart. He decided not to overthink it, "Alright. Fine. One thing."
"Good. I'll tell you what it is later. And I won't hurt you — count on that." Vash said.
"Yeah, yeah." Jackie shrugged, "When I give my word, I keep it." Then he glanced at the iron box in the trunk, "So… you gonna tell me we can't peek? Just a little?"
"What kind of face do you think your buyer will make if they find out the package was opened before it arrived?"
"To hell with the buyer, the seller, and the middleman." Jackie snorted, "Night City's full of people with eddies to burn. We almost flatlined for this thing — what's wrong with taking one look?"
He leaned in — and shivered.
"Holy shit. It's Arasaka's goods!"
Vash clicked his tongue, "So what if it's Arasaka's? Scared?"
"Scared? Please." Jackie punched in the code and popped the lid.
A burst of cold air — meant to preserve high-end cargo — spilled out in a white plume. As the mist thinned, a green, very-much-alive iguana lay inside.
"This little guy's from the Lesser Antilles, I think." Jackie lifted the lizard carefully, "They called 'em extinct, what — thirty years back? And now look at this. V… this is a score."
Vash folded his arms, "Deliver it. Let's finish this."
"Leave it to me." Jackie set the iguana back in its cradle and sealed the box, "So, V — what now? You heading back to your family?"
Vash shook his head, "I left them. I'm going solo."
"Then come to Night City." Jackie said it like it was obvious, "I've got a good eye for people. You and me? We'd make a hell of a team."
Vash nodded, "Alright. Let's do it."
❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖
The Free City of Night City — a thriving metropolis — swallowed people by the thousands, every day, every second.
Everyone saw it as a city of dreams. A city of freedom.
But beneath the neon and the noise, the megacorporations held the leash. Roles were assigned before you even knew you had a part to play. Value outweighed life — and sometimes decided whether you got to keep it.
At dawn, the sky began to brighten.
Vash and Jackie rolled into Night City. He'd walked these streets a hundred times in the game, but the real thing was something no special effects could ever capture.
There were no walls — just roads, arteries feeding into corporate territory. Cross the line, and you were under their jurisdiction.
Night City was a world apart from the Badlands. Industrial towers clawed at the clouds. Elevated highways coiled like steel snakes. Floating cars drifted overhead. Holographic ads burned into the air from every angle.
And this was only a fraction of it — maybe twenty percent. The city truly came alive after dark.
They drove into Watson, where civilians and gangs mixed freely, and where Jackie lived.
"I already talked to the landlord." Jackie said in the elevator, brimming with confidence, "Your room's right below mine. Make yourself at home — don't worry about rent or utilities."
Vash didn't refuse. He hadn't taken Jackie's money, and what he'd brought from the Bakker family was already gone — spent on a shotgun on the road.
The elevator chimed and stopped on the 23rd floor.
"Get some sleep." Jackie said, clapping him on the shoulder, "Tonight I'm taking you out for a drink — show you the beauty of Night City, yeah? Give you a proper welcome."
✦✦✦
T/N: Comment, give me Power Stones, like and favorite, it all supports me and makes me go foward with this. Appreciate my other stories as well, I guarantee the good work!
That's it and happy reading! (-‿◦)