"I've sent you the hacker's contact."
Father forwarded a number from the client's chosen netrunner.
Riku punched it in and sent a friend request. The profile pic was a pink-lined nekomimi head—kinda familiar.
"Hmm, feels déjà vu again," Riku mumbled. But no biggie. Anyone who left an impression in Night City was probably legit. In this city, the weak got turned into fertilizer real quick.
Especially netrunners. One slip-up against a corporate firewall, and you're sayonara in a heartbeat.
"Yo, Devil-san!"
The nekomimi netrunner added him fast, shooting over a message.
"I added her. Seems like a kawaii lady," Riku said to Jack Welles and V before replying.
"Ask where we can meet. Gotta size her up first," Jack Welles said, all serious. Big jobs like this weren't a game—screw-ups could cost lives.
"If she's not up to snuff, we ditch her and grab a new netrunner," V said with a sly grin, her street-smart yanki vibe shining through.
"Nice one! Client won't care who hacks, long as we deliver," Jack said, clapping his hands. They weren't about to pass up this gig.
If this nekomimi lady didn't vibe, well, they'd just have to ask her to step aside.
"Yo, Nekomimi Lady, where we meeting?" Riku messaged the netrunner named "Sasha," suggesting a face-to-face.
"#! Don't call me Nekomimi! Just Sasha's fine!"
She fired back an angry "#," clearly not thrilled with the nickname.
"Got it, Nekomimi Lady. No prob, Nekomimi Lady," Riku teased, going with the flow. This netrunner chan seemed young, judging by her vibe.
"O_O? Whatever, meet me at Afterlife," Sasha replied, giving up and dropping the location: Afterlife in Watson.
"Catch ya later," Riku responded, stoked to check out the legendary Afterlife bar.
"She says meet at Afterlife," he told his crew. Jack Welles and V froze, jaws dropping.
"Afterlife? You sure?" Jack asked, like he'd heard some shonen-level plot twist.
"Yup, crystal clear. THE AFTERLIFE," Riku confirmed, puzzled. How could he mess that up?
Then it clicked. Afterlife wasn't just any bar.
Sure, you could chill and have fun there, but Afterlife was the spot for biz in Night City. Not just for sipping sake.
Wanna talk gigs with a fixer? Hash out job details with a client over drinks? Or just lurk, watching Night City's top mercs and fixers hustle in the shadows?
Afterlife was the place. The only place.
"Guess this nekomimi lady's got some clout," V said, her eyes wide. She'd been in Night City forever but never set foot in Afterlife.
You didn't just stroll into Afterlife. It was for players with rep. Small fries need not apply.
"Ha, looks like we're getting a VIP pass!" Riku grinned. Talk about a plot twist—bringing Jack Welles and V to Afterlife two and a half years early?
"Let's go! I've been dreaming of Afterlife!" Jack was hyped, practically bouncing. His shonen dream? To become a legend with his name etched in Afterlife's history.
The trio said bye to Father and left the chapel. No metro this time—V had her ride, a Thorton Galena G240.
"This thing's ancient. Older than a Quadra," Jack commented as they piled in. The Galena was a 2031 model—proper retro.
"Hey, a ride's a ride. Performance ain't great, but it was cheap. Original price 13,000 eddies, snagged it secondhand for 3,000," V said, rolling her eyes. She'd love a fancy car, but eddies don't grow on trees.
The Galena roared to life, and Riku instantly felt the 24,000-eddy gap between it and a Quadra. Night and day.
"Galena's engine is trash—86 horsepower, no match for a Quadra. Thorton had zero experience with compact cars back then. They slapped in an engine from India's Meher Motors," Jack said, geeking out.
V didn't argue, chiming in, "Bet the Galena's project lead took a fat bribe from Meher. Who else would dare use an Indian engine?"
The two went back and forth, bonding over car talk. They clicked like nakama in a shonen crew.
Riku, meanwhile, stared out the window, worried. It was already early morning. Dawn was a ways off, but he had to think about daytime.
Unless he was indoors, daytime ops were a no-go for him. What excuse could he use?
"We're here. Afterlife," V announced.
Riku had been lost in thought the whole ride, still without a good excuse. Oh well, he'd wing it.
Feeling uneasy, he followed Jack and V to Afterlife's entrance. The bar was underground. They entered a building, turned down a staircase, and spotted the AFTERLIFE sign.
"Get this—this place used to be a morgue. Wild, right?" Jack said, grinning. He'd never been, but he knew Afterlife's lore.
"Who'd guess that?" V said, her red hair swinging as she scoped the place out. A Haywood street onna like her shared Jack's dream: live big, leave a legend at Afterlife, like Johnny Silverhand.
"No kidding! This place is older than us. Back when people still got proper burials," Jack said, buzzing with excitement, his mouth running nonstop—until a bouncer stopped them at the door.
A burly dude blocked Afterlife's entrance, the door shut tight. His cybernetic jaw glinted, screaming bad news.
"Who are you? What's your biz?" the bouncer growled, his vibe as cold as a yokai.