"My name's Devil, this is V, and that's Jack Wells."
Riku stepped forward to answer. Putting everything else aside, his sheer size and intimidating look carried some serious weight.
"Oh? What, are those names supposed to mean something?"
The burly guard at Afterlife didn't even flinch, his tone dripping with sarcasm. Never heard of these small-fry nobodies—why were they acting like big shots?
"They will soon enough. We're here to talk business. Big business."
Jack Wells spoke up, fully aware that Afterlife had strict rules. No introduction, no entry.
"We're here to see Sasha, a netrunner."
Riku chimed in, though he sounded a bit nervous, unsure if dropping Sasha's name would actually work.
If it didn't, they'd be stuck outside Afterlife's door, which would be more than a little embarrassing.
"Oh? Sasha, yeah, I know her. Mann's crew."
The guard nodded, but he didn't open the door just yet. His cybernetic eye glowed red, like he was making a call.
"Hold on, let me check."
The guard gave a quick explanation. Once he confirmed these three weren't just random street punks, his attitude softened noticeably.
"Mann."
Riku caught the name. It sounded familiar, tugging at a memory.
"Sorry, could you step aside?"
Before Riku could piece it together, a crisp female voice called out from behind them.
The trio moved out of the way, and a girl passed through. She gave them a quick nod of thanks.
She had short, ear-length black hair and wore a pink cropped jacket over a black techwear outfit. Her movements were sleek, almost catlike.
"…"
Riku's jaw dropped slightly. It finally clicked who Sasha was!
A character from a standalone MV in Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, the former netrunner for Mann's crew.
This was set before Lucy joined Mann's team—Sasha's exit was the reason Kiwi recommended Lucy to fill the spot.
"Hey~ Emmerich."
Sasha greeted the guard casually. Mann's crew was a regular at Afterlife, picking up jobs and hanging out, so she was on friendly terms with him.
"Sasha, perfect timing. These three say they're here for you."
The guard's eye stopped glowing, and he jerked his chin toward Riku and the others.
"Oh?"
Sasha looked surprised and turned to face them. She hadn't expected the coincidence.
"Hi, Sasha-san. I'm Devil."
Riku gave her a friendly greeting, shooting her a quick message to confirm his identity.
"…"
When she saw the message from this "Devil" guy saying, "Yo, Cat-Head Lady," Sasha instantly knew who she was dealing with.
"Come with me."
Rolling her eyes slightly, Sasha motioned for the trio to follow. The guard, Emmerich, swung open the door to Afterlife.
The three followed Sasha into Afterlife, the beating heart of Night City's underground.
Riku was no stranger to the place. He'd been here countless times in the game and knew it like the back of his hand.
Seeing the real Afterlife now, it wasn't much different from the game. The layout was pretty much the same.
Jack Wells and V, on the other hand, were clearly awestruck. It was their first time here, but with Sasha leading the way, they were doing their best to play it cool.
"This is it, this is the place…"
Riku could hear Jack Wells muttering under his breath as they walked.
"Over here, take a seat."
Cat-Head Lady led them to a booth and slid in, gesturing for the trio to join her.
Riku plopped down across from Sasha. The U-shaped booth had plenty of room, so no one was cramped.
Jack Wells and V sat down too, ready to get down to business. They dropped the wide-eyed newbie act.
If they pulled this job off, they'd have no trouble getting back into Afterlife in the future, right?
"Let's do intros. I'm Sasha, the netrunner for this gig."
Despite her cute, almost kawaii appearance, Sasha was all business—sharp and experienced.
"Great to meet you, Sasha. I'm Jack Wells. This is V, and that's Devil—you two already met."
Jack was full of energy, taking the lead. He wasn't about to bring up swapping out netrunners anymore. Sasha looked like the real deal.
"Devil, huh? Suits you."
Sasha glanced at Riku and muttered under her breath. His intense vibe and striking appearance were hard to miss.
"Let's talk about the job. You're the netrunner—how do we back you up?"
Riku steered the conversation, his expression turning serious.
He'd been racking his brain, trying to recall the details of that standalone MV. If he remembered right, Cat-Head Lady… died during a mission targeting Biotechnica.
This job was no joke—high risk, high reward. Riku wasn't thinking about bailing, though. Instead, he was wondering how to save this girl.
In terms of netrunning skills, Sasha was top-tier. She'd infiltrated Biotechnica solo, after all. Their crew desperately needed a netrunner like her.
But even if he saved her life, there was no guarantee she'd jump ship to join them.
Then again, if Sasha survived, Mann's crew wouldn't need a new netrunner. Which meant Lucy…
Lucy, the "Net-Diving Idol," was another powerhouse netrunner who could fill their crew's gap.
"Here's the plan—hey, you listening?"
Sasha started to explain, then noticed Devil zoning out.
"Of course, go on."
Riku gave an awkward smile and focused up, earning another eye-roll from Sasha. She was starting to wonder if these guys were legit.
"Biotechnica's workday runs about 17 hours, from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. That means our window's at night."
Sasha clearly had done her homework. She was running point on this job, and Riku's crew was there to support her, making sure she could get in, get the goods, and get out.
"Corpo dogs have it rough."
V tossed in a quip. A 17-hour grind left no room for a life outside work.
"Biotechnica gives six paid days off a year—most generous you'll find."
As for statutory holidays? Yeah, right. Those didn't exist. Even Sundays were often workdays.
"Long hours, sure, but the work's not that hard. Plus, they're raking in a couple thousand eddies more a month than your average choom."
Jack Wells wasn't a fan of corpos. Sure, he had another friend named V who was a corpo, but he was always trying to get them to ditch that life.