"Breaking news: An explosion has rocked the Biotech Corporation building. The extent of the damage is unclear, but the intruders are believed to still be inside, on the run. NCPD has dispatched reinforcements. Citizens are advised to steer clear of the area to avoid collateral damage."
Inside their beat-up Galena, the radio blared the urgent report. V and Jack Wells listened, their hearts racing with worry.
They were anxiously waiting for any sign of Riku. He'd sent a message, but until they saw him in person, they couldn't relax.
"They're here! They made it!"
V, who'd been glued to the view of the company plaza, suddenly lit up with excitement. She flung open the car door and jumped out.
Jack Wells let out a sigh of relief. He spotted them too—Riku and Sasha had escaped.
Vroom.
Jack fired up the engine. Mission accomplished. Now, the priority was getting the hell out of there.
"Get in! Let's move!"
As expected, Riku and Sasha didn't waste time with chit-chat. They dragged V into the car and urged Jack to floor it.
"Sorry, Riku, you know this old Galena's not exactly a speed demon."
The second-hand Galena crawled forward at a snail's pace. Jack shook his head with a grin.
"No worries. Tomorrow, we're upgrading!"
V's face was practically glowing with excitement, her voice brimming with confidence.
"What kind are you thinking?"
Riku leaned back in the rear seat, flashing a grin of his own.
"At least a Kotis, right? Big horsepower, tough as nails—perfect for people like us."
V started counting on her fingers, calculating. With 100,000 credits, they had plenty of options.
If they stretched it, they could even snag a sports car—second-hand, of course. V never bought new. Used cars were cheaper, practical, and she wasn't one for vanity.
"Let's go check some out tomorrow. If we find one we like, we can all chip in."
Riku tossed out the idea of pooling their money for a shared mission vehicle.
The Galena was fine for casual drives, but it was a liability on jobs. They'd been lucky today—no high-speed chases, or they'd have been toast.
"Sorry, where are we headed?"
Sasha, listening to the trio's banter, couldn't help but cut in. She still had some loose ends to tie up.
"To the fixer. Gotta hand over the goods."
Jack Wells answered, his tone carrying a hint of caution. The fixer he meant was, of course, Father.
He, V, and Riku had taken this job from Father, but Sasha hadn't. That raised a question: who got the payload?
Jack trusted Father—he had a solid relationship with him. His choice was obvious.
V felt the same, and they both figured Riku would side with Father too.
The issue was Sasha. She'd been the MVP of this operation. Without her, they'd have failed. They had to respect her call.
"Cool, I'm with you guys."
Sasha nodded with a smile. She was sharp enough to catch Jack's subtext.
But she wasn't here to fight over who got the profits—that was between the fixer and the client. Her job was just to get it done.
"Awesome! Let's go see Father and get paid!"
V's smile widened. Avoiding any drama was the best outcome.
"By the way, how'd you two get out?"
With one problem solved, Jack relaxed. Driving along, he asked out of curiosity.
"Oh, you know, I just went full shounen hero and fought our way out."
Riku didn't miss a beat, thumping his chest and claiming all the credit with a smirk.
Sasha's eyes crinkled, her lips curling into a knowing smile as she glanced at him.
"No way, that badass?"
V raised an eyebrow, clearly skeptical as she shot Riku a look.
"It's true. All thanks to Devil."
Sasha nodded with a grin, backing him up. But her smile, paired with Riku's smug expression, only made V more suspicious.
"Hah, what is this, a hero-rescues-damsel moment?"
Jack turned, winking at Riku. In response, Riku flipped him off.
"Just drive, man. We barely escaped—don't get us killed on the road."
Jack burst out laughing, returning the middle finger.
"Trust my skills, bro."
V glanced between Riku and Sasha, their shared grins making her roll her eyes.
"You two are up to something."
Riku threw his hands up like a carefree anime mascot, clearly done explaining.
V shook her head, dropping it. She knew getting out must've been a nightmare.
The Galena chugged along slowly. The four of them chatted, soon arriving at a small church in Heywood where Father was waiting.
"Father, you catch the news?"
Jack was brimming with pride. Sure, he felt like he'd barely contributed—just played driver—but he was still proud to be part of it.
"I saw. You kids made a hell of a mess, but seeing you all safe and sound—that's what matters."
Father clapped Jack's shoulder with a warm smile, then turned his gaze to Sasha.
"I'm Sasha. Sasha Yakovleva. Nice to meet you, Father."
Sasha greeted him politely. This was her first time dealing with this fixer.
That wasn't surprising—Father had mostly worked with Heywood locals and the Valentinos until recently.
"Welcome, child."
Father nodded back with a smile, then watched as Sasha pulled out a data shard.
"Here's the target from the job."
Sasha handed the shard to Father, along with the reader V had returned to her.
Father took it without hesitation, slotting it into his interface. His cybernetic eye flickered with blue light as he scanned the data. After a moment, he gave a crisp nod.
"Looks good, kids. You did great."
Smiling, he ejected the shard and tucked it into a small pouch.
"Here's your pay."
As everyone watched eagerly, Father initiated the transfer. Riku's balance skyrocketed.
After spending 2,500 on rent, he'd been down to 500 credits. Now, it shot up to 100,500.
Being a cyber-ronin really paid off. Survive the missions, and money was no issue.
"This is the real first big score."
Riku sighed in satisfaction. The 3,000 from taking out scavengers? That was just volunteer work.