Cyberpunk: Asuka Vektor

After spending the afternoon putting their new cyberware to the test, Asuka and Jackie found themselves back at one of Night City’s many small-time cafes—sitting at a table outside, slouched over in identical poses of defeat. The sun was setting, casting a golden light across the street, but the mood at their table was anything but bright.

Jackie leaned back in his chair, letting out an exaggerated sigh that seemed to echo through the block. His ARCH jacket was open, and he looked like someone who had just gotten all the adrenaline drained out of his system. Across from him, Asuka was equally slouched, her eyes staring blankly at her half-finished synth-beer.

“Broke,” Jackie groaned, his voice full of that deep, dramatic despair. “I am absolutely, one hundred percent broke. We’ve hit rock bottom, chica. This is it. No more fancy ARCH upgrades, no more preem chrome... just poverty.”

Asuka nodded slowly, her face resting in one of her chrome hands, her voice equally forlorn. “Tell me about it, Jack. I spent almost everything. Everything!” She emphasized the word, her other hand making a sweeping gesture. “The Sandy and the spine... and don’t even get me started on the clothes. I had to look preem, but now I’m not just broke. I’m fancy and broke.”

Jackie snorted, leaning forward and resting his head on his folded arms, which were crossed on the table. “I paid off my ‘little loan,’ and look where it got me. Flat on my ass.” He glanced up at her, raising an eyebrow. “Wait... weren’t you saving up for something else too? A gift or whatever?”

Asuka let out an exaggerated groan, sinking even deeper into her chair. “Oh, don’t remind me.” She slapped her forehead dramatically, her eyes rolling. “Yeah, I bought Judy this... super expensive Carnage shotgun—custom colors, pink and green—'cause I mean, how could I not? It’s gonna look so preem, and it's her favorite colors. Plus, a custom Nue pistol for her. Oh, and some BD equipment 'cause she’s all into that techie stuff.” She sighed heavily. “All for her birthday in two weeks.”

Jackie’s eyebrows shot up, his lips twitching as he tried not to laugh. “Wait, wait—hold up, chica. You spent all your eddies on a shotgun for a fifteen-year-old? Are you trying to make her the coolest kid in Night City or what?”

Asuka lifted her head, narrowing her eyes at Jackie, her face full of mock indignation. “First off, Judy is gonna be sixteen, okay? And secondly, you don’t understand, Jack. She deserves the best.”

Jackie burst into laughter, holding his stomach as he leaned back in his chair, almost tipping it over. “Right, right. A shotgun and a pistol for a kid. And you called me broke! You’re broke and dangerous!”

Asuka huffed, though a smile played at her lips. “Yeah, well, at least I got taste, alright? You don’t see me taking out some pequeñito loan just to get myself into more trouble.”

Jackie held his hands up in mock surrender, still laughing. “Hey, hey! That was a strategic financial move, okay? You gotta spend money to make money, isn’t that what they say?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Asuka finally cracked, giggling as she shook her head. She picked up her drink and took a long sip, her expression turning more contemplative. “But seriously, Jack, we’re flat. We need another gig, and soon. Otherwise, it’s ramen noodles and water for the next month.”

Jackie nodded in agreement, his laughter dying down as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “We need to get in touch with Padre or maybe see if Wakako has something for us. Preferably something high-paying and low-risk, yeah?”

Asuka gave a short laugh. “Oh, you think there's such a thing as low-risk in Night City?” She leaned back in her chair, her eyes glinting mischievously. “You know it’s all just varying degrees of insanity.”

Jackie grinned, nodding in agreement. “True that, chica. But maybe, just maybe, we can find something that doesn’t end with us running.”

Asuka lifted her beer, giving Jackie a smirk. “To wishful thinking, Jack.”

He clinked his bottle against hers, his grin wide and genuine. “To being broke but badass.”

They both took a long sip, then set their bottles down with a sigh.

It was another one of those rowdy, neon-lit parking lot parties—the kind that brought all sorts of Night City's edgy types together. Mercs, joytoys, gangoons, and a handful of edgerunners all crowded around souped-up rides and beat-up speakers that blared heavy electrobeats into the night. Asuka, Jackie, and Sasha had arrived just a little earlier, Jackie eager to show off, while Asuka also wanted to show off and to feel the pulse of the street after all the chaos of recent gigs.

Jackie leaned against his ARCH, a bottle of synth-beer in his hand, as he looked out at the crowd. His eyes moved over the other edgerunners and gangers gathered around—the groups scattered about, some chatting, others arguing, a few already flexing their chrome in a show of force. It was Night City distilled: a mix of danger, opportunity, and a desperate kind of celebration.

Asuka was busy chatting and laughing with a few of the other party-goers when Jackie nudged her, his elbow tapping her side to get her attention. She turned to him, a playful grin already on her lips. "What’s up, Jack? Already got your eye on a racing challenge or something?"

Jackie chuckled, shaking his head, his eyes still scanning the crowd. “Nah, nah, not that.” He gestured slightly with his bottle, pointing towards a group of mercs gathered near a beat-up Quadra. The group looked rough—scrappy, their chrome mismatched, clearly upgrades pulled from different generations and probably from different sources altogether. “Look at those chooms over there,” he said, his voice lowering slightly. “You see the way they look at each other? That’s the look of people who gotta watch their back even around their own crew.”

Asuka frowned slightly, her eyes drifting to the group. She saw it too—the tension, the way each of them kept their distance, as if they couldn’t fully trust one another. It was the reality for most in Night City. In the world they lived in, even your allies could turn on you for the right price.

Jackie nudged her again, a more serious expression crossing his face, his eyes locking onto hers. “We weren’t born to corpo families with millions of eddies, Asuka,” he said, his tone softer, more reflective. “But look at us. We’re a lot luckier than these chooms, you know? They’re out here scraping, trying to make eddies, trying to trust fixers and ripperdocs without getting a knife in the back. And us?”

He paused, looking at her for a moment, his voice filled with something like pride. “We had Padre before we were even real mercs. He set us up right, made sure we knew what we were getting into, gave us the work we needed to get a start. And also we…” He nudged her gently, his tone shifting to something warmer, more affectionate. “We got Vik. One of the best damn ripperdocs in Night City as your father. You know how many people out here would kill to have a guy like Vik backing them up?”

Asuka blinked, her grin softening into a genuine smile as she listened. She glanced at the group Jackie had pointed out, her gaze lingering there for a moment before looking back at Jackie. “Yeah, you’re right, Jack,” she said quietly, her voice losing its usual playful edge. “We got it pretty good, all things considered. Padre always had our backs, and Vik...” She smiled, her eyes reflecting a warmth and gratitude she rarely expressed. “Vik would do anything for me. He’s the reason I’m still standing, with all this chrome. He’s always watching out for me.”

Jackie nodded, leaning in slightly, his tone full of conviction. “Exactly, chica. Most people out here, they’re fighting just to survive. They’re always worried about the next gig, whether they’ll get ripped off by their ripper or if their fixer is setting them up for a trap. We got connections, we got people who care about us. You and me, we’re damn lucky.”

Asuka let out a small laugh, her smile widening. She bumped her fist lightly against Jackie’s arm. “Guess we should drink to that, huh?” She lifted her bottle, her eyes locking on Jackie’s with a mix of humor and something deeper—gratitude, understanding, loyalty. “To us, to Padre, to Vik, and to being the luckiest gonks in Night City.”

Jackie grinned, raising his bottle and clinking it against hers. “Damn right, chica. To us.”

The vibe of the parking lot party was interrupted by the unmistakable growl of an approaching luxury car. Heads turned, curiosity mixed with caution as the car pulled up near the edge of the party. A few folks even took a step back, knowing that any ride like that in Night City usually meant one thing: big money or big trouble.

The car came to a stop, and out stepped a man in an impeccable suit—his slicked-back hair and calm, confident demeanor standing in stark contrast to the edgerunners and mercs scattered around the lot. A few bodyguards emerged behind him, their stances clearly communicating they weren’t there to mingle. The man made his way through the crowd, his eyes locked on his destination—Maine's crew, who were hanging around near the center of the gathering and bantering among themselves.

Asuka was sitting on her bike sipping on her synth-beer and watching the crowd, when she noticed the suited figure heading towards Maine's crew. Her eyes widened slightly, a grimace crossing her face as she nudged Jackie with her elbow.

“Hey, Jack,” she said, her tone dripping with disdain, her eyes narrowing as she watched the man approach. “You see that guy in the suit? That’s Faraday.”

Jackie frowned, glancing over in the direction she was pointing. His eyes scanned over the figure and the bodyguards that followed, his expression turning skeptical. “Faraday? The fixer?”

Asuka nodded, her lips curling slightly in distaste. “Yeah, Faraday. Total slimeball. He’s a fixer, but not the kind like Padre or even Wakako. This guy’s all about double-dealing and playing every side to make sure he comes out on top. People work for him, sure, but they don’t last long. Either they end up in the gutter, or they get burned out—he’s all about profit, no loyalty.”

Jackie leaned in, his brow furrowed as he watched Faraday approach Maine, who was standing with Dorio, Pilar, and the rest of his crew. “You think they know what they’re getting into?”

Asuka sighed, shaking her head. “I dunno. Maine's a tough guy, and he knows how to handle himself, but Faraday’s got a way of making things sound a lot better than they really are. He’s the kind that’ll promise you eddies, connections, all of it, but he won’t tell you the part where you’re expendable.”

They watched as Faraday greeted Maine, his smile smooth, his gestures relaxed. He spoke with the kind of confidence that suggested he already knew the answer would be yes, his tone polished, his words flowing easily. Maine listened, his massive arms crossed over his chest, his expression unreadable, while Dorio kept a wary eye on the bodyguards.

After a few minutes of conversation, Maine nodded, his face breaking into a grin as he shook Faraday's hand. Faraday gave a satisfied nod, gesturing towards the bodyguards, who handed over a data shard—likely containing the details of the job. With their business concluded, Faraday turned on his heel, making his way back to the car with his entourage following closely behind.

As he got back into his car, the crowd parted to give the vehicle space, and in a moment, the Rayfield sped off, its engine purring smoothly as it disappeared into the night.

Jackie let out a breath, shaking his head slowly as he looked over at Asuka. “Looks like Maine took the gig.”

Asuka nodded, her gaze still fixed on Maine's crew as they gathered around, looking at the data shard and talking among themselves. She frowned, her expression turning thoughtful. “Yeah. I just hope they know what they’re getting into. With Faraday, there’s always a catch.”

Jackie crossed his arms, leaning against his ARCH, his eyes following the same scene. “What d'you think the gig is?”

Asuka shrugged, taking another sip from her synth-beer. “Could be anything. Probably something corpo, though. That’s his style. He’s always working some angle for the big boys. He’ll throw out a lot of eddies to get people interested, but it’s never worth the risk.”

They both watched as Maine gave a nod to his crew, his booming voice carrying over the sound of the party as he seemed to rally them for the upcoming job. Rebecca was bouncing on her heels, clearly eager, while Pilar looked more cautious. Dorio remained close to Maine, her eyes sharp and focused, clearly ready for whatever was coming.

Jackie glanced at Asuka, his expression thoughtful. “Think we should say something?”

Asuka shook her head slowly, her gaze softening. “Nah. Maine knows what he’s doing. He’s a big guy, been around longer than us. Besides, if we try to warn them, it’ll just look like we’re trying to scare 'em off the eddies.” She sighed, her shoulders relaxing a little. “Just... hope they keep their eyes open, y’know?”

Jackie nodded, his gaze drifting back to the crew. “Yeah. Hope they got each other’s backs, 'cause with someone like Faraday, they’re gonna need it.”