A/N: FUCK INKSTONE FUCK THIS SHIT MAN 3 TIMES TODAY I HAVE HIT F12 DELETING MY FUGIN PROGRESS.
Teo slipped the helmet off with ease, the cool night air instantly meeting his sweat dampened scalp. He ruffled his dark red hair, feeling it spring back into its usual rebellious wave. His eyes, now unmasked by the visor, locked onto Maine's hulking form sitting casually on the hood of his custom purple car, a fair distance away amidst the vibrant chaos of the Santo Domingo hotspot. With a practiced swing, Teo dismounted his Kusanagi, locking it with a subtle thought command through his OS.
He started to walk through the crowded thoroughfare, a pulsating artery of Night City life. The air thrummed with the bass of unseen synth rock, the sizzle of street food vendors, and the clamor of a thousand conversations. People were dancing, eating, laughing, the perfect release after a long, grinding shift in this relentless city.
Teo, however, felt a familiar prickle of warning as his gaze snagged on a group of 6th Street boys leaning against a glowing noodle bar, their chrome glinting under the neon, their eyes sharp as they watched him. What the fuck they going to do about it? he thought, his hand subtly resting near the tucked away Bon Bon Mark 2
He kept walking, letting his eyes sweep over Maine's crew, a pocket of raucous energy. Pillar was a blur of motion, expertly balancing bottles on his massive hands, a natural showman. Dorio was already making serious inroads at a nearby taco truck, her plate piled high. Falco watched Pillar with an amused smirk, a cigarette smoldering between his fingers as he leaned back at a cheap plastic table.
Rebecca was practically vibrating with pent-up energy, sitting unusually close to Maine, though out of direct conversation range. And then, next to Rebecca, was a familiar flash of silver hair and cool blue eyes. Nah, no way.
Teo approached, the low thrum of his cyberware barely audible over the party. He didn't break stride, simply plopping himself unceremoniously onto the hood right next to Maine, who was nursing a synth beer, his massive arm propped on the car. Teo gave his arm a playful punch. "Sup, choom. Where's mine?"
Maine, who had been staring off into the crowd, possibly at the new member of his crew, snapped out of it. He turned to Teo, a rare, genuine smile spreading across his face, revealing a flash of chrome teeth. "Teo, good to see your face. Heard you did good work." He handed Teo a chilled bottle of synth beer which Teo gladly accepted.
Teo smiled back, the corners of his eyes crinkling. "You as well, big guy." With a casual flick, he used Maine's armored arm as a makeshift bottle opener, the STZZZT! of the synth beer bottle cap popping open echoing surprisingly loud in the night.
He took a long, cold pull, savoring the burn. "So, that's your new runner, huh?" he said, his gaze drifting to the silver haired girl with a subtle, almost imperceptible flicker of what could only be described as digital disgust in his enhanced optics.
Maine glanced at him, a flicker of confusion crossing his cybernetic face. "What? You know her or something?" he said, shifting a bit, the low, metallic creak of the car's suspension echoing out from below them.
Teo nodded, his smile thinning. "Yeah. She tried jacking my eddies a few weeks back." His glare sharpened, focusing directly on the girl.
Maine stared at him for a moment, then something clicked behind his eyes. He threw his head back and let out a roaring, guttural laugh that dwarfed the club music. "HA! You're the runner she tried robbing! You siphoned her eddies, right?! HAHAHA!" His laughter boomed, attracting more attention than a street brawl.
Teo merely nodded again, a flicker of satisfaction in his eyes despite the ongoing ache in his head. He noticed the two figures on the bench had heard Maine's outburst. One of them, Rebecca, jumped up, gasping with delight. "TEOOOOOO!" she yelled, her voice a piercing shriek of pure excitement as she barreled towards him.
She launched herself onto the hood next to him, her massive shotgun slung casually across her back, immediately launching into a rapid fire monologue about her new favorite kill confirmations.
The other girl, however, the silver haired one, stared at him with undisguised disbelief. She got up, walking with the contained fury of Mama Welles when Teo and Jackie swore in her kitchen. Teo, noticing her approach, straightened, his own glare becoming more prominent, his vivid green, luminescent, slitted eyes shrinking to sharp pinpricks.
"Threat assessment, Optimal distance for tactical retreat now compromised. Advising non-escalation… or a very precise quickhack," Fucker chirped in his ear, its tone remarkably unhelpful but perfectly timed.
She got right in his face, her blue eyes blazing with a mixture of recognition and pure venom. "The fuck are you doing here?!" she yelled, her voice vibrating with suppressed fury. The party quieted down, the music seeming to fade as people stared in their direction, sensing the impending showdown.
"Getting my eddies, gonk," Teo replied calmly, his voice a low, steady rumble, eyes locked with hers.
She glared at him harder, pressing closer, practically chest to chest. The anger within the air was thick, heavy enough to choke on. No one talked, just watched the showdown with morbid amusement, waiting for the spark. "Well, get your eddies and leave! I knew something was familiar about that fucking avatar!" she hissed, spitting the words.
Teo smirked, a dangerous glint in his slitted eyes. "The fuck you gonna do if I don't?" he challenged, his voice dropping to a near whisper that somehow cut through the tension. She became even angrier, her jaw clenching, a low growl rumbling in her chest. Maine just laughed even harder, watching the two youngsters beef, thoroughly entertained.
Teo heard a subtle click, his enhanced optics catching the almost imperceptible shift of cyberware in her left arm as a monowire began to slowly, menacingly, leak out from her forearm.
"I'll sho-" she started, but before she could even get the next words out, a green and black glowing barrel was already aimed at her face, materializing seemingly from nowhere. Bon Bon Mark 2 was like a physical extension of Teo's will. The low, ominous hum of its charging mechanism made her freeze, her blueish eyes snapping wide with sheer shock at the terrifying draw speed.
"What was that?" Teo's voice, cold and flat, was barely audible, his head turning just slightly, keeping his gaze locked on hers, the green glow of his gun reflecting in her wide eyes. "You gonna do what, choom? Try me?"
Maine, however, decided to cut in. "Teo, Lucy, chill. Teo, put your gun down," he said, his voice carrying a rare edge of command. Teo looked around, his slitted pupils noticing the people at the party, not just the curious, but the ones with their hands now subtly resting on their holstered weapons, especially the 6th Street group.
He lowered Bon Bon Mark 2, the ominous hum fading as he slid it back into his waistband. Lucy, sweating slightly, her face a mask of anger and humiliation, looked down, then stormed off, disappearing into the crowd.
"Threat successfully de escalated, choom. Though optimal conflict resolution protocols were certainly ignored. A more direct approach to social interaction, perhaps?" Fucker's chipper, sassy voice pinged in Teo's head, utterly unhelpful.
Teo sat down next to Maine again as the music swelled and chatter began to filter back into the space. He couldn't mess around here. He wasn't in Heywood's protective borders. This was 6th Street territory, and if he started something here, outnumbered and outgunned, nothing good would come out of it. Maine knew this, that's why he'd stepped in, his quick action preventing a bloodbath. The relationship between Valentinos and 6th Street was fickle as is, and Teo, being an affiliate, understood the delicate balance he had just almost shattered.
Teo took a slow, deep breath, letting the tension drain. He noticed Rebecca, who had settled back next to him, leaning back against the car and giggling into his beer. "The fuck you giggling at, Bex?" he said, snatching his beer out of her metal gauntlets.
"Nothin'!" she said, pouting, her face a picture of feigned innocence.
"Teo." Maine's voice suddenly cut through the re emerging party noise, devoid of any amusement. His gaze was now utterly serious. "I have a favor to ask you."
Oh god. Serious Maine. Boring Maine, Teo thought, leaning up slightly. "What?"
"Got this woman who works as a paramedic for REO Meatwagon," Maine began, sipping from his nearly empty beer. "She gets me high end chrome for cheap. Stuff that just... falls off the back of a truck, or gets 'misplaced' from crash sites. Problem is, a lot of it's been in the wild, or it's hot as hell. Needs a reliable runner to help clear the wares for viruses." He clarified, "We're talking scrubbing them clean, deep scans for any hidden malware, tracking implants, or even ghost ICE. Don't want any surprises when we plug this stuff into our own chooms."
Teo looked at Maine, a frown creasing his brow. "You dealing with scavs now, Maine? Cleaning their junk?"
Maine grunted, shaking his head. "Nah, she ain't a scav. She's good people, just needs that extra money, and she's got a connection to the good stuff. High risk, high reward. She trusts me, and I trust you with this kind of work. It's too sensitive for anyone else." Teo nodded, understanding. It was a specialist job, perfectly suited for his talents, and clearly a vital one for Maine's operation. "Alright, but pay me back later for a favor or something," Teo said, taking a final, big gulp from his synth beer, emptying the can. "Give her my contact."
Maine nodded and slipped his hand in his pocket, pulling out a data shard. "Here, thanks again for the help." He said as Teo nodded and grabbed the Eddie shard. He plugged the shard into his shard port implant on his forearm. The data processed and he watched his balance rise by 15000 eddies.
He turned to Rebecca, who noticed his gaze and gave a smirk that sent a chill down his spine. Uh oh. "What, Bex?" he said. Rebecca stared at him for a second, her grin widening. "Saw the bike," she purred, standing up next to him, practically vibrating. "She new?"
Teo nodded.
"Can I get a ride?" she said, her maniac smirk appearing again, wider than before. Teo thought for a moment, the thrill of the recent digital fight still humming in his veins. He sighed. He had nothing better to do anyway...
"Sure, but don't expect nothing afterwards," he said, pushing himself off the hood and starting to walk towards the bike, Rebecca following close behind, already screaming a triumphant "WAHOO!" Maine watched them, a weird expression mixing with his usual gruffness.
Teo walked turning to glance at the 6th street boys. He smirked. Reaching his bike he swung his leg over it. Rebecca hopped on behind him wrapping her arms usually tight around his waist.
"LETS GO CHOOM!!!"