It's About Saving Yourself Ch 23

Good evening y'all. I have chapter!

This chapter came out a bit smaller than I first envisioned. But when I got to the end, I realized that I couldn't really add more to it without ruining the chapter's pacing and vibes.

Hopefully you lot will agree with me.

Drop me a comment and lemme know if I did any good.

Word of warning. My job is literally discussing having us all do work from home overtime in the following weekends. I will do my outmost to make certain this will not affect my update schedule. Gotta keep that weekly streak!

But uhh...yeah. It's one of those things. If I don't show enough enthusiasm and just go with it, I fear I may well get replaced next time they do a purge. And I kinda cannot afford that at the moment.

So yeah. Just making certain y'all are up to date.

Next week I will write an update for He Who Fights Demons!

The folder where I kept the outline for that story got corrupted! So I'mma have to re-do that outline!

This is fine!

BUT! That is a problem for tomorrow's me! Today's me has chapter!

No more rambling from me. Here is chapter, hope you enjoy. Lemme know if you do or don't.

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Lucy walked down the stairs to Vik’s clinic, trying to calm her nerves. When she arrived, she saw Kiwi, unflappable as always, and Rebecca, looking bored.

Viktor was sitting in front of his favorite monitor, watching a boxing match as usual. And Alex was in the back, welding or soldering something. Apex was next to him, either helping him or building something as had become her habit, she looked up from her work and waved at Lucy with one of her manipulators, Lucy wiggled her fingers back in an acknowledging wave.

“Well, that just leaves Falco.” Kiwi said, then sighed. “Hey, Vik, can I please smoke in here?”

“As I’ve told you before, feel free, just be willing to accept the consequences.”

Lucy tilted her head; she’d never realized there was a condition to smoking in Vik’s clinic. Though by the time it would have become relevant, she’d already quit. Still, out of sheer curiosity. “What’s the condition?”

“He picks you up and throws you up the stairs.” Rebecca said. “And not in a fun way.”

Lucy turned to the murderous midget. “And how do you know? You don’t smoke.”

“I did it once to see what would happen.” Rebecca answered with a shrug.

Lucy stared at the tiny lunatic. “I…honestly I’m surprised you didn’t shoot up the place.”

Rebecca sniffed. “I mean, I was gonna, but Alex was here. He stopped me, put me over his knee, and spanked me ‘til I was crying like a little girl and agreed to stop…he also made me apologize to Vik, which in hindsight was a good idea, he’s the best ripper I’ve ever had.”

Lucy ran Rebecca’s words through her head several times before wheezing. “So…he wasn’t lying when he said he’d spanked your bottom red?”

“Nope, can’t be too mad neither.” Rebecca said with a shrug. “I fucked around and found out.”

Lucy mentally relabeled Alex’s threats to spank her, then made a note to talk to him about trying it out because it sounded kinda hot.

“Alright, I’m here, what’s up?” Falco said, stepping into the clinic.

“No fuckin’ idea.” Rebecca said, took a deep breath, and shouted at the back of the clinic. “HEY AL! WE’RE ALL HERE! WHAT’S UP CHOOM, DON’T KEEP US IN SUSPENSE!”

“THERE’S NO NEED TO SHOUT GODDAMIT!” Alex shouted back. “I’M RIGHT HERE!”

“SHOUTING’S MORE FUN!”

“GUN-TOTING GREMLIN!”

“STICK-UP-THE-ASS!”

“Okay that’s enough shouting.” Vik stated with quiet confidence, and both Rebecca and Alex immediately stopped.

Alex walked to the clinic’s gate and closed it, making Vik’s eyebrows rise. He then set what he’d been working on down on the floor and activated it, a nearly subsonic rumble rang uncomfortably in Lucy’s ears. Lastly he went to the terminal managing Vik’s Net access and deactivated it, cutting them all off from the CitiNet.

“Okay, Al, I’m starting to get worried here.” Lucy said, rubbing her arms as her skin broke out into gooseflesh at the sudden lack of the background hum of the Net.

Alex came forward and sat down on Vik’s operating chair. He leaned forward, his back bowed, arms resting on his knees, head hanging. He took a deep breath and started speaking. “I’ve recently come into contact with…powerful but reclusive people. Through that, I was able to…secure an offer quite unlike any other.”

He looked up, staring at each of their eyes in turn. “It’s a several month-long contract. They want to acquire a certain amount of technology, biological samples, and design specs.”

“Seems simple enough.” Kiwi said, leaning forward. “What’s the pay like?”

“A way out.” Alex said gravely.

“Out?” Rebecca asked.

Alex waved toward the door. “Out of Night City, away, beyond the reach of Arasaka and Militech, from any and all Megacorps. A literal chance at ‘happily ever after,’ actual freedom. For me, and as many of you as are willing to throw your lot in with me.”

Kiwi crossed her arms and grunted. “Bullshit.”

Lucy nodded. “Al, this sounds too good to be true.”

Alex nodded. “I know, but I was shown proof. I fully, unreservedly believe it. I know they aren’t lying, so long as we work with them, we have an out.”

“What’s the proof, and where would we even be going? Myanmar?” Kiwi asked.

“I can’t say.”

Lucy scowled. “What do you mean you can’t say?”

Alex sighed. “I had to fight hard for the concession to even tell you this much. I cannot go into further detail, or we all lose the opportunity.”

“I don’t like this.” Kiwi said, tapping her index finger on her bicep. “It sounds like you’re getting swindled and dragging us all in behind you.”

Alex turned and looked Kiwi dead in the eye, his stare intense, but crucially, not hostile. “Kiwi, I know I made my share of mistakes when I started acting as the de facto leader of our crew. But tell me honestly, have I ever steered you wrong?”

Kiwi held his stare and answered. “No.”

“Have I ever swindled you, or allowed anyone who wronged us or shortchanged us to get away scot free?”

Kiwi tapped her bicep several times before answering. “No.”

“Have I allowed any client, Fixer backed or otherwise, to trick us in a way we couldn’t recover from?”

Kiwi was finally unable to hold his stare, she looked away and answered, almost petulantly. “No.”

Alex hopped off the operating chair, walked over to Kiwi, sat on his haunches and reached up to lay his organic hand on Kiwi’s shoulder, squeezing gently. “Please Kiwi. This is something I’ve always wanted. A chance at a genuinely better life. Away from the fucking Corpos, away from fucking Night City, away from…from all of this. And I want that for you too.” He glanced around, meeting the eyes of everyone in the crew. “For all of you. So please, I beg you, trust me on this one.”

Kiwi closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Never trust a soul in Night City, Al.”

Alex barked a laugh. “But I trust you Kiwi. So I guess I’m just a smooth-brained idiot.” He sobered and met the eyes of everyone in turn. “So…is anyone with me?”

“Sure, sign me up.” Rebecca said immediately.

Lucy turned to the gun toting gremlin with surprise. “I thought you liked it here?”

Rebecca shrugged. “Eh, I can take it or leave it. I just wanna go wherever Al goes.”

“Thanks ‘Becca.” Alex said with a soft smile.

Rebecca blew a raspberry at him. “Wha? Don’t get all mushy on me man! We chooms!”

Vik cleared his throat. “Why am I included in this meeting? I’m not on your crew, Al.”

Alex turned to Vik with a grin on his face. “You seriously think I’d fuck off to my ‘happily ever after’ and leave you in this shithole? You’ve done far too much for me to do you dirty like that old man.”

Viktor scoffed. “I’m perfectly fine where I am, I don’t need handouts.”

Alex stood and walked over to the old Ripper. “Vik…I’ve seen it.” He said gravely.

“Seen it?”

Alex nodded. “They won’t keep taking no for an answer forever, Vik. Eventually they’ll force your hand. Make you an offer you can’t refuse, no matter how much you want to.”

Viktor paled, then muttered angrily. “That was private correspondence.”

Alex sighed. “I didn’t see it on your terminal, Vik. Did a job against…them, a while back. Ran into the ‘correspondence’ while downloading the mission objective.”

Viktor kept up the glare for a few seconds longer before sighing and deflating. “Yeah, guess I can’t blame you too much for that, can I?”

“Sorry.” Alex said. “So…you in?”

“I’ll…I’ll think about it, kid.” He answered.

Alex turned to Lucy, longing in his eyes, but he didn’t demand an answer.

She gave it due consideration, but really, what else could possibly be her answer?

“Yeah, I’m in.” Lucy said with a nod, reveling in the relief and exultation she saw in his eyes.

“Well, I won’t be joining y’all on this great flight.” Falco said with his usual casual drawl. “I like the excitement a little too much to just ride off into the sunset. But I’ll stay with y’all till the job’s over, boss, I owe ya that much.”

Alex nodded. “I understand, but if you change your mind, the offer will remain open until we depart.”

Falco tipped an imaginary hat. “Aye aye, ‘preciate it.”

Alex turned to Kiwi. “Kiwi?”

Lucy’s friend and mentor remained quiet, but fidgeted under Alex’s intense, if earnest stare. “I…I don’t like this, Al but…fuck it, do what you want.”

Alex knelt in front of Kiwi and took her hand in his. “I need to hear you say it, Kiwi. I need to know that you’re coming with us. You’ve done too much for me and Lucy; I don’t think I’ll ever forgive myself if I leave you behind. Are you with me, Kiwi?”

Kiwi stared back, her lack of a face doing nothing to conceal the turmoil she felt. “How can I trust this mysterious benefactor?”

Alex shook his head. “I’m not asking you to trust some random person, Kiwi. I’m asking you to trust me. You know me.” He smirked. “And hey, if I’m wrong, and I really am getting played? You literally get to tell me ‘I told you so’ for the rest of our lives!”

Kiwi scowled. “Are you coming onto me?”

Alex snorted. “Sorry Kiwi, I’m taken. But I’ll remind you that even if you join a different crew, you have my contact info and you’re a much better Netrunner than me. You can literally hack my accounts and plaster ‘I told you so’ all over my AR display and there’s little I’ll be able to do about it.”

Kiwi snorted. “You make a fantastic argument.”

“Of course I do, I’m me.” He said with a smile, then sobered and stepped back. “We need to keep this confidential. We’ll continue to take jobs as needed, but the main effort will be towards the secret client. Prepare anyone you want to bring with you, but it would be for the best not to explain why, our best defense is going to be secrecy. Anyone who doesn’t need to know, doesn’t learn of it.”

Rebecca shrugged. “Eh, I don’t really have anyone I’d bring with me to a happily ever after so, whatever.”

Kiwi made a clicking noise. And Lucy found herself agreeing. She didn’t exactly have anyone outside this room she considered herself close to.

“Wow, so, only me with my mom and brother? Way to make me feel like an asshole.” Alex muttered.

Vik sighed. “Don’t be a baby, kid. Alright, I’ll go talk to Misty. Give her the bare bones.”

As Vik stood to leave, Falco fell into step behind him. “I’ve got stuff to go take care of for the family, gimme a holler whenever y’all need a driver, boss.”

“Right.” Alex said, and turned to look at Kiwi, Rebecca, and Lucy. “Meeting’s over, I guess. Thanks for…everything, you know? I’ll get in contact with you lot with a list of the things we’ll need to acquire. Kiwi, I know you have your reasons not to get a faceplate, I respect them, and I respect you too much to ask what they are. But I’d suggest at least getting one you can put on and take off. Trust me, where we’re going, it would be a sin to be stuck sucking down nutrient gruel.”

Kiwi tilted her head, then spoke as she left. “Alright, but you’re installing it and the socket. Free of charge.”

Alex gave her a lazy salute. “Aye aye.”

Rebecca jumped to her feet. “Alright, imma go buy some ammo, then dump it into some trash. Lemme know when it’s time to shoot shit.”

“Will do.” Alex said and bumped his metal fist against Rebecca’s as she stepped past him.

Lucy scratched the back of her head, the hard edge where bone ended and metal began itching as she searched for the right words. “Hey Al, uhh, can I talk to you?”

Alex stopped on his way to the workbench. “Of course Lucy, what’s up?”

Lucy sighed. “Right so uhh…my cyber-ware malfunctioned. Umm…I’m pregnant and—”

Lucy cut off as Alex’s eyes sharpened and pinned her in place, robbing her of her breath. He stared at her, unblinking, for an interminable time, her heart racing as she found herself held captive by his gaze.

Suddenly he marched past her with the same determined gait he used when he went off to kill Scavs.

Now that she wasn’t pinned in place by his eyes, she was able to take a deep breath and gasp out. “Alex, what…where are you going?”

He stopped at the door and turned to her. “I’m going to the store.”

Lucy blinked. The store? “Why?”

“I need to buy baby clothes.”

Lucy froze.

He…He needed to buy baby clothes?

“Two sets, one blue one pink.” He continued.

“N-No wai—”

“We can’t trust baby formula, there are too many additives.”

“Al, wait.”

He had not stopped speaking. “—break into Biotechnica and steal the DNA samples to clone fruits and vegetables, we’ll need a comprehensive sampling; carrots, bananas, apples, peas, peaches, mangos, sweet potatoes, maybe butternut squash if we’re lucky.”

“Wait, Al, please.”

“I will need to buy the materials to build a crib, corpos skimp on material quality, much better to buy quality materials myself and make it by hand.”

“ALEX!” Lucy shouted, taking hold of his cheeks and failing to turn his head to look at her.

Still, shouting did the trick. He turned to look at her, and while the intensity of his stare did not lessen, she was ready for it now. “Yeah?”

Lucy opened her mouth to inform him that she was going to terminate the pregnancy, and was only letting him know that they would have to wait for a while before they could be intimate again, seeing as to not only was she going to be a hormonal mess, she’d also need to heal from replacing the cyber-ware in her pubic region.

The pregnancy had been caused by a software issue, so she was going to deal with it. Everything else about her cyber-ware in that region of her body was working as normal. But better to get an upgrade since she was getting rid of the pregnancy anyway.

But…but Lucy found that she couldn’t. She’d known Alex long enough to know he was…awkward at times, but any time he got this focused on something it was due to enthusiasm. And she could feel him all but vibrating in excitement.

If she were to tell him her original plan…it would break his heart.

So, what came out of her mouth instead was. “Raiding Biotechnica for fruit DNA samples is going too far. You are not doing that.”

As Alex began to protest and Lucy likewise began the arduous process of changing his mind, she spotted Apex doing a weird spidery dance out of her corner of her eye.