24I wasn't expecting much when I clicked onto Cyberpunk: Edgerunners one night while looking for something to watch. I was not expecting to fall in love with the characters, mainly David and Lucy.
I liked it so much I couldn't watch the last episode - getting the end from clips and breakdowns - because I absolutely did NOT want to see David and Lucy fall apart. Even the fight with Adam Smasher wasn't worth seeing them separated.
I wanted a story about them surviving Night City. I found a few good ones on FF and ArchiveOOO, ones with some really cool premises.
I Wanted to get in on the action, So I wanted to involve them in something more supernatural. So I went with this Premise: what if David became the next Wildcard, like many before him. this is that story. Enjoy!
In the Domain of an immortal guide, in a realm between mind and matter, a creature that resembles a man sits at his wooden desk. He's a short man with pale skin and a long nose, dressed in a fine black suit. He's the spitting image of a fine gentleman, or a demon in the guise of one. Either way, he sits at his desk, reviewing a set of tarot Cards.
He was currently gazing at the world of Cyberpunk, and… has opinions about said world. Too many.
He lets out a sigh, and speaks in his high pitched voice. "Well, Humans have had quite a couple of years in this world, especially compared to the last few Millenia. The larger nations in the west have fallen apart. Millions travel the lands as nomads, scrounging a life for themselves in the open road and from the ruins of the old world. As for many cities…" He gazes to his right, looking to a city known as the city of Dreams. "Well, they're not much better. The power divide is immense; those with power suffer and struggle to keep until they die, while those without it suffer in search of any semblence of power. Either way, both lack any motivation beyond basic survival and self interest. They do not live, they just exist, they survive. Some manage to find a semblance of happiness, but they are few and far in between."
The guide shuffled the tarot cards once more. "Honestly I fail to see any future for humans in this world. Their self interest has gone too far in many cases. Some might blame it on the growth of cyberware, leading to the loss of the natural human form, but that, I think, is a faulty claim. Humanity has lost a part of itself, but not from its form but its soul. The soul to move forward, to unite people, to bring hope. This soul of humanity has been corrupted far more in the last few decades than ever before in human history."
"Now, some divine beings may be of the opinion to be done with them and start anew; wipe the slate clean, Burn the fields to replant, whatever turn of phrase you want to use, the plan is the same: humanity would die. Or, at least most of them. They've had their chance, and failed. They're not worth the effort. They're not worth our effort. And to that I must say…" The Gentleman grabs his tarot cards and slams them down on his desk.
"To. Hell. With. That. It's all a load of nonsense if there ever was one. As long as there's at least one person who wants to better the world, to bring hope to the hopeless, to offer food to the hungry, to shelter the homeless or to bring people together, Humanity has a chance to change course, no matter how dire that chance is. And believe me, for this world, it is very dire." He took out one of the tarot cards and twirled it in his hand. "If the chance of success is slim, then perhaps, those of a more divine nature, can… tip the scales in their favor. I've never been a fan of a rigged game, but here, I and my attendants have been given permission to… even the scales, ultimately in humanity's favor."
He placed the card on the table; on it was a picture of a vagabond in rags in the upright position. "For this game to start, just as it has been played many times before with other players or worlds, we need the fool, one who goes on a journey. This person will develop many bonds along their way, most of them allies but enemies can form bonds with them as well. Many people can qualify, but for this journey we seek one with high, untapped, positive, potential."
He drew a second card and set it next to the fool card; it depicts a skeleton riding a horse wielding a scythe, surrounded by corpses. The card was in the upright position. "Death, a concept shared by all living beings. In this case, it doesn't refer to the fool's physical end. Here it is a representation of a spiritual death, a profound change to one's own being. They acknowledge some aspect of themselves, come to a conclusion, and change, often for the better. Which leads to our final card for this reading…"
He drew a third and final card, and placed it next to the death card. It depicted a naked woman holding two spears, and standing upon planet earth. "The world. It is the final card of the typical 21 major Arcanas. It is the end of a cycle of life, but one that will begin again. Like the cycle of seasons, or months in a year, or the rising and setting of the sun and moon, Life continues. Always. It finds a way to exist, with or without humanity. In the upright position, the world is a sign of achievement, of succeeding a goal set. It also represents the infinite possibilities of what could be."
The Elder looks to the city once more; specifically, he gazes to a small apartment where a small date ends with a deadly confrontation. "I suppose I should prepare for the Fool's arrival; it would not do for him to die before his journey can begin in earnest." He snapped his fingers and summoned a data shard, a chip used for basic data transfers. He coated it in Azure fire and flicked it away; the shard floated in the air before zooming away.
"The fate of a world is about to change, hopefully for the better." The wise elder could only wait for the pieces to, hopefully, fall into place. And that his next charge would be… receptive to his offer.
Either way, the boy's future would never be the same after tonight.
_Meanwhile_
'This is not my night. Then again it rarely is.' David thought as he was dropped by the large dark skinned man in front of him. David had just told Maine and his crew that he was Gloria's son and that she died in an accident less than a day ago. Lucy, the platinum haired netrunner David ran into earlier that day, stood to the side watching. She , seemingly without a care in the world.
"Tracks why she never buzzed us back." The taller woman to Maine's right, Dorio, said with a frown.
Maine huffed. "Condolenses kid. That's tough, but still… Don't think for a second that makes things free'n 'easy for you."
David stared back at Maine. "Listen. I had no idea it was yours."
The lanky armed dude to Maine's left spoke up. "Yeah, I'member bein a squirt, chippin all the mil-specchrome my ma left lyin' around. Good times, good times. Christ, this twerp clearly got a screw loose."
"Back off." Doria said. "He didn't know what he was doing." Maine huffed, and kept glaring at David.
David looked between the three of them. "So you guys… are cyberpunks aren't you?"
Maine brought his shades down to look David dead in the eye. "What's it to ya?"
David straightened up from where he was sitting on the floor. He realized there was only one way out of this situation without getting offed by Maine and his crew. "Let me keep the Sandy. Can't pay you back just now but I'll work it off. One gig at a time, as long as it takes."
"Not good enough." Maine growled. "Shit's military grade. Can't just buy it off the shelf."
"Whatever you paid my mom, I'll get it back." David shot back.
"No deal." Main countered, and tightened his hold on his gun.
"I said no murder." Lucy chimed in. David wanted to believe she said that for his sake, but he knew better. The whole brain dance was likely a set up to keep him occupied while Maine and the others got to the apartment.
"Come on! At least give me a chance!" David pleaded.
Maine grunted. "Now that's funny. I look like I run a preschool to ya?"
"I'll fire up the Sandevistan." David claimed.
"Bullshit." Pilar but in. "Toddler like you can't boot it up without keelin over."
"This toddler's full of surprises." Lucy spoke up.
The three on the couch gave a 'Hmm?' in response, but Pilar denied it. "No way. Body his size'd sizzle up after two hits."
David grinned. "Try eight, no sizzle." The three turned to David.
"Come on!" Pilar said. "That's a load of bunk and we all know it."
"Yeah?" David said as he stood up. "Okay. Then how about I prove it?"
"Woah." Maine said as he, Dorio and Pilar drew their guns and leveled them at David. "Plant your scrawny ass back down."
"Yo! Chill out. Just gonna klep his cig real quick." 'This was it, make or break. And I ain't breaking today.' He revved up the Sandy… "Nothing up my sleeve…'' Before he could move, a speck of blue light flew under the door and dove straight for him. Everyone stared as a data shard coated in blue fire, zipped past them and slipped into David's neck. The force of it knocked him back into the couch.
"The hell was dat." Pilar asked, as David shook his head. Pilar nearly pulled the trigger, but Maine stopped him. They calmed down to assess.
"Don't know." the big man said. "Lucy, check him. I wanta make sure the Sandy's still good for me."
Lucy sighed. "Can do." She sat down next to David and moved to check his neck. When she reached for his neck, blue fire shot out from his neck and back. Lucy hissed as the fire lightly singed her hand. David rubbed his eyes and stood back up on shaking legs.
"Da hell was that?" he asked.
"That's what we'd like to know brat." Maine said. "Know anything you want to share?"
"I aint got a clue any more than you do." David said. "Probably meant nothin."
"..." Maine just stared David down. "You wanna bet your life on that, punk?" he tapped his gun.
David kept calm, and after a moment replied, "...Might as well. Risking everything on this. If I can use it well, you give me a shot. If I keel over or pass out, you can just kill me. Either way, you get the Sandevistan on your crew; only difference is if I join or die."
Maine mulled it over, then nodded. "…Fine. You prove that you can handle it, and I'll give you a chance to join. I owed Gloria that much."
David grinned. This was it, make or break. He activated the Sandevistan.
That's when everything he saw went up in flames. Literally.
As soon as he triggered it, blue sparks started to come from his back; they ignited into azure flames a second later. He didn't have time to even scream as flames engulfed him. Lucy and the Pilar jumped away, the latter screaming and cursing. Maine and Dorio moved back as well, but also started firing their guns at the flames where David was. The bullets seemed to burn up from the heat doing little to no damage.
As quickly and wild as the flames were, they fizzled away seconds later. Where David once stood lay ashes and the smell of heat and sulfur in the air. The four of them just stared at the spot David used to be in utter, bewildered silence… for a few seconds until Pilar opened his mouth.
"Holy fucking SHIT! What they actual backwards slagging fuck was THAT?!" Pilar yelled, now hiding behind the couch.
Maine scowled. "Dorio, search the area. We ain't letting that brat ditch with my chrome." Dorio nodded and ducked out of the apportment. "Lucy, did you snag a tracker onto the kid?"
"Didn't think I'd need to. Wasn't expecting…" Lucy gestured to the couch where David was, now littered with ash. "...This."
"Well, fuckin shiiiiiit." Pilar scratched his head. "I knew the kid was nuts, I called it cause I knew he was mad nuts. But suicide by hellfire… Oh boy, I should start prayin, cause this crap is cursed to hell and back."
"Uh uh. No WAY, I don't buy it." Maine ranted. "I don't think for a second that this was some death by hellfire, or any death at ALL. Kid was too confident that that would work, too sure that he'd be fine." He clenched his fist, hopin to strangle the would-be runner brat. "Not sure how he set it up, but he staged that lightshow to bail."
"Well however he gave us the slip…" Dorio spoke as she entered the apartment. "There's no trace of him. Maybe he got some support or backup to arrange an exit."
"I did a sweep as well, no dice." Lucy said. "Kids just gone. Don't know how he pulled the fireworks, but either way he made damn good use of it to get lost. Dumb luck really."
Maine rounded on her. "...you mean how you just, conveniently, forgot to put a tracer on him when you had the chance? That kinda DUMB luck?"
Lucy raised an eyebrow. "The hell's that supposed to mean?"
"It MEANS…" Maine loomed over her now. "How do I know you didn't set this up and help the brat delta?"
"...Are you fucking serious?" She seethed, when his words registered in her mind. "I called it in when I found him, clipped with your precious Sandy. Now that he bolted you're trying to pin this on me? Fuck you Maine! You know I don't screw people unless they screw me first."
"..." Maine stayed silent, still glaring at Lucy. She returned it with her own stare, cold as ice. He broke contact first. "Fine, maybe you didn't help him delta, then it had to do with that freakin, whatever it was, that zipped into him."
"...Are we done?"
Maine huffed. "Yeah, we done here." He, Dorio and Pilar left the apartment. He called the rest of the crew -Kiwi, Falco and Becca- to be on the lookout for the runner. One way or another, he'd catch the runt and get back what's his.
_Later_
Maine, Dorio, and Pilar finally left her apartment, presumably to go home for the night. Lucy also figured that Maine, too angry to think at the moment, would try to search the city on his own for David. 'With any Luck, Dorio can smack some sense into the gonk.' She was still pissed that Maine accused her of helping David delta them, Even if he backtracked pretty fast. She wasn't even sure how the gonk did it.
She wasn't sure why she bothered to show him the brain dance either. She's never shared it with anyone, not even Kiwi, her mentor and the person who brought her onto Maine's crew to start with.
Lucy looked out her window to the bright lights of Night City. She always heard that it was described as the City of dreams, a bright, hopeful title drawing people in. She knew better; it was a city where Dreams were broken, people were torn apart, and remained in until they died. It was a prison. She wanted out of it.
She didn't know that a demon wanted to change that, and had taken the first steps to healing their world, starting with their cesspool of a city of dreams, and a young man who may otherwise die on the edge.
Lots of Persona Fanfics feature a protagonist who goes on Metaverse Adventures. I wanna explore how David would act if given that power. Expect action, angst, drama, laughs and tears.
This is the third Project I have, and the first with a double chapter. I have some more stuff written, but will post when possible. I wanna try to get 2-3 posts a month, maybe more. Can't make promises for when.
I also indulged my inner world builder when writing this one. The story is set in the Canon Cyberpunk world, but I'm taking liberties in what characters I use. I basically adapted dozens of characters from other anime into the City's history. Don't be surprised if I use other characters from other anime series.