Cyberpunk 2077 – Cyber Dogs

Somewhere in Santo Domingo, daytime 

A ragtag crowd of thirty thrashing bodies reveled in the dust and heat — drinking hard, dancing wild, and firing their guns off into the sky like it was some twisted celebration. 

"Hell yeah, that'll teach those filthy Valentinos!" shouted one, slamming his bottle down on a cracked barrel. 

"Ha! We took out at least fourteen of their scumbags last night," another roared with a wide grin, cigarette dangling from his lips. 

They were the infamous 6th Street gang — patriots in their own violent way, draped in worn flags and swaggering like they owned Night City. They fancied themselves judges and executioners, self-appointed guardians of "justice." 

"Raise your bottles, boys! Tonight, we made Night City a little safer. To justice!" the gang boss bellowed, standing atop a makeshift platform. 

"To justice!" came the raucous reply from thirty voices, clashing glasses and gulping back cheap booze before the party kicked into overdrive again. 

Suddenly, a lookout burst through the crowd, breathless. 

"Boss, we caught someone snooping around our turf." 

"Really? How many?" the boss demanded, narrowing his eyes. 

"Just one. We checked the perimeter—no one else." 

"Bring him here." 

The throng parted uneasily as three gangsters dragged a lone figure into the light. 

"So this is the rat?" the boss sneered, eyes flicking over me. 

"Yeah," another confirmed, rubbing a swollen nose. 

"Wait—why the hell does one of my men have a broken nose?" 

"Because he clocked me with his pistol," I said, smirking. "Honestly, it was kind of funny. The guy was screaming bloody murder while I snapped his nose like a twig. And seeing the rest of your boys pointing guns at me? Priceless." 

The boss's glare turned deadly. "Who the fuck are you?" 

"Oh, right. Name's 8. Mercenary for hire. I'm here to take down that cowboy-hatted psycho over there with the brown jacket, that chick with the goggles puffing on a cigarette, this guy with the busted nose... and you, all for a client who wants some real justice." 

The boss laughed, harsh and bitter. "We are the 6th Street gang. We are justice. Did the Valentinos hire you?" 

"Nope. You guys slaughtered fourteen Valentinos, left one alive to spread the word. That guy? Not a gang member—just a kid. Innocent. Wearing a gold necklace. His family hired us to bring your sorry asses down." 

The boss scoffed. "So what if he's innocent? Wearing a gold necklace means he was gonna join the gang someday. My boys just cut off a future threat to society." 

"You assaulted an innocent kid. By your own words, you're a threat to society. Which means I'm about to beat the living shit out of you. And don't bother begging—justice doesn't take breaks." 

The boss stood, drew a pistol, and pointed it at me. His crew mirrored his move in a well-rehearsed show of force. 

"You're an idiot talking tough while surrounded. Maybe I should tie you up and turn you into a punching bag until you're dead." 

"Not a bad idea. When I take you in, I'll recommend they hang you like a piñata—beat you to death for the city's entertainment." 

The boss lunged. 

Punch. 

He crumpled, clutching his face, then collapsed unconscious on the dirt. 

Shock rippled through the gang. No one had expected someone to punch their boss right in front of them — especially not when he was surrounded. 

"You son of a—" 

Bang. 

A bullet tore through the back of the someone's head, fired by one of his own men. 

"What the fuck?!" 

Smash. 

Two more gangsters dropped as their heads were smashed together by unseen hands. 

"Traitors? No—they're not one of us." 

They weren't. They were V and Jackie, disguised in 6th Street colors. Easy to blend in when everyone was drunk and distracted. 

"We're under attack! Everyone, shoot—" 

His warning was cut short as his head was cleanly sliced off. 

"Oh shit, shit!" 

"Grrrrrrr." 

A dog appeared, katana clenched in its jaws. 

"Shoot, shoot!" 

In a blink, Lola's blade severed another head. 

Panic exploded. The gangmates didn't know who else was a traitor among them, and chaos swallowed the place. They killed each other in confusion, except for the four of us who'd come for justice. 

Time passed. 

"They're all tied up. Found anything useful?" I asked Jackie and V as we rifled through pockets and bags. 

"Not much. At least three decent guns, but the rest are just common junk," V said. 

"And a ton of cheap booze and fireworks. What a waste of money," Jackie added with a sneer. 

"Bring the fireworks. We can have some fun—or use them to distract enemies later." 

We finished looting valuables when the rumble of cars cut through the night. Weapons ready, we braced for whatever was coming. 

The cars rolled up. Relief hit — the Valentinos. 

"What are they doing here?" Jackie muttered. 

"Guess they came to avenge their losses," I said. 

"They took their sweet time. Too late now," V replied coolly. 

woof [slow] 

Thanks to the Focus implant, Lola could communicate. She could speak one sentence at a time, either out loud or silently through messages—a useful skill for infiltration and keeping tabs. 

Twenty Valentinos poured out of their cars. One approached me—probably their leader. 

"Thanks for handling those scum. Did El Padre send you?" 

"Yeah. But the mission was to get the gang who hurt the boy. Didn't go as planned." 

He nodded solemnly. 

"Who the hell are you?" 

A young Valentino, maybe in his twenties, demanded. 

I glanced at the leader. 

"New guy," he said. 

I looked back at the kid. 

"We're the Cyber Dogs—a mercenary group." 

"Never heard of you." 

"We announced ourselves a month ago. Anyway, our job here's done. We're out." 

"Hey, I'm not done talking." 

The leader smacked the kid on the back of his head. 

"Shut up, or you'll unleash the Mad Dogs." 

I rolled my eyes and climbed into the car. 

Inside, Jackie grinned. 

"Mad Dogs," she chuckled. 

Our mercenary name's Cyber Dogs. But people know us better by our other name—Mad Dogs. How did we get that nickname? It's how we take out murderers and rapists without mercy. 

(Hi, it's me, the author. Thanks to everyone who voted for 'Cyber Dogs.' Someone voted for 'Mad Hearts,' which came second. I got greedy and kept the "Mad" from 'Mad Hearts' for the nickname.) 

"It's your fault we got stuck with that name," V teased. 

"Hey! I said I wouldn't show mercy to those who don't value life." 

woof [kill] 

"Thanks, Lola. I know I can count on you." 

"I still have nightmares about what you did to those bastards," Jackie said quietly. 

Flashback 

The job was to rescue kidnapped girls from three scumbags. Thanks to the system, tracking them was easy—just input a bit of info, and the system highlighted their location immediately. 

We were inside a grim basement, next to a furnace where the bastards cremated victims. The three rapists were tied up, helpless. 

"I called El Padre to send someone to pick up the girls. Should take about thirty minutes," Jackie said. 

"Okay, V, how're the girls doing?" 

"Their bruises are bad. One has a dislocated arm. Physically, they'll heal, but mentally…" V's voice faltered. 

One of the bastards sneered at V. 

"Hey, sexy. Why don't you take off your pants and satisfy me?" 

I stalked over to the furnace, eyes burning. 

"You disgust me. How dare you talk to her like that? Taking advantage of innocent girls." 

The bastard laughed. 

"Shut up, bitch. You're just a meat hole born to serve men like us." 

V clenched fists, ready to explode. 

"That's enough," I said. "I don't see you as an enemy anymore. Just a meat hole for this." 

I turned, holding a red-hot metal pipe. 

"Lola!" 

"Woof." [Yes.] 

Lola injected the bastard with a healing serum. 

"What the fuck?! Put me down! Hey, why are you pulling down my pants?!" 

"The medicine makes sure you won't die easily. Lasts about thirty minutes," I said calmly. 

I hoisted him in the air, exposing him. 

"Wait! No! Please, don't! I'm sorry!" 

"Meat holes don't get mercy." 

I shoved the pipe straight in. 

"Aaaaaaaaah!" 

Flashback end 

"I clenched my ass so hard I swear I could've ripped my pants," Jackie groaned, shaking his head. 

"Well, he asked for it. Same with the other two scumbags. After seeing what I did, they shit themselves," I said with a grin. 

Woof [funny] 

Jackie shot me a sideways glance. "You're teaching Lola dangerous things, 8." 

"Nope. I'm teaching her life lessons. Isn't that right, V?" 

V didn't answer. She just kept staring out the window, quiet and distant. 

"V? Hey, you listening?" I prodded. 

"Huh? What? Did you say something?" 

Jackie leaned forward, concerned. "What's on your mind, V? You can talk to us if you want." 

V hesitated, then said softly, "It's nothing serious. I'm just thinking that..." 

"Yeah?" I encouraged. 

"That I think I'm ready to get a cyberware implant." 

Jackie's eyes lit up. "Are you serious? Hell yeah!" 

"Woo! Let's celebrate! Let's use the fireworks!" I cheered. 

Jackie's face twisted in disbelief. "Hey! You're not lighting fireworks inside the car, are you? Are you crazy?" 

V gave me a sharp look. "Lola, stop him." 

"You won't stop me," I grinned as I twisted the ignition. 

The car started weaving left and right. 

Some time later, after dropping off the four gangs to our client, we headed straight to Vik's clinic. 

"Vik, I'm ready. Hit me with that chrome," V said, determination clear in her voice. 

"Finally, kid. I was worried you'd take forever to accept any cyberware," Vik chuckled, pulling out a tray of shiny tech. 

"Today's the day. 8, bring me the cyberware." 

"Coming right up. One powerful Sandevistan, hot off the mod bench." 

"Oh boy, what does it do? Like Jackie's Gorilla Arm? Able to pick up cars without needing full body cyberware?" 

Jackie's gorilla arm can lift cars, which shouldn't be possible without cyberware on the legs or spine. But thanks to mods it is possible, in-game you can pick up and throw almost anything — even cars — for ridiculous distances." 

"Good thing you're doing this in a remote spot. People might think Jackie's in cyberpsychosis otherwise," Vik said, shaking her head. 

"More like a rampaging gorilla," I joked. 

"Hey! I'm here, damn it!" Jackie shouted. 

Vik turned serious. "Tell me about this Sandevistan you've got, 8." 

"It slows time down by 90%," I said. 

"Militech's best slows time to 85%, and that's the most powerful model available," Vik said, impressed. 

"The activation lasts 30 seconds." 

"Jesus, kid, 30 seconds? Most Sandevistans last 9 to 10 seconds tops. With something like this, you could wipe out at least ten people in one go. What about recharge time?" 

"One second." 

"Wait... can you repeat that?" 

"One second to fully recharge and activate again." 

"Kid, you're going to be the death of me, I swear." 

"You say that, but you're dying to see it in action, aren't you, Vik?" 

Vik smiled, clearly intrigued. 

"Come on, let's get that implant done," V said, steeling herself. 

"I'll be waiting at Misty's shop," Jackie said, cracking her knuckles. 

"Okay, it'll probably take an hour and a half," Vik warned. 

Time passed. Jackie and I hung out at Misty's shop playing Uno, while Lola romped around the back playing with her feline friend. 

"So, Misty, how's it going with Mama Welles?" I asked. 

"She's warming up to me, just a little. Keeps bringing food, saying I need to eat more," Misty smiled. 

"I still can't believe you convinced my mother to accept her," Jackie said, astonished. 

"Of course. I couldn't just sit there listening to Mama Welles compare Misty to your old girlfriend," I explained. 

I told Mama Welles it wasn't fair to judge Misty without really knowing her. She kept saying Jackie's ex was better, so I asked if that ex ever asked Jackie for money. She said yes. Then I told her Misty never asks Jackie for money — she's independent, owns her own shop. 

I reminded Mama Welles that love is rare in Night City; most people just care about your wallet. And that her son turns into an idiot whenever he's around Misty. 

Jackie almost choked on his beer hearing that, and that's when I unleashed my secret weapon: I told Lola to give puppy eyes and rest her head on Mama Welles's lap. 

Just like that, Mama Welles decided to give Misty a chance. 

"Thanks, 8," Misty said softly. 

"Yeah, thanks," Jackie added. 

Right after, my phone buzzed — a message from Vik saying the implant was done. I stood up and headed to the clinic. Jackie stayed behind with Misty. 

Inside Vik's clinic: 

"Take it easy, kid. You need at least two days of rest. Don't activate the cyberware yet. Here, take these painkillers," Vik said, handing over a small bottle. 

"Hey Vik. So, V, how you feeling?" I asked. 

"A little tired and hungry," V answered, rubbing her arm. 

"Kid, can you take V to her apartment?" Vik asked. 

"Of course. I already helped Jackie when he got his gorilla arms," I said. 

"You don't have to," V protested. 

"That's not an option. In the state you're in, if someone sees you alone, they'll attack," I said firmly. 

"You do have a point... okay, let's go," she agreed. 

We said our goodbyes to Vik and headed to the Megabuilding. V's apartment was on the 8th floor. As we headed to the elevator, something landed beside me — someone dropping onto a pile of trash. 

I looked at the person, stunned. 

This person shouldn't exist here, not now — David Martinez, the protagonist from Edgerunners. 

David and I locked eyes for a moment. 

"What?" he said. 

"8, come on!" 

I heard V calling. 

"Sorry, I'm coming," I said, stepping into the elevator with her. I could still see David watching us. When the elevator started moving up, he turned and disappeared. 

After dropping V off and leaving some healthy food in her fridge to make sure she had everything, I left her apartment. 

An hour passed, and I started piecing it together. David was here because of a quest mod that lets you meet Edgerunners characters. I remembered installing it, though it was buggy — no voices, unfinished. But seeing and hearing David talk? Looks like the mod fixed itself when I transmigrated. 

Could I save David's mother, Gloria? I noticed he was wearing a school uniform... 

Woof [hungry] 

"Hey Lola, where've you been?" 

Woof [friend] 

"I see. Okay, let's go home." 

Woof [happy] 

I'd tagged David just in case he was in danger, but for now, I wouldn't interfere in his life. 

End of chapter.