Gearbound: Cyberpunk 2077

Both of them thought there'd be a big fight.

Yet they made it all the way into Santo Domingo without incident.

Jackie patted his man-bun and laughed. "Didn't expect things to go this smoothly. I was sure we'd have ourselves a thrilling chase."

"Keep that excitement for a braindance. We don't need it in reality."

Leo breathed a sigh of relief.

This was his first time delivering cargo.

He had no idea if, when McCoy and the others did this job, the border guards would ask so many questions.

Either way, he couldn't shake the bad feeling that customs guy gave him.

The whole way, he kept his weapon in hand. Jackie was also on edge, foot never lifting from the accelerator.

Thankfully, the ride was uneventful.

Night City is divided into several districts.

Jackie lives in Heywood.

Coming into the city from the south, you have to pass either through the Pacifica district or Santo Domingo to reach Heywood.

Distance-wise, Pacifica is closer.

But Jackie would rather go the long way through Santo Domingo than take the shortcut.

"Why?"

"That place is like a war zone—gunfights every day, people die every hour, even the NCPD won't go there."

"Doesn't the mayor do something about it? What about the military?"

"There's no military in Night City. As for the mayor, he's not exactly ignoring it."

"How is he handling it, then?"

"He basically cut Pacifica out of Night City and declared that it's no longer part of the city. Doing that slashed the gun violence and murder rate on the official record and earned him plenty of votes."

Leo was speechless.

He figured he'd never understand how a politician's mind worked.

"It's not that much farther out of the way. We'll get there soon enough—don't worry. Santo Domingo's a lot safer than Pacifica. Nothing's gonna—"

Before Jackie could finish, a Galena sedan sped right past their SUV.

Right behind it were two black SUVs full of muscle-bound thugs, chasing at high speed.

The SUVs were painted with the Animals gang symbol.

"This is your idea of 'safer'?"

Jackie looked a bit embarrassed. "Maybe they're off to some turf war. Don't worry, they won't start shooting on a highway—"

He didn't even finish his sentence before rapid gunfire ripped through the air.

The Animals in the black SUVs didn't care where they were; they pulled out a light machine gun and opened fire at the Galena.

Bullets tore through the Galena, leaving it riddled with holes, but somehow the sedan seemed fine.

As soon as the machine gun's ammo belt ran dry, a twin-tailed girl popped up through the Galena's sunroof.

She had a bright, flashy kinetic shotgun in her hands and immediately blew one of the black SUVs to bits.

The other SUV swerved around to the side of the Galena. The Galena pulled a breathtaking drift, pinning the SUV against the highway guardrail.

Sparks flew where metal scraped against metal.

Then an arm emerged from the Galena's window. It transformed, revealing a thick barrel.

In the next instant, the SUV's driver seat exploded in a bloody mess.

With no driver, the SUV flipped and rolled several times, scattering debris everywhere.

It was a wreck.

Luckily, besides those combatants, only Jackie and Leo were on that highway. As soon as the shooting started, Jackie—well-seasoned—slammed the brakes and reversed to a safe distance.

They only started moving again after the firefight ended and the Galena was gone.

"Looks like it's over," Jackie said, staring at the distant Galena. "The driver had a projectile launcher built into their arm."

Leo noticed Jackie's look of envy. "That expensive?"

"Depends on the model. The newest, most powerful ones cost a fortune. That one seemed old—maybe two versions behind."

"So a brazen shootout on a highway…aren't the NCPD gonna show up?"

"This is Santo Domingo, not City Center, Charter Hill, or North Oak—places loaded with police. In Night City, you can save on anything except weapons and cyberware. Those two things will keep you alive… You should see your face. Relax—soon enough, you won't be so tense."

"You mean the city's getting safer?"

"I mean you'll get used to it."

---

Jackie's place was in The Glen, Heywood—a district administered by City Hall.

It was wealthy and clean, with little crime. Quiet parks sit alongside elegant skyscrapers.

But that peaceful scene only holds for the northern part of The Glen, near City Hall. Head south, and things get worse.

Buildings were uglier and more rundown, a hotbed of crime and poverty. The Valentinos and the 6th Street Gang often clash violently over turf.

…

Jackie pulled the car up in front of a garage.

"This is where I live. But first, how about we grab something to eat and a shower? Sound good?"

Leo had no objections.

Not far from the garage was the El Coyote Cojo bar, run by Jackie's mother, Mrs. Welles.

On the back door, written in Spanish, English, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean, was a bold warning aimed at any troublemaking punks with more guts than brains:

*"It takes the cops about ten minutes to get here, but I only need a fraction of a second to put a bullet in you. Kindly think twice before doing anything stupid."*

Just from that sign, you could tell Mrs. Welle's personality: bold and tough.

It was already late, and even the bar was closing up.

Inside, two people were tidying.

"Pepe, you head home first. I can finish the rest on my own."

"All right. Good night, Mrs. Welles."

The bartender, Pepe, left through the front door.

Mrs. Welles noticed Jackie come in through the back with a young man. She immediately paused her cleaning and frowned. "Jackie, why are you home so late again?"

"Work, Ma—just work."

"That doesn't mean you should stay out all night. Do you have any idea how worried I get?"

"¡Virgen santísimo, ma! Give it a rest. See? I'm fine. Perfectly okay."

Noting his mom was about to say more, Jackie quickly nudged Leo forward.

"Hey, let me introduce you. This is Leo. Leo, this is my mom. You can call her Mrs. Welles."

"Good evening, Mrs. Welles."

Mrs. Welles knew exactly what her son was up to, so she shot him a glare. Then she smiled, shook Leo's hand, and said, "You two look like you've been through a lot. Go get cleaned up, and I'll fix you something to eat."

Leo thanked her and went upstairs to the bathroom.

When he came back down, Jackie and Mrs. Welles were sitting around a table with a few burritos.

"There you are, Leo—come try my mom's cooking."

Leo sat down. "Aren't you gonna shower first?"

"No rush. Gotta fill the tank."

Mrs. Welles stood up. "You want anything to drink, Leo?"

"Got any cola? If not, water's fine."

"Ma, bring me a ginger beer while you're at it."

"Look at you. Then look at him. It's late—you really think your body can handle more alcohol?"

Jackie let out a sheepish chuckle and didn't argue.

Still, Mrs. Welles brought him a drink—though it was barely an inch high, more like a set of thick glasses than an actual beer.

"Alright, you two enjoy. I'm off to bed."

"'Night, Ma."

"Goodnight, Mrs. Welles."

Jackie leaned back, patting his stomach. "So? How do you like my mom's cooking? Closest thing to a real burrito you'll get in Night City. Ain't easy finding real meat these days—most folks gotta settle for SCOP or some chromed-up kibble."

Leo took another bite, the warmth of the spices lingering. "It's amazing," he said, meaning it. He'd spent 6 months choking down ration bars and prepak with the Bakkers, never expecting to taste something like this. Real flavors. Real care.

Jackie chuckled. "Told you, man. My mom doesn't half-ass a meal."

Leo nodded, glancing around the cozy kitchen. It felt... good. This meal was setting a good precedent for life in Night City.

They ate their fill. After Jackie showered, he and Leo headed back to the garage.

There were two rooms: the outer one served as garage and gym, walls plastered with pin-up posters.

The inner room was where Jackie slept, furnished only with a couch instead of a bed.

Generously, Jackie let Leo take the couch while he slept on the floor.