Afterlife (Edgerunners)

Afterlife: Old Friends.

Lucyna Kushinada-Martinez

The whole crew went out together, like in the old days.

Everyone had forgiven each other already, even Kiwi... Except, I hadn't.

Even though she was in the right, night city fucks everyone over, so fuck them over first and get out alive, I just couldn't forgive her.

What she had done to me? I can excuse it. It's the part where harming David and putting him in the cyberskeleton I cannot forgive.

The only person who also sees it this why is Rebecca, but I have a feeling she's just angry at her because of the crew betrayal as a whole.

But still, we were all together, going to the afterlife, in the afterlife.

But then, for once in his damn life... Well... 'Life', Pilar actually had a good idea.

He suggested a place that actually was nice, especially from what David told me in his youth.

The El Coyote Cojo.

And, we had finally arrived.

I was happy to be here, not even because it was new, but because of the childlike smile David had on his face.

Walking up to the front bar, David sat with me, and waited to order.

The bar was full, four to our right, with two empty seats on the left.

But my seat was David's lap, thanks to Rebecca wanting to sit with us too, and obviously, we couldn't refuse a friend.

And then, the barkeep finally walked over, and David struck up a conversation with him like he was long lost family.

"Haha! Davey! Didn't ever expect to see you here, and so young too! Especially with such a fine fuego a tu lado!"

"Señor Welles!? Did you finally bite the bullet?"

"Sí, I did, Arasaka heist no less, so, similar fates huh? But... Who are these two fine señoras?"

The man rested his arms on the counter, lifting his finger to shush the two to our right he was having a talk with.

David's hold around my waist had softly tightened.

"This is Lucy, Mi Luna, and the crazy one is Rebecca."

"Tu luna? Ha! Must mean a lot to you for her to hold such a title, and Rebecca... Nice to meet you, the both of you, I'm Jack, our familia are old friends with señora Gloria."

"Hey, Mr Jack? What can we get!?" Rebecca began to grow impatient.

"Some of the finest Tequila your lips can relish chica, made by the infamous Jésus himself, in life I had one of his only 100 bottles of the stuff, but here? It flows from this place's very veins!"

"A short-stack crazy, Shy Netrunner and the Santo Sandevistan... Quite a sight."

"Can it old man, he's the closest thing to a Nephew I could have, and he's with us!"

Another voice chimed in, wearing a samurai jacket, talking to the one wearing aviators with the black middle-part.

"Yeah, shut it Johnny, let Jackie have his moment."

"Oh and David! Meet V, one of my greatest friends, now here with us!"

The man faced us both, clearly looking worn down, tired.

"David... David Martinez? You're the kid that Falco guy told me about... Gave me your jacket."

Falco? How'd the fuck did this guy know Falco?

"Yeah... Uh... How do you know who I am and who Falco is? Is he even alive?"

David Kushinada-Martinez

The other guy in front of him quickly appeared behind him.

He's familiar.

"Met him through a fixer after finding a BD in Santo Domingo, mentioned you, so I told the fixer and then met our mutual friend."

Jackie immediately cut into our conversation, in the fashion I remember from him.

"Look at you two! Legend and Legend! Hey Davey, yknow, V repped your edgerunners symbol when he blew off Adam Smasher's face!"

Wait. What.

"You... Killed smasher?"

I felt Lucy's hand tighten around my shoulder as she leaned closer against me.

Nothing but bad memories were brought up.

"Yeah, did it with some preem carnage."

"A carnage!? I love those! I had one painted green and pink and everything!"

"Oh? So that was yours then? Found it near the corp plaza, let me tell you Choom, that thing hit harder than gorilla fists. I have no idea how you could handle such a thing."

"Rude to say that to a woman yknow? And besides, I had cool cyberhands when I wasn't a splat in the pavement."

I turned to Jackie while Rebecca and V bickered back and forth on their favourite guns.

"So... Who's the other guy?"

"Him? That's Johnny-Fucking-Silverhand. He was our prize in our 'saka heist, was on a biochip.-"

Lucy's nails began to press against me softly, bringing up old trauma, so I softly caressed her back to try and calm her... And it kinda worked.

"-Was in V's head, then, I died, V filled me in on the rest when he got here. Shot in the head, chip was rewriting him, and even when he got rid of Johnny and he arrived on my door... 6 months later, I had V opening those doors and ordering tequila straight from the tap."

And all of a sudden, Johnny had appeared in front of us.

"So... David... Heard from what I know, we're alike in a way."

Before I could get a word in, Lucy already began to bite back.

"And just how the fuck is he like you?"

"Fiery one aren't you? Remind me of my output. Kid... It's obvious, We both hate 'saka, go to live our lives defying them, become the input to a smoking hot netrunner, and then,-" He began to take a long drag of a cig, before flicking it away with his metal fingers. "-go out with a bang, fighting the corp, then dying to it."

He began to point toward his forehead. "Courtesy of Adam Smasher."

"And... Just how the fuck do you know all this?"

"Well, V. And Jackie told me about you aswell, I came here after becoming part of my outputs little troupe of 'lost children' or whatever she's calling us."

"You mean Alt?"

"Yeah... Surprised you know about her, didn't take her for the kind to talk to some punk kids-"

"Cut it Johnny."

And just like that, he returned to sitting next to that V guy.

It was an unexpected reunion to say the least... I just wish mom was here.

Is she even anywhere in this place?

I'll need to ask Alt, see if she knows anything.

But, I have more important things to focus on.

"David? Are you ok?"

"Yeah..." I gave her a kiss. "Yeah Luce... I'm fine."

Jackie let out a small laugh.

"Ah... What I'd give to be young again. Enjoy yourself hijo, that's what this place is for haha!"