Cyberpunk: Archangel

Chapter 4: I Really Want To Stay At Your House

Night City, May 18, 2074

As Michael regained consciousness, his eyes shot open, and his head whipped back and forth to look at his surroundings. He was back at the crew's main meeting place, and he was laying on the couch. His eyes widened and he immediately sat up. The events that had just occurred were still fresh in his mind. In front of him were Maine and Dorio, both sitting on the couch across from him. "Is Rebecca okay?" Michael asked in a daze. "We had to take both of you in to get medical attention," Maine explained. "Rebecca recovered quicker than expected, physically at least, but you've been out cold for a day or two. Couldn't afford to keep you in the hospital, so we took you back here to keep an eye on you."

Michael rubbed the back of his head as he got up. His head and joints ached. "Thank you, Maine." Michael said. "I'll be in touch."

Michael walked outside, and blinked a few times as his eyes adjusted to the sunlight. His bike was parked right next to the building. He hopped on his bike, but before starting it up, he called Rebecca, to see how she was doing. She didn't pick up, and the call went to voicemail. "I just woke up," Michael spoke into the voicemail. "If you want to talk in person, let me know."

He hung up the call, and the voice message was sent. He started up his bike and then drove off, in the direction of his pad. As he drove down the road, he got a text from Rebecca. "Come over." The text read. Michael changed up his route, and made his way in the direction of her and her brother's apartment.

Michael parked his bike, walked up to Rebecca's door, and knocked. He waited, and got no answer. After a short minute, he got a text from Rebecca. "Are you here?" It read. Michael responded with a simple, "Yeah.", and after a moment, the door slowly opened, and Rebecca poked her head out. She opened the door wider, and tilted her head upward, signaling for him to come in. Michael did so, and slowly walked inside. Rebecca's typical bubbliness wasn't present at the moment. Michael understood, considering what had just happened. He silently reached his hand down and gently touched her cheek, and looked her in the eyes. She had a new set of vibrant red and green Cybernetic eyes. "How are you holding up?" Michael gently asked. Rebecca looked down, her mouth locked into a frown. "I'm.... managing," she responded. Her voice was devoid of emotion, she sounded drained. Michael could tell that she wasn't doing well, and understandably so. "It's ok to not be ok," Michael told her. "Tell me whatever is on your mind, and I'll listen."

Rebecca quickly reached out and hugged him tightly. After a long hug, she let go, and looked back up at him. "Come sit on the couch," she said. "I'll talk about it."

Michael followed her to the couch, and sat by her side. Rebecca let out a deep sigh, and leaned her head on his shoulder. "The Scavs who.... took me, it wasn't a random kidnapping." Rebecca explained. "I recognized their leader from a long time ago. Before I joined Maine's crew, I used to be a part of the Mox."

Michael nodded his head. The Moxes were a gang relatively new to Night City. Instead of dealing in any sort of illicit goods, like most gangs in the City, the Mox had a more humble purpose. They were a gang formed to defend sex workers from being taken advantage of or killed. Michael had always seen the field of sex work as immoral, but he held a shred of empathy for those within it. It was a job most took out of desperation, and were unable to escape from. The thought of so many people being seen by so many others as nothing but objects for their own personal pleasure made his stomach churn. "Back when I worked with them, that group of Scavs would frequently harass other members of the Mox." Rebecca continued. "Eventually, we stopped tolerating them, and we drove them off with brute force. Some time after that, Maine and Dorio took my brother and I under their wing, and I cut ties with the Mox. For the most part, anyway. And I guess the Scavs didn't forget what happened that day, so they eventually tracked me down...."