Cybergate 2027 - A Baldur's Gate 3 / Cyberpunk 2077 Crossover

IX

Lae'zel watched the ambulance depart. The blonde schoolgirl waved to her before climbing onto its back. She returned a nod, aware of the shadow that joined her side.

"She's fast," Wyll said, wiping sweat from his forehead. "Leg implants, for sure."

"Or you're out of shape, Detective."

"Didn't she evade you first?"

She let out a reluctant sigh. "Stabbed girl aside, the leg implant theory seems plausible. Regardless, we should return to the apartment." She started walking, cracking her fingers in anger. Wyll followed silently all the way to the crime scene back on the condominium's fourth floor. A medic team was there too, recovering Eddie's body. Officer Langley joined them in the bedroom while she crouched beside Ender Gortash's corpse.

"They'll need to take it soon, before it starts to smell."

She nodded at Langley. "Yes, I know." Something seemed different though—her eyes locked on the dead young man's fingers. Or rather, on the missing parts. "The killer took his pinkies."

Wyll dropped to his knees beside her. "That's new! I clearly remember them the first time we were here. Did she return here to correct a mistake?"

"What mistake can two fingers fix?" Lae'zel shook her head and growled. "The ska'keth must've returned to collect a trophy. Our murderer never forgot her sick trophies—further evidence that these are different people."

Wyll scanned the body and the surrounding area with meticulous attention. "My eye has detected another trail—newer footsteps, same shoes."

The killer's scent was also the same. "She's mocked us by doing this midday." Lae'zel rose to her feet. "Langley, tell the medical team they can have their body. We're done here." The beat cop nodded solemnly, probably preoccupied with thoughts about his murdered partner.

While they walked to the door, the freelance detective cleared his throat. "You know, we've been, er, away for hours. I need to stop by my apartment."

His eyes dodged her gaze. Lae'zel grinned curiously. "Got a captive to feed?"

"Something like that."

***

Wyll lived in a twenty-floor building that displayed ad banners from top to bottom. The constantly shifting images were jarring, but somewhat nicer than the bare concrete between them. A commercial area sat between street level and the first floor, connected by lifts and stairs to both worlds. Shady people inhabited its corners, some looking like gang members and others like Glitter users. On the fun side, there was also a fully stocked weapons shop.

They rode a lift to the third floor. There, in the middle of a dimly lit hallway, Wyll stopped before a rusty metal block that turned out to be a door.

"Not exactly what I expected, considering the Bentley," Lae'zel said when he walked in.

"I spend more time on the road and in my office. This is more of a... sleeping arrangement."

The inside wasn't as dreary. A carpet, a sprawling potted plant, and a few wall posters gave the living space a homely tone. A neon-lit aquarium sat on a table, displaying virtual fish that swam playfully. Surely he didn't drive for twenty minutes to feed those—unless he had them set to honour mode.

Lae'zel sauntered across the room, passed a folding bed, and stopped in a small kitchen area. A metallic container with a brown-coloured logo, sitting on an unassuming shelf, caught her eye.

"Real coffee—you too?"

"The synthetic stuff gives me horrible headaches."

It wasn't supposed to? "Mind if I have a cup, Detective?"