Chapter 1

Lucas wasn't supposed to be here – he hadn't made any plans to be. Caught between in a stand off between a cyberpsycho and police officers in the goddamn rain. As he was making his way home from school, the dude had appeared out of nowhere, decked out in military-grade cyberware and blew the brains out of a cop simply sitting in his car. 

That was when the other officers in the area pulled out their guns and started shooting, but the bullets just bounced off the dude. Like a child punching an adult.

Yeah, by the looks of it, the police officers were royally fucked.… Well, that would've been the case if Lucas hadn't been there by chance. 

He squatted down, grabbed the warm bullet shell that had ejected from one of the officer's guns and bounced toward his feet. After taking a look around, making sure there were no cameras or any bystanders paying attention to him in the vicinity, he aimed at the cyberpsycho's head and flicked the bullet shell with his thumb.

The bullet shell flew like a sniper with a silencer had just fired, whistling through the air with a sharp *whoosh*. The next moment, a small hole appeared in the cyberpsycho's head, and his body fell to the floor with a heavy thud.

The surrounding officers ceased shooting, but their guns remained poised. One brave officer - perhaps a bit too much - decided to approach and check the condition of the cyberpsycho on the floor. 

His steps were slow, his gun aimed directly at the cyberpsycho's head. He nudged the body on the floor with his feet - there was no response. Gaining a little more courage, he used his feet to turn the body over and clearly saw the hole where the bullet had pierced through the cyberpsycho's skull.

"He's dead," the police officer announced, turning to the other officers.

"Huh, dead?" echoed the others in disbelief.

Curious, they walked over to check for themselves, their expressions confused once they saw the lifeless body on the ground.

"Holy shit, this dude is all chromed out," one officer remarked, his voice tinged with relief. "We would've been toast if he hadn't gone down first."

"So who the hell took him out? Was it any of you's?" another officer asked.

Confused looks were exchanged among the group as they searched for answers, but no one had a response. No surprise, since beat patrol officers like them weren't equipped to deal with these kinds of problems.

Standard issue equipment typically includes an armored vest and helmet, handcuffs, a pistol and/or basic shotguns, assault rifles, and a first aid kit. These weapons were sufficient for handling low-level thugs, but when facing a problem they can't handle—like a cyberpsycho fully decked out in military-grade cyberware—officers need to call in the big guns for backup.

In this case, MaxTac - a unit in the NCPD specialised in dealing cyberpsychos, had been contacted the moment the cyberpsycho appeared.

The beat patrol officers' only choice was to stall for time before reinforcements arrived. Little did they expect the situation to be resolved so easily, much less by an almost chromeless teenager like Lucas.

Besides a universal interface plug and chipware socket, he had no cybernetic or any enhancements that could make him strong. He was all flesh and bone, and just a tad bit of metal. So how was it possible for him to turn the shell of a bullet into a lethal projectile with just a flick of his thumb. Going to the gym and working out? Nah, he was just born a little stronger and sturdier than most… Okay, maybe a whole lot than most.

He had no idea why he was like this. He wasn't a science experiment gone rogue - or at least to his knowledge. His parents used to be mercenaries, had a few implants, but other than that, they were normal people. There was no clear explanation for his abilities.

Maybe it was the work of God - a miracle, some would say. 

However, after all these years, Lucas stopped caring, and so did his mom and pops. Why? Well, it's been 18 years and there had been no problems so far.

No governments agent knocking at his door, nor had there been any religious fanatics treating him as their messiah. Nothing. Just nothing.

Of course, given the nature of his abilities, he kept them hidden. Having abilities like his wasn't something you advertised. It was a surefire way to attract unwanted attention from all the wrong people.

Lucas had heard enough from his parents about life in Night City. He knew that standing out for the wrong reasons could get you in trouble—or worse. So he kept his abilities under wraps, using them only when necessary. 

Stopping a cyberpsycho was obviously one of these necessary moments. If he had done nothing, people would have died. That was for sure. While it was certainly not his problem, he couldn't just stand by and watch innocent lives be endangered… or so he would have believed if he had some kind of hero complex.

The NCART was a few blocks away, and the fight between the cyberpsycho would have blocked the pedestrian walk if things escalated. Simply put, he was too lazy to take a detour and get more soaked by the rain than he already was.

Now that everything was settled, Lucas quietly walked past, leaving the scene behind him without so much as a single glance back. He didn't even care about the person he had just killed – well, that is if he considered the dude a person in the first place. 

People afflicted with cyberpsychosis would lose their sense of self, and were practically killing machines. Sure you could remove some implants to bring these people back to normalcy, but in this case, the dude had completely lost it.

The best way to treat people like these was to put a bullet between their eyes. Simple as that…

….Half an hour later.

"You're now at: Japantown south. Stand clear of the doors, do not block exits."

The automated voice announcement echoed through the NCART. Lucas stood up from his seat and made his way towards the exit. He stepped off the train before walking north, along silk road west and then all the way to Megabuilding H8. 

Along the way, he encountered the usual BD junkies, their vacant stares fixated on holographic displays flickering in front of their eyes. 

As Lucas approached Megabuilding H8, the towering structure loomed overhead, casting long shadows on the crowded street below. The neon signs that adorned its exterior flashed with vibrant colors, advertising everything from braindance clubs to cybernetic enhancements.

Lucas entered the building and made his way to the elevator. Pressing the button for the 35th floor, he leaned back against the cool metal walls as the elevator ascended. The doors slid open with a soft 'ding', revealing a dimly lit hallway lined with identical apartment doors. He walked down the corridor and was greeted by a familiar face - a childhood friend of his.

The young woman smiled as Lucas approached, her blue eyes sparkling in the dim light of the hallway. Her dark pink hair, loosely tied into two buns. She wore bold blue eye makeup and purple lipstick, giving her an edgy yet alluring look.

She wore an unzipped spiked punk black leather jacket, teasingly revealing the 'Moxes' tattoo on her chest and a tantalizing amount of cleavage. Her pants hugged her curves in all the right places, accentuating her figure and leaving little to the imagination. 

"Off to work, Rita?"

"Yeah, dude, got a lot of clients tonight. Lizzie's holding some kind of event. Hope there won't be any leadheaded gonks looking for trouble. How about you?" Rita said, pointing the bat she was holding at Lucas. 

"Almost got my head blown off by a cyberpsycho on the way home." Lucas nudged the bat aside with a smile. "Think I'll stay home for today."

"Damn, that's rough. How'd you get away?" Rita asked worriedly.

"Uhhh…Cops showed up just in time."

"Dude, that's why I keep telling you to bring iron with you when you go out! You never know when you'll need it. Check these babies out—I just bought this pair." Rita secured the bat onto the magnetic straps on her back, the metal clinking softly as it settled into place. She then smoothly drew a pair of sleek, carbon-plated handguns from the holsters strapped to her shoulders, brandishing them proudly.

"How much did they set you back? Let me guess, a couple hundred eddies?" asked Lucas.

"A little less than that," Rita replied, a hint of excitement gleaming in her eyes as she holstered her handguns. "Got a good deal for em. I can take you there sometime if you're up for it."

"I'll pass," Lucas said, shaking his head. "It was just my luck to run into a psycho today. I'll be more careful."

"Ah, come on," Rita teased, a playful smirk on her lips. "It's just a couple hundred eddies. What? You saving up for a cybercock or something?"

"Nah," Lucas retorted with a grin. "Plenty big enough down there."

Rita rolled her eyes, chuckling softly. "Alright, alright, suit yourself, big guy. I'm gonna head out," she said, her steps slowing as she turned to leave. Then, a moment of hesitation. "Hey, uh, Lucas?" 

"What's up?"

"Listen, um... I was thinking, maybe we could grab a drink sometime? It's been a while since we've hung out. You down this weekend?"

"Yeah, sure. I'd like that."

"Great, I'll text you the detes later." 

With that, Rita turned and headed down the hallway, her footsteps echoing softly in the dimly lit corridor. Lucas watched her go for a moment, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips, before he finally turned away and made his way home.