The Thorton Galena rolled slowly through the streets of Heywood.
Compared to the towering skyscrapers, colossal advertisements, and relentless neon glare of Downtown, this district felt almost restrained.
Heywood was still part of Night City, so gunfire, gangs, and corporate influence were never far away, but the streets carried a warmth that the city center lacked.
Small shops remained open beneath aging signs.
Street vendors shouted over one another as they sold cheap synthetic food, while clusters of locals gathered outside bars to drink and trade gossip.
Every so often, gang members tore down the road on motorcycles, their engines rattling nearby windows.
Jackie drove with one hand on the wheel, pointing out different streets and buildings as they passed.
“This is Heywood,” he said proudly.
“Might not look as impressive as Corpo Plaza, but live here long enough and you’ll understand.
It’s a good place.”
Valerie glanced through the window.
“Sounds like you’re attached to it.”
“Of course.” Jackie’s grin softened.
“It’s home.”
Lena Hale sat in the passenger seat, quietly watching the neighborhood pass by.
She already knew whom they were about to meet.
Guadalupe Alejandra Welles—Jackie’s mother, and one of the few people in this city who would give everything she had without expecting anything in return.
A few minutes later, the Galena stopped outside a familiar bar.
Its weathered neon sign flickered above the entrance.
El Coyote Cojo.
Jackie climbed out and called through the open doorway.
“Ma!
I’m back!”
“Jackie?”
A woman emerged from behind the bar.
She was no longer young, but traces of her former beauty remained beneath the years of hardship.
Her short hair and steady posture gave her a capable presence, while the sharpness in her eyes suggested that very little happened beneath her roof without her noticing.
Her expression changed when she saw the two women accompanying Jackie.
“You brought friends home?”
Jackie spread his arms.
“Surprised?”
“Don’t start.”
Mama Welles’ attention immediately shifted to the injury on Lena’s shoulder.
“You’re hurt.”
“It’s already been treated,” Lena assured her.
“We ran into some trouble,” Jackie explained.
“Took them to Vik before coming here.”
The mention of Viktor seemed to ease Mama Welles’ concern.
“Then you were in good hands.”
Lena stepped forward.
“I’m Lena Hale.”
“Valerie,” her companion added.
“Guadalupe Alejandra Welles,” the woman replied.
“But most people around here call me Mama Welles.
Come inside.
You shouldn’t be standing in the street at this hour.”
The interior of El Coyote Cojo was quieter than the streets outside.
Warm amber light fell across the wooden bar, and a handful of regulars occupied the booths along the walls.
Old photographs and keepsakes from Heywood’s past filled the room.
There was none of the cold metal found in corporate establishments, nor the artificial luxury of Night City’s high-end clubs.
El Coyote Cojo felt lived in—a shelter where exhausted people could lower their guard for a few hours.
Mama Welles walked behind the counter and brought out several glasses.
“Sit.
All of you.”
Jackie immediately claimed a stool.
“You haven’t changed, Ma.
First thing you do when someone comes home is make them sit down and drink.”
“What, you don’t like it?” She filled his glass before handing drinks to Lena and Valerie.
“You never complained as a child.
Every time you came home after losing a fight, you sat right there and waited for me to feed you.”
Jackie rubbed his nose.
“That was a long time ago.”
Valerie leaned back and smirked.
“So the great Jackie Welles wasn’t always a legend?”
“Careful with the wording.” Jackie raised an eyebrow.
“I just hadn’t reached my full size yet.”
Mama Welles watched them bicker with an affectionate smile.
“You three talk.
I’ll find something to eat.”
She soon returned with several plates of roasted meat and synthetic food.
It wasn’t expensive cuisine, but after a day of pursuit, bloodshed, and chrome, the simple meal carried a comfort that money couldn’t buy.
“Eat first,” Mama Welles ordered as she topped up their drinks.
“Alcohol on an empty stomach is a stupid way to end the night.”
As they ate, their conversation drifted from the Arasaka agents they had encountered to the unwritten rules of Night City.
Eventually, the subject turned toward their future.
“So,” Mama Welles said, studying Lena and Valerie, “what do you intend to do now?”
“Find somewhere permanent to stay,” Lena answered.
“Then start taking contracts.”
“Night City isn’t like the Badlands,” Valerie added.
“There are no established routes for us here.
We’ll need contacts.”
Mama Welles nodded approvingly.
“At least you understand that much.”
She looked toward her son.
“I assume Jackie explained how things work.” Find the original chapter at g.com.
“Already handled it,” Jackie said.
“Without a fixer, a reputation, or someone willing to introduce them, they won’t get worthwhile jobs.
That’s why I’m teaming up with them.”
Mama Welles took a slow sip of her drink.
“I trust you, Jackie.
And I’ll trust the partners you chose unless they give me a reason not to.” She turned toward Lena and Valerie.
“If you’re serious about working in Heywood, speak to Padre.”
Jackie nodded.
“I was planning to take them to him tomorrow.”
Sebastian Ibarra—better known throughout Heywood as Padre—was more than an ordinary fixer.
He was one of the men responsible for maintaining the district’s fragile underworld order.
Anyone hoping to work in Heywood needed him to know their name.
Otherwise, even a capable mercenary could find every door closed.
“Introduce yourselves properly,” Mama Welles continued.
“Let Padre know you’ll be operating here.”
Then she fixed Jackie with a firm stare.
“And if you’re going to work with them, don’t charge into every fight alone like you usually do.
Wanting to become a legend is one thing.
Treating the people beside you like disposable chips is another.”
Jackie’s smile disappeared.
“I know, Ma.”
“The people who fight beside you are not tools,” she said.
“They’re the ones walking the same road.”
Lena remained silent, sensing that the warning was meant for all three of them.
Mama Welles looked between them.
“One more thing.
Don’t chase major contracts before you’re ready.
Night City is full of people who earn a little reputation, start believing they’re invincible, and die trying to prove it.”
By the time the conversation ended, most of the customers had left.
Only faint music and the distant noise of the streets remained.
Mama Welles gathered the empty plates.
“That’s enough for tonight.
Get some rest.”
Jackie led Lena and Valerie upstairs.
Half of the second floor overlooked the bar, while the other half served as the Welles family’s living space.
He opened the door to a modest guest room.
“You two can stay here tonight.”
The room was small but clean.
A double bed stood against one wall, accompanied by a wardrobe, a table, and a compact private bathroom.
Valerie looked around.
“This is more than enough.”
“Good.” Jackie grinned.
“I was worried you might complain.”
“I’ve slept under vehicles in the Badlands.
I’m not complaining about a bed.”
Jackie started to leave, then paused.
“Almost forgot something.”
He disappeared downstairs and returned carrying a temperature-controlled container.
He placed it on the table and unlocked the lid.
A small green head cautiously emerged.
Valerie stared at it.
“A lizard?”
Jackie looked offended.
“Not a lizard.
An iguana—a real one.”
Lena stepped closer.
Genuine animals were exceedingly rare in Night City.
Most people only encountered synthetic substitutes or recordings of species that had disappeared from the region decades ago.
“That thing must be worth a fortune,” Valerie said.
Jackie gently stroked the iguana’s head.
“Probably.”
“You’re going to sell it?”
He hesitated, then smiled.
“Nah.
Money can be earned again.
You don’t come across a little guy like this every day.”
Valerie shook her head.
“Sometimes you’re terrible at being a mercenary.”
“I prefer to think I have taste.”
After securing the iguana’s container, Jackie headed for the door.
“We’re meeting Padre tomorrow, so get some sleep.”
Once he left, the room fell quiet.
Valerie glanced toward the bathroom.
“Shower together?”
Lena froze.
“Seriously?”
“What’s wrong with that?
We did it all the time with the Bakkers.”
Without waiting for an answer, Valerie caught Lena by the wrist and pulled her toward the bathroom.
“Come on.
We’re covered in dust, sweat, and blood.
I’m not sleeping like this.”
Hot water soon filled the cramped room with steam.
Lena initially felt uncomfortable with her unfamiliar body, but Valerie treated the situation as completely ordinary.
To her, Lena was family—a sister who had survived the Badlands beside her.
As they washed away the grime, Valerie complained about Arasaka, mocked Jackie’s endless boasting, and argued that stealing an iguana only to keep it was exactly the kind of ridiculous decision he would make. Read the latest chapters at novelping(.)com.
By the time they changed into clean clothes and climbed into bed, Lena’s unease had faded.
Outside, Heywood remained awake.
Engines passed in the distance, voices rose from the street, and occasional gunshots cracked through the night.
After several quiet minutes, Valerie spoke.
“Lena?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you really think we can survive here?”
Lena turned toward her.
Valerie stared at the ceiling.
“Before today, I thought leaving the Badlands would just mean living somewhere different.
But Night City…” She exhaled.
“This place is more dangerous than I expected.”
She wasn’t wrong.
Night City’s lights concealed a machine that consumed people daily.
“We’ll survive,” Lena said.
“You sound certain.”
“Because we’re not ordinary mercenaries.
Your body has unusually high cyberware compatibility, and you still have plenty of room for enhancement.
Our combat instincts are better than most people who’ve been doing this for years.”
Valerie raised an eyebrow.
“So we’re future legends?”
“Something like that.”
“Morgan Blackhand?
Johnny Silverhand?”
“Morgan Blackhand might be difficult.”
“And Johnny?”
A faint smile appeared on Lena’s lips.
“Johnny Silverhand definitely wasn’t stronger than us.”
Valerie burst out laughing.
“You’ve been in Night City for one day and you’re already insulting the man who bombed Arasaka Tower.”
“Legends are still human.
They simply found their opportunity before everyone else.”
Valerie closed her eyes.
“I don’t know why, but hearing you boast like that actually makes me feel better.”
Her breathing gradually became slow and even.
Once Lena was certain she had fallen asleep, she opened her eyes.
A translucent interface appeared before her.
[Installable Cyberware Detected]
[Tier 3 Kerenzikov]
[Tier 2 Arasaka Mk.II Cyberdeck]
[Tier 2 Titanium Bones]
[Tier 2 Light Subdermal Armor]
[Tier 2 Blood Pump]
“Install.”
The Arasaka Mk.II Cyberdeck connected to her neural interface first.
Lena immediately sensed a new layer between her consciousness and the electronic world.
Nearby devices became faint presences at the edge of her awareness.
She could detect terminals, cameras, automated systems, and unsecured electronics.
Without quickhack programs, she couldn’t attack an enemy’s cyberware yet, but the foundation was now in place.
Her Titanium Bones adapted next.
The system restructured the implant to work alongside her existing enhancements.
Her skeleton, muscles, and joints were recalibrated, improving stability and power transmission.
Lena slowly clenched her fist.
Her strength had risen considerably.
Her previous augmentation had placed her above an ordinary human, but Titanium Bones pushed her closer to the level of heavily modified combat mercenaries.
Then the Light Subdermal Armor spread beneath her skin, forming a concealed protective layer capable of reducing damage from bullets, shrapnel, and close-range attacks.
It wouldn’t make her invulnerable, but it gave her room to survive a mistake.
Next came the implant she had been anticipating most.
The Tier 3 Kerenzikov completed its neural synchronization.
Lena activated it.
The world slowed.
Dust drifted through the air like snow suspended in glass.
Sounds stretched into deeper, longer vibrations.
Valerie’s breathing became drawn out, and Lena’s thoughts accelerated beyond the pace of everything around her.
Her mind processed movement, distance, and potential threats almost instantly, passing that information directly to her body.
After several seconds, Lena deactivated the implant.
Normal time returned.
There was no dizziness, nausea, or overwhelming fatigue.
“The energy consumption is that low?”
If her body could tolerate repeated activations, the Kerenzikov would become one of her most dangerous advantages.
In a gunfight, a few accelerated seconds could decide everything.
Finally, the Blood Pump came online.
Its benefits were less immediately noticeable.
Rather than improving her strength or reflexes, it operated as an emergency medical system inside her body.
If she suffered severe trauma, it could stabilize circulation, control blood loss, and release stored clotting agents.
Strength.
Defense.
Reflexes.
Survival.
For the first time since entering Night City, Lena felt genuinely prepared for what waited ahead.
She dismissed the interface and looked at Valerie sleeping peacefully beside her.
Tomorrow, they would meet Padre.
After that, their real life as mercenaries would begin.
Lena closed her eyes and allowed sleep to take her.