Gearbound: Cyberpunk 2077

"Anytime you're ready," Leo said.

"All right, starting in three, two, one…"

A sudden burst of white light flared from the BD wreath, filling his vision completely.

It felt like the flash lasted only an instant; when the scene cleared, Leo was stunned.

"This is… the moon?"

A star-studded sky arched overhead. Beneath his feet lay grayish lunar soil. Off in the distance, he could just make out a moon city.

He had tried braindances before; 2077's braindances were like an immersive blend of movies and games. But as with video quality ranging from 4K to fuzzy 360P, braindances also varied greatly in fidelity.

High-grade braindances offered crystal-clear visuals and intense realism—like being physically present in another world. Cheap ones, on the other hand, were blurry as if covered in mosaics, with audio, tactile feedback, and other senses all in disarray.

Right now, Leo felt that this Moon BD was definitely on the high-end side. Not only could he see everything in razor-sharp detail, but the sun in space glowed fiercely, and he felt its radiant warmth. The coarse texture of the lunar ground was palpable underfoot.

By rights, one would need a spacesuit to walk on the moon, yet here he was, clad in the same clothing he wore before entering the braindance, breathing with ease. Obviously, this wasn't the real lunar surface but a simulation.

…

They wandered across the moon's landscape, zooming around in a lunar rover, gazing toward the distant moon city. Finally, the two sat side by side on the edge of a massive crater. Lucy swung her legs leisurely, looking up at the huge Earth overhead.

"This is my first time bringing someone else here," she said softly.

"I'm honored."

"Aren't you curious why I brought you?"

"hmm, All right—why me?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe I'm too lonely, wanted someone to talk to. Or maybe it's because… you saved my life." Lucy tucked her legs closer, hugging her knees. "Speaking of which, I still haven't thanked you."

"No need."

Silence fell between them. Lucy rested her chin on her knees while Leo tilted his head back, studying the grand, beautiful Earth filling the sky.

After a while, Lucy broke the hush. "Leo."

He turned. "Hm?"

"I can guess why you're being so nice to me. You want me to join your team, right?"

Leo made no attempt to deny it. "I do. But if you're not interested, I won't force you."

"No, I want to. You're a decent guy. I'd rather work under someone like you than any random merc squad in Night City." She paused. "It's just… maybe you've noticed I have a lot of secrets. So please—don't ask about them, okay? That's all I ask."

Leo nodded. "All right. If you don't want to talk, I won't push you. Nobody else will, either. If you'd rather keep your past under wraps, I'll just treat you like one more person in the city trying to get by."

"Beyond that, there's something else I can offer."

He looked at her. "I know you want to settle on the moon. I promise, once you've earned enough money—whenever you feel like leaving—just go. I won't stop you. The only condition: send me a postcard or something, in case I ever come visit."

Lucy felt something warm tug at her heart, as though a hidden place inside was gently touched. She smiled, a star-killing smile that made the lunar scenery pale in comparison.

"I think we'll make great partners."

---

A healthy schedule, good eating habits, no smoking or heavy drinking, early to bed and early to rise—a lifestyle that granted Leo baby-like sleep.

He greeted the morning sun with his usual workout routine. Even though the "system" existed to grant him abilities, Leo never neglected his own training. It had become as natural as breathing for him to sweat before dawn.

"Morning."

Lucy emerged from the bedroom, running a hand through her messy hair.

Leo paused mid-exercise and turned to her. "Did I wake you?"

"No, I normally get up around this time anyway."

The night before, they had spent ages in the braindance. By the time they surfaced, it was already late. Lucy convinced Leo to stay rather than go home, so he slept on her couch.

"What do you feel like eating? Chinese? Japanese? Or maybe burgers and pizza?" Lucy asked, stepping into the bathroom and shutting the door. Her voice carried through the thin partition.

"Let's try Chinese?"

"Sure. We can head out in a bit… Oh, right, you said yesterday you wanted me to join your crew. After we eat, you can introduce me to the others, right? The sooner I know them, the better."

Just then, Leo's phone lit up with an incoming call from an unknown number.

"Hey, Leo. Name's Regina Jones—I'm the fixer in Watson."

So far, Leo had worked with Wakako Okada in Westbrook and with Padre in Heywood, but never with Watson's fixer. He'd heard of her, though.

"How'd you find me? And how'd you know my name?"

"There's more than rivalry among Night City's fixers—some of us are friends, too." Regina paused. "Padre's been singing your praises."

Leo knew of Regina Jones from his talk with Max. She'd once been a fearless journalist who aimed for fairness in her reporting, but eventually, she'd transitioned into fixering—brokering gigs between clients and mercs. He didn't know the details, but he could guess she'd found that being a journalist and surviving Night City were nearly incompatible.

"Nice to meet you, Regina, but I'm guessing this isn't just a friendly hello?"

"In fact, I do have a job that needs the right person…"

…

After breakfast, Leo brought Lucy to the Coyote Bar to meet V and Jackie.

"Allow me to introduce our new teammate, Lucy, an edgerunner specializing in netrunning," Leo announced. "And these are my partners, V and Jackie Welles—both great people, reliable allies."

Jackie's eyes popped wide. "A netrunner?! Leo, where'd you find this top-shelf talent?"

Their little squad's biggest gap had always been a dedicated hacker—someone who could crack corp subnets and devices as needed.

 Sure, V dabbled in netrunning when necessary, but for high-level infiltration and sabotage, they needed a pro. A rough analogy might be: a witcher in a fantasy world can cast signs, but they're no replacement for a real mage. Similarly, in Cyberpunk 2077's setting, a merc crew practically requires a top-tier netrunner to handle the digital threats. One skilled hacker is worth a dozen amateurs.

"Call me Jackie, all right?" Jackie said, grinning.

"I'm V," added the female merc. "Pleased to meet you."

"Likewise," Lucy replied, shaking their hands in turn.

V and Jackie had no objections to Lucy joining. Leo felt a weight lift from his shoulders—he was glad everyone seemed to be hitting it off.