"Thanks for the meal, I'm off."
"David." Jeremy called out to his younger family member before he could escape.
"What's up, Dad?" The teenager turned, nearly bumping into the doorframe.
"In the city, things are tense. The gangs are on edge. Stay clear of the neighboring districts for now, alright?"
"I wasn't planning on going anywhere." The teen shook his head. "I'm good to go then?"
"Yeah, but remember, if things go sideways, shoot first." The brunette winked at his son.
"Jeremy, is this really what you're teaching him?" The copper-haired girl said, though her voice lacked any real heat.
"You look so beautiful today…"
"Don't try to butter me up!"
After breakfast, Gloria took her time, lounging in her apartment, savoring a much-needed break before the next workday began. In Night City, people worked nearly every day. Only a few could afford regular weekends, usually those employed by one of the big corporations. They got two or even three days off per week, along with paid vacation and a slew of other benefits reserved for that elite class of society. That's why Cortez dreamt of her son one day getting into a prestigious institution where he could acquire the knowledge needed for his future career.
Above all, Gloria wanted to ensure David's safety. Corporate employees had excellent incomes and could afford top-tier implants without the fear of becoming another street psycho gunned down by a MaxTac squad.
As a seasoned medical professional, Cortez knew all too well the dangers of augmentation and the rise of cyberpsychosis. Having worked as a medical tech with an emergency response team, she had seen countless victims, and she wasn't about to let her son fall into that trap.
The most common cause of psychosis came from mixing incompatible implants from different manufacturers, wreaking havoc on the nervous system due to multiple system malfunctions. Getting decent chrome without a corporate job was nearly impossible. High-quality ripperdocs charged outrageous fees, and even then, you couldn't get most implants unless you had corporate clearance. But some doctors didn't care about the rules; after all, few people in Night City would turn down the chance to make some extra cash. The catch? Black-market implants were even more expensive than corporate ones.
In short, everything in this world revolved around corporations. If you didn't work for one, you had to fight tooth and nail just to survive, let alone get ahead.
Jeremy didn't share his wife's opinion, but he didn't try to force his own views on her either. It was clear the parents were both vying for their son's attention, each trying daily to win David over to their side. More often than not, these verbal "battles" ended in an argument, after which the husband and wife would dig in their heels and stick to their respective positions. Gloria refused to accept her husband's reasoning, just as Jeremy stubbornly rejected the perspective of his beloved wife.
In those moments, young Martinez could do nothing but play the middle, constantly navigating between his parents, unwilling to upset either of them. One could say the boy had grown used to these quarrels, practically ignoring them. All it took was occasionally agreeing with the right side, though even that wasn't without mishaps. During especially heated arguments, he might get caught in the crossfire, and all the frustration from both sides would be funneled onto him, which would then reset the entire conversation between his parents to square one.
Though David was only twelve, he already had a well-defined personality and some ambitions in life. In some ways, the boy leaned more toward his father's views, as men always seemed to find common ground more easily, and Jeremy's stories of his exploits had a way of inspiring David to want to be as cool as his dad—someone who could solve any problem if he had enough eddies. But at the same time, David didn't want to upset his mother. He could feel how hard she worked for him every day, and that moved him. In the end, the teenager decided to go with the flow, trying not to lose himself in it. Maybe one day he would think about what he truly wanted to become, but not now.
"Still, I think turning our son into a daredevil is a stupid idea." Gloria voiced her frustration aloud as she stood in front of the clinic where she had been working for about six months.
"Did you come in early today?" A voice came from behind her, causing her to flinch involuntarily.
"You do love sneaking up on me." Martinez scolded as she turned to face Kiwi.
"You were so lost in thought you've been staring at the door for the last five minutes." The blonde smiled. "Did something happen?"
"No, no, just lost in thought." Gloria made the sign of the cross, waving her hands in a conciliatory manner.
"I see... How are you after yesterday? Did you manage to get some rest?" Kiwi asked professionally, not pressing too much on her partner's issues.
"I'm fine, thanks for asking."
"In that case, let's head inside. I'm afraid we'll have a lot of work ahead of us this morning." Kiwi shook her head in displeasure.
"Did Alex leave again for business?" Cortez asked, still maintaining a professional tone.
"Uh-huh." The white-haired girl waved her hand. "He took Vega with him, and as usual, they'll be gone all day in the Wastelands."
"You know, my curiosity is killing me..." Gloria began from a distance, carefully choosing her words to avoid saying too much.
"Are you talking about our relationship?" Kiwi guessed, a smile playing at the corners of her lips as she noticed Gloria's reddening ears. "I won't go into all the details, but the three of us are fine with it, and it was a conscious choice. Besides, in Night City, there are no laws against multiple people loving each other, as long as everyone's okay with it."
"It's just... all of this is..." The woman hesitated, searching for the right words. "Unfamiliar." Gloria spoke hesitantly, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "I've never encountered anything like this before, so…"
"The important thing is that we're comfortable with it, and what other people think doesn't really matter." Kiwi shrugged as she stepped into her office. "Besides, it's tough for me to handle him alone, so think of it as a necessity."
"I see..." Her companion drawled knowingly. "Now I understand a lot more." Gloria said with a knowing look, covering her smile with her hand.
"Let's not continue this topic." The blonde's ears turned bright red as she tried to keep a neutral expression.
"Alright, but can I get a few details?" The girl asked professionally.
"It depends on what you want to know."
"I only need a little..." Cortez let out a short laugh before leaning close to her companion's ear, which, a few seconds later, turned a deep shade of red.
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