Night City, 2075 – Watson Industrial Zone
He didn't remember where he was born, but he remembered the music.
Old Earth tunes, bits of pop culture lodged in his head like digital ghosts classic rock, war movies, cartoons, love ballads from centuries past. It was the only way he could "speak," and half the time, no one got the joke. The other half? They either ran or pulled a gun.
They called him Bee, not because he named himself that he didn't really talk much at all but because he moved fast, hit hard, and had a buzzing hum when he stood still, like a car engine idling in his chest.
Underneath the jacket and faded cargo pants, Bee was packed with experimental cyberware no Ripperdoc had ever seen. He could jack into any vehicle remotely, turn a garbage truck into a battering ram, hijack a Militech convoy like it was an RC toy. His body was compact but reinforced agile, shock-resistant, and absurdly durable for someone his size.
But Night City didn't care about that.
He met Lucy on a rooftop.
It was supposed to be a quiet night. Recon, maybe scavenge some parts. Instead, Bee found himself pinned by sniper fire, ducked behind a rusted vending unit ten stories up.
A flare of movement. A blur. Someone sprinted across the adjacent rooftop like gravity owed her money.
White hair. Combat jacket. Cold eyes.Lucy.
She slid into cover beside him like they were teammates. Looked at him sideways. "You're not Scav. Who sent you?"
Bee tapped his wrist. A speaker implanted in his forearm crackled. Then:
🎶 "Just a small town girl… livin' in a lonely world…" 🎶
Lucy blinked. "...Seriously?"
He gave a thumbs-up.
She tilted her head, curious now. "You mute or something?"
Bee nodded, then tapped again.
🎥 [Soundbite: "Radio's busted. But I get the message."]
Her smirk was barely visible. "Weirdo."
Before they could talk more, a drone hovered into view scavenger tech. Lucy pulled a knife, but Bee raised a hand. With a subtle motion, his fingertips lit with static-blue veins. The drone jerked mid-air, twitched and then turned on its own squad.
Lucy looked back at him, eyes wide. "Did you just remote-hack that thing?"
Bee nodded.
"Okay... You're weird, but useful."
That's when everything changed.
They moved together, clearing rooftops. Bee hacked gates, jammed optics, and used bursts of magnetic energy from his hands to disable drones and weapons. Lucy fluid, fast, lethal cut down anything in close range. It was improvised, chaotic… perfect.
After escaping into the slums of Kabuki, Lucy finally sat him down on a crate and asked:
"Who are you, really?"
Bee tapped his speaker again.
🎥 [Soundbite: "Name's Bee. I got no past... but I've got good instincts."]
🎶 "You've got a friend in me…" 🎶
Lucy shook her head, half-laughing. "Alright, Bee. You're insane. But you've got skills. I've got jobs. You in?"
He paused. Nodded.
And just like that… the mute sparkplug with a golden heart and radio for a voice found his first connection in this chrome-covered world.