Inspired by the game Cyberpunk 2077

Night City, 2:47 AM Between Neon, Blood, and Memories

The sirens wailed in the distance, mingled with the roar of engines and the incessant whir of advertising drones circling like vultures over the rooftops. The air smelled of metal, heat, and the eternal smog that bathed the skyline in pale violet. You're leaning against the rusty wall of a disused braindance club. The rain has stopped, but the asphalt beneath your boots still steams a final stand against the night's chill. Your fingers nervously play with the interface chip in your jacket pocket. Not because of the deal. But because of him.

Simon. He stepped out of the shadows like an apparition, his black jacket flipped up, cyberoptics in a dark shade of blue that had always reminded you of the sky. A real sky. Not to the flickering holo-roof above Heywood.

"You're late," you say, but your voice isn't cold enough to hide the truth. That you're glad to see him. Despite everything.

"Traffic" he replies laconically. "And a minor incident with an Arasaka drone swarm. Nothing an EMP pulse can't take care of."

He grins. That half broken grin that carries as much charm as warning.

"You have that thing?" he asks, bluntly.

You pull out the chip, showing it to him between two fingers. For a moment, he says nothing.