Cyberpunk: Arasaka Secret Son

Inside a cold concrete room of the columbarium.

The body of Lieutenant Colonel James Norris rested on a loading tray, perfectly aligned with the mouth of a cremation furnace.

Under normal circumstances, the body would have been placed in a simple cardboard box for cremation.

However, as an act of tribute, Norris was in a solid and sturdy oak coffin, as resilient as the man who now lay within it.

Though he considered it a waste and would have preferred the cardboard himself—something functional and unadorned—Sora was convinced by Morgan and Avaray to participate, and together they bought the coffin as a way to give a final show of appreciation to a fallen friend...

In contrast to the black mourning clothes worn by everyone present, a technician from the columbarium, dressed in a waterproof apron and thick surgical green gloves over a sterile jumpsuit and a white mask, activated the cremation furnace mechanism.

The furnace door opened slowly, and with a mechanical and mundane gesture, as if he had done it thousands of times, the technician pushed the coffin inside. Despite the mask, a slight grimace of disapproval could be detected as he pushed the expensive coffin, considering it wasteful in several ways.

Sora couldn't help but feel a connection with the technician, nodding slightly in a gesture of understanding. But his gesture did not go unnoticed by Judy, who, knowing his thoughts well, gave him a light smack on the back of the head in an attempt to correct him.

On his other side, Lucy, who saw everything, had to cover her mouth, hiding her smile in an effort to maintain the respect that the solemnity of the place demanded.

As Norris's body, along with the expensive oak coffin, began to be consumed by the flames, the man with ash-gray hair noticed that Sora seemed distracted and approached him from behind. His voice, barely a whisper tinged with a hint of reproach, asked, "Have you found anything?"

Sora, without turning, responded sarcastically, "Something like what? His soul leaving the body and sending me a message?” He finished sharply, “I’ve got nothing."

Jack persisted, with the same firmness, "According to the boss, Lieutenant Norris wanting you here meant some kind of—"

Before he could finish, Sora turned his head and interrupted him. "You think I don’t know that? If you're bored, go bother Morgan. Go on..."

Feeling a bit disheartened by the way he was treated, Jack reluctantly heeded Sora's words. With a sigh, he turned and made his way over to Morgan. Unfortunately, his attempt to engage Morgan didn’t fare much better. He, already on edge, quickly grew irritated by Jack's persistent questions about the mission, snapping at him in frustration

After James Norris's body was incinerated in the cremation furnace, the technician, showing no emotion, proceeded to collect the ashes. The process was efficient, almost mechanical; each step was automated. The ashes were placed in a rectangular metal urn, austere and unadorned, which sealed itself automatically upon completion.

Without a word, the technician handed the urn to Morgan, who took it with a mixture of respect and resignation.

Suddenly, a soft light illuminated the floor, outlining a path that would guide them to the assigned niche. At the same time, the door to the gallery opened with a faint hum, inviting them to proceed. It was an impersonal, almost indifferent system, but effective. There were no grandiose ceremonies or words of farewell, just the monotonous rhythm of the funerary process.

Since Morgan couldn’t carry the urn while using his cane, and Avaray, whose identity had to remain concealed, wasn’t the most discreet option, Sora took the lead, carrying the metal urn. He followed the guiding light that slid along the floor, leading the group through a maze of walls lined with endless rows of niches, each holding the remains of someone who had once called Night City home.

Upon reaching the designated hallway, two figures were already waiting for them. One of them, a man of distinguished bearing and dressed in an elegant suit, his muscles bulging beneath the fabric, smiled warmly as they arrived.

“Sorry for the delay, but the traffic in Night City is as terrible as they say,” the man remarked casually, but in such a solemn context, his words carried an odd undertone.

Morgan, recognizing the man, couldn’t help but express his surprise. “Senator Armstrong...”

The senator, one of the most prominent faces of the New United States, responded with a serene smile. "Please, continue. I'm glad I arrived in time." With an elegant gesture, he stepped aside, pointing to Norris's empty niche.

Beside him, his bodyguard moved with him, a few steps behind, observing everything with sharp yet happy eyes whenever he glanced at Sora, Tashin, Musashi, or Jack.

Sora, accompanied by Morgan, placed the urn in the niche designated for Norris.

Before stepping away, Sora subtly passed his black hand over the urn next to Norris’s, the one belonging to his wife, interfering with its hologram.

As they moved away, a hologram activated on the surface of Norris's casket. The group watched as a faint image of James appeared, beaming with a broad smile in his glory days, accompanied by a phrase Morgan had chosen as his epitaph:

"He fought to the very end... now, you can finally rest... beside her."

In the next moment, the hologram of the urn next to his was activated, revealing the image of a beautiful woman beside Norris. The two took each other's hands, turned around, and walked away together before disappearing.

The beautiful holographic image left everyone present astonished, though not in the same way. Morgan, confused and annoyed, quickly called someone to express his complaint.

["Was this your doing?"] Morgan asked in an accusatory tone.

Sora, with the experience of never accepting anything without specifics, responded with another question. ["Why do you say that?"]

["The woman in the hologram,"] Morgan insisted.

["What about her?"] Sora continued to feign ignorance.

["Susan wasn’t like that..."] Morgan replied, vividly remembering Norris’s wife, who looked nothing like the woman they had just seen.

Knowing he had been found out, Sora finally confessed: ["I had to improvise."]

["Improvise for what?"] Morgan asked, growing increasingly irritated.

["Duh... what do you think?"] Sora replied, looking at him as if the answer was obvious, before ending the call and turning towards Senator Armstrong and his bodyguard, who were approaching them.

Senator Armstrong, a man used to reading rooms and people, paused. His eyes scanned the group, until he adopted a more relaxed, almost friendly posture.

"Sorry for intruding on such an intimate moment. I didn't mean to disturb... I just wanted to give a final farewell to a good friend... as well," Armstrong commented with a smile that tried to bring warmth to such a cold atmosphere, ending with a calculated sadness. "James was an exceptional man. In a way, I feel responsible..."

Sora, maintaining a calm demeanor, looked at him with feigned interest. "Oh, and what way is that, Senator?"

"Sora!" Musashi exclaimed in a scolding tone, trying to curb his grandson's bold behavior in front of a senator of the New United States.

The senator smiled, a gesture as polished as a freshly sharpened blade. "I'd heard rumors about the uncontrollable nature of the founder of Iron Beast, but it's always nice to confirm such rumors in person. Allow me to formally introduce myself: I am Steven Armstrong, and this is my bodyguard and friend, Samuel Rodrigue, though you can call him Sam."

Samuel, an imposing man with a high-tech prosthetic arm replacing his right limb, nodded with a slight tilt of his head. A prominent scar crossed his face from one side of his mouth up to his forehead, giving him a dangerous and battle-hardened air.

His dark hair was tied in a short ponytail, similar to Sora's, whom he couldn't help but glance at. For Sam, like a silent duel as he paid close attention to each of Sora's movements, just as he would in a real battle.

Sincerely transmitting his desire to cross swords. Sora, fully aware, decided to play with him.

In an instant, he unleashed a cascade of his killing intent on Sam, making him feel as if he were about to cut off his head, imagining himself doing so.

It was a subtle yet effective act. At the same time, Sora moved his hands with such speed that it seemed as if an imminent attack was coming, triggering the reaction he was expecting.

Sam, absorbed by Sora, perceived his killing intent at point-blank range, seeing his muscles tense and feeling it, convincing him that the attack was imminent. Without hesitation, his body reacted almost automatically: he activated his Sandervista and brought a hand to his sword, ready to defend himself.

The tension in the room shot up instantly when everyone, confused, stared only at Sam, who had been betrayed by his sharp senses.

Sora didn’t draw his weapon—not even close. Instead, he pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket using his Sandervista, and with a mocking smile, he lit one up, while Sam realized he had been fooled.

His “friend the senator” looked at him like a demon before speaking again, as if nothing had happened: “As for the guilt I mentioned... I preside over the Senate committee in charge of overseeing and evaluating DARPA projects. I was the one who personally tasked Lieutenant Norris with reviewing a secret project. If I had known they would kill him for it... I would never have allowed it."

Morgan, without wasting time, coldly interrupted, "How do you know he was killed?" He paused before adding in a drier tone, "The official cause is a cyberpsychopathy attack..."

Armstrong looked at them with a blend of disdain and amusement, as if the suggestion of ignorance was some kind of bad joke. "If that weren't true, the uproar caused last night at Iron Beast's headquarters, when rumors started spreading about Lazarus acquiring Norris' Sandervista, wouldn't make any sense.

Some senators were very concerned about the attack and a possible halt in Neohydro production."

Although the senator maintained his friendly tone, there was a veiled threat beneath the layer of diplomacy and false concern he wore, reminding him of his brother Prospera. Sora, unfazed, kept his gaze fixed on Armstrong, and responded, "So it should be... let them be afraid. The creation of NeoHydro can be quite... unpredictable."

Armstrong, without losing his composure, replied in a sharp tone: "If there were more producers, like in the case of CHOOH2 from Biotechnia, with SovOil and Petrochem backing it, the... 'fickleness' of its production would be easier to manage."

Sora didn’t back down. "I already told the president: if they want to create it, they should improve their technology."

Armstrong let out a dry laugh before replying, with a hint of condescension: "Oh, that’s already happening... son."

Sora didn’t blink and and responded, "Then it’s settled. While it "happens," we’ll continue to be the only ones producing NeoHydro..." To conclude coldly, returning the senator's patronizing words: "Son."

Faced with his grandson's demeanor... "Sora..." Musashi intervened again, but this time he was tired, with a tone entirely different from before, almost sympathetic, feeling certain that he had failed in his upbringing.

On the other hand, Tashin, along with Miyamoto and Ishida inside him, laughed at their brother’s rebellious attitude.

"Heh, as I was saying," Armstrong could only smile awkwardly through clenched teeth before continuing, "seeing the footage of the incident, it was clear they were unable to steal it. Did you manage to protect it?" he asked with carefully disguised curiosity.

"Yes," Morgan replied, while Sora surprised everyone, including Morgan, when, with a nonchalant movement, he opened his jacket and pulled out Norris's Sandervista, the one they had been discussing.

As he tossed it into the air like a toy before catching it again, he said, "When I get the chance to take a good look at it..."

The surprise was visible on the faces of the senator and his bodyguard. Their eyes followed every movement of the Sandervista. The gleam of greed and anxiety momentarily betrayed their calculated façade.

Sora, smiled with satisfaction. "Don't doubt that I'll be in touch," he said, his words laden with a dangerous promise, while his eyes gleamed ethereally, adding weight to them.

Armstrong, realizing they were toying with him, regained his composure. He smiled without missing a beat and responded with unsettling calm, "Great! I'm looking forward to it."

The senator's eyes also gleamed as he took one last look at the hologram of Norris with his fake wife, finding nothing unusual in it, before leaving the place, followed closely by Sam.

"Tch, they finally left..." Sora murmured, exhaling with evident relief.

Beside him, Morgan called out softly, "Sora..."

Thinking he was referring to the complication of having a senator under suspicion, Sora responded indifferently, "Yeah, I know."

But Morgan surprised him by adding, "Good job." They had gathered a lot of valuable information from their games while also protecting what Norris had left behind.

"Heh... Let's see what old Norris left us," Sora replied with a crooked smile.

He extended his black hand over the holographic projectors of Norris and his wife Susan's urns, deactivating the false cover he had implemented.. With a smooth motion, he returned the images to their original settings, the ones the couple had chosen.

The representation of the young Norris and the random woman Sora had generated disappeared in an instant, replaced by two simple seals bearing the couple's initials.

Expecting something else, Sora frowned and asked, "Boomer?"

In response, the seals slowly rotated until they formed a joint projection of a beach at sunset.

"It's Pacifica Beach, before it became what it is today... the place where James proposed," Morgan commented softly.

"Huh..." Sora muttered, barely hearing him, as his eyes darkened and his pupils took on a pale blue glow. Judy, standing beside him, had eyes that reflected a similar hue, with her pupils illuminated in a bluish violet.

"It's some kind of steganography," she said, sharpening her gaze on the projection.

"Yeah, but only Norris’s part has a code behind it," Sora pointed out.

"An encrypted code, it seems," Judy remarked, pondering a possible solution.

"Hm..." Sora shifted his attention to the other image, the one of Susan, which appeared completely clean, with no trace of coding beyond the image itself.

Returning to contemplate the sunset, which only revealed itself when both parts were projected together, Sora concluded, "Try using the code from the image in Norris's wife's urn."

"It might work," Judy acknowledged, her fingers moving skillfully as she began to unravel the mystery left by the deceased.

After finishing, without opening it, she passed it to him with a flick of her fingers.

Sora, who expected copper and found gold, chuckled, "Heh... old dog," impressed by Norris and the valuable information he had obtained about the location of Shadow Mosses and the REX project they were working on.

-

20 minutes after leaving Norris' funeral

Sora exhaled the smoke from his cigarette as he leaned against the hood of his Porsche 911 Turbo, parked in front of the imposing entrance of Arasaka Academy.

During the four years he spent away from the city, when Sora finally settled at the Okinaba base, he brought the Porsche with him. Driving it became a ritual between missions, a way to hold on to the memory of the metropolis he longed for so much.

On one of those lonely nights, while driving along the winding mountain roads, Sora discovered an unexpected new hobby: illegal street racing.

He crossed paths with and got to know a group of street racers who called themselves the CyberNight Club—a new generation inspired by the legendary Mid Night Club of the past and its philosophy as a way to rise and find freedom... on the road.

After a few encounters, they were impressed by his Porsche 911 and who he was. The group humbly offered Sora a chance to join them, but he politely declined.

Despite rejecting the initial invitation, the continued encounters and shared races brought Sora closer to the group, especially to a mechanic who soon became his closest friend: Han Nakai.

Trust between them grew to the point where Sora entrusted Han with something invaluable: the Porsche 911 that once belonged to Johnny. Han, fully aware of the car's history, approached it with an almost reverential respect. Rather than altering its essence, he chose to give it a subtle yet significant evolution—a tribute to both the past and the present.

First, Han installed a wide-body kit, expanding the fenders to give the car a more aggressive and dominant stance, as if the car reflected Sora’s internal transformation. The front bumper was equipped with a sturdy splitter, improving aerodynamic downforce. Side skirts were added, running along the lower edges of the car, providing stability and keeping it steady even at dangerously high speeds.

The transformation didn’t aim to erase the Porsche’s history, but to integrate it with a new era where legacy and innovation coexisted in perfect harmony. The result was more than satisfactory; it was perfect. Upon seeing the finished car, Sora no longer perceived it as a vehicle borrowed from a ghost of the past.

For the first time, the Porsche 911 Turbo truly felt like his own.

(Author: Something like this, but with more Sci-fi/Cyberpunk tuning, while keeping the original Porsche colors)

A few meters away, a silver Rayfield Aerondight "Guinevere" gleamed under the city lights, with Jack casually leaning against its hood. The presence of both cars, and the men accompanying them, attracted attention like a magnet. The schoolgirls leaving the academy watched them with admiration, while the young men were filled with envy.

Some, however, paled upon recognizing Sora, whose reputation at Arasaka preceded him; not everyone could boast of having torn off Yorinobu Arasaka’s arm.

Sora exhaled a puff of smoke before speaking in his usual nonchalant tone, “Are you really going to follow me everywhere?”

Jack, always professional, responded seriously. "Haven't you heard the orders? Once Norris's information has been studied and the objectives have been established, we leave. If I'm close to you, we can move faster."

"I could just call you when we head out, and that's that... But if you're so eager to follow me, you might regret it."

As they talked, the flow of students leaving the academy slowed, but David still hadn’t shown up. Sora’s impatience grew with every passing second.

"Tch," he clicked his lips in annoyance, without needing to wonder, ‘What happened?’ When he saw a familiar face: a boy with lime-green hair and a bowl cut. If he remembered correctly, his name was Katsuo, who was emerging from the academy, rubbing his visibly swollen cheek.

Shaking his head, Sora flicked his cigarette to the ground, and without warning, when Katsuo crossed paths with him, he grabbed him by the collar of his uniform and dragged him back towards the academy.

The moment he set foot on Arasaka's grounds, the security system scanned his face, and the alarms were immediately triggered.

As the automated turrets activated and aimed at him, Sora, without letting go of Katsuo, raised his free hand and disabled them with a simple gesture, lowering it before moving forward

Jack, already regretting his decision, followed Sora, who continued to drag an outraged Katsuo. He thrashed in an attempt to break free, spewing insults and invoking his father’s name, Tanaka, 'the high-ranking Arasaka official,' whenever he could.

-

In the office of the director of the prestigious Arasaka Academy in Night City.

A 16-year-old boy stared intently at the floor, almost as if trying to pierce through it. His leg trembled uncontrollably as he caught fragments of the conversation unfolding between the director and Katsuo's father, the classmate he had punched so hard that it had sent him crashing through a smart glass pane.

"Yes, he himself reported that his legal guardian, his mother, is hospitalized." Said the director, addressing the projection of a corporate-looking man floating above his desk.

David could see Katsuo's father's hologram, watching his lips move but unable to hear what he was saying, leaving him in a tense and uncertain silence.

"I understand... Very well, as you wish. David will stay here until you arrive," the director concluded, glancing at David with a calculated look that made him shiver.

‘Why does he want to see me in person? It’s true I hit his son... but I was only defending myself,’ David thought, feeling anxiety grip him.

He only reacted to Katsuo's blows, yet he couldn't control, nor had he realized, all the frustration and dissatisfaction he had accumulated over his 16 years, until it was released through his fist.

With... shocking results: a wounded Katsuo and an expensive, shattered smart glass pane

Suddenly, the academy's alarms echoed throughout the building. The director stood up in alarm and turned towards the projection that appeared in his office, the academy's artificial intelligence that also taught classes, asking, "What's happening?"

["Sir, we have—"] the AI attempted to warn, before its projection abruptly faded as the alarms were silenced.

Katsuo's father, Tanaka, seeing the signal about to cut off, jumped to conclusions. He deactivated private mode and, with his voice resounding through the office, asked, ["What is happening at the academy? A malfunction?"]

The director, quickly regaining his composure, replied, "It seems so," masking his growing unease at being unable to contact the building's AI.

Tanaka, believing it to be a simple technical glitch, remained silent for a moment, his projection fixed on David as his thoughts aligned.

Arasaka, and more specifically Tanaka's division in the city, was aware of the recent chase between Iron Beast and Militech, which had culminated in a drone assault.

Tanaka's surprise was twofold when facial recognition software identified one of the Academy students involved in the chase. And the next day, that same student struck his son using a Sandevistan Apogee.

Curiously, the same model that had belonged to the late Lieutenant Norris, over which Iron Beast and Militech had clashed so publicly.

Convinced that David had "the" Sandervistan, and seeing an opportunity to rise within Arasaka by obtaining the prize both corporations coveted, Tanaka didn’t hesitate to act. ["Ask him, Director,"] he ordered coldly.

The Director nodded almost imperceptibly and turned to his "student." "David, do you know or have you been in contact with Sora Inazuka?"

‘What does he care who I'm with?’ David wondered. Hesitating on how to respond, David sighed heavily before thinking, ‘What would "he" do in my place?’

Then, after finding his answer, David looked up, almost defiantly, stopped shaking his leg, and replied slowly, "Yes, is there a problem?"

Tanaka’s suspicion seemed confirmed, and the Director couldn’t help but notice the satisfaction reflected on the face of the hologram.

Just as the Director was about to sit down, a deafening noise shook the adjacent room where the secretary was, signaling that chaos was about to erupt.

"Who is—? Wait! What are you doing dragging one of our students?" the secretary exclaimed, her voice jumping between surprise and indignation.

The intruder ignored her and kept walking. When the secretary finally noticed his sculpted face and recognized him, her expression changed drastically. Her eyes widened, and her voice broke into a choked gasp. "It can't be!"

Then... Sora burst into the office, kicking the double doors open with a bang, the sound reverberating off the walls. Without effort, he threw the pale Katsuo to the floor, under the astonished gaze of his father’s hologram and the Director.

With indifferent calm, Sora dropped into the elegant armchair next to David, ending up more or less in the same position as Gloria a few days ago, but... with a completely different atmosphere in the same office.

After Jack entered and closed the doors.

More concerned about him than about his student who had just been thrown, the director said, “What are you doing here? You’re breaking the treaty; you are not allowed to enter any of our facilities.”

Something similar happened with his own father, but feeling safe, Tanako, without altering his tone, inquired, [“What have you done to my son?”]

“I’m glad there’s no need for introductions... I’m here for David, so if you’ll excuse me... shut the fuck up.” Hitting the armchair of the seat in frustration, Sora asked out loud, “Why are you still here?”

"What's that supposed to mean?" David asked, his voice a mix of fear and confusion.

"What the hell are you doing in this office?" Sora replied, his tone sharp.

“Well... I hit Katsuo and threw him against a smart glass wall, which shattered.”

"You did well," Sora admitted, with a hint of approval. "But I'll ask you again: Why are you still here? Why are you letting these corpos tell you what to do? Do you want to keep being one of them?"

"No, of course not! But... according to Rebecca, you wanted me to return to the academy," David replied, somewhat uncertain.

"For one day, David. I just got back to the city and still have things to take care of."

"Oh... then," David thought for a moment before suddenly standing up. "Let's go."

As Sora was about to get up, Tanaka’s voice broke the silence, laden with a cold authority that instantly froze David in place. ["Do you really think you can hit my son, destroy Arasaka’s facilities, and get away with it like it’s nothing?"]

Sora smirked sardonically. "Ahm... I'm trying to be as civilized as possible. But you, old man! It seems like you're looking for trouble," he replied, wagging his metal finger at the hologram.

He discarded the idea of sending it to 'Hanako-mama,' knowing that if he played that card, it could intimidate Tanaka and his division too much to act in the future.

'What's life without a little excitement!' Sora exclaimed in his mind, thinking about the plan he had outlined for David.

Despite the butterfly effect he had caused, he was confident he could remedy the situation enough for David to quickly mature under the constant pursuit and surveillance of Arasaka.

He organized a little misunderstanding, making Arasaka believe that David had Norris's Sandevistan, installing an identical one in him, and sending him back to the academy to 'Let him show it off to his school friends.'

"Do you think I don't know what you're trying to do?" Sora said, his voice taking on a falsely serious tone as he acted like just another corpo. "You want to slip in and take the prize while Iron Beast and Militech face off."

Hearing Sora's "suspicions," Tanaka smiled slightly, ceasing to act like a father and returning to his corporate self. ["Then, sending him to the academy was a mistake..."]

"I expected more from the prestigious Arasaka Academy; I didn't think there would be students like your son," Sora replied, feigning innocence, with a mixture of contempt and disdain.

["If you think that, you did well to leave your corporation in other hands..."] Tanaka responded with a hint of mockery and calculated arrogance. ["I have raised my son according to the teachings of Saburo-sama. I taught him that having no compassion for rivals is one of the principles to rise in this world."]

Sora let out a dry laugh. "I agree that the old man wrote the current playbook... So, since you like it so much, let me take a page from it. Nothing else matters but strength. If you want to protect what's yours or take what belongs to others... So unless you have the balls to get your hands dirty... fuck you"

Tanaka remained silent, the projection of his face held a tense and impassive expression, but his eyes betrayed him. The contained fury was evident.

"That last part isn’t from the old man, but if you like it, I’ll let you use it... by the look on your face, I can tell it hit home," Sora said as he stood up, smiling at Tanaka but with a deadly serious tone. "You're lucky I only wiped the floor with your son..."

Turning to the principal, he added as he left the office, "You can take today’s meeting as David’s resignation, and if you dare send the bill for the month to his mother... I will show up to do what I did to your HQ four years ago."

-

As soon as he stepped outside the Academy, David said sincerely, “Thanks for helping me,” looking at the man with black hair, who was already lighting another cigarette. “But... who’s the guy following us?”

After exhaling a puff of smoke, Sora responded, “A coworker.”

David nodded, looking at Jack with curiosity, and asked, “So, where are we going?”

Before Sora could answer, Jack intervened, his deep voice full of dissatisfaction. “We should be heading to Alaska. At least to scout the area around the coordinates.”

“Heading out? Alaska?” David repeated, completely confused. But the confusion quickly gave way to excitement.

He had never left Night City, and the prospect of going somewhere so far away filled him with a strange mix of enthusiasm and nervousness.

Sora, visibly irritated, shot a sharp look at Jack.

“And what if they spot us out there? Right now, we have the element of surprise. Armstech doesn’t know we already have Norris’ information, and we’re still acting like we’re looking for it.” He concluded with barely-contained frustration before taking another drag from his cigarette. “I’ve sent several members of my unit to infiltrate Norris’ properties that were under surveillance.”

Jack frowned, crossing his arms over his chest. "Even though what you're saying makes sense... why do I get the feeling that you really don't want to go?"

Sora let out a grunt before responding sincerely, exasperated, "Because I don't want to, damn it! I just got back to my city after so many years, and now I have to leave the next day."

David, who had been listening in silence, felt a spark of excitement ignite within him. So much so that he couldn't help but ask with excitement in his voice, "Am I really going with you guys?"

Jack was the first to react, unable to hold back a polite chuckle at David's question.

Sora, on the other hand... seeing the overflowing excitement on David's face, couldn't help it. A rough burst of laughter escaped him, followed by another, and another... louder each time. He had to bend forward, clutching his stomach in pain from laughing so hard, unable to stop.

David could only endure stoically, having received a "harsh" response to his "excitement" question. He even had to bear with Sora leaning on his shoulder, trying to stay upright while laughing in his face.

Finally, after regaining his composure and wiping a tear from his eye, Sora said through chuckles, "No, David." Still smiling, he added, "You're not coming with us on any "secret mission""

David, feeling a bit foolish, looked up, confused. "So...?"

Sora let out a sigh, this time with no trace of mockery in his voice. "Actually, I was going to take you to your first training, but there's been a change of plans," he finished with a genuine smile. "Your mother just woke up."

David froze, as if someone had slammed on a metaphorical brake.

For a moment, the last 24 hours since the accident flashed before his eyes: reuniting with Sora, being chased by Militech, meeting Rebecca and the others, and the choice he'd made about the path he wanted to follow.

For him, everything had happened at breakneck speed. But in that moment, knowing his mother had woken up, it was as if everything paused, and he could finally take a deep breath, internalizing all that had transpired.

Then... "Great! I really want to see her," David responded with a soft, calm smile.

This surprised Sora, who had truly watched David grow up before his eyes, seeing him now as a bit taller, his shoulders a bit broader.

Nodding slowly, Sora patted his shoulder affectionately and said mischievously, "Come on, I'm sure she'll be happy to see you with your first Chrome."

"Oh shit!" David suddenly remembered that little detail. He opened his eyes wide, thinking it might be better to let her rest.

Opening the car door for him, Sora... "Hehehe."