Chapter 62

Maine also threw up like crazy.

Had Leo not called, Rebecca would have stayed in bed the entire day, unmoving. But the moment she got his call, she jumped up, brushed her teeth three times, showered twice—terrified the lingering smell of booze might put Leo off. Then she rushed over on the air rail.

Leo had asked her to get in touch with Maine, too, since Leo had a gift for him. But Maine hadn't shown up, which left Rebecca grumbling that he was taking forever.

She'd been too eager to leave; she hadn't grabbed even a burger or a breakfast wrap, and right now her stomach was growling. Being young and still growing, it didn't take much for her to get hungry. The faint aroma of food carried over on the breeze was making her restless, until Leo noticed and went to buy them noodles.

…

A deep, resonant voice suddenly spoke up from behind them. "Sorry. I'm late."

........

...

.

They headed to a certain courtyard in the Heywood Vale district.

Outside, traffic flowed endlessly, but the noise was so muffled by walls and buildings that it was barely audible.

"What're we doing here?" Maine asked, baffled. Rebecca had only told him Leo wanted to see him, but not why.

"You'll find out soon enough," Leo said, standing with legs apart. He beckoned for Maine to come closer. "First, I want you to attack me with everything you've got."

"What?" Maine was confused.

"Don't ask too many questions. Just hit me."

Maine glanced at Leo's seemingly slender frame, then at his own burly arms and legs, as thick as a calf's. If it were anyone else, he might've swung without hesitation. But he and Leo had worked together before. Besides, at the Afterlife, he'd nearly caused a disaster, which Leo had helped avert—he didn't like the idea of hurting someone who'd done him a good turn.

And truth be told, he worried he might injure Leo. Seeing Maine refuse to strike, Leo tried goading him.

"C'mon, man, why so fussy? I'm telling you to hit me. If you break a bone, I won't make you pay the hospital bills. What're you scared of?"

"All right, fine! You asked for it—don't say I didn't warn you!" Maine balled up his mechanical fist and swung it at Leo's shoulder. He only used half his strength, aiming for the shoulder so that, even if Leo didn't dodge, it wouldn't be too serious.

Yet before Maine's punch landed, Leo sidestepped, slipping away from the blow.

"That was weak—haven't you eaten? 

Again!"

Maine paused. He whipped his right fist sideways, this time putting real power behind it.

"Ah, crap," he blurted, realizing too late he'd gone overboard. But there was no reining in that punch now. 

Unexpectedly, Leo simply ducked, letting the whoosh of Maine's punch pass harmlessly overhead.

Two whiffs in a row. Maine's expression turned serious; he stopped holding back. Even so, he couldn't land a single hit. After a brief flurry—really just Maine attacking while Leo dodged—Leo called a halt.

"All right, that's enough." He looked at Maine, who was breathing a bit harder. "Know why you couldn't touch me?"

Maine hesitated, then said, "Because you're too fast at dodging."

Leo shook his head and tapped a knuckle on Maine's mechanical arm. "Not just that. Part of the problem is in you. Your mechanical arms aren't compatible with your body. You've probably felt it—there's a delay of almost a fraction of a second whenever you swing."

He continued, "Against a regular opponent, that might not matter, but a skilled fighter at close range will see a fatal opening."

Back at the Afterlife, Rebecca had mentioned that the pair of arms Maine had taken from the Animal's boss just wasn't working out—he'd barely installed it before issues started popping up. Still, Maine refused to replace it, because even with the glitches, it was the best cyberware he currently had.

That was why Leo had asked Rebecca to bring Maine today. Maine liked quality gear, so Leo wanted to show him something better—his powered gauntlets. Sure enough, Maine was tempted.

"How much?"

Leo held up several fingers.

"That high?" Maine's immediate excitement deflated, as if doused in cold water. The price far exceeded what he could comfortably afford. While he had guessed the powered gauntlets wouldn't be cheap, hearing the actual figure still stung.

Seeing his troubled expression, Leo clapped him on the shoulder. "You don't have to pay it all at once. You can pay me back in twenty-four installments, no interest. If any month you don't have the cash, that's fine. Pay me double the next month."

If it had been anyone else, Leo wouldn't be so generous. But Maine was special—like Jackie, he had a trustworthiness about him that Leo appreciated. Something that this city sorely lacked

So he felt safe letting Maine buy on credit, convinced Maine wouldn't bail on the debt.

Grateful for the lifeline, Maine agreed. He decided he'd find a good ripperdoc to do a limb-replacement surgery, reattach his original arms, then equip Leo's powered gauntlets. 

The only downside was that he wouldn't be able to install his prized projectile-launch system in them. You couldn't have it all, and compared to glitchy mechanical arms, the powered gauntlets were still a huge upgrade.

With that in mind, Maine took the opportunity to ask for a second pair—he wanted one for Dorio, a former Animals gang member who fought alongside him.

…

Over the next three weeks, Leo holed up in his weapon workshop at his Vale district apartment, working around the clock to craft. It took him that long to complete three sets of powered gauntlets. Two sets were for Maine and Dorio. The remaining one was a surprise gift for Jackie.

Originally, he planned on making gauntlets for V and Lucy, too. But when he asked them about it, both said it didn't suit their style. So he only made three.

After calling Rebecca to pick up the sets for Maine and Dorio, Leo headed back to his apartment, took a satisfying hot shower, and collapsed into bed. He slept for a full day and night. When he woke, it was barely four in the morning, still dark outside.

He lay there a while, contemplating sleeping until dawn, but he was too rested to doze off again. Just then, his phone buzzed.

"Beep—beep—beep—beep—" 

His tactical visor ID showed it was Jackie calling.

"Hey, Leo, you awake yet? It's past daybreak."

"It's only a bit past four in the morning," Leo grumbled. "It's barely light out, and the streetlamps are still on."

Jackie chuckled. "Hurry up and get down here, choom. I'm already waiting outside your building."

"You do know I gave you resident access, right? You could just come up."

"Yeah, but I'm being considerate. What if I walked in on you 'handcrafting a tactical nuke' and you had to kill me to keep it secret?" Jackie sounded like he was in a chipper mood. "Anyway, come on. I'm taking you to see Old Vic."

"Old Vic…?"

Leo tried to place the name. It sounded familiar yet somewhat distant, like he'd heard it before but couldn't recall exactly where.

"Dude, I've mentioned him a bunch of times! The best ripperdoc in Watson. I've been meaning to take you there, but we've been so busy. I kept forgetting."

"Fine, fine. Let me brush my teeth, wash my face, and grab a coat."

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