Chapter 35: Suits
The clinic was quiet.
Rocky walked out from the back studio with a small vial in his hand, blue liquid catching the light, and stopped beside Jacky's chair.
"This is the good stuff you were talking about? What is it exactly?" Jacky asked, curiosity all over his face.
"An injectable serum," Rocky said. "Boosts your body across the board. There is a decent chance tomorrow's job turns into a fight. This will help."
"You want me to shoot that into myself?"
"Yeah." Rocky nodded. "I do."
"Alright then. What do I do?"
"Lie back."
Jacky did not know what that blue serum was. He was not the type who used many drugs either. But it was Rocky holding the vial, and that alone settled most of his doubts. If Rocky said it was good, he was willing to try it.
As long as he knew Rocky would not hurt him, there was no point grilling him for details. Rocky was the professional here. The best thing Jacky could do was listen.
He stretched out on the operating chair. Rocky adjusted the rig beside him, checking lines, calibrating the injector.
"L, you and Lucy knew each other before this?" Jacky asked while he waited.
"No." Rocky shook his head. "Yesterday was the first time I met her."
"Yeah… about that." Jacky scratched his cheek. "You were out this afternoon, I ended up talking with her and kind of let it slip that you used to work for Vik."
Rocky did not even blink.
"It is fine. Not exactly some state secret. Just do not tell her about the Mewtwo chips I watched."
He said it with a crooked smile.
"Hey, that much I get," Jacky said, grinning.
"Alright, I am starting the injection. Keep your heartbeat steady. It does not hurt, but you might doze off for a while."
"No problem."
…
Some time later, Rocky's voice cut through the fog.
"Wake up, Jacky."
The serum had finished running its course. Jacky opened his eyes slowly.
"Damn. That is insane."
He tested his body without thinking. Strength, balance, the way his muscles responded. Everything felt tighter, cleaner, like someone had turned the volume up on him.
"How's it feel?" Rocky asked, smiling.
Jacky got to his feet and paced a slow circle, bouncing on his toes. Then he headed for the corner where Rocky usually worked the heavy bag and threw a few test combinations.
"Yeah, this is the real deal," he said, breath coming a little faster with excitement. "L, where did you even get this? Must have cost a fortune."
"It's not that bad. Cost is around three thousand eddies a dose. I made it."
Jacky froze.
His jaw literally dropped.
He still did not know anything about the Module Library behind Rocky. All he saw was the man practically living in this clinic.
Rocky had never gone out of his way to tell him, either—no reason to. You waited for the right moment to open that door, like now.
"You are telling me you made this stuff?" Jacky said. "You are gonna be rich."
"It's going well," Rocky said with a slight nod. "But this is just the start."
"Damn, L. With tech like that, what are you planning long term? Start a company?"
"That is exactly the plan. I have already started laying the groundwork."
"So you were serious about turning yourself into a corpo dog," Jacky said, half laughing.
"Of course, I was serious. I only joked about it because I thought you would hate the idea. That is why I tested the waters back then."
Rocky spread his hands.
Jacky walked over and slung an arm around his shoulders, grin turning softer.
"Hate what? Whether you are a merc or running a company, you are still living for yourself. Nothing shameful in that. I should be backing you up, not dragging you down.
"And if you ask me, if corps really cannot be erased, I would rather see you sitting at the top than some bastard like Saburo Arasaka. At least with you up there, I can trust you will do better than they ever did."
Rocky's chest eased as he listened. That tight little knot he had not wanted to admit was finally loosened.
At least Jacky was not going to turn on him over this.
"Jacky, that is what I have been thinking too," he said quietly. "Only magic can beat magic. I am not just going to smash their pretty little dreams. I am going to change the entire world they built."
Jacky laughed.
"Honestly? I am looking forward to it," he said. "Just remember this: whatever you do, I have your back. You are my brother.
"Ask me to kiss Saburo Arasaka's ass, that is not happening. But helping my brother? I am all in. If you ever need me, say the word. I do not know corpo boardroom crap, but you want something done on the street, I am your guy."
He gave Rocky's shoulder a firm pat.
It did not matter what path Rocky chose. Mercenary, corpo, some weird gang, or something nobody had even named yet.
Jacky's answer would always be the same.
Support. Trust. Respect. All the way until he died.
"Jacky, hearing you say that… yeah. That settles it for me. Brothers for life," Rocky said.
The words hit harder than he let show.
Having a brother who was willing to stand behind you without conditions, especially in Night City, was almost impossible.
Rocky locked that feeling away, deep.
Do not worry, Jacky, he thought. I will make your wish real. You are going to live as a legend in this city.
No one had ever written a rule that said you had to pull off some huge, flashy score to become a legend in Night City. As long as you were strong enough, nobody cared where you started.
Adam Smasher was proof.
A top war merc, wet work for megacorps and governments, legend built on piles of bodies. Plenty of so-called legends had died at his hands. Now he was welded to Arasaka, walking the city as one of its monsters, and nobody questioned his status.
Rocky intended to push Jacky past even him.
The day Jacky could stand in Arasaka Tower, knock Adam Smasher flat, and plant a boot in Saburo Arasaka, that would be the day he became a true legend.
…
Once the injection was done, Rocky drove Jacky back toward Heywood.
Halfway there, near the municipal center, he eased the car to the curb in front of a clothing store.
There was still one crucial piece left for their prep.
If you were going to pretend to be corporate employees, you would not walk in wearing street gear.
You needed suits.
Inside the boutique, Rocky and Jacky stood in front of mirrors, trading outfits.
This shop catered almost entirely to office workers and corp staff out of the municipal center. It had an entire section dedicated to suits, rows of them in different cuts and price tiers.
"Damn, did not think I could look this badass in a suit. L, you seeing this?" Jacky said.
He stood in front of the mirror, tugging at the lapels. His big frame filled the jacket out until he looked less like a clerk and more like an enforcer who collected debts with his fists.
"Looks a little like you are here to break kneecaps," Rocky said. "But yeah. Must admit, it works. Suits actually suit you."
"Hey, I am probably only putting one of these on a handful of times," Jacky said, grinning. "The suit might fit my body, but I sure as hell am not wearing one in my heart."
"Relax, nobody is asking you to clock in every day in a tie," Rocky said, shooting back as he ducked into the fitting room.
He changed quickly.
Rocky did not have Jacky's bulk. On him, the tailored suit hid the muscle instead of advertising it, smoothing everything into clean, controlled lines. When he stepped out, the cut made him look like a real corporate elite, someone used to being the sharpest one in the room.
Underneath the fabric, though, there was still that pressure, that quiet sense of danger that clung to him no matter what he wore. Paired with his face, the package sold the image completely.
You could point at him in that suit and say he was a newly promoted senior exec at a Night City megacorp, and nobody would blink.
"Damn, L. That suit was made for you," Jacky said, jaw going slack for a moment.
"Not bad," Rocky said, giving his reflection a quick once-over.
They paid at the counter and walked out with their purchases.
With the suits bought, every piece of prep for the job was finally in place.
Rocky dropped Jacky back home in Heywood, then headed for his own apartment to rest, body and mind winding down as he got ready for tomorrow's action.