David Martinez

The city's true masters are the megacorporations. After the Fourth Corporate War, the city was granted the status of an independent economic zone. This means that the laws of the Free States do not apply here. The corporations have the right of "extraterritoriality"—their land, offices, and employees are not subject to city law. If an Arasaka agent kills a civilian on the street, the NCPD won't even respond because they lack the authority to arrest a corporation. NCPD Police Night City's official law enforcement is in deep decline. The NCPD is a corrupt, poorly funded organization that long ago sold out to fixers and corporations. The police are only responsible for keeping street crime under control to prevent gangs from storming Corporate Center. They either don't respond to calls in poor neighborhoods at all or arrive hours later simply to record the death and remove the bodies. Fixers The true shadow rulers of Night City's streets. Each district has its own fixer (for example, Regina Jones in Watson, Wakako Okada in Japantown, or Faraday, who worked with Maine's gang). Fixers know everything about everyone. They act as intermediaries between corporations, gangs, and mercenaries. If a corporation needs to steal classified data from a competitor, it doesn't send its own soldiers—it hires a fixer, who then finds a team of cyberpunks. Fixers maintain the balance of power on the streets, distributing resources and information.

The main drug and entertainment of the 21st century, having completely replaced traditional cinema and video games, Braindance is a digital recording of a real person's brain signals. By wearing a special headband, the viewer not only sees and hears what happened to the actor, but also physically feels their emotions, fear, joy, the taste of food, and even physical pain. XBD (Black Braindance): Illegal recordings containing real-life suffering, torture, and death. Night City is obsessed with braindance. The poor spend their last pennies on XBD chips to feel like rich corporate executives, supermodels, or ruthless killers, even if only for an hour, escaping the dreary, grisly reality of their cell-like apartments. Information field and advertising Night City literally screams. Advertising is omnipresent, aggressive, and hypersexualized. It's projected as enormous 3D holograms right between skyscrapers, beamed onto the walls of buildings, and transmitted directly to the neural networks of passersby. Advertising promotes unbridled consumption, body image, violence, and accessible pleasures. The city never sleeps and never falls silent, creating a constant white noise of neon flickering and advertising jingles.

Ripperdocs: Underground or semi-legal surgeons who install and maintain implants. Their offices are a cross between a dentist's office, a tattoo parlor, and a butcher shop operating room. A good ripperdoc (like Doc to David) is worth his weight in gold on the street. Cyberpsychosis: The Downside of Augmentations. The human mind has a breaking point. When the body accumulates too much iron ("chromium") and too little flesh, the psyche breaks down. The person loses empathy, begins to see living people as "meatbags," and goes on a rampage, killing everyone around them. To combat them, an elite police unit—Max-Tac—has been created. These psychological punishers eliminate cyberpsychopaths on sight.

Cyberpunks and Street Crime (Edgerunners) Those who refused to work for corporations and chose the path to freedom through crime. Mercenaries, netrunners, solos (contract killers), and fixers (intermediaries issuing contracts). Everyday life: They live for today, knowing they could be killed tomorrow. Money is spent on new weapons, ammunition, and "chrome" (cyberimplants). Cyberpunks gather in specialized bars, like the legendary "Afterlife," where they discuss new contracts over cocktails. The highest honor for an edgerunner is to die so spectacularly that a cocktail in the bar is named after them. 3. Infrastructure, technology, and entertainment Technology in Night City has reached incredible heights, but it serves not the good of humanity, but rather its control and monetization. Cybernetization and Chrome Implants are the foundation of urban life. Without a neural link (a port at the base of the skull), it's impossible to get even the most basic job, pay for a subway ride, or operate a computer. People exchange their biological body parts for mechanical ones for strength, beauty, or work skills.

Social hierarchy and everyday life of people Night City society is rigidly divided into three castes, with little mobility between them. Corporates (Corporates) The elite, living at the top of the world. They control the economy, politics, and technology. Corporate life is an endless race for survival within the structure itself. Their lives are entirely owned by the company. The corporation pays for their luxury apartments, biomodifications (which extend life and youth), and top-notch insurance. The Price of Status: Corporate employees live in constant paranoid fear. Espionage, contract killings of colleagues, blackmail, and betrayal are their daily reality. If a corporate employee makes a mistake, the company instantly liquidates their bank accounts, disables their medical implants, and throws them out on the street, as has happened to many. Ordinary citizens and the working class People trying to live legally: factory workers, petty clerks, salespeople, paramedics (like Gloria Martinez). Their lives are slavery under the guise of capitalism. Food and Resources: Real food (meat, fresh vegetables, fruit) is astronomically expensive and only accessible to the wealthy. Ordinary people eat synthetic protein powder grown on algae (Syn-Meat, KIBBL) and drink chemical-based sodas like SCOOP. Tap water is toxic, and the air is polluted. Medical: A person's life directly depends on their health insurance. There's an elite service called "Trauma Team." If you have their "platinum" card, if you're injured, an armored aircraft (flying vehicle) with special forces and emergency medical technicians will arrive within three minutes to shoot down the attackers and save you. If you don't have insurance, you'll die on the side of the road, and a municipal ambulance won't pick you up for another 24 hours.

The heart of the city, its showcase and citadel of power. The architecture here is monumental and aggressive: gigantic monoliths of glass, titanium, and concrete soar far into the clouds. The headquarters of the world's largest conglomerates—Arasaka, Militech, Petrochem, and Biotechnika—are located here. ​Amenities: The streets are spotlessly clean, the air is filtered by special systems, and the roads are occupied exclusively by armored limousines. The area is patrolled by private corporate armies, which have the right to shoot any suspicious passerby without trial. The average person from the street is not welcome here unless they are wearing an expensive corporate suit. Watson A former industrial giant that was destined to become the city's calling card, it fell into decline after the economic crisis. It is now an overcrowded melting pot of Japanese, Chinese, and other Asian cultures (Kabuki, Little China). ​Development: The area is lined with former factories converted into underground brothels, markets, and ripperdoc hangouts. Neon signs hang so thickly they block out the sky, and the streets are cluttered with vendors selling contraband chrome and stolen chips. The Maelstrom gang and the Chinese Tiger Claws rule here. Westbrook A neighborhood where those lucky enough to rise to the top live. It includes Charter Hill (home to mid-level executives) and North Oak, the hills where luxury villas are found for top executives and braindance stars. Facilities: Japantown, the center of nightlife, entertainment, and casinos, is located here. Westbrook's architecture is aesthetically pleasing, with abundant greenery (a rare luxury for Night City) and artificial waterfalls. Security is provided by elite private security agencies. Heywood A vast residential area with a vibrant Latin American flavor. It's called "the largest residential area in the world." Bordering the Corporate Center to the north, it appears tidy, but to the south, it devolves into a dangerous slum.

How he met the team It all started when David installed the military implant "Sandevistan," which his mother had secretly stolen to sell. David didn't yet know how to use it and suffered from overload. Meeting on the subway: On the train, David spots Lucy stealing chips from passengers. Using the Sandevistan's super-speed, he catches her red-handed. Instead of a fight, Lucy offers a deal: David steals the chips at high speed, she cracks them, and they split the profits. Ambush: After working for the day, Lucy takes David home, but on the way out, the guy is brutally restrained by a huge Maine. It turns out that the "Sandevistan" was intended for Maine—Gloria (David's mother) was supposed to sell the implant to him on the day of her death. Lucy had initially simply lured David into a trap on the gang's orders. A deal and a test: Maine wants to remove the implant (which would kill David), but the boy gets cocky and offers, "The implant is already mine. Don't kill me, just use it. My speed will work for you." Maine is surprised that the teenager's brain hasn't melted from the combat chrome. He decides to give the boy a chance and takes him on a mission that very night. David proves himself, and Maine accepts him into the team.

His team (Maine's Gang) It's a tight-knit group of "edge runners," each with their own role: Maine (Leader): A huge, dark-skinned cyborg wielding rocket launchers. A former military man. He became a mentor and father figure to David. He suffered from the onset of cyberpsychosis. Dorio (Right Hand): A muscular and strong woman, Maine's lover. She was the "voice of reason" in the gang, the calmest and most reasonable, often smoothing over conflicts. Lucy (Netrunner): A neon-haired girl with a mysterious past (she escaped from the Arasaka lab). A brilliant hacker. She wields a laser monostring in combat. David's lover. Rebecca (Solo / Firepower): A petite, reckless girl with green hair and tons of tattoos. She loves chaos and firing huge guns. She was secretly in love with David and remained devoted to him until her death. Pilar (Technician): Rebecca's older brother. An eccentric guy with long cybernetic manipulator arms. He was always making dirty jokes, but he could fix any chrome. Falco (Driver): A mustachioed man with a retro cowboy style. The most unflappable member of the team. He expertly drove the recovery van and got the gang out of any scrape.

Appearance David's appearance changes dramatically as the story progresses, dividing his story into "before" and "after." In the Beginning (Teenager): A skinny, thin guy. He has brown eyes and dark brown hair, shaved on the sides and styled into a high mohawk. He wears small silver stud earrings. He's wearing a gray sweatshirt, blue jeans, and sneakers. His main detail is a bright yellow paramedic jacket with luminescent stripes (a tribute to his late mother). At the End (Cyborg): Due to the massive number of combat implants, his body has become massive and unnaturally enormous. His shoulders have been broadened by a metal frame, his arms have been replaced with heavy, combat-ready Maine prosthetics, and a massive titanium spine has been installed on his spine. His face has become haggard, his gaze cold. Yet he still wears that same yellow jacket, which now barely fits over his titanium chest.

1. David's personality and appearance Personality (Character) David Martinez is not your typical brutal mercenary, but a guy with a kind heart who was broken by circumstances. Altruism and selflessness: David has a remarkable lack of selfishness. He's never lived for himself or for money. First, he studied at a prestigious academy for his mother, then he risked his life for the gang, and finally, he set himself on fire to fulfill Lucy's dream. "Chosen One" Syndrome: Possessing a rare genetic resistance to implants, David sincerely believed he was special. He thought he could install as much "chrome" as he wanted without going crazy (unlike everyone else), which ultimately led to his tragedy. Loyalty: He stood up for his men like a rock. For him, the gang became a true family, for which he unhesitatingly broke the law and killed enemies. Impulsivity: Due to his young age (17-18 years old), David often made decisions based on emotions, guided by pride or anger.