Stronger

"Stronger" is the seventh episode of CD Projekt RED and Studio Trigger's series.

Characters
In order of appearance:
 * Julio
 * Rebecca
 * David Martinez
 * Falco
 * Kiwi
 * Isabella Morgan
 * Wakako Okada
 * Lucy Kushinada
 * Doc (Ripperdoc)
 * Faraday
 * Jamie

Description

 * Now an all-star edgerunner enhanced with more cybernetics, David leads his team into a new mission. An old contact reaches out to him for a big job.

Summary
Despite stepping up to lead, David grapples with Lucy's reluctance to rejoin the team as they prepare for a monumental mission.

Several months after Maine's demise, the crew, now lead by David, embarks on a high-stakes job to rescue Isabella Morgan, the daughter of a wealthy individual. inside an armored vehicle driven by Falco. The crew, including the new recruit Julio, is preparing for a dangerous assignment. David, visibly enhanced and now a known edgerunner, equips Julio with a suitable shotgun for the mission.

The target is a fortified facility teeming with heavily armed gang members and automated turrets. With Kiwi's hacking skills, Becca's firepower, and David's Sandevistan implant, they swiftly gain control of the compound, defeating the gang. however, Julio meets his demise when he triggers an explosive tripwire despite warnings from David and Becca.

Their contact, Wakako, is duly impressed with their performance. Post-job celebrations see Becca showcasing her new cyberhands augmentation, reminiscent of her late brother Pilar's flamboyance.

In a conversation with Kiwi, David reflects on Lucy's absence and speculates about her reluctance to rejoin the crew. The plot thickens when Faraday contacts David at the Afterlife bar, offering a test job for Militech, Arasaka's rival company. David's task is to persuade Lucy to return and undertake Faraday's job.

Leaving the party early, David visits his ripperdoc for fine-tuning, where he receives a cautionary message about excessive augmentation. Despite his increasingly chromed body, David dismisses the doctor's concerns. Kiwi informs David of a meeting request, leading to a crucial encounter with Faraday.

Upon returning home, Lucy, emerging from a net-diving session, and David share their experiences of the day. As David urges Lucy to rejoin the crew, she divulges her harrowing history. Born and raised outside Night City, Lucy and other children were trained by Arasaka to become skilled netrunners, tasked with delving into the treacherous Old Net daily. The revelation of betrayal led to a rebellion, and Lucy, the sole survivor, eventually found refuge in Night City.

In a subsequent scene, an Arasaka netrunner discusses Tanaka's corrupted data before Lucy, emerging from the shadows, hacks into his mind, eliminating him. As the crew faces reputation and ruin on Faraday's enigmatic mission, Lucy grapples with her love for David amid the inexorable progression toward tragedy.

Trivia

 * The episode is titled after the Kanye West song "Stronger" from his 2007 album Graduation.