Cyberpunk 2077 Theory – How Dex and T-Bug are Connected

T-Bug and Dexter DeShawn are two important characters in the first act of Cyberpunk 2077, both involved in the robbery at Konpeki Plaza that left V with the Relic on his head. Alongside Jackie and V, they form a team that takes the Relic job from Evelyn Parker and attempts to steal Arasaka technology. And although the player gets to know both characters a little during the first part of the game, both have mysterious pasts that are never fully explained.

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Cyberpunk 2077.

T-Bug is the group’s netrunner, almost always working remotely and staying as far away as possible, while Dex is the fixer who puts together the work with information from Evelyn. T-Bug appears to have been working with V and Jackie for at least some time before the first act begins, while Dex recently returned to Night City after an ambiguous multi-year hiatus. Both characters have an air of mystery, as if they know something about the job that V and Jackie don’t. And given that they both have unexplained pasts, this could have to do with their backstories.

Dexter and T-Bug have worked together before

History between these two powerful figures

Although it is never fully or directly explained, it is confirmed in-game that T-Bug met Dex before his exile to Night City. It was she who first made contact with Dex upon his return, and it is thanks to her that Dex is working with Jackie and V. Although the latter two characters are somewhat new to the Night City mercantile scene, it is clear that T-Bug and Dex have a little more experience.

After all, Dexter DeShawn was a great fixer in Night City, on a similar level to Wakako or Padre. Although the game states that Dex didn’t work alone, he had a skill with people that led him to go far in business. T-Bug is also considered an excellent netrunner well above Jackie and V at the start of the game in terms of reputation and skill. T-Bug likely attested that the other two mercenaries had Dex hire them for the job, and whatever past business the two of them had was enough for him to trust her.

Both characters are infamously intimate when it comes to their personal lives, and there is nothing to verify exactly how familiar they are with each other. Although it is possible that they were just frequent collaborators in work, in-game information about Dex states that he did not have a regular teaminstead, it constantly hires new business partners for different activities in Cyberpunk.

Rumors of a relationship between Fixer and Netrunner

Lovers, family or something else entirely?

Players have speculated that Dex T-Bug is more personally related, whether through a romantic relationship or a family connection. In the game, Jackie once insinuates that There are rumors that the two were once togetheralthough T-Bug ignores this and a romantic past honestly doesn’t seem to fit any of his characters very well. The two being family is entirely possible, although other than coincidence and trust in each other, there is nothing to support this theory.

A more likely theory would be that T-Bug was the person who helped Dex escape Night City several years ago. Dex’s “vacation” in the city was probably out of necessity, after a job gone wrong. Royce, a leader of the Maelstrom gang, hints that Dex had a falling out with some people in Pacifica. Pacifica is home to all kinds of dangerous people, from Mr. Hands to the VooDoo Boys gang, and it would take someone with skill to help Dex devise a way to escape their clutches.

Someone like T-Bug. If she had helped save Dex’s life, it might make sense for him to give her a position in this lucrative business to steal the Relic and take her advice on mercenaries to hire. However, some players theorize that T-Bug’s endorsement of V and Jackie may be more malicious than it appears.

Were Dex and T-Bug conspiring before the robbery?

Tragic coincidence or planned betrayal?

Some players have reached the point of suspect that Dex and T-Bug are secretly planning to betray V and Jackieeither by giving them a disproportionate cut or leaving them to dry after stealing the Relic. This is a bit far-fetched, given how completely blindsided both characters seemed by everything that happened at the end of the first act, but there are a few things that point to the two conspiring together.

The first is Dex’s reputation. He’s someone whose last job went so wrong that he had to leave town completely, and from the way the game talks about his business practices, it seems he cares little about the fate of those he works with. When Dex first meets V, speaking in his car, he tries to gauge the mercenary’s priorities and ideals, almost trying to determine how easy it would be to screw him over. Based on how Dex’s plot ends, he doesn’t hesitate to betray his allies to achieve his own goals.

Next, it appears that Dex is aware of things he shouldn’t be. He becomes very suspicious of V after the encounter with Evelyn Parker, seeming to recognize if V lies about Evelyn’s offer. Could he be so good at reading people, or Maybe T-Bug informed him; after all, she had access to V’s network right around the time Evelyn made her offer.

Dex and T-Bug are likely victims of circumstance

Just bad luck

But are the two really conspiring together? Maybe, but probably not to the extent that people think. T-Bug is reserved, but seems to have some respect for Jackie and V, and probably wouldn’t want them to be killed. And although Dex is a traitor, he betrays V when things have already gotten worse. The robbery gone wrong was unintentional.

Clearly, none of the characters expected the robbery to go so wrong, and it appears that Dex only killed V when he began to panic. Maybe they both had plans to get more than their fair share, and maybe T-Bug was more loyal to Dex than the others. But that seems to be it when it comes to some secret conspiracy, and it wouldn’t make much sense for the two to purposefully try to get their allies killed. Cyberpunk 2077.