Born in 2058 to EMT Gloria Martinez in Night City’s Santo Domingo district, David Martinez entered the world during an ambulance emergency call, delivered by his mother en route to the hospital. They resided in Megabuilding H4 within the impoverished Arroyo neighborhood. Gloria’s relentless work and covert side hustle—salvaging cyberware from dead edgerunners—secured David’s enrollment at Arasaka Academy. Despite excelling academically, he endured relentless bullying from affluent peers like Katsuo Tanaka over his socioeconomic status. David supplemented their income by hawking outdated braindance recordings (XBDs) acquired from "Doc," a local ripperdoc whose friendship stemmed from David’s childhood obsession with cyberware and street culture. A gang-attack crossfire critically injured Gloria. Trauma Team denied aid due to lapsed insurance. Though David stabilized her at a back-alley clinic, she succumbed. Retrieving her belongings, he found a military-grade Sandevistan neural implant she’d salvaged. Katsuo later mocked David and his deceased mother in a call, triggering David’s demand that Doc install the Sandevistan. Ignoring warnings of its physical toll and cyberpsychosis risk, Doc complied, citing David’s rare cyberware tolerance. David deployed the implant’s superhuman speed to brutally retaliate against Katsuo at Arasaka Academy, resulting in expulsion. Post-expulsion, David met Lucy—a netrunner stealing data shards on a train. After collaborating on a theft, she introduced him to Maine’s edgerunner crew. Suspicious initially (due to Gloria’s intent to sell them the Sandevistan), they admitted David after witnessing his prowess during a data heist. He bonded with members like mentor-figure Maine, Dorio, Rebecca, Pilar, Kiwi, and Falco, while romancing Lucy and embracing her dream of fleeing Night City for the Moon. David progressively replaced organic parts with cybernetics, inheriting Maine’s cyberarms after Maine and Dorio perished during Maine’s cyberpsychosis spiral. Assuming crew leadership, David pursued loyalty to his found family and others’ dreams—especially Lucy’s. Despite an unusually high Humanity stat (attributed to stable upbringing and supportive bonds) buffering initial psychological strain, he dismissed mounting cyberpsychosis warnings. Convinced of unique immunity, he installed military-grade cyber legs, a ballistic torso, and muscle enhancements. Over-reliance triggered physical decay (bleeding, pain) and psychological fractures—dissociation, splintered identity, and aggression—mirroring Maine’s decline. Arasaka Corporation noted David’s perceived "specialness," targeting him as a test subject, though figures like Adam Smasher ridiculed the notion. Analysts later attributed his resilience to Night City’s abysmal standards for humanity, not exceptionalism. Relentless augmentation—fueled by loyalty, unresolved grief, and subconscious control-seeking after Gloria’s death—culminated in full cyberpsychosis. David’s finale unfolded during a mission where he sacrificed himself against Arasaka’s enforcer, Adam Smasher, enabling Lucy’s escape to the Moon. His last words: "Whatever, choom. Like I give a shit." David Martinez ascended to Night City underworld legend, commemorated by an Afterlife bar cocktail and his iconic yellow EMT jacket, later worn by mercenary V.