David Martinez entered life in the back of a speeding Night City ambulance on September 7, 2058. His mother, paramedic Gloria Martinez, delivered him while reattaching an edgerunner's arm; the mercenary then severed David's umbilical cord with mantis blades. This event forged an early link to Night City's mercenary culture and symbolized their bond. Raised in Santo Domingo's impoverished Megabuilding H4, David lived with his single mother in a trash-strewn, dangerous district. Gloria worked grueling EMT shifts for REO Meatwagon to fund his tuition at Arasaka Academy. Alienated among wealthy classmates, David sold illegal braindances from ripperdoc "Doc" to students. He gained a reputation for fearlessness when a 6th Streeter's son broke his hand punching David, leading neighbors to deem him "special" and destined for greatness. Gloria died from injuries sustained during an Animals gang attack on their commute. Trauma Team denied aid due to lapsed insurance, and she succumbed in a low-cost clinic. Handling her belongings, David discovered a military-grade Sandevistan neural implant she salvaged from cyberpsycho James Norris. Ignoring Doc's warnings about its risks, David traded future removal rights for its installation. Using the Sandevistan's enhanced reflexes, David retaliated against bully Katsuo Tanaka at Arasaka Academy, resulting in expulsion. Adrift in Night City, he encountered netrunner Lucyna Kushinada stealing data shards on a train. After demonstrating his implant, they formed a 70-30 profit partnership. Lucy introduced David to Maine's edgerunner crew—Gloria's original Sandevistan client. David joined after proving himself during a data heist. As Maine's mentee, David integrated into the crew alongside Dorio, Rebecca, Pilar, Kiwi, and Falco. His cyberware tolerance became evident when he activated the Sandevistan ten times in one day without immediate side effects, convincing him of unique resistance to cyberpsychosis. After witnessing Maine's cyberpsychosis breakdown and the deaths of Maine and Dorio, David assumed leadership and intensified cybernetic modifications against Lucy's protests. David's physical transformation included height and musculature enhancements from implants, though he retained Gloria's yellow EMT jacket. His psyche deteriorated through recurring nightmares, hallucinations, and dissociative episodes signaling cyberpsychosis onset. Fixer Faraday manipulated David into testing Arasaka's experimental cyberskeleton, accelerating his mental fragmentation. David's motivations centered on fulfilling others' dreams: Gloria's aspiration for his success, Maine's ambition to reach the top, and Lucy's desire to visit the moon. During Lucy's rescue from Faraday and Arasaka, David deployed the cyberskeleton despite knowing it would complete his descent into cyberpsychosis. His final confrontation with Adam Smasher ended in severe injuries. Smasher dismissed David's perceived uniqueness before defeating him, though David achieved his objective by ensuring Lucy's escape to the moon. His actions cemented his Night City legend, later commemorated by an eponymous drink at the Afterlife bar.