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I got into the AV cabin. Before that, I had finally raised the clan's alert status to Code Red, and now people were genuinely alarmed...
"Del, let's fly to the Afterlife."
"It will be executed…"
And the cabin fell silent. But while the cabin fell silent, the comm channel between me and the girls was full of discussion. They were also relaying the security feed from the Afterlife, and it seemed like they just wanted to talk to me...
Except the invitation to chat looked far too extravagant. So, I highly doubted it would be a simple conversation.
"Becca, you need to keep Yorinobu himself in your sights."
"Maybe it's better…"
"No... Smasher is not your target. I'll take him on. I'm not confident I can take him solo, but I'll at least delay him. In the meantime, you zero his employer, and maybe he'll decide that with his death, the contract is null and void."
"Doubtful…"
Judy's image shook her head.
"…as a rule, he sees a contract through to the end."
"Yeah, I know... But we have that hope, as well as the hope that this really will be just a talk and we'll walk away. Though I don't believe it, not at all…"
"We don't believe it either…"
Now all the girls' images shook their heads, though it was Kiwi who answered.
"…so be ready for a big fuss and a full-scale firefight. And yeah, I'd advise Becca to ignore your order and keep Smasher in her sights... He's a Borg, and Borgs have a few a priori weak spots, one of which is likely hidden by the high 'collar' of his armored body."
I frowned thoughtfully.
There was logic to Kiwi's words, and most likely there was indeed a vulnerable spot behind that 'collar' where one could strike. After all, making something invulnerable while keeping it somewhat human-like is unrealistic.
The other question is, will the weak spots be where we expect to find them?
Inhale... exhale...
"Fine... agreed. First, you'll discreetly scout Smasher. If—and I emphasize if—you find a critical point that could make killing or severely damaging him feasible, then you aim for it, but you only attack on my command. If not, then you attack Yorinobu if I give the command."
"Understood."
Becca's image nodded, and her tone made it clear she was satisfied with my decision.
"And yeah, I want to remind all of you: we'll be dealing with corporate runners. Of course, without a direct connection, which I don't intend to allow, they won't detect the traffic between us—at least, they shouldn't—but…"
"Yes, we remember that corporations might have capabilities unknown to us, so keep radio silence…"
"Exactly."
Meanwhile, the AV smoothly descended onto the Afterlife's landing pad. Forty-eight minutes had passed since Rogue's call, and as soon as the taxi doors opened, I waited five seconds, giving Becca time to slip out, then climbed out myself.
I took the elevator down to the club entrance, and now I could see a hulking brute, vaguely similar in style to the one who usually stood guard.
"Where's Bronson?"
"None of your business. Rogue is waiting…"
I frowned slightly.
"Mda... guess it's time to cut ties with this old choomba, if she can't even keep her guards in line…"
Saying this, I shook my head, and as I walked past the guard—actually already behind his back—I fully activated the Sandy, just long enough to move my hand and insert a shard into the idiot's port. Only then did I deactivate the Sandy and walk into the hall.
"And it's empty in here... preem empty…"
I pretended to be very surprised to see the Borg and the Japanese man next to Rogue, and even more so when the corpos in suits poured out of the hidden booths, aiming their guns at me.
"Mister Martinez... come in, have a seat…"
A slightly malicious smirk played on Yorinobu's lips.
"And what's the meaning of this?"
I frowned slightly.
"Rogue?"
"I didn't have a choice…"
"You shouldn't be offended at my old 'friend'…"
Smasher emphasized not just the word "friend," making it instantly clear they were anything but, but also the word "old," highlighting Rogue's age on purpose.
"…She truly had no choice, just like you at this very moment."
I shot a troubled look at Rogue, whose eyes seemed to scream, "Why the hell did you come?!" and "Thanks for coming!" even though outwardly she remained completely composed. I walked slowly through the hall, assessing the situation. It seemed Smasher was the only real threat here...
"You do realize that if anything goes down, I'll have enough time to kill you?"
I offered a slight smile, looking at Yorinobu.
"The kid's got a big ego…"
The Japanese man sneered, shifting his gaze from me to Smasher. While the employer himself dismissed my words, Smasher did not.
"Take his weapon."
"You worried about me?"
Yorinobu raised an eyebrow, looking at his subordinate.
"Caution is never a waste…"
Well, at least I achieved something: they would all pay less attention to their surroundings and more to me, meaning that if necessary, Becca could execute her task and strike Smasher's weak spot or zero Yorinobu.
"Claire, the usual for me."
"Got you, Quiet…"
The girl was tense, and honestly, despite the fact that I wasn't interested in her, I really wouldn't want her to die in the crossfire between me and Arasaka.
When I sat down across from Smasher and Yorinobu, the only available spot being next to the Queen of the Afterlife, silence fell upon the room. Right up until a cocktail was placed in front of me.
"And what are you drinking there? Silverhand, I bet?"
"No…"
I shook my head.
"…While I like him as a singer, his actions... he's a terrorist, that guy…"
Rogue barely managed a quiet grinding of her teeth.
"…Detonating a nuclear bomb in a building when it's obvious they can't evacuate everyone—you gotta be something else to think that up. And he supposedly covered himself by saying, 'I warned you,' but you…"
"See, Rogue, I'm not the only one who doesn't think highly of your old friend. Did you know she was on his team when he planted the bomb?"
Smasher looked at me with interest.
"Heard about it…"
I nodded a couple of times, confirming that info had reached me.
"…but in my opinion, you can't blame her for it. A woman in love... she rarely looks at the road she's on."
"Ha!"
Smasher clearly found great amusement in hearing such things about Rogue, especially with her right there.
"So what are you drinking then?"
"Oh, nothing special…"
I shrugged.
"…Just different non-alcoholic cocktails. Claire often experiments, making something unusual, but those experiments are almost always successful…"
"Non-alcoholic?"
Smasher was surprised.
"Don't like alcohol... it clouds the mind, makes movements less precise and sharp…"
"Hmm... I can't understand that. Anyway, since we're all gathered here…"
And he fell silent.
"I suppose you know who I am?"
I looked at Yorinobu and smirked.
"Hard not to know your own father's murderer."
He flinched as if slapped.
"You... You stole the chip?"
"No…"
I shook my head.
"…but I was propositioned for that job. It's just that the fixer…"
I slightly grimaced, showing my opinion of the fixer who wanted to hire me.
"…Dexter DeShawn isn't the kind of person I would trust. And certainly not the one I would work for. Though I have to admit, he was extremely persistent in his desires…"
"And you just turned down a payday so easily? I'm sure he offered a very impressive sum…"
"No idea what he intended to offer. If I don't want to work with someone, I won't work with them."
"Big words…"
Yorinobu shook his head.
"…But do they match the truth?"
"They do."
"And do you want to work for me?"
"No."
"What about my sister?"
I shook my head.
"No."
"But as far as I know, she contacted you…"
Yorinobu looked at me with interest. I don't know what he expected, but I nodded at this question.
"She did. Moreover, she sent a Proxy in an attempt to make a deal, but I wasn't interested then, and I'm not interested now."
"Are you sure?"
"Absolutely…"
"Even if I leave you a billion-credit contract?"
Genuine curiosity was easily readable in Yorinobu's gaze. Smasher, however, was unexpectedly silent, and that made me a little nervous, so I began to gradually activate the Sandy. Of course, it was difficult to talk without anyone noticing, but I wasn't going to risk my own skin, and especially Becca's life.
"Not even for ten."
"But you'll have to…"
I raised an eyebrow in question.
"And why do you think so? Or do you think her…"
I nodded towards Rogue, doing it as dismissively as possible.
"…life is worth something to me? She's just a fixer... I must admit, one of the best fixers in Night City, and her gigs are fat... but another one will take her place. So I'll lose almost nothing."
"Ha! The kid doesn't value your life!"
Smasher addressed Rogue with a chuckle, and she shrugged indifferently.
"I don't give a damn about his life either... he's a good solo, sure, a hundred percent completion rate, but you can always find a new subordinate…"
"Enough…"
Yorinobu interrupted the skirmish between Smasher and Rogue and, squinting slightly, looked at me.
"You know, it wasn't easy to find out, but we discovered you are very heavily connected to the Aldecaldos, and right now that clan is surrounded by Arasaka Security forces…"
I slightly raised an eyebrow, though I froze inside, as most of my girls were left there.
"And what do you need?"
"Swallow…"
Fuck... How could this happen?! I thought you were going to hire me against your own sister!! I thought you decided to stage a family feud! But you!!! You hunchbacked son of a bitch! You unfinished gonk!
Although I was screaming internally in outrage, I was grateful at that moment that my Sandy was on. I turned it to full power for a couple of seconds, allowing me to scream, albeit in my own subconscious, and to process what he had just said. If anything registered on my face, he likely didn't have time to see it, and once I was sure I had myself under control, I lowered the Sandy's acceleration again.
"Who?"
My voice exuded curiosity and confusion.
"Swallow…"
A hint of doubt crept into Yorinobu's voice.
"Um…"
I frowned slightly.
"…that's very nice, but do you want me to storm the Biotechnica headquarters?"
I tried to convey disbelief in the possibility of such a step.
"And what do they have to do with this?"
Yorinobu blinked in astonishment.
"Well, if anyone still has those relic birds... it's them. Though they probably cloned them, so they're new birds, but still exactly…"
"Stop! You know perfectly well who I'm talking about!"
"No…"
I shook my head.
"A girl, blonde, green eyes, a scar under her eye, a sword on her back, dressed in medieval clothes, and speaks an unknown language."
"Um... based on that description, she's a beauty... but what do I have to do with her?"
"So you won't admit it?"
Yorinobu sighed sadly and nodded his head, and at that moment Smasher began to rise...
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