Nearly every corporate enforcement division ranked half a step below it, which was why Jenkins' counterintelligence unit was constantly restrained.
The rivalry between Jenkins and Abernathy wasn't just a superior-subordinate struggle—it was a power clash between two departments.
Clutching the chip, V didn't hesitate. She slotted it straight into the port at the back of her neck.
A stack of black-and-red panels unfolded before her.
A new weapon from Arasaka's Research Division, with Night City responsible for follow-up development.
Gravity Field Miniaturization Technology.
Cyberware Titan...
Frowning at the cyberware parameters that filled her vision and the conceptual sketches, V even double-checked, unwilling to believe it, before looking at Jenkins in confusion.
"You're serious?
A crude half-finished product, plus two gravity generators?
And you want to put this thing into a person?"
Watching the shock on V's face, Jenkins stayed sullen, tapping his finger on the desk at an irregular rhythm.
"The logic is simple.
The truly important things—people hide them. Best if only one person in the world knows.
But... some things, even if worthless, get hyped up by a crowd."
Hearing his explanation, V fell silent.
"Abernathy proposed this? Who's she aiming at?"
"If you go fishing, do you really know what you'll catch?"
"So what do we do?"
Jenkins didn't answer directly.
"V, when someone else is the higher-ups' favorite, we don't get much say.
The situation isn't clear yet. They're covering it up tight...
Just keep a close eye on our own department."
V nodded slightly, then turned and left.
The details might have been murky, but one thing was clear—trouble was coming her way.
Jenkins' meaning was obvious: Arasaka was tired of her defiance and was preparing to deal with her.
Getting fired would be the best outcome, but V knew it would likely be much worse.
The dim corridor was lit only by rows of faint lamps. Inside the walls, carefully trimmed greenery grew.
Sealed behind glass, their rustling leaves cast broad shifting shadows under the weak light.
To keep them alive as designed, the lamps provided just enough energy for basic photosynthesis.
On the ground floor, V pushed open her office door and walked in.
The space felt cramped. A wall of red data streams loomed behind her desk.
Three terminal monitors crowded the desk surface.
Her chair was pressed against the wall, shoved up to the desk.
It wasn't that her position didn't warrant a larger office. In Arasaka Tower, space was never in short supply.
But she seemed to prefer this kind of tight, closed-in workspace.
Slumping back into her chair, V tilted her head up, staring blankly at the weak lights flickering overhead.
The white glow fell across her pale neck, while her face remained hidden in shadow.
Silence filled the room, broken only by the rise and fall of her chest beneath the corporate suit—the only sign she was still alive.
After a long silence, she exhaled heavily.
She forced herself upright and pulled open a drawer beneath the desk.
Inside lay a single chip, quiet and unremarkable.
She reached in and pinched it between her fingers.
Not long ago, in Europe, her main rivals had been the people from the European Space Agency.
During one mission, they'd seized a batch of advanced cyberware from the Crystal Palace.
By protocol, everything should have gone to Arasaka's research labs. But... when Abernathy urgently dragged her back to cover a mess, she kept some for herself, with the company looking the other way.
It wasn't all cyberware either. The chip now in her hand also came from the Crystal Palace.
Remembering all this, V slowly clenched her fist.
"Hey, chica! Been busy?"
Jackie's voice came through the comm, muffled by background noise.
As he shut off the pickup feed, the sound cleared.
Strictly speaking, neural comms didn't even require talking.
"You haven't had it easy either. You've been gone for days."
V answered with a smile.
"Work, chica. Saving for the wedding fund. When you finally land a good girl, you gotta put in the effort."
Jackie burst out laughing, the bustling crowd behind him echoing through the channel.
"Hey... something's bothering you?"
Realizing belatedly that something was off, Jackie frowned.
"Yeah... something happened. I might not be able to handle it alone..."
Her voice carried obvious weariness.
"Meet me at the usual spot, chica. If you've got a problem, we'll figure it out. Don't keep that shit to yourself.
But... should I call Arthur too?
We can talk it over together. It's no big deal."
"Of course. Even if you hadn't said it... I'd have called him anyway."
Forcing a smile, V shrugged.
"Alright then... see you soon."
As night settled in and the neon lights of Night City began to blaze, the city woke once again.
Outside Lizzy's Bar, Arthur crossed the small open lot.
From a distance, he spotted Jackie's flashy red Nazare—and Jackie leaning against it.
"If your ass itches, you should scratch it on a tree, not..."
Arthur waved his hand, leaving the sentence unfinished.
"Don't you think it's got style?"
Jackie stood up, sounding a little helpless.
"Let me guess—Misty's the one feeding you that confidence."
"Damn right... How'd you know?"
Jackie stared at Arthur in surprise, then crouched to pat his beloved bike.
"Come on, let's head in and wait for her."
Jackie let it go and headed toward the bar.
The walls of Lizzy's Bar glowed with neon strips forming cartoon figures holding baseball bats, glowing in blue and purple.
At the entrance, a woman with purple-dyed hair and a provocative outfit stood guard.
Just like the wall art, she held a baseball bat slung across her shoulder.
"Well, well... look who it is.
Where's your wheelchair?"
Spotting Arthur from afar, the doorwoman smirked and called out a greeting.
As a Watson bar, Lizzy's was a familiar haunt for Arthur, and he knew the people there well.
"Uh...
Maybe when you finally forget about it...
Who knows..."
Arthur shrugged, unsure what to say.
The woman didn't hesitate. She stretched out her free hand.
"Maybe you should buy me a drink. Booze is the best way to forget."
Leaning closer, she blinked from behind the smoky shadow of her makeup.
...
(70 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser