Chapter 83: Faraday, The Flying Fixer
In a convenience store just outside Clouds, four bodies in odd security uniforms lay sprawled between the aisles.
An Asian young man stood in the center of the chaos, casually picking up a bottle of water from a collapsed shelf while keeping one foot planted firmly on the back of a prone man beneath him.
The owner, a terrified Asian woman named Sakurako, was huddled in the corner behind the counter, shaking like a leaf.
"How much for this?" the young man asked, unscrewing the cap.
Sakurako flinched. "No... no charge. Just take it."
"Don't be scared," Rhys said, glancing around the wrecked store. He spotted a Tyger Claw emblem on the wall, but this woman clearly wasn't a member. No glowing tattoos.
Every Claw, from grunt to boss, was inked. Even Wakako had a full-back piece. It was part of their yakuza cosplay culture.
So, facing a civilian whose livelihood he'd just trashed, Rhys felt a pang of guilt. He hadn't intended to hurt civilians when he stormed Japantown, but collateral damage was inevitable.
Rhys wasn't a cyberpsycho. He didn't get off on hurting innocents. Even Maine, hardened as he was, felt bad about it sometimes.
But he couldn't think of another way.
Decades ago, Johnny Silverhand taught everyone a lesson: if the downtrodden want to fight back against the powers that be, the only language they understand is violence.
It was the only equalizer. Because even the high-and-mighty corpos bled. They only had one life to lose.
If he hadn't seen it, he could have pretended not to know. But seeing the damage right in front of him... he couldn't just ignore it.
"Really... really, no charge..." Sakurako stammered. The guy had burst through her wall, killed four men without a word, and was now asking the price of water? She thought he was just looting.
Rhys sighed. He looked at the payment terminal next to her, scanned it with his optics, and initiated a transfer.
"Two eddies for the water. Two thousand for the damages." He took a drink, then poured the rest over his head, washing the blood and sweat from his face.
Sakurako blinked, staring at her screen. Two thousand and two eddies...
"Get out of here," Rhys said, turning his back to her.
"Y-yes! Thank you!" She scrambled over the counter and fled the store.
Rhys looked down at the man under his boot. He pressed harder, grinding Faraday's face into the cold floor tiles.
"So, Faraday. Surprised to see me?"
Two of Faraday's three cyber-eyes had been ripped out, discarded under a fallen shelf. Blood and black oil leaked from the empty sockets.
"I... I was wrong, Rhys!" Faraday choked out, his voice trembling. "This wasn't my idea! It was Tanaka! The Arasaka exec! He forced me!"
"Call him," Rhys said, increasing the pressure. Faraday groaned as the air was squeezed from his lungs.
"I'll call! I'll call!"
"You know what to say?"
Potential Overdrive's cooldown had hit, but the weakness debuff wasn't as bad as Rhys expected. His main stats had dropped to around 8, but that was still more than enough to handle trash like Faraday.
"I know, I'll cooperate! You want Tanaka to come here, right? I'll bring him! Spare me, Rhys! I'll work for you! I have connections, I... I have money!" Faraday pleaded desperately.
Rhys laughed.
Faraday was smart. You didn't become a top Santo Domingo fixer, juggling Militech and Arasaka, by being stupid. He had skills far beyond the average street hustler. But his fatal flaw was his character. He wanted to climb the ladder, to transcend his class, but he did it by stepping on everyone else. And that was why he was going to end up like a clown.
Changing your class in Night City? Not that easy, choom.
"Make the call. And cut the bullshit," Rhys said, stepping back.
Faraday sat up instantly, looking at Rhys with terror.
"Don't say a single word that pisses me off. Or you know what happens."
Faraday dialed, looking at Rhys for approval.
"Speaker," Rhys reminded him.
Faraday swallowed hard. After ten seconds, the call connected.
"Status?" A deep voice emanated from Faraday's agent.
"It's done. Rhys is captured. Maine's crew is still tearing up Japantown, but I have the target."
"Captured? Why didn't Rin call me?"
"Mr. Tanaka, Rhys was... unexpectedly strong. Both senior agents took significant damage during the capture. They had to use suppressants and trauma meds; they're currently unconscious."
"Where are you?"
Faraday glanced at Rhys. Rhys gestured around the room, then pointed outside.
"Clouds. We're on the roof of Clouds," Faraday stammered.
"Heh. Perfect. I'll take an AV over."
"Yes, Mr. Tanaka. I await your arrival."
The call ended. Faraday looked at Rhys with a fawning smile, hoping for mercy. His reward was a fist to the face.
Rhys knocked him out cold, grabbed him by the collar, and looked up at Clouds.
Most of the Tyger Claws were still out hunting Mox in Watson. Rhys and Maine's assault on Japantown had drawn out the remaining high-level Claws, leaving the club relatively undefended.
Damn... looking at it like this, Maine and I really are the villains here.
Rhys ruffled his hair, hoisted Faraday, and ran toward the tower.
Minutes later, after dealing with the few guards left at the entrance, he took the elevator to the top floor.
Twelfth floor. Up the stairs to the roof. The helipad was empty, marked with a large landing logo.
Rhys sat in the stairwell, waiting. His enhanced hearing picked up the sounds of battle from the streets below—gunfire, explosions, screams, the roar of engines.
He shook his head and slapped Faraday awake.
"Ugh..." Faraday groaned, face swollen, blinking blearily at Rhys.
Rhys slapped him again.
That woke him up. Faraday looked at Rhys and immediately fell to his knees.
"Tanaka's here. You know what to do."
"Leave it to me. I understand," Faraday said quickly. He stood up, dusted off his suit, and looked at Rhys. "I'll go out and signal him."
Faraday walked out onto the roof, back to Rhys. An AV was approaching from the distance, weaving between the skyscrapers. Behind it trailed a news helicopter emblazoned with a massive "54" logo. WNS News.
Faraday raised a hand, waving at the approaching AV. His eyes flashed with cold, vindictive fury.
Just you wait, you little shit.
WHIRRRRR—
The AV touched down, doors hissing open. Tanaka stepped out, flanked by Eto Kei.
Seeing only Faraday, Tanaka paused, a flicker of suspicion in his eyes. "Wait. Faraday. Why are you alone?"
Tanaka scanned Faraday. Swollen face, missing eyes... something was very wrong.
At that moment, a figure burst from the stairwell.
"Trap! Mr. Tanaka, get back in!" Eto Kei, ever vigilant, shouted instantly.
But it was useless.
Tanaka and Eto had come alone. AVs were prestigious, but small; they only seated a few people. Tanaka hadn't brought a squad because he assumed the area was secure. It was Tyger Claw turf, and he'd sent two elite agents. He never imagined a chrome-less punk could defeat them.
Eto's shout snapped Tanaka into action. He turned to scramble back into the AV, but a hand grabbed his collar.
With a violent jerk, Tanaka was airborne.
THUD!
He hit the ground hard, rolling several times. Groaning, he pushed himself up and adjusted his glasses.
He looked up to see Rhys standing there, expressionless, with Faraday hovering behind him like a loyal dog.
Faraday was about to explode. He'd planned to warn Tanaka if he brought a squad, but seeing only the exec and his secretary... his courage evaporated.
"Good afternoon, Tanaka."
Rhys delivered a casual kick to Eto Kei, sending the senior employee flying. Despite his minor implants, Eto curled up on the ground, clutching his stomach, silenced.
Tanaka stood slowly, looking from Rhys to Faraday. "So... what is the meaning of this?"
Faraday opened his mouth to speak, but Rhys grabbed him by the back of his neck and lifted him off the ground. The high-quality suit held, trapping Faraday like a cat in a bag.
Ignoring Tanaka, Rhys walked towards the edge of the roof, dangling the fixer over the precipice.
"No! Wait! Rhys, we had a deal!" Faraday realized what was happening and started thrashing in panic. "You can't do this! You're breaking your word! You... you bastard!"
Rhys said nothing. He stepped onto the parapet. The wind whipped his hair around his face.
He looked at the struggling man one last time.
"A deal? Faraday... when did I ever make a deal with you?"
Rhys let go.
"NOOOOO—!"
Faraday plummeted, limbs flailing, his scream trailing off into the distance.
Rhys stepped down from the ledge and turned back to Tanaka.
Behind him, Faraday's scream faded to silence.
Rhys noticed the news chopper hovering nearby, filming everything. On board, Selena screamed as she watched Faraday fall.
He just threw him off! Thirteen stories!
This Rhys guy really is a ruthless psycho!
"Get closer! Can we get audio?" she yelled to her cameraman.
"We need to be closer! I'll try to enhance it!" the techie shouted back, face flushed with excitement. This was huge! A fixer murdered, an Arasaka exec hostage... this was the scoop of the year!
The chopper banked, moving in.
Rhys ignored it. Thirty meters out... what was he supposed to do? Even with Potential Overdrive, he couldn't jump that far. Unless he wanted to join Faraday in a tandem skydive.
So, ignore it.
He walked up to Tanaka.
"Alright. Now... let's talk about us."
"I heard you've been looking for me?"
Rhys stared at the Arasaka executive, his face a mask of cold indifference.