Chapter 84: I Will Become Your Nightmare
"You've really exceeded my expectations."
Tanaka remained calm. He looked at Rhys, at the dust on his jacket, at the relentless advance. Even now, cornered on the roof, Tanaka maintained his air of superiority, the untouchable poise of the upper class.
"You're exceptional, Rhys. Truly exceptional. I've changed my mind. Someone like you shouldn't be treated as a lab rat, locked away in a facility. You deserve better. You could shine, become..."
Rhys cut him off, his patience snapping.
Deserve better?
Tanaka's words made him sick. The feeling of being evaluated like a piece of equipment... disgusting. It was fucking disgusting.
Reducing people to objects. That was the corpo way, wasn't it?
Rhys stopped in front of Tanaka, done with talking. He reached out.
Tanaka panicked instantly. He'd just seen Rhys toss Faraday off the roof. Now that hand was reaching for him. Was he next?
"Wait!" Tanaka shouted.
"Wait for what? I've realized something: there's no communicating with people like you. Look at you. Cornered like a rat, and you're still trying to act like you're in charge?"
"Do you seriously not understand who holds the cards right now?"
Rhys grabbed Tanaka's shoulder, forcing him down, then spun him around with a shove. He grabbed the back of Tanaka's collar and his belt, hoisting the three-hundred-pound man into the air.
Tanaka was much heavier than Faraday. One hand wouldn't cut it for balance.
So, Rhys carried him towards the edge, two-handed.
"Holy shit! Is he gonna throw an Arasaka exec off the roof?!"
Selena, watching from the helicopter, gasped. She'd heard every word.
"He's crazy! He's completely lost it!"
"He's asking for a death sentence!"
Seeing an Arasaka suit get wrecked was satisfying, sure, but Rhys's recklessness terrified her. She worked for WNS. WNS was backed by Militech. Even they knew there were lines you didn't cross.
As Rhys approached the edge, Tanaka finally broke.
"Wait! Rhys, stop! If you do this, none of you are leaving Japantown alive!" he screamed.
"That chopper is WNS News! They're broadcasting everything live! The Tyger Claws are coming back! Arasaka agents are on their way!"
"You think killing me ends this? No, Rhys! It's just the beginning!"
Rhys stopped.
Tanaka seized the chance. "Put me down! I can fix this! You killed senior agents? I can make it go away. You trashed Japantown? Not a problem."
"Even if you escape, what about your crew? What about the Mox?"
"You think they won't pay the price? I am a high-ranking executive of the Arasaka Night City branch! If I die, this city will have to answer to Arasaka!"
Tanaka was shouting now. If this were a dark alley, he might be on his knees begging. But WNS was right there.
The whole world was watching.
Slapping Arasaka in the face publicly? Even if Tanaka was just a branch exec, killing him on live TV demanded a response. Arasaka's reputation, their stock value... they couldn't let it slide. Tanaka's life was irrelevant to the corp, but their image? That was everything.
God, I've never loved Militech so much! Tanaka thought, praying the cameras would save him.
Rhys paused, then took another step towards the edge.
Tanaka's words gave him pause, yes. But he quickly dismissed them.
Maine and the others knew the risks. They came ready to die. Stopping now wouldn't be protecting them; it would be disrespecting them.
A resolution... sure, he could listen to Tanaka. He believed Tanaka could help him. His talent and potential were enough to make Arasaka change their tune. It would be like the Devil ending in the game. But who could accept that ending? Most players just reloaded and tried again.
Rhys's choice wouldn't change.
As for the Mox... even if he stopped, would they be safe? As long as the Tyger Claws existed, the Mox in Watson would always be under threat. Their territories overlapped. Conflict was inevitable.
"You... YOU!"
Seeing Rhys moving again, Tanaka frantically dialed a number.
"The Tyger Claws are surrounding us! You think I'm lying?!"
The call connected, and he put it on speaker.
"Namihu! Where are your men?!" Tanaka screamed.
A panicked voice answered. "Hai! Mr. Tanaka, we have a major problem! The units sent to hit the Mox were intercepted! They're fighting in the streets of Watson right now! Those bitches... they went crazy!"
"They charged us with baseball bats and knives! They're fighting to the death! My men can't disengage!"
Tanaka froze. Rhys's lips twitched into a small smile.
Susan... the woman who always preached caution and retreat... she'd changed her tune?
Seeing Rhys's expression, Tanaka shouted again. "Then get the Charter Hill units!"
"Apologies, Mr. Tanaka! They can't make it either! 6th Street hit Charter Hill! The brothers guarding the turf are pinned down!"
"Hahahaha!"
Laughter came from above. Tanaka looked up. Rhys was laughing.
His leverage was gone. Tanaka broke.
"Looks like we might make it out after all," Rhys mused, hefting Tanaka's weight.
But... Rhys had a question. The Mox fighting back? He wasn't surprised. He and Susan clashed on philosophy, but they were family. Once she saw the news, knew what he'd done, she and Korna would fight. He knew that.
But 6th Street? Why were they helping?
Ten minutes ago. Santo Domingo, 6th Street HQ.
A woman in a yellow hoodie, red hair tied back, sat across from the old man in the cowboy hat.
"Are you interested in joining 6th Street?" Gunner asked, his tone sincere.
This woman... she had guts.
After the incident at the hospital, she'd shown up here, demanding to see him.
And then she'd proposed that he send 6th Street to attack Charter Hill. Gunner had refused, of course. His territory was small, his manpower limited. A war with the Tyger Claws? Impossible. 6th Street was even more fractured than the Claws.
But in a few sentences, she'd laid out his exact situation and given him a reason he couldn't ignore.
"You saw the news. It's late, but not too late. Japantown is the Claws' heart. With it under attack, they'll pull reinforcements from everywhere. They've already committed heavily to the Mox. Charter Hill is weak. If you don't hit them now, take their turf while they're distracted... when will you get another chance?"
"This is the moment that changes your fate, Gunner... Captain."
She convinced him. And she was right. His men swept through Charter Hill. With the Claws focused on Japantown, 6th Street caught them with their pants down. He'd already seized a significant chunk of territory. It was leverage he could use to change his standing within the gang.
So, looking at this former EMT, Gunner asked again. "Join us. With your skills..."
"Sorry, Captain Gunner. I can't join a gang anymore."
Gloria stood up, brushing back her red hair, and smiled. "Because I'm an edgerunner now."
She turned to leave.
Gunner watched her go, his eyes thoughtful. Finally, he took a deep breath and sighed.
"What's your name?" He knew it, but this time, he wanted a formal introduction.
She paused. "Gloria. Gloria Martinez."
"I'll remember that," Gunner said, puffing on his pipe.
"Wait, Rhys! I... I have more to say!"
Rhys ignored Tanaka.
Tanaka kept shouting. "Rhys! Listen!"
"Society has rules! Listen to me, that punk shit was proven worthless decades ago! You're walking a dead-end road! Punk, edgerunner... it's all bullshit! Those idiots shouting about rebellion? They're just names on gravestones in the Columbarium!"
"But you! You're different, Rhys! You're not like them. If you want to truly be part of this era, part of this society, you have to join a corporation! And you... you still have time!"
In the Afterlife, Rogue watched the broadcast silently. Then, she made a call.
On the TV, Tanaka was still screaming.
"I promise, I'm not lying to you! You have potential! That's why I planned all this! I need you! We can work together! I can change your destiny, and you can get me promoted! It's a win-win!"
In the helicopter, Selena's expression changed. She suddenly realized these corpo execs... weren't so different from her after all.
At the same time, everyone watching the news saw it.
The high-and-mighty executive, dangling over the edge, begging like a worm. A corporate pig.
It was ugly.
"Do you really want to stay at the bottom forever?! Piercings, rags, dangerous weapons... living a lowlife existence? Punk? Fuck punk! Who doesn't want to be a suit?"
"Ask any merc! If they had the chance, they'd take it in a heartbeat! I'm giving you a shortcut to the top! Your potential rivals Adam Smasher!"
"You know who he is, right? Even a merc of his caliber joined Arasaka! What is there to hesitate about? Say yes, and you can be... you can be above everyone..."
BEEP-BEEP-BEEP—
A phone ringing cut off Rhys's steps and Tanaka's rant.
Tanaka held his breath, hope flaring. A call... Arasaka must be negotiating!
Rhys answered. It was Rogue.
"Rhys. Stop. That's enough," Rogue said.
She pressed a hand to her forehead, not looking at the screen. "You can't kill Tanaka. If you do, the trouble becomes real. Arasaka will issue a kill-on-sight order. There will be nowhere in the world you can hide. Faraday is dead. Tanaka has lost face in front of the whole city. Militech will capitalize on this. You... can stop now."
Michiko's ambiguous attitude made Rogue unsure if she would protect him. The bigger the mess, the more likely Michiko would cut him loose. Rogue... wouldn't bet on it.
And Tanaka's words... they stabbed her right in the heart.
Yeah. She betrayed her old crew. She joined the system.
In the Afterlife, Rogue laughed bitterly at herself.
But then, Rhys spoke. Not to her. To Tanaka.
The helicopter hovered just meters above them, rotors thumping loud and rhythmic, broadcasting everything live.
"You said... punk spirit?" Rhys asked Tanaka.
"I don't know where a corpo-dog gets the nerve to talk to me about punk. In your eyes, punk is just lowlifes. People with tattoos and piercings shouting slogans while committing crimes."
Rhys smiled, wiping his gunblade on his clothes.
Let him go?
Fuck letting him go.
It wasn't that he didn't respect Rogue. It wasn't that he didn't understand Tanaka's logic. It wasn't that he didn't know the consequences.
News chopper right there. Live feed.
Killing Tanaka meant officially declaring war on Arasaka. He'd be in the same position Johnny was back in the day—Arasaka's public enemy number one.
But this era was worse. Back then, Night City was chaos. Arasaka's hold was contested by Militech and the NUSA. Now? Night Corp had brought Arasaka in to balance the scales. The board was set differently.
But... so what?
Rhys was just a guy. He couldn't think that far ahead.
Besides, the fire in his heart was burning, and if he didn't let it burn, what was the point?
Not kill him? Keep him for New Year's?
He'd made a huge scene today. Maine and the others had risked their lives. Susan had changed her policy; the Mox were fighting back!
And now he was supposed to let Tanaka go? Choose the "better future," become "someone"?
Hah. Someone.
What would that make him? A traitor to Maine and the crew.
Faraday was dead. Japantown was wrecked. The Mox and 6th Street were involved. And he was supposed to let the mastermind walk away? What kind of bullshit was that?
Heh. Twenty-something years old, hesitating when it matters, no drive... that's not Rhys.
His dissatisfaction with this world had been overflowing since day one!
When corps trampled people's dignity with violence, no one said stop. When he fought back, he was a crazy person who needed to be condemned?
What kind of logic was that?
Fine. I'll be the crazy person.
Game is game, reality is reality. Under this crushing pressure, who could be happy?
My heart is fire. My heart is fire...
MY HEART IS FIRE!
All the resentment, all the anger, ignited in that moment.
Rhys announced loudly:
"You talk to me about punk? Fine, Tanaka. Let me show you my punk."
"I don't have tattoos. I don't have piercings. I don't modify my body just for the look. I don't even listen to rock music. I don't chase the 'punk' aesthetic. The punk you talk about? I don't even understand it."
"I don't like cursing. I hate using that kind of language to express myself. But sometimes... it's the only way."
"This city crushes everyone. There are so many things I hate about it. But the thing I hate the most... is you corpo-dogs. You corpo-pigs."
"You act so high and mighty, like a few words from you can decide a person's life. But you... so high and noble... why are you kneeling right now?"
Rhys grabbed Tanaka's hair, forcing his head up. Tanaka struggled, squealing like a pig being led to slaughter. A foul stench spread from his pants.
The gunblade pressed against his thick chin. He trembled, his brain short-circuiting from the cold steel and the smell of blood.
"But I'm telling you people!"
Rhys looked at Selena in the helicopter. Specifically, at the camera lens.
"As long as I'm breathing, I'll be fighting you. I'll hide in the shadows, and I'll fight you. All of you bastards, remember my words!"
"I'm going to kill you. I'm going to kill all of you! I will become your nightmare!"
"This isn't the end. This is just the beginning! I will never compromise!"
Over Tanaka's incoherent screaming, Rhys's voice rose to a roar.
"So... FUCK ARASAKA! FUCK MILITECH! AND FUCK NIGHT CITY!"
With a roar, Rhys's left hand yanked Tanaka's head back. Under the gaze of the camera, under the eyes of the city, his right hand swung the gunblade. A flash of azure light. A massive head flew into the sky.
Blood sprayed. The head tumbled through the air, landing on the roof and rolling.
Into the camera, the cyberpsycho who had gone mad in front of the cops, the gangs, the whole city... extended his left hand, back to the lens, and raised a giant middle finger.
A silent indictment of this fucked-up world.
Everyone was watching.
A strange charisma radiated from Rhys. He was handsome to begin with, plus the +1 Charisma from his title... and now, this. What he did, what he said.
It was hard to look away.
Everyone was watching this... madman!
And the madman laughed, shouting his final curse:
"I'll fuck your mothers in hell!"
September 21st, 2075, 4:14 PM. On this day, Night City's greatest cyberpsycho was born, live on air.
His name was Rhys. A man with no advanced chrome, who drove every merc in the city into a frenzy. The first "cyberpsycho" in Night City history to kill a corpo executive on live broadcast.