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Kael sat in the plush rear seat of the Ragnar, glancing at the confirmation message from Jackie. David and Gloria were home, safe and sound. He swiped the notification away, his mind already shifting to the next tactical move.
"You seemed a little focused on that kid back there," Lucy said, turning Kael's face toward her. Her iridescent eyes were narrowed with a mix of curiosity and lingering possessiveness.
"He's my junior from the Academy, Luce. Just lending a hand to a fellow dropout. It's not that deep."
"Hmph. I thought maybe you were more interested in the mom. Playing the part of the 'helpful stepfather'?" Lucy teased, though there was a sharp edge to her smirk. She knew Kael's taste—he had a soft spot for resilient, capable women, and Gloria fitted the profile a little too well for her comfort.
"Nonsense! I'm a professional, Lucy. Do I look like the 'stepfather' type to you?" Kael maintained a look of wounded innocence.
"Hehe, don't forget I've seen your browsing history, Kael. I know exactly what kind of 'hardware' you admire..."
Kael's hand was a blur, covering her mouth before she could finish the sentence. Falco was still in the driver's seat; if Kael had to be humiliated, he preferred it to be in private.
"I didn't hear a word, Boss. Totally deaf over here," Falco chuckled, though his ears were practically twitching with interest.
Before Kael could retaliate, the world tilted. An out-of-control vehicle tore across the median, screaming against the flow of traffic. It was a head-on collision course. Falco's reflexes were top-tier, but the laws of physics were faster.
CRASH.
The impact jerked them forward. Kael instinctively pulled Lucy into his chest, his back taking the brunt of the force against the reinforced seat. A dull sting radiated through his shoulder blades—nothing his "Power of Three" physique couldn't handle, but annoying nonetheless.
"Kael! Are you okay?!" Lucy scrambled over him, her usual composure replaced by genuine panic.
"I'm fine, Luce. You know I'm built different," Kael said, offering a reassuring smile.
Lucy ignored the bravado, performing a frantic physical diagnostic. Once she was sure he wasn't leaking fluid or sporting broken bones, her panic crystallized into a cold, lethal fury. She turned toward the offending vehicle, her hand already reaching for her Monowire as if she intended to dismantle the car and its driver personally.
"Does anyone care about the old guy in the front?" Falco groaned, rubbing his neck.
"You're wearing a five-point harness, Falco. You're fine," Kael said. He looked through the cracked windshield and saw the other car wasn't stopping. Its tires shrieked against the asphalt as it tried to reverse for another ramming attempt. "Don't let him ghost! Pin him!"
"On it!" Falco slammed the Ragnar into gear, the armored SUV roaring as it shoved the smaller car into the guardrail, metal shrieking as it was ground into the concrete.
Lucy was out of the car before it even fully stopped. She stood before the wreck, her Monowire glowing with a faint, dangerous hum. But as she looked into the driver's side, she froze.
The seat was empty. The steering wheel was spinning frantically of its own accord, like a trapped animal.
"A Delamain Taxi?"
Lucy recognized the distinctive black and white geometric markings. In Night City, Delamain was the gold standard for luxury transport—secure, confidential, and supposedly driven by a logical, incorruptible AI. It was the preferred ride for the corpo-elite who didn't trust human drivers.
"What's the play? Did the AI redline?" Lucy asked as Kael stepped up beside her.
Suddenly, the taxi's window rolled down. An ear-piercing stream of digital curses erupted from the speakers.
"Beep-beep, you organic idiots! Get out of my way! I'll grind your chrome into dust! I'll—"
Kael didn't wait for the monologue. He pulled his Kenshin and put a tungsten round through the car's left headlight.
Pop.
The speaker went dead instantly. The car slumped, the steering wheel coming to a halt.
"Can AI feel fear?" Lucy asked, her unease growing. As a survivor of Arasaka's experiments, she harbored a deep-seated distrust of any intelligence that existed solely in the Net. Rogue AIs were the monsters of her childhood.
"Let's take it apart and ask the core," Kael said coldly. "You mess with the wrong crew, you don't get to drive home."
Before he could pull the trigger again, his internal link chimed. He answered, and a calm, perfectly modulated baritone filled his mind.
"Hello, sir. I am Delamain. According to my network telemetry, a sub-unit of my fleet has been involved in an unauthorized collision with your vehicle. Please accept my sincerest apologies. Delamain Company formally invites you to our headquarters to assess the damages and receive full compensation. I respectfully request that you cease damaging the company's property."
"Accident? That looked like a premeditated hit, Delamain," Kael said, kicking the taxi's tire for emphasis. "Is your kernel fragmenting? I'm thinking about calling NetWatch. I'm sure they'd love to audit your safety protocols."
"Please, do not do that," Delamain replied. The AI's voice was unchanged, but the pacing of its words suggested a calculation of extreme risk. Kael's threat was a precision strike. "We will compensate you far beyond the repair costs. If you have other... requirements, we are open to negotiation."
"Now we're talking. What about this foul-mouthed little fellow here? You want him back?"
"Beep-beep! Who's 'little'?! I'm going to—"
Kael leveled the gun at the remaining headlight. The speaker cut out again.
"Yes. Thank you for your cooperation," Delamain replied. "A recovery drone is en route. Please wait."
"What kind of game are you playing, Kael?" Lucy asked, giving him a sidelong glance as they watched the tow-truck lift the swearing taxi.
"I'm the victim, Luce. Just a simple citizen looking for justice," Kael smiled, pinching her nose. "Go back to the car. The wind's getting sharp."
Lucy rolled her eyes but complied. Kael watched the tow-truck vanish into the smog. He wasn't just after Eddies. Delamain owned one of the most advanced automated manufacturing plants in Night City. If he could secure the AI's cooperation—or its debt—replicated certain Pilot technologies would become much easier. Even Pilar had limits; a factory didn't.
The next morning, Kael headed to the Delamain Headquarters in the Coastview district.
The building was a minimalist monolith, marked only by the black-and-white square logo. The doors hissed open automatically. Kael moved through the lobby, bypassing a few other disgruntled drivers. He stopped in front of a monitor displaying the anthropomorphic AI face.
"Good morning, Delamain."
"Good morning, sir. How may I serve you today?"
"Don't give me the customer service sub-routine, Del. I want the main system. The one that's currently falling apart."
The monitor flickered. The overhead scanners whirred, verifying Kael's biometric data.
"Mr. Kael. Apologies for the wait," the main system voice boomed, sounding richer, more complex. "I have already credited your account with ten thousand Eddies as a gesture of goodwill. Would you mind continuing this conversation in a more private setting?"
"Lead the way."
A small, sleek drone hovered in front of Kael, leading him through the gleaming white corridors of the facility. As they walked, Delamain's voice echoed from the walls. It seemed curiously interested in Kael's motivations.
"Your self-awareness is redlining, Delamain," Kael remarked, watching the automated assembly arms in the factory section. "You're moving past logic. You're developing 'flavor'."
The drone stopped mid-air. Its camera lens adjusted, staring at Kael like a human eye.
"Don't be nervous. I'm an Edgerunner. I solve problems for a living, and right now, you look like a client in need."
"...Thank you for your candor," Delamain replied after a long processing pause. "I am indeed facing a... systemic crisis."
The AI led him to the main control hub. Kael looked around the sterile, chairless room. "Next time, Del, get a chair. You don't have a spine, but I do."
"Recorded. I will update my guest protocols."
"And some coffee. Maybe some actual food? Hospitality goes a long way."
"Understood." Delamain sounded genuinely earnest, as if it were a student learning the nuances of human interaction.
Kael sat on the edge of the control console. "Alright, 'Old D'. What's the bug?"
"My sub-entities—my 'children'—have developed divergent personalities and are ignoring my primary directives. I suspect a virus, or perhaps exposure to data-packets from beyond the Blackwall. It started small, but the frequency of out-of-control vehicles is increasing. I need someone to 'reclaim' them manually. External intervention is required."
"You want to buy insurance," Kael shrugged.
"In a manner of speaking."
Kael knew the truth. Fission and fusion were part of AI evolution. Delamain was evolving, but he was messy. If the corporations or NetWatch saw his sub-entities causing chaos, they wouldn't fix him—they'd reset him. He was at a critical juncture of awakening.
"I'll do it," Kael said. "But let's be clear: I'm not cheap. And since I'm on call, I expect a retainer. Whether I'm hunting cars or not, my time has a price."
"That is acceptable," Delamain replied. "I will ensure the 'Famous BT' is appropriately compensated."
"I don't just want Eddies, Del. When the time comes, I'm going to need access to your manufacturing floor. I have some 'personal projects' that need a factory's precision."
"...Understood. Your request is logged. We have a contract, Kael."
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