“This building houses one of the fire station archives.
The one that owned the fire truck before it ended up in the scrapyard?”
“Yes.”
I studied the unremarkable building.
Then I reviewed the floor plan and snorted.
Nothing complicated about this job.
Still, we approached it seriously.
Judy was already connecting to the access point that would give her control over the building’s cameras.
There weren’t many, but they existed.
“Okay, I’m connected.”
Judy’s avatar nodded.
I smirked and pulled out my grapple gun.
It was quickly becoming my favorite infiltration tool.
The harpoon fired and sank its claw into the roof’s edge, and I started climbing the wall.
“Third floor.”
“Got it.”
Reaching the third floor, I used a daemon on the window.
The lock clicked open.
Still holding the grapple with one hand, I used a suction cup with the other to pry the window open.
It swung upward.
I shoved my foot in to keep it from slamming shut, detached the suction cup, and fully opened the window.
“I’m inside.”
I pressed the button on my grapple gun.
The harpoon stayed embedded in the roof, but the cable detached and retracted into the device.
A second later, a soft pop echoed from above.
The charge inside the upgraded grapple had broken the claw into pieces.
“Status?”
I left the window open.
“All clear.
Only one guard, and he’s asleep at his post.
Nobody bothers with this place.
Why hire a security company for it?”
I nodded.
“Second door on the right.”
I eased the door open and saw a large room filled with rows of server racks.
“Which one do we need?”
“Look for the year.”
Judy gave me the year.
I walked past the racks, which were surprisingly well-labeled.
The right year was near the back.
“Good timing.”
Judy was connected to my feed and saw what I saw.
She understood that the data retention period was almost up.
Another couple of years and she’d have lost her chance to prove her innocence.
“Yeah.
Connect me.”
I plugged into the server.
With my upgraded deck, I barely felt the data flow.
No overheating.
No lag.
I was glad I’d made the upgrade.
“I found it.
Proof that a fire station official backdated the truck’s documentation.
She falsified the records to make it seem like it was never scrapped.
This is it.
I don’t need to hit the other sites.
Downloading now.”
“Good.”
I stayed focused until the download finished.
Then I jumped out of the building, landed softly, and heard the window click shut behind me.
I made my way back to the Thunder where Panam and Judy were waiting.
“Done?”
Panam asked as we pulled onto the road.
“Yeah.”
I nodded.
“Just need to scrub the logs and send it to the lawyer.
Then we can start the legal proceedings.”
“Good.”
“Tomorrow we’ve got our first job from Regina.”
I glanced at Panam.
“Let Mitch and Scorpion know they might be needed.”
“Why?”
“We’ve got two scavenger bases on our radar. Find the original chapter at g.com.
According to Regina, both probably have chrome stockpiles.
Getting that hardware to people who actually need it seems like the right call.”
“Payment through Regina as usual?”
“Rules are rules.
She found the leads, she gets her cut.
But I can offer the Aldecaldos a discount from my share.
Regina’s fee is non-negotiable.”
“I’ll warn Mitch, Scorpion, and Saul.
The clan treasury covers it.
And this time, most of the chrome will go to other parts of the clan outside Night City.”
I shrugged.
“Not really my concern.”
“You don’t get it.”
Panam smirked.
“This is another nail in the coffin for Saul’s Biotechnica deal.”
“Explain.”
“This proves we can sustain ourselves without selling out.
A chrome upgrade makes jobs easier, which means more profit.
And no discounts.”
“No discounts?”
“Offer them a payment plan.
Let them pay in installments.
It keeps them grateful and undermines Saul’s authority.
If he claims credit, everyone knows you’re my partner.”
“And if he doesn’t?”
“Then he has to admit someone outside the clan leadership achieved more in months than he did in years.
Either way, it hurts his position.”
“Sounds like you’ve thought this through.”
“I want you to lead the clan.
But Mitch says that’s impossible.
He suggested I take over instead.
You’re my man, so you won’t leave me without help.”
I nodded.
“Makes sense.
I’m not ready to follow the Aldecaldos if they pack up tomorrow, but things are heading that way.”
“Question…”
Judy interrupted.
“Could I come with you?
If you leave?”
“Excuse me?”
I looked at Judy.
Panam glanced at her in the rearview mirror.
“I tried leaving Night City once.
Alone.
It didn’t work.
The city pulled me back.
But with good company…”
She licked her lips nervously.
“…I think I could escape.”
“I’m fine with it.”
I glanced at Panam.
“What about you?”
“If you join the clan, I’d be happy to have you.”
“Me too.”
Judy smiled.
The Thunder pulled into the Aldecaldo camp.
As I reached for the door handle, my phone rang.
“Hello?”
I raised a hand, signaling for quiet.
“Tikhon?
This is Rogue.”
“Listening.”
“I’ve got a job for you.”
“Where?”
“Tonight.
11 PM.
The Afterlife.
Someone will escort you.”
Rogue hung up.
I looked at Panam and Judy.
“You won’t believe this.”
“Rogue just called me.”
“Rogue?
I thought you didn’t want to work with her.”
“I don’t.
It’s a risk.
But I can’t just brush her off either.”
I called Regina.
“She called you already, didn’t she?”
“Yeah.
I’m guessing you gave her my number.”
“I was asked, very persuasively.”
“Figured.”
“So here’s the deal.
Working for Rogue is prestigious, but my fixer is more important to me.”
I let that hang in the air.
“Can you send me your upcoming schedule in advance?”
“Excuse me?”
“Just leave one day open for Rogue.
Keep her from getting suspicious.
And my weekends are non-negotiable.”
“Understood.
It’s a decent plan.
But she might push back.”
“Does that usually bother me?”
“Fair point.
You’re almost unique in that.”
Regina sent me a sample schedule.
“Got it.
I’ll let you know after I talk to Rogue.”
“Good.
And thanks for not abandoning me.
Workers like you are hard to find.”
“Appreciate the kind words.”
I ended the call.
“What was that?”
“Someone pressured Regina.
Given the limited pool of people who can do that in Night City…”
I shook my head.
“I made the right call not telling Rogue off.
I’ll take some of her jobs, but I’ll make sure they’re expensive and inconvenient.”
“Inconvenient?”
“My schedule’s packed.
If she wants my time, she’ll have to pay for canceled gigs.
Regina will get a cut.
And if Rogue asks for something specific, it’ll look like genuine effort, not premeditated avoidance.”
“Why would she call me?”
Panam looked confused.
“Who?”
“Rogue.
She just called.
She said she liked my potential.”
“Of course.”
“She offered me a job as a driver.
With some guy named Nash.”
“Oh, hell no.
That’s a Raffen Shiv.
She wanted you working with a Raffin?”
“I said no.”
“Good.
And you didn’t insult her?”
“I held back.
Managed to criticize the Raffin without being outright rude.”
We both looked at Judy.
Neither of us expected a call, but we waited.
Nothing came.
Later that evening, we headed to the Afterlife.