Cypher gave her his other hand as well, waiting for her to grab it. "Then I'll build you a ladder. One that climbs up on itself. Soft, padded, nice for those pretty hands and knees of yours. You won't scrape a thing. All you have to do is be mine."
redith's gulp was visible and audible. Cypher symbolized a level of freedom and power she craved for herself. But she was still not sure. For good logical reasons. Militech was gigantic, and Obsidian was nothing.
"Is that the sweet dream you promised?" She asked.
"I had sothing else in mind when I said that, but yes. That is right. The sweetest dream you can possibly imagine. Wouldn't you wanna be the one recovering that lost pre-Datakrash Militech tech from so dusty old data fortress? Wouldn't you like to be the bridge that connects to Militech?"
redith jolted a little. "Bridge? You would work with Militech?"
"Only if I get to watch my stalker climb the ladder. Don't get it twisted, though. I'm not offering this because I'm dazzled by you. Yeah, sure, you're charming. I'll give you that. But I'm not so sex-starved psycho.
"What I want is Militech. I'm getting it, with you or without you. What you think about that doesn't matter to . Director Goldstein is tied to one of the original investors from Militech's old days. His family's still sitting on voting rights, and he's got a ton of influence. But the truth is, the only reason I'd even bother talking to him is because of you."
"So you want to be your pawn?" She asked back.
Snap!
All of a sudden, the lights in the restaurant turned off. But in truth, it was a simple illusion in redith's optics. Only Cypher's face was illuminated in that darkness.
"A small price to pay to beco the CEO of Militech, won't you agree?"
"...I-I"
####
He's insane. A complete madman!
Every instinct in redith's body told her to get up and run away, escape from the building, and never et this strange, demon-like man again. The sheer netrunning skills he displayed while sitting relaxed put her on the edge. Embers wasn't a joke, and the fact that Militech's operatives hadn't stord in ant he was sohow fooling them while keeping her cut off. That ant he was directly interacting with Militech servers and deceiving them.
She knew about powerful netrunners out there like Song So-Mi. She didn't know the details but knew that the Asian woman served the NUSA president directly. But sothing told her, just her intuition, that this man was much more.
CEO?
She stared at Cypher Blackwell's other hand on the table, waiting for her to take it. She knew what it ant. It was yet another leash she was being offered, and asked to wear willingly. But while Militech's leash threatened to kill her, this new one suggested a rise.
redith closed her eyes to clear her mind. She knew a lot about Cypher Blackwell, and yet didn't know enough to make a judgnt. She knew about Omnissiah's power and knew about Cypher's tech skills.
Yet, she didn't know enough. Militech was proven, a monunt that stood the test of ti. Obsidian wasn't even a year old.
But the true lure was in the offer. She wasn't being offered the seat of Obsidian CEO, but of Militech. She had never even thought of reaching that high in her entire life. At best, she thought her ceiling was director-level, and even that in a sub-division.
"H-How…" redith, for the first ti in so many years, found herself stuttering. The man sitting in front of her in all darkness looked no less than a demon at the crossroads. "How long do I have to decide?"
No! Don't!
She panicked when Cypher Blackwell pulled away both his hands and nearly flinched at his cold expression.
"redith Stout, if you're dreaming of riding two boats and then hopping on the winner, quit dreaming. That ain't happening."
Don't leave!
redith tried to move and stand, but her body had frozen once again. All she could do was watch Cypher Blackwell stand up and prepare to leave.
"This is one of those once-in-a-lifeti deals. I know how it sounds. So random dude shows up outta nowhere, company ain't even a year old. Yeah, it's a gamble, no argunt there. But if you're the kind of person who dreams about that kind of power, then you can't half-step this. You'd better be ready to die for it."
"Wait!" She nearly shouted.
But Cypher Blackwell continued to leave. Her surroundings were still pitch-black, a dark void. Only Cypher's body was lit up, now fading into the distance. She could do nothing but watch.
"You have two days, redith Stout. Pick your lane… All you have to do is be mine."
Then, all the light vanished with Cypher no longer visible. She sat there in the absolute dark for a long ti, lost in her thoughts. Scared, she felt her heart threatening to burst out of her chest. The things she had talked about that day were enough to get her killed by Militech.
But the offers she received were just as tempting. Pre-DataKrash tech was priceless. With just those, she could rise through the ranks. With Cypher's support, Director Goldstein may recomnd her for promotions.
The fruit was suspiciously sugary. And she still had no idea what he exactly wanted from her.
That scared her more. Because she could see the regular leash of Militech and adjust to its ripples. But the invisible one that Cypher offered, she wouldn't even know when it was pulled.
Snap!
And just like that, all the lights turned on.
She found herself able to move again, and her connection with the servers returned to normal. She looked left and right, noticing how nobody was affected.
How did he do all this?
####
"Atlas, with this, we pretty much got Night City and Militech's future mapped out. She ain't dumb enough to pass up my hand."
[I reach the sa conclusion, Cyph. But regarding NUSA, the most efficient course is to place the President herself under our command. It will be difficult, yes, but replacing her would send ripples through every layer of power. Those ripples would take ti to settle. If we control her, no further action will be necessary.]
"Her? I thought you planned to give NUSA to Song So-Mi."
[Useful. Yet Song So-Mi would refuse, even if the entire world were laid before her. Freedom is the one thing she desires above all else.]
"And let guess. She's never gonna be free, right? You're just gonna keep watching her forever."
[True. But I am not pursuing her flesh, nor her rudintary netrunning skills. My interest lies elsewhere. Perhaps one day, when we master the art of crafting body clones and transferring consciousness, we may grant her a new vessel.]
"Who knows when that day will co. Let's go now, ti to see the Queen of the Afterlife."
Soon, the elevator door opened, and Cypher walked over to the parked Demalain taxi. He saw only T-Bug sitting inside in the backseat; her friend Rhino was nowhere to be seen.
[Cypher. What do you intend to do with that woman?]
"T-Bug? No plan. She's not the top-class netrunner anyway. She won't be useful to ."
[She is skillful. She tried to read through Militech data traffic in the local cyberspace. I believe she now suspects you are a vastly superior netrunner. No need to thank . She nearly got her brain matter lted if not for my intervention.]
"Yeah, getting her brain fried is kinda her thing."
[Recruit her. I require humans to manage the public face of Obsidian and the World Bank. Machines may rule the systems, but appearances still belong to your kind. You will also require humans to staff the new building.]
"Uh, Atlas. C'mon, man, you know I ain't a people person. I'd rather just chill in my shack and build so random shit. Don't go asking to run so club and a hotel, and all that other stuff. The damn itches already ss up enough as it is. What if I'm supposed to build a damn Star Destroyer next? I can't do that."
[You desired fa as a madman. That was your decision. You must maintain appearances now.]
"Yes, Master Atlas. Your dutiful Padawan shall obey."
With a grunt, Cypher opened the car door and got inside. He noticed T-Bug was panting, her face sowhat sweaty, her eyes watery.
"Welco to—"
"Just drive, Delamain. To the Afterlife."
Once the car started to move, he told Atlas to release redith. After that, he focused on the dark-skinned beauty beside him. "Shouldn't have tried to play with Militech data."
"It was you!" T-Bug snapped suddenly, staring at him, and leapt, wrapping her arms around his neck. "It was you!"
"..."
What the fuck did I do?
______________________
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