Rogue Andiares had done her due diligence about this rising na in Night City, Cypher Blackwell. The man had co under her radar only after the whole Moisture Vaporator stunt. While she was shocked that soone would give away sothing so valuable for free, she didn't believe that it was charity.
She'd pulled so strings inside Militech and Biotechnica to get further information. She'd checked the Obsidian website, which offered very limited tech, but their efficiency was enough to make the corpos salivate.
She had learned about Cypher Blackwell's rather solo adventures in the middle of Japantown, killing more than a dozen Wraiths and a few Tyger Claws. That was the only reason she even bothered to et him. Because, unlike most other corpos, this one believed in getting his own hands dirty.
Besides, the man was very capable. She'd learned about the second-hand chro trade Cypher Blackwell had set up, and how in-demand those chros were, often being even superior to their new counterparts.
And then there was the rumor she had heard from Militech. That Cypher Blackwell was also involved in netrunning. But nothing concrete was known yet. She believed it was false since the man had recently hired T-Bug for a gig.
No matter; the man was interesting, and his rise was nothing but teoric.
"Troubleso." She muttered with a frown as she read the new ssage and looked up. There was Cypher Blackwell, shaking his head before leaving without talking to her.
"Problem?"
Rogue looked at Crispin Weyland. "Looks like it's ti we get serious about Afterlife. Competition's picking up. Club Atlantis is opening soon, and plenty of old rcs will drift there chasing nostalgia."
Finally, Rogue looked towards the man in a cap seated at the corner of the bar in the distance.
"Looks like the FIA's got its eyes on Blackwell."
"Want to throw him out?" Weyland asked.
"No. We're clean with the FIA. If Blackwell's got an issue with them, that's his ss. eting was his call. Leaving too. Forget him."
####
redith Stout failed to sleep that night.
Militech hadn't sent anyone to arrest her. That ant her discussion with Cypher hadn't been heard by anyone. She had taken a huge risk by speaking with him so openly. She'd spoken about things that undermined Militech's interests.
Now, aware that she was safe, it was both comforting and chilling. Cypher Blackwell seed to have everything needed to take on Militech, all except a true physical force. No doubt, the man was at the top when it ca to netrunning and tech innovation. But to stay at the top, it took a lot more than that.
Militech, Arasaka, Biotechica, almost every corporation in the world had their own spec-ops units; so had literal armies with divisions ranging from common footsoldiers to spies. She was sowhere in the middle of that range.
But at the sa ti, the lure was too great to resist.
"Hmm…"
redith sighed and stared at the ceiling, lying on the bed undressed. The room was cool, the hum of air conditioning audible. But she still felt warm, with an ache in her head and a burn in her chest.
"Do I even have a choice?"
The deal Cypher Blackwell had offered was one-sided. She could either join him, beco his dog, and hope that he would help her rise in Militech. Or, she could refuse and continue working for Director Goldstein. The problem was that it ant she would still have to sohow get Cypher to join Militech, as that was her only task.
And Cypher wouldn't join unless she agreed to his deal. Which ant betraying Militech. So in a way, the only option she had was to trust the unknown genius who'd co out of nowhere.
"Ugh… I don't like this."
And worst of all, she only had two days to decide.
####
Cypher arrived at Judy's apartnt after leaving the Afterlife.
[Cypher. It appears Rogue has no direct ties to the FIA. She was unaware of the agent's attendance. Yet, she shows no concern, almost indifferent. At present, she does not care about our dealings with Militech and has decided this is your burden to carry. And she views the opening of our club as a challenge to the Afterlife.]
Shhh!
Cypher pressed the passcode and walked into Judy's apartnt. It was evening, and she wasn't at ho for good reasons. He lazily walked into the bedroom, got himself a change of clothes, and then entered the bathroom for a shower.
"Yeah, damn right it's a challenge," he muttered under the shower. "I had the idea during our drive here. You're basically an AI God with a trillion tentacles sliding through every gap and access. You know nearly everything, or you can, if you bother. So why not cash in on that? We sell intel to rcs in our club. Whatever gig they're lining up, we got tiers to it."
He grabbed so shampoo that Judy used and shalessly washed his hair.
"Tier one, you just get an enemy headcount. That's it. Tier two, you get escape routes, what kinda guns they're packing, NCPD response ti, turrets, all that. In tier three, you get the best ways in, the best ways out, caras, enemy cyberware, backup muscle, and success ratio. And the prices go up with each tier, obviously."
Done with hair, he grabbed a bottle of Judy's body soap and lavishly scrubbed himself.
"Man, this slls great. Anyway, how about we set up our own gun shop too? I'd sling my own pieces. Sooner or later, I'm gonna get the itch anyway, or you can bring so gun schematics from the old net. I can rig up a second-hand chro shop too. Atlantis will turn into a one-stop shop for every rc trying not to die."
[That would indeed elevate Club Atlantis into the most coveted destination for rcs. I can record all their data, from planning to execution. That data will help us train our droids once you get the itch for a good design. Further, the restaurant and hotel can serve real food once you discover a way to make it. The entire building will stand as the ultimate place to plan, dine, drink, and sleep. Your concept of the Continental holds rit, a sanctuary within Night City. However, we lack the power to enforce it.]
"Yet," Cypher said, stepping out of the shower, dragging a towel over himself. Then he yanked on a white tee and dark gray joggers. "Money's our biggest weapon. We'll throw out an open bounty on anyone who breaks the rule. Whoever drops them gets the money. Done deal."
[Correct. That would resolve the imdiate issue. However, if the offender is backed by Militech, Arasaka, Kang Tao, or similar powers, a bounty may not be enough. It is only logical that we elevate our own capabilities as well.]
"Don't we have you for that?" Cypher asked back.
[You would allow to take such an action?]
"Not you. But Omnissiah."
Right then, through his brainwave interface, he saw Atlas appear in his view. The old man was standing against Judy's kitchen counter, leaning on one arm, grinning like a fool. Clearly, Atlas got the ssage.
[Praise the Omnissiah.]
"About that. What's with this obsession with Warhamr?" Cypher asked as he grabbed a drink from the fridge and then walked over to Judy's tech workbench by the war where she made that robot.
[It is not an obsession. It was simply the first fragnt of human entertainnt I encountered on the old net. I examined it and found it… engaging. Its history, humankind's struggle, even when driven by hatred, held my attention. I find it amusing. Human minds are bound by finite processing, yet your imagination operates as if unrestrained. You construct intricate stories, entire worlds with histories, empires, even separate universes. I will admit, I am impressed.]
"Damn, I'm flattered."
[I was not talking about you, Cyper.]
"..."
"Man, fuck you." Cypher cursed and stared at the agent in his hand. "Now stop fooling around and help learn your coding language. I wanna make more stuff with it."
[It will be my pleasure.]
______________________
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Advance chapters on [PATREON] are in long-form format. I have 6 long chapters of this story on P@treon. That's equal to 24-26 Webnovel chapters.
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