The sudden blackout Rocky triggered echoed through the building and even momentarily knocked Special Operations off the grid. A burst of gunfire rattled the corridor before Rebecca's team could process the outage. They assumed an intruder had breached the company and sprinted toward the shots.
They burst into the lab and froze. Vik stood behind a heavy machine gun, hosing rounds at Rocky.
Rebecca yelped; Jacky swore. Vik eased off the trigger at once.
"Do not panic," Rocky said as the gun went quiet. "This is an experiment."
"What kind of experiment sounds like a war?" Jacky muttered, crouching to pick up a slug. The bullet was intact. Rocky's skin was unmarked. Confusion creased his face.
"It is the new drug's effect. Compound V gave me energy absorption," Rocky said. "Vik and I were stress-testing the limit."
That answer pulled Rebecca and Jacky in close. They both wanted Compound V. There were no spare vials yet. Before anyone else could inject, Vik had to finish a new batch, so everyone waited while the line ran.
While the system brewed, Rocky pulled up the current field plan. "Jacky, status at the factory?"
"Target identified. Maelstrom Gang," Jacky said. "The hand behind them is still unknown."
The North Industrial Zone had seen several small moves against the stimulant plant. Someone wanted the Power Stimulant formula. Jacky's team traced footprints to Maelstrom. He did not believe they wanted the formula for themselves, and even if they got it, they could not produce at scale. That would cut across Arasaka's interests. A street gang would not choose that kind of suicide. Someone was paying them.
Gangs in Night City often work as mercenary arms for the corps. One side wires eddies, the other side gets it done. Nothing unusual there.
"Makes sense," Rocky said. "North Industrial is Maelstrom turf. If a company wanted a local proxy, they would knock there. The real question is who backs them. Militech is a strong suspect. Biotechnica and Trauma Team both have a motive, too."
"Rebecca and I planned to visit Maelstrom's base today to lean on them for intel," Jacky said.
"We can push a little with the new drug in play."
"They will not run," Rocky said, smiling. "When you go, I am going with you. I want to try the new ability."
He could still feel the energy he had absorbed sitting inside him, crowding every breath. A field test would clear it. Jacky read the hunger in Rocky's eyes and said nothing. In his head, he lit a candle for Maelstrom.
…
Vik finished the second batch of Compound V at full speed. Rebecca and Jacky stared at the blue in his hand and thought about what it might change.
"Ladies first," Jacky said, stepping back.
Rebecca did not hesitate. She took the operating chair. Vik injected.
She screamed through the burn as Compound V rewrote what it needed to rewrite. After a long minute, her breathing eased. Vik and Rocky asked together, "How do you feel?"
Rebecca did not answer. She drew a pistol and shot her own forearm.
This time, the bullet did not droop and die the way it had near Rocky. It punched through her arm and splashed blood across the floor.
"Rebecca!" Vik and Rocky shouted.
Vik stared at the blood, mind blank. Rocky can absorb energy. What are you doing? He had said the power would differ for each person.
The doubt lasted only a second.
The hole in Rebecca's arm closed in front of them, fast enough to watch. In a few heartbeats, the wound vanished as if it had never been. Only the blood on the tile proved the shot had been real.
Rebecca lifted her arm, studied the skin, and grinned. "Amazing."
"So your ability is self-healing," Rocky said.
Rebecca nodded. "Yes. Self-healing."
"Good pull," Rocky said. It did not add raw firepower, but it matched her style. Rebecca runs hot, loves heavy suppression, and refuses bulky armor. With this, she could run lanes with even less fear. Given the speed of repair, even if Adam Smasher flattened her, she would likely be back on her feet soon. With Soldier Serum already in her system, his signature smash no longer looked like a real threat.