Both sides stared each other down, nerves frayed.
Rocky watched Brick's hard look without changing his own. He knew Brick still refused to accept the new order.
Rocky had carved a path through All Foods and stopped before him, but the men Maelstrom lost were only a slice of the gang. Brick bowed now because of the power Rocky's team just showed. He still believed he had room to bargain.
Ascension Technology was a young company. Picking a full war with Maelstrom would not be simple. Maelstrom could not storm Arasaka Tower or hit Arasaka's core industries. They did not have that kind of strength. But if the target was only Ascension, they could still cause real trouble.
Rocky understood that. He did not want a ring of cybered lunatics camped around his pharmaceutical plant. Even if he could clean them out, the losses would stack.
That was why he spoke to Brick instead of killing him.
He disliked Maelstrom, but Brick still counted as sane. Keeping a rational man in charge would be better than letting the gang slip its leash completely.
"Remember what you said, Brick. I do not want to see Maelstrom eyeing anything from Ascension Technology again.
If you want to test whether Ascension can make Maelstrom disappear from Night City, I am happy to stay with you."
He left it there. He had no interest in wasting more time on Maelstrom.
His goal was met. With Maelstrom contained, the most significant unstable factor in the North Industrial Zone was off the board. If the remaining Scavs in the district came sniffing around, he would remove them individually.
Rocky took Rebecca and the others out of All Foods.
One regret: Lissandra did not find the mastermind behind the action on Maelstrom's servers.
On the other side, Brick ordered a cleanup and canceled every move aimed at Ascension's plant.
…
…
Time moved.
Two months later.
After the Maelstrom incident, the majors kept probing Ascension Technology more quietly. Ascension grew steadily across the same span.
Municipal Center.
Night.
In a shadowed corner of an underground parking garage, John sat in his car, eyes flicking the mirrors like a metronome. He looked like he had just left the office. The overhead lights dimmed, and the quiet pressed against the glass.
A work badge lay on the passenger seat.
[Ascension Technology]
[John Derek]
[Logistics Support Department — Transport Team Leader]
John rested his hands on the wheel and tapped without rhythm. His nerves showed.
Footsteps broke the silence. Another man in a suit came into view. He stopped at John's window. John confirmed him and lowered the glass.
"What did you find?"
The man in the suit asked it evenly.
John did not answer. He pulled a datachip and passed it over.
The man glanced at the chip, then looked at John's face and read the tension.
"You seem nervous. This garage is under our eyes. No one else is here. It is not your first time meeting in this spot."
As an experienced agent, John had even run undercover work inside Arasaka. He should not be shaking now.
John forced himself steady and spoke.
"Nothing special. But there is a major personnel shift in the company. I suspect Counterintelligence is involved. We need to be careful.
The chip holds Ascension's shipping records for this period.
Besides the official pharma inputs, the company quietly ordered a large amount of metal stock. I logged the exact materials and where they move."
The contact nodded and took the chip.
John spoke again.
"What about my application? When can I be pulled out of Ascension Technology?"
He had filed that request at the last meet. Ascension was not a place for a person to live. For months he had carried heavy workload by day and hunted intel by night.
Ascension looked like a small, new company. His instincts and sixth sense kept telling him he was in real danger, like an invisible eye never left him. After he discovered the quiet metal orders, that feeling sharpened. That was why he shook today.
Working undercover inside Ascension had become a grind. Long hours, tight nerves. He wanted out more than ever.
The man in the suit shook his head.
"Not confirmed. Stay where you are. You did well. I believe the higher-ups will pull you out when a chance opens."
Despair hit John's face.
The first sentence set the result. The rest was noise. He was not naive enough to swallow a painted promise. He had known the company would not give up a deep cover who could deliver steady intelligence.
He still felt the drop.
After a few perfunctory lines telling John to keep his head, the contact picked up the chip, raised his hand to his head jack, and moved to slot it.
His hand stopped.
Frozen in midair, fingers locked, chip held perfectly still in front of the interface.
Shock widened his eyes. He tried to shift to a guard posture.
He could not move at all. Not the arm. Not the legs. A heavy field pressed in from every side and pinned him where he sat.
Watching, John saw the change and felt fear rise under his ribs.
"Da. Da. Da."
Footsteps echoed out of the deeper dark.
Neon color slid across the concrete as the lights brightened, and a figure finally stepped into both men's sight.