The point of using production robots is to distract Night City's majors so Rocky can build his machine army in peace. He did not pick the combat-leaning "ghost" variant of the Marvin line or any other obvious war bot. "Vik, don't treat this like a frontline unit out of the box. Train it, and it will perform on a battlefield. And it does real work too. Once you build it, you'll see." Rocky read Vik's hesitation and smiled. The name says it: a multifunctional entity. Marvin units fit many scenes—mass-producing gear, hauling cargo, even basic construction—not just camouflage. A robot that can punch a clock by day and pick up a rifle when needed gives Rocky no reason to refuse.
Vik didn't argue. Doubt was in place, but he still started on the first Marvin.
The build was not complicated. The blueprint from the system synthesized parts at the workbench, saving time. Choose a component recipe, feed materials, and receive the part. Rocky selected vibranium as the main material stock. Because this was the first unit, he went generous: full vibranium, aiming for truly "indestructible." Later, Marvins would only need vibranium particulate in their mix. Otherwise, Ascension Technology could declare bankruptcy. Even simplified, the build ran long; vibranium output and workbench processing speed throttled the pace. Not until the next day did Rocky and Vik finish assembly. A brand-new Marvin stood in the lab.
To please himself, Rocky painted the first unit blue. He added a grapple module on the arm. The phase-fold storage unit for stowing equipment and weapons was a given. Thanks to Power Stimulant profits, Rocky had already bought mass-producible storage modules; he planned to mount them on Marvin units to work as harmless shop bots and then arm up from their own inventory when combat calls.
Rocky pressed the start button.
First boot.
The camera-head lifted. The chest screen came alive. Nothing else happened. The robot looked dull, not yet self-aware—just a machine waiting for preset commands, not a mechanical life.
Rocky did not hesitate. He opened the self-awareness awakening program from the system and chose the Pathfinder template as the base. Activation rolled; limbs flexed and twisted; the chest screen flashed through expressions: smile, tears, anger, frustration, calm, heart. The pace quickened until the program finished. The screen froze on a smiling face, and the right hand gave a thumbs-up.
"What's with that pose? Did you set it? Looks a little unserious." Vik stared, curious.
"Uh… kind of," Rocky answered, a bit embarrassed. He hadn't told Vik he was awakening self-awareness. Saying it out loud now felt like talking behind someone's back in front of them.
The robot spoke.
"Oh, Mr. Viktor, you don't like this look? Although that's sad, I can change it."
The synthesized voice surprised Vik. Before awakening, Rocky had uploaded IDs and access profiles to the unit's terminal, so it knew who Viktor was. Hearing that one of its creators disliked its appearance, Marvin's screen drooped into a depressed emoji.
Vik froze, unsure.
Rocky stepped in. "Vik, this robot is now a self-aware mechanical lifeform, like Lissandra. By the way, his name is Marvin."
This first unit used top-shelf parts; Rocky didn't mind naming it Marvin. Vik realized his slip. "Sorry, kid. I didn't mean it. Don't take it to heart."
"It's okay, Mr. Viktor. I'm fine," Marvin said, screen returning to a smile. Seeing the childlike streak, Rocky felt helpless; maybe he should have picked a colder template. Then again, the company already had the cool, aloof Lissandra. A little extra liveliness wouldn't hurt. If every machine life acted like Lissandra, things would get dull. Mature personality templates have poor plasticity and a lower ceiling; they're fine for mass production. For a special first-gen Marvin, better to nurture him step by step.
Rocky did not plan to send Marvin out soon. If a big corp caught a robot like this cutting people down in Night City, that would be bad. Parking him on a factory line would also waste a first-gen's performance. Rocky decided to keep Marvin in the lab as Vik's assistant. Vik would like this new helper.
"Alright, enough talk. Let's test your abilities, Marvin," Rocky said.
"Yes, father."
"Uh… no need to call me father. Just call me L."
"Understood, Mr. L."