Jackie Welles should've known better. The moment he opened his mouth, Rebecca's eyes locked onto Neo with laser precision.
She squinted. "Neo, you really went to meet some woman?"
Neo sighed, expression unreadable. "Meredith Stout. Militech agent. Our client contact for this job. Met her to confirm details, that's all."
Then his gaze slid toward Jackie, voice turning casual but dangerous. "Though, now that you mention it… Jackie, you're quite the talker tonight. Maybe when this job's done, I'll swing by and chat with Misty. Ask her about your track record at Lizzie's Bar."
Jackie froze mid-laugh. "No—no, don't, choom! I'm begging you, man! You go talking to Misty and I'm gonna die single, I swear!"
The others burst out laughing—Rebecca, David, even Lucy cracking a grin behind her datapad.
But as the laughter faded, Neo's face hardened again. He slid in his earpiece.
"Lucy, copy?"
Her voice crackled softly in his ear. "Loud and clear, Neo."
"Good. Keep the line open. You're our eyes from here on out."
"Got it."
Lucy packed up her laptop and slipped away to a concealed vantage point. She didn't need to be inside the lion's den to gut it—her battlefield was the Net.
…
All Foods Factory, Maelstrom Headquarters.
The four of them—Neo, Rebecca, Jackie, and David—arrived at the entrance to the derelict plant.
The place reeked.
Mountains of garbage were piled outside the gate, half-rotted, buzzing with flies, leaking a foul stench that seemed to cling to the soul.
Rebecca wrinkled her nose. "There's actually a place messier than Pilar's room. Didn't think I'd live to see it."
Jackie gagged. "Damn, these chromeheads ever heard of hygiene? If it smells this bad out here, I don't even wanna know what's inside."
David grimaced. "Yeah, it's… not exactly pleasant."
Neo's tone was calm, composed. "Eyes up, all of you. Once this is over, the city's gonna know our names."
Jackie grinned, rolling his shoulders. "Damn right. The street game's simple—winner takes all. We take Maelstrom down, we're the new kings of Night City."
He spat to the side. "Still, I hate dealing with these freaks. Too much chrome, not enough brain."
David frowned. "Aren't they just another gang?"
Jackie snorted. "Kid, not even close. Every crew's got their flavor. Valentinos? Faith, family, honor—you know what they want, where their lines are."
He leaned closer. "Maelstrom's got none of that. No rules. No limits. Just chaos. So watch your step."
The four stopped in front of the massive steel shutters guarding the main entrance. The metal was stained with grime and old blood.
Neo picked up a battered intercom receiver bolted to the wall and spoke into it. "Yo, Maelstrom. Open up. I'm here to talk business—with Royce."
A few seconds of static. Then a raspy, distorted voice answered. "Who the hell are you?"
"Someone here to make you rich," Neo replied smoothly. "Got ten thousand eddies on the table. I just want a little something from the Militech shipment you boosted last week."
There was a pause, then a low, suspicious growl. "You a corpo dog? Militech? Arasaka?"
"None of the above," Neo said evenly. "I'm after one thing—some small tech prototype you lifted. Not a weapon, not a piece of chrome. Just a harmless little drone. Ten thousand eddies for something collecting dust? Sounds fair."
His tone was so casual, so believable, even his own crew started to buy it.
Rebecca, Jackie, and David traded glances. The performance was so damn smooth, they almost forgot it was a setup.
Then came the reply. "Heh. You talk nice for a corpo dog. Fine. Come in, we'll talk."
The comm went dead, and a moment later the heavy shutters groaned and rolled upward, revealing the dim interior of All Foods.
Neo tapped the earpiece. "Maine, you're clear to move. Take your team in from the back entrance. Kiwi, run interference—jam the plant's surveillance grid and keep their turrets blind."
A brief crackle, then Maine's gruff voice came through. "Roger that. Moving now."
Neo nodded to the others. "Showtime."
He stepped through the threshold, Rebecca, Jackie, and David following close behind.
…
The inside of All Foods looked like a war factory masquerading as a slaughterhouse. Rusted catwalks, hanging chains, and oil-stained floors gleamed under flickering red lights.
But what really caught their eyes were the defenses.
Automated turrets lined the walls. Surveillance drones hummed through the air. The place was armed to the teeth.
Jackie muttered, "Madre de Dios… I've seen corporate vaults with less security."
Rebecca let out a low whistle. "Still think they're just a bunch of lunatics?"
"Okay, fair point," Jackie admitted.
David glanced around nervously. "If we went in guns blazing, we'd be vapor before taking ten steps."
Neo didn't look back. "That's why we don't go in guns blazing. We follow the plan. Do as I say, and we walk out alive."
A voice crackled over the loudspeakers, grating and distorted. "Wait—four of you? Thought it was just one."
Neo didn't miss a beat. "Yeah, plans changed. You want ten grand or not?"
A pause. Then a rough laugh. "Fine, fine. Come to the server room. We'll talk there."
The crew advanced deeper into the compound, the scent of gun oil and rot thick in the air.
Everywhere they turned, red lights blinked from cameras and turrets—tracking them, but not firing.
Yet.
Jackie glanced up uneasily. "Man, I can't believe they call this place a food factory. More like a freak show with machine guns."
Rebecca shot back, "Maybe they're into protein shakes. Human protein."
Jackie shivered. "Don't even joke like that."
David whispered, "There's so many guns here... If something goes wrong—"
Neo cut him off, voice low but steady. "Nothing's gonna go wrong. We stick to the plan."
Then came the jeering.
"Hey! Look at the little visitors!" one of the Maelstrom gangers shouted from across the hall, his body a patchwork of steel and tattoos. "You scared, little softies?"
A few more laughed, cyber-eyes flashing red. "Get your chrome asses in the elevator before we change our minds!"
Rebecca's hand twitched toward her pistol, but she stopped herself.
Because Neo had warned them before coming in—don't take the bait.
Play along now. Kill them all later.
Her jaw clenched, but she stayed silent.
Neo stepped into the elevator first, eyes cold and sharp under the dim lights.
"Let's finish this," he murmured.