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Militech Corporation Headquarters
Rosalind Myers
The blue-haired woman stared at the image of her subordinate, frustration written all over her face. Ever since Bill Drake was ousted, Rosalind's workload had only increased. Along with the corporation itself, she had inherited all of its problems.
Her primary mission was to restore Militech's reputation. After the events of 2023, Militech faced harsh criticism following the nuclear bomb incident in Night City. Their attempts to shift the blame and demonize Arasaka hadn't yielded the desired results. Sure, they managed to avoid the brunt of public outrage during the corporate war, but getting the Japanese conglomerate to leave the continent and branding them as terrorists had proven impossible.
"I'm so damn tired of all this!" Myers slammed her fist on the desk, leaning back in her chair. "A bunch of useless idiots, sucking at the corporate teat." She covered her eyes with one hand, briefly zoning out from reality.
"Ma'am, the board meeting starts in five minutes." The sudden knock on the door was followed by a woman stepping into the room. Thanks to her sharp instincts and professionalism, Sarah Alban had managed to retain her position as Deputy CEO. Her skills, along with her ability to be in the right place at the right time, were well appreciated by the current CEO of Militech.
"Thank you, Sarah. I just needed a moment to clear my head," Rosalind replied, removing her hand from her face.
"I understand, ma'am," her subordinate responded curtly, quickly assessing her superior's appearance. "Perhaps the news I'm about to share will lift your spirits a bit."
"Something good happening for a change? I find that hard to believe," Myers replied, a hint of sarcasm lacing her voice.
"We've managed to stabilize the market and secure the necessary resources for the company. Today, for the first time, the charts are showing a positive trend, and it's continuing to climb. At this rate, we'll be able to allocate the remaining resources to preparing our army by the end of the year."
"Well, there's at least one benefit to nationalization. No one can criticize us for bolstering our forces within the country," the blue-haired woman smirked. "I'll review the data after the briefing. For now, I don't have much time, Miss Alban."
"No worries, ma'am. After all, my main job is to keep this company afloat," Sarah said, offering a polite, practiced smile.
"It's a shame so few understand the importance of this task," Rosalind said, rising from her chair. She circled her subordinate slowly, coming to stand directly in front of her. "We must bring this continent under complete control, or other nations will turn America into one massive colony. Arasaka is breathing down our necks, and SovOil, with their secret police, are constantly sabotaging us. But I don't have the time for internal politics right now. We'll discuss that later." Myers extended her hand, gesturing for her trusted aide to hand over the flash drive.
"In that case, I'll get back to work," Sarah responded, passing the data chip before turning to leave the room.
"Thank you, Sarah," Rosalind said just as her assistant reached the door.
"Always happy to help," the woman replied before exiting the office.
"I won't let them take my country..." Myers mentally hissed as she returned to her desk. In just a few minutes, another meeting would begin, and she desperately hoped this one wouldn't devolve into the usual pointless chatter.
***
August 18, 2066
Lucy Mitchell (Kushinada)
"So tired..." The white-haired girl flopped onto her bed with a satisfied sigh. "I don't even have the strength to think," Lucy mumbled quietly, rolling onto her side.
Incoming Video Call: Kiwi (Mom)
"Strange, it's a bit early. What could she want?" Shrugging, Lucy activated her visor and answered the call.
"Hey, could you bring me the box that's in Alex's workshop?" Kiwi smiled awkwardly, glancing off to the side now and then.
"The big one?" Lucy asked, squinting suspiciously.
"That's the one," the blonde nodded. "Alex ran short on some parts and asked me to bring him the missing pieces."
"Why didn't he call me himself?" Lucy narrowed her eyes, studying her adoptive mother's face with suspicion.
"Alex is busy and can't step away right now."
"Fine, I'll bring it." Lucy rolled her eyes, clearly displeased, as she dragged herself off the bed.
"Thanks, sweetie. I'll get you a treat later." Kiwi beamed with a smile and ended the call.
"'Ran short,' huh? Sure..." Lucy grumbled, slowly making her way to the door. "Rumi, let's go." She waved at the black cyber-panther lounging in the corner of the room.
"Mrrow." The panther arched its back in a feline stretch and padded over to join its owner.
Lucy first peeked into Roxy's room, only to find it empty.
"Now it makes sense why they called me," the little blonde grumbled, heading toward her adoptive father's workshop. After all, Alex and Kiwi were officially the guardians of both Roxy and Lucy, a status she had begrudgingly accepted over time.
"This must be it." The white-haired girl eyed the large box with curiosity, trying to figure out how to transport it. "Not too heavy, just awkward to carry." She complained after a few failed attempts to lift it. "Rumi, could you help?" Lucy glanced at her cyber-pet.
"Mrrow?" The panther tilted its head, trying to process the request. The algorithms in Rumi's artificial brain struggled to interpret Lucy's command. Lacking a direct behavioral match, the AI's problem-solving matrix activated its self-learning mode, searching for a solution.
"I'll strap the box onto your back. You okay with that?" Lucy asked as she searched the room for something resembling a rope.
"Raa-ur." Rumi shook her head in disagreement.
"Guess this could work as a makeshift rope." Lucy held up a coil of steel wire with a hint of doubt in her voice. "Well, it's all I've got."
Once Lucy finally secured the box to her pet's back, she smiled with satisfaction and headed for the door. The panther, padding obediently behind her, quickly adjusted to the unusual load on her back without the slightest sign of complaint. After all, caring for her owner was hardwired into Rumi's programming, and this task fell well within her range of acceptable commands.
Before leaving the apartment, Lucy double-checked the makeshift straps. The steel wire, though sloppily tied, was doing its job just fine. The trip to the elevator went smoothly, without any issues. Upon reaching the correct floor, the blonde immediately ran into a surprised Roxy, who clearly hadn't expected to see her foster sister here.
"Roxy, just in time," Lucy intoned in a mock-spooky voice, grabbing the arm of her sister, who was already trying to make a quick getaway. "I need a little help — you're not going to refuse, right?"
"Hey, quit being creepy!" Roxy huffed, puffing out her cheeks in annoyance.
"Help me carry this," Lucy pointed at the large box strapped to her cyber-pet.
"Looks like you're managing fine without me..." Roxy tried once again to slip away, but her sister quickly squashed that plan.
"I won't tell Alex it was you who ate all his mmm…" Lucy's mouth was promptly covered by a now-flustered Roxy.
"Okay, okay, I'll help!" the gray-haired girl blurted, casting a nervous glance at her sister's mischievously gleaming eyes.
Smirking, Lucy began unfastening the box from Rumi's back. Once the cyber-panther was freed, she gave the box a pat. Roxy rolled her eyes, preparing to help, but just as she was about to lift the box, a strange male voice called out to them.
"Hey, kiddos, where are you taking that box?"
The girls turned around to find a dark-skinned guy of Latin descent, his eyes filled with curiosity as he looked at them.
"Our parents asked us to take it to their workshop," Lucy answered, eyeing the stranger warily.
"Gotcha. Need any help?" the guy asked with a grin.
"Don't you have anything better to do? Go wherever you were going," Lucy shot back, remembering Alex's words about not trusting strangers. This guy certainly didn't give her any reason to feel comfortable. Truth be told, after everything that had happened, Lucy had a hard time trusting anyone.
"Feisty little thing, aren't you?" The guy chuckled. "You remind me of an old friend of mine. She had a similar attitude at your age." He smirked as he stroked his clean-shaven chin. "I wonder how little Kiwi is doing these days."
Hearing the familiar name, the girls relaxed slightly, but not enough to trust the stranger fully.
"Psst, Lucy, I think he knows Mom," Roxy whispered quietly, though the man clearly overheard.
"Let's go, Roxy. He's just slowing us down."
"At least tell me where you're heading. Who knows, maybe we're headed in the same direction."
"Iron Man Workshop," Roxy grumbled, lifting the awkward box once more.
"Ha, looks like we are going the same way." The stranger smoothly snatched the box from Roxy's hands and hoisted it onto his shoulder.
"Maybe I should ask Rumi to bite something off him," Lucy mused aloud, causing a nervous chuckle from the guy who had offered to help.
"Why are you kids so mean?" the Latino asked, pretending to be offended.
"Are you stupid, mister?" Lucy asked matter-of-factly, with the confidence only a child could muster.
The guy let out a heavy sigh, recalling the difficult personality of his old friend. If what the girls were saying was true, then Kiwi was their mother, but that didn't match with what he remembered. The last time he had seen his old acquaintance, she'd been about ten or eleven years old. Now she'd be around eighteen at most. How could she possibly have kids this old?
"Unless they're adopted," the sudden thought struck him. "That would make sense," Marco nodded to himself, occasionally glancing at the little girls walking alongside him with their cyber-pets. The cyber-cats were quite intimidating, and it wasn't likely anyone would try messing with the girls, at least not inside the megabuilding. On the streets, though, that might be a different story. But here, it seemed like enough protection.
"This is the place, right?" Ramirez asked, setting the bulky box down on the floor as they arrived in the workshop's reception area.
"Thanks for the help," Roxy said, nudging Lucy in the side just as she was about to say something snarky.
"You got here fast," Kiwi's voice came from behind Marco, making him freeze.
"We had some help," Lucy shrugged, eyeing the now-silent man suspiciously.
"Kiwi?" Ramirez muttered in surprise, his gaze narrowing as he looked at his old acquaintance with an odd expression.
"Got a death wish?" Kiwi's face changed instantly, cracking her knuckles menacingly. "I seem to remember that 'lovely' nickname being given to me by an old friend. You wouldn't happen to have met him, would you?" she snarled, her glare fixed on the now-nervous Latino.
"Come on, Kiwi, I was just joking!" Marco quickly backpedaled, casting cautious glances at his fiery old friend.
"You two know each other?" Roxy interjected, unintentionally breaking the tense atmosphere hanging in the air.
"A long time ago, he picked up a few street orphans and helped us survive. I was one of them," Kiwi answered, leaning casually against the wall of the workshop. "Then one day, Marco just decided to up and leave."
"Didn't Alex tell you?" Ramirez asked, clearly surprised.
"Of course he told us. The real question is whether we buy your excuses. You dumped all the problems on Alex and vanished. The guys might've let it go, but I didn't." Kiwi crossed her arms, her gaze sharp as she stared at the man standing a few feet away.
"I had my reasons," Marco mumbled, avoiding eye contact with the fiery blonde.
"Whatever," Kiwi sighed, brushing a strand of hair away from her face. "I don't want to waste time on a pointless argument. Grab the box and follow me. We can talk inside." She motioned for him to carry the box and headed deeper into the workshop.
"I've never seen her like this," Roxy whispered to Lucy, standing a few feet away.
"Mom is scary," the little white haired girl agreed, casting a nervous glance at the woman walking ahead.