"Hey, Gordito, how'd it go with Dex?" Jackie asks, ringing me up on the holo.
"Went well. He wants us to run prep work for the job. See if we're up to it. Guy knows how to protect his business."
"Told you. He's the real deal." Jackie says. He really holds a reverence for Night City's legends. I only ever cared for Morgan Blackhand and Johnny Silverhand. Two grade A badasses right there, one even made some pretty preem music.
"Anyway," I continue. "First thing is a problem with Maelstrom. We need a combat bot, flathead, for the job. Dex bought it off Maelstrom before the gangoons had a change in management."
"Right I heard about that. Royce vs Brick. Hostile takeover."
"That's the gist. Wants us to talk to Royce. Second thing is I've gotta meet the client, Evelyn Parker. She's nervous, wants to meet someone on the ground, Dex gave me the nod."
"Must know what he's doing. So, Maelstrom or Parker, what's first?"
"I say we pay Maelstrom a little visit. Teach them a little something about keeping promises."
"Orale, in that case I'll head to All Foods, put my nose to the ground. Sniff around. Haste Luego."
No use waiting around. To the slop factory we go.
——————
"Ah there you are." Jackie sees me pull up. "Let me hear what you squared away."
"Dex already paid for the bot but there's no guarantee they'll honor that agreement."
"He paid up front? Híjole. Well whatever. Let's go get this tech. You scheme yet? You got a plan?"
"I… let's say borrowed some stuff from some scavs and pawned it for eddies. We can pay again if we need to but if things get dicey we blast them."
"All right. Into the borgbeasts den then."
Jackie and I make our way into the All Foods plant. "I hate these borg fuckers."
"Me too. I think the only group they get along with are the scavs."
"Yeah man. They've got no honor, principles. You know what they like to hear and what ticks them off."
"But Maelstromers are borderline psycho by nature. Never can tell when they'll get the impulse to kill you."
"Hey V, let em know we're here."
I move over to the intercom. They put a Maelstrom tag on it. Say what you will, they really have a hard on for territory marking.
"Hmm.." Synthetic throat from the sound of his voice. "Don't know you."
"We're here to meet Royce, Dex sent us."
"Main room. We been waiting."
The door in front of us opens. There's two turrets but they get deactivated in the next second. Guess that means we're welcome. Touching.
"Cozy place. Could use a few plants, though. Oh yeah. They look damn well prepared." Jackie jokes.
"This level of security in an abandoned all foods makes me wonder how Arasaka Tower ever got bombed." I say.
"Real simple. They went in the roof." Jackie quips, although he isn't wrong. Arasaka probably had weaker security back then though. Must have thought their megacorp status alone would be enough to deter retaliation in the physical sense.
As we make our way to the main room, their security systems turn off letting us proceed. Must have a netrunner monitoring the place. Kinda ironic they're keeping Militech at bay with their own tech.
"You hear about their boss Royce?" Jackie asks.
"Dex mentioned him. Called him "special"."
"Muchos minas, homes. They expecting a whole Militech platoon?"
We reach the door to the main floor of the factory, we open it and get flashed. By a giant light. My eyes.
"Relax choom. They're just trying to spook us." Jackie tries to calm me.
"I know that Jack. Feels like they're trying to make me replace my optics though."
A Maelstrom goon tells us to get in the elevator at the back of the room. Definitely not a trap. The elevator takes us up to the second floor. Looks like their command room.
"Chill V. Remember, we're on their turf."
The elevator opens up. A Maelstromer, gangly Borg is standing there with a gun in hand. Definitely not a trap.
"So what do you want?" Huh, same guy from the intercom.
"You got a bot, "flathead" model."
"And? The hell do you care?" Dumb fucker. You'd thing some of his chrome would go to his brain. Looks like it did. And then it fried it.
"Guy I represent already paid Brick for it. I'm just here for the pickup. I can talk to Royce direct if necessary."
"Nah, you'll talk to me. Names Dum Dum." Are you kidding me. Can't make this shit up.
"Now couch, plant it."
Making our way over to the, arguably nice, couches, I sit down but Jackie just walks to the space between the couches.
"Ahh. Well, shit. Goes for you too." Dum Dum tells Jackie.
"Come on Jack, sit down. Pretty good couches."
"Thanks you know we chose this place for the decor."
"Fine," Jackie says. "This is gonna end badly." He mutters that last part, albeit not very subtly.
Preem negotiating Jackie, Preem.