The Quadra Type-66 hummed softly beneath Starr's hands as she steered it through the tangled streets of Japantown, neon lights reflecting off the car's sleek, black frame. The rain came down in sheets, a cold, stinging reminder of the mess she had left behind at The Mind Maze. Every instinct told her to lay low after the Juno job, but staying hidden wasn't an option when Chimera was still calling the shots.
Tonight's job was supposed to be simple—a quick hit. Blackclaw, one of Night City's more brutal fixers, had offered her a gig she couldn't turn down. A corporate executive with ties to Militech was in town, trying to cut a deal with Rafa Kowalski, the leader of a rising gang called the Chrome Hearts. They specialized in black-market cyberware, and if Militech got their hands on Rafa's supply, it could change the game for smaller mercs like Starr.
The contract was simple: kill Rafa before the deal goes through. Do that, and Blackclaw promised her enough eddies to get the gear she'd need for the upcoming Juno job. She'd been reluctant at first—Rafa wasn't just a minor player in Night City's gang wars. He was connected, and taking him out would put her on the radar of every lowlife scavenger and corpo interested in chrome.
But she needed the cash, and more than that, she needed a distraction.
The lights of Kabuki blurred outside the windows, casting their neon glow across Starr's face. Her mind wandered briefly to Reaver. Since the job at The Mind Maze, he had been distant, his usual sarcasm replaced by a cold intensity she hadn't seen before. It was dangerous working with someone like him—especially when you weren't sure whether you could still trust them. The way they had left things, tangled in unspoken words and unresolved tension, left her on edge. But that was how it always was with Reaver: he was either right next to you or a thousand miles away.
She checked the time. The meeting between Rafa and the Militech exec was happening in thirty minutes. She still had time.
The sound of her comm unit crackled to life, pulling her from her thoughts. It was Byte.
"Starr, you on your way?" Byte's voice was soft, but there was an urgency beneath it. Ever since Byte had cracked the blueprints of The Mind Maze and hacked Arasaka's defenses, things between them had been different. The closeness that had grown between them was… unsettling. Starr wasn't used to it—this connection that felt more like dependency than simple teamwork.
"Yeah," Starr replied, her voice low. "Just arriving now. You got eyes on Rafa?"
"Affirmative," Byte said, her tone all business now. "Rafa's holed up in a nightclub—Blue Dahlia. I've got eyes on three guards, but I'm betting there's more inside. They've sealed the place tight for the meet. You're going to have to go in quiet."
"Quiet's not really my style," Starr muttered, her fingers tightening on the wheel. "But I'll manage."
"Be careful, Starr," Byte added, her voice softening again. "Rafa's not your usual street thug. He's smart. He knows people. If you're not out in fifteen minutes, I'm pulling the plug."
Starr let out a breath, her eyes narrowing as the rain-soaked streets blurred past. "I'll be fine, Byte. Stay on the line."
She pulled the Quadra into an alley just a block from the club, killing the engine as the hum of Night City's nightlife filled the air. The Blue Dahlia wasn't your average club—it catered to high-end clientele, the kind who preferred their chrome expensive and their dealings discreet. From the outside, it looked like any other flashy hotspot in the city, its walls lined with holographic graffiti and its door guarded by a pair of heavily augmented bouncers. But Starr knew better. Behind those walls, deals were made that could change the balance of power overnight.
The rain fell harder as she stepped out of the car, the cool drops splashing against her face as she pulled up her collar. She had fifteen minutes to get in, kill Rafa, and get out. Any longer, and things would get complicated.
Her hand brushed against the hilt of her Kenshin blade as she approached the back entrance of the club. Quiet wasn't her style, but she knew when to make an exception.
"Byte, I'm moving in," Starr whispered into the comms, her voice barely audible over the rain.
"Got it," Byte replied, her fingers tapping away on her end. "I'm disabling the cameras in the back alley. You're clear to enter. There's a service door just ahead—lock's manual, so you'll have to get creative."
Starr smirked, already reaching for the small neural disruptor in her jacket. A tool of the trade, one she'd used a thousand times before. Within seconds, she had the door open, slipping inside the dimly lit hallway beyond.
The music from the club pulsed faintly through the walls, a low, hypnotic beat that seemed to sync with the flashing neon lights overhead. She moved swiftly, her steps silent as she navigated the narrow corridor. Byte's voice guided her, warning her of the guards' positions, leading her deeper into the club's underbelly.
It wasn't long before she reached the VIP section, where Rafa and his Militech contact were meeting. Through the haze of smoke and flashing lights, she could make out Rafa—a hulking man with gleaming chrome arms and a scar that ran down the side of his face. He was surrounded by three heavily augmented bodyguards, each one carrying enough firepower to level half the club.
"Looks like you've got company," Byte murmured into her ear. "You sure you want to do this?"
Starr's eyes narrowed, her hand resting on the hilt of her Malorian Overture.
"Yeah," she whispered back. "I'm sure."
Without another word, she moved.
Action Sequence: The Kill
The moment she stepped into the VIP section, time seemed to slow. The bodyguards reacted first, their augmented limbs twitching as they reached for their weapons. But Starr was faster.
Her Kenshin blade gleamed in the neon light as she cut through the first guard's arm, the blade severing metal and flesh with ease. He barely had time to scream before she spun around, driving the blade into his chest and twisting it. His body collapsed to the floor in a heap of sparking wires and blood.
Rafa stood, his chrome arms raised in defense, but it was too late. Starr had already moved to the next guard, disarming him with a quick strike before finishing him off with a bullet to the head from her Overture.
The final guard lunged at her, but Starr sidestepped, her blade slicing clean through his spine. He fell, twitching, as blood pooled beneath him.
Rafa was the only one left standing.
He backed away, his hands raised, a twisted grin on his face. "You don't know what you've done, girl. Militech's gonna—"
Starr didn't let him finish. She pulled the trigger, and the sound of the gunshot echoed through the club, drowning out the music for a brief second. Rafa's body crumpled to the floor, a pool of blood spreading around him.
"Target's down," Starr whispered into her comms, her breathing heavy. "I'm heading out."
Byte's voice crackled back, a mixture of relief and urgency. "Get out of there, now. I'm picking up movement—more guards incoming. You've got about thirty seconds before they find you."
Starr didn't need to be told twice. She sheathed her blade and turned, disappearing into the shadows as the sound of approaching footsteps filled the club.
Aftermath
By the time she reached the alley, the rain had turned into a full-blown downpour, washing away the blood from her hands as she climbed into the driver's seat of the Quadra. Her mind was racing, the adrenaline still pulsing through her veins as she sped away from the club, disappearing into the neon-lit streets of Night City.
"Nice work," Byte said softly through the comms. "That was… fast."
"Had to be," Starr muttered, her eyes scanning the road ahead. "How's the exit looking?"
"You're clear for now," Byte replied. "But you've stirred up a hornet's nest. Rafa wasn't just any gang leader. Militech's going to come looking for answers. We need to lay low."
Starr grunted in response, her mind already elsewhere. The job was done, but the feeling of unease lingered. This was just the beginning. And in Night City, beginnings always led to something worse.
"Starr?" Byte's voice came through, softer now. "You okay?"