The glow of Night City loomed on the horizon like an ominous mirage, the towering skyscrapers wrapped in an electric haze that bled neon into the night sky. After the chaotic battle in the Badlands, the city felt like both a curse and a beacon, calling Starr back into its tangled streets of chrome and violence.
As she sped toward the city in her Quadra, her mind drifted to the aftermath of the raid. The convoy had survived, barely. The nomads had lost two trucks, and nearly a dozen of their people, but the cargo had made it through—though Starr still didn't know exactly what it was. Santiago had been tight-lipped, refusing to reveal any details. Whatever the Aguirre clan had been transporting, it was valuable enough for someone to pay off an entire gang of raiders to destroy it.
Her shoulder throbbed, the pain from the gunshot wound she'd taken still fresh, but Starr pushed it to the back of her mind. Pain was temporary. Night City was forever. And now, after surviving the Badlands, she had another problem: the fallout from Rafa's hit and Militech's interest in her.
As she neared the city limits, the familiar hum of her comms snapped her back to reality. Byte's voice came through, sharp and concerned.
"Starr, you heading back into the city?" Byte asked, the sound of her fingers tapping away in the background, likely monitoring traffic or security cams.
"Yeah," Starr muttered, her eyes narrowing as the city's skyline came into sharper focus. "I need to lay low for a while. And I have to meet with Rogue. There's still fallout from the Rafa job, and I need answers."
Byte's sigh crackled through the comms. "I've been keeping an eye on Militech's movement. They're still looking for you, and it looks like they're pulling in some serious firepower. You might want to keep a low profile when you get back."
"Low profile's not exactly my specialty," Starr replied, her lips curling into a grim smile.
"Yeah, I noticed," Byte said, her tone softening slightly. "Just be careful. You've had too many close calls lately."
There was a brief pause, the air between them filled with the unspoken tension that had been building since the Rafa hit. Starr could feel the weight of Byte's concern, and part of her hated it. She wasn't used to people worrying about her, and the more Byte tried to pull her into something softer, something more human, the more Starr felt herself pushing away.
But deep down, she knew she cared. She knew Byte meant more to her than just a voice in her ear.
"Thanks, Byte," Starr said after a long silence. "I'll call you when I'm clear."
"You better," Byte replied, the slightest hint of a smile in her voice. "And Starr… watch your back. This thing with Militech is bigger than it looks."
Starr killed the comms, her grip tightening on the wheel as she pushed the Quadra through the city's outskirts. She knew Byte was right. Militech's interest wasn't going to fade. The fact that they'd sent enforcers into the Red Market told her this was personal. But why? Rafa was a small-time player compared to some of the other figures in Night City's underworld.
There was something she was missing, and Rogue might have the answers.
Scene: Afterlife
The Afterlife was packed tonight, the hum of conversation and clinking glasses filling the air as mercs and fixers from all corners of the city crowded into the infamous bar. This was where the legends of Night City drank, where the deals that shaped the future of the underworld were made. And Starr was no stranger here.
She pushed through the crowd, her eyes scanning the sea of faces, most of them augmented and chrome-plated, the scars of the street etched into their bodies. The smell of synth liquor and smoke clung to the air, mixing with the low, pulsing beats that reverberated through the floor.
She made her way to the bar, leaning against the counter as she caught the bartender's eye. He nodded, wordlessly pouring her a shot of Afterlife's strongest whiskey—a drink they reserved for the real players in the city's mercenary world.
"Rogue around?" Starr asked, downing the shot in one swift motion.
"She's in the back," the bartender said, nodding toward a door at the far end of the room. "She's been expecting you."
Of course she was.
Starr left the bar and made her way to the back room. The door slid open with a quiet hiss, revealing Rogue, Night City's queen of fixers, sitting behind her desk. She was a force of nature, her silver hair cut short, her eyes sharp as she glanced up from the data pad in her hand.
"Starr Layne," Rogue said, her voice as cold as the look in her eyes. "Still breathing, I see. Barely."
Starr smirked, taking a seat across from her. "Barely is all I need."
Rogue set the data pad down, her gaze piercing. "You've been busy. Took out Rafa. Got the whole of Militech watching you now. What the hell are you doing, Layne?"
"Thought you could tell me," Starr replied, her expression hardening. "Rafa wasn't supposed to be this big of a deal. I put him down, like Blackclaw wanted, but Militech's acting like I killed their CEO."
Rogue leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest as she studied Starr. "You always were good at making a mess."
"Yeah, well, this one's a little messier than usual," Starr muttered. "And I don't like surprises."
Rogue's expression darkened. "Rafa was running more than just a small-time gang. His Chrome Hearts crew was a front for something bigger. Militech was using him to funnel experimental cyberware into the city, stuff they couldn't sell through their regular channels. Rafa was their distributor."
Starr's stomach dropped as the pieces started falling into place. "So when I took him out—"
"You didn't just take out a gang leader," Rogue interrupted. "You cut off Militech's supply chain. They've lost millions in chrome, and now they're coming after you to settle the score."
Starr cursed under her breath, the weight of the situation hitting her hard. She had known Rafa was connected, but she hadn't realized just how deep his ties to Militech went. And now she was in the crosshairs of one of the most powerful corporations in the world.
"So what now?" Starr asked, her voice low. "What's Militech's next move?"
"They're sending Zentec after you," Rogue said, her tone grim. "Elite enforcers. Not just your typical corporate muscle. These guys are designed for one thing—hunting people like you."
Starr's heart pounded at the name. Zentec was a name whispered in the darker corners of the city, mercs who were more machine than human, lethal and unstoppable.
"They're already in the city," Rogue continued. "Which means you don't have much time."
Starr leaned forward, her eyes locking onto Rogue's. "So what do I do?"
Rogue smiled, but it was a cold, dangerous smile. "You survive. And if you want to stay ahead of them, you're going to need an edge. That means we need to finish the job with Juno."
Starr's blood ran cold at the mention of Juno. The extraction of Juno, the key asset hidden within Arasaka, was supposed to be her way out. Her big score. But now, it was shaping up to be the most dangerous mission of her career.
"I'm not ready for Juno," Starr muttered, rubbing the back of her neck. "Not yet."
"You don't have a choice," Rogue said, her voice sharp. "You want to survive Militech's hit squad? You'll need Juno. Whatever she's got in that head of hers, it's valuable enough to make you untouchable. But that means breaking into Neon Tower, and no one walks into Arasaka's fortress without a plan."
Starr swallowed hard, the weight of the mission pressing down on her. Neon Tower was an impenetrable fortress, and Juno was deep inside. Extracting her would require more than just a handful of hired guns.
Rogue leaned forward, her eyes gleaming with dangerous intent. "I've got a plan. And I've already put the team together. But you've got to be all in, Starr. There's no halfway with this one."
Starr stared at Rogue, her heart pounding in her chest. This was it. The job that would either set her free or kill her.
"I'm in," Starr said, her voice steady but cold. "Let's get it done."