"As efficient as ever. Good job—the rest of the eddies have been transferred." "Got it. Just received them." After ending the call with Rogu
"As efficient as ever. Good job—the rest of the eddies have been transferred."
"Got it. Just received them."
After ending the call with Rogue, Karl let out a yawn and slumped into an armchair in the former NCPD Commissioner's living room. Watching the bustling officers and technicians moving through the space, he felt slightly awkward just sitting there. So he waved to a passing officer.
"Need me to help out with anything?"
"Just stay right there, Karl."
The officer smiled. Despite Karl being one of the most feared mercs in Night City, the man showed no fear—only comfort.
"Having you here is more than enough."
"...Just being here is enough?"
Karl didn't quite understand. But since the guy said so, he figured he'd just stay put and take it easy.
Jack and Oliver, now looking like half-legit NCPD officers in their borrowed uniforms, were helping set up the scene. V had gone off to handle a solo job nearby. T-Bug had logged off after dinner and hit the hay early. That left Karl the only one completely idle, lounging on the couch.
So... what now?
Even in 2076, some classic ways to kill time still worked.
Karl pulled out his phone.
Sure, he didn't need to use one, but old habits died hard. Playing with a phone in this age was more nostalgic than practical—a small tribute to the past.
By this point, phones had reverted to their original role: tools for communication. Gone were the countless apps and games. Now, they were just sleek devices for video calls and messaging—simple, direct connections between people.
Which meant the only pastime left on a phone was… chatting.
Karl skimmed his contact list, eyes drifting across the names until they stopped on one that had just messaged him.
It was Maine.
Maine:
"That bastard Faraday sure knows how to run. I rolled in with my crew looking to rough him up. After wiping out his men, we captured one of his lackeys. Turns out Faraday bailed on Night City the moment things started going south. What a joke. No clue where that fucker went."
Faraday ran?
Karl had assumed someone like Faraday wouldn't ditch his turf so easily. Yet here he was, gone the moment the pressure kicked in.
Was he afraid of Maine's crew?
Unlikely. If that were the case, he never would've pulled his shady stunts in the first place. Faraday was greedy and shortsighted, like a lizard guarding a pitiful stash of bugs. Getting him to abandon everything wasn't easy.
There were only two reasons a guy like Faraday would flee without hesitation:
One, he was promised something bigger—like finally joining a megacorp.
But with how badly he'd botched things lately, that seemed off the table.
So that only left the second reason—
He was absolutely certain he'd die if he stayed.
And if Maine's crew didn't scare him that much, there was only one other option…
Karl recalled the message he had sent to Maine earlier.
"Old Cap, huh. No wonder he's a fixer. He knows how to move pieces."
Old Captain had carved out a foothold in Santo Domingo—Faraday's old turf—and had been steadily eating into his territory. With time, he was tearing chunks out of Faraday's empire. All he needed was muscle. And now, with Maine's squad—good enough to be any fixer's ace team—Faraday must've seen the writing on the wall and bolted.
A corpo-born operator like Old Captain dealing with a wannabe like Faraday?
One-sided.
And Karl knew Old Captain wouldn't let him run far.
He messaged Maine:
Karl:
"No need to rush. You'll get news about him soon—just wait."
Maine:
"Wait—are you saying you know where he is?"
Karl:
"No, but I'm confident our mutuals will come through. You won't be waiting long."
Maine:
"You mean Old Captain? Is his intel really that good?—Wait, he's messaging me now. Hang on…"
A moment later:
Maine:
"Karl, you're unbelievable. You learn this stuff from a Romani fortune teller or what? Old Captain just confirmed he found Faraday. The bastard slipped out through the Pacifica route and is trying to hide out in Dogtown. We're moving out. Will contact you later."
So Night City's "well-known" fixer, Faraday—
didn't have long left.
Karl made a mental note to tell Oliver. He'd be the happiest in the crew to hear that Faraday was on death's doorstep.
More messages popped up.
Jade:
"Hey Karl, got a new shipment of beef in. Want some? I'll set some aside for you."
Jade, from the logistics center, was a friend Karl shared with Oliver. Every time he smuggled in some decent meat, he'd ping Karl first.
Beef? Hell yeah.
Karl:
"Save some for me. I'll send the eddies later."
Jade:
"Alright, stay in touch."
Once you knew enough people, boredom became impossible.
Karl continued replying—The Priest, Wakako, a handful of other fixers—all sending cautious, probing questions about the Commissioner hit.
Turns out, he wasn't that idle after all.
Oliver and the crew just had to pull the trigger. He had to network, negotiate, keep fixers happy, and keep the jobs flowing.
So exhausting...
As he sighed, a new message came through—
the only one today he genuinely looked forward to.
The moment he saw the special comms channel light up, he already knew who it was.
Karl:
"Hanako. Done with work?"
Hanako:
"Yes, everything's wrapped up.
Karl—my mother returns the day after tomorrow. You haven't forgotten our promise, have you?"
Karl:
"Of course not."
As he replied, a quiet thought echoed in his mind:
Michiko Arasaka is coming back to Night City... the day after tomorrow.
The true queen of Arasaka's Night City presence—
was returning.
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