To put it simply—she didn't trust the people in her own company.
At some point, Meredith even felt a little bitter about it. She had joined Militech at just fourteen, yet after nearly twenty years, she realized she trusted the man in front of her—whom she'd only known for half a day—more than the company she'd devoted her life to.
Arthur leaned to the side, eyes narrowing, wrinkles creasing his nose.
He gave the woman a quick once-over, then lifted his forearm ever so slightly.
"Hmm... alright...
Turns out this really is an easy job... huh?"
There was no rush about the cars. The vehicles their pursuers had arrived in were still perfectly intact—they could pick whichever one they liked.
Arthur waved his hand, summoning the Swallow back into his grip. Then his eyes fell on his hat lying in the dirt.
A bullet had carved a scorched line across the top. He instinctively reached up to touch his head.
"Damn... that was close..."
Jack walked up, staring at the scene.
Arthur's hat—he recognized it right away.
"Misty's gift..."
Bending down, he picked it up. Even though it was ruined, Arthur still decided to keep it.
"Come on... let's load everything into the car, then get our crippled little princess aboard."
Still holding the hat, Arthur reached toward his waist out of habit, only to remember he no longer carried a satchel. With no other choice, he tucked it into his belt.
Packing didn't take long. The most important part—the component—was still intact after the crash. Luckily, it hadn't struck Meredith either.
Finally, after carrying the injured woman into the car, the three of them set off again.
"Your precious cargo's safe, stowed in the trunk."
From the passenger seat, Arthur looked back at Meredith.
"By the way, you said... you want us to handle business with your company?
But aside from making people go quiet for good, there's not much we're good at."
"You don't have to do anything. If anyone else tries to kill me, then you step in."
Reclining lazily across the back seat, Meredith spoke with nonchalance.
"I thought... you were supposed to be a big shot.
Where are your people?"
Arthur blinked, taken aback.
"My people... they're dirty. What worries me most right now is them."
She looked utterly relaxed, as though she might drift off any moment.
"Shit!!!"
Jack suddenly shouted again. Looking ahead, they saw another convoy barreling toward them in the opposite lane—nearly identical in size to the ambush force from earlier.
"Perfect. You really are Militech, huh?
Don't tell me you've declared war on them."
Arthur drew his revolver, his face grim.
Seeing both men on edge, Meredith sat upright, her sharp eyes scanning the convoy.
"Easy, you two. These should be mine."
She gestured for calm and added,
"Let's wait and see. Pull over."
Her confident demeanor left Jack half-convinced. He eased the car to the side.
The convoy quickly surrounded them.
"Unknown vehicle, halt! You are suspected of kidnapping a company executive. Exit the car and surrender immediately."
A mechanical, synthesized voice rang out—genderless, but steeped in arrogance.
Arthur and Jack exchanged odd looks, then turned toward Meredith.
Her face flushed with fury. Bowing her head slightly, she barked into the comms:
"Idiots! I'm not kidnapped! Someone get over here right now!
And shut that damned broadcast off!"
She was clearly communicating with her subordinates. Once the order went through, the convoy silenced their loudspeakers, letting Arthur and Jack finally breathe again.
Soon, a man climbed out of the lead vehicle and hurried over.
He was a burly Black man with a flashy blue buzz cut, trotting up to Meredith's open window.
"Boss..."
After the brief greeting, he fell silent.
"Anything unusual?
In the department—I told you to keep watch."
Her voice was cold, stripped of all warmth.
"There's been something off. Captain Anthony Gilchrist's behavior is strange.
He kept insisting you were in danger. Just earlier, he even requested permission to use force against your current vehicle."
Her fingers interlaced as she gave a small nod.
"Understood. We'll deal with the rest later. For now, the priority is killing Kool and Paul, those two bastards."
She was about to close the window when the man stopped her.
"Chief... aren't you coming back with us?"
"No. Get back to your jobs."
Meredith waved her finger dismissively.
"For safety, I think—"
"I said no. Didn't you understand me?"
Her gaze went ice-cold, her tone sharp enough to cut.
The man shrank back, retreating with his head down.
"Stupid motherfuckers!"
She spat the words after slamming the window shut, though the fury in her eyes hardly faded.
Arthur and Jack, unsure why she was so enraged, silently looked away.
With the surrounding vehicles starting up, Jack drove off, trailing them from a distance.
"If you'd called these guys earlier, I'd bet we wouldn't have been in such a mess."
Arthur muttered, half to himself.
"Hmph. Those bastards probably can't wait for me to die."
Meredith scoffed coldly.
"To climb higher, you need someone to vacate the spot first."
At Militech, turnover was far more common than in Arasaka.
At Arasaka, if your superior died and you had any questionable connection to them, you'd be blacklisted whether or not there was proof. No one would promote you, no matter your achievements.
That was their bottom line—an unspoken bond between superior and subordinate, like a brand.
Militech was different. Its bloated hierarchy left no room for such ties. Results were all that mattered. If you were capable, you climbed, no matter how dirty your hands were. Bottom lines didn't exist.
"You're saying... this guy's a traitor too?"
Arthur asked.
"This city's full of traitors."
He meant, of course, Night City.
"No, not a traitor.
But make no mistake—he'll throw me in with them all the same.
There are plenty of ways to kill someone. Doesn't have to be by your own hand."
...
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