The shard detailed the recent business schedule of a company called Mali Pharmaceuticals.
One upcoming event made V stop: a partnership meeting with Arasaka.
The file covered the company's itinerary, security arrangements, participants, and other vital intelligence for the meeting.
V wasn't stupid. Jenkins's intention was becoming painfully clear. He said nothing, waiting for his boss to explain.
"That shard contains the arrangements for their deal with Arasaka. Use the information to eliminate them before the agreement goes through. How you do it is up to you."
V's heartbeat quickened.
He was no stranger to this kind of work. An excellent field agent with a particular talent for espionage, he'd taken part in plenty of assassinations targeting other corporations' personnel.
According to the file, Mali Pharmaceuticals was a relatively small American company. Eliminating a few employees, even senior executives, shouldn't have been difficult.
But this wasn't simply an assassination. He would be sabotaging an Arasaka deal.
Interfering with Militech's partnerships wouldn't worry him. Arasaka would be behind him. But if he moved against Arasaka, who would protect him?
No one. Jenkins? If the job came to light, his boss might not lift a finger to get him out.
Without Jenkins's protection, exposure would mean his end.
After a silence, V spoke.
"You said this assignment is personal. Does that mean I can refuse?"
Jenkins smiled faintly. He didn't look concerned about that possibility.
"Of course. I can't force you. But have you considered what you're saying?"
He tapped his fingers lightly against the desk.
"I've had high hopes for you since you arrived in Night City, V. I've given you operations, and you've performed well. Everyone in the department knows I intend to promote you."
"You're talented. But talent alone isn't enough for me. If you want to climb higher, you need to prove you're worth more. And demonstrate your commitment."
Data flickered across his eyes. A holographic display appeared over the desk, showing V a document.
"Remember that transfer we discussed? Approval came through some time ago. I haven't told you. The final decision is mine."
"Think about it. Accept this job, execute it cleanly, and the transfer goes ahead. From there, you keep rising. Become my right-hand man. Better benefits. More authority."
He paused, closed the display, and pointed at the office door.
"Refuse and walk out of that door today, and you get nothing. Have you thought it through?"
Unpleasant as it was, Jenkins was right. V hadn't reached this position without learning how corporate life worked.
The assignment was an opportunity. Accepting meant tying his fortunes to Jenkins. With that relationship, reaching the upper levels of Counterintelligence would only be a matter of time.
For Jenkins, it was a way to test V's loyalty and reliability before cultivating him as a trusted subordinate.
Refusing would probably end V's prospects in the department. Reporting Jenkins with what he'd learned would be suicide.
"All right. I'll do it. But I want to know why."
After weighing his options, V gave in and secured the shard.
The potential rewards justified the risk. He wasn't being asked to assassinate Arasaka personnel directly, only executives from a small company. Even if that ruined a partnership, the consequences needn't be beyond managing.
"A wise decision."
Jenkins smiled at his acceptance.
"Mali Pharmaceuticals is an American drug company. Until recently, unremarkable. Then they developed a potent immunosuppressant, several grades above the military products currently on the market. It could be crucial to a number of our experiments."
"Originally, Arasaka wasn't involved. Militech got to them first, as you'd expect with a domestic company. They were preparing a partnership. Then that bitch in Special Operations found a way to bring them over to us. Hence this meeting."
"If she closes the deal, she'll have another useful asset. Her position gets stronger. I don't want that to happen. Understand?"
Now that V had accepted the assignment, Jenkins considered him one of his own. He could afford to explain.
"Special Operations?"
"The director. Abernathy. This is a private dispute between her and me."
"Understood. I'll take care of it."
V felt some relief. At least Jenkins wasn't trying to turn against Arasaka itself.
Private feuds between senior staff were common. So long as he wasn't sent to assassinate Abernathy directly, even exposure shouldn't damage Jenkins enough to drag them both down.
"Relax. It's an important deal, but it hasn't been signed yet. Accidents happen in Night City."
"Disrupt the talks, and that little company loses Arasaka's protection after already offending Militech. They won't last long. They certainly won't have time to come after you."
"I'll handle the consequences on our side. Once I finalize your transfer, you'll have higher clearance, too. That should make things easier. With a little work, we can blame Militech. Nobody will find that surprising."
V nodded. Put that way, the job was neither especially difficult nor excessively risky.
It was an opening Jenkins had given him, a test of whether he was willing to join his faction and bind himself to it.
There was no reason to turn down a reward placed right in front of him. Gradually, V came to accept his decision.