"Long time no see, V."
When V stepped in and dismissed the agent, Rocky smiled. Having an acquaintance in the room made everything simpler.
"You don't seem surprised it's me."
"I asked that agent which department he was with and guessed it might lead back to you."
"L, I'm sorry. I didn't expect to see you like this and in this place. I didn't know you were tied to this. Otherwise, we could talk somewhere more comfortable, like over a drink at a bar."
V sat opposite Rocky and offered the apology first. Rocky had helped him before; that made them half friends, and hauling a friend into Arasaka Tower did not feel right.
"It's fine. It's nice here. The first time I've been inside is a good chance to see the world."
"Good. Then business. This matters to me, too." V leaned in. "The serum produced by Ascension Technology is very valuable to Arasaka. We need information on that company. The report says you've been promoting them and delivering product. Tell me about them. If you share the intel, we will pay well, and I can file for protection so Ascension cannot retaliate."
Acquaintances got better treatment. V put his sincerity on the table right away.
"Serum, right. I understand exactly what it means to Arasaka. Not just Arasaka, either. Militech, Biotechnica, Trauma Team International—every major outfit will covet it."
V could not read his angle. Was this a setup for a big price? V did not care about the number; Arasaka was the one paying. Before V could decide, Rocky went on.
"You want intel on Ascension Technology. Honestly, I cannot give it."
"What do you mean?"
"Because the company does not exist. I am Ascension Technology."
That stopped V. "You mean the serum was produced by you?"
Rocky nodded. "Yes. The serum and the stimulants I sold before it all come from me. 'Ascension Technology' is a wrapper I use. There is no company."
V went quiet. He had doubts but did not think Rocky would lie to him. He moved to the next question.
"Then why sell through underground clinics instead of handing a formula to a company? Whether you sell the recipe outright or license production, you would make far more than you do now."
From V's vantage point, Rocky could become rich overnight by selling the formula. Why take risks to sell it on the street
Rocky shook his head. That was a corp view, the comfortable angle from above. "Licensing does bring profit. Look at Biotechnica licensing CHOOH2 to Petrochem. They printed money. But from where I stand, it is not like that. I have no backing. If a corporation took control of production, it would prefer to make me vanish rather than hand me a fortune. That is the simpler path for them."
"For me, that path is impossible. Only I can produce this serum. I will never hand over the formula. Not even to Arasaka. I can sell you the medicine. The formula is not on the table."
He made his stance plain. Beyond the danger of placing production in a corporation's hands, there was a practical truth: there was no "formula" in the usual sense. The serum could only be made at his own compounding rig. Even with the same raw materials, you only get wastewater without that rig. That was why Rocky could negotiate calmly here. Right now, only he could make serum. If he died, the serum ended with him.
As for Arasaka discovering his secret and stealing the rig, his system was modular by design. If it could be installed, it could be removed.
V frowned. Rocky intended to keep production in his own hands.
"All right. Then let's talk supply. Arasaka needs a stable, large volume. Can you meet that alone?"
V chose to step back. He did not want to corner Rocky. It would not be Arasaka's ideal outcome, but securing serum was better than nothing, and V could live with that.
Rocky shook his head. "Hard. On my own, I cannot produce at the scale you want. And I doubt Arasaka would trust a merc who might walk to provide a stable supply."
V nodded. "So what is your plan? You know Arasaka will not let this go without a solid result."
"I plan to make Ascension Technology real. Once it is up and running, I can deliver volume and work with Arasaka as a company. That should ease your concerns. But I am alone right now. I will need a little support from Arasaka."
He laid out what he had prepared long ago. He could not keep playing small ball with backroom clinics if he wanted to grow. A company was inevitable. Why had he not registered one initially and released the product under it? Because he had no patron. In Night City, a zero-background startup is a lamb among wolves. The big corps would eat it whenever they wished. This city does not hand out "rags to riches" fairy tales. There are no miracles here.
So Rocky had been building chips and waiting for a chance to trade them for a living space. The serum brought danger, but also a window.
Flooding Night City with visible results forced every company to acknowledge the effect. That carried more weight than walking in hat-in-hand, and it reminded them they were not the only ones looking at the prize.
Because of Lucy, Rocky did not want to aim at Arasaka. But Arasaka was the devil he knew, and V's relationship could help more than anything else. Turning away from those advantages to refuse Arasaka would be irrational. Working with them might even introduce him to Yorinobu Arasaka down the line. With the prince's help, his path would shorten by orders of magnitude.
The precondition, of course, was convincing Yorinobu that they shared a purpose and that Rocky would not become a second Saburo Arasaka. Sometimes you borrow an enemy's power because you must. Rocky felt no burden about that. He only hoped Lucy would understand.