After seeing Yamamoto Daisho out, Rocky kept the interviews rolling. The rest of the candidates each brought something real to the table. None of them were simple hires.
Once they signed their contracts, he had every new employee connect to Ascension Technology's enterprise client. Under Lissandra's quiet background checks, their colors bled through. Militech, biotech houses, Trauma Team, even a few other corps had slipped people in. In short, everyone was "talent," and more than a few were "talent with a second inbox."
There were upsides. Undercover plants worked harder than average staff and never complained when the load got heavy. When something was tedious or long, Rocky routed it to them first and watched the queue move.
With the hiring sprint done, Ascension finally felt on track. In a few days, the first batches would be finished and ready for market.
He sat back in his office and pulled the terminal's news pane.
"News 54 with an update.
"Arasaka has announced a press conference in Night City three days from now.
"Sources say the event will formally announce a cooperation deal with a company called Ascension Technology.
"Ascension Technology is new to most viewers. Investigations show it's a startup just established in Night City.
"No further information is available at this time. Why Arasaka chose to cooperate with a firm like this should be clear in three days.
"For more on this story, stay with News 54."
The host kept reading copy about Arasaka's presser. The announcement had only just gone up and was already echoing across local feeds. The public reveal was part of the deal Rocky had inked. A clear declaration from Arasaka would supercharge sales afterward.
This was also the first time he'd watched a report that mentioned his company. He was still reading when Vik called.
"L, saw the piece on News 54. You going to be on that stage too?"
"Of course. As soon as Arasaka announces the cooperation, I'll follow with a product press conference," Rocky said.
He planned to ride Arasaka's wave. If he picked his own time window, it would never hit as hard as their main event.
"For the product presser, I'm pushing Power Stimulant Type II. The serum is reserved to fill Arasaka's order. I can't sell it right now."
"Then prep properly," Vik said.
"It's only a press conference. My people can handle the scaffolding. Don't forget, Vik, I'm not alone anymore."
"That's true."
"By the way, make sure you attend that day. You're a director at Ascension now."
Rocky had already given "director" status to the few he trusted most. The title was mostly for show and the dividends were thin, but it meant they held the highest internal permissions short of Rocky himself. They could task Lissandra and read anything inside Ascension. There were no secrets from them.
"Alright. I'll be there," Vik said, and hung up without dragging the call.
The door opened as the line clicked off. Lucy stepped in.
Besides her nominal director badge, Lucy handled intelligence work for Ascension. Unlike Marketing, which needed raw headcount and was not Lissandra's strong suit, Intelligence hired nobody from outside. The work demanded secrecy, and with Lissandra doing ninety percent of the heavy lifting, Lucy only needed to set direction and make decisions.
"Lucy, what's up?" Rocky asked.
She shook her head. "Nothing. Just came to see you. There's not much for me to do in intel, and I'm bored sitting around. You finished interviews, right?"
"Yeah."
He was about to say more when Lissandra cut in.
"Master, the incident you care about has progressed. It concerns David Martinez," she said, and pushed a clip to Rocky's internal view.
A crash scene filled the feed. Flames ran hot across the tarmac. A red-haired woman lay in the middle of the road, apparently unconscious. In the overturned vehicle, someone was trapped and shouting for help.
"Just now, on the bridge to Santo Domingo, the Animals attacked an Arasaka vehicle and caused a car accident," Lissandra narrated. "The victim trapped in the car is your target, David Martinez."
Rocky had kept tabs on David for a while, and when Lissandra came online he handed her the watch. In his read, David had real talent; otherwise Arasaka would not have flagged him for experiments. In the timeline Rocky knew, Adam Smasher killed him in the end, but for an ordinary kid to run that far was already rare.
If David joined Ascension and had help, Rocky believed he could push the kid much further and make him a core operator.
He had still waited. Before a shock like this, David watched illegal black braindance, daydreamed about becoming a cyberpunk, and drifted on his mother's plan for him. His mindset had not gone through fire yet. That version would not meet Rocky's bar.
Now was the best time.
He stood up. "Lucy, bored right now?"
She raised a brow. "Maybe."
"Come on. Let's go find someone."
"Who?"
"A little brat. A future legend."