Maine stared at the blue vial on Rocky's desk. "What is this?"
"Advanced soldier serum," Rocky said. "It strengthens the body and raises your tolerance for cyberware. One vial is worth your lost unit, and you cannot buy it on the market."
Rocky added, "I checked you beforehand—hand tremors, mental fog, hallucinations. You are near the line. This can stabilize you so you do not have to downgrade your Chrome."
The words hit like a hammer. Maine had felt those signs. Most people either stripped gear or waited for the end. He was not ready to give up strength and still wanted a Sandevistan on top.
"Fine. How do I use it?"
"Find a ripperdoc you trust to inject it. Or come by my clinic tonight, and I will do it."
…
Night. Rocky's clinic.
Maine came to on the operating chair. The fog in his head had cleared. He flexed his hands and smiled at the steadiness.
"How do you feel?" Rocky asked.
"Good. I am satisfied."
"Listen," Rocky said. "The serum eases the strain. It does not make you limitless. There is still an upper bound. If you keep stacking Chrome without restraint, you can still become a cyberpsycho."
Maine laughed once. "I know."
Rocky let him go.
…
Two days later.
"News 54 with an update. Today, Arasaka is holding a press conference to announce a cooperation deal with Ascension Technology. Let us take you inside and lift the veil on Ascension." The reporter faced the camera while crews finished staging. Arasaka's marketing team spokesperson smoothed his suit, walked up, and the briefing began.
"Today, I am honored to host this event on behalf of Arasaka. As a world-class armed technology company, our services span weapons manufacturing, security, banking, and more. We have always been committed to providing better products for our clients…"
Jackie leaned toward Rocky in the audience and muttered, "Same spiel every time. They could hype their company to the sky."
Rocky snorted. "That is corpo talk. And he is a mouthpiece, not the one who decides. If Yorinobu Arasaka were on stage, he would not waste this much air."
Vik nodded. "A mouthpiece has to cover every angle."
Even Lucy had come out for this one, a close-cut suit sharpening her lines. Rebecca had refused the dress code and skipped it.
At last, the Arasaka spokesperson got to the point. He outlined the cooperation plan and the reasons for choosing Ascension. Then he closed his folder. "That concludes the Arasaka portion of today's announcement. Next, please welcome our partner, L, chairman of Ascension Technology, to present Ascension's first product launch."
Applause rolled. Some reporters turned, eager for Rocky. Others still tried to shout questions at the Arasaka rep, but he left the stage without taking Q&A. For Arasaka, this event was one checkbox in a bigger deal; they had no intention of opening the floor.