Company plaza
Militech Tower
Special Action Unit on Ascension Technology
Recently formed, their charter is simple: collect intelligence on Ascension Technology and draft countermeasures. Militech granted the unit broad authority, a sign of how seriously they take Ascension.
They also bankrolled multiple contracts on 6th Street.
6th Street failed them. After last night's losses, the gang is barely standing, and the cooperation against Ascension fizzles. The cause is the same unknown monster that appeared out of nowhere.
Currently, even Militech has no idea where it originated.
"This thing is targeting 6th Street specifically. 6th Street has just started hitting Ascension Technology. Is there a link?" The unit commander flips through the report on the 6th Street massacre and mutters to himself.
Militech had only just engaged 6th Street to make trouble for Ascension. Then this bloodbath lands. It is hard not to look at Ascension as the hand behind the curtain.
He shakes his head.
"Doesn't fit. It only killed people and ignored the cargo in the bases. If Ascension sent it, why leave the goods untouched?"
Intelligence shows the monster hunts 6th Street, full stop. It hit several bases involved in the robberies and several that were not. None of the stolen goods moved. If Ascension had deployed it, leaving loot behind makes no sense.
The most significant point is that the chrome bolted onto the monster, along with the raw power it showed, does not resemble anything Ascension can field.
From Militech's view, Ascension's only real strength is pharma, with a handful of ex-mercs in the Special Operations Department who have some name and bite in Night City. They lack a true in-house security force. Even their routine convoys use Arasaka Security under contract. Arasaka has clearly invested in protecting a partner.
That is Militech's other headache. Without Arasaka, going after Ascension would be much easier.
A company that only climbed up Arasaka's ladder thanks to soldier serum does not suddenly produce a technological monster that can shock Militech.
If there is a link, Arasaka is the likelier source.
"Whose asset is this? Arasaka? Are they using the 6th Street robberies to live-test a new unit?"
After a beat, the commander decides that this is the best working theory. In Night City, there are only a few firms that could roll out a platform this advanced. Excluding themselves, Arasaka and Kang Tao both fit the description.
Whoever it is, the thing reads as a threat to Militech, just as Cybertron did.
On the wall display, a stitched feed shows Warwick killing on loop. Some footage came from cameras, some from braindance recorders ripped off the dead. The scenes are brutal and direct, and they tighten the feeling of crisis in the room.
First Cybertron
Now this
It looks like the major corporations in Night City are all accelerating under unseen pressure. Somehow, Militech is the one not invited to the party.
…
While Militech argues over Warwick's origin, other companies are equally uncertain. Every boardroom wants to know who is fielding such a savage piece of kit. Under the surface, currents pick up. Intel departments work overtime to trace the source.
Meanwhile, the culprit sits in Ascension Technology's lab for tuning.
Ascension Technology Laboratory
Warwick is plugged into several interfaces. Rocky and Vik review last night's combat telemetry. He is not the berserk killing machine from a few hours ago. The silhouette is still frightening, but he crouches quietly now. It almost feels safe.
"Control system looks solid. No faults. Targeting was precise. No collateral. Warwick performed exactly as planned." Rocky is satisfied.
Marvin has been peeking from behind them the whole time. Hearing Rocky's tone, the expression screen on his chest flips to a confused face. He mutters to himself, "So it is actually a good dog? I thought it was a bad dog…"
Rocky and Vik ignore Marvin's little drama and focus on Warwick.
"Mean piece of work," Vik says. "What next? Send it to Militech?"
"Not yet," Rocky says. "If we point it at Militech now, the line back to us is too clean, and people will start asking questions.
"Let it stir up Night City for a while. Militech will come find it on their own."
No one knows Warwick's origin yet, and Rocky has no intention of letting anyone tie him to Ascension. He is not leaving Warwick on a lab stand either. Bringing him online and then shelving him would be a waste of time. Better to let the thing keep hunting.
As long as Warwick stays active, Militech will fixate. When the time is right, Rocky will pull the pin and make them pay.
{ Killing target set: Scavs; extreme criminals; cyberpsychos; enemies attempting to capture the unit. }
Rocky pushes the target list. If Warwick is going to make noise, it can clean up Scavs along the way. Killing is killing. Extreme criminals and cyberpsychos get added on sight. Scavs remain top priority; the others are incidental. If any corporation deploys personnel to apprehend him, they will also be added to the list.
A beast built to trouble Night City is genuinely out of the cage.