The fight at the industrial park had ended. Maelstrom's assault force was destroyed.
At the same time, Ascension Technology's headquarters in City Center received uninvited guests. A wave of Night City mercenaries pushed for the core, aiming to break inside, locate the Ascension Network's core servers, and kill key personnel.
In the core zone, Michael led a three-person team. A hacker rode their comms.
"Based on what I just pulled in, this is a hidden sector. The Ascension Network's servers are most likely concealed here."
"How much time do we have?" Michael asked.
"Five minutes to evac at most. We are too close to Arasaka Tower. Backup could arrive any moment."
They had punched into the core with help from other merc teams and company security tangling in the outer halls. Those friendlies were buying them minutes and bleeding for it. Time was tight.
"Then we search fast," Michael said.
He reached the first door.
"Special Operations Department," he read from the sign.
He signaled his teammates to stay sharp, then nodded to the hacker. "Can you open it?"
"Yeah. Odd. No permission encryption on this one."
The door slid, and Michael swept in ready for a fight. The room was empty.
"Strange," he muttered. No voices, no terminals, no gear. Just a clean shell.
He moved on. One room after another was the same. Empty. The labels were all high-importance: Special Operations, Counterintelligence, even the Main Server Room. Nothing inside any of them.
It made no sense. Something was wrong.
He reached the last door.
"Laboratory."
Weapon up, he keyed it open.
This time the result was different. Most of the space had been cleared, but one section still held stacked equipment, crates, and boxed instruments. A blue robot was sorting the leftovers. Marvin.
Ascension's core departments had already been relocated to Black Star. The labs packed the slowest, and this one was the last to clear. Marvin had been left to finish the job.
When the door opened, the robot's camera head turned toward it. Marvin stopped, stood, and waved.
"Oh, friend. Sorry. The lab is closed now." The screen on his chest showed a smiley face.
"What is this," Michael said, baffled by the scene of a robot quietly packing a lab.
Mission first. He was here for servers and core staff. This room had neither. Marvin looked harmless, so Michael did not fire. He scanned the lab to be sure.
He did not find his target. He found something that froze his blood.
It crouched in a corner: a mechanical beast with blue fangs and hooked claws.
"A werewolf. No way," Michael breathed.
He knew the silhouette. The so-called Werewolf that had thrown Night City into chaos had already become mercenary folklore. People bragged about wanting to fight military outfits and Arasaka the way that monster had and still walk away.
Michael never expected to see it here.
Marvin noticed where he was looking and smiled with his voice. "You like it? I like it too. Viktor was worried I would get bored cleaning up alone, so he let it stay to keep me company. If you want to play with it, try not to get too close."
That did not calm Michael. It only made him more afraid. Who would "play" with a monster?
"Excuse me."
The moment he confirmed the Werewolf, he knew the situation had turned. It was quiet for now. He would slip out while he could.
He took three steps back and started to turn.
Two shots hit before he finished the motion.
Kinetic force punched through his knees, and he went down hard. He looked back in shock. The once harmless robot held a pistol. The smiley face on Marvin's chest shifted to a small frown.
"I thought you would talk with me a little longer. That is a pity."
Marvin walked toward him, steady and unrushed.
Michael's two teammates snapped their rifles up and fired on Marvin. The rounds sparked and did nothing.
Seeing the robot close in, Michael yelled for hacker support. Nothing answered. His entire link was cut.
Outside, the hacker swore at a dead grid. Ascension's net, wide open minutes ago, had hardened into an iron wall.
"Run!" Michael ordered, voice gone hoarse.
Facing this strange robot and the Werewolf behind it, he knew they were outmatched. The two teammates did not hesitate. They abandoned Michael and sprinted.
Marvin did not chase at once. He stepped to Michael first and finished him.
The Werewolf rumbled a mechanical growl and shifted, eager to hunt the runners.
Marvin stopped it with a raised hand. "Hey, little dog. Do not forget, they said I can go out and play today. Those two are mine. You stay here."
He turned toward the exit, almost excited. He had spent his entire life inside this lab. Today was different. Today, he would step out.