The firefight with security still raged in the halls, but plenty of mercs noticed the two who had bolted.
"Aren't those two from the team that slipped into the core? What happened inside?"
They cursed while firing. The two runners did not answer. They just sprinted out of Ascension Technology on their own.
Marvin followed them onto the battlefield.
"Are those two being chased by this robot?"
Some mercs hesitated. Others opened up on Marvin immediately.
"Oh, lively scene. I need to catch those two. Please do not get in my way."
Marvin drew his weapon and started clearing the Ascension corridors. Smart rounds curled through the air and cut down mercenaries in rapid bursts.
On the street, the two runners finally reached their car during the brief lull created by Marvin's cleanup.
Inside the car.
The team's hacker and driver had already lost contact with everyone still inside. The door yanked open.
"Why are you back? Where's Michael? What happened in there?" the hacker asked.
"Forget Michael. Drive first. Talk later."
The two deserters climbed in and kept glancing over their shoulders. Marvin was already walking out of the building.
"He was still fighting other mercs a second ago. How did he get out so fast?"
"Move. Now."
The driver complied. The car surged forward, and the two exhaled as the speed climbed.
Marvin paused on the steps and took in Night City's lights like a tourist on leave. He noticed the merc car spooling up to flee.
"You cannot escape."
A hook and cable shot from his left arm and bit deep into a nearby wall. The winch reeled. Marvin arced across half a block and landed hard on the roof.
The driver nearly lost control when the roof buckled.
"What was that?"
A camera-like head swung down past a window from above the roofline.
"Drek!"
Marvin glanced through the glass, confirmed he had the right target, then ignored them. He sat on the roof to watch the city go by, letting the panicked driver carry him wherever the streets would take them. The mercs tried shooting through the roof. It did nothing.
When Marvin tired of the view, their time would be up.
Arasaka Waterfront
Konpeki Plaza
Top-floor suite
Yorinobu Arasaka watched the holo display. The feed showed Ascension's Marvin units carving through Maelstrom and mercenaries.
Rocky stood beside him with a glass of wine and watched the same reel. It was the first time Marvin had been used in open combat since production. The performance met Rocky's expectations. Marvin's restless personality was expected too. After so long in a lab, wanting a look outside was normal. Rocky did not blame him.
"How is it?" Rocky asked with a small smile.
Rocky had known Maelstrom planned to hit Ascension's industrial park, and he had known about the mercenary angle. He chose tonight to speak with Yorinobu about genuine cooperation. Tonight was also the first step in showing what Ascension could do.
"I am surprised," Yorinobu said. "Even Arasaka does not field armed robots this strong. If I am not mistaken, they are using smart weapons. Does that involve Kang Tao?"
He had seen people link that "Werewolf" machine to Kang Tao before. Now, these Ascension robots were clearly firing smart rounds. When Night City thinks of smart weapons, it thinks of Kang Tao.
If Ascension was a front quietly launched by Kang Tao, the play could be simple: pretend to help, push Arasaka and Militech into a brawl, then fish in troubled waters. He had to ask outright.
Rocky shook his head.
"I know what worries you. Ascension has no tie to Kang Tao, and they are not our backers. If Kang Tao could field robots of this level, they would not need me to see you. They would already be the strongest armed-tech company on the planet, and they would not bother with these maneuvers."
Yorinobu accepted the point with a reluctant nod.
"Were these robots used for production before?"
"They are good at production and good at fighting. Best use of resources," Rocky said.
"If I am not mistaken, when you announced this robot, you did not mention any combat potential. That omission cannot be accidental. Your ambition is dangerous."
He frowned at the footage of robots moving like a disciplined unit.
He could not decide whether to be pleased or anxious. A strong ally improves his odds of hitting his goals. A too-strong ally with open ambition might be the wrong choice entirely. Drive a tiger to attack a wolf, and you might end up as the tiger's meal. Destroy Arasaka and the other corporations, and something even worse might rise in their place.
That was not the outcome Yorinobu Arasaka wanted.