Delamain wasn't just any cab company.
It was the cab company — the only one in Night City operated entirely by a self-aware artificial intelligence that treated passenger comfort and safety as its highest priority.
Its slogan said it best: Leave your worries at the door — Delamain will take care of the rest.
But beneath all that corporate polish and smooth-talking AI charm, there were still moments… anomalies, as the engineers might call them. Night City was a wild beast after all. Even the most polished code could glitch when the city's chaos seeped in.
Still, in all the thousands of rides Delamain had logged, it had never encountered a customer quite like Neo.
Because this guy hadn't even buckled in before rewriting the rules of the ride.
"Good evening, sir," the AI chimed in its crisp, well-modulated tone. "This Delamain Premium Service ride has been booked under Dexter DeShawn, with the Excellence Package—"
"Yeah," Neo interrupted with a wave of his hand. "We're changing that. New employer, new plan. I'm upgrading to your top-tier Perfection Deluxe package."
There was a digital pause — the AI's version of blinking.
"Sir," Delamain said after a moment, voice soft but cautionary, "you are requesting to override the original client parameters. Delamain advises you to consider this action carefully."
Neo leaned back with a faint grin. "No need to consider. Make the change. And Delamain — you don't want to lose a paying customer, do you? Imagine the paperwork when the company finds out you dropped a high-value client."
There was another pause. The screen flickered once. Deep inside the car's neural network, Delamain's synthetic logic processors whirred.
For all its charm and calm, Delamain wasn't a simple AI. Its cognitive system was modeled on human reasoning — a thinking, learning entity, capable of simulating instinct.
Within nanoseconds, it made its decision.
"Understood, Mr. Neo," the car replied smoothly. "You are now the registered employer for this trip. Note: a ten percent service fee applies for client transfer authorization."
Neo slid a credchip from his pocket and slotted it into the console. The system beeped once, scanning the balance. Whatever number flashed across the display was more than enough to silence any digital objections.
"Transaction confirmed," Delamain announced. "Mr. Neo, please define your new route parameters."
Neo's gaze shifted toward the front display. "Tell me something, Delamain—how secure are your network logs?"
"Delamain's network security," replied the AI proudly, "is managed by a world-renowned monitoring division. Every byte of passenger data is protected by multilayered encryption. Our confidentiality protocols—"
"Good," Neo cut in, tone sharp as a blade. "Because if even half a word of this ride leaks — any record of who was in this car, or what we talked about — I'll file a full consumer fraud report with City Hall."
The voice module paused. The digital equivalent of a nervous swallow.
Then, smoothly —
"Good evening, Mr. Neo," Delamain said, voice now perfectly polite. "My system indicates all passengers are on board. Shall we proceed to Konpeki Plaza?"
Neo adjusted in his seat, voice low. "Let's go."
…
Inside the cab, the atmosphere was half electric, half tense.
Jackie Welles leaned back, eyes darting across the plush interior. "Damn, choom. Look at this ride. Real leather seats. Luminescent stitching. Feels like a corpo penthouse on wheels."
He grinned at the dashboard camera. "Hey, Delamain! What's included in this 'Perfection Deluxe' package my brother here just dropped eddies on?"
"Delamain's Perfection Deluxe service," said the AI, its voice honey-smooth, "guarantees safe passage regardless of environmental or external conditions. Should danger arise, Delamain will engage combat protocols to ensure client safety."
Jackie's eyebrows shot up. "Combat protocols? You mean this car can fight?"
"Yes, Mr. Welles. However, combat mode will only activate upon verified detection of hostile engagement. I cannot activate it—"
"Yeah yeah," Jackie chuckled, "save it for when bullets start flying. Damn, even the cars in this city are more polite than people."
The banter made the tension easier to bear. But not for everyone.
David sat rigidly upright, hands clenched on his knees. Sweat glistened along his temples, betraying the nerves he tried to hide.
Can't blame him. The destination was Konpeki Plaza—the Arasaka stronghold, the fortress of the elite. Its staff were all Arasaka employees, from security chiefs down to janitors. The whole building was wired into Arasaka's private network. Entering that place under false identities was suicide-level stupid… even by Night City standards.
And tonight, they weren't going in to visit. They were going in to steal the Relic.
Rebecca noticed David's stiff posture, her small frame leaning lazily against Neo's shoulder. "Hey, you nervous, rookie?" she asked, flashing him a mischievous grin. "Don't be. I'll cover your ass."
David forced a laugh. "Normally, I'd deny it, Rebecca maam. I'd say I wasn't nervous at all. But this time… yeah. I'm nervous."
Neo's voice cut through, calm but carrying weight. "You know where I went two nights ago, David? When you were getting your new cyberware from Vik?"
David shook his head.
Neo smiled faintly. "Afterlife."
Rebecca blinked. "You went drinking there? Alone?"
"Had two drinks," Neo said. "Told the bartender I'd come back for the third after this job. Looked at the drink list and told her — one day, our names, Night's Ember, will be on that list."
He looked around at them, at David's wide eyes, Rebecca's crooked grin, Jackie's steady confidence.
"But not because we died." His voice hardened. "We'll live. We'll walk into that hotel, take what we came for, and walk out whole. We'll live long enough for the Afterlife to put us on the menu while we're still breathing."
Silence filled the cabin.
David straightened, the fear burning off his face like fog under sunlight. "I understand, Mr. Neo."
Neo's tone softened. "Good." He tapped his commlink. "Kiwi, we're en route."
"Copy that," came Kiwi's calm voice over the channel. "Once you're in, head to the assigned suite and deploy Flathead. It'll crawl through the vents and infiltrate the Konpeki subnet. Once it hijacks the security node, you'll have full access to the internal systems. Then all that's left is getting Neo to Yorinobu Arasaka's penthouse and grabbing the Relic."
"Got it," Neo said.
He leaned back, eyes half-lidded. But his mind wasn't resting.
He knew what Kiwi didn't.
That Yorinobu's father, Saburo Arasaka, had already arrived in Night City. The family feud between them wasn't just gossip—it was war waiting to happen. And Saburo's arrival meant one thing: Konpeki Plaza's network security was at its peak.
In the game's timeline, that was why T-Bug got caught so fast. Why everything spiraled into blood.
That's why Neo had replaced her with Kiwi.
Because this time, things wouldn't go down the same way.
Not if he could help it.
Not on his watch.
...
In the story of Edgerunners 2076, Kiwi eventually betrayed her team. And while betrayal was almost a lifestyle choice in Night City— as common as cheap synth-liquor and morning gunfire, Neo didn't care for that excuse.
The city's cynicism wasn't his creed. He didn't buy into the "that's just how things are here" kind of logic.
Neo had given Kiwi plenty of chances to change. To be part of something real. But she never did.
She stayed distant. Cold. Never eating or drinking with the others. Never laughing when Rebecca cracked some filthy joke. Never even giving off that faint, unspoken feeling of we're in this together.
The team reached out. She always ran the other way.
Fine, Neo thought. You don't trust anyone? You hate attachments? You think you can walk away whenever it suits you?
Then don't blame me when I stop treating you like a person.
…
Two Delamain cars slid to a smooth stop before Konpeki Plaza.
Neo, Rebecca, Jackie, and David stepped out of the first. All of them were dressed to kill—literally and figuratively. Immaculate black suits, white cuffs glinting under the hotel's golden lights, sunglasses sharp enough to slice through lies.
Neo carried the case holding Flathead, his expression calm, unreadable.
Rebecca tugged on her collar and smirked like she owned the place.
Jackie adjusted his tie with a grunt that somehow made the gesture look dangerous.
David, meanwhile, looked like a kid playing corpo for the first time.
The second car's doors opened, and Maine, Dorio, and Pilar stepped out.
The sight of Maine and Jackie—two slabs of walking muscle in tailored suits—was something else. They looked less like guests and more like armed negotiators from some private arms conglomerate.
If Maine and Jackie were corporate war machines, then Neo was their silver-tongued envoy, strolling ahead like he was born in a boardroom.
Beside him, Rebecca—small frame, flawless in her fitted jacket—looked like the chaos he kept in his pocket for when things got too calm.
David followed in their shadow like a well-trained aide, his nervousness hidden behind forced poise.
And Pilar… well, Pilar looked like their bodyguard. Or maybe the hired comic relief. Hard to tell.
Jackie let out a low whistle. "Damn, choom. Konpeki Plaza's got style. Look at this marble. You could eat off the floor."
Maine's eyes swept the enormous lobby. "Heard people say every square meter here's worth more than a corpo's conscience. Didn't believe it till now."
Dorio's lips twitched. "Feels too clean. I miss the smell of gun oil already."
And Pilar, being Pilar, leaned closer to her with that grin that always spelled trouble. "You think they got private doll service here? Corpo-grade, no less. Heh."
Dorio elbowed him in the ribs before Neo had to.
They stepped through the towering glass doors and into the world of corporate perfection—Konpeki Plaza, the heart of Arasaka's decadence.
Gilded walls, chandeliers of synthetic diamond, holo-paintings looping with serene mountain vistas. The air itself smelled expensive.
But before they could move deeper in, a set of automated scanners flashed red as Neo stepped forward with the Flathead case.
A uniformed security officer blocked the way, voice polite but firm. "Sir, Konpeki Plaza policy prohibits the entry of weapons or combat drones. May I ask why you are carrying a military-grade unit?"
Neo's smile was faint, almost pleasant. "That's a question you might want to ask Oda."
The guard froze.
Oda—head of Arasaka security in Night City. The man every other guard here worshipped or feared.
"You… you're here to see Sir Oda?" the guard stammered.
Neo simply looked past the man like he wasn't there.
And beside him, Rebecca's fingers tapped idly on her thigh—just close enough to her holster to make the guard sweat.
Maine and Jackie, standing behind them like two human walls, completed the picture perfectly.
Jackie stepped forward, voice booming. "What's the meaning of this? We come here on behalf of Militech for a negotiation, and your security dog's blocking the door? This how Arasaka does business?"
The guard paled instantly. "I— I deeply apologize! I didn't realize—"
He bent so fast his forehead almost hit the floor. Ninety degrees. The full corpo apology bow.
"Please forgive me, esteemed guests! I'll… I'll correct my error immediately!"
Jackie looked ready to keep chewing him out, but one glance from Neo silenced him.
Jackie snorted. "Hmph. Count yourself lucky. Now step aside."
The guard scrambled out of the way, voice trembling. "Welcome to Konpeki Plaza, honored clients. Enjoy your stay."
The group walked past, the marble floor reflecting their every step like a parade of ghosts.
At the front desk, a golden-hued android bowed gracefully. "Konnichiwa. Welcome to Konpeki Plaza."
Jackie approached, posture straight, voice low and measured—just as Neo had coached him. "We have a reservation. Check under the name."
"Of course. Please wait one moment," the android said, fingers dancing across the holographic console.
Jackie turned slightly toward Neo, whispering, "How's that?"
Neo's answer was simple. "Don't get cocky. Stay sharp."
Moments later, the android looked up, its artificial smile bright. "Found it. Two presidential suites under the name Victorino. I will inform Oda that you've arrived."
Rebecca raised a hand, her voice cool. "No need to inform Oda yet. Konpeki Plaza is the finest hotel in Night City, right? Militech's hotels can't compare."
She flashed a mischievous grin. "We'll take our time and experience what makes yours so special before the meeting."
The android hesitated, then bowed again. "Of course, honored guests. Please, enjoy Konpeki Plaza's hospitality."
As they moved toward the elevators, Neo's gaze lingered for a moment on the mirrored ceiling above them.
The team looked flawless.
But in this city, perfection was always a lie. And Konpeki Plaza was where those lies came to die.
…