Chapter 112: Valarie's Benevolence
"High pay, simple work?" Pilar rubbed his slender mechanical fingers together, his expression a complicated mix of greed and suspicion. "That sounds like the standard intro to a trap.
"Corpo-rats, generous? I bet that server's crawling with some kind of brain-melting virus, or the 'asset' we're escorting is a walking bomb!"
"Probably not generosity. It's an investment," Falco adjusted his shades, his gaze sharp behind the lenses. "They see value in us. Or rather, the value of who's behind us. This is bait, cultivating a 'relationship.'
"A few eddies now, for a 'connection' that might be useful later."
Kiwi, who had been silently reviewing the data-retrieval mission specs, finally spoke up, her voice muffled slightly by her faceplate. "Server security protocols are standard commercial-grade. Penetration difficulty is low. Firewall architecture is outdated. The mission itself... does look like a pretext."
Sasha nodded in agreement, her voice softer but echoing the sentiment. "They likely want to use the mission to observe us. To assess our current state and... changes."
She didn't elaborate, but everyone knew what "changes" meant—the augmentations from the deep sanctum that defied this era's understanding.
Maine looked around at his crew. Every face showed a different emotion, but all were underscored by caution.
He took a deep breath and spoke slowly. "We all know this isn't a normal gig. Taking it means we're tacitly accepting Arasaka's attempt to 'build a bridge.' It could lead to more entanglements later, like getting flour on wet hands—hard to shake off.
"But refusing it... could be read as continued hostility, or fear. That brings its own trouble."
His gaze swept over the gleaming second-hand cyberware on the workbench. "Besides, we need the eddies. We need to keep this place running, buy what we need.
"And we need to prove to the Boss that we can handle this kind of peripheral business. That we're not just... lab rats to be teleported around."
He said the last words quietly, but everyone heard them.
Dorio looked at Maine, her gaze steady and supportive. "You make the call, Maine. We follow you."
She was the team's bedrock; her support usually signaled the final direction.
Rebecca pouted, still reluctant, but she slapped the Heavy Bolter on her back—almost as tall as she was. "Fine! As long as they don't pull any tricks and pay up!
"Besides, if they do try something funny, my new baby hasn't had a proper test-fire in the city yet!"
Her eagerness lightened the heavy atmosphere slightly.
Pilar sighed dramatically, shoulders slumping. "Alright, alright. Let's just hope we don't step in it again. Still... that price tag is tempting. Could buy a lot of good paint and new parts..."
Falco nodded, signaling no objection.
In the shadows, Kiwi and Sasha gave subtle nods of agreement almost simultaneously.
"Then it's settled," Maine straightened up, decision made. "We take the data retrieval gig. The escort mission has too many variables, fixed route, easy to get ambushed. Data retrieval is relatively covert, clear objective, quick in and out."
He immediately sent the acceptance confirmation to Padre via the encrypted channel and arranged the preliminary hand-off details.
The base returned to the sounds of activity, but an invisible string in the air had tightened.
They had accepted not just a mission, but a signal—a line thrown by Arasaka that they had willingly caught.
One end of that line was tied to corporate calculation and probing; the other was tied to their perilous future in Night City.
Several days later. Night City, Watson. A booth in a nondescript net-cafe.
Maine and Dorio sat on one side; Valarie sat alone opposite them.
Today she wore a sharp, dark business-casual outfit, devoid of obvious Arasaka branding but still radiating the quality of a corporate elite in its cut and fabric.
She wore a perfectly measured professional smile as she slid a data-shard across the table to Maine.
"This contains the target server's internal schematics, security patrol schedules, and the precise identification code for the data-packet," Valarie's voice was steady. "There's no strict time limit, but completion within the week is preferred. The advance has been transferred to the account provided by Padre."
Maine didn't touch the shard. He just looked at Valarie. "Ms. Valarie, let's be direct. What does Arasaka want from us? I don't believe you're doing this just to recover some trivial data."
Valarie didn't seem surprised by Maine's bluntness. She leaned forward slightly, clasping her hands on the table—a gesture that reduced some of the corporate distance and added a touch of candor. "Mr. Maine, after the recent... unpleasantness... Director Jenkins and I have come to a profound realization: confrontation benefits neither party.
"Militech seems to have found a... more efficient path of communication."
She paused deliberately, observing Maine and Dorio's reactions, but their faces remained impassive.
She continued, "Arasaka has no intention, nor the capability, to challenge that 'Gentleman's' bottom line again. My role today is more akin to a client seeking to establish a positive business relationship.
"Your team's capabilities are recognized in Night City, especially after... undergoing certain changes."
She was careful, not directly naming the augmentations Maine's crew had received. "Maintaining cooperation with excellent independent merc crews is a routine part of Counter-Intel's operations.
"These two missions are an expression of that willingness to cooperate. Nothing more."
Dorio spoke up, her voice calm. "Cooperation requires a foundation. We're just mercs working for eddies. We don't get involved in corporate games, and we don't make promises on anyone's behalf."
"Of course," Valarie agreed immediately, her smile unwavering. "Purely a mercenary relationship. Clean and simple. You complete the mission, Arasaka pays the fee. If the collaboration is fruitful, perhaps there will be more suitable commissions in the future."
She left room for interpretation, not pushing too hard for more.
Maine picked up the data-shard, twirling it in his fingers. "We'll complete the mission. As for the future... we'll see."
He didn't close the door completely. Corporate money spent just as well as any other, but the boundaries had to be clear.
"That is sufficient," Valarie nodded. She knew that achieving this result in a first contact was already a success.
She stood up. "I wish you a successful mission. If there are any questions regarding the details, you can reach me on this encrypted channel."
She left a comms-code and then briskly exited the booth, no unnecessary pleasantries.
Watching Valarie disappear out the door, Dorio looked at Maine. "She's sharper than she looks."
"She sits high in Arasaka Counter-Intel; she can't be simple," Maine pocketed the shard. "She knows bringing up the Boss directly will hit a wall, so she's taking the long way around, starting with us. Using gigs as a cover to slowly build a relationship."
"Are we really going to play this game with her?" Dorio asked.
"We set the rules," Maine stood, his eyes sharp. "She pays, we work. As for the 'relationship' and 'channels' she wants... that's up to the Boss, not us.
"While we need the eddies and the risk is manageable, taking her gigs is fine. But if she or Arasaka steps over the line..."
He didn't finish the sentence, but the meaning was clear.
Leaving the net-cafe, Maine and Dorio merged into the noisy crowd of Watson.
Valarie's bait had been taken, but who was the fisherman and who was the fish—in the shadows of Night City, that was never a certainty.
How long this newly established, fragile "line" would last, and what purpose it would serve, depended on the game to come, and the ultimate will of the entity hidden deep within the desert manufactorum.
(End of Chapter)