Chapter 186: Ready
“Bang!”
At that critical moment, a gunshot cracked through the air.
“Bang!”
The Maelstrom members advancing slowly didn’t panic at the sudden shots—
Maybe one of their own had spotted the target and opened fire.
All they had to do now was wait for their boss’s next blast to smash the cover apart, then riddle the intruder with bullets.
Maybe it was the pressure. In that tension, their alertness dulled... None of them noticed their boss hadn’t fired again for quite some time. Nor did they realize the comrade behind them had gone eerily silent, like the dead.
“Bang, bang!
Bang, bang!”
The last shots rang out. Then silence.
Behind cover, Jackie didn’t flinch. As if on cue, he suddenly stopped ducking, raised both pistols, and unleashed a storm of fire into the Maelstrom closing in.
The last few didn’t even have time to react before they were shredded by his barrage.
Only after confirming none of them could move did Jackie step out from behind the crumbling column.
He eyed the nearly destroyed pillar and let his booming voice carry across the room:
“This big guy was a tough one... huh?”
“This thing... packs a punch. But why haven’t I seen it before?”
Arthur stood over the fallen corpse, glancing at Jackie as he approached with the crate in hand.
“Defects.”
Jackie looked at the twisted hunk of metal and explained, “Nobody who gets fitted with this crap lasts more than a day. Only Maelstrom psychos still treat these like treasure.”
Arthur thought of the man he’d taken out earlier with a sniper shot—he must have been running the same junk.
Jackie bent down, checked the body again, and spotted the face buried in the iron.
“Wait... this is Royce. Guess he was holed up here after all.”
Arthur nodded, glancing toward the exit. “Let’s move. What a damn hassle. Next time we get stuck with this kind of errand... we’ll send V to stretch his legs.”
“Got the goods!” Jackie grinned wide, energized. “Now for the real prize. Arasaka’s the big one.”
They were still chatting as they stepped out of the food processing plant—only for Jackie to freeze.
“Madre... what the hell is this?”
Two Militech armored AVs hovered over the yard, while the ground was already jammed with black Militech APCs.
“They’re not here for the merch, are they?” Jackie muttered, clutching the crate tight to his chest.
Arthur’s gaze shifted to the woman approaching. Instinctively, he raised a hand, brushing his chin with his finger.
Jackie knew her immediately, but before he could speak, Meredith strode past him, tossing out one line:
“Take your gift and go. I need a word with your buddy.”
It was clearly meant for Jackie. He glanced at Arthur a few times but did as told, walking off with the box.
This was Night City. Corps might not have the best reputation, but anyone with half a brain knew better than to provoke them head-on.
“See you at the usual spot!” Jackie called back, disappearing into the convoy.
Meredith raised a clenched fist to halt her subordinates, then stepped up to Arthur.
“Inside’s clear?”
She always carried that commanding edge in her voice.
Arthur gave a small nod. She leaned in, lowering her tone.
“What do you even want with that thing? If it’s to go against Militech... I won’t live long.
...
At least give me a heads-up.”
She meant Flathead. It couldn’t fire missiles, true—but in the Net, its destructive reach was every bit as bad. If it slipped from her custody and turned on her own side... she’d be finished.
Recovering something that dangerous was the smart move. But she’d given her word, and she wasn’t about to burn the bridge—at least not with him.
“We’re heading into Arasaka turf.”
Arthur’s eyes flicked past her to the figures standing behind. His voice dropped.
The weight of their stares made him uneasy.
“Good.”
She let out a breath of relief. She’d be glad to see Arasaka suffer. Honestly... even if Militech did, she wouldn’t care—so long as it didn’t hit her.
She straightened again, slipping back into her commanding tone.
“That thing’s still a prototype. Most of the tech’s stable, but the power system’s shaky.
To put it plain... it can’t recharge. One-time use only.
Don’t drain it dry and screw things up... And don’t go dying on Arasaka turf.”
She folded her arms, gesturing as she gave her final warnings.
Arthur’s face twisted slightly—something unreadable.
Meredith caught the look, waved him off impatiently.
“Go on, get moving! I’ll check on Royce, that bastard...”
“He’s in the warehouse out back. Already dead.”
Arthur shrugged, said it, and walked to the door.
Not posturing—just that, with so many eyes on them, neither of their roles allowed them to look too close.
“Hey!”
She called after him. Arthur turned, puzzled.
“Be careful. And when you’re done, get in touch—I need you for something.”
He nodded, then they parted ways for good.
Arthur found his car, checked the message Jackie had sent to his feed, and pressed the gas, heading south.
Everything was in place now...
While Arthur and Jackie had been securing the package, V had taken his intel to Lizzie’s Bar, found Evelyn Parker, and viewed the raw Braindance she’d recorded.
When Arthur reached the team’s base, the sun still hung high over Night City.
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