Chapter 14 – Processing
Safehouse.
"Nope," Takumi Kai shook his head flatly.
"With your brain, you'd be better off playing in traffic," Nova Li snapped back, smirking.
Takumi always kept a pair of chrome-plated iron balls spinning in his palm—a trick Ash had once shown him to keep his fingers steady and his mind sharp.
To Nova, it just looked like a clown act.
"Zetatech," Tanaka suddenly said from the corner.
Sandayu Oda snapped her fingers. "Exactly."
"Look at them, now look at you," Nova added, unloading another verbal smackdown on Kai.
"I'm just lazy, alright?" Kai smirked. "You really think someone like me can't handle heat?"
"Oooh~ So scary!" Nova rolled her eyes. "It's fine if you're dumb, sweetie. Big Sis won't laugh at you—she'll just feel bad for you~"
"You!" Kai's face turned red with frustration.
He used to count on You Dou to take the hits from Nova. Now that she was gone, he felt the void deeply.
Day three since her departure. Still missing her.
"But Zetatech's hard to reach," Oda said calmly, ignoring the bickering duo.
"They're out past the city edge," Tanaka added, succinct as ever.
Zetatech and Petrochem had a strained relationship. Neither corp allowed the other into their territory. At most, they built small outposts outside city limits to serve nomads or make a minimal presence known.
Their grudge dated back to the Second Corporate War. The classified details were long buried, but the conflict had revolved around control of energy.
Zetatech had once monopolized the Soviet Union's oil fields and spread their influence with money and power. They penetrated governments weakened by war, manipulated militaries, economies, and even civil infrastructure. Eventually, they were siphoning wealth from every continent.
They developed oil in the Caspian Sea, Antarctica, even the irradiated Middle East.
Controlling energy meant controlling the world.
This wasn't just propaganda. In under a decade, Zetatech had wrapped its claws around most of Europe. The only resistance came from Petrochem—barely hanging on.
Then Petrochem partnered with Biotechnica and released CHOOH2, a renewable, clean biofuel.
That single innovation flipped the entire energy game. Oil was no longer irreplaceable. The world was looking at an energy revolution—and Zetatech's boardroom probably looked like a funeral.
Still, the corp didn't retreat. The world was slow to change. Society needed time to adapt. The debate between fossil fuels and biofuels was still far from over—just like the one between gas and electric cars decades earlier.
If this briefcase of "black gold" contained cutting-edge Biotechnica research or prototype blueprints, and if Zetatech acquired it—they could reboot their bid for global supremacy.
No one underestimated a megacorp with roots this deep.
"Nova, Kai, Tanaka—you three will meet with Zetatech's people," came Ash's modulated voice through the comm.
Once a strategy was set, he never waited.
"Stay off the grid."
"Huh? Captain, aren't you and Oda coming?" Nova pouted, faking offense.
"We've got another job," Ash replied.
"Ugh~ Without Oda's net support, I feel naked out there~"
"Kai knows enough Netrunning to hold it down."
Before Kai could puff out his chest, Nova cut him off: "That's exactly why I'm nervous."
Kai blinked, genuinely hurt.
"You'll get ten percent of the profit this time," Ash added.
"..."
"What the hell are you waiting for? Go! Go! Go!" Nova immediately perked up, practically bouncing. "I'm driving. Tanaka, grab the gear! Kai—find those Zetatech bastards or die trying!"
Ah yes, money changes everything.
The three rushed out in a frenzy. Tanaka stayed stoic. Kai dragged his feet.
Oda covered her mouth and chuckled. "Guess money's got more pull than you do."
Ash sighed in response.
Their team had a simple rule:
Solo jobs? You keep the full payout.
Team missions? Bonuses go to the squad fund—used for repairs, cyberware maintenance, or emergency resources.
And their daily expenses? Fully covered. Working under Ash meant high-end perks.
Still, if someone had no dreams… what were they, really?
Ten cyberware slots. Twenty-one plugin interfaces.
Max them all, and you were nearly unstoppable.
But that was a dream. Most people couldn't handle half that—physically or mentally. Only a rare few could push themselves that far.
Also? Cyberware was stupid expensive.
A hundred grand? Pocket change. A million? That was the price for legends.
Nova Li wasn't about to miss this payday. High-end gear was on the line—maybe her first shot at it.
Wait—this briefcase's worth that much?!
Yep. It was a million-euro deal. Find the mark, jack the price, and cash out.
"But… are you sure you don't want my stealth assist?" Oda asked, her laughter fading as she glanced at Ash's hologram. "This isn't a minor item."
"They need to learn," Ash replied coolly. "The heat will only get worse. Might as well train under fire."
He removed his mask, revealing a clean face beneath a white lab coat. With a flick, he tapped the shutdown button on the surgical console.
"What's wrong?" Oda frowned, eyes shifting to Evelyn Parker lying in the medbay.
"AI has limits. She needs a human touch. Someone who can think outside the box."
The eight-armed surgical mech retracted silently into the ceiling.
"Time to bring in outside help," Oda said.
"Two of them," Ash replied, taking off his gloves.
---
Meanwhile, in Clouds...
The room shimmered with soft pink light.
"You're dying," said the woman with sequined clothes and blood-red hair the moment V stepped in.
"What?"
"I said—you've already died once. What's walking now… isn't quite you."
Her voice was dreamy, surreal. Her name tag read Sweetheart.
This is Clouds? A soul therapy brothel? V thought, bewildered.
"I won't guess your desires," Sweetheart continued. "But I see it in your eyes—you're lost."
"...I'm looking for Evelyn Parker. Got any info?" V cut to the chase.
"Evelyn Parker? Such a tiny thing to ask. Why not ask about yourself? Only when you embrace life… can you fight for it."
"You know something about life?"
"No, but I know you."
"You know me?"
"Yes. I know your fire. You drift like a dandelion on the wind—free, fierce, unrooted. Your future? Wild."
V, exhausted after days of chaos, finally relaxed.
"What should I do then?" she asked.
"I don't know," Sweetheart said gently. "Nor do you need to know. Whatever's meant to come—will come. You can't dodge fate. So enjoy the now. Lie down, breathe, be."
V hesitated… then lay back.
For a second, she remembered Jackie's laughter:
> "V! I'm gonna be somebody in Night City!"
Her chest clenched.
Jack...
If he couldn't finish it—she would.
"Afterlife," she muttered.
The moment she spoke, the room shifted.
The lights flickered from warm pink to sterile white.
Sweetheart's dreamy expression faded. Her eyes cleared.
"Did I do something wrong?" she blinked, confused. "Why did the session end?"
"No. It was great," V replied, smiling. "You really helped."
Sweetheart exhaled in relief. "I'm glad."
"Now—let's talk real. Evelyn Parker. Where is she?"
"Are you trying to get me killed?" Sweetheart recoiled. "We're not allowed to talk about other dolls."
"500 euros or a broken neck. Pick."
"Okay! Okay!" She relented instantly. "I heard she got into it with a client. Got hurt. Someone took her for treatment."
"What hospital?"
"I don't know. Ask Forrest."
"Forrest?"
"He's our floor manager. Handled her case. But don't say I told you. Seriously—I'll be dead."
"Relax," V said. "I don't mess with civilians."
"He's in the back office. And be careful. That guy… he's dangerous," Sweetheart warned.
"Thanks," V transferred the money and turned toward the door.
Right then, it slid open—three armed guards stood waiting.
"It wasn't me!" Sweetheart screamed. "She forced me!"
Bang!
A bullet drilled her between the eyes.
"You—!" V drew her gun, rage boiling, but the guards leveled their weapons.
"Ms. V," one said coldly. "Mr. Forrest is expecting you."