See more on my P@treon.
[email protected]/Dreamerlord Just replace @ with a
******
Ethan shook his head, forcing himself to breathe.
"One step at a time…" he muttered. "First things first—get the damn car company up and running."
He sat up, rubbing his palms together.
"The Caliburn is great, but now that I have the entire Arasaka tech database? Heh… I can make it better. Much better."
He opened the Caliburn model again, Arasaka schematics automatically integrating themselves into the interface. New options appeared down the side of the hologram:
• Active Crystal-Reactive Layer
• Arasaka Hybrid Engine Core
• Thermal Dampening Skin
• Anti-Tracking Coating
• Smart HUD Integration
• Reinforced Monomaterial Frame
Ethan grinned like a man possessed.
"This… is basically Caliburn Mark II."
He began tweaking the design—adjusting the frame, redirecting energy lines, optimizing cooling routes. The system assisted him, auto-filling details that would take normal engineers years to calculate.
Within minutes, he saved the new design.
"Perfect. And I didn't even break a sweat."
He closed the hologram, rolled onto his back, and stared at the ceiling with a lazy smile.
"Tomorrow… I'll tell Sarah about the company's new name. Arasaka."
He chuckled.
"No point changing anything. The original logo looks sick, the flower design is cool, and I'm too lazy to reinvent the wheel."
THE NEXT DAY
Sarah walked into the design room with a coffee in hand—then stopped dead in her tracks.
Her eyes slowly rose toward the massive wall-mounted monitor.
Displayed there, crisp and bold:
ARASAKA
All-caps.
Minimalist.
And right above the name—
the unmistakable white monoflower icon, identical to the one Ethan had pulled straight from the Cyberpunk universe.
Sarah's brow furrowed.
"…Arasaka?"
Ethan, slouched in a rolling chair and munching toast like a gremlin, waved lazily at her.
"Morning. Yep—that's the new company name."
Sarah walked closer, eyes narrowing at the logo.
"What does Arasaka even mean?"
Ethan swallowed the last bite, shrugged like it wasn't a big deal.
"Well, depends how you slice it. Could mean:
'My hill.'
'My flower.'
Even something kinda ominous like… 'my earth.'"
Sarah blinked slowly. "…That's actually sorta poetic."
Ethan smirked.
"Oh yeah. Super deep. Definitely didn't pick it because the logo is sick as hell."
She gave him a long, suspicious stare, but didn't push it. Instead, her gaze drifted to the Caliburn design panel—now littered with dozens of new features and modules.
"…Ethan."
Ethan looked up from his laptop, still chewing on a sandwich. "Yeah?"
"You're still improving the original design?" she asked, leaning closer to see the screen cluttered with schematics.
He nodded casually. "Just some new ideas for the next model."
Sarah stared at him like he'd grown a second head.
"But we haven't even launched the first one yet."
"I was bored," Ethan said with a shrug, taking another bite. "So I worked on it."
Sarah sighed. Hard. "Of course you did…"
She tapped the logo tab open again. "Anyway—is Arasaka the final name you're going with?"
"Yep." Ethan nodded, unfazed.
"Alright then. I'll handle the paperwork, get it registered, and officially change the company name." She made a note on her tablet.
Ethan nodded again, still animatedly scrolling through a blueprint.
"Actually," Ethan said, pointing at the blueprint on his screen, "I want to remodel one of the two basement parking levels under the mansion. Just one. Leave the other untouched for everyone else. But Level B2? Turn that into a small tech lab for me."
Sarah stared for a moment. "You… want to convert an entire parking level into your private workshop?"
"Yep." Ethan took another bite of his sandwich. "Should be simple enough."
She sighed—but nodded. "Fine. What equipment will you need?"
Ethan turned his screen toward her and began listing casually:
"Industrial-grade vehicle lift, automated rig....."
Sarah typed everything down quickly and neatly. She was clearly curious about half the things he requested—but, as usual, she didn't ask what she shouldn't.
"Alright," she said, closing her tablet. "I'll contact the contractors and have the equipment ordered."
She looked up. "Anything else you need?"
Ethan shook his head. "No, that's enough for now."
"Good." She nodded. "Then I'll get the company name changed to Arasaka, finalize the paperwork, and have one of the parking levels turned into a small tech lab for you."
She stepped toward the door.
Ethan blinked. "Uh… sure, but you should eat breakfast before leaving."
She waved without turning and left, composed and calm as always.
Ethan shrugged, slid back into his chair, and stretched.
"Now with my own sci-fi basement…" he muttered under his breath, a grin forming, "I can build a lot of things."
The next week passed in a blur.
The mansion shook at least twice a day from the renovation work happening below. Contractors moved in and out constantly, hauling equipment through the service entrance, escorted by Sarah—who somehow managed to keep everything running on schedule without ever raising her voice.
By day three, the empty concrete parking level had become unrecognizable.
By day seven, it was something out of a sci-fi movie.
Ethan stepped into the finished space, hands on his hips, whistling.
"…Beautiful."
Meanwhile, upstairs, corporate matters moved just as fast.
While the contractors worked, Sarah had been handling the legal side with terrifying efficiency.
The paperwork to rename the company to Arasaka had been approved without issue.
The new logo—white monoflower, minimalist, sharp—was already plastered on the lobby wall.
Business cards, letterheads, documents, all updated.
And most importantly:
The patent for the Crystal Coat was officially filed under Arasaka Corporation.
Ethan grinned when he saw the confirmation on his screen.
"Perfect."
He turned to Sarah, who was reviewing the latest updates on her tablet.
"So… when does Caliburn production actually start now?"
"From today," she replied smoothly. "The first car will be assembled in a few days. After testing, we can showcase it at the upcoming auto show—and then begin mass production."
Ethan nodded, satisfied.
"Good… everything's moving smoothly."
Sarah glanced around the newly finished high-tech lab—clean metallic surfaces, humming equipment, and enough machinery to make any nerd go crazy over it.
She had watched the contractors build this place piece by piece over the week, Ethan often standing there quietly while they worked. Now that it was complete, she finally asked:
"So… how is it?"
Ethan ran a hand over the rail, a genuine smile forming.
"It's perfect. Exactly what I needed."