Faraday knew better than anyone how deadly and unforgiving this commission truly was. Any sane fixer would have hesitated. Many would have outright refused.
But Faraday didn't.
He couldn't.
Because this time, Militech had offered him something he had chased his entire life—a corporate exemption.
In Night City, megacorporations didn't just bend the law. They stood above it. A corporate exemption wasn't a document; it was a shield, a pardon, and a ladder all rolled into one. With it, every past crime could be erased, every bloodstain washed clean. One could step out of the gutter and into a corporate tower, even qualify for a government-backed position.
It was the ultimate carrot corporations dangled in front of fixers like Faraday.
And Faraday wanted it badly.
That desire was the reason he had become a middleman for Militech in the first place. He wanted to erase his past, to restart his life, to finally stand under the same neon lights as the people who once hunted him.
For that chance, Faraday burned through everything—money, favors, connections. He assembled multiple Edgerunner teams, preparing for a full-scale confrontation with Arasaka's Special Operations Division.
Among all the mercs he contacted, Maine's team stood out.
As one of Faraday's most reliable assets, Maine was naturally included in the commission.
When Maine heard the price, he laughed—then cursed.
> "Two million euros? You're basically buying our lives with that, you bastard."
Just hearing the number made the danger obvious. This wasn't a smash-and-grab. This was a war.
On the other end of the call, Faraday's voice remained calm and measured.
"Just tell me if you're selling or not."
Maine didn't hesitate.
"Selling. Of course we're selling. But half up front."
In the past, Maine would've thought twice. He was responsible for his crew, after all.
But this job was already part of James's plan.
Maine had been involved from the very beginning.
After a long, tense negotiation, Faraday reluctantly agreed to pay half as a deposit.
When the call ended, Maine looked up at James, grinning wide enough to show every tooth.
"Just like you said. He swallowed the bait whole."
Soon after, Faraday sent over the full commission details. Maine's team was assigned the final looting and escort phase, the most dangerous part of the operation.
Faraday trusted them—and he had no better options.
He was still a new fixer, lacking the deep networks and redundant safety nets of veterans. That made Maine's team irreplaceable.
---
Corporate Strings and Silent Partners
Another essential piece of the plan was V.
James needed V's position to provide logistics, materials, and post-operation cleanup—things only a corporate executive could handle.
V wasn't the same person who had first returned to Night City.
With James operating in the shadows and feeding him results from the streets, V had risen fast inside the corporation. Department missions were completed flawlessly. His name carried weight now, and Jenkins valued him highly.
Though V hadn't officially been promoted, his real authority inside Counter-Intelligence was second only to Jenkins himself. That power showed in the monthly discretionary budget, which had reached several hundred thousand.
James and the crew had profited from that.
So had V.
As long as results were delivered, Jenkins didn't ask where the money went.
James invited V to Maine's base.
When V arrived, his presence was noticeably heavier. Power and wealth had reshaped him, but the corporate scent hadn't faded. His eyes were bloodshot—too many stimulants, too many sleepless nights dealing with Special Operations fallout.
James gestured for him to sit.
"If you keep this up, you'll die at your desk one day."
Only the three of them were inside. Everyone else stayed outside.
Some things were better left unheard—especially by Kiwi and Rebecca.
Maine still didn't fully trust Kiwi. He understood her too well. Her tragic past had shaped her into someone suspicious, fragile, and transactional. Trusting her too much would be irresponsible.
As for Rebecca—she simply talked too much.
> "After this job, I'll get a full-body tune-up," V replied casually.
"More implants. I'm getting old."
Maine barely looked at him. If not for James, he wouldn't be dealing with corpo suits at all.
James handed V the commission file.
"Militech took the bait."
V skimmed it quickly, frowning.
"Intel checks out, but it's thin. Is this how fixers work now?"
James shrugged. It was enough.
What mattered was execution.
---
The Badlands Ignition
The Badlands burned under relentless sun and wind.
According to both sides' intelligence, Arasaka's Special Operations convoy would enter Night City from the east.
Five vehicles. Four combat teams. All elite.
Susan hadn't held back.
James stood on a hilltop, eyes fixed on the horizon.
"If they all die here," he thought, "V will owe me for life."
His entire team was deployed.
Falco at the wheel
Jackie as second-in-command
Lucy running drone control
Maine's crew was already ahead on the road.
Then Sasha's voice crackled through comms.
"They're here."
Dust rose in the distance. The Arasaka convoy tore through the desert, armored vehicles bristling with weapons.
The battle had begun.
---
Cannon Fodder and Blood Price
Faraday's other hired teams moved first.
They were meant to die.
Badlands gangs, heavily armed and poorly informed, charged the convoy. Some probably knew it was a bait job. Others were just greedy.
It didn't matter.
The Special Operations teams tore through them with terrifying efficiency. The Animals were scattered almost instantly.
Watching remotely, Faraday cursed.
> "Useless trash!"
Still, he had planned for this.
Using illicit Militech weapons, Faraday had installed heavy machine guns along the convoy's forced route, driving Arasaka off course and into rough terrain—perfect for ambushes.
After sacrificing over a dozen lives, the convoy finally broke formation.
That was the signal.
"Your turn, Maine."
"Heh. About time."
The Ambush
Maine slammed the accelerator.
His car leapt off the high ground, crashing directly into the convoy. The modified front plow flipped an armored vehicle like a toy.
"Hack their brakes."
Sasha and Kiwi moved instantly.
Arasaka responded fast. Gunfire rattled the car, but the reinforced windows held.
Pilar laughed and flipped them off.
"Delamain bulletproof tech, idiots!"
Then reality struck back.
An Arasaka operative activated Sandevistan, landing on the roof with mantis blades screeching against metal.
Rebecca screamed to get out.
"Stay put!" Maine barked.
Then—
A single sniper shot.
The operative's head exploded.
From the hilltop, James calmly chambered another round.
Rebecca cheered.
Sasha's fingers flew.
> "Almost there—"
Then—
> "Done!"
The lead transport truck lost control and overturned violently.
Arasaka's remaining forces were trapped. Open terrain. No cover.
James's sniper fire made escape impossible.
---
Extraction
Rebecca knocked on the armored carriage.
> "This'll take forever."
Sasha smirked.
> "Relax. James planned ahead."
Maine activated the final protocol.
Four massive security robots deployed.
> "Big White One through Four—go."
Modified Kang Tao units went to work, disconnecting the cargo, erasing Arasaka markings, installing jammers.
Within minutes, the prize was secured.
Maine contacted Faraday.
> "We got the goods."
Faraday could barely hide his excitement.
"Follow the route. Now."
The team vanished into the Badlands.
Faraday leaned back, heart racing.
He was one step away from redemption.
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