Cyberpunk: Infinite Progress Begins with Arasaka

"Arasaka, your wolfish ambitions are plain for all to see! Russell, do you think everything you've done is flawless?! Bitter—ugh!"

Thud! With a muffled sound, at the Heywood Vista del Rey Memorial Plaza, David Martinez—dressed in Arasaka lightweight combat gear—lunged forward and slammed a protester's head against the base of the "Rebirth" monument. The protester had been about to climb the monument and spray graffiti while yelling inflammatory slogans.

"Corporate dog… urghh!"

Before the Washington-supporting protester could finish cursing, David cut him off mid-word.

With two sharp punches to the forehead and eye socket, David—his military-grade combat cyberarms enhanced—knocked the man unconscious and tossed him off the base. Behind his compound tactical visor, his Kiroshi cyber-eye perfectly matched his natural iris color. He narrowed his gaze, synced his thoughts, and activated the scanner.

[Accessing NCPD Database]

Facial recognition, bio-scan initiated.

[Civilian]

[Civilian]

[Civilian... behavior record, political affiliation... Myers supporter]

As soon as David's cyber-eye with flashing indicators paused on them, three bystanders in baseball caps and backpacks realized something was wrong and bolted.

David immediately gave chase.

His enhanced tendons allowed for a double-jump burst—he instantly tackled one, a tattooed black man, sending him flying over three meters. Face-first into the pavement, the man only stopped when his head slammed into the curb. He blacked out on the spot.

The second suspect looked back while running, realized the situation was dire, and reached for a pistol from his chest bag. But David was faster. Thanks to his Kerenzikov booster reflexes, which created a bullet-time-like effect, he grabbed the suspect's hand mid-draw and twisted his wrist until it snapped.

The third didn't get far either—he was tackled to the ground by an arriving Arasaka deputy.

With a crack, the deputy's electric baton smashed into the man's nose, shattering bone and flesh.

"A bunch of idiots with no sense of self-preservation."

The deputy cursed under his breath as more officers closed in from other directions. After capturing two more agitators, they dragged this group of rioters—who had attempted to disrupt the Vista del Rey district—and piled them together.

Noticing David examining the handgun in his hand, the deputy glanced over. "Militech Lexington," he commented. Then, he swung his baton again, knocking out the protester groaning at David's feet.

"Bastard."

This veteran officer of Arasaka Security Division, responsible for patrolling Vista del Rey, pulled the backpacks and shoulder bags off the two unconscious suspects. After confirming there were no bombs or traps, he removed the liquor bottles stuffed with cloth—Molotov cocktails—and then patted David on the shoulder. "Watch your optics. Go run a check in the patrol car, rookie."

David blinked, slightly behind the curve. "Oh… oh? Oh!" A spark of excitement lit up his face.

Was this that unspoken rule?

He darted into the armored patrol vehicle, recalling everything Katsuo had taught him through multiple channels. He quickly sifted through the loot and separated out the cash.

Not much—maybe a few hundred eurodollars total—but enough to thrill him.

His first bit of gray income.

Compared to his time supervising at the North Watson construction sites—where scavengers and Raffen Shiv had nothing worth taking—these city locals were, as expected, working off the books for some corp. And they carried real loot.

This was one reason Arasaka Security Division personnel found so many alternative revenue streams during field duty.

"Sir. Inspection complete."

After pocketing what he felt entitled to, David stashed the rest of the contraband in the patrol vehicle's trunk.

The veteran deputy glanced over as he passed—yo, not bad. The kid only took the cash. Left the chip readers, pill bottles, crystal meth, and all that junk untouched. Only grabbed the Lexington and its ammo pack.

"Heard you live in Vista del Rey?"

"Yes, sir. I just moved here not long ago. Before the housing prices shot up."

Walking over to the base of the "Rebirth" monument, David picked up the high-pressure spray can that had rolled onto the ground. He looked up thoughtfully at the marble surface engraved with Arasaka's circular clover emblem and three miniature busts—one of a woman with finely sculpted golden-thread hair, another of a mohawk-haired woman painted in blue, and finally, a round, bald man.

Commander Vela, Executive Michiko, and Deputy Mayor Weldon.

This monument was clearly a recent addition.

It commemorated the January 2076 agreement between Arasaka and Night City's government, signed at Konpeki Plaza.

As for the name "Rebirth," there were two prevailing explanations. One, it symbolized a hopeful future. The other referred directly to Vista del Rey itself. This district, once dead last in Heywood for both economic index and public safety, had indeed benefited greatly from the agreement—as if reborn.

With the Valentinos wisely backing off and 6th Street's control shattered, organ-harvesting incidents by Scavs had diminished. In the latest monthly reports, public safety in Vista del Rey now ranked number one in Heywood—even if the economic index was still pending.

"You picked a good time to move," the veteran deputy remarked.

David responded with a simple, honest smile.

He resumed patrol.

As night fell, the streets remained lit by dazzling holo-ads. But compared to daylight, more neon strips now came alive, weaving with the fading sunlight to cast broken shadows across the alleys and steel buildings of the city's metal forest.

"Sir, are we going to strike back directly? The Director, she..."

By the time night had fully settled, and just before clocking out, David had helped his team disperse three or four more waves of Arasaka dissenters. These protestors had tried to storm Vista del Rey, using it as a stage to attack and question the truth behind Commander Vela's assassination attempt. David asked the question quietly, deep in thought.

Since news of the assassination had been made fully public, Night City's security departments had seen a massive uptick in activity. David could no longer operate on his old schedule and personal time. He had finally begun living out the company culture—overtime.

As a rookie, he was being rotated through different work types for experience. In addition to patrolling North Watson with Katsuo and Suneo—monitoring nomads, occasionally sweeping up some clueless Raffen Shiv morons—David's residence in Vista del Rey meant that even his rest time was now reassigned to local patrol duty.

Back and forth between Watson and Heywood.

David could feel it clearly.

Night City had become more chaotic.

Violent protests were everywhere.

Supporters of the Free States and Arasaka clashed regularly with Washington and Militech sympathizers—brawling in the streets, at City Hall, and even in Corporate Plaza. People died every day. Hospitals and back-alley ripperdocs were overwhelmed with the injured. Even the official "Body Lotto" was desensitized.

And NCPD? Either powerless or too scared to intervene forcefully.

No need to ask who was behind these agitators and their extreme politics. It was obvious.

"That's not your concern. Just do your job, rookie." The veteran deputy gave David's shoulder a firm slap. His voice turned stern. "See no evil."

Only after the older officers had dispersed did David remove his winged helmet, slick back his hair, and walk toward a nearby high-rise.

His new home, finally settled in.

Ding.

At the entrance of Building 17, the cylindrical-columned automatic door slid open.

"Welcome home, Mr. Martinez."

Only the low-intelligence reception AI's synthesized female voice echoed through the hall.

Graffiti was minimal on the inner walls. Though old, the building was clean. The floors were tidy, trash was bagged and placed properly, and no filth or grime lingered in the corners. The lobby smelled faintly of deodorizer and air freshener. Compared to the dump that was Santo Domingo, it was miles better.

NCPD patrol cars even parked nearby.

With the district upgrade and influx of corporate employees, developers and investors were already circling. If it weren't for the sudden scandal of the Arasaka Director's assassination, renovation on the lobby and public facilities might have already begun.

Eighteenth floor. Thump thump.

David stepped out of the elevator.

Before reaching his door, David adjusted the bags and gear strapped to his body, disengaged his rifles and pistols from ready mode, activated their safeties, and arrived at Room H913. The neon-projected nameplate read: [Martinez]. Just as he was about to swipe his card—

"Excuse me, are you Mr. Martinez?"

"Hm?" Someone was calling him?

David turned around with a puzzled expression and saw a young woman who had exited the elevator with him giving a slight bow.

She was Asian, average height, black hair tied into a short ponytail with bangs, wearing oval, rimless glasses. Her hands were folded neatly at her abdomen. Her features and overall demeanor were gentle and scholarly.

Behind her stood a shy-looking teenage boy in an Arasaka Academy uniform with a mandarin collar and a row of buttons.

About fifteen or sixteen. He looked visibly excited at the sight of David.

"And you are...?"

"Pardon the interruption. My surname is Tang. I work in Arasaka's R&D department. We recently moved into Vista del Rey and live in unit H918. This is a small housewarming gift." With that, the graceful woman retrieved a gift box from her bag and handed it to David.

"R&D department?"

David blinked, then quickly waved his hands. "My mo—uh, I mean, my mother and I just moved here recently too. No need to be so formal."

In the end, he couldn't refuse his new neighbor's kindness and accepted the gift box.

Buckwheat noodles and red bean soup. Considered a fairly luxurious meal in Night City.

"Um, senpai, did you graduate from Arasaka Academy too?" asked the shy boy, who wore the same rimless glasses.

"I did," David nodded. "Barely two months ago. I joined the Security Division. I was on patrol in Vista del Rey today—just got off duty."

"Wow! A senior from the academy is my neighbor… No wonder everyone says Vista del Rey is safe. My mom and a bunch of classmates are all planning to move here too…"

After a bit of polite small talk, David saw the Tang family off, swiped his key, and stepped inside.

Sigh… He looked at Gloria, who—as usual—had fallen asleep on the couch with a jacket tossed over her.

He went over, sighed again, and gently lifted his mom, laying her on the master bed and pulling a blanket over her. "Looks like Mom had a long shift too." He rubbed his forehead.

She always insisted she was still young, not ready to retire and live off him yet. What could he say?

Given the current chaos in Night City, people dying aside, the violent skirmishes among protestors alone had produced scores of injuries. Gloria worked at the Night City Medical Center. Of course she was busy. Probably working even more overtime than he was.

Thinking this, David sat on the couch, quietly removed the tactical pouch from his belt, and began shaking out the paper bills he'd collected. Just as he was about to count them—

"Mann?" Gloria stirred and sat up, the orange glow in her cybernetic eyes flickering.

"Meds? Now? That urgent? New client… yeah, got it. Can't have too much prepped for your kind… You're sending someone over? Sure. The new batch—I had David stock up extra. It's in the—huh?!"

She turned toward the couch—and froze.

Sitting there in full black Arasaka combat gear, fully armed and now significantly taller and more imposing due to his combat cyberware, her son was waving at her while counting cash.

"Yo."

Gloria blinked.

"Yo my ass!" she snapped. "When did you get home?"

"Just now. I was on duty in Vista del Rey today, so I made it back a little earlier." David asked, "But seriously, Mom—those Arasaka-grade suppressant meds for combat implants you had me buy… who were they really for?"

David might have been inexperienced, but he wasn't an idiot. Where had the money come from—for his schooling, for renting this upscale apartment after leaving Santo Domingo? Back then, his salary hadn't even been issued yet.

He hadn't asked before—no chance, and it felt awkward. But now that it came up, he figured it was best to ask directly. As a Security Division employee, being surrounded by that environment, he knew: he needed to find out if his mom had been conned—or worse, targeted by a rival corp.

Gloria fell silent for a moment.

Seeing David standing there—his body now transformed by military-grade combat implants, with more augmentations likely to come—Gloria knew. Her son was now an Arasaka security soldier. She had to tell him the truth.

"His name is Maine. He's an edgerunner, a cyber-mercenary. I met him during a medical rescue operation..." she began.

...

After hearing his mom's explanation, David pieced the story together. "So you're saying, I was able to attend school thanks to Maine's help."

He trusted his mom. She would never lie to him.

After a long silence, he removed the tactical medical pouch from his gear—marked with Arasaka's clover logo and a red cross.

"New flexible stimulants and suppressants. A week's supply, calibrated to Arasaka external deployment high-intensity combat standards." David patted the pouch. "Let him come get it."

...

"So, why me?"

Walking through the streets of Vista del Rey, Lucy was visibly annoyed.

Beep beep.

[Maine: It's for the mission—better safe than sorry. Vista del Rey is Arasaka turf. Faraday's watching me too closely. Everyone else on my team's worked with him before. You're the only one who fits. And with NCPD crawling all over, the gear we're carrying? I don't want any questioning. Don't worry. Gloria's reliable. It's safe.]

[Kiwi: Good luck on your night run.]

Infuriating.

"This should be the place." Building 17, 18th floor, Unit H913…

Hood up for her late-night run, Lucy climbed the stairs. She kept her external interference field active the whole way, fuzzing out her appearance on surveillance cams. Soon, she arrived at the Martinez residence.

Martinez?

Sounds familiar…

She knocked and sent the coded signal, waiting for the door to open.

Click—

The door opened quickly—but it wasn't the red-haired woman from Maine's photo. Instead, it was a fully armed Arasaka soldier!

Lucy's eyes widened instantly.

A look of panic.

No time to think. The glowing red of the soldier's tactical visor locked onto hers. From above, he raised an arm clad in special combat armor. Beneath the morphing faux-leather and exposed mechanical framework, a dark barrel extended—[Projectile Launch System].

It's over! No time—no chance.

When did Arasaka find out?

Maine betrayed me.

And just when she'd nearly saved up enough to leave…

Staring down the barrel, Lucy's mind flooded with thoughts. Most of all, she thought of her comrades who'd died fleeing Arasaka's Deep Dive program…

So this is the end?

Thud. She flopped backward, landing on her butt.

"???" David blinked, confused.

Wait—wasn't it supposed to be some buff, tan dude with blonde hair?

Why was it a pretty girl with white hair?

Click-click.

He retracted the [Projectile Launch System] barrel, looking more closely at the wide-eyed girl still stunned from the scare. She was trembling, her expression flickering between shock and confusion.

She was beautiful. But not as beautiful as Commander Vela.

Didn't look like a threat.

After a moment of mental processing, David asked, "Maine sent you?"

Lucy quickly replied, "From Gloria. The meds."

"Tch. Sending someone else to pick it up, huh?" David turned toward the apartment, got confirmation, then extended a hand. "Cautious guy."

"Here." He helped the white-haired girl up and handed over the medical pouch. "Tell Maine—my mom and I, we appreciate what he did for us. That's real. I owe him. From now on, if he needs meds, tell him to come to me directly. Same discount. Oh—and tell him: I'm David Martinez."

With the pouch in her arms and David pulling her to her feet, Lucy finally realized—

She wasn't exposed. No one was after her.

It was David. Gloria's son.

The Arasaka Academy graduate.

"I'll tell Maine," she said, her tense brow finally relaxing. Without hesitation, she turned and left.

She didn't want to stay even a second longer.

That girl with the winged eyeliner and stylish side-swept bangs vanished in a flash.

Looked like he really had scared her.

David didn't think too hard about it. He called back to Gloria, who had been eavesdropping from inside, "All good, Mom. Get some sleep. We've both got work tomorrow."

"David, her name's Lucy," Gloria said, apparently just finishing her call with Maine.

"Lucy? Cute name," David replied as he shut the door.

Right then, a call came in.

It was Suneo Kawakami.

"Suneo? What are you doing up this late? Don't tell me you want to hit Jig-Jig Street—I don't have your stamina..."

"Pfft! You think I'm that kind of guy?! No, I've got good news. Wanna hear it or not?"

"What?"

"New gear's being issued. As top graduates, we've been allocated some!"

"What kind?!" David instantly perked up.

"Not sure exactly. But supposedly it's some kind of bio-component or bioweapon hybrid. They're calling it a Quinque."

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