Cyberpunk - The Fall of Icarus

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After climbing the single staircase, I headed straight to the elevator. Another guy, decked out in the local "dress code" of heavy implants, stood beside it, looking like he'd rather be anywhere else. He scanned the surroundings with a bored expression, like he'd drawn the short straw for the night.

"New guy, huh? Haven't seen you around before," another gang member called out to me.

"My chooms said this was 'the best place to let loose,' so I thought I'd check it out."

"Heh, well, don't let me stop you. What're you waiting for?" He pressed the elevator button, holding the doors open.

"Why aren't you heading down yourself?"

"Three days ago, I went overboard and ended up puking all over the bar. Beatrice wasn't too thrilled, so now I'm stuck up here till the week's out." He chuckled.

"Good to know — I'll try not to get on her bad side." I returned his grin.

"If you're ordering drinks, you'll meet her soon enough. She's the bartender here. Got a wicked sense of humor, so watch yourself."

"Appreciate the heads-up. If I don't forget, I'll bring you a drink."

"I'll hold you to that. Name's Charles, by the way." He held out his hand.

"Lex," I replied, shaking it.

"Have a blast in there."

"I will."

Once in the elevator, I hit the button marked "Totentanz Club." The doors slid shut, and the lift began its slow climb. Like the rest of the building, the elevator walls were covered in grim graffiti and symbols. Maelstrom really had a thing for this dark "tech-priest" aesthetic. Whatever the reason, I didn't care to find out.

When the elevator reached the floor, the doors opened, and I stepped out. Following the arrows painted on the walls, I moved toward the thumping music. Along the way, I passed a few junkies sprawled on the floor, lying in piles of trash. It seemed like just another night here — nobody even bothered to drag them outside for a breather.

At the end of the winding hallway, I reached a small buffer room. It led directly to a staircase down to the dance floor, where the crowd was already in full swing. Through barred windows, I could see a large group of Maelstrom members; this club seemed to be one of their main hangouts. Pushing through the crowd, I made my way to the bar in the corner. If I was going to dig up any useful info, this was the place to start.

"And what's a pretty boy like you doing in a place like this?" the bartender quipped, leaning on the counter with a smirk.

"My buddies said it was the perfect spot to let loose," I repeated the line I'd been using all night.

"And why're you here instead of out there with the crowd?" She gestured with her chrome hand to the mob behind me, where most of the action was.

"Sober? Out there?" I raised an eyebrow, which earned a bark of laughter from her.

"Fair point. Only a fool would hit the floor sober. So, what'll you have?"

"Pour me a couple of shots of Romulus to start, then we'll see." I placed a ten-dollar bill on the counter, opting for something that wouldn't taste like trash.

"Whatever you say, handsome." Beatrice quickly poured out the shots, setting three glasses in front of me.

"Huh, three it is, then." I downed all three in one go, barely flinching as the synthetic alcohol burned down my throat.

"Oh-ho," she drawled, smirking. "You can hold your liquor."

"A friend of mine used to get me hammered on all sorts of booze. Got me used to this stuff." I briefly recalled Rick's face, sneaking drinks with me whenever Susan wasn't around.

"I could use friends like that."

"By the way, is it true Charles puked all over the bar? Seeing you, I'd think you'd have just shot him on the spot." Bartenders always know more than most, and I figured building a little rapport wouldn't hurt.

"I almost did, but Cain stepped in and saved his sorry ass. Got him out of my sight, and now Charles has been stuck with elevator duty all week." Beatrice chuckled, pouring me another round at my request.

"Guy got off easy... Seems like a decent enough dude, though. I guess Cain doesn't cover for just anyone."

"Yeah, well, Charles is special in his own way — lazy as hell, and a complete mess, but you get the idea." The brunette flashed me a grin.

"Everyone's got their charms," I joked, glancing over my shoulder. "Thanks for the chat. I'll be back later." With a solid clink, I set the last shot glass down and waded into the crowd.

I needed to keep up appearances. Enough Maelstrom members had heard me talk about why I was here, so slipping out now would raise suspicion. I hung around the crowd for another twenty minutes, just to be safe. When I returned to the bar, I noticed Cain had taken a seat.

"Looks like you're getting in with the right people," Beatrice said, grinning as she poured more drinks.

"Yeah, luck's on my side tonight." I shrugged and took the seat next to Cain.

"Well then, let's drink to your luck. Give him the same as me," Cain snapped his fingers, and Beatrice poured me a shot from a stout bottle on the shelf.

"And what's this?" I eyed the alcohol swirling in the faceted glass, curious.

"Chirrisco — packs a punch." Cain raised his glass toward me with a nod of respect. "To new friends."

"To new friends," I echoed, clinking glasses with him before downing the drink. The burning liquid seared my throat, and I barely stopped myself from spitting it back out. "This stuff's lethal."

"That's what they all say at first. By the third round, though, they usually change their tune," Beatrice laughed.

"Alright, I'm tapping out for now," I waved her off as she moved to pour me another.

"A sensible guy," she nodded approvingly.

"Beatrice, let's step aside for a moment. Lex, mind keeping an eye on the bar?" Cain vaulted over the counter, heading toward what looked like a back room.

"I'll do my best." I waved them off as they disappeared into the back.

As soon as Cain and Beatrice left, I activated my glasses. First, I needed to tap into the internal camera network, but that was easier said than done. Maelstrom had put up some solid ICE, slowing me down quite a bit. Once I broke through, I figured it was the perfect time to test the girls' skills.

"Vega, patch in Lucy and Roxy," I ordered my assistant immediately.

"Connection is stable," Lucy reported right away.

"Alright, here's the task: take full control of the security system. You've got ten minutes."

"Got it, Dad," the girls responded in unison, diving right into the work.

"Vega, make sure they stay under the radar. If they slip up, cut their connection to the network. I've already accessed the system and set myself up as an administrator."

"Don't worry about them, Alex," Vega reassured me.

"Alright, let's see if there's a camera in that back room." I quickly cycled through the camera feeds, and, sure enough, there was one right where I needed it. "Perfect — let's see what their little secret meeting is all about..."

***

"So, they still haven't tracked down those bastards?" Beatrice crossed her arms, leaning back in her chair with an irritated expression.

"No. I asked around with the other guys, and they've got nothing either. Someone deliberately leaked all the Claws' routes to us, setting us up against each other." Cain placed a tablet on the table, showing some text. I zoomed in on the camera to make out what was on the screen.

"Same trick they pulled with Anderson. Credit where it's due, though — that idiot went out in the most ridiculous way. Blew himself up with his own grenade. Moron," she scoffed.

"I guess that's what you'd call an 'oops' moment," I thought, recalling how I had remotely triggered that grenade's detonator to distract the gang while I rescued Susan.

"Either way, we won't be able to avoid a full-on brawl with the Tiger Claws unless they back down. Nobody's gonna listen to our side of things. You know our reputation," Cain said, tossing back another shot and swirling the last drops in his glass.

"But we've got to do something. We don't have the resources for an all-out war with an Asian triad. I've heard rumors that their top brass made a deal with Arasaka, and now they're working together."

"They've said that before, but if it's all over the place, there might be some truth to it," Cain paused, mulling it over. "Alright, here's what we'll do: we'll scale back our presence on Watson's west side and tighten our hold on the spots we already control. If a fight's coming, we'll face it on our terms..."

I decided not to listen further, letting the camera recording system handle the rest. They'd said enough already for Wakako to draw her own conclusions and cool some heads. An all-out gang war would just stir up more chaos in the city. Just last year, the eastern side of Heywood finally lost its status as a war zone, which eased some tension. Watson and Japantown had been more stable, gradually returning to some kind of normalcy. But it would only take a few gang clashes to turn Night City into a battlefield of old grudges.

"I've got a feeling AI is involved somehow. But what the hell would they want with it?" I muttered to myself, trying to unravel the logic of synthetic minds.

"We're finished," Roxy reported.

"Not bad for a first run. But you two need to work on your stealth. You left a trail visible to anyone paying attention. Go get some rest."

"As usual," Lucy grumbled before disconnecting. Roxy left the voice channel without a word, sending me access keys as a parting gift.

"I've cleaned up their traces. Now no one will know anyone was poking around in their databases," Vega chimed in, displaying the hack details before she too logged off.

"And here we are. Miss us?" Cain's voice snapped me back to the present as he gave me another hearty slap on the shoulder.

"Yeah, I had a blast. Some poor guy puked all over someone's shoes right in the middle of the dance floor. Quite the spectacle." I smirked, turning to face Cain.

"Why am I not surprised?" Cain muttered, more to himself than to me.

"Alright, lovebirds, either you're drinking or you're hitting the road. There are plenty of other people here, you know." Beatrice was clearly not in the best mood after their recent conversation.

"Fine, suit yourself." Cain tossed back the last of his drink and stood up.

"And you, need a special invitation?" Beatrice shot at me.

"Think I'll head home and sober up," I replied, getting ready to leave but then remembering my earlier promise. "Oh, almost forgot — let me grab a couple of bottles of Broseph for the road."

"Here you go, handsome." She set two cold beers in front of me.

"Thanks. Guess I'm out of here…" I left a hundred-dollar bill on the counter as a tip and made my way toward the stairs with a slightly unsteady gait. I wasn't drunk, but after all that alcohol, it made sense to look a bit wobbly. Sure, I could have had a high-end implant to handle it, but better to play it safe.

"Drop by again when you've got some free time," Beatrice called after me, raising an open bottle of beer in salute before turning her attention back to the stage.

What kind of mess have I gotten myself into this time? With that thought, I left the place behind.