An Engineer In Night City - ch 8.3 (Patreon)

New Outposts (3)

The MH04, or Megabulding Hospital Number 4 is the main hospital inside the Megabulding 4, an arcology style build constructed to solve the housing crisis in Night City. In each of them, there are hundreds of thousands of inhabitants crammed together in the space of a single city block. Meant to be self-sufficient, these megabuildings have shops, malls, clinics, schools, and hospitals inside them. 

Rumors say that the architects who proposed those facilities wanted to corral the poor to a small space to keep them away from the rest of the city. Those rumors are false, as the original architect envisioned the buildings to help colonize extraterrestrial planets. However, some people are taking advantage of the structure construction to corral the less fortunate and keep them away from prying eyes.

The band of mercenaries known as Maine’s Crew are investigating the hospital to find proof of the company’s misdeeds.

Maine's heart beats faster in excitement, as he and his crew are about to conduct a large mission for their current sponsor. “Is everyone in their positions?”

Dorio, currently under the call sign Mama Bear, answers the radio. “Everything clear.”

Jack the Ripper, Rebecca's call sign, also answers. “Everything clear, boss. I’m ready to go.”

Pillar under the call sign Mister Handyman answers. “My drones are ready to engage.”

Sasha and her ironic call sign Dog Lover send a message to the group. “Everything is in order.”

Maine takes a deep breath and speaks on the radio. “Master Chief here, clear. We will begin the operation.”

The group quickly moves and breaks through the door on top of the building, hiding an unmarked elevator shaft. They all rappel through the duct. Maine touches the ground first, followed by Rebecca, Dorio, and Pillar’s drones.

Both Mine and Rebecca rush forward to the secret area hidden within MH04, and they’re quickly spotted by the local security.

With practiced ease, Maine takes out his weapons and fires at the security, the suppressed weapon barely making noise in the nearly empty rooms.

Another security guard appears, and Rebecca dashes with newfound speed, stabbing the man in the heart with a special heated blade, cauterizing the wound at the same time she kills her target, silently flatlining the enemy.

Maine nods at Rebecca and points her to scout ahead. The group leader is impressed with how the smaller woman adapted to the new chrome and combat style, proud that she was mature enough to ditch the “always loud, all the time” attitude.

The group continues forward with Dorio trailing behind to provide support, while Pillar’s drone rushes ahead to aid Rebecca for out-of-combat aid. The drones scan the various corridors and doors as the group sneaks inside until one of them stops and points in a certain direction before rushing ahead. Rebecca continues to scout the place, sending valuable data for Pillar’s drones. 

Maine follows the drone that pointed towards something interesting, finding a lab with its door closed. Maine knocks on the door to test its toughness and concludes this door either holds something extremely important, or extremely dangerous.

“I will try to study the local systems while you guys go ahead,” Pillar's voice came from the drone, “make sure that Saucy Jack doesn’t kill herself, alright?”

Maine replies gruffly to the crew's techie. “Sure thing, Mister Handyman.”

Maine’s group continues scouting and checking on the hidden lab until Sasha calls the group to stop. “Wait, from this point onwards the cameras aren’t connected to the main network. You need to connect my port to the local system. Go back to the previous room.”

As they do so, the group hears shattered glass hitting the floor. “Not me!” Rebecca sends the message through their private lines.

“Not me either,” Pillar says the same. Dorio shakes her head.

Maine looks around to make sure he isn't the gonk that compromised the operation but finds nothing that can break close to him. ‘What just happened?’

Another glass hits the ground later, and when the group cautiously moves to investigate the source of the noise, they find a bizarre sight of a man shambling on the corridor, his clothes tattered and filthy with weeks-old dried blood. From his mouth, a black pus-like liquid flows and falls into the ground.

Maine takes out a weapon from his back and gives the connector module to Dorio. “Mama Bear, connect Dog Lover’s port n the nearest jack. I’m dealing with this.”

The weapon that Maine took from his back was a flamethrower he brought in case he needed to sterilize a location or kill an enemy, and while he was advised not to use it too much he also had instructions to burn down anything that might pose a threat to Night City, and he will make Night City safer.

The flamethrower quickly dispatches the creature shambling towards them, only for more of them to come out from various doors and corridos deeper within the facility.

Calmly, Maine calls his Netrunner. “Dog Lover, did you do that?”

“Negative Master Chief, I’m picking a transmission from their network. If the security measure on some of their experiments were to fail, all experiments should be released for field testing.”

Maine can’t help but ask. “Is it something that we did?”

“Once again, Negative Master Chief. There was a containment breach on laboratories hidden deep within the facility.”

“Alright everyone, change of plans. We will zero everything that moves. We got an ammunition budget, and by God, I am going to use all of it.”

Rebecca cheers on the channel. “Woohoo, I get to be all badass! Let’s do it!”

Mustering his determination, Maine takes a deep breath and leads his team deeper into the bowels of the MH04 facility.

…

A few hours later, the group comes back looking exhausted. Even Pillar who didn’t directly participate feels like he ran a marathon with how mentally exhausted he feels.

Rebecca turns to the group Netrunner who still has a pack of ice on her neck to cool herself down. “You know Sasha, you have a new member for your ‘Hate Biotechnica’ club. Hate them, so much. All of my hate!”

Dorio sits down on the nearby couch, feeling ill from the things she witnessed. “I’m never going on a job involving Biotechnica ever again. If you accept another job like this you’re going to sleep on the couch forever you gonk.”

Maine takes a few deep breaths to calm himself, taking out most of his armor and switching some of his chrome to the medical configuration before cuddling with his output. “You and me both. I hope the people who did all those things are burning in hell.”

Mark enters the room to greet the group for a successful mission when both Rebecca and Sasha shoot toward the Engineer and attach themselves to him like a pair of clingy octopuses. “What the hell girls.”

“Leave them be, Mark. We just found out how messed up Biotechnica is. You got some extra blackmail on top of what you asked us to find.”

Mark looks hesitant, looking between all members of Maine’s crew. “Are you guys alright?’

“We will when you fuck those corpos over.”

“Alright, does anybody want to come with me to see them bend over for Wube Inc.?”

Both Sasha and Rebecca raise their hands.

“Good, good. Get ready girls, we’re moving out now.”

None of the women move an inch from their position.

“Do you girls want a minute to decompress?”

Feeling both women nod Mark makes himself comfortable and waits until his companions feel better.

…

Sometime later, the small group of Mark, Rebecca, and Sasha are driving towards the Biotechnica labs near Pacifica. They remain silent during the journey, neither of the Edgerunners talking.

Mark reviewed the footage recorded by Maine, and he almost lost his lunch, though watching the footage made him mentally strengthen his resolve. Eventually, Mark finishes driving to Biotechnica labs.

The building looks immense due to its modular nature, with several laboratories created to conduct experiments and research, while a wide area outside the buildings is dedicated to the production of biological high-tech and farming to supply Night City with SCOP.

The main office building has strong security, however, they are all in-house security instead of Militech mercenaries or Arasaka security forces.

Feeling confident upon seeing further proof of his theory, Mark puts on a mean expression on his face and marches toward the office with purpose, flashing the guards with a security card that reads “guest.” “The CEO is expecting me.”

He doesn’t stop walking, not allowing the guards to react, and he enters the building, followed by his two shadows. He already scouted the places with his spy satellites and makes a beeline towards the meeting room. He pauses and politely knocks on the door before showing himself in.

The meeting room is large and has a tasteful decor, with posters and sculptures depicting some of the company’s greatest achievements in the past.

“Miss Karen? I brought you the missing files you were looking for.”

The CEO doesn’t visibly react beyond nodding acknowledgment. “I see, can you please wait in my office while I finish the meeting?”

“Certainly. We will wait without making a fuss. Excuse me.”

The people inside the meeting room didn’t make a single sound until they couldn’t hear the footsteps of the Engineer and his two masked and armored bodyguards. Despite the intimidating silhouette, the CEO resumes the meeting as if nothing happened.

A few hours later, the CEO enters her office and finds the group sitting on her couch, sipping her coffee and eating her snacks. “Well, I’m here. If this is a prank…”

Mark interrupts her, showing a stack of papers with the various crimes committed under the current CEO regime. “You have been very naughty, Miss Karen. Unethical experiments, kidnapping of homeless people to use as guinea pigs, illegal genetic modification within Night Cty’s limits, the creation of a zombie plague in your attempts to create a better rejuvenation treatment, the various crimes against man and nature that followed the previous experiment, selling medicine with lethal side effects without informing your consumers, the list goes on and on.”

Mark crosses his hands in front of him leaning forward, catching the lighting in the perfect way for his eyes to be hidden by shadow from the CEO. “But that’s not what is going to make you do as I say, isn't that right, Miss Karen?”

The woman starts to sweat, and she starts toying with the collar on her neck. “What are you talking about? I will let you know that I don’t answer to blackmail… blackmail is illegal, you know! It can get you into deep trouble, for you and Wube Inc.”

Mark slowly, deliberately, stands up. He takes careful steps towards the CEO of Biotechnica Night City until he comes close enough to shove a stack of papers in front of the CEO, who hisses at the date. “Tell me miss, what is this?”

“I, I don’t know.”

The Engineer leans forward, whispering the forbidden words in the CEO’s ears. “Biotechnica Night City has been turning a loss each quarter for the past few years since you became CEO.”

The CEO recoils from the truth.

Mark gleefully continues. “If the Biotechnica HQ discovers this, you can say goodbye to your current lifestyle. Your properties, money, even the chrome you have installed, everything will go POOF, like magic.”

Miss TBD whimpers and steps back, trying to run from Mark. She doesn’t succeed.

Mark follows after the retreating woman. “It’s not just Biotechnica administration and governance that will be after your skin, but you will also lose much of the company’s funding.” He steps forward, seductively whispering to her while listing all the consequences of her actions. “Stocks at an all-time low. Investors taking out their money. The increase in interest on loans for Biotechnica.”

Mark grabs Karen and brings her closer to him, slowly whispering in her ear. “That sweet, sweet, government money that you will lose.”

With each point, the CEO whimpers weakly, weakly crumbling on herself. “Wha, what do you want?”

Mark smiles widely when he hears the magic words. “You’re going to be my bitch now.”

The CEO lets out a final whimper before she enters into serious “negotiations” with Biotechnica.

…

“On a surprising sudden news in Night City, Biotechnica NC decided to create a joint venture with the newly rising Wube Inc. This new joint venture called ‘Fifth Agricultural Revolution’ will help Biotechnca develop new agricultural products to create and revive new, nutritious food that is cheap for the population of the world. Not only that, they announced a project to create a special soil enhancer that will help clean the soil of aggressive products, and lingering radioactive material, and bring them back to usability.”

“Already Petrochem made a statement that it is dangerous for small farmers to start planting those crops, as they might damage the already restored soil thanks to their efforts, by using untested products. An NUSA representative made a statement, quoting him ‘It saddens the country that an organ like the old FDA isn’t present, allowing corporations to release such dangerous substances on the world, and we need better regulation to protect the consumers and regain order in the world.’ In other news, Arasaka and Wube Inc. announced a recent partnership for the next-gen supercomputer. More information on later tonight at DNSNC.”

Post Chapter Note

Sorry for missing the chapter update yesterday, but Grammarly was crapping on me all night. We're back to the regular schedule now.