218 Charr-ming

"Holy fuck!" Pilar exclaims once the robot departs, just as horrified as the rest of the crew. Christy had run over to a nearby bin and started vomiting, self-preservation to not get burned alive allowing her to stop from staining the Strip.

Lucy grips David's hand and Ori rests a hand on Rebecca's waist, palming his face with the other... What completely astounded them all was the casualness with which the people who'd witnessed it continued their day...

"We need to go, if the fuckin' light show wasn't warnin' enough." Maine scowls, prompting everyone to hurry along to their destination, 'New Caesers Palace'.

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Unsurprisingly, the casino's security was even heavier than the guards on the street. They were searched and let in with their weapons, since they only seemed to be looking for bombs and other larger-scale threats.

Lucy stops at the front desk and the crew's soon led to a private room on the third floor of the huge building. Inside was a large opulent room, a fully stocked bar at one side with a dining section in the centre, and next to that, a beautiful concert grand piano which already had someone sat at it playing.

"About time, I was beginning to think you had gotten eaten by cannibals..." a woman lounging on a luxurious couch remarks as she slowly stands.

Bright blonde hair with thin gold chains braided through it, pale spotless skin, bright blue eyes, and crimson-painted lips. She was garbed in a silk bathrobe, uncaring of her modesty, not that she needed to be given her curves...

Ori wasn't sure if those were her natural looks, but the lack of obvious surgery scars, misplaced skin, or Cyberware made it almost seem as if she was completely organic. One thing was for sure though, the women of the crew didn't like the stares the stranger was receiving.

"Ouch!" Ori, David, and Pilar all quietly yelp as their lady friends hit them.

"Our bad, got caught up by some woman getting burned to a crisp in the street." Maine folds his arms, causing his suit to audible strain. "That shit normal 'round here? 'Cuz I fuckin' hope not."

The woman just sighs sadly, "That is most people's sentiment, for the first couple years living here at least." she shakes her head, letting her silken hair sway, "I'm Aliya Hammond, the Fixer our mutual friend sent your way." she ambles to the dining table and sits, "Well? Have a seat, we have things to discuss, foremost being the sword of Damocles above your heads."

Ori sits on the direct opposite side of the table from her, "Are you gonna be our executioner then?" he queries, wondering what she was hoping to get out of this. There were probably thousands of other mercs she could hire that wouldn't risk bringing the wrath of Arasaka down on her.

She smiles pleasantly, "Maybe? I haven't decided yet."

"That a threat, blondie?" Rebecca grouses with a scowl.

Aliya waves her off, "Take it as you want, just remember you're my house now." she gestures over her shoulder at the large automatic guns that'd silently appeared from the ceiling and walls. "But, I'm not stupid. I know you could probably kill me if you wanted," she smirks, "And that's why I want to hire you. Not many punks have the balls to piss off multiple corporations, those that do don't get away alive."

"And what do we get in this deal?" Maine asks.

She shrugs noncommittally, "Money, connections... Tenuous safety. Everything you'll need for that Night City comeback."

"What makes you think we want to go back to that shit hole?" Pilar throws out there, more to bait for intel than anything else.

"Because if you want to chase thrills, the rush, then you got to Night City. You've seen the state Vegas is in, one toe out of line and you're cut outta the business. I've seen enough of your sort to know anyway, you won't stop until you're at the top of the city, or under it."

"That's great and all, but what's gig you want us for anyway?" Rebecca inquires.

Aliya leans back in her chair and looks over her nails, "Any of you interested in a good 'ole heist? Like the ones back when petrol was used?"

"You sure...? That's a lot of heat, considering we already fled one city." Ori says unsurely.

She nods with a confident smile, "Absolutely. After all, if you do it right they'll only notice when they try to check their money. Did you know, around eighty years ago someone decided to buy up most of the gold reserves in Nevada and New Mexico? Surprising right? Given the collapsing economy, wars, and depreciation of the dollar, you wouldn't expect people to willingly give up their gold-"

"Just get to the point, we don't need a fuckin' history lesson." Maine presses.

...

"Fine, to sum it up, people were coerced into selling their gold at terrible rates by corrupt government officials on the threat of violence. Many people received it, but a good portion had been safely stored in the Venetian Resort."

"Venetian Resort?" David parrots.

Aliya winks at him but doesn't manage to draw the blush she was aiming for. Shaking her head, she continues, "It got knocked down during an earthquake, the gold buried under it. In its place, the Crystal Tower was built, the giant glass skyscraper that is unfortunately shaped in a way that causes vehicles around it to melt in the sun... Most people seem to think the gold is either lost of relocated, but I'm of the mind that it now resides in the Crystal Tower's vault."

"And you want us to crack it?" Lucy starts, "Wasn't it built collaboratively with EuroBank, DSM, and Militech... You want us to hit that!?" she gapes at the sheer difficulty and stupidity of even attempting the task.

Aliya waves her off, "Don't you worry, you may not have heard but recently DSM and EuroBank have been trying to buy out Militech's piece. As you can imagine, their strategies to expedite this have prompted Militech to lower the provided security in an attempt to threaten them. EuroBank has hired Lazarus in lieu of Militech's unfulfilled obligations, but the transfer will have left some holes..." she trails off, glancing at the respective members of the crew with a keen eye.