3: Groundwork and Powderkeg

— Atom —

In — I drew a breath into my lungs. Out — I released the breath and slight tension with a long, smooth exhale. I repeated the process over and over again, centering myself both in the Force and in reality. My position wasn't comfortable. I made it work. On a tucked away perch, me and one other looked down over Night City.

"Wind: 13 from the northeast. Not that it'll matter," Becca muttered beside me. "That's some preem, preem fucking equipment, choom. At 450 meters, don't even bother compensating for wind or drop. Just lead your target. Not too much. That thing'll go fast."

"Hn," I gave an acknowledging grunt, not even lifting my eye from the scope.

Becca and I lay there in eager anticipation. Our perch wasn't on the roof of the building we'd commandeered. Instead, we were half a floor down, hidden amongst the maintenance level between the roof and an unaffiliated penthouse below us. From any significant distance, we were invisible amongst the pipes, wires, and slate-gray machinery. Doubly so when the elevation was taken into consideration.

A sniper was tucked against my prone shoulder as I stared down the scope. A Verpine shattergun, to be more precise. No idea what a 'Verpine' was, but they made good shit. The rifle had been looted from a high-ranking member's specialized collection when we'd essentially dismantled Maelstrom overnight. Becca identified it as a railgun of sorts, one that could just about shoot rocks if necessary. It wasn't necessary. I fashioned tapered and vaguely bulbous darts the size of my pointer finger to use as ammunition. With the shattergun accelerating it to hypersonic speeds, even scrap metal would pierce tank armor. And since Maelstrom wouldn't miss the beautiful weapon anymore, I appropriated it for my own purposes.

"Got him locked, choom?" Becca asked.

"Hn."

"I love how you can brood and kill at the same time, choom. Fraggin' sexy~…"

I shot her a quick glare at that — one matched by an unrepentant smirk from her — before focusing back on the target. 450 meters downrange — just as Becca had called with her spotting — a man walked in the middle of a formidable entourage. He was a hard man. A powerful man. A tiger in human skin. Yet he didn't have a clue that I could trace every inch of his tattoos through a deadly scope a half kilometer away. Now that I had him in my sights, I didn't care a single bit about his intimidating name or venerable position within the 'Claws.

The target didn't stop for anything. He had to know he didn't have the freedom to do so. Not with what had been happening to men in the same position as him for the past week. They seemed to be coming down with consistently curious cases… of them missing their fucking heads.

I still had something of a vendetta to settle. Maelstrom was only one-half of the shitshow I'd been thrown in the middle of and made to survive in. It was the simple half, too. For all their chrome, weaponry, and tech, Maelstrom was ultimately a blunt weapon. A pure, overwhelming blitz of force was enough to deal with them almost in their entirety. The other half — the Tyger Claws… — was… more complex. But thankfully, far from impossible.

My goal was still simple. I wanted to annihilate the two gangs that'd forced me to run, hide, and scavenge like a fucking rat for the first six weeks of my new life. Maelstrom was done for now. Dead as an organization. But the Tyger Claws persisted and even expanded to fill the power vacuum in former Maelstrom territory. My revenge there required a more intricate plan.

In… Out… one last time. I held my lungs empty, held myself still in the Force. My sights settled. Right. Over. The. Fucker's. Head. I didn't hesitate.

A smooth pull of the trigger was answered by the sound of air breaking before my dart, just a shattering crack… and then complete silence… *SKA-CHCK…*

The sudden silence was deafening. Thrilling and gratifying, too, as I watched the result through my scope. The target didn't get the chance to react. Not even a Jedi would at these speeds and distances. Between one step and the next, his head was blown into bloody mist. Obliterated. There'd been the barest flicker of a personal deflector shield. It shattered before the shattergun. His body continued forward for a single step more before flopping limply onto the ground. His entourage panicked. We weren't there for them. One shot, one kill, and we moved on to the next.

"Clean shot~!" Becca cheered as we efficiently packed up our operation like we'd grown well-used to doing. "Stars, choom, I'm starting to fuckin' love this baby."

"It's more of a 'splatter' gun than a shattergun," I quipped coldly.

"Ha, Splatter the Shattergun~! What a name, choom~!" Becca laughed and grinned a bloodthirsty grin, "It's better than that one disruptor pistol I had the pleasure of using. The only thing more satisfying than making gonks disintegrate is making them disappear in bloody mist~! Overpenetration, all the way~! Dibs on the next shot!"

"Knock yourself out," I grunted. "So long as Tyger Claws die, I'm… satisfied."

Their expansion spread them thin. It left them more exposed than usual. I had a short window of time to capitalize on it. I made sure to do so. Unfortunately, the day after Maelstrom's night of reckoning — before I could truly begin plotting another gang-wide downfall — I was called away to deal with something completely unrelated. The delay rankled. But it was important too, especially since I found 'plot' there, waiting for me to derail it.

David Martinez wouldn't lose his mother in this 'verse. He also happened to be Force Sensitive, 'cause wasn't that just my luck? I'd somehow gotten myself an apprentice. So, even though I was already learning as I went, I'd now have to teach along the way as well. The crew would be stronger with him in it, though. And that was what truly mattered.

David was… cool enough. Naive. Way too optimistic for my tastes. But loyal and more than worth having on one's side. Healing his mom secured that loyalty. And… maybe a bit of hero worship that I could do without. I'd do it again, though.

He and his mom, Gloria, integrated into the crew with ease. Gloria knew Maine already. Hell, David was his fucking son. I hadn't known that. Couldn't tell if that'd always been a thing or if it was something unique to this merged 'verse, either. Ultimately? Didn't matter. It just bound the crew tighter together. Something that could only be good for our survival prospects.

If David was naive, Gloria was the opposite. Still just as optimistic, but it was tempered by a lifetime of damn-near-crushing experience. The dichotomy wasn't to the point that Gloria sheltered her son. Just… shielded him from the worst the universe — especially Night City, Nar Shaddaa — had to offer. As such, she brought surprisingly needed support to the crew. A mother's touch while still being absolutely no slouch as a competent and capable grown woman who'd survived in Night City her whole life.

Her unconditional care could be… inconvenient at times, though. Namely when directed at me after she caught wind of my situation. It wasn't pity. Just… a bit more consideration and care than I was used to receiving. Soon enough, she'd be trying to officially adopt me.

Annoying… I had more pressing matters to focus on than memories I couldn't fucking remember. For some reason, though, I couldn't bring myself to outright reject her…

Over the past week, I had dedicated myself to the downfall of the Tyger Claws. Going the 'Maelstrom route' with them wasn't feasible. For one, they were a larger organization. More spread out, too. A complex network of connected cells under a shared banner, rather than the blunt, top-down, strength-and-chrome-first hierarchy of Maelstrom. The Tyger Claws were decentralized, organized, actually 'cultured' — with traditions and depth to their gang activity — and that much more powerful for it.

For another… they had outside support. Unlike Maelstrom, the Tyger Claws didn't stand alone. It was something of an open secret that the Tyger Claws were the gangbanging arm of Ara-fucking-saka: a galactic megacorporation. They were far from the largest corporation or conglomerate in the galaxy, but they were still terrifyingly, almost unfathomably powerful — especially for the crew to have as an open enemy. And thanks to a complete lack of regulation — so long as the Hutts got some kickback — Nar Shaddaa was one of Arasaka's favorite stomping grounds.

As such, the downfall of the Tyger Claws required a more delicate touch. I'd earned a point from healing Gloria. And another as the week ticked over. That second one was put into Force Sensitivity II so I could actually manage my promise of teaching David. That also came with the unexpected development — in a bone-deep surety — that upgrading it further would double point cost per level. Unpleasant but not an immediate concern. The first point I'd earned, however…

Inspired Inventor+

[+] Espionage I

[+1] Force Sensitivity II

The focus of espionage was large. But very fucking useful. Intrigue, spycraft, disguise, tactics, infiltration, assassination… Not a lot of any one area, but more than enough for me to put it to immediate use in my overall planning. I knew that exposing Arasaka's connection to the Tyger Claws wouldn't do anything. Not on Nar Shaddaa. What I really needed to do was convince Arasaka that their gangers were no longer worth the investment and to turn the Tyger Claws against their corpo masters at the same time. For my 'grand plan', a week-long series of targeted assassinations were somehow just laying the groundwork…

The crew was with me. Not least of all, because of the promise of loot, 'fun', and the infamy that would come with taking down Arasaka's gang. Sasha was a huge help with the planning and parsing through the data I'd collected during my period of survival at any cost. At times, I swear she was more vengeful than me — for me… And Becca, of course, was always down to cause and revel in the chaos.

"Who's our next mark, choom?" Becca asked as we vacated the scene.

"Haki Dro'Meda. Leader of the Black Orchid cell. Sasha should be tracking him," I chopped out.

"OOO~ooh~… I've heard of him. Nasty karker. I heard he collects the skulls of solos. All bleached, polished, well-preserved, and everything," Despite Becca's morbid words, she was quite literally shivering in anticipation.

"Lucky you," I muttered. "Doubt you'll be able to turn the tables on him, though. If you're good enough, there won't be a skull left for you to take as a trophy."

Becca scoffed, "You already know I'm good enough, choom! But that's a fuckin' nova idea…" She paused and thought for a moment before shrugging, "I'll just have to aim for the heart this time."

I scowled, hopping off the back end of the building into our hidden getaway speeder before turning and catching Becca as she jumped carefreely into my arms, "Just don't go missing."

"Hahaha, never~!" Becca threw her head back and laughed out loud, clinging to me. "I haven't missed since I was a snot-nosed little shit~! Nice catch, Mr. Scowls~… You gonna let me drive~?"

"Not on my fuckin' life," I shot back. "You're better as the gunner anyway."

"Awww~," Becca cooed. "You already know me so well, choom~!"

"You're a simple person to get, Becca."

"Hey! I've got hidden depths, too!"

"Like what?" I challenged.

She grinned knowingly, "I like wicked vibroblades as well as heavy iron and explosions~!"

I gave her a side-eyed glance for a moment… before nodding, "Understandable. I apologize for underestimating you."

Her giggle was a touch manic as I started up the speeder and took off toward our next target, "As you should~! You know, you're fun as fuck, choom~! I haven't seen this much action in ages~!"

"You won't find the next stage of my plan much fun," I said absently.

"Not unless shit goes tits up in a major way," Becca clicked her tongue. "I'm not good at all that sneaky shit, choom. I'll leave it to Sash' and you newbies and just enjoy the chaos that follows."

A small, vicious smile played across my lips as I thought about everything to come, "It'll be something to remember. The Tyger Claws are already dead. They just don't know it yet."

"After a week of closed flatline contracts, I think they might be starting to suspect something," Becca pointed out with audible amusement.

"That's the beauty of it," I shook my head. "We're taking out everyone with a brain. The dumb and bold will fill the internal vacuum. Competent Tyger Claw leaders are a thing of the past. The main concern now is Arasaka. But we don't need to destroy them. Just set them against their now-fuckwitted minions. They'll purge the rest of the gang for us."

Becca stared at me, a manic, chaotic grin growing wider and wider on her face, "Atom… That is so. Fucking. Sexy. It might be the hottest thing I've ever heard. If Sasha hadn't claimed your first, I might just bend over and suck your brains out through your cock right here and now."

"I'm driving," I snapped back. Of course, that didn't mean I wasn't very tempted by the offer…

Becca waved dismissively, "I'm sure you can multi-task, choom. But I'll wait my turn. So long as you keep talkin' dirty to me about your sexy-ass plot to bring doom, death, and destruction to everything you touch, that is~…"

I sighed. This was my life now. I… didn't hate it. I indulged Becca, her flirty, feral grin, and those suggestively wiggling eyebrows.

"The assassinations are only the groundwork. The powder for the powderkeg. The next stage will be leading the fire to the fuse and letting it burn everything down. 'Course, to do that, we need a way to lead the flames. We need to get inside Arasaka. Get under their skin."

"And how are ya doin' that, choom~?" Becca purred.

"We're going to walk right in the front door," I answered bluntly. "Sasha's working with an ex-Tyger Claw to get us fake credentials. She and Lucy had already used another set of fakes to backdoor their way into Arasaka's systems. The relatively open ones, at least. They scouted everything out. Once we're in, we're going to false flag a false flag, wrap the whole thing in another false flag, and set Arasaka against their pet gangers. There are other objectives, but that's the main knife in their gut."

Becca cackled maniacally, "Throw in another false flag, why don'tcha~! Frakkin' nova~!"

I nodded, smiling slightly, "The first is going to be flimsy as nothing else. It'll play on the rivalry between Arasaka and Militech and be almost too easy to see through. But it'll raise alarms no matter what. Then, the fakes we got are Tyger Claw-associated. They'll implicate the 'Claws once Arasaka starts looking. Finally, the crew will be protected 'cause we can't have hired ourselves, right? That last false flag will come right back around to Arasaka. But it'll be real hush-hush. Once 'Saka investigators get there, they'll have to stop looking, and it'll become an internal issue. I'm hoping to make it look like a shadowy Arasaka exec arranged for the corp to cut ties with the Tyger Claws in dramatic fashion. In the end, the crew might have to take a job from a Hutt for temporary protection, but we'll just be seen as a single piece in the puzzle, and the damage will be done regardless. Arasaka will burn their gang out for us."

"… You're fucking terrifying, Atom. Do you know that?" A fond grin and lidded eyes stared back at me when I glanced at her.

"… Lucy may have told me as much," I admitted.

"If even half of this works, you'll make yourself a legend in a single fucking week," Becca said.

"No, I won't," I grunted firmly. "That's the point. No one will suspect us. We'll be a cog in the machine, not the engineer. I know it'll work, though. I can fucking feel it."

"Space magic, choom~?" Becca giggled.

"Hn," I gave a curt nod. "It hasn't steered me wrong yet."

"If you say so," Becca shrugged. "… Hey, you think I can hit our next mark in a drive-by~?"

I cracked a small smile, "It's worth a shot."

"Heh, literally~!"

IIIII

— Gloria —

Gloria Martinez had sworn off a life on the edge. After having David, she knew she couldn't continue. She wouldn't even consider the idea of leaving her baby boy all alone in the world if something happened to her… No, not if. When. The flatline was inevitable for edgerunners. Gloria wasn't willing to place all of her bets against the clock.

Her breakup with Maine had been mutual. It'd simply been time for her to go her own way. Maine hadn't even known she was carrying his child — at the time, she was just starting to show. Of course, the gonk should've asked. Or even just thought for a single second. But it wasn't to be. He'd accepted their separation, and Gloria had set herself on the straight and relatively narrow.

David had been born, and Gloria regretted that he might never know his father. Ultimately, she decided it was for the best. Maine was an easy man to idolize. For good reason, too. It was part of what attracted her to him. But if David was raised around him, Gloria's baby boy would be dragged into the edgerunning life before he knew enough to decide for himself. She wanted better for her son. Maine would've stopped at nothing to give him that, just like her. But he was too far on the edge. That influence would've lingered even if he tried to shield David from it.

The edge had a gravity about it. A way of drawing people back to it. Gloria made a good run of things away from it. 18 years, a well-raised son, a promising future even if there were still troubles to deal with… All of it went up in disaster.

When it came down to it, Gloria thanked her Stars that David found a way to contact Maine. It pulled her back into a life she'd left, but at least she still had a life to be pulled back to. Without David, without Maine, without… Atom… Gloria knew she'd be ash in the wind right now.

Now, they'd be running with Maine again. There wasn't much other choice at the moment. Not now that David knew about his father and had put dangerous chrome in his back without his mother's permission! At that, Gloria had to take a deep breath to center herself. Stars knew her boy could be reckless. What was done was done, but that didn't mean she'd have to be completely happy about it.

They'd need the protection Maine and his crew could offer now. Gloria just had to trust that she'd raised David well enough to make an informed decision with the sudden change their futures had taken. She couldn't keep him from the edge. It ran in his blood, both sides. But she was there to show him how to balance it, rather than him being thrown into walking it on his own. That would have to be enough.

Then… there was her savior. The boy who healed her. Atom really was just a boy. It wasn't fair. He seemed perfectly designed to pull at Gloria's heartstrings. All of that pain and loss, wrapped up in a brittle, aggressively spiteful, almost feral at times, outer shell. He hid it well, but Gloria could feel him hurting, even if he didn't realize it himself at times. He didn't remember his past. Not even his own mother, Maine told her. Gloria… she couldn't imagine it.

Anytime she tried to imagine David in the same situation, Gloria just about shattered. Tears welling up in her eyes, clutching pain in her chest, the works. The thought of her own baby boy, not even remembering her to know what he'd lost… Gloria couldn't. She just couldn't.

And for all his loss, Atom seemed like a good kid in Gloria's eyes. A kid forced to grow up rapidly and survive everything thrown at him without a hint of support structure. The kind of kid that David could've been forced to become in Gloria didn't make it. She had Atom to thank for that, for saving her baby boy just as he saved her.

Then, to add to everything they owed him, Atom promised to take David under his wing. Gloria had always known her boy was special. But… Jedi-special…? It was almost unbelievable. But Atom was confident, and David could now put words to those unexplainable feelings and happenings that sometimes visited him. Gloria was just relieved that he wouldn't be taken away from her as the Jedi would've done.

They both owed him so, so much. Was it so wrong for Gloria to want to begin repaying it in any way she could, even if that way was with affection and support that Atom couldn't even acknowledge that he needed? It wasn't a thing easily said or done. Atom was curt. He was broody. He was confrontational and rather closed-off. He always had bigger things on his mind. And that was part of the problem.

Atom was planning the downfall of an entire gang — the second in less than a month. He was competent, ambitious, and determined, almost single-mindedly so. But also… broken. Gloria could see that much. So she'd taken to giving him what he needed but didn't realize for himself. Taken to coaxing her way into his trust. Taken to mending the cracks in his very foundation with support, care, and unconditional love before it could all come crumbling down around him.

She wasn't the only one who could see it. Atom's 'unofficial' input, Sasha, promised to help Gloria in any way she needed. That girl was smitten. Down bad as hell. She was Gloria's biggest supporter in her quest to mother that boy out of his damned repression and into a healthy state of mind.

Maine and Dorio could see the cracks, too. But Maine — bless his gonk heart — didn't really see the issue. Of course, he didn't… Atom was too competent and driven for his own good. He got shit done, and Maine thought that meant the boy was holding himself together well enough already. A part of her would always love the man, but Maine could be karking stupid about anything concerning mental health. Thankfully, now, Gloria and Dorio could combine forces to knock some sense and sensitivity through his thick chrome skull.

While Atom plotted the downfall of the Tyger Claws, Gloria had her own plot going. Even as she got sucked into Atom's plot… no, especially then. She'd drag that broken, brilliant boy into a healthy state of mind, kicking and screaming. Or snapping and brooding, more accurately. And in the meantime, she didn't lack for other skills to offer Atom's plan…

Gloria wasn't one to brag. Certainly not where David could hear her. But she had something of a reputation in her fruitfully spent youth. A conniving, opportunistic, silver-tongued, sweet-talking, vulnerability-revealing, door-opening, social-engineering reputation. Some people called her a manipulative devil — the Kindest Rose of Night City, with all of her hidden thorns — more effective than any torture at getting lips to talk when they really, really shouldn't without them even realizing the vulnerabilities they were laying bare.

Gloria preferred to think of herself as an informational specialist. Just not a digital one. She wasn't a netrunner. She was a talker. A listener. A social slicer. She didn't even have to do anything special to earn that reputation. People just seemed to like opening up to her. When they did, was it really Gloria's fault that she had a unique enough perspective to pick out and exploit the little details that others would deem unimportant?

She didn't sleep with her marks. She never had to. If she gave a person a kind ear, someone to share their pain, and maybe a few drinks to loosen their lips, they'd rob themselves blind for her without even realizing how she could take advantage of the littlest things they said. Gloria had always just had a way about her. A way of getting close to people and gaining their trust. It was… almost magical, the information a friend could gather.

Since she came back to the game, Gloria put her old skills to use and revived old connections. Some of those old connections she tried were dead and gone. But others were still kicking, pleasantly surprised to see her active again. Gloria was the one to put Sasha in touch with an ID specialist. She was also the one to set the trail of breadcrumbs that would lead right back to Arasaka.

She had old friends everywhere. Some had risen to very high places. All she had to do was get in contact with them. What they talked about — genuinely just catching up — would never be revealed. That fact that they talked at all would be enough…

Gloria currently had no love for Arasaka. They'd come after her baby boy if they knew what he had in his back. So she didn't hesitate to strike first. Let the corpos turn on themselves. Protecting David was more than worth burning an old connection.

In all, Gloria was 100% on board with Atom's plan. Corellian Hells, she'd made a good portion of it possible. So, as the next stage of the plan rolled around, Gloria earned herself a spot in the infiltration team. Which, of course, made David insist on coming too. Gloria tutted but didn't stop her boy from coming along. She couldn't shelter him forever, and he'd have a role to play, just like the rest of them.

A week after Gloria stepped back onto the edge, she was officially back in action. It was… nostalgic. She thought she'd be more nervous. Maybe David and Lucy shouldered all of the nerves for the whole infiltration team. Her baby boy was practically vibrating with energy — having got the green light from Vik — and Lucy looked like she'd rather be anywhere else. But Gloria was confident they'd be able to hang.

Five runners made up the infiltration team — Atom, Sasha, David, Lucy, and Gloria herself. They had a subtle job to do. The kind of thing that Maine wasn't suited for. He was in charge of their extract. The team had turned into a sort of proving ground for the crew's newbies — and Gloria's return to the edge. One hell of a proving ground… Gloria found herself as the most experienced runner on the team. A first, but not an unpleasant one.

"Whatever happens…" Gloria advised. "Don't. Panic."

David nodded resolutely, but Lucy grumbled, "Easier said than done. Did it have to be Arasaka…? Ara-fucking-saka? We're dead. We're all fucking dead."

"We'll wipe your records, too," Atom grunted. "Play it cool, and you can do it yourself."

That shut Lucy's grumbles up in an instant. Curious… But now wasn't the time to pry. Gloria made a note of Lucy's unstated connection to Arasaka but pushed it to the back of her mind. If the girl needed to be freed from corpo influences — just like David did — Gloria would help her. David still came first, but no one deserved to have a megacorp looming over their head.

"Showtime, chooms," Sasha intoned, her voice quiet and deadly serious.

Arasaka's Night City HQ indeed loomed into view. One of many skyscrapers in Corporate Plaza. It just happened to be the tallest. Gloria had even heard rumors that it went all the way down to the moon's surface, reflecting Arasaka's unique 'commitment' to Night City. More like Night City's unique commitment to them… Few other corps were willing to invest wholeheartedly in and exploit regulation-free Hutt Space like Arasaka did. Other corps dabbled. Arasaka went all in on Night City.

Their team had taken a speeder cab to the HQ. They wouldn't be taking one back out. Until extract came, they were on their own. In the belly of the corpo beast. Now, they walked right in through its open mouth. Despite arriving on the top level of Corpo Plaza, Arasaka HQ still pierced the sky above them, a tear of glass against the darkness. Those upper floors would all be private, essentially feudal holdings for Arasaka's executives. They would need to go… down.

Atom led them into the building with a grim expression on his face. He didn't stop at the front desk, bypassing it and the main lobby entirely without a word. Good. That was a sucker's mistake. They were 'supposed to' be there. Their IDs said as much. So long as they walked with purpose and without hesitation, they'd get deep before they even had to use their fakes to bypass security.

Corpos went about their daily business around them in the halls. Whatever that consisted of. Gloria had never been sure what the corps actually did. Other than the classic and equally nebulous 'make profit', of course. She kept her head on a swivel as they passed through a half-dozen vaguely named — and likely just as meaningful — offices and departments. Watching. Trusting her instincts to notice when they were noticed. They went ignored into an out-of-the-way elevator. A quiet ride took them downward.

"So… when do we split?" David asked, breaking the silence. Gloria could practically feel the tension in his shoulders.

"Now," Atom said bluntly. "Sasha. Hit it."

The speed of the elevator's descent slowed to a crawl, and Sasha nodded, "We've got about three minutes. No alarms were sounded 'cause we aren't stopped, but I wouldn't test our luck. Hold on, I'll get the hatch."

A moment later, the maintenance hatch in the roof of the elevator popped open. Atom nodded, ordering, "David. Lucy. Up through the hatch with her. Listen to Sasha. She's in charge."

David looked to Gloria for guidance. She nodded as well, "Do it, mijo. And be careful. I won't be very happy with you if you get yourself hurt over something stupid."

He shot her a cheeky grin, "Wouldn't dream of it, Mom. And that's if anyone can touch me in the first place!"

Her baby boy blurred into motion in the next instant. Gloria just sighed. By the time that sigh was out of her lungs, David was already through the hatch and peeking back down on her with that same grin of his, "That'll never not be nova!"

Sasha gave Gloria an amused smirk and pat on the shoulder, "I'll look out for him. You look out for mine in return, yeah?"

"Looks like we'll both have our work cut out for us," Gloria chuckled.

Lucy snorted as David helped her pull herself up through the hatch, "You're getting the worse end of that deal."

"Keep comms tight," Atom ordered. "These walls have ears. Gloria and I will be keeping things busy, but that isn't an excuse to get sloppy."

Sasha rolled her eyes. Before Atom could so much as scowl, she stepped into his space and up onto her tiptoes. A hand on the back of his neck pulled him down to meet her lips. Atom visibly froze for a moment. Sasha just kissed him deeper. Searing herself into his memory, Gloria knew. Right as he began to relax into the kiss and return its intensity, Sasha drew back with a teasing smirk on her face. She left him wanting more, and Gloria had to pointedly stifle a chuckle at their youthful enthusiasm.

"We'll do our part, Atom," Sasha assured. "Just don't go getting yourself killed for a distraction, neh~? There'll be more of that waiting for you when we finally get to celebrate~…"

Atom stared intensely — almost glared — after her as she disengaged with a lingering touch and swaying hips, clambering up through the hatch. The poor boy was just as down bad as his 'unofficial' input was. He just didn't know it yet. Gloria cleared her throat as the hatch swung closed behind Sasha's well-watched ass. A few moments later, the elevator resumed its normal pace, and Atom scowled.

"Damned vixen in heat…" He shook his head to re-center himself.

"You know, dear," Gloria said casually. "I could teach you how to cook if you want to get back at her."

"… What?" Atom turned that intense stare of his onto Gloria. "How would that do anything but encourage her?"

Gloria pointedly didn't roll her eyes, "You're only fooling yourself if you think that thing between you two isn't happening, Atom. And don't say you don't want it, too, at this point. I have eyes. So, instead of digging in your heels, why don't you turn the tables on her? Wine, dine, and seduce her when she expects to be doing the same for you. You might even leave that girl speechless for once."

Atom scowled, "I'll think about it."

"You do that, dear," Gloria nodded indulgently "I'm sure she'll be terrifically surprised. A little initiative can go a long way."

"Later. We've got more important things to focus on," Atom said.

Gloria sighed, "I worry that you always seem to…"

Atom likely heard her. But he was already too busy with other things, almost exemplifying Gloria's worries then and there. Part after part came out of separated secret pouches across his outfit. Atom quickly and efficiently pieced them together. The resulting device would serve as a suitable distraction for essentially the whole of Arasaka HQ. They just had to get it into the right place to do the most damage.

"Can you get us there? Into HR?" Atom asked.

"I've talked my way into stranger places," Gloria smiled slightly.

"Good," Atom nodded. "No one kicks up a fuss like HR. They'll make their problem into everyone else's problem in minutes. The whole building will go running… in the opposite direction. But that still serves just as well as a distraction."

"And I just keep lips moving while you do the rest," Gloria confirmed. "Got it. Simple task for a first night back out."

"Yeah, just out-chatter corpo HR," Atom deadpanned. "Nothing more to it."

Gloria couldn't help but laugh, "Oh, hush, you."

When the elevator doors opened to the HR department of Arasaka, Gloria plastered a smile onto her face. One with just the right amount of insincerity. It wouldn't do to spook the corpos with things they didn't understand. Like a genuine smile…

The HR department was about as nondescript a floor as Gloria had ever seen. Gray, gray, and more gray. A maze of cubicles that occupied most of the department. Offices lining the exterior. The only thing of note were the motivational posters. Everywhere. If there was space on a flat surface, there was a motivational poster. A monkey lizard giving an encouraging thumbs up. A bantha chewing cud with a message to 'keep on chewing!' below it. A Charhound puppy with the biggest, fakest puppy-dog eyes Gloria had ever seen, begging its audience to work hard for its sake. And that seemed to encapsulate the whole floor. It was just all so… fake. What kind of gonks actually bought into this poodoo?

"Hey, new faces! Always good to see! What brings you to Relations, friends?" … This sad, fake, fucking gonk, that's who.

Gloria had never seen a more… normal-looking man in her life. Black hair, a face that could blend in with any crowd, and a slightly wrinkled, white button-up office shirt and slacks. He wore a perpetual smile, even more insincere than Gloria's. He stood at a water cooler, but he was drinking coffee. The scene was almost surreal in its normalcy. He was in their way and just about dragged them into his orbit with chains of politeness. Gloria had no reasonable choice but to engage him.

She stretched her fake smile a little wider, "Hello, I'm Gloria. This is Atom. We're new around here."

"So I can see," The man's smile grew to match Gloria's as if they were in a competition of insincerity. "I'm Jonson. I'm in charge of the public image of a few of our key assets here. Where are y'all coming from?"

From the corner of her eye, Gloria saw Atom scowl and mouth 'y'all…?'. Gloria laughed a meaningless laugh to cover it up, "We're outsiders, actually. Contractors. Some of the work we'll be doing for Arasaka is public-facing, so our handler asked us to come down here to talk to y'all."

"Fucking y'all…" Gloria could hear Atom's scowl deepening as he grumbled under his breath.

"Wonderful!" Jonson just smiled. "Who's your handler? I might know them."

Gloria didn't panic at the inquiry, simply sighing as if regretful, "Confidential, I'm afraid. But just between you and me… She's on the upper floors."

"Ah," Jonson nodded. "You're on the black budget, then. Good for you. I won't pry, but it seems like she sent you exactly where you're needed!"

"Why?" Atom snapped.

"Testy one, aren't you~?" Jonson's smile stretched. It looked almost painful on his face. "Don't you know? Relations are the smiling face of Arasaka! And you said your work was public-facing? For the sake of our noble company, you'll find any help you need here!"

"That's very kind of you," Gloria laughed. "Some of the other corps I've worked for weren't nearly as welcoming of contractors. I guess it's true what they say: you can't beat Arasaka hospitality!"

Jonson laughed with her, "Too true, Gloria! I like you. Here's hoping you stick around!"

"Here's hoping, indeed. Safe work, steady pay, and good people, I have a good feeling about this job."

"You'll never find a better one. As it is, let me be the first to give you a temporary welcome to the Arasaka team. We can't use the word 'family', even though Relations wants to. Those at the top keep shooting it down, unfortunately. Shame… Such a shame… Say, are either of you friends Grav-Ball fans? That sport is like spice in my veins, I tell you!"

"… I'm going to fucking kill him," Atom growled in the background.

Jonson's almost eerie smile turned to him, "What was that, friend?"

"Just indigestion, I'm sure," Gloria smoothly cut in. "Could you point Atom toward your restrooms?"

Jonson blinked, "Oh… Of course. Just down there and around the corner. You can't miss it."

"Thank. You," Atom gritted out through his teeth. He then proceeded to walk in the opposite direction of where Jonson had pointed.

"Hold on, friend! Other way-!" Jonson called out at Atom's back.

He went utterly ignored, and Gloria chuckled, "That indigestion must be worse than I thought. Oh, well, he'll find it eventually. Sorry about that, Jonson."

Jonson turned back to her and waved off the apology with a friendly laugh, "It's fine, it's fine! Here in Relations, we're more than used to some good-humored death threats. Not everyone can be civilized people-people like you and I. Atom's lucky to have a woman like you looking out for him."

"Don't I know it," Gloria sighed, bristling inside. Atom hadn't even turned the corner, and the corpo was already talking bad behind his back.

"So… Grav-Ball?"

"My son catches a game or two here and there."

"Haha, wonderful! Another generation of fans in the making! I catch every game I can, especially if the Chromers are playing-…"

Gloria kept up the platitudes and empty small talk with barely a second thought. As she did, she knew Atom was doing his part. He'd find someplace to plant that little surprise of his. Gloria's role was oddly taxing. Just… so much fakeness and bullshit that she had to entertain. She and Jonson were joined by others at some point. Each one of them was just as fake and corpo-sanitized as Jonson. But Gloria kept them talking, merging herself seamlessly into their usual orbit.

Eventually, she saw Atom returning out of the corner of her eyes, thankfully from the direction of the restrooms. Gloria breathed an internal sigh of relief. All they had to do was excuse themselves now. So, of course, that was when a hydrospanner was thrown into the works. Before Atom could rejoin her, the elevator doors opened again, and Death himself stomped out.

Almost as one, the corpo rats who'd gathered with Gloria around the water cooler paled and fled like rats. Gloria wished she could do the same. One ton of towering chrome entered Arasaka's Relations department, never looking anywhere but straight ahead. Arasaka's collared rancor — Adam Smasher. A woman with side-swept hair and a half-shaved head walked with him, somehow not quailing at the metal monster beside her.

Gloria felt her breath catch. She wasn't afraid to admit she froze. Not when faced with Adam Smasher. What in everything holy and unholy was he doing there?! They were dead. Fucking dead. At the very least, Atom was now making haste her way. Not that it was likely to do anything against-…

"Smasher is here for his appointment. Let's hurry this up, people. I'm sure no one wants to see my charge get impatient. He's already unhappy enough about being forced to meet with you Relations fucks," The woman — his handler…? — beside Smasher called out loud.

"Yes, Ms. Valerie!" Jonson was the unlucky gonk who'd been too slow to flee.

"It's fucking V…" The handler grumbled under her breath.

A terrifying sound emerged from the terrifying mountain of metal in the shape of a man. It was only belatedly that Gloria realized it was a snort of humor. The Smasher… could laugh…?

Gloria shook her head. What really mattered was that Smasher wasn't there for them. She and Atom could slip away without being noticed. Or at least, they could've… if Atom didn't storm right up to him and growl at the monster.

"Adam. Fucking. Smasher."

"IN THE CHROME," Smasher's voice was a rumble, somehow both digital and physical at the same time. "GET IN LINE, MEATBAG. I'VE GOT BULLSHIT I'M REQUIRED TO TAKE CARE OF."

"Sir, step back from the Smasher," V instructed firmly.

"Atom, what the fuck are you doing?!" Gloria hissed.

The broken, broken boy ignored both of them. He glared up at Smasher. Smasher stared back impassively. Despite only coming up to the monster's chest, Atom didn't flinch a millimeter. Where the boy had found the absolute frakking spine, Gloria didn't know. The longer Atom held his ground, the more intrigued Smasher seemed to get. His red-eyed stare turned into an actual glare. But still, Atom didn't even blink.

"TRY IT, FLESH-FUCK. I'LL TAKE KILLING OVER TALKING TO THOSE FUCKING RELATIONS FUCKS ANY DAY."

"Not ready yet," Atom grunted. "I will be."

"WITHOUT CHROME?"

"Don't need it."

Gloria could hardly imagine everything that passed between them with too few words. She was just about having a heart attack, though. Smasher's handler didn't look happy either. Gloria thanked her lucky stars that something happened then to break them apart. A thunderous boom shook the whole building. Just the sound, Gloria knew. There wasn't any real explosive payload in Atom's little surprise. Just the sound of one and a whole lot of smoke. Within seconds, it came pouring out of the vents to cover the whole floor.

Gloria took the offered chance. She grabbed Atom and pulled him toward the elevator. Smasher's piercing red eyes never left them, seeing through the thick smoke without issue. But he didn't move after them either. As Gloria practically dove into the elevator with Atom, Smasher's blood-chilling, rumbling voice followed them for a single parting remark.

"YOUR STUNT SAVED ME A MEETING WITH RELATIONS. YOU ONLY GET ONE FREEBIE, YOUNGLING. BEST MAKE SURE YOU'RE READY FOR OUR NEXT GLARE-DOWN. NOTHING BEATS MY CHROME. BUT I WANT TO SEE YOU TRY. BEEN TOO LONG SINCE I KILLED A FORCE-CUNT…"