The air in the lot grew heavy the moment the Verdant Core entourage breached the circle, thick with the scent of ozone and the high-pitched whine of industrial cooling fans.
Jackie cleared his throat, the sound cutting through the mechanical hum of the 800 pound robot. He reclaimed the center of the ring, his voice carrying the full weight of the Welles name.
"As all of you know, the Coyote is neutral ground," Jackie said, his eyes scanning the colorful, jagged line of gang leaders. "Anyone who disrupts the peace gets hit with a piece. Got that?"
The leaders, Vince Park, Redline, the muscular woman from the Green Knuckles, and the rest offered tense, short nods.
The rule was ancient, and even the most hopped up burner knew better than to cross Mama Welles on her own doorstep. Thats fucking stupid.
"Alright, good," Jackie stepped back. "Now, as per tradition, I'll hand it off to the caller of this summit, Padre."
Padre stepped forward, headlights reflecting off his polished shoes and the dark, somber fabric of his suit. He looked like a priest presiding over a congregation of wolves.
"As all of you know, the Council elections are coming up," Padre began, his voice a smooth, rhythmic baritone.
"The seat for Heywood was left vacant after the last guy fucked us hard. I won't get into the details of that because he's dead now, and we need a new Councilman who will have Heywood's best interests at heart."
A murmur of agreement rippled through the circle. The golden faced leader of the Barrio Kings nodded slowly, his optics whirring.
"You might have seen the news, but Verdant Core has been pivotal in keeping the NCPD in check these last couple of months," Padre continued.
"They have also checked other corps who have no place in our beautiful district. Recently, Militech has been paying off the Maelstroms to fuck with the gangs here and destabilize our home."
Padre reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of Militech dog tags. He tossed them into the center of the circle. They hit the asphalt with a hollow, metallic clink.
Ember, the leader of the Burners, leaned down.
Her blue dress shimmered as she picked one up, her gold jewelry rattling against her skin. She read the name, her blue optics flashing. "You can't be serious. This is completely illegal. To fund a proxy war on city soil..."
Teo let out a sharp, cynical scoff from the back. The sound drew every eye in the lot to him.
"Your acting as if these fucking corps don't already do that on a daily."
He stood leaning against his bike, the empty, pinned sleeve of his jacket fluttering in the exhaust warmed wind that smelt like burnt trash.
"No No, they've been doing scummy shit from the very beginning," Teo said, his voice flat and cold as a plume of smoke drifted from his lips.
"I went on a gig recently and ran into a stupid fucking Militech Agent in an exosuit. Sliced my arm clean off, don't worry I zeroed his bitch ass. But he was there to do exactly what Padre is saying. Putamadre was framing the deaths at Maelstrom hideouts on the Valentinos to start another war between us."
The circle went silent.
The gang leaders looked at Teo's missing limb, then back to the dog tags. The reality of the threat was no longer a rumor, it was standing right in fucking front of them, bleeding. Padre nodded solemnly.
"I believe that if we can get Verdant Core in on things, we can stop these corps from invading our district," Padre said. "And it's not just Militech. Stuff is stirring up out there, and this is just the beginning."
A few scoffed, but most looked intrigued.
Then, the Architect stepped forward. Julian Vane moved with a presence that was unmistakably corporate, yet he lacked the stiff, condescending arrogance of an Arasaka suit.
He looked like a man who understood the machinery of the street as well as the machinery of his towers.
He stopped in the center of the light, his glowing blue and black optics meeting the gaze of every leader. He didn't look at the guns, he looked at the people, a rarity for a corp in Night City.
"Hello, everyone," Julian began, his voice projected with effortless authority.
"I didn't come here to tell you how to run your streets. I came here because, like you, I am tired of watching the so called 'Big Four' treat Heywood like a chessboard where they can sacrifice our pawns to protect their kings. You want your votes to mean something? Then stop voting for people who live in North Oak and start voting for the Core that keeps your lights on."
He paused, letting the words settle before his gaze drifted back to Teo. "Mateo is right. The war has already started. The only question is whether you want to fight it with street scrap, or with the full weight of Verdant technology behind you."
Vince Park, leader of the Serpents, scoffed. "You know, that all sounds real cool, Vane. But all I'm hearing are empty promises. What do I get for my vote?"
Julian Vane smirked.
He didn't even look at the massive robot behind him for support. "Empty promises are for politicians, Vince. I'm a manufacturer. You want to know what's in it for the Serpents? I know your 'product' has been hitting a wall. The precursors you're buying from scavs are bottom shelf. Inconsistent. Dangerous."
Julian stepped closer to the purple Quadra, encroaching on Park's personal space. "I'm offering you access to Verdant Core's chemical synthesizers. Ninety nine percent purity, masked behind corporate shipping manifests the NCPD won't dare scan. You stop peddling street poison and start selling the premium high Westbrook is starving for."
Vince Park's purple optics flickered. He didn't say yes, but he didn't scoff again.
"And for the rest of you?" Julian turned to the circle.
"The Barrio Kings want the zoning laws for the new housing projects? They're yours. Los Chispas? I'll give you my 'Ghost Key' a localized override for every traffic sensor in Heywood. No more getting boxed in by sirens."
"Wait a damn minute!" Redline shouted, his red optics glowing. "If you own the traffic lights, you own us!"
"I own the lights so the NCPD doesn't," Julian countered.
"Right now, you're all fighting over the same scrap of dirt while Militech prepares to pave it over. I'm offering you the walls and the cannons to keep them out."
He paused, then looked back at Teo. "But I know talk is cheap. You want proof of Verdant's commitment? Look at what happens to a street royal of Heywood under my watch."
Julian signaled the robot.
With a series of hydraulic hisses, a pressurized hardshell case on its side slid open. A cloud of frigid vapor escaped, revealing a masterpiece of gold plates and green carbon fiber with glowing emerald circuitry.
"Mateo," Julian said, his voice dropping.
"You stood your ground against a Militech Agent with a tech pistol and a prayer. You paid a price that shouldn't have been yours. This is the Verdant 'Aegis' Prototype. It's not just a replacement. It's a statement."
Teo stared at the limb. He could feel Fucker was going haywire in his head.
'Teo... holy fucking shit! ayeee mother of code... that thing isn't an arm puto. It's a walking mainframe. The RAM capacity alone is... I think I'm in love, pendejo.'
Teo stared at the arm, his eyes narrowing.
'This doesn't come for free,' he thought. It's a contract. He wants something. And he knew about Pilot Guy before he even got here.
Julian just smiled back.
"So," Julian said. "Do we keep arguing about the 'subscription fee,' or do we start building our fortress?"
The circle went silent for what seemed like an hour.
But the silence didn't last.
The tension that had been simmering all evening finally boiled over. The leader of the Barrio Kings stepped forward, his golden faceplate gleaming with rage.
"Oh ok, so the Serpents get the labs and we just get 'housing projects'?" he barked.
"I spent ten years and millions of eddies securing Vista Del Rey. You'll bury my profit margins in tech tax before the first brick is laid!"
"Your profits are already dying, you gold-plated fossil!" Ember spat, her blue dress swirling. But she whips her head at Jullian like a fucking banshee.
"Vince Park gets premium product? That kills my club's exclusive contracts! If everyone has ninety nine percent pure Verdant synth, nobody pays for a table at Heaven!"
"Maybe if your girls spent less time skimming the top and more time checking the doors, you wouldn't be worried," Vince Park countered. The Serpents behind him unslung their tech rifles.
"Watch your mouth, Serp!" the muscular leader of the Green Knuckles roared. "We provide the security for Heaven! You insult them, you insult our contract! And Vane! My mercs don't vote for their own unemployment, we aren't being replaced by turrets!"
"Verdant is a cancer!" the Static Saints giant boomed. "Cleanse the district, don't wire it into a corporate heart!"
In seconds, the circle was gone.
Redline was revving his engine to drown out the Kings, the Green Knuckles were chest to chest with the Serpents, the Saints were chanting. Padre smoked his cigar and his capos just laughed at the caos.
Fingers twitched over triggers. The robot's LMG began to track targets as its combat subroutines flared red.
Julian Vane just stood there with a small, disappointed smirk. He was watching them tear each other apart, exactly what Militech wanted. He looked at Teo's family, who only offered a grim shrug.
Teo felt the headache coming on. His foot tapped at the floor. The phantom itch in his stump turned into a stabbing pain. He looked at Jackie, who was reaching for his dual handguns.
"Enough," Teo muttered, but he was drowned out.
'Teo! I've got the master override for the lot's sound system and every car's comms! Give the word, and I'll give them a digital lobotomy and rape their fucking ear drums!'
"Do it, Fucker. Take their ear drums."
Teo stepped forward. He didn't shout. He just raised his left hand and snapped his fingers.
KRRRR-ZZZZZT!
A localized EMP burst, funneled through the Coyote's speakers and every idling vehicle, erupted in a deafening, high frequency screech. It was a digital feedback loop hammered directly into their neural links.
A laughing green ghost, the tag they all knew, giggled through the optics of everyone in the lot.
And the effect was instantaneous.
Vince Park clutched his head. The Green Knuckles leader stumbled, her rig sparking. Redline's bike stalled with a sputter. The burners leader rolled her ankle on her heals and fell.
A heavy, ringing silence slammed down on the lot.
Teo stood in the center, a long trail of smoke escaping his lips. He looked exhausted and pale, but his green eyes were slitted with a cold, terrifying intensity.
"Mama Welles said no fighting at the Fucking Coyote," Teo said, his voice quiet but echoing in the hush.
He looked at the Kings, at Ember, at the mercs. "Look at yourselves. Shouting about zoning laws while Militech is printing your death warrants. You think a 'sovereign zone' is a leash? You're all on the chopping block, arguing about who gets to be capped first"
He pointed his cigarette at the case on the robot.
"Julian hasn't even shown us how this tech works yet. He's offering a fortress. If you want to play 'King of the shit hole Scrapheap,' do it in an alley where the crows can eat you. But in here? You listen, you stupid sacks of borged up shit."
Jackie stepped up beside him, crossing his massive arms. Julian Vane adjusted his tie, his red optics shifting back to a calm glow.
"Thank you, Mateo," Julian said.
"It's Teo, puto."
Julian's smile grew as he turned back to the leaders. "Now... shall we discuss the Aegis, or are we still worried about the fucking 'subscription fee'?"
A/N: Im high asf rn so hopefully this good heh.