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Meredith Stout
Meredith was the archetype of corporate lethality: blonde, blue-eyed, and possessing a gaze that could frost over a server room. As the head of Militech's Operations Department, she didn't care about the monetary value of the stolen "Flathead" prototype. Her focus was on the internal leak.
However, the investigation had hit a wall of meat and chrome. The Maelstrom internal power struggle had turned her "wait-and-see" strategy into a dumpster fire. Royce had jacked up the price, the buyer had ghosted, and now Meredith had to move.
She led her tactical team to the All Foods Factory, ready to extract information through extreme prejudice. But she arrived to find a graveyard. The hideout had been wiped clean with professional surgical precision. Not a single survivor, not a single byte of network data remained. Royce was dead beyond dead—his head had been removed entirely.
"Just who the hell is this bastard?!!" Meredith roared. She hadn't just lost the traitor; she'd lost the Flathead. In the corporate world, this was a "Career-Zeroing" event.
Inside the Delamain factory, Kael was recalibrating the acquired Flathead. It was a masterpiece of Militech engineering, but to him, its primary function was "Evidence." The mere scent of its hardware screamed Militech. Leaving it at a crime scene would be like having mud in your pants—even if it's not "shit," everyone's going to treat it like it is.
Jackie and Valerie (V) returned, dragging a dazed, nouveau-riche black man.
"Dexter DeShawn," Kael noted. "I don't believe we've met."
"I don't think I've ever offended you," Dexter stammered, his face still stained with the blood of his guards.
Kael pointed at the Flathead. "Who leaked the info on this to you?"
Dexter's heart sank. He suspected Militech, but the reality was more complex. Maine had blackmailed Meredith's subordinate, Gilk, to ensure the Flathead reached Dexter. Maine took orders from Yorinobu Arasaka. The "Crown Prince" had orchestrated every detail of his own robbery to ensure the Relic reached Militech.
Kael didn't need a confession. He signaled Jackie, who injected Dexter with a high-dose sedative. Sasha initiated a "Brain-Dive," copying every shred of intel from the fixer's neural bridge. Kael now had the blueprint. He blacklisted T-Bug to buy himself a window and sent out messages in Dexter's name: "Everything is smooth. Proceed as planned."
"Stealing from Arasaka? Now this is a job," Valerie whispered in awe.
As a certified "Arasaka Dog" thanks to Corpo-V's payroll hack, Kael swaggered into Konpeki Plaza with Valerie in tow. He even kept the receipts for V to reimburse later.
"Straighten your back, Valerie. You're a corpo now. Stiffen your expression," Kael coached. Valerie complied, looking every bit the cold, over-worked bureaucrat.
They reached their reserved suite. "Scan confirmed. Zero surveillance," Sasha's voice echoed in Kael's mind.
Kael released the Flathead. Controlled by Delve, the drone bypassed the building's ICE with ease. The duo reached the penthouse. It was empty. Valerie retrieved the Relic's Cryo-container from the safe.
"Do you think anyone would be stupid enough to plug an unknown chip directly into their head?" Kael asked suddenly.
"No one could be that stupid," Valerie replied instinctively.
"Right."
As they exited the building, the grand show began. Saburo Arasaka's AV landed on the roof. Yorinobu, fearing his father would reclaim the chip, met him in the penthouse. Moments later, the Emperor was dead—strangled by his own son.
Konpeki Plaza went into red-alert lockdown. Trauma Team arrived to find a stone-cold corpse.
"What happened?!" Corpo-V called Kael, panic-stricken.
"Someone died, V. That's all," Kael replied calmly from the sidewalk below.
"Who? Not Yorinobu?!"
"No. Saburo Arasaka."
V went silent. The Emperor was dead. The Crown Prince was ascending. V was about to hit the career jackpot.
"Relax, V. Side with Yorinobu immediately. Ride the wave," Kael advised.
Kael checked in with Delve. The Flathead had been left in the vents, rigged to look like a botched Militech retreat. Even if Arasaka suspected Yorinobu, the Board would choose the "Militech did it" narrative to maintain stability.
But Saburo wasn't entirely gone. His consciousness was backed up in Mikoshi—a satellite data-fortress beyond the Blackwall. He intended to use Yorinobu's body as a vessel for rebirth.
In the penthouse, Yorinobu sat on the sofa, staring at his father's body. A text from an unknown source flashed on his HUD, shattering his triumph into cold terror.
"Was I still a step too late?" Yorinobu murmured.
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