Of course, Hanako was the first to arrive at this meeting. It wouldn't do for the Kiji ( green pheasant) faction to be anything but the first to establish their presence. As inheritors of his will and ultimately the most loyal to Saburo's vision for the company, they had the arduous task of both carrying out the patriarch's wishes and wringing in all of the branches and factions under one banner. The fact of the matter is, Arasaka was too big of a behemoth to fully control anymore. Despite the outward appearance of the biggest and most successful megacorp in the world, with its many tendrils outreaching to every aspect of human life, the visage was that; just a mere visage.
Behind the scenes, Arasaka was teetering on the edge of disaster, and financial ruin. Still recovering from its disastrous performance in the last Corpo war, they were still not ready for another scuffle with Militech, who from their reports, were building up military and supply stockpiles. Biotechnica greatly profited from the last war, as they did not take sides and were reportedly selling to both belligerents, lining their own pockets and weakening their competitors in the process. And that was merely the two foremost corporations that they were contending with. Kang Tao, EBM, Zetatech, TDS, and a plethora of other companies; all were looking to carve a piece from the giants.
Arasaka was under scrutiny by other outside forces too, ones such as the ESA, who still were in the dark about their plans to construct a mass driver on the moon, and it was only thanks to a certain field agent that the crisis was averted; Arasaka could not take another PR hit and scandal. NUSA was raising another fit, complaining about even more border disputes in the California region and using Militech as a proxy to gain more ground there, regardless of any signed treaties and denied any involvement.. They were not in any shape or form to oppose them, as the company was still recovering from worker shortages thanks to… "cuts" to their labor force.
And the icing on the cake that was their impending crisis? Arasaka was splintered from within, into different factions vying for control. They all served Saburo, of course, his century long hold on the company had him established as the end all be all patriarch…but his children all have a vision for the company once he passes the baton. Hanako, Yorinobu, Michiko. All had their own power bases in Arasaka, and beneath the veil of family and strength in unity that they outwardly exhibited, there was a tension in the uncertainty of their futures. Now more than ever, Hanako would have to be alert. There were pieces on the board that were moving behind her own jurisdiction.
This meeting for instance. It came out of the blue, from up on high. Saburo Arasaka himself sent the missive, stating the "utmost importance to the future of this company." The last time a meeting of this caliber took place? 62 years ago, at the development and announcement of Arasaka's "Secure your Soul" program. It was their flagship product that had many patrons, even major names from other corporations had signed up on their list of contractors. Many were clamoring for their personality to be digitized and forever be immortalized as a piece of technology that would last throughout the ages. A form of immortality that would persist in this increasingly more material world, by making one immaterial, digital, a piece of data to be uploaded on some server. Hanako knew that the method to "Secure your Soul" was Arasaka's most closely guarded secret. To even know about how it works, would require an immense amount of clearance and surveillance from the head of research and development himself.
Hanako shook her head. To even begin to think about what was occurring within her company was the start of a very painful migraine. It wasn't just her brother Yorinobu and her niece Michiko she had to contend with when it came to their family fortune; all the branches of their company had their own little agendas and aspirations that conflicted with their fellow workmates. They all schemed and plotted, unaware of the bigger picture ongoing behind their petty scuffles. The company was in danger of being overtaken by outside forces, and the infighting was reaching a point where it was actively interfering with their ability to coordinate.
Whatever this meeting was, had to address these concerns. And if it didn't? Hanako would have to address them herself.
" Hanako-sama, the room is secure ." A voice reported in Japanese, and a dour man approached her and kneeled, his long dark hair framing his face save for a single, glowing white eye.
" Thank you, Oda. However it is unneeded. I do not think our enemies would dare to attack us where we are strongest." She responded in kind, and glanced around the room. A massive semi circular table was in the middle, with a name tag and a seat of choice for each head of department/people of importance to Arasaka. The table faced an empty holoscreen, where she assumed her father would make his grand entrance when all were present. There was a large hanging light that cascaded down and trailed the table, illuminating the room with bright harsh lights and dark shadows. The sides of the room were also decorated with black and red banners proudly displaying the Arasaka family crest. Her secretary was standing out to the side of the opposite wall, taking notes and grading the workers to see if they had set up the meeting room to her exact specifications..
"... I am not referring to outside forces, Hanako-sama…" He corrected, and stood back up, before returning to his position behind her seat. Of course Oda would take extra precaution when it came to her safety. Even if some members in attendance were family, he still considered them foes.
" As he should…" A voice reverberated in her head, but she quickly stamped it down. They were family! In this world where flesh means little, familial ties should be stressed more now than ever. It was them against the world. It was the only thing keeping them together…
Shaking her head, she walked around the table and sat down at her seat. Her throne. The Arasaka's were many things, and to be ostentatious and extravagant with their wealth was one. In a society where one modified their body to display power, everything else had to also be just as extraordinary. And to be part of the most powerful family in the world, they were definitely no exception. Her seat was made of a rare earth titanium alloy, mined from some deep extraction in West Africa. It was heavily coated in a special plaster, and had streaks of pure gold and platinum running down its frame. A regular employee had to work overtime for perhaps five years before they could even look at buying something like it.
Sitting down, she glanced at her neural watch, and realized she had some time before everyone else started to show up. Opening up her data pad and scrolling through her notes, she began reviewing what little she knew about the meeting at hand.
One, due to its timing, and the manner of which the meeting was first brought up, the announcement had to be revolutionary for Arasaka.
Two, her family and every head of branch would be in attendance in Night City. Why did father choose Night City for this meeting instead of Tokyo? While Tokyo was the center of Arasaka's power base, Night City was possibly the center of the world's corporation powerbase. It was to be assumed then that whatever happened in the meeting would soon disseminate to the entire world.
Three, there was-
Her thinking was cut-off when the door swung open and a young japanese woman wearing a very revealing blue and gold low-cut dress walked in. Her eyes glowed a tranquil turquoise, but her hair was a vibrant blue splash. She walked in with two bodyguards in tow, a massive sumo man and the infamous Arasaka solo, Kenichi Zaburo. Behind her was her own secretary, who quickly departed to stand by a far off wall. Noticing Hanako, Michiko walked forward until Oda pushed off the wall and stood to the side of Hanako.
"... Peace, Oda. Surely I can greet my niece?" Hanako whispered in Japanese, and nudged her bodyguard. Oda stared at the perceived interloper for a second, and Zaburo did the same glaring at Oda to make a move, before Oda bowed and walked back to his post. Hanako smiled in his direction, before returning her attention to the woman walking up to her.
" Afternoon, Michiko-sama." Hanako greeted, a smile on her face. Michiko bowed in return at the waist and walked forward until she was a few steps away from her aunt.
" Hanako-sama, as glowing as always." Michiko complemented. Hanako tilted her head in return, smile growing wider. If there was anyone she could perhaps sway to her side the most, it was Michiko. As Michiko Arasaka was the head of the Hato (dove) faction, she worked with the more…liberal side of the company. They often pushed for reforms and a better overall PR score with the populace. A rather monumental task, if Hanako were to be honest. They were known for many scandals around the world, and the public knew them as the instigators of the fourth Corporation war. Recent events with their worker shortages couldn't have helped either…
But Michiko was at the very least, easy to talk to and reason with. Although set in her "reformation of the system" mindset, and Hanako was the monolith of the conservative side of the company, she was family…and that had to count for something. Hanako had planned to first reach out to her whenever Saburo had finally decided to step down. She could agree that a degree of reforms would have to occur, so she had planned to combine their factions in a power play to check Yorinobu's faction, who was definitely the most incendiary of them all. The only problem was if Michiko already had plans of her own, or even the possibility that she would turn the other way and join forces with Yorinobu's Taka ( Hawk) Faction. As the most military inclined and temperamental faction, there was a real possibility Michiko would go work with Yorinobu to gain access to assets that could allow her to…for the lack of a better word, strongarm her reforms into the company and right through the boards more loyal traditionalists…
" No, I am merely overthinking things. Michiko would rather work within her own powerbase to bring about her reforms…" Hanako said to herself, and refocused on the woman in front of her.
" I see you are also the first one here, Hanako-sama." Michiko started with a coy expression, and Hanako couldn't help but smirk in return.
"Of course! It wouldn't do for the first attendee to be anyone other than an Arasaka." The two women had a private chuckle, but they both knew it was an empty platitude. She knew her father had requested that they be in attendance earlier. Presumably to give the image that their family came first, and was anything but fractured in front of their own "lords". The fact of the matter was that Arasaka held dominion over the world's economy, with Saburo as its "emperor". Much like the olden days of feudal Japan, it was then their responsibility as heirs to ensure that the realm be at peace, and that meant reigning in their more willful lords.
Arasaka's board of directors.
The door opened, and a japanese man walked through. He was wearing at first glance, a rather plain gray shirt and pants, but upon closer inspection, the gray shirt had intricate designs and a motif of steel like dragons undulating through its seams. A dark pair of sunglasses adorned his face, which was weathered with untold trials and tribulations. This was the leader of the Taka faction, and male heir of Saburo Arasaka. This was the man who had left his family earlier in his life and made not one, but two gangs to oppose his fathers wishes. He had risen up against his own family in a cry of rebellion against the so-called injustice that Arasaka had wrought upon the world, only to come crawling back to try and obtain a piece of his family fortune.
The steel dragon, and heir apparent, Yorinobu Arasaka.
She smiled at his appearance, but inwardly she could not shake the resentment that came up at his behavior. His existence. Though they were close as family and they loved each other as a brother and sister should, they were diametrically opposed when it came to the company in almost every single way. And to pour salt on the wound, her father would rather he inherit the company than her, or even Michiko. When Yorinobu left to pursue his "own path against father", she became the heir apparent. Yorinobu's rebellion phase came at an opportune time, and the preparations were there to ascend as the head of the entire megacorp after Saburo stepped down.
Then Yorinobu came crawling back, and her father had welcomed him with open arms, and immediately gave him his old position back as heir apparent. Nevermind the fact that Yorinobu had founded two gangs and had stoked anti corporation fervor against their family in Japan. He was the male heir, and had returned. Praise be the prince…
Perhaps that was a crack in Saburo's armor. Even in the year 2075, his old values of how the family should be run by a Patriarch did originate from how he grew up during the time Japan was still a burgeoning empire. She loved her father deeply, and continued to uphold his wishes and vision of the company.
All except for the fact that Yorinobu was next in line and she wasn't.
A whirring sound distracted her from her thoughts, and she could hear the monstrous sound of servos and hydraulics slowly approaching from the door. The large thuds roused a wave of apprehension through everyone in the room, and all turned to watch the door, recognizing the tell-tale sound of the destroyer approaching, apart from Yorinobu. Oda immediately positioned himself in front of his charge, blocking her view, and Michiko's bodyguards also became alert, standing close to her and at attention. The dreadful sound stopped just outside the door, and Yorinobu smirked a little, content that his bodyguard was stirring up a commotion just by his mere presence.
"You may come in, Smasher-san." Yorinobu ordered, and the steel behemoth walked through the door, red eyes sweeping the room and tagging everyone in there. His polished jet-black dragoon armor glinted in the harsh lighting, and the red hum of lights underneath the steel accented his look as a truly dark and formidable juggernaut.
This was the first NC bogeyman of legend, and the quite possibly the most borged out man ever born/made in human history.
The Cyborg Oni, Adam Smasher.
"Quite a gathering of importance here, hmm?" Adam drawled out, his guttural voice modified heavily by his artificial voice box.
"Indeed. Sister. Niece. I am glad we can come and chat before…the others arrive." Yorinobu greeted, speaking in English. The side of Hanako's mouth twitched, and she touched Oda's shoulder, wordlessly telling him to stand down. He grunted in reply and moved back to her side, but still glared at the metal monstrosity that stood in place behind the male heir.
" Onii-sama/Oji-sama." the Arasaka women responded, Hanako bowing at the waist, while Michiko gave a respectful nod. Yorinobu walked around the table and stood in front of his own seat, a large and decorated slab of steel that was embossed with engravings of dragons running down its frame. Apparently it had taken three chromed out workers to even lift and install the almost throne-like seat of Yorinobu in the room. Taking a seat, he gestured to their own thrones, and Hanako followed suit, sitting down with a dainty air about her. Michiko on the other hand, stole a glance at the cyborg that was currently dominating the room with his presence, and a slight frown decorated her features. Yorinobu pretended to not notice and opened his mouth to speak.
"Now now, there's no need for titles. We're all close family here, yes?" he questioned in english. Another thing was that her brother was more…western-inclined than the rest of their family. A true black sheep, he preferred to speak in the language of the foreigners more than his home tongue. That was one of the reasons why Hanako had such a strong backing with the more conservative members of the board, as they could not accept such a man who dabbles with the foreigners as much as he did.
" Perhaps in private. However, we do have our bodyguards as prying eyes and ears, yes?" Hanako countered back in Japanese, also stealing a furtive glance at smasher.
"Don't mind him. He's not being paid to think. Am I correct, Smasher-san?"
"Hehehehe. Of course not. I'm just here for the check." The cyborg said, his entire frame shaking when he chuckled. But Hanako knew better. This was all power projection. Yorinobu could afford Smasher on his payroll, and he had the backing of the major powers concerned with military assets and force projection across Arasaka. The fact that he had brought their most accomplished mercenary as a mere bodyguard was telling enough.
Yorinobu was here to play hard, fast, and with a lot of cybernetics backing him.
She wondered about the feasibility of anyone in the current room who was able to take on the monster in steel. Oda, perhaps, if he got the drop. He was an excellent arasaka ninja in his own right and had the best model of Mantis blades currently developed, not to mention personally trained by Goro Takemura, her fathers bodyguard. Still… even that wasn't probably enough.
The man beside Michiko, Zaburo, was rumored to be just as good as Smasher, but recent steps in technology might have eclipsed that matchup. Smasher was their veritable walking apocalypse, and represented both their best of the company, with the most state of art technologies constantly being cycled and tested through him on the field, and the worst, with every deployment of the Oni resulting in massive casualties and loss of life. It would also be better off not mentioning the property damage they had to pay every time he was sent out.
"...Michiko, why don't you take a seat? We'll be here for a while." Yorinobu gestured to her spot on the table. Michiko took one more glance at Smasher before returning her attention to her uncle.
"Of course. I was just reminiscing about something…" She walked over to her seat, a chair that was made 100% from recycled materials and decorated with artificial gems and had a white dove sewed into the back. Once all the Arasaka's were sitting down, their bodyguards took positions behind them, and an air of tension began to permeate the room. Their shifting eyes and brows met each other for a charged minute, before Yorinobu sighed and leaned forward on the table.
"...Well, does anyone have an idea what this meeting is specifically for?"
"No." Michiko spoke idly tapping on the table, and Hanako merely shook her head.
" You know how father confides in me about his plans for the future. This meeting came out of nowhere, with no warning. All of the board will be in attendance as well…" Hanako responded in Japanese.
" Father didn't tell you? Of course he didn't. Imouto, I don't know what you see in him that you hold him in such high regard." Yorinobu finally spoke in Japanese, heat entering his voice at the mention of their sire.
" He's our father, Yorinobu. Not only that, but he's the reason why we are allotted such wealth and power." Hanako chided. They'd done this argument, this same song and dance, time and time again, ever since their father had given them responsibilities for the company.
"Wealth and power that were hoisted on us by circumstance of birth, Imouto. I did not ask to be next in line in inheritance for the most powerful company in the world. I did not ask to be targeted by other companies for my blood and last name. And I certainly did not ask for the wealth given to me by the broken backs of the common workers and unfortunate victims that bleed everyday for father and Arasaka!" He ranted, and Hanako shook her head.
"...You say all of this, for what? To gain some sense of a moral high ground?" Hanako scoffed, crossing her arms. "Trying to make yourself feel better? You left the company, and then came back, begging for your former position. Perhaps you realized that you rather enjoy the wealth and power that being an Arasaka entails."
Yorinobu scowled and shook his head in denial, but Hanako kept going on her tirade.
"If it were not us using these workers, us giving them jobs and opportunities, then it would be Militech or some other corporation. Do not delude yourself into thinking that we can break this system. Not you. Definitely not the heir, the crown prince of Arasaka company. Your lot in life was chosen for you, and it is one of the very best situations a human being living in this day and age can find themselves in. Why can't you accept that?" She finished her spiel with a pointed finger, and then pulled herself in with a sigh. Once again the image of composure, she sat down and silence once again dominated the arena, with only Yorinobu's hard breathing punctuating the air. Michiko sat there, awkwardly glancing between the both of them and her sumo bodyguard, who shrugged in return. Yorinobu laid back in his seat with a tired expression on his already weathered face.
" ...Is money and power the sum of all life, sister?" He switched back to English.
" Of course not. But we don't get to choose what's important to us. Not in our positions …" Hanako responded in kind, and Yorinobu shook his head.
"...We always have a choice. We'll agree to disagree on that topic." And the conversation was over. There was a period of silence before the door opened once again, and some board members and their guards/secretaries finally began to file into the room.
" Arasaka-sama. It's a pleasure to meet you ." The Head of Banking and Finances greeted her, and she nodded in turn.
" Kazuko-san. The pleasure is mine." She responded, but out of the corner of her eye she saw the head of security forces shake hands with Yorinobu, and the head of Public Relations kiss Michiko on the cheek before embracing in a hug. They then all took their respective seats, and while not as expensive or decorated as the Arasaka's, they were as flamboyant as befitting their stations as heads of a Megacorp.
" So the power plays begin…" Hanako thought, and began to converse with the head of banking about their shared interest in keeping costs down in the company by working with their subsidiaries and using them as proxies for cost-effective purchases. She kept a close eye on her sibling and niece, and noticed just as many heads flocked to them as they did to her.
" A stalemate then…" She mused, and considered her position. She excused herself from her previous conversation, and got up. Walking towards Michiko, she began to converse with the Head of Tourism and the Head of Hospitality, who were in line to greet her niece.
" Yanaka-san, Taylor-san," She greeted, and they bowed back.
"Could I borrow you both for a second before this meeting begins? I have offers to the both of you that could greatly benefit your standing…"
More heads of departments walked through the door, and soon the room was chock full of the most important heads of Arasaka, all gathered in one place. The true one percent of the population, each and every person in that room apart from the guards probably made more money than an entire third world country. And combined?
Perhaps even more than most countries in Europe and NUSA.
Tanaka walked in through the door, with a limp to his step. He spotted Yorinobu, and hobbled his way over, greeting his fellow military heads of department as he passed. Stopping near the Heir apparent he cleared his throat, and Yorinobu turned around.
"Ahh… Tanaka! How are you?" Yorinobu greeted, but then noticed Tanaka limping towards him and they shook hands.
"...Are you alright, Tanaka-san?" Yorinobu questioned, and gave a pointed look at Tanaka's leg.
"Yes, Yorinobu-sama. I just…fell down the stairs a while back…" he gave an empty chuckle, and Yorinobu gave another pointed look at him.
"Are you sure? I am the second most powerful man in the world. If there's anything you need…" Yorinobu started, but Tanaka shook his head. Yorinobu might be powerful, but he didn't radiate the same presence as that…demon in human skin. He would rather not complicate manners by implicating himself…
"Think nothing of it. Instead, why don't we discuss the new APC's that we started to ship around to our allies? I think that a more effective way to transport them would be to-"
Similar conversations began to erupt around the table, with many shaking hands and smiles being exchanged. It was a mere facade in most cases however. They would greet each other like old friends, throw around some offer or promise of cooperation, then immediately consult others behind their back to make the same offers and promises, in hopes of reaching a better deal. Even the bodyguards began to intersperse, save Smasher, Zaburo and Oda, who were intently focused on their charges. Deals were brokered, broken, and remade within minutes of discussion.
A true den of snakes.
Hanako noticed that there was only about two minutes before the meeting began properly, and cleared her throat in a soft manner. Despite being of small stature, the soft power she held and the significance of her position made ears and eyes perk up, wondering what she had to say next.
"My Board of Directors. I suppose it is time we take our seats, yes?" She questioned in Japanese, but it was more of an order than anything, so the room shuffled around until everyone was where they were supposed to be. All of the Arasaka's sat down, and the rest followed suit, flanked by their biggest supporters of their faction. The body guards stood at the wall behind their respective heads, at attention and stared straight ahead, focusing on nothing in particular yet everything in the room at the same time. All seats and chairs, which were decorated and specifically chosen for each member of the Arasaka family and board, were occupied and accounted for.
Save one.
An empty seat, which Hanako had selected to be right next to hers, lay unoccupied. The seat for the Head of Counter-Intel. He had come from thin air, quiet literally out of nowhere, and had taken the company by storm. No name, no presence on any sort of media or file before that fateful day in Tokyo where he had first appeared, and saved both her and her father's lives.
Her father became indebted, and had told him that he could have had anything that day. She didn't know the true specifics, but he had merely asked for an officer position as Counter Intel in Night City. The days that followed after he was sworn in as an agent were truly spectacular in a morbid and political sense.
She didn't want to raise a finger to help out the clearly green at the time head of Counter Intel, and wanted to see how the situation played out. Counter-Intel, while important to the company, was ultimately not part of her faction and she could be content with it falling out of favor and weakening the other factions positions, namely Yorinobu, who was close to the previous head of Counter-Intel. She watched as he navigated unfamiliar terrain, stumbling through the cutthroat political world and failing at making any kind of ties or deals.
That was until he stopped trying to play the game.
He had attended exactly five high council meetings during his two year tenure as head, when each year there were approximately ten meetings, give or take. And the night after the fifth meeting…
Was the rumored first appearance of the Dark Slayer in Night City.
If there was one thing that humans understood, it was that those with talent and abilities tend to make waves around them. He had caused a tsunami. A man with no name, no resources and no backing from any other faction walked out into the city by his lonesome and carved his own name in blood. First from Arasaka, where he systematically purged the excess and rot that was plaguing the company. Those found dead had multiple accounts of corruption tied to their name, and this continued almost every single night with no respite. Then he had moved onto the streets, and areas under Arasaka control were rid of crime almost overnight, piles of dead gangsters and other corporate rivals llittered the grounds. All from a man in a failing branch with no allies.
"One didn't need to play the game if they were just that special," Hanako mused. Now indispensable to Arasaka, she had tried again and again to gravitate him to her sphere of influence, but she had missed her chance. She could have reached out to him in his time of need, but now Counter-Intel was a feared entity in its own right, with no ties to anyone but Saburo and their new Head of CI.
If there was anyone in the company besides her family that she would want in her corner, it was the enigmatic man named Vergil Sparda. All the money and influence she had with her meant nothing if she didn't have the power and intimidation to back it. And because Yorinobu had most of the Arasaka military backing, she had few options available. She would just have to try harder to bring him into the fold then. All men had a price, she just had to find what made him tick.
As there was only a minute left, she wondered if this was another play of his. A subtle gesture, to set himself apart from his compatriots. To not be technically late, but come much later than everyone else. It sent a message of autonomy; of sovereignty. They didn't need to mingle and make alliances; their own prowess was enough-
Her thoughts were interrupted by the door flying open, with two outstretched arms pushing them. All heads turned at the sudden entrance. The final member of the board of directors was finally here. Vergil Sparda walked through the door, his imperious gaze staring straight ahead of him. His coattails billowing at some impossible wind, his footsteps sure and steady, light yet sending echoes through the entire room. Three of his fellow counter intel compatriots followed him, with two wearing those ridiculous outfits that had emerged out of the Dark Slayer's popularity in the branch. The one with the glasses branched out, lining up against the wall with the rest of the aids and secretaries.
Hanako recognized the other two by him. One was his right hand person, the so called Slayer's shadow and a terror in her own right, even before Vergils ascension. She walked on his left with an easy smirk, but a sharp look in her eye, which tagged everyone in that room in her neural net.
The woman on his right…was the infamous Melissa Rory, former senior MaxTac officer and now one of the most brutal members of Counter-Intel on their roster. Every scene she leaves behind was a veritable mess of torn apart flesh, bone, and steel. A gruesome fate for any who crossed Counter-Intel's path. Her face was devoid of emotion, gaze only focused on her boss in front of her. As they neared the table, he stopped in place and scanned the room, until his eyes found his chair, right next to hers.
He slowly walked around the table, each and every eye on his movements. Oda tensed at his gaze, his lips thinning into a tight line, and Zaburo slowly reached near his belt with his arm, using the other hand to stroke his beard in consideration. Smasher was still as a statue, but his eyes continued to track the silver-haired man through the room, watching him intently as he moved closer and closer to his destination. Tanaka averted his gaze, finding the table grains very interesting to inspect at that moment. Melissa's expression suddenly changed from an aloof expression to a determined one, and she pulled ahead of the group, and reached his…seat first.
It was a simple plastic chair. It was a plain, white, monobloc, plastic chair. One you could probably find for five eurodollars, or even steal from a lawn somewhere in Santo Domingo. During his first meeting, he had pulled into the room with it, and everyone ridiculed him for it behind his back.
Then he had shown off his ruthlessness and willingness to climb the ranks using the corpses of his fellow workmates as stepping stones.
They no longer whispered about the Dark Slayer, or his choice of furniture.
It was rather genius, Hanako had to admit. By choosing something so unassuming and so absurd in comparison to the rest of Arasaka's opulent and ostentatious sitting arrangements, he again set a statement of his individuality and willingness to go against the grain. Not only that, but as another legend of Night City and a body count that eclipsed everyone in that room save Smasher, him sitting on something so disposable, so simple… sent a threatening message.
" I sit upon this Trash. You all are utter Trash, and I care not for this pomp and pageantry. You are all below me."
Hanako could imagine him saying those exact words, his soft, yet hard timber creeping through her bones like a cold chill in the night. His dagger-like eyes of the sharpest ice stabbing deep into her own. The fact that he let Melissa Rory, a certified cyberpsycho, who had not one, but two public displays of insanity into the meeting itself? Utter callousness. But results were results. The Former MaxTac officer had made her place in Arasaka, and showed that she was utterly devoted to her boss to the point of zealotry.
She even debased herself by pulling his chair back, in front of the most powerful people in the world, like some maid serving a lord in some castle. Utter ridiculousness.
Yet another message sent by a mere choice of bodyguard; " I can change even the most deranged Cyberpsycho to the most loyal subordinate. I have true loyalty that can't be bought…"
And all Hanako could do was both seethe in indignation, and look on in awe at his subtle display of his prowess. If she could only turn back time and had helped him when he was still finding his footing… but it was too late. He had started from nothing, from nowhere and had carved his own path forward. Now she had to play catchup.