Chapter 2: Arrangements

"We need to talk."

In spite of the seriousness in my tone, the only response she deigned to give was one of mild bemusement, but it was replaced quickly with a more business-like demeanour, "What about?"

"Being who you are, I trust you are aware of the goings-on, politically speaking?"

"Naturally."

"Well, the ground has been shifting, and quickly. Mayor Lucius Rhyne just got himself killed an-"

She cut me off, "Not officially."

I dismissed her retort with a wave of my hand, "You and I both know the police report is bullshit. Someone, somewhere, came gunning for the mayor, and after that failed cyberpsycho attack, they learned from their mistakes and got subtle. Bad news for me, bad news for you."

She quirked an eyebrow at my statement, "Oh?"

"Someone found a way to off two of the most powerful men in the city within mere weeks of each other, and the supposedly best fixer in Night City wasn't involved in either one? Either you're slipping, or your opponents are getting wise. Come on Rogue, Saburo Arasaka, and the Mayor, and within weeks of each other? The two biggest contracts you'll ever be able to get, and you skipped out on both. That can't be good for your rep, now can it?"

"Me not getting involved was calculated. I mean, you don't see Dexter DeShawn around these parts anymore, do you? Only gonks pick fights with Arasaka, and I am no gonk." I pursed my lips, set my drink down on the table to the side, and leaned forwards towards her, closing the gap until my face was just a couple inches from hers. She looked amused at the move, "If you kiss me, I'll kill you."

My next words were a whisper, "But you were a gonk, weren't you? You went in that tower with Johnny, and you went in with a payload measuring in the kilotons." The smile slid straight off her face, and in my peripheral vision, I saw her reach down to her hip, surreptitiously making to draw her gun. Not wanting to take the chance, I leaned back into my side of the booth, adopting a more relaxed tone and posture, "You seem to have yourself convinced that you're some paragon of apathy, and that you don't care about anything but the almighty eddy, but you can't fool me."

Her next words were bitten out between clenched teeth, her gun drawn and pointed at me under the table, not that I couldn't see it, "How did you find out?"

"Not even a hint of denial? I'd be disappointed if I weren't so pleased."

Her tone became more heated, "How did you find out?!"

I took a sip of my drink and spoke, "Let's just say that I have... connections." Of course, I didn't, not really, but I could hardly tell her I was from the past where she was in a video game about the dystopic alternate future, now could I?

Her eyes narrowed, "Nobody knows what we did on that day, I made sure of it. There is literally nobody alive who could tell you I was, in any way, involved."

I took a moment to ponder her question, and noting her itchy trigger finger, decided to take a different tac, "Say, did someone by the name of V come by to see you recently?"

She looked aggravated, "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Humour me."

She looked suspicious, though the diversion in topic seemed to have calmed her a little. Thankfully, she decided to bite, "Yeah, why?"

"Did you have her scanned before you met with her?"

"Of course."

"Notice anything... strange?"

Here eyes narrowed as she considered what I had just asked her, "Just some faulty hardware in her dome. Nothing special."

I nodded, and stroked the lip of my glass, "Incidentally, did you hear the new announcement, about a biochip being developed by Arasaka?"

Her eyes widened in realisation, and for the first time since I had known her, Rogue's unflappable façade cracked, "The heist..." For a moment, she seemed shocked beyond mere words, "Silverhand's in her fucking head?!"

Relishing the victory, I chose the wrong moment to become unbearably smug, "My my, you're remarkably quick on the uptake, aren't you? I expected it would take you longer to get to Silverhand. Bravo, Rogue, bravo."

Anger and shock was quickly supplanted by a calculated ruthlessness on Rogue's face as she pointed the muzzle of her gun back at me, this time on the table rather than under it, "He was the only one us they managed to get a hold of alive, and that doesn't really change much, does it? I still can't have this getting out," she jabbed the gun in my direction, "and you need to be kept quiet, one way or another."

"It's a biochip developed by Arasaka, Rogue. You know, the people you nuked? The people who had your co-conspirator's engram for more than fifty years. I mean, did you seriously think they wouldn't at least try to interrogate it?" I scoffed, "The only reason you aren't in a box right now is because the tech is still buggy as hell." I smiled, now with the knowledge that I had her on the hook, "But now... now it's in the wild, and more importantly, it works, and most importantly of all, Arasaka knows that it works. However, they needn't know more than that, and my connections can make sure of that for you, and ensure that any copies of the engram in Arasaka's possession experience a... malfunction."

This was, of course, a complete lie. Arasaka did not have copies of the engram, nor did I have connections that could ensure they be destroyed if they did. However, Rogue didn't need to know that, did she? For a moment, sheer outrage flashed across her face at the notion that I was blackmailing her, and more importantly, that I was blackmailing her successfully. "Where does the CEO of a fresh food corp get those kind of connections?"

"You didn't think I survived those attempts on my life by Biotechnica by pure luck, did you?" Actually, I did. Well, that and some good old-fashioned paranoia, not that she needed to know that.

Thankfully, the rage present on her features soon morphed into an expression of resignation, and she took the bait, "What do you want?"

I smiled. I needed her in my corner for my plan to work, and now I did.

Wasn't future knowledge just the best?

So, the protagonist has begun to sow the seeds for his climb to power. Will he prevail, or will the rapidly changing circumstances render his plans moot?

This is a bit of a short one, but I need more time to write out a full-length chapter, so I decided to write this instead to keep all of you entertained in the meantime.

I own nothing of Cyberpunk, only the MC is mine.

Thanks for all the comments and feedback! Hope you guys enjoy it!