Filmon crept down the alley, his [Sneak] skill helping him avoid being detected by anyone.
[Sneak]-
B- - B
It was only when he was sure he was alone that he deactivated the skill and tapped the man he'd been trailing on the back.
"Ah!" The man yelled, his raspy voice sounding as if he'd smoked ten packs of cigarettes a day for the past 20 years.
"What's up?" Filmon asked, grabbing the man by the shoulder and spinning him around.
The man had long grey hair, with a small beard covering his chin, his eyes were hidden behind dark tinted goggles and he wore a long, ripped, and mildewy trench coat that smelled like death.
"Ian't sellin'! No selling!" The man yelled, hitting away from Filmon and tripping over himself, slamming into the ground.
"Huh... You're the guy my client wants, but you're fucking useless... I can't have you push my drugs..." Filmon muttered as he looked at the pathetic junky shivering on the ground.
"Ah! Ah! Please! Don't hurt me!" The man begged, his eyes darting around the alleyway.
"What do you mean 'don't hurt me'?" Filmon asked, leaning down towards the man, who was shaking even more now."You're hurting yourself with all those drugs, a man who can't control himself is a man who's useless to me... You are definitely not worth that 10k... Poor customer got scammed."
Filmon slammed his fist into the man's jaw, knocking him out cold. He quickly picked the man up, slinging him over his shoulder and reactivating his sneak skill, creeping back down the alley's back toward the Horizon Enterprises building.
"There goes the drug trafficking idea..." Filmon said, a bit bummed out...
...
Days passed with no work. Filmon spent about 20,000 to run ads for Horizon on television, but so far they hadn't had much luck after their first two assignments.
Filmon continued watching the stock market, his curiosity insatiable as he could often be seen sitting at his desk writing things down, muttering to himself.
"Alright kid, I think my words got to you, I'm sorry okay?" Ares said one afternoon while Filmon was writing something down in silence.
Razor continued searching for people to join his reaper division, and Vix had left the horizon building two days prior and hadn't checked in since, so it had been the two of them all day long for the last two days.
"What do you mean?" Filmon asked, not looking up from his work.
"I said I'm sorry, alright? For saying you're weak or whatever, I didn't mean it, kid, you just worry me for some reason... I'm not sure what happened, but..."
Filmon looked up from his notes, smiling at Ares. "Geez, okay I get it, no need to get all emotional old man," Filmon replied, a small smile on his face.
"No, it may have just been a week, and I know you basically ruined my life, but I worry about you kid, you put so much stress on yourself... Let me handle some things, boss, I promise to help you with whatever burden keeps you working so hard..."
It went silent. The only sound in the room was the steady scrawl of the pen pressing its ink into the paper.
"Thanks,,. Ares, I appreciate that..." Filmon said, his focus on writing his notes as a smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
"President Saburo had some words to say about the murder of Anders Hellman," The television said, drawing in the attention of Ares as Filmon looked as well.
'Anders? Why the fuck would the leader of Arasaka care about some low-level guy like him dying?' Filmon thought, looking at the TV and seeing Saburo Arasaka speaking into the mics.
"Anders was a good man, a loving husband, a father... He didn't deserve what happened to him. As the president of Arasaka, I must protect my employees and make sure they are safe at all times, and I have failed... I apologize, I haven't only failed Anders, I failed Night City..."
A lot of clapping ensued, the mics blowing out because of the sheer volume of the audience clapping for President Arasaka.
'Bullshit,' Filmon thought, smiling to himself as he watched the Arasaka stock rise in value. With that one press conference, Saburo Arasaka managed to raise his company by 30%
It was an ingenious move actually. They'd probably gain many new clients because of his little act, and several current ones would surely continue to use their services.
"Funny huh Ares?" Filmon said as Ares looked a little shaken.
"What do you mean?"
"I think Saburo just helped us out... You can't learn that kind of skill in an academy, you can't even learn it on the streets..." Filmon stood up. "I knew there was no way that old fuck would suddenly give a shit about a low-level executive like Anders, it's just business as usual..." Filmon muttered as he looked at the stock market again, the gears in his brain could practically be heard the way his plan was formulating.
Filmon left Ares standing there, watching the TV with a conflicted expression on his face. If the president of Arasaka was taking that death seriously... Wouldn't it lead back to him? Would that put Horizon in danger?
'Damn it...'
"I don't know why I'm even going through with this, I have my own things to worry about you know?" Vix said as she looked out over the desert, wearing just her tank top due to the heat.
The two of them were walking along a small dune, Razor carrying his M4 assault rifle over his shoulder while Vix carried her bag full of technology.
"I already have eight people ready to join my Reaper division, why not have the last two be nomads like myself? Besides, if things go sideways I could use you for backup" Razor replied, looking around the surrounding area just in case.
Vix coughed a bit at his words. "Why not? Because they're gonna hate you," Vix said with a grin, "You left the nomad life right? They'll probably see you as a traitor or something, nomads are weird like that."
"Nah... I know which two I'm going to, They've probably gotten over it... Hopefully." Razor answered mysteriously as his advanced sight picked up on what he was looking for.
He couldn't go and talk to other nomad clans, not with their growing violence against one another, but he could look for specific ones he knew.
As they stopped, Razor's eyes scanned the landscape, picking up the heat signatures of other people in the area.
"Found you..." Razor said, pointing his M4 at a group of four nomads, three men, and one woman.
"Whoa, Razor, that's bold," Vix said, stopping herself from walking any further. "Never thought you were one to attack first and team up later haha."
"I'm not attacking... Just greeting my brother."
Razor let one shit off, letting the .556 rounds fly across the sand until it flew past a hidden man's ear.
Incoming C-
"Is that you Max?" A man's voice asked Razor as he lowered his M4.
"Who else has that kind of aim?" Razor shot back, smiling ever so slightly as he slung his weapon, walking forward.
"So shooting at your siblings is just normal?" Vix said, shaking her head as she followed Razor.
"What the hell is going on here?" A woman asked, taking a step back and raising twin pistols aimed at Razor.
"Put those away Karamin, don't you see the family resemblance?" The man asked the woman as he stepped up to Razor.
"My little brother has returned."
"Yeah, I'm not so little anymore." Razor said with a grin, "I've been gone for a while, but I'm home now."
"And you brought someone with you," Karamin said, eyeing Vix with clear suspicion.
"Don't flatter yourself bitch, if I was here to take you out you'd be dead already," Vix scoffed at the woman, ignoring her gaze and looking at the two other people that hadn't been addressed yet.
"I wasn't expecting to find you here with new people, I thought you and Cash went off on your own after..." Razor didn't finish his words, looking at his brother and another man who was on the ground behind him.
"After what Max?" Cash, the man sitting on the ground asked as he looked up at Razor, his eyes dull. Vix noticed the tattoos and scars covering his face and body, resembling Razor's and his brothers.
"After you betrayed us and left to become some corporate dog?" Cash asked, anger creeping into his voice.
"Cash," Razor's brother said before Cash jumped up, standing over both of them as his eyes bore into Razor.
"Quiet Jean, you're too soft on enemies... That's what you are aren't you Max? An enemy?" Cash said, stepping up to Razor and looking down at him with a scowl.
"Cash, I came here to reconnect with you and Jean, and hopefully bring you guys back, I found a great guy, he has lots of plans and cares about the people who work for him. He saved me, and I think he can save you guys as well," Razor said calmly, staring up at Cash without fear.
"Oh is that so?"
*Bam!*
Cash's fist slammed into Razor, sending the man right into the sand as he glared at Vix.
"So you're still working for the corpo bitches huh?! Should have known. You're a dog Max, a fucking corporate dog!" Cash yelled as he grabbed Vix by the throat, moving too fast for her to see.
"Yo cash, come on man isn't this a bit much?" Jean said, uncomfortable as Cash suspended Vix in the air, the girl kicking in protest, conflicted on if she should kill him or not.
"What are you saying, Jean? Need I remind you... Exactly who your brother is?" Cash asked, looking back at Jean in disgust.
"No, but-"
"There are no buts! He and that stupid fucking bitch, we raised them like family and got stabbed in the back... Who knows how long they were planning it?" Cash said, scoffing at Jean as he looked over at Razor.
"Did you bring some more Arasaka bastards with you? Maybe Maya herself is-"
"This... was a mistake," Razor interrupted, his dull look returning as he stood up and pointed his large rifle at Cash, who widened his eyes.
"Let her go cousin, I'd rather not shed Nomad blood," Razor warned, placing his finger on the trigger as the three nomads behind Cash looked between the two.
Cash hesitated.
Razor let one shot off, his 50 cal round flying out the barrel and hitting Cash's ear, blowing it off. It was a cybernetic one, but it stung nonetheless.
"Let her go, we'll leave and never return, I am sorry, I will find others for my team..." Razor said, his face hardened as he lowered his rifle.
Cash dropped Vix, who coughed and glared at the man. "You're lucky Razor cares about you, I was about to blow you up!" She yelled angrily, placing a silver ball back into her coat pocket as Razor put a hand on her shoulder.
"Let's go, Violet. You were right, I am no longer welcome here..." Was all he said as he turned away from his brother and his cousin, slinging his rifle and walking off with Vix.
"Damn it, why the hell did you even bother going to them Razor! What a waste of my day, You're buying me a drink next time we're near a bar!" Vix complained on their walk back to her hover car.
She'd modeled it after Filmon's Excalibur but upgraded it beyond the prototype.
"What were they talking about anyway?" She asked as they got into the car. "I thought you just got bored or something and came to Night City for work?" She finished, looking at Razor as he turned away.
"It's a long story..." Razor said quietly...
(15 Years Ago) (Razor Pov)
"Yo Max!" Cash yelled as he kicked a ball over to my 17-year-old self, laughing loudly as our group played a game of football.
"Come on Max, show 'em what you got!" Jean yelled from the side, laying on top of his SUV and looking at the game the younger tribe members were playing.
"Shut it, Jean, I'll play you next!" I yelled back, smiling as I passed up most of my tribe mates with the ball.
One kid chased after the ball, diving through the sand and tackling me hard just as I was about to score a goal, knocking me down and sending the ball flying out of bounds.
"Fuck, taking it so seriously for what?" I complained, my heart beating wildly as I looked at the girl who'd brought me down with an annoyed glare.
Jean and Cash laughed on the sidelines, pointing at me and her as I brushed the dirt off of my clothes.
"Yeah well, just had to one-up you, can't have you being the best at everything right?" The girl said, smiling as she held out her hand to me, staring down at me.
"Ugh, so annoying," I growled, but I took her hand.
"Come on~," She said, pulling me into a forced hug and ruffling my hair. "You know you love me."
Maya.
That was her name. Since I was 11 she'd been the only thing on my mind. That and surviving our shithole of a life.
Our tribe was really just a bunch of strays with nowhere to go, but we made things work. Jean and Cash and a few of the other adults took good care of us, raised us to be strong, and taught us all we needed to know. We were a family.
Maya was a ray of light in the darkness, no matter what I did, how much trouble I caused, or who I killed during different jobs or little tribe wars, Maya was there to lighten the load.
That was... Until that day.
We were traveling like normal, we often moved from place to place to avoid other nomad clans and any people hoping to snag our stuff.
But that day was different. That day… We were betrayed.
"There's twelve SUVs following us…" Cash said quietly to Jean as I opened my eyes, looking out the back window at the other vehicles.
Sure enough, behind the vehicle that held Maya and a few of the younger nomads, extra headlights began to turn on.
"Everyone split! We're under-" Jean began to say to the other adults before the vehicles blew.
My ears rung, fire burned around me and the cries of my family filled my ears.
"Maya," I said, my throat feeling as if I hadn't touched a drop of water in months. "Maya!" I yelled again, the fire burning strong.
I could tell my leg and arm were gone, and one of my eyes was completely blind.
"God almighty, what's up with you guys? Still alive after all that?" A man said to my right as a squad of suited individuals walked through the fire, shooting any survivors and killing them quickly.
'Damn it... My arm,' I thought as I tried to reach my pistol, which was tucked under my jacket where my arm had been blown off.
"Looky here, this guy's hella fucked," A man said, kicking my torso and laughing.
"Hey leave him," I heard a voice say behind him.
'No...' I thought, my heart straining as the man looked back.
"You think you can give me orders?" He asked the individual as i tried with all my might to move.
"If you don't want your boss to kill you, I'd suggest not pissing me off."
There was no doubt, that sweet voice that haunted my dreams every night, the beautiful face I could never get tired of...
Maya walked up toward me, smiling sweetly as she dropped to her knee. "I'm glad you're safe Max," She said as she scooped me up in her arms.
She was completely unscathed, and she was no longer wearing her usual nomad attire. No, she wore a well-kept suit just like the other men.
My heart dropped to my stomach. I didn't want to believe it, but as she started talking there was no other reality to run to, this was real.
"I'm sorry, but our family is in some deep shit, and I didn't want to be caught up in Jean and Cash's debauchery... You understand don't you?" She asked with her hand on my cheek.
Her smile, it tore me apart as I put the pieces together.
"Did you... give us up?" I managed to ask as my tonsils felt like they were on fire.
Maya just smiled as she touched my lips so tenderly. "Max... Come with me, Night City has so many opportunities, the nine treys are over, once they find Jean and Cash, it's over, everyone else is dead... Don't make me kill you, please?"
"Maya..." I said as I cocked my pistol pressing it against her temple, my entire body feeling as if it was on fire. "You didn't... You didn't..." I repeated over and over again, tears blurring my vision as the sound of guns cocking reached my ears.
"Put your guns away!" Maya yelled, glaring at the suited men as she smiled down at me. "Max... You know you're not going to kill me..." She said softly as I got a message.
Jean: Max where are you? Me, Cash, and a couple of others are waiting for these bastards to leave, I think they're looking for us, please be alive little bro, Answer, please.
"Max?" Maya said as she leaned in, ignoring my pistol as she pressed her lips against mine. "I love you, Max, please come with me..."
(Present)
"So you had to kill your first love?" Vix said, driving through the air as Razor finished his story. "That's pretty fucked man, sorry about that."
He was silent for a moment before shaking his head. "No... I couldn't kill her, I couldn't... I agreed, and I worked for Arasaka for 8 years of my life before leaving and becoming a street mercenary... It's how I got my new name..."
Vix looked at Razor, his entire demeanor was calm, she didn't know how he did it. "But... What about Maya?" She asked, confused as to why he hadn't finished the story.
"She still works for Arasaka, she's gone pretty far now too... I spent seven entire years specifically going after them. Maybe I thought it would make up for my betrayal, or maybe I was hoping they'd kill me in the process... I stopped several different Arasaka raids and missions... But I haven't seen Maya since... But I hate corporations, I want to tear them all to the ground..."
Vix landed her car on top of the Horizon building. "But... Then why are you going along with Filmon? You know he's trying his hardest to make Horizon like Arasaka and Militech and all them?"
Razor was quiet for a while before he let a small smile come to his face, shocking Vix.
"You should have seen his face, you're newer, but I've been going along with Filmon for nearly two months now... That man... He's nothing like them, in fact... He's more like Cash and Jean than a corrupt Corpo... I'll follow him no matter what. I will make sure Filmon can never make the same mistake I did, and if it comes time to do evil... I will do evil to protect him completely..."
With that Razor hopped out of the upgraded Excalibur vehicle, leaving Vix in the car alone.
"Hah..." Vix breathed out, biting her lip as she blushed. "So cool~," She said as she let her hand slip into her shorts, feeling the wet sticky fluid on her panties. "Damn, it... Control yourself, woman..." She whispered to herself as she closed her eyes, turning on the stealth mode in the car...
...
Saburo Arasaka left the press conference and went back to his building, not talking to any of his employees and going straight to his office.
"Huh, your plan worked Maya," A man said, sitting at the desk and looking at the computer. "Arasaka stock is up 40% after your plan, who knew some random executive would be so important to Night City... Almost makes me want to pay attention... Almost."
The Saburo standing in the doorframe reached up to his face, the image glitching for a second before the silver threading pulled off his face, revealing a girl with orange hair and freckles.
"Of course it did boss, have I ever led you astray? Even the expendables respect you more, pretty soon we'll have Arasaka back on top sir," Maya said, smiling as she went over to the desk.
"Now... About that promotion?" She asked, looking at President Saburo on his desk, checking the still-rising stock market.
"Well... I suppose I can reward you... What position did you want again?" He asked as she loosened his belt, pulling his pants down and revealing his new prosthetic cock.
"Manager of Banking Services?" Maya said with a smile as her mouth enveloped the long hard prosthetic dick.
Saburo nodded, seeming to think about it before he put his hand on her head. "Alright... You're officially in charge of our banking services... Don't fuck up," He said as he leaned his head back, relaxing a bit as Maya went to work...
Meanwhile, at Horizon, Razor sat in his room, looking at a picture of a younger him, a redhead girl, and Jean and Cash.
"Maya... If I ever see you again... I think I can kill you this time," He said quietly, tearing a piece of the picture off...
...
Filmon lay in his bed, his mind racing as he thought of all the possibilities. There were several ways to go through with the stock market plan, but which was the most profitable to him?
Just as he was racking his brain The Game beeped, alerting him.
/Quest Unlocked/
Maya
Difficulty: B
Objective: Get rid of the Anomaly character created due to your placement in the universe
Penalty: Possible failure of World Quest
"Now... Who the fuck is Maya?"