Arasaka and Petrochem successfully renegotiate fuel sales!
Earlier this week representatives from both corporations (Arasaka and Petrochem) met in an undisclosed location to discuss terms for the sale of fuel from Petrochem facilities to Arasaka factories. Financial representative Alex Moors had this to say on the transaction :
"We were able to reach an agreement that was very satisfactory for both parties involved. I feel like everyone was able to walk away from that meeting satisfied, and the team that was there for our protection was very professional and respectful. I don't think I have a single thing to complain about the outcome there.
Tearaway underground radio broadcast : Another scheme by the corporations to keep us down!
"...So get this, 'Saka and Petro meet up in the middle of nowhere, in the backyard of a Militech garrison, and apparently it's to 'discuss the price of fuel sales'. Nah, I'm not buying it, that's gonkshit. They're trying to play us for fools here, and I'm not having it. I got an insider source that told me that, get this, the squad assigned to them apparently had Adam-fucking-Smasher on it. I've seen drone footage of the area too, certainly fucking looked like the guy was there. 'Saka doesn't send the Smasher to a mundane sales deal, there's something else here at play. I'm not going to let those fucking corpos get away from truth."
Adam Smasher captures mercenaries! Arasaka is silent on the matter!
Earlier this month a top-secret military project was stolen from Arasaka by a Militech division with the help of a small squad of mercenaries. Then, unexpectedly, one of the mercenaries takes it for a joyride from the outskirts of Night City right to the top of Arasaka Tower. Adam Smasher was deployed to handle the situation, and then calls in Trauma Team to haul off everyone left in the area of his rampage back for medical treatment. We haven't seen either since. They've been locked up in Arasaka Tower, and no one matching their description has been seen leaving the tower since.
Arasaka super soldiers rampage in Night City slums!
Throughout the month, after the ruckus at the start of it, there have been two individuals that have been leaving Arasaka Tower with top of the line cyberware and weaponry. They, for eight hours a day, have been walking about the slums of Night City and killing everyone they come across.
We haven't been able to identify the larger of the two, but the younger male has been identified to be one David Martinez, a drop out of Arasaka Academy. Young Martinez formerly held the position of top of his class, but after the unfortunate death of his mother he seemingly snapped, dropping out and beginning a life of crime and violence.
It seems that he was the mercenary who took the Arasaka military project for the joyride earlier this month, which means that he was one of the group of injured that was spared by Adam Smasher in the struggle. But everyone has to wonder, if this is Martinez, why was he left alive? Send us your theories, we'll read off the best ones in the next update!
City block destroyed in corporate warring!
Earlier this month an assassin in an experimental ACPA carrying a missile launcher attacked Arasaka agents in the lower-income sections of the city. The struggle was short but destructive, and leveled a total of 8 buildings in the area. In the devastation, no less than thirty-four bystanders were killed when the buildings collapsed. The identity of the assassin and their allegiance is still unknown, but experts are working around the clock to solve the mystery.
No families of the victims have stepped forwards to discuss their presence in the area.
Adam Smasher - The Rockerboy?!
Earlier in the week, a new album was released. Notable for its distinctly aged styles and wide variety without consistent themes, but otherwise mostly unremarkable. Except, this album was released directly by Arasaka corporation itself, which would be a notably strange thing already. One would expect themes of positive corporatism and such to be present, but there is an undercurrent of the exact opposite if anything. The songs are almost all techno-free, and are heavy in vocal and storytelling components throughout. Very little chorus is repeated in these, at least compared to modern pop music.
Then one reads the description. Arasaka corporation is proud to release this album on behalf of veteran employee Adam Smasher.
That's right, these songs supposedly made by the boogeyman himself, and looking at them again from that angle sheds new light on the underlying theme. The music is positively drenched in violent imagery, angry vocals, and constant references to death. The presence of larger societal structures, such as cities, "bossman", gangs, and similar are almost always in a negative light, being responsible for the singer's misfortune. The presence of unlikely heroes defeating gang leaders appears in at least two of the songs.
Throughout the whole of the work the singer is constantly comparing themselves to metal, or machinery. Outright references along these lines appear in at least half of the songs. The vocals rarely express an emotion other than angry, tired, or prideful, and this stays consistent throughout.
Notably, the description states "released on behalf of…" Is it possible that these songs were made by Adam Smasher for his own consumption? Music made from his own personal thoughts, then grabbed by corporate overlords he dislikes and released for monetization? It certainly seems like that to this reviewer.
When looked at through this lens, the songs begin to tell a distinctly tragic story of a man who, while very skilled in battle, was forced to serve oligarchs that don't understand the plight of working men, and forced to kill on their behalf. Are these the honest thoughts of the boogeyman of Arasaka? This reporter knows that she'll be keeping a careful eye on the Tower in Night City for future updates, for this album has her intrigued.
Interview with Kerry Eurodyne
…
"...It's a strange thing, you know, seeing the soul of a monster. I used to play alongside Johnny (Silverhand) back in the early part of the century, and Adam was the one to flatline him. I'm still pretty torn up about that, so take my opinion on the guy with a grain here, I'm biased.
"After I left the band back in those days, I went to my Guru, he helped me work through my issues. After a few years of getting myself back together I came back to the musical scene and started doing my own music. Look at me now, getting deals left and right and Night City is my eternal muse."
"That's what I'm thinking happened here. Smasher wasn't put back together by a guru, by someone who knew how to help the soul heal. Smasher was put back together by a corpo for the express purpose of being a better killer."
"He's been in a cage for decades now, killing left and right, on and on, only being left out when Arasaka needs another crowd of civvies butchered. I think he's been making music like this the whole time. It's nostalgic, it reminds me of the stuff that used to come out before the Netcrash, and I bet you the reason why that is is because that's the last time Smasher listened to anything."
"Music is the way a man expresses his soul, you know, and this album is probably just that. Smasher hates what he does even as proud as he is about how good at it he is. He hates the people who have him on a leash, and he hates everyone who looks at him wrong at this point. A bundle of canned rage at the world and everyone in it, even himself."
"Then, they open his cage, show his heart to the world, all so they can make more eddies off of his pain. I'm angry at what he did to Johnny back in the day, and for all the people I know that he's killed on the corpo's behalf, even then I feel bad for him.
"That's what good music does, I suppose. Makes you feel sympathy for a monster."
Marketing Today : Arasaka Corporation reveals new look for famous bodyguard and mercenary Adam Smasher
Two days ago, Arasaka corporation unveiled a massive marketing campaign, the subject of which might surprise you. The new "Kabuto Oni : Adam Smasher" campaign released to massive success overseas in Japan and related markets, moderate success overseas in Europe and the related markets there, and mixed success in the North American area. It is especially controversial in the area in which the man in question is located, here in Night City.
The popularity of which seems to be divided generationally, with the older the viewer is in question the more likely they are to respond negatively to the campaign. This is a trend that we can observe across all locations except Japan itself, which shows high approval rates across the board.
The younger generation seems to think that the presented clips are 'preem' and show Mr. Smasher to be 'chilled as ice'. The clip of Smasher using a Kendachi-MonoThree eastern-style blade to cut railgun rounds aimed at him is especially popular, and the vid of that particular conflict has reached an upwards of 750 million views within the first two days of it's public broadcasting.
The new look for Smasher is also exceedingly popular. While his old appearance didn't have much data recorded on it, it was almost always described as 'monstrous' or 'nightmarish'. The new look has been met with acclaim from most groups, although it has its fair share of critics as well. The approval ratings for the new look have seen startling popularity among feminine audiences, who describe it as 'tortured' and 'mature'. Many nicknames by fans of the design have been made and all but coined, such as "Hachiman Reborn", "Shuten Doji Jr.", and "Grand Mazinkaiser".
In addition to this, it seems that Arasaka corporation has assembled a team of trainees for their new flagship symbol. Digging into publicly available records reveals that the three individuals now living at Arasaka Tower are former edgerunners of Night City fame, and were part of the conflict that took place between Arasaka and Militech earlier in the month. All three of the trainees proved to be rather popular universally, unburdened by the extensive career that Adam Smasher is.
The first of these trainees, David "Kabuto Kaminari" Martinez, proved the most popular among the older female audience and the general youth. The vids that demonstrate his personality, his quick and stylish movements, and his endearing behavior are contrasted with his fast-paced and efficient reaction in combat.
The second of these trainees, Lucyna "Kabuto Sakura" Kushinada, proved the most popular among the younger female audience and older male audiences. The vids demonstrate her rapid callouts, quick scanning and predictions, and surprisingly cute behavior underneath a passive and monotone expression.
The third of these trainees, Rebecca "Kabuto Tomoe" (no last name) proved to be the most popular among children and elderly audiences. The vids demonstrate her almost maniacal cheer and she shoots heavily armored units from a great distance using her utterly inconceivable railgun, the size of which truly baffles the mind.
Moving forwards, it seems that Arasaka is planning on leveraging their new mascots to produce several new lines of products, primarily toys. At least one cartoon in the pre-datacrash style is being considered for production, although talks on that matter are still in their early stages.
Us Cracks Interview
…
BM : And it's like, really old stuff. I'd never heard anything like it before it came out, and I looked to see if I could find anything like it. Apparently a lot of old people say that it was really common back like, a hundred years ago, but there's nothing else left nowadays. I only found like three songs like it.
PF : Yeah, I couldn't find anything either, but I think it's good in a really weird way, yanno? It's feels really angry, but it's really sad underneath all of that.
BM : It sounds the way an grumpy old dog feels, you'know?
PF : Yu-huh! Oi, Red Menace, you've been like, super quiet. What do you think huh?
RM : …I think he's really hot now.
PF and BM : Red!
RM : He's like, really hot looking, like a total daddy. And his song are really sad, but their prideful too yanno? He feels like someone who needs a hug, but he's also like, the most dangerous guy in the world.
PF : …I can see it.
(brief pause)
BM : Bet you want to do more than just hug him, huh?
(BM performs an inappropriate gesture)
RM : Blue Moon!
…
PF : Like, it would be totally preem to do a collab.
BM and RM : Ye-huh
PF : But I don't think he's gonna be up for it. He seems pretty private outside of all this marketing stuff, y'know?
…
Data War Underground Radio : The Modren Man
…
"...and that's what these damn demons want to do with all of us! They want to strap us down to hospital gurney tables and cut out our brains! Put us in robot bodies forced to kill for their extraterrestrial masters!
"There's a man underneath all that metal! He's got a big heart made of fire, and it pumps! Hot Blood! He's angry and he's killing people and it's their damn fault!"
"I'm gonna stab your daughter at the mall, and shoot your father and son! And the news media under their control will say that this is the future!"
"We're meant to be in nature, to be natural, and they're trying to keep us out of it with their machines! And cyborgs!
"Beep beep boop boop, going to exterminate you for my alien masters! That's what they're trying to fucking do to us! I've been saying this for years and no one is listening to me!"
"A world under their absolute control! They're opposing GOD! They're trying to make themselves immortal, you know! They got these chips that run on baby blood, that can store a person inside so they can inject it into someone and take them over!
"Assuming direct control!"
"I've seen them in their private parties! They're not human! They got! Green skin! And they stink like fucking sulfur! Extraterrestrial demons that drink baby blood! All of them!"
"There's a fucking man under all that chrome, and he's screaming! He's screaming and they're selling it to earn eddies and people are buying it! Wake Up! This is what they want for you! He's trying to warn you and none of you are listening!"
"They don't even have the decency to be hot! They're ugly alien demons! At least try you monsters!"
"They're making new people of their own, you know. Trying to engineer things that look just like people, but are under their control. They're trying to take over the world, one borg or bot at a fucking time."
"And they got the reaper's keys on hand, they can bring back the fucking dead! They can bring back the dead and they use it for party favors!"
"The world is full of evil, and we need to stop it!"
—
Gloria Martinez remembered the crash, but it was foggy now. She was driving her boy home, he had gotten into a bit of trouble at school. She hoped that he would get through fine, and she knew he could, but a mother worries. Then the crash happened and the last thing she remembered thinking is "Is David safe?".
Next thing she knew, she was waking up with the worst headache. Everything was spinning, everything was foggy. She groaned in pain, trying to alert someone to her current state. She heard footsteps that sounded like gunshots come over, and a gentle set of hands pushing her back onto the surprisingly comfortable bed.
They were saying something, but she couldn't focus on what that was. She was too delirious.
She fell asleep again, the pain like a heavy blanket over her.
When she awoke again, the pain was significantly reduced. She tried her best to open her eyes, and after seemingly an eternity she managed it. The light was dimmed, so it didn't sting as badly as it could have. She was thankful for that.
The room she was in was unfamiliar, there was a logo on the wall (it was important, but she couldn't remember why) but she didn't recognize it. She saw the standard feature button to alert a nurse of her waking up. She pressed it, she was desperately thirsty and wanted answers as to what happened. Where was her boy? Was David okay?
A nurse came in a short while later, and Gloria tensed at seeing the Arasaka logo in bright red stitching on her uniform. The symbol on the wall was Arasaka, how had she forgotten that? How was she in here? How had David afforded this? Was he in debt now? Was he okay?
"M-my son, David, is he okay?"
The nurse paused at this, before smiling reassuringly. "David Martinez, correct?" at Gloria's nod she continued. "He's doing well from what I hear now, it's thanks to his position at Arasaka that we were able to revive you."
Gloria froze at this, and took in the information. Okay, you got this girl, prioritize the data. David was okay, that was very good news. David had a job at Arasaka that could pay for her treatment, that was excellent news and she felt incredibly proud of her boy, she knew he could do it. Revive her…
"I-I was dead…?" weakly she spoke out. How long was she medically dead? One day? One Week?
"For about a year and a month now, sweetie."
Gloria felt her world collapse. She had been dead for a year? Was it possible to bring people back from that? She knew that medical science had advanced a great deal, but how had David afforded the cyronics…
Oh no, David… She had left her baby alone to fend for himself for more than a year. She had abandoned him and forced him to pick up the slack to bring her back. She wanted to drown in her guilt.
No, her feelings don't matter, all that matters is getting to her boy, and helping him as best as she could. She buried her heart, it was only going to slow her down.
"May I see my son?"
"Of course sweetie, you were kept under so that you could heal, but otherwise you have a clean bill of health now. I'll get you a wheelchair and call for him, alright?"
"Alright." Gloria forced herself to relax. She forced herself to not think about what had happened to her, all that mattered was going forwards. She needed to help David with whatever situation he was in. He was undoubtedly in one year to earn a position in Arasaka high enough to afford to bring her back from death after a year? Something went wrong and she wasn't there to help him.
She noticed the surgical scars across her entire body, faint lines on every part in the manner that would normally be reserved for full skeletal sheathing.
Eventually the door opened again, and it was her boy wearing her old jacket (and two girls? They seemed familiar but she couldn't recall ever meeting them)! He was safe! He was uninjured and he was…
Covered in the seams that indicate cyberware. Covered head to toe with them…
"...M-mom?" He boy sounded hesitant, nervous, and that way he got whenever he was scared but too macho to admit it. She had to comfort him. Gloria raised her arms (weakly, much too weak, she needed to get back into shape ASAP) and smiled.
"Mama's here David, come on, give me a hug." Gloria said the words that she knew would get him to shake and scoff, he was much too grown up for hugs now. Hopefully this focused him up a tad for her to question him.
To her shock (and building horror) her boy walked over and gently gave her a hug. He was treating her like fragile glass, about to shatter at any moment. Gloria's heart broke.
She deepened the hug with her son, and buried her head in his shoulder. He was much taller and stronger now, even after only a year of her not being there for him. Eventually, after many, many minutes of the hug, she pulled back just a bit to look at his face.
Her boy had been suffering, and it was her fault. She put her hand on his cheek and looked him top-to-bottom. Optics, Audios, Arms, Lower Torso, Legs.
…She was a terrible mother.
"What happened, David?" she asked gently.
To her grief, her boy started tearing up, and buried his face in her shoulder. He started weeping in the way that men do, stifling it as best they could but too overwhelmed to halt it completely. She embraced him fully and started rocking just a bit. She noticed a Sandevistan on his spine. She felt just a little bit worse.
Eventually, it stopped, and her boy spoke again.
"A lot, mom. A lot happened."
A heavy stomp at the doorway caused her to tense up and look up. A figure was at the door, shadowed over by the light of the hallway and the relative dimness of the room she was in.
"Are you done, kid?" He growled at them in the room, her, her son, and the two girls. Gloria went on a warpath.
"Can you give me a minute with my son, Sir?" She growled back, entirely too drained already to deal with this asshat. Her son snorted into her shoulder, and started chuckling. The girls to the side started chuckling. The one with (Optics, Dermals, Arms) spoke up at this, voice taking a mocking lit. She recognized the voice, she knew it, but where?
"Hey now big guy, watch out, she might hurt ya." The man in the doorway growled lowly, before grunting. Her son pushed himself up from the hug and wiped his tears away, before replying.
"Yeah Smasher, I'm done." Her son smiled at her. "Let's go, mom. We got a new home now."
A new home? And what's with the familiarity with this 'Smasher'...
Smasher. That was important, she didn't know why.
Arasaka. Smasher and Arasaka, they were related. Why?
"David… Who is that."
Her son blinked, before shaking his head the same way he always did when he forgot something.
"Oh, that's Adam Smasher, I'm his apprentice now."
Adam Smasher, the Butcher of Arasaka.
Mentor to her son?
…
What.