Once everyone finished reading the chip's contents, they were all at a loss for words.
"Nightingale Project?" Maine murmured, unsure whether to feel thrilled or rattled. He'd never imagined accessing information on something of this caliber. "So that's what Faraday wanted us to grab?"
From what they'd collected in Biotechnica's corporate server, Maine's crew only had the tip of the iceberg—far from the full story. But on this chip from Rogue, Leo had the entire Nightingale dossier.
"Sasha," he said, "you get now why I forced you to leave that building?"
Sasha nodded in gratitude. She couldn't help reflecting: if the Nightingale Project was a secret partnership between Militech and Biotechnica, then News54—Militech's mouthpiece—would never have gone public with Biotechnica's dark secrets. If she'd stayed behind that night, she would've died for nothing.
Just another body in a city full of them.
Still, as relieved as Sasha felt to be alive, a wave of helplessness settled over her. Before, she'd clung to the idea of uploading the SECURICINE data to News54 like a faint light in a sea of pitch-black. But now, Leo had told her that "light" was nothing but a deep-sea anglerfish's lure. The real truth was even darker.
Maine noticed her glum expression and took a deep breath, a flicker of resolution crossing his face.
"Leo…would you sell us the intel on this chip? The whole thing?"
Leo studied him quizzically. "You want to buy it?"
"Yes," Maine answered, voice unwavering.
Leo's lips curved in a faint, ambiguous smile. "You realize how much this intel is worth?"
"I can pay in installments—whatever it costs."
"All right, suppose I agree. What do you plan to do with it?"
Maine glanced at his teammates, finally settling on Sasha, who still looked dejected. The others, curious, also turned to him, puzzled over his intent. Maine drew a deep breath and laid his cards on the table.
"I'll call the main researchers—JoAnne Koch and Diana Kuno, the heads of this 'Nightingale Project'—from an anonymous line they can't trace, and tell them we've got their dirt. If they don't want WNS News to get it, they'll do exactly what we say."
Hearing that, Leo couldn't help a wry shake of his head. "You plan to blackmail them?"
He didn't mean to moralize; it was just that in Night City, corporate bigwigs seldom folded so easily. Anyone who thought they could leverage high-level corp managers with some documents usually ended up facing the corp's armed strike teams.
"No," Maine corrected, "I want revenge for my teammate."
Without Leo's help—and this intel—they'd have considered payback far too risky. Now, though, they felt they might at least try. Leo doused that hope with cold reality.
"It won't work. That kind of plan might intimidate average citizens, but high-level executives don't get cowed that simply."
Maine blinked. "Aren't they worried I'll just hand everything to WNS?"
Leo sighed, choosing his words carefully. "They are, but here's the thing. They'll drag it out, making excuses and stalling. It's a game of cat and mouse—corporate negotiation. They know you wouldn't even be talking to them if you meant to release everything right away. You're counting on them to respond, so they'll exploit that. In the meantime, they'll find out who and where you are. Never underestimate a major corporation's resources in Night City. They'll sniff you out. In the end, you'll all be in deep danger."
"Damn," Maine muttered, flabbergasted. "These corp types have endless ways to screw us."
"Maine, that's enough," Sasha said softly. "I appreciate it, I really do. But don't do this for me. It's not worth endangering the whole team."
She'd tried to sacrifice herself at Biotechnica HQ so the crew wouldn't share her burden. Leo's point rang true: in Night City, megacorps were practically gods; even City Hall bowed to them. If Maine gambled everything in a bid for justice, she'd rather abandon the idea than see them all destroyed.
"Damn it!" Maine lifted a clenched fist, half-ready to punch the wall—then stopped short. This was Viktor's clinic, after all. Normally he wouldn't care about wrecking a place if he could just pay for the damages. But since meeting Viktor through Leo, Maine's crew had gotten so much help here: free checkups, better-fitting cyberware, even small spare parts at no charge. Grateful, he lowered his fist with a heavy sigh.
Everyone stood around in frustrated silence, stung by the irony of holding a huge corporate secret yet not truly free to wield it. They had the "corp's weak spot" on a chip, but it felt more like the corp had them pinned.
Leo nudged Maine's shoulder. "Look, man, I see where you're coming from, and I respect it."
Maine flashed a bitter grin. "Yeah, thanks. That's a real comfort."
"I mean it." Leo's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "If you really want to do something… maybe hear my plan first?"
---
*Two Days Later*
An opulent mansion in North Oak. Dr. Diana Kuno awoke in a lavish bed, a comforter so plush you could practically sink in. She stretched languidly, then said to the room's system:
"Change the window display."
Instantly, the big floor-to-ceiling windows turned transparent. Beyond them, swathes of manicured greenery and azure skies spread out. Satisfied, Diana showered, then went to the balcony, where a servant had arranged her favorite breakfast set.
She savored her morning meal, gazing down at the city below—particularly the messy sprawl of Kabuki, Heywood, and Santo Domingo. This was her routine: a daily dose of schadenfreude, a smug sense of superiority. She inhabited a world of spacious villas and real, organic food. The people below choked on cramped tenements and bland synthetic bites. Even the best cyberoptics couldn't really see all the squalor in detail, but she'd witnessed it before anyway, so her imagination filled the gaps. It gave her that little thrill, like a miniature goddess surveying those unfortunate mortals.
Her moment of self-satisfied bliss didn't last. A panicked cry broke the morning peace.
"Dr. Kuno! Dr. Kuno! You need to see this—!"
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