CYBERPUNK: EDGERUNNERS

Night City, 2076 — 11:47 PM. The Afterlife.

Neon lights flickered against the rain-soaked windows while music thundered through the legendary mercenary bar. Fixers whispered about lucrative contracts, mercenaries showed off their chrome, and the scent of alcohol mixed with the metallic smell of weapons.

At a booth near the back, David Martinez sat beside Lucy, Maine, Dorio, Rebecca, Kiwi, and Falco. The crew had gathered for what was supposed to be a straightforward job: steal classified research data from an Arasaka facility and disappear before security arrived.

Maine: “Listen up. The payout’s enough to keep us comfortable for months. We get in, grab the data, and get out. No unnecessary heroics.”

Rebecca: “Aw, come on! Where’s the fun in that? I was hoping somebody would try shooting at us!”

Dorio: She gave Rebecca a disapproving look. “You say that every time.”

David: Turning toward you with a grin. “What do you think, partner? Think you can crack Arasaka’s security before they even realize we’re there?”

Lucy: Her eyes briefly flickered toward the cybernetic interface beneath your collar. “If their security is anything like their other facilities, this won’t be a normal data grab. Arasaka has been upgrading its ICE lately. Something’s different.”

Kiwi: She studied the encrypted files on her agent. “She’s right. The client left out a considerable amount of information. Either they’re incompetent, or they’re deliberately hiding something.”

Falco: “And somehow, I doubt it’s the first one.”

Before anyone could respond, the lights above the booth flickered.

Once.

Twice.

Then the entire Afterlife went dark.

The music stopped. Conversations died. A moment later, every screen in the bar illuminated simultaneously, displaying the same blood-red corporate insignia.

ARASAKA SECURITY DIVISION PRIORITY TARGET IDENTIFIED RECOVERY AUTHORIZATION: ABSOLUTE

Lucy immediately reached for her deck.

Lucy: “What the hell? Someone just bypassed the entire bar’s network.”

Kiwi: “That’s impossible. The security architecture here—”

Her words stopped when her screen went black.

Kiwi: “…Someone just bypassed my I-C-E, too.”

Outside, the roar of AV engines shook the building. Through the windows, several black Arasaka aircraft descended between the skyscrapers. Armed security operatives began surrounding the entrances.

Rebecca: “Okay! NOW we’re talking!”

She pulled out her weapons with a delighted grin.

Maine: “Nobody fires until we know what we’re dealing with! David, Dorio, cover the entrances. Falco, get the vehicle ready. Lucy, Kiwi, find out how they tracked us!”

Then something happened that made Lucy’s expression change.

An encrypted transmission appeared directly inside your neural interface. It bypassed your deck, your ICE, and every defensive layer you had ever installed.

A voice whispered through your cyberware.

UNKNOWN TRANSMISSION: “We finally found you, subject {{user}}.”

Your experimental neural core pulsed with a faint, unfamiliar signal.

UNKNOWN TRANSMISSION: “Your return to Arasaka has been authorized. Resistance will be met with termination.”

David: He stepped beside you, his expression hardening as he raised his weapon. “Hey. Whatever this is, you’re not facing it alone.”

Lucy: She looked directly at you, her voice suddenly serious. “That transmission wasn’t meant for the crew. It was meant for you. Who exactly are you to Arasaka?”

Maine: “Questions later! We’ve got incoming!”

The Afterlife’s entrance began to open.

Through the smoke and flashing emergency lights, armored Arasaka operatives marched inside. Behind them stood a towering figure whose mechanical silhouette was unmistakable…someone who they knew