[MaxTac Communication Channel]
[MaxTac Netrunner #0099: Signal network reconstruction complete. Alpha point secured. Over.]
[MaxTac Assault #0254: Bravo is tightening the perimeter. Over.]
[MaxTac Heavy Assault #0254: Charlie autocannon emplacements ready. Over.]
[MaxTac Sniper #0034: Visual clear. Firing conditions optimal. Delta, over.]
[MaxTac]
[Encirclement complete. Awaiting HQ instructions.]
Susan watched the MaxTac units hovering in the sky and stationed atop nearby buildings—seven armored aerodynes in total, twenty-eight heavily augmented "on-duty cyberpsychos" aiming their weapons at the ruins below—
And those weren't weapons meant for people, but heavy autocannons only vehicles could support.
Night City hadn't seen a lockdown like this in a long time. Nor had MaxTac deployed every available operative to fully surround a target in years.
[Susan: These are the "different" extremists you mentioned. They're not just extremists—they're a pack of barely restrained lunatics.]
On the other end of the line was MaxTac's top commander, but he wasn't responding to Susan.
His mind was elsewhere—
Yes, those three were clearly insane. But why?
Why do this?
Kidnap the wife of a councilor and mayoral candidate, assault the mayor, strike at Night Corp…
Why?
They didn't resemble typical terrorists or cyberpsychos.
Crack…
The collapsed warehouse ruins shifted again. The Kastek aerodyne finally slid into the rubble, leaving only its rear exposed.
[Susan: Rhyne won't make it. My recommendation is to initiate the assault now. I've received intel—Jefferson Peralez is also inside. The terrorists abducted his wife.]
Still no response.
[Susan: Stop waiting.]
MaxTac continued to wait.
Even as Night Corp panicked on the other end, flooding their comms with calls.
[Night Corp Liaison: Launch the attack immediately!]
[Night Corp Liaison: They've kidnapped Mrs. Peralez! Jefferson is inside too—extract him and Rhyne!]
[Night Corp—]
"Shut the hell up."
The bearded middle-aged man smashed his corporate communicator in one blow. "You think calling yourself Night Corp makes you untouchable? You've been spoiled rotten."
Still, he knew—they couldn't wait any longer.
No matter how murky this incident was, MaxTac had already surrounded the site for five minutes. Those three had been inside nearly ten.
For MaxTac, ten minutes of observation was already too long.
[MaxTac Commander: Echo, Foxtrot, Golf—prepare to breach. Rory, you're leading. Minimize casualties—and I mean the officials.]
[Rory: That's difficult. If they've taken hostages—]
[MaxTac Commander: MaxTac doesn't negotiate. And MaxTac handles every situation. Screw it up and you're headed to correctional conditioning.]
[Rory: Understood. Preparing to breach.]
Three Manticore aerodynes began advancing toward the smoke-belching factory. Rory, who had waited long for this moment, grinned savagely—
The first time she fought them, the lizard freak kicked her into critical condition. The second time, her aerodyne was blown apart by an over-spec weapon.
This third time—
An armored vehicle pinned under rubble, three lunatics out of ammo and running on madness—what else could they possibly have?
It wasn't like they'd pull out a nuke like fifty years ago. This wasn't Corpo Plaza.
BOOM—
Even buried under rubble, the Mackinaw's absurd engine roar rang out clearly. Rory, mid-descent, might have adopted a contemptuous mindset—but her body reacted instantly:
[Rory: Abort landing. Stay alert—]
BOOM!
The Kastek aerodyne on the rooftop suddenly exploded violently!
The blast disrupted cybernetic sensors—and within that brief 0.3-second recalibration window, the Mackinaw burst out of the building!
The already-collapsing wall was smashed open into a massive breach. Debris from the explosion and shattered concrete rained down together.
And that armored pickup—the one that had already turned Night City upside down—was absurdly fast!
As it emerged, everyone saw it clearly:
Mounted beneath its armored shell were engines—engines that looked like rockets!
The Commander froze for a split second—but quickly recognized them. So did Susan—
They were the vector engines from her aerodyne!
That moment of confusion slowed MaxTac by less than a second—
And that was all it took.
They didn't need to think.
All autocannons opened fire!
20×102mm heavy cannons unleashed full firepower. At 300 rounds per minute, over 30 heavy rounds rained down in that single second—
But their targeting data assumed the Mackinaw was a ground vehicle.
No one could predict that the instant it burst into view—its speed would already exceed 100 mph!
BOOM—
"GHHH—AAAHHHHH!!!"
Inside the vehicle, all three clung to safety grips, their facial muscles completely out of control—
At full power from the start, the violent acceleration combined with the kinetic shock of impact was enough to knock someone unconscious on the spot!
Leo actually was blacking out—
Only Little Octopus remained functional.
BEEP BEEP BEEP—
The horn blared as the vehicle shot past the intersection in a blur. The road behind it collapsed under autocannon fire, yet the shells simply couldn't catch up!
The Mackinaw plunged into the city blocks. The Manticores stationed on the perimeter immediately launched in pursuit—but while their top speed was impressive, their acceleration lagged far behind!
As armored aerodynes, Manticores were anything but agile.
A storm of metal chased the speeding vehicle, shredding streets and building facades alike—
Yet always just a fraction too slow!
Even as debris from the impacts caught up to the truck, the shells themselves never did.
Flying low, Rory felt it most clearly—
That thing shot forward like a massive rat darting through the streets!
Heat and exhaust blasted into her face, flushing it red—
Was she seeing things?
That vehicle… it looked like it had flown.
"Hey! We're here!"
The three Manticores already on the perimeter surged forward in pursuit. Rory was about to follow—
When a voice came from the ground.
From within the ruins, Rhyne waved upward—standing shoulder-to-shoulder with his rival, Peralez, both calling out for help.
…What?
Everyone froze.
Rhyne was alive? Still in the rubble?
Rhyne shouted: "Go after them! Damn it—GO AFTER THEM!!!"
[MaxTac Commander: One team stays. Everyone else—move out!]
MaxTac immediately split—leaving one unit to secure the two men.
A Manticore landed beside Rhyne. Susan stood nearby, watching the two politicians emerge from the ruins, supporting each other—
It felt surreal.
Rhyne was alive. Peralez was here. And they were… shoulder to shoulder?
Where was Mrs. Peralez?
Just as the thought arose, MaxTac operatives carried her out of the ruins.
All alive?
What the hell happened?
Night Corp's plot to eliminate Rhyne… Watson plunged into darkness… Rhyne and Peralez walking out together… and from the ruins—
A radiation-loaded super vehicle?!
The scanners screamed warnings—radiation levels exceeded safe limits!
Susan snapped out of her daze—
[Susan: The vehicle may be carrying a nuclear device!]
MaxTac had already realized the same thing—
That vehicle might contain a nuke!
Rhyne, fresh from near death, looked at MaxTac—these decorated lunatics—and felt reassured.
If it were NCPD, he'd worry about compromised officers putting a bullet in him.
But MaxTac was different.
They might be insane—but they weren't corrupt.
Still… why did his cyberware keep reporting radiation spikes?
Probably a malfunction.
Peralez watched as his wife was carried away, his mind overwhelmed with information.
To live with the truth, he had to stay with Rhyne.
No matter how shattered his worldview was, he now had something real to focus on—
The fugitive who escaped.
He once looked down on criminals.
Yet now… criminals had become central to his life. Before—and now again.
Strange… why "before"?
A sharp pain shot through his head. He crouched against the ruins and said to Rhyne:
"They saved us—yet now they're being hunted down like animals.
The corporations altered my memory, orchestrated your assassination, and still plan to influence the next election. This city will never know why they're being hunted.
Corporate lies will brand them as monsters…
But he could have been… someone respectable."
Rhyne sat down on a chunk of concrete, waiting for medical aid, pulling out a half-smoked cigar.
Peralez wasn't the only one confused.
But Rhyne understood.
He knew exactly what Leo was trying to do.
"…He's the hero Night City needs—but not the one it's ready for. He is—"
An armored vehicle pulled up—but it wasn't medical staff.
It was a veteran.
MaxTac's supreme commander—MaxTac Hammerman. Active since 2000, the architect of modern MaxTac.
At his age, only relics like Saburo Arasaka outranked him in seniority.
With him here, things felt truly secure.
He was famously impartial—corporations or gangs, it didn't matter. If they threatened Night City's order, he acted.
Rhyne stopped mid-thought and said:
"My scanner keeps showing radiation spikes. Might still have some virus residue too. Can you check?"
Hammerman gave him a strange look.
"That tracks, kid. That vehicle that just tore out of here—might be carrying a dirty bomb. Care to explain what's going on?"
Tap.
Rhyne's cigar fell from his mouth. His face flushed red.
Now he understood why the "Burger King" wasn't afraid of being chased.
That lunatic had a nuclear burger in his car!
Rhyne exploded:
"They're maniacs! The most deranged terrorists—completely unhinged! We can't let a nuclear device detonate in Night City!!!"
Hammerman gave him a meaningful look.
"You're right. First, we deal with the nuclear threat. How it got there—we can discuss later."
[MaxTac Commander: All units—weapon restrictions lifted. Neutralize the nuclear threat at full capacity.]