May 18, 2021. 21:31. Rome.
"Left." Dante's voice crackles through my earpiece.
"I see him." My crosshair settles over a man standing on the rooftop balcony across the street.
Around me, night has already swallowed most of Rome, leaving only scattered streetlights and apartment windows to illuminate the district below.
The wind barely shifts as I steady my breathing.
I pull the trigger.
Even suppressed, my rifle still cracks sharply through the night. Pedestrians immediately scream and duck for cover as my target pitches backward over the balcony railing.
"Done." I cycle another round into the chamber while the Camorra teams below immediately begin moving. "Who's next?"
Within seconds, headlights vanish as nearby intersections are quietly blocked off by unmarked vehicles. Police scanners are already being flooded with carefully timed false reports elsewhere in the city, while the handful of civilians still wandering nearby are quickly pushed away before they ever understand what they're looking at.
Honestly... credit where it's due.
The amount of strings Dante has pulled over the past week is ridiculous.
As far as the public is concerned, the gala was nothing more than a tragic accident followed by a structural collapse. The official investigation is still "ongoing," media coverage has somehow gone quiet, and every corporation involved has suddenly become very interested in discussing anything except what actually happened that night.
Sure. Arasaka and Biotechnica just happened to be conducting "inspections" there too.
I suppress a snort.
Nobody with half a brain would buy that story.
"Second floor." Dante's voice pulls me back.
"Mhmm." I squeeze the trigger again.
This one drops before he even realizes anyone was watching him.
Across the district, I watch Rafael's men begin advancing into the building while several more Camorra teams move through the adjoining streets with practiced precision.
Ten days ago, right after Dante officially took over and held his emergency council, his very first order surprised almost everyone.
Everyone expected an execution—a manhunt for Ghost, or a full pursuit of every loose end surrounding the gala.
But instead, he declared that Rome had to be reclaimed for the Camorra first.
Thanks to all the intel we'd gathered, we found out the Cosa Nostra had hastily established a foothold throughout Rome for the sole purpose of attacking the Camorra, hoping to take many of its executive members—including Dante—down while they were all gathered at the gala.
Dante refused to leave that wound open, so he had us help him close it, with additional compensation, of course.
Not that I was complaining or anything like that, of course. I was already making plenty of eddies, but I never shied away from negotiating for more.
A smirk tugs at the corner of my mouth as I settle back behind the scope, waiting for Dante's next command.
Across the street, flashes of muzzle fire erupt from inside a hotel as implanted Cosa Nostra soldiers exchange fire with Camorra crews clearing the building floor by floor.
Then a blur tears past one of the hallway windows.
A second later it slows down just enough for me to recognize Remi.
"FUCK YEAHHHH, BABYYYY!"
Somehow, I can hear him even from here.
A few steps behind him, Tetra shakes his head with a laugh before glancing out the shattered window. He spots me on the rooftop and gives a quick nod.
Remi notices too, then, the idiot that he is, gives me the goofiest salute I've ever seen.
I roll my eyes before keying my radio. "Focus on the job, boys."
"Yes, ma'am!" Remi answers far too enthusiastically before zooming off.
Down on the streets, civilians scatter while police cruisers hold intersections and redirect traffic away from the operation.
Mister and Dante are handling that side of things: pulling strings, making calls, and keeping the authorities pointed everywhere except where they actually need to be.
Meanwhile, Shock has the hotel's entire security system under her control, feeding Rafael live camera feeds and marking exactly where resistance is forming.
Rafael himself leads the bulk of the Camorra's soldiers through the building.
At first glance, most of them look like ordinary civilians in jackets and business clothes, but beneath the fabric are bullet-resistant layers, concealed firearms and implants, enough hidden iron to turn an entire hallway into a killing zone, and probably several dozen killers.
The past week itself has basically become one long routine of kicking down doors, clearing buildings, escorting raids, and making sure whoever's inside a target location never gets the chance to shoot back.
One operation breaks into three smaller ones, which somehow escalates into seven more before the night's over.
Every evening, we hunt another pocket of Cosa Nostra members tied to the gala. They retreat, we chase them, and it turns into another goose chase across apartment blocks, warehouses, dockyards, hotels, back alleys, and nightclubs scattered throughout Rome.
And somehow, the Camorra manages to keep the government and local authorities looking the other way while making sure the media never catches more than a glimpse of what's really happening.
Which is to say… it's pretty impressive.
The Cosa Nostra had committed an enormous amount of manpower, resources, and logistics toward crippling their rival, the Camorra, during the gala, both inside and outside.
They probably would've gotten away with it too if it weren't for all of us stopping that from happening.
Not completely, but enough to expose the cracks in a plan that had overextended them far from their home territory.
And Dante, being the man that he is, saw the opening and took it, ordering the Camorra onto the offensive instead of giving the Cosa Nostra time to regroup.
Scouts, informants, and trusted captains spread throughout southern Italy, identifying weakened supply routes, remaining strongholds, vulnerable leadership, and anything else that could be exploited before the Cosa Nostra had a chance to recover.
At the same time, the rest of the family focused on rebuilding damaged Camorra businesses and infrastructure throughout Rome. Businesses reopened, political relationships were quietly repaired, and allies were reassured that the family wasn't collapsing just because one "old man" had died.
Little by little, it worked. The surviving Cosa Nostra members began abandoning Rome altogether, falling back toward Sicily, their home turf, where they could actually defend themselves.
Which brings us here, to one of the last remaining operations in Dante's campaign.
Maybe even the last. Honestly, I don't know anymore.
From my rooftop perch, I watch another pair of Camorra soldiers sweep flashlights through the hotel before one of them signals toward the street below.
Rafael's voice crackles through the radio almost immediately. "Obiettivo sicuro. Bel lavoro, ragazzi!"
Dante comes in shortly after. "We're done here. Excellent work, everyone."
"Copy that." I let out a slow breath.
Finally.
I key my radio once more, this time switching over to the party's channel.
"How's everyone doing?"
Remi answers first, unsurprisingly. "Chillingggg! Couple gonks tried some funny shit inside, but they got flatlined instead. We stay winnin', baby."
Tetra comes in next. "I'm alright. Few scrapes here and there, but nothing a couple of bandages won't fix."
"The street's still pretty loud," Mister reports calmly. "Otherwise, everything remains under control."
Shock follows right after him. "Same here. Cameras are still behaving and the police are staying exactly where we want them."
"Aight so..." Remi says, excitement already creeping back into his voice. "We celebrating after this shit or what? I'm still salty over the gala and those bitch-ass—"
"Remi." Tetra sighs over the radio. "Let's focus on getting out of the building first."
"Awww, c'mon, choom."
"We're still in the middle of an operation."
"No, no." Shock laughs. "King has his priorities~! But stilllll, we need to verify all of Giovanni's intel before anybody starts partying."
"Oh right..." I key my mic again. "About that. So it's confirmed?"
"It is," Mister answers. "The anonymous intelligence has been far too accurate for it to be anyone else. Every report we've received has checked out after Shock and I verified it."
I lean back against a rooftop ventilation unit, quietly thinking it over.
Even after leaving on bad terms with Dante, Ghost had still been feeding the Camorra information that probably saved dozens of lives.
Kind of ironic. He'd betrayed the family... yet somehow remained loyal to it at the same time.
Or... maybe not the people, just the organization itself.
Either way, it wasn't really my problem.
That mess belonged to Dante.
Speaking of which, Dante's voice cuts into the channel.
"I'm going radio silent for a while. I need to contact Giovanni again."
Shock immediately perks up. "Oooooh~! That's either gonna end really well or really badly."
"Wait, what? The hell's going on?" Remi asks. "Someone fill me in."
I wince, disappointed more than anything.
"Remi... you really need to start paying attention during our meetings."
"BRO! I LITERALLY JUST PULL UP TO SHOOT OR AURA FARM!"
I stare at him through the broken window for a second.
"...Maybe it'd help your 'aura farming' IF YOU KNEW WHAT WAS HAPPENING! Did you ever consider that?!"
"Fuck that shit, cho—"
"Remi." Tetra sighs. "Wait… what's aura— "
"GIRLLLL!!" Shock snorts over the radio, trying and failing to hide a laugh.
Before the argument can go any further, Mister cuts in.
"It's fine. This serves as a good update for all of us." Mister waits for the chatter to die down before continuing. "Someone has been anonymously supplying Dante with intelligence over secure communication channels throughout the week: hidden weapon caches, planned ambushes, defectors, safe routes. It wasn't strictly necessary for victory, but it significantly accelerated our operations and prevented several unnecessary casualties." He pauses briefly. "The reports were also far too detailed to have come from anyone except Ghost."
"Huh." Tetra thinks for a moment. "Still... why does everyone call him Ghost? Kind of generic, isn't it?"
"Perhaps in North America, but not here," Mister continues. "Giovanni earned that nickname long before stealth cyberware entered his life. He built his reputation infiltrating places no ordinary person should've been able to reach, all without relying on implants."
I glance back toward the hotel.
"So now, with whatever stealth chrome he's packing..." I shake my head. "...he'd be fucking annoying to find."
"Correct." Mister doesn't miss a beat. "And I'd personally advise against trying. It would almost certainly be a waste of time."
"Good, the last thing I wanted was to spend the next month playing hide-and-seek with someone like that in Italy."
I'd much rather keep shooting people who actually wanted to shoot back.
Still...I kinda wonder if he'd teach me a thing or two.
I snort to myself.
Yeah, right. As if he'd ever agree to that.
"Oh fuck, wait. What about the corpos?" Remi asks, bringing my attention back to the present.
Through the broken hotel window, I can still see Tetra lightly nudging him farther down the hallway.
"At least keep moving while asking," Tetra tells him.
"BROOOO! I'm moving!"
"Come on, man. You're barely walking."
Mister sounds like he's about to answer before Shock cuts in.
"Ooooh, wait, can I slide in for this one?"
There's a brief pause before Mister responds. "By all means."
Honestly, I'm glad those two have mellowed out again.
The past couple of days were stressful enough that even normal conversations felt like business meetings, but now that we're nearing the end of this mess, some of their personality is finally coming back.
"Sooo, Arasaka and Biotechnica have kinda been doing their own thing," Shock explains. "Mostly following whatever trail Neo-Tanwir left behind after the gala. Linh especially. Remember her, Artie? The girl I wanted you to meet?"
"Yeah, kinda hard to forget," I say. "All things considered."
"Well, she's pretty high up there. She said she was special Operations, which isn't exactly an entry-level corpo desk job."
I adjust my rifle against my shoulder. "Okay, but what good does that actually do for us? Because Linh—"
"So she's basically a corpo-drone," Remi cuts in.
I pause before continuing, considering if Remi's bluntness is accurate or not. Ultimately, I relent.
"...Yeah. Basically what I was getting at."
"Remi," Tetra sighs. "Could you let her finish?"
"I'm simplifying!"
"She was in the middle of talking." Tetra chuckles before glancing back toward the window. "Still, I am curious. How exactly do you know Linh, Shock? And more importantly, what does she actually want?"
"I met her earlier while I was investigating Dante's enemies," Shock replies. "She was already looking into the Neo-Tanwir and some of the same people we were trying to identify. Plus, Biotechnica's HQ is literally here in Rome, which made running into them eventually pretty likely."
"Not exactly reassuring," I mutter.
"That's not necessarily bad eitherrrr," Shock counters. "Linh knows people, a loooottttt of people. If the gala hadn't turned into the world's worst family reunion, she probably could've helped us identify some of the players involved that night."
Unfortunately, we all know how that turned out.
Remi stays quiet for a second before, surprisingly, asking a pretty good question.
"Okay, hold up. Isn't it kinda fucking crazy that your mafia family decided to host this big-ass mafia gala right beside one of the biggest corpos in the world?"
Huh. He's actually paying attention now.
Mister answers him. "Perhaps. Although, there is some logic behind it. Biotechnica's primary interests are biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and fuel production. Compared to corporations specializing in weapons, private security, or intelligence, their normal operations are less likely to directly interfere with the Camorra's."
"That's what they want you to think, choom," Remi replies immediately. "Look, credit where it's due, that alternative-fuel shit they made was a fucking godsend. But I don't trust anybody who wakes up every morning needing to make another million eddies before dinner. CHOOH2 or not."
I raise an eyebrow. "Okay, that one wasn't completely stupid."
"THANK YOU!"
Tetra laughs quietly. "I hate to say it, but I understand where he's coming from. I'd rather be careful around someone that high up in a corporation—especially with what we know."
"Exactly!" Remi points at him. "My man gets it!"
Shock makes a thoughtful noise over the radio. "I'm not saying we should trust Linh with our deepest, darkest secrets or anything. But what I am saying is that she's worth keeping in mind. She helped us at the gala, for a bit. And right now, her interests kind of overlap with ours."
"That's where I stand," Mister adds. "Maintaining good relations with Miss Tcheou costs us very little and could provide considerable benefits later. Information, contacts, introductions, perhaps even access to opportunities we otherwise wouldn't have."
Remi snorts. "Of course the guy whose entire job is networking likes the corpo lady because she has a good network."
"Yes," Mister replies without a hint of embarrassment. "That is, in fact, part of my job."
Tetra laughs again while Shock lets out a giggle over the radio.
"That doesn't mean I intend to become her best friend," Mister continues. "A useful professional relationship is still just that: professional."
"Still staying the fuck away from her," Remi says.
"I think I'm leaning toward Remi on this one," Tetra admits. "Although I'd rather know more about her before deciding anything."
"Which is all I'm saying," Shock replies. "Keep her in mind."
I don't really know where that leaves me.
Linh helped us, sure. Shock knows her, Mister seems perfectly willing to work with her, and she hasn't given me any reason to consider her an enemy.
But she's also Biotechnica.
A corporation I have absolutely zero personal investment in one way or another.
So for now, I guess I'm sitting on the fence.
Before the conversation can go any further, Dante's voice suddenly returns over the radio.
"Everyone, I have an update."
I raise an eyebrow. "Oh? Let's hear it."
Dante takes a moment before answering.
"I just finished speaking with Giovanni again."
That gets everyone's attention quickly.
Even through the window, I can see Remi and Tetra slow their pace while Shock goes quiet on the channel.
"And?" I ask.
"This conversation was considerably more productive than the last." Dante sounds tired, but there isn't the same frustration I'd heard when Ghost first contacted him ten days ago. "Neither of us attempted to justify what happened at the gala. Giovanni knows what he did, and I made it clear that I haven't forgotten."
"So he finally admitted he fucked up?" Remi asks.
"In his own way," Dante replies. "He told me he's spent the last ten days watching."
I raise an eyebrow. "Watching what?"
"Me. The family. Everything we've done since the Don died. He expected my leadership to be considerably worse than it has been."
"Wow," Shock mutters. "How flattering."
Dante ignores the comment.
"Giovanni believed I would immediately pursue him after taking control. He expected retaliation against the Cosa Nostra without preparation, executions within the family, and anyone who questioned my authority to be removed."
"Basically everything you didn't do," Tetra points out.
"Exactly. Instead, he watched us rebuild Rome first. He watched the family stabilize, our remaining leadership cooperate, and our operations against the Cosa Nostra become more organized rather than less." Dante pauses for a moment. "He still believes strength is necessary to hold the Camorra together. On that point, I doubt Giovanni and I will ever disagree."
"But?" Mister asks.
"But he admitted he was wrong about me."
For a moment, nobody says anything.
Huh.
"He expected the family to fracture under my leadership," Dante continues. "Instead, we've accomplished the opposite. The remaining underbosses are cooperating, our territory is secure again, and the Cosa Nostra has been driven back toward Sicily. He can no longer deny that I've united the family."
"So what happens to him now?" I ask. "Was everything resolved?"
"No. I offered him an opportunity to remain within the Camorra."
That immediately earns several reactions at once.
"You WHAT?!" Shock blurts.
Remi's voice comes right after hers. "Wait, hold up."
Even Tetra sounds surprised. "After everything that happened?"
"I offered him an opportunity," Dante repeats firmly. "Understand that this is not forgiveness. I'm merely giving him a chance at redemption. If Giovanni wants to remain part of this family, he will need to return willingly, answer for his actions, make amends where possible, and accept that the Camorra will not be governed according to his personal vision."
That shuts down most of the objections before they can really start.
Mister is the first to respond. "And I assume he declined."
"He did."
"Probably for the best," Shock mutters.
Dante doesn't disagree. "Giovanni said he needs time away from the family. His vision for the Camorra remains fundamentally different from mine, and he doesn't believe returning immediately would benefit either of us. For now, he intends to disappear."
"Shit, jack me sideways. Who would've thunk?" Remi snorts. "So Ghost is gonna go ghost."
Tetra laughs despite himself. "You were waiting to say that, weren't you?"
"Maybe."
I close my eyes. Of fucking course.
Dante continues before Remi gets another opportunity.
"However, before leaving, Giovanni provided one final package of intelligence regarding Neo-Tanwir. Everything he managed to uncover before and after the gala, including several possible movements outside Italy. Mister and Shock will verify it before we act on anything."
Shock's tone immediately shifts back toward business. "Already looking forward to that."
"Of course you are," I mutter.
"As for the Camorra, Giovanni is no longer actively opposing my leadership. That allows us to formally begin rebuilding without worrying about an internal conflict with him." Dante's voice hardens slightly. "Rome comes first. After that, we'll continue applying pressure to the Cosa Nostra's remaining operations throughout southern Italy and eventually Sicily."
"So we're not done," Remi says.
"We were never done."
"Fuck."
I can't help but laugh.
For a few seconds, the channel settles into something almost resembling normal conversation before Remi speaks again.
"Okay, but ain't it a little disrespectful that he couldn't say any of this shit to your face?"
"Not necessarily," Mister replies. "Sometimes you have to meet people where they are, especially if forcing the alternative accomplishes nothing."
Shock hums in agreement. "Plus, good luck scheduling a coffee date with him. He spends half his life in the dark and the other half having proxies talk for him."
"Considering what happened at the gala, that makes sense," Tetra adds. "If he's survived this long by never being where people expect him to be, I doubt he's going to suddenly stop now."
I shift my rifle farther across my shoulder as I make my way toward the rooftop access door.
"Okay, so just to make sure I'm following: Ghost isn't opposing Dante anymore, he's fucking off somewhere to think about his life choices, and we don't have to worry about hunting him down?"
"Correct," Dante answers.
Thank fuck.
"Good enough for me."
"I'll explain the rest in person," Dante continues. "Everyone meet me on the street once you've finished clearing out. I want a quick meeting before we leave."
"Copy," Mister answers.
"Gotcha!" Shock adds.
Tetra responds a moment later. "We'll be down shortly."
Then Remi comes through last.
"Aight, bet. Now can we talk about celebrating?"
I open the rooftop door with a sigh. "Get downstairs first, dumbass."
…
May 18, 2021. 22:05. Rome.
By the time I make it downstairs, everyone else is already gathering near the edge of the street.
Most of the Camorra soldiers are still busy clearing the surrounding buildings while police keep civilians away from the area, leaving the rest of us standing beside a row of unmarked vehicles parked along the curb.
Dante and Wissen are already talking when I approach.
"...Considering the circumstances, I'm rather pleased with how everything turned out," Wissen says. "More importantly, I'm pleased to see how well you're handling yourself."
Dante gives him a tired smile. "I'll take that as a compliment."
"It was intended as one."
I sling my rifle across my back as I join them. "What? Was there ever any doubt?"
"About Dante? No, I had complete faith in him." Wissen slowly turns toward me, the faintest hint of amusement crossing his face. "About you? Perhaps a little. I like to keep my expectations reasonable."
I roll my eyes. "You could've stopped at the compliment."
"And miss the opportunity?"
"Asshole."
Tetra arrives just in time to hear that, raising an eyebrow at me. "Was calling Wissen an asshole really the smartest idea?"
"No, but I've done worse," I admit with a sigh.
Wissen chuckles. "Much worse, unfortunately."
I point toward him. "HEY!"
That gets a laugh from the old man as the rest of the team begins filtering in.
Remi finally emerges from the hotel, looking considerably happier than anyone has the right to be after spending the past hour getting shot at. Shock joins us from farther down the street, stuffing her hands into her pockets while Mister follows at a much more leisurely pace.
Remi immediately looks toward Dante.
"So..." He spreads his arms. "What's the plan now?"
"Girlllll, relax." Shock laughs. "We finished, like, five minutes ago. Can we enjoy the win before you start asking for the next thing?"
"I'm just asking!"
Mister ignores them, instead looking toward Dante. "With the Cosa Nostra effectively driven out of Rome, I assume the next logical step would be to press the advantage before they have time to recover."
"I've considered it," Dante admits. "But no. Not yet."
Mister tilts his head. "Then explain."
"The Cosa Nostra committed a considerable amount of manpower and resources to Rome." Dante continues. "Their attempt to cripple us failed, and now they've been forced back toward Sicily with considerably less than they started with." Dante glances toward the hotel behind us. "Chasing them immediately would accomplish little besides stretching ourselves thin in return."
"So you're rebuilding?" Tetra asks.
"Exactly. Businesses, infrastructure, political contacts, allies, everything damaged over the past several weeks. Rome needs to be secure before I begin seriously considering Sicily." Dante pauses. "I'll send scouts and informants south in the meantime. If the Cosa Nostra begins reorganizing, I'll know."
"That sounds reasonable," Mister says.
"Regardless..." Dante looks toward the rest of us. "That is no longer your concern."
I raise an eyebrow. "Oh?"
For a moment, Dante simply looks at all of us, expression softening. "I don't believe I've properly thanked any of you."
Remi immediately opens his mouth.
I glare at him.
He closes it again.
Dante almost smiles before continuing.
"When I first hired you in Vancouver, I expected simple assistance recovering the railgun. Nothing more. Instead, you uncovered an assassination plot against me, identified the Cosa Nostra's movements before the gala, protected my family to the best of everyone's ability, fought beside the Camorra when Neo-Tanwir attacked, and then stayed another ten days to help reclaim Rome."
He looks between us.
"Without all of you... none of this would've been possible. Or at least... it would've been a lot more difficult."
For once, nobody immediately ruins the moment.
Then Remi exhales dramatically.
"FINALLY! Shit is DONE with!"
That's it. My eye twitches, and I step sideways, lightly kicking him in the shin.
"OW—BITCH ASS—"
Remi immediately turns toward me before Tetra catches him by the shoulder.
"Easy." Tetra is already laughing. "You kinda deserved that."
"THE FUCK I DID!" Remi snaps, pointing a finger at me. "TRY THAT SHIT AGAIN, BRO! I FUCKIN' DARE YOU! IMMA WHUP YOUR ASS WITH MY SANDEV—"
"EASY, MAN!" Tetra cuts him off, laughing even harder. "No need to suddenly crank that shit up to eleven!"
"OH EM GEEEEE!" Shock practically doubles over. "I can't believe Artie waited until the contract was over before choosing violence!"
"He was asking for it," I say.
"CHOOM, YOU COULD'VE JUST SAID SOMETHING!" Remi shouts.
"I've been saying something for the past ten days!" I shoot back. "GOD, YOU'RE SOOOOOO ANNOYING!"
Wissen chuckles. "Relax, Remi. Nobody is going to steal your weed while you're distracted."
Remi stares at him. "...Why's everyone on my ass tonight?"
Mister quietly folds his arms. "I believe you make it remarkably easy."
"WHAT THE FUCKKK?!" Remi throws his hands into the air.
Just as Remi's about to do something, our attention shifts back to Dante.
He laughs and shakes his head before raising a hand.
"Alright. Before this becomes another conflict I need to resolve..."
Everyone gradually settles down as he clears his throat.
"Your contract with me is fulfilled. You may leave Italy whenever you wish."
Dante glances toward Wissen. The old man nods, his eyes glowing blue.
My phone vibrates almost immediately.
"...Oh?" I pull it out.
A notification fills the screen.
Incoming: €$40,000
Account Total: €$529,148
My eyes widen.
"Holy shit, it's double last time."
Any exhaustion I felt five seconds ago suddenly becomes considerably easier to tolerate.
Remi checks his own account and practically lights up. "YOOOOOO!"
Shock's eyes widen at whatever number appears on her screen. "Wowwwww, okayyyyy! Now THAT'S what I'm talking about!"
Tetra lets out a low whistle while even Mister takes a moment to inspect the transfer.
I stare at my account for another second as a grin slowly spreads across my face.
Italy wasn't so bad after all.
"I believe this is appropriate considering the last few weeks." Wissen raises a hand before our collective financial literacy completely collapses. "But you can celebrate your newfound wealth later. There is still one matter left to discuss."
I lower my phone. "There's more?"
Dante nods. "There is." His expression becomes noticeably more serious. "Your original contract is complete. Anything that happens between the Camorra and Cosa Nostra from this point onward is my responsibility. I won't ask you to fight our war in Sicily, nor do I intend to hire you to spend the next several months repairing our territory."
"Thank fuck," Remi mutters.
Tetra elbows him.
Dante ignores it. "However... there is another matter."
I already have a feeling I know where this is going.
"The railgun," Mister says.
"Exactly." Dante's eyes settle on him. "The Neo-Tanwir stole it, but as far as we know, they never used it. Giovanni's intelligence gives us several leads regarding their movements both inside and outside of Italy. Biotechnica and Arasaka also appear to be following the same trail. And... I lost the railgun once. I don't intend to lose it permanently."
I fold my arms. "So you're offering us another contract."
"I am."
"How much?"
Tetra slowly looks toward me. "What?"
Dante actually smiles. "We can negotiate later."
"Good answer," I remark.
Remi simply snorts.
Dante continues. "This isn't about Rome anymore, nor is it about proving whether I'm worthy of inheriting the Camorra. I want the weapon recovered for good, and more importantly, I want to know why Neo-Tanwir was willing to attack the gala to obtain it. We could easily assume they've simply been raiding anyone they can for technology, but that doesn't tell us why. I want to know their motives, especially why they targeted the us."
Nobody immediately answers.
Is the railgun really THAT special?
Sure, it can apparently blast through a tank, but we already know it has limited shots. The corporations want to reverse-engineer it too, but is it really worth all this effort?
How many of these things are there again?
Images from the past few weeks flash through my head: recovering the damn thing in Vancouver, modifying it, hauling it halfway across the world to Italy, nearly getting killed over it at the gala, and then watching Neo-Tanwir steal it right back from us.
Hmm... considering everyone involved, it's probably another gigantic fucking mess waiting for us somewhere down the line.
Before any of us can discuss it, Dante turns toward Shock.
"And... sister."
Shock looks up from her phone. "Hm?"
Something about Dante's expression changes. He carefully considers his words before speaking.
"I've been thinking about something else."
Shock tilts her head. "Okayyyy...?"
Dante takes a breath. "I've been thinking of letting you go as well."
Her smile fades. "...What?"
Everyone goes quiet.
Dante doesn't look away from her.
"You've spent years working for the family because you were expected to. Because of me, because of our parent's decisions, because of the position you were born into." His voice remains gentle. "But you've made it clear before, more than once, that this isn't the life you would've chosen for yourself."
Shock doesn't move.
There isn't a joke waiting behind her expression. No exaggerated reaction, no playful comment, nothing.
Dante continues. "Our parents are long gone, and I'm the Don now. If there was ever going to be a time when I could finally give you that choice, it's now."
Shock blinks. Her lips part slightly, but nothing comes out.
"I can have your records adjusted accordingly. Any obligations you have to the Camorra can be cleared, and nobody within the Camorra will have the authority to force you back." Dante gives her a small smile. "You've earned your chance at freedom."
Shock just stares at him. "...You're serious?"
"Completely."
The entire street suddenly feels quieter than it did a few seconds ago.
Remi doesn't say anything. Neither does Tetra. Mister watches silently while Wissen's expression becomes unreadable.
Even I have absolutely no idea what to say.
Shock looks from Dante to the rest of us, then back toward her brother.
She looks completely lost for words.