Robert Meta
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The Brink and Back - Chapter Seventy Four
🕑 Added 2025-07-09 15:07:12 +0000 UTCI was halfway through making a cup of coffee, the first step of making breakfast, when Samwise sent me a message, asking for my location. Within a few minutes of responding, he arrived at the Shack, just in time for me to sit down with a fruit cube salad and steaming mug.
"What's going on, buddy?" I asked, popping a peach cube into my mouth. "Something important?"
"Several things. As construction seems to be progressing here at Rocky Ridge, I have allocated several rooms for labs and workshops in the vault," he explained, standing on the other side of the table, his small arms holding up a tablet. "They are accessible either by teleport or by the central elevator. The primary workshop is in the process of being set up in a way similar to your current workshop, with a large dedicated production facility connected to it."
"I was under the impression most of our vault resources were going towards making the large-scale facility I requested that Noah make," I responded with a frown.
"The first stage of that facility is still being excavated," Samwise explained. "That process will be completed in two hours and seventeen minutes, approximately. That is plenty of time to set up several lab spaces using the vaults already large production capabilities."
"Right, okay. Sounds good," I agreed with a nod.
"With you and Jackie having received your implants already, Frank has begun the process of packing up his lab," Samwise explained. "With your current tree being so heavily focused on biology, I felt it was prudent to get a proper biolab set up. He should be prepared to begin working with the machines you create by tomorrow morning."
"That... is a good idea. Do me a favor and find out if he would like some spare hands around his lab," I suggested, Samwise nodding as he jotted something down on his tablet. "I have a feeling biological manipulation is going to be a big deal for us after this tech tree, so making him a lab assistant, even just a dumb one, might be in order."
"Very well," Samwise agreed with a nod, his servos letting out as barely audible whir. "Beyond that, Gloria Martinez had responded to our job offer. I responded that you would interview her at the Tinker Tech offices between her morning and evening shifts."
"And when exactly is that?" I asked, as I sat up straight, suddenly a lot less relaxed.
"Around three PM," Samwise responded. "I assumed you would want the meeting as soon as possible. I apologize if that is not the case. "
"No, you are right. The sooner the better," I said, letting out a long breath. "Tell Sable that I'll need an interview room, and let Riggs know I need him on bodyguard duty."
"You plan on going as yourself?"
"No, but it sends the right message, and it will be a great way to show off what sort of equipment she will be working with," I explained. "Unless you think it's the wrong look?"
"You are the leader of a growing corporation," Samwise pointed out. "Having a bodyguard or several would make sense."
"I'm debating if I should bring Jackie as well…" I said, scratching my chin. "He is much better at talking to people than I am, and they share some of their past. Both Valintinos, both got out."
"I believe that might work against you, in this scenario," Samwise responded. "Their history is too similar, it may seem like he is someone brought in for her to connect to. I believe going as just yourself, with Riggs as a bodyguard, would be sufficient."
I looked at him for a moment, trying to figure out if I agreed with his assessment. Samwise was programmed to be amicable, and he had grown more alive and personable since then, but his primary purpose was not to understand and predict people. Still, I think he had the right idea, so I nodded in agreement.
"Alright, I'll leave Jackie behind. They can always meet later."
I finished my breakfast while Samwise went off to talk to Riggs and call Sable. While I ate, I mulled over what I could say to Gloria, trying to figure out the best way to get her on our side. The truth was, I didn't know enough about her or her situation to come up with some sort of glorious offer she couldn't refuse. Dakota had put together a reasonably comprehensive brief on her, and while it helped, it didn't really provide me with any concrete answers.
"I'm just gonna have to wing it," I muttered, draining the last bits of my coffee.
With a meeting set in about six hours, I had some time to kill. I could have tackled more machines and creations from the new Jurassic tech tree, but since I planned on doing more later that night, I decided to check in on Alexander instead. They had had some time to work on the gig I gave them, and I wanted to see what sort of information they had gathered.
Making my way across the Ridge, I stepped into the Nomad space, walking casually through the area. I spotted a group of MRVNs working on one of the small buildings near the entrance, assembling a kitchen and preparing the building to sell food. They had cut some customer windows to serve and take orders from along the front, and I could see a pair of MRVN setting up tables and chairs. Quite a few nomads watched out of curiosity, and I couldn't help but smirk when I thought about just how much their minds would be blown when Jackie started making his food.
It only took a few minutes of wandering for me to spot Alexander, standing just inside a large tent set up beside one of their large trucks. Someone inside must have pointed me out, since as I approached, he turned around and greeted me.
"Jackson, good to see you," He said, shaking my hand easily. "Coming to check up on our progress?"
"And see how everything was going in general," I added with a smile.
"Well, I can say we are getting some solid results so far," he assured me, guiding me into the tent. "See for yourself."
Set up on a table in the cooler interior of the tent was a map of Watson, more specifically, Northside, the primary focus of our next step. It was covered in markings, scribbled notes, and pins, a jumble of information that I was struggling to read. Panam was sitting at the table as well, tapping at a tablet while looking back and forth between the map and her equipment.
“Wow… that is…”
Alexander laughed, shaking his head and tapping the table with his pointer finger.
"That's just us keeping track of everything," he explained, holding up a thick tablet. "We have a more refined model on here that Panam is working on."
"Here, take a look," the slightly younger woman suggested, handing me the tablet.
Again, I saw a map of Northside, this time covered with a heat map and several dozen markers all across the area.
"So, according to the information we are collecting, Mealstorm frequents this sort of middle band area, from a pretty strong concentration at the docks, to a weak presence at the abandoned warehouses," Alexander explained, sitting down on a stool and a few feet away. "The red markers are bases that Dakota knew about, the oranges are bases or frequent gathering areas we have noticed."
"What about the white?" I asked, looking up from the surprisingly detailed map.
"Those are where we have spotted them just hanging around," Alexander explained. "They meander a lot through their territory, harassing people who were on the streets, but there are spots they like to stop at. We tried tracking everywhere they were going, but it was impossible while we were in vehicles."
"That's fine. Frankly, this is enough information for Sable to start making some serious plans," I explained, tapping the tablet for emphasis. "If you can keep it up for the rest of the day, I'll up it to seven pistols and seven rifles, or four suits of armor."
"We can do that," Alexander agreed.
I called Samwise with my keyphone, and the ever-helpful AI set up a connection so that Sable could view the information and share it with whoever she wanted, and Alexander could update it as they continued to work. I also left the reward in Samwise's hands. Once Alexander figured out what they wanted, they could send him a message, and he could take care of it. I was almost certain they would opt for the armor, as it was something that would work well with their lifestyle and would be incredibly useful for them.
Not long after Samwise remotely set up the connection, Sable sent me a message thanking me. She also assured that she would have a portfolio put together by the following morning. I was a bit surprised, considering the scope of what we were attempting, but then again, she had hired her team from resources she already had, and I doubted she would waste her time with people who couldn't do their jobs well.
Before long, it was time for me and Riggs to head into the city. I changed into a bio-doppelganger and put on a less ostentatious version of my fancy clothes. The original gold was replaced with more matte gold-orange, while the long, cloak-like jacket was replaced by a simple suit jacket. After that, I made my way out of the vault, looking for our ride. While I had assumed we would be taking one of the company trucks, it turns out that I was absolutely wrong.
Waiting for me just in front of the workshop was a Herrera Outlaw GTS, which was a four-door luxury vehicle, sort of like a sporty Chrysler. This one was a deep metallic green with gold highlights. It looked completely normal as far as I could tell, but by what Kaytlyn and Riggs were describing, it was far from that. Apparently, the two of them had been working on car designs and had snuck this one in to be built somewhere along the switch between vault construction and the large-scale production facility that Noah was championing. It was reinforced, armored, and stuffed with all sorts of SCIENCE! and tech from all of the trees I had access to.
I honestly had no idea that Riggs and Kaytlyn had been spending so much time together, but I'm glad they are getting along so well.
The interior of the vehicle was also special, simply because it was designed to accommodate someone wearing my power armor. The roof actually folded back seamlessly, and the seats were modular in a way that, with only a few minutes of work, Riggs was able to sit down in the back, in full gear. If the power armor didn't support and cradle a person perfectly, no matter what part of them was making contact with the ground, it would have likely been very uncomfortable for biological people, but thankfully, it did.
We hopped into the car, with me at the wheel, and made our way from Rocky Ridge into Night City. Eventually, we arrived at the same small parking structure, and from there we rode the elevator up to the Tinker Tech offices. As we stepped in, the secretary at the front desk looked up, her eyes going wide when she spotted Riggs, before focusing on me.
"O-oh! Mr. Jackson, Ms. Arcturus mentioned you would be by to use one of our conference rooms," She said with a forced smile, quickly standing. "I already had some drinks set out. If you need any food, just let me know."
"Thank you," I said with a nod. "A Gloria Martinez will be arriving shortly, please politely guide them here."
"Of course," She responded with a nod, glancing at Riggs as he thumped alongside us. "Is there anything else?"
"Nope, thank you for your help," I said with a smile, the young woman nodding and turning away, hurriedly walking back to her post.
As she left, I looked around, trying to figure out where Riggs should hang out. I wanted him nearby, looking like an active bodyguard, while not scaring the hell out of anyone.
"Alright, let's have you stand against that wall," I said, gesturing to the empty space across from the conference room entrance. "Try to look professional, but keep the smasher vibes to a minimum."
"I'll do my best," he responded, a hint of sarcastic humor in his voice, even as he moved to the position. "And when Ms Martinez arrives?"
"Wait for me to call you in," I responded. "No reason to worry about me, and I don't think she would be able to do anything, anyways."
He nodded, and with one more look up and down the hallway of the office that I technically owned, I stepped into the conference room. Rather than taking the seat at the head of the table, which was a much larger and more impressive chair, I sat along one of the edges, as that was a much more reasonable way to converse with someone.
I settled in to wait, since we arrived appropriately early, by turning on my CAD and working on the design for a medic's toolkit. If we were going to have a combat medic on our team working with us, it only made sense for her to have the appropriate tools, after all. I stuck to some basic concept work, since I would want her input on it, assuming she agreed to join up.
To be honest, with our access to stimpaks, especially the auto injectors I had inside our power armor, I didn't really want a combat medic for treating the team. Instead, Gloria's primary focus would be stabilizing any innocent civilians who got caught in our crossfire. It was also very clear in the file Dakota put together that she was not a pacifistic tag-along, and that she was happy to fight alongside her original employers. Assuming she was still comfortable with that, having another fighter we could trust alongside us would be very useful.
About twenty minutes after we arrived, Riggs sent me a warning through our comms, and I quickly saved and exited my basic designs. I took a deep breath and settled in, putting a smile on my face that I hoped didn't look fake.
I also did my best to squash the nagging thought that I should have ignored Samwise and brought Jackie anyway.
The secretary opened the door, and Gloria Martinez stepped in. She wasn't dressed in her famous emergency EMT jacket, but rather in a dark blue pencil skirt and a short-sleeved, vest-like top that reached up to her neck. It was clearly some sort of dress clothes, a good sign that she was taking the interview seriously.
"Ms. Martinez, hello, thank you for coming," I said, reaching across the table to shake her hand before we both sat. "I want to thank you for making time in your busy schedule to come here and hear my proposal out."
"Well, hard to resist a pay rise like you offered," she responded honestly. "I'm sorry… Mr. Jackson was it?"
"No, it's just Jackson," I explained. "At the risk of trying to sound dramatic, I'm afraid I lost my last name on my way to Night City."
"Oh…"
"You don't have to worry about that, it's a long story," I assured her, leaning back in my chair. "I also want to clear up the point of beating your current pay rate. The increase we offered was the baseline we would pay you. I fully expect that amount to go up."
"Really?" She asked, sounding surprised. "That is… surprising."
"Well, you would be earning it," I pointed out. "You see, we are looking for someone with your mix of medical understanding and combat experience."
"Combat experience?" she asked, confusion now in her voice. "Do you mean my time in the Valentinos? I worked hard to escape that life, to keep me and my son safe. What would you need me for anyway? I fought alongside gangbanger and drug dealers, I'm hardly a soldier."
"We want you because of your solid work ethic, experience on the street, and because… well, you're a real person," I explained honestly. "You're not some chromed-out edgerunner burning the fuse at both ends. You're not a bored-out soldier with their emotions burned out and a mostly metal brain. We did our research, and we think you would fit our group well because you're an actual person."
The slightly older woman leaned back, studying me for a long moment. She was still clearly sceptical, that was written on her face plain as day, but something about my words had at least convinced her to hear the rest of what I had to say.
"Perhaps I should start from the beginning, to give you a better idea of what I'm inviting you to," I offered, and she nodded. "I own Tinker Tech, but this would be a separate venture. Originally, we started as a mercenary team, doing gigs for fixers such as Padre and Dakota Smith. We-"
"Wait, you own this company, and you personally fight as a mercenary?" She asked, now really confused. "Why?"
"Originally, it was because I needed funding. Now, however, it's because my friends want to make a name for themselves as top mercenaries," I explained with a shrug. "Once I had my funding, I couldn't just abandon them. The best chance they had to survive and make it big was having people by their side that they could trust."
That seemed to resonate with Gloria, though it also clearly surprised them. After a moment, when they did not ask a follow-up question, I continued.
"The situation has evolved now, and while my friends are less interested in being a drink in the Afterlife, our talents as a combat team are still needed," I explained. "We plan on expanding our investments into areas of Night City with heavy gang presence. After purchasing the land, we would go in to dissuade the gang elements from essentially squatting. Then we would revitalize the area with reasonably priced apartments, restaurants, entertainment facilities, or other structures."
"That…sounded like a complicated way of saying you plan on buying gang land, kicking out the gangs, and then building on it," She said, and when I didn't deny it, she continued. "What's to stop that gang from returning and taking revenge?"
"I don't plan on there being a gang when I'm done," I explained, leaning back in my chair. "We wouldn't be fighting all of them alone, but… let's just say I have the resources to ensure they stay down."
"And I'm just supposed to trust you on that?"
"Of course not," I said, waving away her concern. "Allow me to demonstrate what sort of tech you will be using, if you choose to join us. Riggs?"
For a moment, we sat in silence before Riggs stepped into the room, half turning sideways and ducking to fit in the door.
"Do me a favor and show Ms. Martinez your power armor," I asked.
Riggs nodded, and after a moment, the nearly eight-foot-tall power armor opened, and Riggs stepped out, dressed in the same under armor that I usually wore. I had gotten so used to him just being Riggs, it took me a moment to remember that he looked like a slightly younger Josh Brolin. As he stepped away from his power armor, Gloria and I could easily see inside, revealing the padded internals.
"This is a power armor of my own creation, on par with just about anything in its weight class," I explained. "I won't lie to you and say that it's indestructible or that nothing else exists that can compare, but I can say that pound for pound, there is nothing that comes to its levels of agility and durability. This is what you would be inside while we were on mission, as well as an internal armor system in case you were forced to eject."
"That… okay, I'll admit, that is impressive," she said, eyeing the power armor before looking back at me and shaking her head. "But it's going to be hard to perform first aid when I put my hand through someone's chest trying to put pressure on the wound."
"The suit has a variable movement and pressure control system that you can adjust internally," I assured her. "With the right tools, which we can work together to design, you could perform open heart surgery on a housefly. Additionally, to clarify, your primary purpose would not be to provide aid to us. We have internal systems for that. Your primary purpose would be to provide aid to civilians who get caught in the crossfire. If nothing goes wrong, you'll be spending most of your time fighting with us."
That caught her off guard, though I couldn't tell if it was because I was concerned about civilians or if I didn't expect my people to need medical attention.
"To be clear, Ms Martinez, I am being circumspect about a good portion of what is going on," I admitted. "Nothing I have said is false, but I'm concerned about people getting in the way if word got out before we could make our move."
"... Say I agree, and I sign on to your group," she asked, watching me carefully. "What happens next?"
"That depends, how attached to your home are you?" I asked, catching her off guard. "We have employee housing, far better than the apartments in a megabuilding. Our contract would also cover food and other living expenses."
"You would want us to move? Where?"
"To our residential facility in Rocky Ridge," I explained, starting to stretch the truth a bit. "We own the entire town and have been working on improving it. Sort of like a test run for what we plan to do inside the city."
"And this would come out of my pay?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.
"No, this is on top of your pay," I assured her. "Ms. Martinez, as I said, I am not looking for an unquestioning soldier or a conscript. If I wanted another robot, I would make more. I want us to work together, not just cause I'm paying you, but because you like working with me and my team. Even better if you believe in my goal to revitalize Night City. Ensuring you are satisfied with your part of the deal is a crucial aspect of that. As is you trusting not just me, but the other members of the team.
Despite staying silent, she nodded along in understanding, her face kept relatively blank as she listened.
"The desire for your trust is also why I have to warn you. This path, our plan, will likely end up annoying quite a few corporations. Arasaka would certainly not be happy to see that a company as technologically advanced as ours had taken over and remodeled a chunk of the city."
Now she narrowed her eyes.
"You're saying that if I joined you, we would likely draw the unhappy attention of Arasaka. The same company that I am paying to educate my mijo," She stated. "Why would you tell me that? What could possibly convince me to work with you, knowing how much I have invested in David's education?"
"Because not telling you would have put you and your son at risk, and that's not what I want to do," I explained. "As for what could convince you… I guess that sort of depends. If you are sending your son to Arasaka specifically because you like that company, or you think that they are the best way for him to succeed, then there is really nothing I can do to convince you. But you are spending an arm and a leg to send him there because it's the best, and because you want him to succeed no matter where he goes, then I assure you, there is no better place than with us."
"Really? Do you have a top-notch educational facility? Internship programs? On staff mentors? Do you have a private sports team and training facilities? After school study programs for guided extracurricular learning?"
"Araskaka might have those things, but does your son actually use any of those things?" I asked, the woman recoiling as if I had spat at her. Before she could explode, I held my hands in surrender. "Ms Martinez, I did quite a lot of research on you and your son before we called you here. Your son is smart, quick, and persistent. He is also naive, combative, and has a chip on his shoulder. If he joined a corporation, he would be tossed out, at best, within the week. He has incredible potential, but putting him in Arasaka was like mixing oil and water. At best, he would have been skimmed off the top during a company clear-out."
She was silent, an anger simmering behind her eyes. Internally, I cursed myself for not bringing Jackie, Kaytlyn, hell, Noah would have probably had a better shot at this than I. Before she could stand up and storm out, I quickly continued.
"David has incredible potential, and with the right environment, he could absolutely thrive. We could get him a proper tutor to finish out his high school education." I assured her. "Then, we can get him training in a field he would fit into, something he can excel at, without getting squashed because he is too kind or stubborn to toe the company line. All the while, he could be taking online or BD classes for a degree. If he wants to work in a company, we could arrange for him to get an internship with Tinker Tech. If he wants to be an engineer, I would be happy to take him under my wing and help him thrive. I also have a ripper doc on the payroll he could study under, as well as a biological scientist. "
I sighed, taking a long sip of the water I poured for myself earlier. The anger that had nearly burst forth from Gloria had seemed to fade, her glare no longer felt like it would shred the skin off my body.
"Look, I understand the desire to want to get him out of the system you are stuck in. I wouldn't want my kid stuck in the bullshit cycle this city keeps people in either. But trying to shove him into the corporate world isn't going to suddenly solve his life, Ms. Martinez," I said honestly, leaning forward and leaning on the table. "I'm not just offering you a few more eddies to throw at Arasaka so they pretend to care about your son. I'm offering you and your son a way out of the cycle of bullshit this world has sunk itself into, a way to escape and try something new. Something better."
Again, I was quiet, watching to see how she reacted. I seemed to have truly quelled the anger I had inadvertently raised, her features carrying a look of considering curiosity.
"And I do understand. As far as you know, I'm just some random idiot dressed in a fancy suit, showing off a bit of tech," I said, gesturing to the power armor, Riggs still standing beside it. "Do me a favor and come with me to Rocky Ridge. I can show you some of the advancements we're working on, and you can meet some of the people you'll be working alongside. You can even bring David to take a look at some of the rooms we have on site, and the sort of food you can expect. I promise, you won't regret it. Hell, I'll even throw you some credits so you can bribe your manager for time off."
Either she saw something in my words that convinced her, or I was being more persuasive than I thought, as she nodded in agreement after a minute of thought.
"Fine. I won't say no to a free meal and a day off," She responded, before giving me a hard eye. "But so help me god, if you try anything funny, I will make you regret it."
Comments
Fortunis
[That seemed to resonate with Gloria, though it also clearly surprised them (should be HER). After a moment, when they (should be SHE) did not ask a follow-up question, I continued. ]
Heidao
It was actually a good idea to keep Jackie from this, Gloria is in fact a real person in mindset, she didn't grind herself to near death while preggers to get her baby out of the street life like she did. She would scrutinize every inch of the meeting for a trick or lie, even Jackie as a fellow former ganger, to ease her into joining. No, the real points is respecting her drive and work ethic, while covering the bases of her sole focus in life and motivation, David. By showing what she and her son can get from joining, insuring David's future and most importantly, his safety, you would have her loyalty. Heck, fit her with a proxy and you'll get a devoted worker willing to follow our boi against Adam Smasher
