Cyberpunk: 2075

Chapter 12: Chapter 12: The Contract



Both Oliver and Jackie initially thought the corpo woman had overheard them and was about to chew them out. Instead, she stopped right in front of Carl, staring at his face for a few moments.

Sure, Carl had a good-looking face, but in this era, good looks were easy—any ripperdoc could sculpt a chiseled jawline or a flawless complexion. So, it wasn't his appearance that caught her attention. It was him.

"I reviewed the surveillance footage from yesterday in Little China. You took out sixteen Maelstrom members on your own, right?"

Carl wasn't too surprised. In a cyberpunk world, surveillance was everywhere and detailed as hell.

Internally, he wondered why this corpo was coming to him about it. If anything, a shootout like that should be NCPD's problem.

But there was one thing he had to correct.

"Not just me—my friend helped too."

He gestured toward Oliver.

The corpo didn't even spare him a glance. She simply crossed her arms, causing her chest—possibly cybernetically enhanced—to push against the tight confines of her corporate suit, forming a well-defined curve.

"I watched the footage. I'm not blind. I know who did the heavy lifting. Relax, I'm not NCPD, not some wannabe vigilante looking to serve justice, and definitely not some relative or friend of those trash you killed. I have a job for you. Pay's 100,000 eurodollars. Interested?"

"100k eddies?"

As expected, Carl's eyes flickered with interest at the number. But he quickly regained his composure.

"Oh, so you're here for a contract."

Immediately, his demeanor shifted. A smile appeared on his face, and his tone turned warm and welcoming.

"You should've said so earlier, Miss Corporate Employee! Please, have a seat. Let's discuss the details. If it's within our capabilities, we'll get the job done professionally."

If a corpo was offering a contract, then personal bias could wait.

Oliver and Jackie exchanged glances, both seeing a shared sense of mild disdain for Carl's sudden change in attitude.

Still, they wasted no time. Standing up, they made room for Carl and the corpo to have their conversation.

If there was a job, say so sooner!

No need for formalities—we're all in this together.

A 100k payday? That was the kind of money low-tier mercs might not even make in an entire year.

The corpo finally glanced at Oliver and Jackie, but rather than appreciating their gesture, she seemed mildly disgusted. She scanned the bar, clearly reluctant to sit where mercs had been.

After a moment of hesitation, she settled into the empty spot next to Carl. It wasn't particularly clean, but at least no one had been sitting there before she arrived.

Once seated, she pulled out a slim data shard, gesturing for Carl to take it.

Carl accepted it, slotting it into the cyberware port he had installed just the day before. Within seconds, the contract details appeared in his vision.

He read through it in silence before removing the shard and handing it back.

"Thoughts?" she asked.

Carl's tone grew serious. This was a doable job.

"How should I address you?"

"You don't need to know my name. Just complete the job. Yes or no?"

"Of course. But how do you want proof?"

"Send a photo to this number. Don't call unless it's relevant—I'm very busy."

Carl quickly memorized the number as the corpo transferred 30,000 eddies to his account.

"This is the advance payment. Don't even think about running with my money—unless you want me using the rest of it to put a price on your head."

After delivering her warning, the corpo woman stood up and hurriedly walked out of the bar, her high heels clicking against the floor. From the moment she stepped into the Afterlife to the moment she left, she hadn't spoken a single word to anyone else—nor had she even spared them a glance.

"Carl, what's the deal?"

Oliver, realizing Carl had just accepted a job, asked with curiosity.

"Sorry for taking the job without asking you first."

"Man, don't even mention it! We're brothers now, right? No need for that kind of formality. Honestly, I should be thanking you. We just started, and you've already got gigs knocking on our door—I'd be crazy not to be hyped!"

Oliver was even more eager to hear the details. "So, what's the job?"

"Hold on."

Carl raised a hand, signaling Oliver to wait, then turned to Jackie, who had been silently watching from the side.

"Jackie, you're working solo too, right? Wanna team up for this job?"

"Me? I can join?"

A corpo gig meant big eddies—Jackie knew that much. He never expected Carl to offer to cut him in on the payday.

"More hands, lighter work."

Carl smiled. "So, what do you say? You in?"

"Hell yeah, if we're all in this together, I'm down!"

Jackie's grin widened. He didn't even ask about job details or payment splits before agreeing—his enthusiasm was downright contagious.

When Jackie found someone he vibed with, he didn't hesitate.

"First, let's split the advance."

Both Oliver and Jackie's eyes lit up. The job hadn't even started yet, and they were already pocketing 10,000 eddies each.

Carl didn't hold back on dividing the payout.

"Dios mío… that corpo chick dropped this much just as an advance? What the hell kinda job is this, hermano?"

"It's not something messed up, right?"

While Jackie marveled at the payday, Oliver voiced the concern on everyone's mind.

Carl leaned back in his seat and summarized the mission for his two new teammates:

"Simple job. There's a Maelstrom hideout in Watson—about twenty of them stationed there. We go in, find a crate they stole from the corpo, and destroy it. No need to return it—just take a photo of the wreckage and send it as proof."

"Huh… That corpo chick must have something real nasty in that crate," Jackie mused.

"Yeah, bet it's blackmail material. Y'know, like those Japanese flicks."

Oliver nodded knowingly.

Carl, however, was connecting dots in his head.

Maelstrom recently hijacked a shipment from the 6th Street Gang. Now, this corpo chick's crate got stolen too.

Coincidence? Or was Maelstrom just on a robbing spree lately?

Not enough info to draw conclusions.

For now, there was something more important to focus on.

"Shall we?" Carl asked.

"Right after we finish this," Oliver and Jackie replied, stuffing their mouths with Spanish ham.

Yeah… the mystery meat kind.


Tip: You can use left, right, A and D keyboard keys to browse between chapters.