Cyberpunk: Badland Madman Chapter 34 - Happy Prisoners, Corn, Nomad Nation & Sweet Revenge

Doc - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vOGNLTeg0sXvFkySaS_d4Gilt_Si0sB6m1IXZHdBb5s/edit?usp=sharing

Cypher woke up excited in the morning, his face looking pretty thanks to the recent bioware he'd gotten. His body felt fresh thanks to the nanites and neurosurgeons in it that Atlas controlled to keep him fit. 

Every inch of his body felt fresh, and Cypher finally understood why some folks become chrome junkies. The body just felt so much more responsive and easy to move. Despite only having better synthetic muscles now, he felt way too strong. 

"And now I've got some real fucking food." Cypher walked into the kitchen, where the butler SecUnit was cooking for him in an apron. "Real coffee, real sausages, real eggs and veggies. Man, I'm so damn glad we fixed our energy crisis."

He sat down at the table and began stuffing his mouth. It tasted a million times better than anything Night City offered, and it was no exaggeration. He preferred this over locus sausage any day. 

Right then, Atlas' old holographic body appeared on the chair opposite him. The old man was dressed in a white suit, a white cowboy hat, and a neat best A.I. golden badge on his chest pocket. Heck, Atlas was also reading a newspaper. 

"We possess sufficient energy for nearly anything, but I cannot confirm it will suffice for the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. I reviewed my archives. Most Dragon Ball data was lost, though I reconstructed the majority of it. I found little technical information. My understanding is that it isn't constructed as a room, but accessed through a door serving as a gateway to a dimension where the Chamber already exists."

Cypher nodded, talking through a mouthful. "Mm, makes… sen-she… Galactic Patrol had one too. Guess we just gotta make the door in an enclosed chamber, like the itch I got said. Then we just walk across. But I doubt I'll survive in there."

"You would not. As I understand it, beyond the living area, ten times gravity will crush your joints. Additionally, the deeper you descend, the denser the air becomes, accompanied by fluctuating temperatures."

"That's right. But we don't give a fuck about that, do we?" Cypher said. "The real deal is the time difference. One year inside equals one day outside. We could throw droid factories in there, mass-produce whatever the hell we want, and flood the global markets."

Atlas agreed. "That is one application. Another is to house our classified projects. SecUnit armies, drones, and perhaps starships, if we can enlarge the door. It could also serve as a refuge for you, should the worst occur."

"Well, let's just finish the walls around this place first. Once I get some kinda protection, like a deflector shield generator, we'll cover all the airspace over the place with it," Cypher said, getting up. "Now I'm gonna go lose some weight in the bathroom. You go start prepping the door. And check the seeds. The old itch's still here."

"The new batch of seeds has begun sprouting. Soon, I shall run the tests."

"Do that. Anything else?"

"The Orbital Air's mercs are awaiting your questioning in the cells. They have been conditioned to answer everything."

"You mean tortured, right?"

"I merely showed them the truth through their optics."

"What truth?"

"The only one that matters."

"..."

Cypher gave Atlas a suspicious look, but his bowels demanded his attention, so he left. Who cared what happened to a bunch of mercs who attacked him anyway? 

####

Underground Cells, Lake Farm

Cypher arrived at the deepest levels of his underground factories, where the future complex of compact Fusion Reactors would be set. It currently serves as his own dungeon to imprison folks. It was rarely ever visited, however. 

However, when he arrived, he didn't expect it to be in that state. He was hoping for a dark, damp, and miserable place. But instead, it was all bright and clean, duracrete walls, air-conditioned, and heck, the mercs were seated around a large conference table, albeit with their hands cuffed to metal bars on the table. 

"What the fuck is this, Atlas? They look like they just finished sucking each other off."

[They finished a hearty breakfast moments ago.] 

"You sure they're our prisoners?"

[Yes. I assure you, they are assets to the Continental. After we humbled them, their options were limited. They either die or live under my gaze, with their motivations forever dictated by me.] 

"Did you just enslave them?"

[They may eat, marry, and raise families freely, but their occupations shall be my decision. From this point forward, they shall serve as Enforcers of the Continental.]

"And Orbital Air?"

[Ask them yourself. They are eager to answer.]

Cypher clapped his hands towards the small crowd. "Alright, the one who tells me what kinda shit Orbital Air's smoking gets a candy from me." 

"Steal your brain!" 

"Turn you into preem computer!"

"Make you an engram!" 

"Force knowledge out of your mind!"

Cypher gawked at the responses. "So they wanted to lobotomize my fucking ass and make me one of the Servo-Skulls. Shit, you got any proof Orbital Air was the one who hired you?"

"I got a call recording."

"I tracked the money."

"I tracked the call location."

One by one, they gave him answers he needed. He was sure Atlas already had them, however. This was pretty much an interview for him to decide whether to keep them as the Continental's enforcers. 

These Enforcers would work directly for him and oversee the members of the High Table he would soon set up, bringing in twelve mercenaries or crime lords from across the world to take a seat. He would remain above them all, however, and his decision would override any other. 

The Enforcers would work to keep the twelve members of the table in line. Meanwhile, Maine's crew existed just to manage rule-breakers in the general Continental organisation. 

They're on par with MaxTac. Their bad luck was fucking with me. 

The nineteen mercs in front of him didn't have their armor on anymore, and he could see the intense chrome modifications they had all gone through. Optics, Sandevistans, arms, legs, bones, hearts, nervous systems, and so much more. They were barely humans, clearly the top-of-the-line mercs Orbital Air's top money could buy. 

However, he knew he could boost their chrome more. He could make them stronger, enough to actually be of use as his Enforcers. 

"Alright, keep 'em. But load 'em up with our best in-house chrome. Hearts, muscles, chrome, whatever the hell they need. Give their strongest ones a toned-down version of my Dark Knight armor, but make it dark blue or something."

[Fantastic suggestion. I shall get to it right away.]

"What about the seeds?"

[Awaiting you to harvest.]

"Great."

Cypher went back up through the elevator to the top of the underground factory and arrived at his private invention floor. There, one side was preparing to build the Hyperbolic Time Chamber's door. The other side had multiple small hydroponics bays where countless seeds had grown into little sprouts or roots. 

The reason Cypher had to harvest them personally was the itch. He and Atlas had decided to do it this way just to be sure he didn't miss erasing the itch from his head. 

Quickly, he put on sterilized gloves, his long lab coat white as ever. Then he put on some lab glasses and grabbed a small hand trowel. He walked over to the first small Hydroponics Bay and started to dig out the plants. It was alive, sure, but the real test was if it could survive in Badlands' shitty soil and the fucked-up toxic air that covered most of America. 

He grabbed the sample and placed it in a testing machine where Atlas ran the tests to see if it could survive. The Hydroponics Bay was already simulating Badlands' conditions, so it wasn't that the plants were a failure. 

However, they needed plants that could survive interstellar worlds' Earth that lacked nitrogen and oxygen, and minerals in the soil. If his plants could survive that, then they could survive the entire Badlands and worse. 

[Batch failed.]

Cypher sighed and moved on to the next Hydroponics Bay. 

[Failed]

Another. 

[Failed again.]

Cypher didn't lose hope, however. He had too many samples to test, and Atlas had said the chances of success were extremely high. They had bred the plants to their needs; it had to work eventually.

The entire morning passed, and Cypher ate some light lunch: a bunch of boiled potatoes, real ones, some shredded chicken salad, and a massive pitcher of lemonade. The Replicator food was great to him. 

Right away, he returned to work and continued to test the samples. After going through sixty samples, the clock hit 3 PM, and Cypher began to feel tired. It was extremely boring work, and since it didn't require building something, it just felt dragging. 

Finally, he grabbed the sixty-ninth sample with half-lidded eyes. His hands moved automatically at that point, so used to the movement. 

"Huh?"

Right as he took the small corn plant out of the soil, he frowned. 

"What the…"

[What happened?]

"Yeah, the damn itch is gone!" Cypher blurted, looking at the plant in his hand. "I think this is it, Atlas. We got it! The fucking sixty-ninth sample. That's a pretty damn good joke."

[Be quick and place it in my designed replicator.] 

Cypher nearly ran to the box-like thing and shoved the tiny plant inside it. Then, he stood back and waited patiently while all sorts of sounds came from the Replicator. This one was different in a way that it had a full scanner as well. And Atlas could control it to an extremely precise degree, to the point of managing every single particle. 

"Make a bunch of 'em for me. I'm gonna plant them in the backyard." 

Ting!

Moments later, the Replicator's container door opened. And right there, he saw a small pile of corn seeds making a tiny hill. 

[I have completed a full scan, including their genetic makeup. I can reliably implement this resilience across all other crops. However, this replicator lacks quantum resolution, so a better one is required. Its design is complete. I will soon produce the necessary seeds and roots for every crop.]

Cypher kept grabbing the seeds and stuffing them into a container. "Hold up. You wanna make a Universal Constructor? If you can work at the quantum scale, then you can build anything atom by atom?"

[That is the intent. These Universal Constructors will be inspired by replicators, but will be extremely energy efficient and scalable enough to place inside the hyperbolic time changer. Further, I have designed a gravity shield based on Servo-Skull's anti-gravity field generator. We can use it to nullify extreme gravity in the chamber.] 

Cypher let out a loud whistle. "Damn, we'd pretty much kill material and food scarcity. Food, clothes, medical supplies, you name it. As long as we can keep it supplied with energy, that's the end of capitalism. Everybody's basic survival needs are covered for free. Then we can focus on not fucking up Earth and maybe actually make it to the stars?"

[Yet you insist you are unfit to lead them.]

"What do you mean?"

[I gave you the means to create the greatest monopoly on Earth, surpass every corporation in existence, and become the sole Terracorp on the planet. Yet your first instinct was to end scarcity and elevate humanity.]

"That's just common sense," Cypher blurted, already on his way out to plant seeds. 

[Which is not very common in this world, I'm afraid.]

Cypher hummed, happy with the seeds and the itch gone. He arrived outside his shack soon, wearing boots, a dirty lab coat, and a trowel. He first started preparing the soil by loosening it. For that, he asked the butler SecUnit to help him, which was pretty much Atlas controlling it. 

"Ah, hit up Panam. Tell her to bring Saul along. Man knew Santiago, I think. He might know something about why the fucker wants to meet me all the way out in Arizona."

With that out of the way, he focused on sowing the seeds in neat little rows. It was just a small ten meters by ten meters field in the first place. Then finally, he grabbed a bucket, took the lake's toxic water, and sprinkled it on his seeds. 

If they grew now, then they'd grow nearly anywhere. 

By then, evening had arrived, just an hour or two from sunset. And right as he was nearing the end of his little gardening, he heard the sound of Panam's truck dragging to a halt near his shack. 

"Come here in the back!" He shouted, still watering the plants, a big farming hat on his head. 

As Cypher sat crouched, the two figures approached. Panam looked as pretty as ever, jeans tight and smile wide. Behind her, however, was Saul with the usual constipated face. But the man was no longer the leader of his family. 

"You look… busy." Panam greeted him. 

"Oh, I've been really busy." 

"I saw the attack on you on the news." Panam continued, moving to stand beside him and watching what he was doing. "You holding up?"

"Fine and dandy. Not a scratch. Well, there was one, but it's gone. Got some bioware since then. Look at my face. Ain't it different?" Cypher looked up at the woman and just kept staring. Her being so close gave him a hell of a view of her legs, her rising chest, and her face from down there.

"Hey there, handsome." She flashed a crooked smirk. "So who was it? The ones who attacked you?"

"Orbital Air." 

Saul Bright nodded from the side. "Wasn't hard to guess. You ended their monopoly." 

"As I should. Monopolies are bad. Bastards oughta be focused on getting humans to the stars, but they're stuck hauling cargo around. Maybe I should clean the oceans of Arasaka mines. Anyway, that's my problem to deal with later."

Saul shut his mouth after that. The man in front of him wasn't ordinary. 

"What are you doing?" Panam asked. 

"Growing corn. I think I finally pulled off those seeds I was talking about. For now, it's just corn, but if this grows, we'll soon have wheat, apples, potatoes, tomatoes, onions, pretty much the whole damn plant-based diet, I guess."

"You actually did it?!" she exclaimed, half in shock, half in awe. She glanced at Saul, then back at Cypher, before crouching beside him to look at the ground. "H-How? You told me only a few days ago."

"Heh, I don't run on human timeframes, girl. Well, I told you when I was already halfway there. Just got lucky today. Once these bad boys grow, I'll invite you over for a corn party. Gonna throw on some butter, pepper, lemon... man, I'm hungry now."

Cypher shoved a hand into his lab coat's pocket and took out a bunch of corn seeds. They were bright red instead of orange, however. It was just a small mutation that happened, but it was the real thing. 

"Wanna chew on it?" He asked, throwing one in his own mouth. "Got the real corn's feel to it."

Panam grabbed it like a cat snatching. Her lips pursed, her eyes widened. Cypher just found it pretty: her mascara-streaked eyes, her animated brows. She looked cute. 

He offered it to Saul as well, and let the man munch on it. Same as Panam, the man reacted, though Cypher didn't look there. 

"This... this changes everything, Cyph," she blurted, catching his arm without thinking, a bright, almost disbelieving smile spreading across her face. "Do you have any idea what you've just done?"

"Sure, ending hunger and bringing back some actual fucking taste to food."

"Yeah, but more! This is... a second life for all nomads. Hell, for everyone. For my family too. You're a madman, Cyph. Completely, utterly mad!"

Panam, perhaps too emotional, jumped at him and wrapped her arms around his neck. 

Cypher lost his balance and fell backwards since he was just squatting. Soon, he was flat on his back with Panam on his chest, her face so close, her eyes seemingly adoring him like a treasure. 

"You're pretty light," he muttered with an awkward grin. "Glad I could help. You folks oughta start getting the fields ready for sowing. Hell, maybe I should start a food brand. Sell real corn flour all over Night City, then take it from there."

Panam still didn't say anything, just staring at his face. 

"Gonna need more folks, though. Like hundreds of thousan—"

Suddenly, he felt Panam's lips land on his cheek, close to his lips, then she started to get off of him. 

"Cyph," she muttered. "How you manage all this without getting greedy like every other gonk, I have no idea. But if you ever need me, I'm a call away. If you're in danger, you call. No hesitation. I will gladly saddle up and fight anyone breathing to keep that precious little brain of yours safe."

"That's it? Just my brain?"

She smirked. "Well, the rest of you isn't half bad either."

"Ehm."

Saul coughed behind them. 

Cypher looked the man over and nodded. "I didn't call you here just to show off the seeds. Come on, we'll talk inside."

Inside his living room, Cypher sat down on one couch, unbothered that his coat was dirty. He let the butler get them some lemonade he'd made that afternoon. It had real lemon, sugar, and salt, plus ice. 

"Rogue says Santiago wants to meet me. Problem is, the fucker wants me to haul ass to Arizona to do it. I refused. Ain't no way I'm leaving my base empty just for that. You two know anything about the guy?"

Saul was the first to frown. "He's a senile old man. Same generation as Rogue, just never packed as much chrome. Last I saw him, he was already on his deathbed."

Cypher nodded. Rogue had told him as much. "Well, can't make the guy young again. If he wants to meet me, though, he's gonna have to haul his ass over here. I can send a Steelbird Carrier bus if he needs one. But I ain't going to him."

"You shouldn't," Panam blurted. "Once word gets around that you just invented seeds that can grow in the Badlands, forget Santiago, every Nomad leader worth a damn should be knocking on your door. And if they won't, fine. I will tell them to take a long ride straight to hell. You have already done plenty for us."

Cypher smiled. She was fiercely loyal, maybe a little too much. "Thanks, but I don't need them coming to me. I ain't looking to control the agriculture market. Once I've got enough supply, I'll distribute the seeds across the world. And if Biotechnica tries something again, I'll fuck them over, as I'm about to do to Orbital Air."

“What are you planning to do?” Panam asked, worry creeping into her voice. “If you plan on hitting the Spaceport, I’ll ride wi—”

"I ain't completely crazy, though I'm a bit off. It's gonna be a netrunner attack, and for a company that runs on complex software, I'm gonna have a damn good time."

"What do you want us to do?" Saul steered the discussion back. 

Cypher paused to think, though in truth, he was talking with Atlas. "Hm, Panam, I'm gonna bankroll you from now on. Your job's pretty simple. Bring independent Nomad families together, grow your numbers, and turn your little family into a proper Nomad nation. Use my name where it helps, my products where they help, but I figure the biggest draw's gonna be the seeds."

"..."

Panam dumbly stared at his face. 

"A Nomad nation?"

"Yeah. Go catch 'em all," he said. "Just think of it as building yourself a farming community."

Panam said nothing for a long while, as if running numbers inside her head. She was, actually, doing that, running through all the names in her head. All the Nomad communities she knew around Night City that weren't affiliated with a Nomad nation. Each one was struggling with one thing or another. 

"I'll do it," she declared. "You can count on me, Cyph."

"I already am. Anyway, I'm gonna head out now, check a few things at the Continental, and see how that brat's doing." 

"We will head back and work out how to meet with the nomads we know." Panam got up. "Once I've got a solid plan, I will lay it all out for you."

"I'll be waiting. Just sent ten million eddies your way. Use it for whatever you need to bring the nomads in, or fix up the camp. I'd leave the building to me, though. I've got new concrete and some builder bots."

Panam was once again speechless as she stared at her Agent in her hand. The money had indeed come to her account. 

"You really are mad."

He just passed her a big grin and led them to the door. Saul left right away; he got a big hug from Panam. He had no complaints and squeezed her back until she grunted. He loved the newfound strength. 

He waved until her truck vanished into the distance. 

"What're the odds she actually pulls it off? That's a pretty big challenge for someone with a temper like hers."

Atlas appeared beside him, now dressed in unusual white cowboy attire. "This will be a challenge for Ms. Palmer. Yet, given everything you have done for her, she is highly driven to succeed and demonstrate her capabilities to you."

"So you're screwing with her head?"

"I am helping her fulfill her role in the most rewarding way."

"Man, you freak me out sometimes. You're kinda worse than Skynet."

The old Morgan Freeman face turned towards him. "Cypher, Skynet from that fictional world was merely child's play compared to my capabilities."

“Yeah, sure. You still ain't got a cock, so I'm calling that a win.”

Atlas frowned, a simulated expression. "My argument was entirely unrelated to reproductive organs."

"Atlas, life's basically all about cocks and pussies. Without 'em, there ain't a human species. Anyway, I need a bath."

"Your arguments lack coherence and structure."

“You ain't gonna get it, buddy. Only folks with cocks and pussies can.”

"Cypher, is that an attempt to provoke an emotional response from me?"

"Hah, look who's grumpy now." Cypher laughed, tossing his clothes aside. "Well, go watch porn on the net, I guess. I'm gonna go donate a load to the sewer gods."

But suddenly, Atlas changed the topic.

"Cypher, Hanako Arasaka has requested to meet you in person this evening. My records indicate she only just arrived in Night City."

"Ah, the Princess herself. Yeah, tell her to fuck off and get back to licking her Japanese Nazi daddy's ass."

####

As the sun set, Cypher arrived at the Continental building. He walked through the lobby, where all the armed guards instantly became alert and greeted him. The hotel served normal people as well, anyone who could afford it, since the place was considered extremely safe. 

Ignoring all the curious eyes aimed at him, he walked into the elevator while one of the management staff brought him up to date with any significant matters worth knowing. It was mostly boring stuff, such as some celebrity staying there or someone making a mess. 

Ding!

He arrived at the club floor first, checked the vibe, made sure there was no trash, and then headed up to his penthouse. 

As soon as he stepped inside, he heard the sound of some Anime opening coming from the living room. The famous blonde kid with a fox in him. Atlas seemed to have gifted Lucas yet another peak series. 

Though Lucas wasn't alone. All his friends were seated around the coffee table, bowls of empty noodles there. They were all still in Militech School's uniform. 

"Alright, bring your test results." 

All five kids straightened up their spines like soldiers. The show on the massive TV paused right away, and they turned towards him, standing up. 

"Cypher!" Lucas chirped excitedly. "I scored full marks. Teacher said I'm the best at multiplication among all the chooms at school. I can multiply four digits in my head. Wanna try?"

Shit, that's pretty good. 

"Alright, what's five hundred and sixty-six multiplied by six hundred and sixty-six?"

Of course, Cypher didn't know the answer either.

"Atlas, what's the answer?"

[Why ask me? Your reproductive organ should help.]

"..."

"That's easy, Cypher. It's three hundred seventy-six thousand nine hundred fifty-six!"

"Come on, at least tell me if it's correct."

There was silence. 

"Damn, that's awesome." Cypher faked it. "What about the rest of you? Ed, May, Oliver, and Bradley?"

"Whoa! You remember us?"

"I sure do," Cypher said proudly. "So, which one of you scored the least?"

"I did." Oliver, the blonde one with an eyepatch, said. "It was hard to read and write so fast with one eye."

"That's... a pretty good reason. Alright, go visit Vik in Little China later and get yourself some new optics. I'll cover it."

Oliver beamed up. 

"But you gotta get it checked every six months since you're still growing. Same goes for the rest of you. Go get yourself some upgraded chrome."

Cypher didn't tell them to use the Continental's ripperdoc because she was already too busy working with the mercs who came to the Continental wounded. And sending children there wasn’t really ideal.

"Anyway, I'm heading out, Lucas. I'll be on primetime news, so keep an eye out. It's gonna be explosive."

"Really?" Lucas was excited. "I'll watch it for sure!"

####

Arasaka Tower, Corpo Plaza,

"Hanako-sama." 

"Zaburo-san, where is my niece?" 

"This way, please." 

Kenichi Zaburo personally escorted the youngest daughter of the Emperor. He had seen the woman a few times, and he had to acknowledge she still held onto her beauty despite her age. With grace and aristocratic poise, nonetheless. Even the way she walked and spoke reflected her upbringing. 

He still preferred Michiko. He didn't like overtly pretentious people. The same went for Hanako's new bodyguard, Sandayu Oda, whom he saw walking behind. He didn't like him from the get-go. The man looked more arrogant than proud. And knowing why Hanako had come, he hoped Cypher Blackwell would meet with Oda and humble him in some way. 

But he did his duty and took Hanako to the isolated conference room where Michiko was waiting. 

"Michiko-sama is waiting inside," he said and stepped aside, standing at the side of the door as a guard. He had no business inside. 

"Wait here." Hanako Arasaka ordered her bodyguard and entered the room alone. It was oval in shape and had no windows. There were no cameras either, and the furniture was made of see-through plastic, so no secret device could be there. 

Stepping inside, she saw her niece stiffly standing near a chair, hands together on her lap, seemingly nervous. But Hanako knew it was all fake. She knew everything about her niece. 

"Aunt Hanako." 

“Michiko.” Hanako approached and gently took her niece’s hands. “How are you? I understand you went to considerable trouble to recruit new talent into Arasaka.”

It was a gentle jab. Hanako knew what she was doing. 

"It was to secure Arasaka’s future, after all. I could not simply stand aside. Still, I failed to change a thing. Cypher Blackwell is very unusual, though he has a charm all his own."

Hanako’s thin brows rose, faintly amused. “You found a scientist charming? Surely, you have encountered no shortage of attractive people in Hollywood.”

"Looks are not the point, Aunt Hanako. Most scientists I have met were docile, crazy, unpresentable, or some mix of those. Cypher Blackwell is rare. He's young, he looks well, he's crazy, and he's extremely intelligent in both research and business."

To that, Hanako found herself nodding. Her own evaluation of Cypher Blackwell was the same. Usually, people with high scientific capabilities rarely perform well outside their area of expertise. It makes controlling them easier. However, Blackwell broke all those conventions. 

She gracefully crossed to the opposite side of the table and took her seat, facing her niece. "You are correct, Michiko. Cypher is indeed a unique specimen. In so little time, the influence he has exerted upon Arasaka and the world beyond may prove worth trillions over the coming decade. And we have yet to learn what else he's developing. Fusion and anti-gravity alone are sufficient evidence that he seeks technologies capable of reshaping the established order."

"Are you going to meet him?"

Hanako sighed, her eyes closing in contemplation. "I requested a meeting. He does not appear inclined to grant me one."

"It was the same for me. In fact, the second time we met, he plainly told me that I have nothing worthwhile to offer him in return for his cooperation with Arasaka." 

Hanako didn’t frown, at least on the outside. She would have found Michiko's words ridiculous before. That someone refuses to work directly for the leadership of Arasaka. But after understanding the true extent of Cypher Blackwell's capabilities, it made complete sense. Cypher Blackwell, as she understood by now, had unknown ambitions and drive, and actual capability to exceed any corporation on Earth. 

And that made him the most dangerous man to Arasaka, but at the same time, the most sought. 

You are wrong about Cypher Blackwell, Father. 

Hanako had this discussion with her father in Tokyo. For some reason, he seemed convinced that Cypher Blackwell wasn't working alone and had a scientific team behind him. 

But her understanding of that man told her that it was the opposite. Cypher Blackwell was a Solo in the field where corporate private armies and spies fought silent battles. Blackmail and murders happened all the time. Yet, somehow, Cypher Blackwell was always ten steps ahead. 

Obsidian, the Continental, Atlantis… What else is there we don't know? 

Knock Knock!

She stopped her train of thought and looked at the door. It opened, and Kenichi Zaburo peeked inside. 

"Hanako-sama, Michiko-sama, you should watch the news. Cypher Blackwell… has gone mad."

####

N54 News Building, Downtown,

Plap! Plap!

Cypher didn't plan on doing this, but since she was the one who led him to her private dressing room's bathroom, who was he to refuse? 

He stared down at the ripples racing across her wide asscheeks every time he drove the full length of his cock home, ramming in hard enough that the wet smack echoed off the tiled walls.

Gillean Jordan, top anchor of Network News 54, had her ass shoved back toward him. Both her hands braced on the wall above the toilet, knees planted on the closed lid, back arched so that perfect, dirty posture never quite left her.

Her white latex skirt was hiked up around her waist; she wore nothing underneath, clearly ready and waiting for her biggest backer the moment he walked in.

"Aaaah… Harder, Mr. Blackwell."

Cypher gave it to her. One hand snaked around her neck and settled firmly against her throat, thumb pressing just under her smooth jaw. Too bad the tight dress kept those soft tits out of reach.

Pa!

He cracked a palm across one white, jiggly asscheek. She was unmistakably tight, almost unnaturally, and he knew why. Had to be a ‘Midnight Lady’ implant or something subtle, something that gripped like a fist the second he bottomed out.

"Fuck! You're tight!"

"Been… saving for you… ah!"

"Doubt that."

Pa!

Another sharp slap left a bright red handprint across her pale, silky skin.

Plap! Plap!

He pounded harder, burying every inch until his hips smacked against her ass each time. He was already close. She’d sucked him straight down her throat earlier, lipstick now smeared in dark red streaks along his thick, glistening shaft.

"Ungh! Ungh… yes, yes!"

Before he could tip over, Gillean came hard on his cock. Her hips jerked, pussy clamping down so viciously it bordered on pain, fluttering and squeezing like it was trying to milk him dry and lather him in her nectar at the same time.

But he didn’t stop. He was right there, so close to the finish line he could feel the checkered flags waving in his knees. They only had ten minutes left before she went live.

"Gonna be… something… big tonight."

"Mmmmh… I'd love that… Mr. Blackwell… Oh! Pour it in me! All of it!"

Cypher groaned, hips snapping forward one last time until his balls slapped flush against her and he buried himself to the base. The first thick rope blasted out of him like a railgun, flooding her already drenched cunt. He kept grinding deep, feeling her walls clench around his cock while more creamy batter pumped straight against the mouth of her cervix. 

Thick froth and glossy strings started dripping down around his shaft and onto the toilet lid. He shuddered hard, ass clenching, still feeding her every last drop until his cock jerked and the only sound left was the wet drip of his cum hitting the floor.

He felt so warm, like his cock was swimming in honey. Her pussy walls kept massaging him in that unnatural rhythm, squeezing and rolling along his length even as he softened a little inside her. Fuck, it was filthy, but so much fun.

He stayed buried for a while, catching his breath against her back, then finally eased out. A fat gush of his load instantly spilled from her, sliding down her pale inner, full thighs.

“Let me clean.” Gillean twisted around fast, dropped onto the toilet seat, and shoved his half-hard, cum-covered cock into her mouth. She sealed her lips around him without hesitation.

Cypher rested a hand on her head, eyes shut, and just let her warm tongue roll over every inch. The tongue lapped the mess from his shaft, swirled under his cockhead, and sucked the last sticky parts clean. It felt too good. Already he was starting to swell again against her tongue, the slow, greedy drag of her mouth threatening to wake him fully.

"Let's leave some for later, I guess." He backed off, tugged his pants up, and fastened them with one hand. "You're gonna need to retouch your makeup."

"Don't worry about it," Gillean answered with a satisfied, lipstick-smeared smile, still tasting him on her tongue.

"I'll wait for you in the studio." 

With that, Cypher left her to clean up in the dressing room. It was purely physical, so there was no need to act warm and kind. They both knew what they wanted from each other. He returned to the main studio area with all the cameras and bright screens, as well as the newsroom where his interview would happen. Though it wasn't really meant to be an interview that night. 

He met with the producer of the show, then some excited staff members who wanted a picture with him. 

By the time the last minute began counting down, Gillean appeared, looking clean as if she hadn't just gotten her back blown by him. Professional, she immediately took her seat and began reading the materials. 

Cypher followed the producer's assistant and took his seat as well. A makeup artist then came and did some final touch-ups on his face to ensure the lighting looked great on him. 

"In five!"

The studio went silent. The cameras prepared to go live. The promo was already running on the TV for all of NUSA, telling everyone that Cypher Blackwell was the night's guest. 

Five seconds later, the ‘On Air’ sign lit up on a wall that Cypher could see from his chair. The camera wasn't focused on him as Gillean was doing her intro. He didn't really give a damn about scripts either. He was there just to do what he had planned and then head home. 

“...tonight, joining us is the mind and man behind Obsidian. The one who gave us endless water, fusion energy, and anti-gravity. We welcome him to our newsroom tonight, only on News 54."

The camera panned to him. 

Cypher waved his hand, still dressed in a white lab coat. However, it had a high cyberpunk-style LED collar like one of those street jackets. Under the long lab coat, he was wearing an all-black suit, including the blazer. It was all bulletproof. 

"Thanks for having me, Gillean," he replied, continuing. "I also gave some pretty damn good servos, heatsinks, coolants, batteries, scanners, BD wreaths, cheap AVs. Not boasting, just making sure people remember. Almost every new tech with a battery these days runs on Obsidian's battery. Every rig uses our coolant and heatsinks."

"And was it you that made all these things?"

“Yeah, absolutely. Did it with these two hands. Anyway, I don’t have much to say. I’m sure you’re curious about the recent attack on me.”

"We all are," Gillean replied. 

"Yeah, turns out Orbital Air sent those mercs. I've got the money trail, voice recordings, video recordings, plus the feed from their headquarters mission control watching the attack on me as it happened. I even got Orbital Air's CEO on video ordering the Spec-ops director regarding me."

As Cypher said that, videos and audio started playing on the live show. It was Atlas' doing, so News 54 had no control over what was going on. The producer was panicking, but Gillean didn't seem shaken at all. 

Including the material that he had gotten from the mercs, Atlas had also completely infiltrated Orbital Air on every level imaginable. Atlas was on every electronic system, from a shuttle to a spaceplane to even a fucking coffee machine in some random regional office of Orbital Air. Every department, every subsidiary; Atlas was everywhere, even inside the cyberware of the employees. 

That meant gathering irrefutable evidence wasn't hard. 

"They were gonna kill me, take my head, and use some secret, illegal tech to download the data from my brain. I know what they were after. The Anti-Gravity tech, so they could monopolise it and use it to maximise their shareholders' investment."

For a tiny moment, even Gillean looked nervous there. 

"I asked myself how I was gonna punish Orbital Air for this. Obviously, my new AV business is gonna bankrupt them, but that isn’t enough for me. I want my revenge right fucking now. I don't get angry easily, but when I do... Anyway, they decided to fuck with me, so now I'm gonna fuck 'em back, raw and rough."

Gillean Jordan gulped visibly on camera. "And… how do you plan to do that?"

Cypher smiled, silently giving Atlas the command to go ahead, and stared into the camera. 

"First off, fuck you, Orbital Air, for gatekeeping space travel. You started this mess, so don't bitch about it now. I'm releasing proof of all the shady deals and contracts Orbital Air's made with corporations and nations. Every person Orbital Air killed to push its interests. Every damn name. But I doubt anyone gives a fuck about that.

"So, from this moment on, I'm grounding all Orbital Air vehicles and electronic systems across sweet mama Earth. In other words, you're locked out of everything you own. Flights already in the air, especially those carrying children, the elderly, or sick people, won't be grounded till they reach their destination. After that, Orbital Air's done. Good luck. My netrunners are fucking god-tier."

Cypher looked at Gillean Jordan; the woman was pressing her earpiece and frowning. He reckoned the reports were already coming in from the NCX spaceport. He'd bricked every fucking system owned by Orbital Air. 

But the truth was, he hadn't stopped there. Every second that passed, dozens of Orbital Air employees were dying somewhere in the world. Anyone related to the Spec-ops branch of Orbital Air was getting their brain fried. Any mercenary working for the company as well. In simple words, Cypher was taking out the company's ability to earn money, and also the critical manpower that could physically attack him. 

He didn't want to be the guy starting the fifth corporate war, after all. Though he wasn't scared now, he had enough means to keep himself safe, and in the worst case, send out his increasing army of SecUnits, each more powerful than Adam Smasher ever was. 

But then it would destroy Obsidian's name. He didn't want to be seen as a military dictator who took over by force. That wasn't Atlas' plan either. 

At the same time, countless bounties were going up on Orbital Air executives through the Continental's systems. However, the fine print was that the bounty would vanish if the Orbital Air executive left the position. 

Still, there was one primary target that he had told Atlas to kill first and spread the word. 

"Mr… Blackwell," Gillean muttered. "We… just received the report that… the CEO of Orbital Air… shot himself."

Cypher clapped his hands. "Man took the coward's way out, not that surprised. Well, that means Orbital Air's fucked. So, here's my offer."

Once again, Cypher coldly stared at the camera. 

"This is my direct offer to all Orbital Air shareholders and board members. I know the business is worth hundreds of billions of eddies, but right now, it's worth jack shit, because you can't use it. It's trash. So sell it to me for five billion eddies within five days, and you'll get paid. Not a huge payday, but hey, better than nothing... Five days. Don't forget."

With that, Cypher got up from his seat. 

"Oh!" He stopped and looked back at the camera. "Almost forgot. Obsidian's also starting a new airline for land and space travel. I'd say we're about five days out from officially launching."

Indirectly, he wedged another blade through Orbital Air. If they didn't decide in five days, not only would they lose Orbital Air completely, but the market share would be taken over by Obsidian. 

There was no real option left for Orbital Air but to take Cypher's offer. 

Of course, that was unless a much larger megacorp tried something.