HQ IMPROVEMENTS

Back at the crew HQ, some of the recent winnings finally get turned into quality-of-life upgrades.

A proper Medbay is installed to improve healing, and Frost gets a Studio room upgrade for Frenzy.

NEW BUSINESS CAN BE GOOD BUSINESS

Neon heads out to meet DangerMaus and presses him on the real reason a corpo fixer would want a crew like theirs.

DangerMaus admits it is hard to know for sure, but suggests it could be the kind of corpo-on-corpo work where you get to hurt the machine from the inside.

He is still testing the waters before handing over too much.

Neon loops the rest of the crew into a group call, and together they agree that having a corpo contact could be dangerous, but potentially very useful.

The fixer's name is Alyssa Ward, a Biotechnica employee and also an ex of DangerMaus.

DangerMaus promises Alyssa will be in touch soon if the crew wants the work.

DOING SOME RESEARCH

Back at HQ, Neon starts digging for information onAlyssa Ward.

They find almost nothing, which would be strange for most people in Night City, but makes perfect sense for someone working in counter-intelligence.

DRESS TO IMPRESS

DangerMaus encourages the team to get themselves into proper business attire before stepping into a corpo environment.

Miyagi treats himself to a shirt, trousers, and shoes.

Rollcage picks up a blazer, trousers, and new shades.

Frost buys a shirt and trousers, and changes her hair to a shoulder-length brunette look.

Neon goes for the full set: shirt, trousers, shoes, and blazer, aiming for full corpo camouflage.

FIRST CONTACT

Miyagi calls Alyssa Ward using the business card DangerMaus provided.

The conversation is tense from the jump, and Miyagi slips into a agressive corpo persona to match her energy.

Alyssa says she has been watching the crew and is aware of their recent manoeuvres.

That does not go down well with anyone, and once Miyagi shares the details, most of the crew are already irritated by her actions.

A STYLISH REBELLION

Before the meeting, Frost takes everyone's outfits in hand and customises them to be more crew fitting.

Frost tie-dyes her shirt in a blue and green pattern.

Miyagi wears a smiley-face graphic tee under a tan work shirt, dyes his trousers a kind of dusty purple-tan, and finishes the look with ruby brogues.

Rollcage keeps his usual colourful shirt under the blazer, then has the cuffs jewelled in purples and blues to match the crew.

Neon refuses to join the "rebellion" and goes in clean. A double-breasted jacket, plain white work shirt, and flat shoes make them look authentically corporate.

DRESS-DOWN FRIDAY

That Friday, Neon decides they want no part in arriving alongside the crew's aggressively customised businesswear, so they ride their bike in alone.

The others take a Delamain into the Exec Zone.

A sea of colourful outfits on arrival reveal that today is dress-down Friday.

Inside the Biotechnica building, the guards are layered in cyberware. The crew is scanned for weapons, comes up clean, and heads up in the lifts toward Alyssa's floor.

On arrival, they find a complimentary spread of miniature liquor bottles. They start pocketing as many as they can fit into bags and clothes before the meeting begins.

THE CONFERENCE ROOM PLAY

The conference room is sleek, and a long table sits in the middle of the room, with space for eight, and one entire wall is a window looking out over the city.

To throw Alyssa off balance, the crew deliberately arranges themselves chaotically.

Neon takes the head of the table, Frost lounges with her legs up on a chair facing the doorway, Rollcage leans by the watercooler, and Miyagi stands by the window with his back to the door like he owns the skyline.

Then Alyssa Ward enters.

She is wearing a branded blazer, mint green shirt, and pencil skirt, polished down to the last detail. Blonde hair, one red streak, Biotechnica-branded contacts in her eyes, and fake glasses on top.

NEGOTIATION

Miyagi opens with, "What do you want my crew for?"

Alyssa answers that she needs them to find a netrunner who works for Biotechnica and disappeared while reverse-engineering some Militech tech.

Miyagi talks up the crew and praises Neon as the best hacker this side of the moon.

Alyssa remains cold, and deeply unimpressed, providing as little information as possible.

Miyagi quickly decides she is wasting their time and tells the crew to roll out.

Then Alyssa drops the name Blake Cross. Something changes in Rollcage the second he hears it.

Alyssa explains that Biotechnica wants the asset and the tech back, no matter what. She offers 5,000 eddies each, but Miyagi pushes back immediately, making it clear their time is worth more than that.

Alyssa tries a different angle and offers Miyagi all the Arasaka information he could want, assuming she has found the right weakness. Miyagi cuts her down with, "You think you know everything because you've read it."

The crew asks for a private moment. Alyssa gives them the room.

A CROSS FROM THE PAST

Once Alyssa is out, Rollcage finally speaks. He says he thinks he knows Blake Cross.

Blake was someone he used to be involved with, until they went cyberpsycho and their relationship fell apart.

He cannot quite believe it could be the same person, but the possibility hits him hard enough that it silences any remaining doubts.

The crew rallies around him fast. If they are going to look for Blake anyway, they may as well get paid for it.

THE REAL JOB

Alyssa is called back in, and this time the crew push harder on both money and information.

Under pressure, she finally gives them the detail that matters: Blake was working on tech designed to stave off cyberpsychosis.

This is no longer just asset recovery - it is about a piece of tech that could shift the balance of power for whoever gets it first.

With Neon and Miyagi both pressing, Alyssa raises the offer to 7,500 eddies each, plus whatever gear they need to complete the job.

The crew wastes no time and starts placing orders for equipment suited to a potentially unstable target, including EMP grenades, stun rods, and extra ammo.

Once the order is set, they leave the Exec Zone and head back to HQ.