====== CHAPTER 1 — Contract Value ====== The Afterlife didn’t get quieter. ---- It got precise. ---- That was the difference. ---- Noise stayed. Movement stayed. Voices overlapped like always— ---- but the moment something carried weight— ---- the room adjusted around it. ---- ---- Ace noticed it before they reached the bar. ---- Not who. ---- Not where. ---- ---- When. ---- ---- Conversations didn’t stop. ---- They shifted— ---- just enough to leave space where it mattered. ---- ---- “This one pays,” she said. ---- ---- Mai didn’t answer. ---- She was already watching the room— ---- not faces— ---- intent. ---- ---- Shammy exhaled slowly. ---- The air— ---- tight. ---- ---- Not wrong. ---- ---- Focused. ---- ---- “It’s cleaner than usual,” she said. ---- ---- V glanced sideways. ---- ---- “…That’s not a sentence people usually use for this place.” ---- ---- Ace didn’t slow. ---- ---- “Still holds,” she said. ---- ---- That was enough. ---- ---- They reached the bar. ---- ---- This time— ---- Rogue Amendiares didn’t make them wait. ---- ---- She was already watching them. ---- ---- Not evaluating. ---- ---- Expecting. ---- ---- “…Took you long enough,” she said. ---- ---- Ace stopped at the counter. ---- ---- “We move when needed.” ---- ---- Rogue’s expression didn’t change. ---- ---- “Yeah,” she said. ---- “…and right now, it’s needed.” ---- ---- Mai stepped forward. ---- ---- “Details.” ---- ---- No buildup. ---- No small talk. ---- ---- Rogue nodded once. ---- ---- “High-tier client,” she said. ---- ---- A beat. ---- ---- “Top floor. Corpo tower.” ---- ---- That narrowed it. ---- ---- “Which one,” Ace said. ---- ---- Rogue didn’t answer immediately. ---- ---- Because the name mattered. ---- ---- “Night Corp,” she said. ---- ---- Silence. ---- ---- Short. ---- ---- Even V straightened slightly. ---- ---- “…Yeah,” they muttered. ---- “…that tracks.” ---- ---- Mai didn’t react. ---- ---- “Problem.” ---- ---- Rogue leaned forward slightly. ---- ---- “Penthouse,” she said. ---- ---- A pause. ---- ---- “Ownership breach.” ---- ---- Ace’s gaze sharpened. ---- ---- “Explain.” ---- ---- Rogue tapped the counter once. ---- ---- “Doors work,” she said. ---- ---- Flat. ---- ---- “Locks work.” ---- ---- Another tap. ---- ---- “Security works.” ---- ---- A beat. ---- ---- “…System says everything’s fine.” ---- ---- That was the problem. ---- ---- Mai’s eyes narrowed slightly. ---- ---- “Then it is not.” ---- ---- Rogue’s mouth twitched. ---- ---- “There it is.” ---- ---- She reached under the counter— ---- pulled up a shard— ---- set it down. ---- ---- No slide. ---- ---- Just— ---- placed. ---- ---- Mai picked it up. ---- ---- The interface lit instantly. ---- ---- Blueprint. ---- ---- Penthouse layout. ---- Access points. ---- Security overlays. ---- ---- Everything— ---- clean. ---- ---- Too clean. ---- ---- “No anomalies recorded,” Mai said. ---- ---- Rogue nodded. ---- ---- “Exactly.” ---- ---- That was wrong. ---- ---- Ace crossed her arms. ---- ---- “Then what’s happening.” ---- ---- Rogue’s gaze shifted— ---- not to the shard— ---- to them. ---- ---- For the first time— ---- there was weight behind it. ---- ---- “People are getting in,” she said. ---- ---- A beat. ---- ---- “Not breaking in.” ---- ---- Another beat. ---- ---- “Getting in.” ---- ---- Silence. ---- ---- V frowned. ---- ---- “…Define that.” ---- ---- Rogue didn’t look at them. ---- ---- She didn’t need to. ---- ---- “They walk up,” she said. ---- ---- “Doors open.” ---- ---- A pause. ---- ---- “They walk inside.” ---- ---- Another. ---- ---- “System logs them as authorized.” ---- ---- That landed. ---- ---- Hard. ---- ---- Mai’s voice didn’t change. ---- ---- “That is not access.” ---- ---- Rogue nodded slowly. ---- ---- “No.” ---- ---- A beat. ---- ---- “It’s acceptance.” ---- ---- There it was. ---- ---- Ace didn’t react. ---- ---- “Value.” ---- ---- Rogue leaned back slightly. ---- ---- “High,” she said. ---- ---- No number. ---- ---- Didn’t need one. ---- ---- “Client doesn’t want it fixed,” she added. ---- ---- That got a reaction. ---- ---- Small. ---- ---- But real. ---- ---- Mai looked up. ---- ---- “Clarify.” ---- ---- Rogue’s gaze sharpened. ---- ---- “They don’t care why it’s happening,” she said. ---- ---- A beat. ---- ---- “They care that it stops being unpredictable.” ---- ---- That was different. ---- ---- Ace nodded once. ---- ---- “Usable.” ---- ---- Rogue smiled. ---- ---- Just slightly. ---- ---- “Yeah.” ---- ---- “There it is.” ---- ---- Shammy shifted. ---- ---- The air— ---- tightened. ---- ---- Not wrong— ---- just— ---- anticipating. ---- ---- “It’s already active,” she said quietly. ---- ---- Rogue’s eyes flicked to her— ---- then back. ---- ---- “…Yeah,” she said. ---- “…figured you’d say that.” ---- ---- Mai set the shard down. ---- ---- “Object.” ---- ---- Rogue didn’t hesitate. ---- ---- “Keycard,” she said. ---- ---- Simple. ---- ---- Wrong. ---- ---- Ace uncrossed her arms. ---- ---- “Location.” ---- ---- “Inside the penthouse.” ---- ---- Of course it was. ---- ---- Mai nodded once. ---- ---- “It belongs there.” ---- ---- Rogue didn’t smile this time. ---- ---- “Yeah.” ---- ---- “That’s the problem.” ---- ---- Silence settled. ---- ---- Short. ---- ---- Ace turned. ---- ---- “We go.” ---- ---- No hesitation. ---- ---- No negotiation. ---- ---- Rogue didn’t stop them. ---- ---- Didn’t add warnings. ---- ---- Just one thing— ---- as they moved away. ---- ---- “Hey.” ---- ---- Ace didn’t turn. ---- ---- “What.” ---- ---- Rogue’s voice didn’t change. ---- ---- “Don’t fix it.” ---- ---- A beat. ---- ---- “Make it usable.” ---- ---- Ace didn’t respond. ---- ---- She didn’t need to. ---- ---- Because that— ---- was exactly what they did. ---- ---- And as they stepped back into the city— ---- Night City didn’t react. ---- ---- It didn’t shift. ---- ---- It didn’t care. ---- ---- Because somewhere— ---- in a tower that didn’t allow mistakes— ---- something had already decided— ---- that the wrong people belonged exactly where they weren’t supposed to be.