Cyberpunk: Ultimate Cyborg System

"Hey…" Closing the screen projected in front of him, Dante turned to his left and said. "Been wondering why you chose that guy. Do you have a reason?"

Putting down the tools he had been tinkering with, Finn turned to him with a blank expression.

"Been wondering when you're going to ask." He said. "Of course I have a reason."

"And? Are you gonna tell me, or what?"

"You read his profile, right?"

"Don't tell me that's all…

"What else do you need?"

When it came to the Daggers, their little team only had the info Finn originally had, in addition to what he and Dante gathered while spying on the gang. Eternia was one of the bars they targeted, and that's how Nate Grimes made it to their list.

The man was a criminal, sure, and he definitely had blood on his hands, but they weren't trying to deliver justice or punish evil. Dante had his reasons for going after the Daggers, but Finn was doing it for revenge. Because of that, Dante expected the boy to have a more personal reason for choosing that man to carry out the next step of their plan. It never occurred to him that the boy would just pick randomly.

"Being a bouncer doesn't sound like a glamorous job, doesn't it?" Finn said, his eyes still fixated on the gadget he was messing with before, one hand holding a tool while the other felt around for the parts scattered on the floor.

"I heard it pays well." Dante replied.

"Really well." The boy added. "You would think it's just another type of grunt work, but it' stable, and relatively safe. The Daggers know that, so they don't give the spots to just about anyone."

Dante understood what the boy was trying to say. A safe and stable job was desired by many, even gang members, making it the best reward to give for a performance. Nate likely didn't start as a bouncer, which means he earned that job by nailing some achievements.

"Does it have to do with what he did to earn the position?" Dante asked.

"Eternia is one of the best nightclubs in the city," Finn said. "It was started by Jaguar himself."

"... you could've just said that from the start." Dante sighed. "So… what? Everyone who works there earned a favor from the big boss?"

"Pretty much," Finn replied. "I don't know exactly how, though."

Since he had been busying himself with his lessons with Suzuka, Finn no longer appeared as passionate about his revenge. Dante realized that he had been mistaken. The boy might not be as obsessed as before, but he still had his eyes on the goal.

"By the way," Finn put his tools down and gave Dante a questioning look. "What are we going to do about them?"

By them, he was referring to Julia and Anne Grimes. From the very start, kidnapping the two had appeared a step too far. Now that they served their purpose, there is no need to keep them around, but they couldn't just dispose of them.

"Well, Black Skull won't let them be, that's for sure," Dante said. "And considering the shit they're involved with, the girl makes for the perfect target for their revenge."

"... Oh…"

"We can't just leave them be, and we can't rely on the Daggers to keep them safe, either..." Dante said.

The woman and her child were both innocent, and leaving them to face danger alone would leave a bad taste in his mouth. Nate worked for the Daggers, so it was only a matter of time before he got himself killed, and there was always the chance of his actions catching up to him. Still, Dante felt responsible for accelerating his demise, so he didn't want to call it a day just because he got what he wanted.

"We need someone to talk to her."

Normally, Rose would have been the one to handle this matter, but she was currently taking a break, something she desperately needed right now. Though they managed to trick Julia into coming with them using a few texts sent from her husband's NIM, the same thing wasn't going to work this time.

He gave the matter some thought, and an idea appeared in his mind. After considering all the factors, Dante sent a message explaining what he needed and asked for help. A while later, he received a message saying that it had arrived.

When he returned to the room, Dante brought with him a a smartly dressed young woman. Her skin was pale white, and her raven hair was tied into a ponytail, but her most striking feature were her faintly glowing red eyes.

"Can't believe you dragged me into this." She said.

"I could've had someone else do it, but we can't afford to leave any traces." Dante smiled wryly. "If anyone can do it perfectly, it would be you."

Putting down his tools, Finn got up and dusted his hands, his eyes on the dark-haired beauty who had just arrived.

"Um… this is…"

The young woman turned to look at him, and so did Dante. They both looked confused, but then their eyes widened a little.

"He doesn't know." Dante said, grinning at the woman. "Should I tell him?"

"Don't.", She replied with a glare.

"Alright." Dante said. "I will fill you in on the details. The payment can wait till the next time I come to your place, right?"

"Fine."

For the next twenty minutes, Dante filled the young woman in on what they did and what her role was going to be. As expected, she didn't have a very positive reaction to the whole kidnapping thing, but she didn't question it or drop out because of it.

"Alright." She said once he was done. "I know what to do."

Dante led her to the basement where the two captives were being held. They were borrowing the place from Megan's Los Aros acquaintances, so there were a few burly men guarding the place, requiring Dante's presence before letting anyone in.

Once he escorted the young woman, Dante returned to the spare room where Finn was waiting for him. Sitting down once more, he leaned back and opened another screen.

"Hey," Coming to sit beside him, the boy began to whisper for some reason. "That girl, the of you aren't… right?"

Dante raised an eyebrow at him.

"What? Did she catch your fancy?"

"N-no, not at all." The boy stammered. "It's just… You're dating Rose, right? Wouldn't it be bad if she hard about this?"

"Yeah, I guess you have a point." Sighing, Dante returned his attention to the screen. "I'm not dating anyone, though. Keep that in mind."

~[ ]~

Suzuka struggled to understand how she got to this point. The text came out of nowhere, asking her to come over as one of her alternative personalities, and to dress like a lawyer heading for the courthouse. That alone hinted that the red haired youth whom she became acquainted only recently was planning to scam someone, but never in her life did she think the victim would be a mother he kidnapped along with her daughter.

"Ms. Grimes. My name is Maria Watson. I'm a… an associate of your husband."

Acting out a role was something she had long since mastered, all so she could make better use of her Persona Mask, but that didn't stop her from feeling nervous when lying to someone's face.

"Nate's… acquaintance…"

"That's right." Suzuka nodded. "I'm here to fulfill a promise I made to a while back. Am I right to assume you are aware of the nature of his job?"

"He… works at a nightclub, right?"

"Yes, but there is more of it."

Suzuka proceeded to explain how Nate was a member of the Daggers, and that his work as a bouncer was just a cover-up. Julia seemed to take the news better than expected, as if she had an inkling from the stat. She remained composed, listening with a neutral expression on her face. Most of what they said went over Anne's head, but she still listened, looking between her mother and the stranger with troubled eyes.

"Anne, sweetie, why don't you take your toys and go play over there?"

The little girl sensed the distress in her mother's voice but reluctantly did as she was told. Once she was sitting in the corner, Julia turned to Suzuka and gestured for her to continue.

"The tensions between the Daggers and Black Skull had escalated as of late," said Suzuka. "Mr. Grimes…Nate was tasked with disposing of something, but… That something has led to his untimely demise."

The words hit her like a spear, and for the first time, her exterior was starting to crack.

"I know this is difficult for you to hear, but please remain calm." Suzuka said before the waterworks could start. "What you do from now on will determine whether you'll live safely or not."

Embracing silence, Suzuka waited as the green-haired woman did her best to remain composed.