Cyberpunk Patriarch-Chapter 93 – Maine’s Crew and the Contract of Betrayal

Arthur scratched at his scalp as if trying to stir his thoughts into action. The moment was dense with pressure, the air sticky with heat and blood. Following Lucy's lead, he soon arrived at their makeshift hideout.

If it could even be called that.

The building was a wreck. Rubble and broken bricks littered the floor, mingling with busted furniture and garbage bags reeking of mold and rot. The stench in the air was a brutal mix of blood, vomit, and something far worse—urine soaked into old cushions. The place looked like it had been shelled in a war zone, and in a way, it had.

This wasn't a hideout. It was a tomb waiting for a fight to finish the job.

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Arthur knew one thing for sure: if it wasn't for the hostage they held—Tanaka, the executive from Arasaka—they'd all be dead by now.

And there, sitting by a dim bonfire fueled with stuffing ripped from the ruined couch he sat on, was none other than Maine. The legendary cyber-merc was staring into the flames with a smirk that didn't quite reach his eyes.

Arthur strolled up and couldn't resist. "Well, well. If it isn't Mr. Maine, Night City's most jinxed outlaw."

Maine rolled his eyes and gave the chubby corpo rat next to him a hearty slap on the back. "This corporate bastard started it!"

Arthur stepped beside him, eyeing the unconscious Tanaka with mild curiosity. The exec was out cold, probably from something brewed by the Scavs. Whatever it was, it hit harder than most drugs—sniff it, and you're out for three days. Sip it? You're gone for three years. Even Adam Smasher would lose a kidney.

He pulled a cigarette from his jacket, lit up, then tossed the rest of the pack to Maine.

Around the room, the rest of the team didn't look much better. Dorio was injured and out cold. Lucy sat on the ground, clutching her arm, blood seeping through her sleeve. Pyrrha looked unharmed physically, but she sat frozen, like a broken doll. Rebecca, for once, was quiet, staring into the middle distance, probably lost in thought.

Arthur took it all in and sighed.

"This is the minor trouble you asked for? Shit, I'm starting to regret coming here. Is it too late to walk out?"

Maine lit a cigarette and shrugged. "Afraid so."

Arthur exhaled smoke, stepping toward the window and glancing out. The surrounding streets were packed with NCPD units, MaxTac squads, Arasaka foot soldiers, and curious onlookers. Hell, there might've been Militech agents watching from a rooftop for all he knew.

If he were alone, escaping would've been easy. But with this many injured teammates? Dead weight wasn't getting past that perimeter.

A pained look crossed his face. He turned back to Maine and sighed. "Price just went up. Ten years. You owe me ten years of service for this crap. For free."

Maine didn't flinch. "If we get out of this alive, you can have my whole damn life."

Arthur snorted. "I already own your life."

Maine chuckled darkly. "Still bringing up that debt from ten years ago? Man, you don't let go of anything, huh?"

The rest of Maine's crew shifted nervously. Most of them had never seen this kind of pressure before. Arasaka, MaxTac, the NCPD—and word on the street was that Militech was circling too.

No one mentioned it, but everyone knew: this was a hellscape of their own making.

Arthur flicked ash from his cigarette. "I'll cause a distraction. You all run. My kid's hiding downstairs—check on him if you get a chance."

Maine's expression darkened. He stood up, anger starting to bubble. "I didn't bring you here to throw your life away—"

Before he could finish, Lucy cut in sharply. "I don't agree. If you stay behind, you die. We caused this. We finish it."

Her voice cracked halfway through, but she didn't back down.

"If we can't escape together, we don't deserve to have someone die for us!"

Maine froze. His mouth opened, then closed again as he turned to look at both Lucy and Arthur.

Lucy turned her face away, clearly flustered. Arthur, on the other hand, smiled and ruffled her hair gently.

"Don't worry. I'm not dying today. I'm like the cockroaches in this city—unbreakable, unkillable. I'll stir the hornet's nest and disappear in the chaos."

He stepped away and added, "Most of these agents are small fry. MaxTac might be trouble, but if Melissa pulls through, she'll pull me out before things get too dicey."

Truth was, he wasn't sure Melissa would help. She had a tendency to let her temper override logic.

Still, Lucy's reaction had warmed him more than he liked to admit. But she pushed his hand away, scowling. "Then go ahead and die, idiot."

Arthur chuckled, then turned to Maine, now rubbing his temples.

"Tell that bastard Faraday this clusterf*** is Militech's fault. They want the goods? They clean the mess."

Arthur wasn't keen on fleeing into the Badlands. The radiation, the mutants, the endless dust. He had other plans—better things to do than babysit corporate espionage gone wrong.

Maine knew who Arthur meant. He immediately opened his holo and sent a quick message. No call—no need to talk to the human-faced spider directly anymore. Not after this.

Their deal was done. The betrayal was complete.

Maine grimaced. Last time Arthur saved him, he ended up working six years under the guy. Felt like a lifetime.

He tapped out the message:

Maine: "It's over. Clean up your damn mess. Militech needs to own this."

The reply came seconds later.

Faraday: "???"

Faraday: "I'm a big M—"

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Maine scoffed. "Well, that's that."

Arthur moved to Tanaka, grabbed the unconscious corpo, and hoisted him onto his shoulder like a sack of trash.

He turned to Maine. "Get moving. Once you hear the fireworks, go. And when you're clear, ping me."

Maine nodded, then leaned down to pick up Dorio. He hesitated, turned back to Arthur, and said, "Watch your ass, choom..."

Arthur lit another smoke, smirked, and replied, "Jesus, don't get all sentimental now. You look like a damn chimpanzee when you're emotional. Now get lost!"

Maine laughed, shook his head, and disappeared into the shadows with his team.

Arthur stood alone in the rubble-filled room, Tanaka groaning slightly over his shoulder, a cigarette glowing between his lips. He turned toward the door, his smile fading.

Showtime.

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