Gearbound: Cyberpunk 2077-Chapter 155

As the call ended, Jackie grinned. "Was that Dex? What, he worried about us?"

V shook her head. "He's worried we'll fail to bring him the Flathead, or worse, tip off Royce so he can lock it down."

The corridor walls were plastered with slogans and spider-like Maelstrom emblems. Overhead bulbs gave off a sickly yellow glow, casting a metallic glare. The pounding music grew louder with every step.

They reached a turn at the far end, and beyond a grated barrier lay the clamor of the Totentanz itself. The jarring blast of music rattled the air, reverberating in their chests. Before they could enter, they had to get past the Maelstrom members guarding the entrance.

These guards, unlike the punks outside, clearly had a different bearing and more extensive implants.

"You don't look like ordinary customers. What do you want?"

"Isn't this a bar?" Leo asked with a casual shrug. "I came for a drink. Problem?"

"Others can come in, but not you. If you don't explain yourselves, we're refusing service. So turn around and leave."

Between Leo's demonstration outside and the air of danger clinging to the group, the Maelstrom guards had every reason to be wary. They'd already lost the All Foods factory; losing the Totentanz on top of that would be a disaster. Royce had ordered them to find out exactly what Leo and his crew wanted.

"Fine. We're not really here to drink. We want to see Royce."

That answer didn't put the guards at ease. "Why do you want Royce? You planning to join Maelstrom?"

Leo casually brushed the dust from his clothes, pressing the hidden tracker pinned to his jacket like a button. "We've got business to discuss with him."

"What business?" one guard pressed.

Leo raised a brow, looking exasperated. "Do you always ask so many questions? If Maelstrom's too scared to do business, forget it. We're leaving."

He waved once, turned on his heel, and started to walk away. Jackie blinked, then hurried after him when he saw V and Lucy follow without hesitation. Within a few steps, someone called out exactly what Leo had expected to hear.

"Hold it! Royce wants to see you."

The Totentanz wasn't like other bars. The Maelstrom guards at the entrance stepped aside, and a woman with a gruff, gravelly voice took the lead, opening the door and guiding them in.

The sound inside was so loud it was painful, as though they wanted to rupture every eardrum in the place. The bar was cloaked in darkness, lit only by a vivid red glow. Where Lizzie's Bar felt energetic, this place felt hostile. Even Jackie, who usually enjoyed a night out, wrinkled his nose in distaste.

They pushed through a noisy crowd of dancing bodies to a raised platform on the second level. Several members of Maelstrom waited there, but the hulking figure on the couch drew the most attention. Like the rest, he had blazing red optics for eyes, yet his facial cyberware was even more extreme. Half his face had been replaced by machinery.

He was Royce, Maelstrom's new leader.

"Patricia, why the hell did you bring these losers to me?" he growled.

The female Maelstromer who'd escorted them answered in an oddly respectful tone. "Royce, they said they got business with you."

"Business? What business?"

Leo stepped forward. "We're here to buy a drone. Model MTOD12, better known as Flathead."

Royce's glowing optics narrowed. "Flathead, huh?"

He snapped his head toward a Maelstrom member standing nearby. "Dum Dum—go check if we've still got that unit." As Dum Dum left, Royce looked back at Leo and the others. "If you're here for a deal, then have a seat."

Royce jerked his chin toward the long couch across from him. Without hesitation, Leo sat down, V and Lucy taking positions on either side. Jackie remained standing, arms folded, next to the couch.

"I'll stand. Sitting kills your mobility. Don't want to be a sitting duck."

Royce noticed the warning note in Jackie's voice—and more importantly, Jackie's refusal to obey. Since he'd seized control of Maelstrom, nobody had dared defy him. Anyone who tried ended up dead. Royce's breathing grew heavier as he spoke with deliberate menace.

"I said, sit."

Jackie refused to budge. "Is that really necessary, chombatta?"

"I ain't your buddy. Sit," Royce repeated, glare intensifying. "Sit your ass down before I give your skull a bullet."

The Maelstrom scattered around the platform watched, their hands drifting toward their weapons. The mood darkened.

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"Sit, Jackie." Leo stood and patted Jackie's shoulder, flashing him a look that said, Calm down. Jackie grumbled but trusted Leo enough to comply, dropping onto the couch.

"Fine. But this is a crock of—"

"Was that so hard?" Royce's tone relaxed a touch. He waved at the others, and they took their hands off their guns. Silence fell, tense and foreboding, until Dum Dum returned hauling a metal case and set it on the table between them.

"All right," Royce said at last. "Looks like Dum Dum found your merchandise."

Leo spoke evenly. "Let's see it. I want to confirm we're talking about the right item."

Royce gave a rough chuckle. "Heh, fresh meat in this biz, I take it. Never heard my name? I'm Royce. I don't cheat anyone—if I want something, I just take it. But if you insist on checking, go ahead, Dum Dum. Give them a peek."

Dum Dum opened the case, revealing a compact boxy drone curled into a neat little shape. Leo scanned it with his tactical display, verifying it was indeed the Flathead they were after.

Dum Dum pulled out a chip and slotted it into the port at the back of his neck, then started an animated sales pitch.

"This baby's brimming with features. High-end stuff—doesn't even have a standard port. Dynamic thermo-optic camo plating. Prototype titanium-alloy fiber actuators. Plus, a fully-immersive Raven controller. It can go anywhere, seriously anywhere. We're Night City locals, yeah? We don't lie to our own. Watch this."