After borrowing a shower from Vik, Mark and Miguel drove to the Afterlife bar in silence. The pair took off their armor for the moment, instead wearing a set of “office uniforms” for the Engineer. The outfit was a simple pair of short sleeved button-down shirts, a pair of chinos, and sturdy boots, all of them in similar colors to the usual Engineer attire.

Only Miguel was visibly armed, but the veteran soldier held no doubt about who was the more dangerous of the pair.

At the bar entrance, the due are stopped by the bouncer.

“Name?”

“Rogue invited me. Look for the Engineer. He’s also with me.”

The large man checks his Agent, scrolling down through the list until he finds what he’s looking for. He steps aside and welcome the two men inside.

“Rogue is waiting for you two. She’s in the back.”

As they pass through the bar, Mark notices the places that he once visited while playing the game. Despite everything, he can’t help the shivers of excitement from escaping. Eventually, the pair stops in front of a large booth where Rogue is waiting.

The Queen of the Afterlife appearance is practically a history lesson that mirrors Night City. Her body looks strong, young, and beautiful, despite the woman being over eighty years old, as her body is enhanced with cybernetics and genetic manipulation. The areas where the signs of old age are harder to disguise, such as the neck and the back of her hands, are simply covered with a chocker and a pair of hand warmers. Her face looks older, likely on purpose as some kind of statement.

Before, Rogue was a cyberpunk that made her name as a Solo in Night City, working for those who could pay her well while fighting for a cause.

Now, people work for her, and she decides which causes are worth fighting for.

The Queen isn’t alone, being surrounded by men and woman on her booth. Some of them are casually drinking, while others are glaring at everyone and everything around them. Most of them looking visibly unarmed, but in the world of Cyberpunk that’s not a sign of reassurance.

“Mark Henderson,” she casually calls Mark’s name, “you caused quite the stir today.”

Mark nods and takes a seat in front of her, while Miguel remained standing to keep his eyes on the crowd and possible exit points.

“I heard about what you did today.” She continues, a smirk tugging at her lips, “you clear up a Scav dem solo earlier in the day, then decides that’s not enough and follow suit with the Maelstrom headquarters.” She takes a sip of her drink, a Johnny Silverhand. “Not bad for someone who just arrived at Night City.”

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Mark notices that Rogue is trying to fish for information, and he decides that nothing he can produce is more fantastical than the truth.

“Going after the Maelstrom was a spur of the moment thing,” Mark admits, “Miguel’s niece was captured by the Maelstrom, and after making some preparations, we rushed in. Miguel managed to rescue his niece while I dealt with the gang.”

Rogue chuckles, taking another sip of her drink. “So, you decided to wipe them out? All of them?”

Mark shrugs. “They’re cultists. Not just cultists, but zealot cultists. Worse than that, they’re satanists zealot cultists. I saw the iconography they had on their inner sanctum, and the practices they performed to ‘initiate’ their new members. It was only a matter of time for me to deal with them.”

Rogue hums before finishing her drink. “Do you have any physical evidence of your rampage?”

Mark nods, looking at his inventory and taking two memory shards with a flick of his wrist. “These two memory shards are from their leader ‘Brick,’ and his major rival ‘Royce,’ apparently they were going through an internal dispute and brought most of their members to the hideout. Otherwise, I would had hunt them down across the city.”

“Now I’m curious,” Rogue leans forward as a waitress pour her another drink, “how many did you flatline?”

Once again, Mark looks at his inventory to confirm the numbers. “I have eleven hundred and twelve memory shards, plus an assorted quantity of loot between junk cyberware, skill chips, and a few choice cyberware. I even have a couple of Sandevistans back inside my car’s trunk, though they’re an older model.”

“Interesting,” the Queen of afterlife says before leaning back on her seat, “there are still around a hundred and eighty Maelstrom unaccounted for, but the age of Maelstrom being a relevant player in Night City are over.” Rogue takes a long sip to her new drink. “Good riddance.”

There was a lull in the conversation, and when Mark finally took the courage to order something Rogue started again.

“You must have some impressive tech behind you. I could use someone of your capabilities. Are you interested in a partnership?”

“What kind of partnership?” Mark asks, curious about the sudden proposal since it’s not every day the Queen take the initiative like this.

“You’re in possession of a lot of goods and shards you took from the Maelstrom, meaning you need a fence. I will pay for the shards and fence the rest of the goods for you. I also have a few well-paying jobs you can take directly from me if you’re interested.”

‘That’s a good proposal,’ Mark thinks it over before answering. “So long as I can keep a copy of the data, it’s a deal.” Mark and Rogue shake on their new agreement. “What kind of job do you have in mind?”

“I’ve got my eyes on a few operations, Biotechnica and Petrochem. I need someone who can get in, steal their data, and get out without a trace,” Rogue said, her voice calm, but carrying the weight of the proposal.

At that moment, Mark stomach rumbles loudly. “Let’s table that for now. Do you sell food here other than bar snacks? I’m starving.”

“Didn’t you eat half of a XXL Burrito earlier already?” Miguel asks, speaking for the first time since the conversation started.

“That was my first meal of the day. I still need to eat dinner.” Mark looks around with a thoughtful expression on his face. “I’m going to pick up a table to eat, and if you have any recommendation for crews to help me with my job, I appreciate it, Rogue.”

“You’re in luck then, there’s an Edgerunner crew nearby.” Rogue points towards a specific table. “They’re experienced and have a balanced crew; they can help you.” Mark Agent pings, and he notices that he added a new contact. “Here’s my number. You can call if you need something. Can I steal your choom here for a minute?”

“Sure, and thanks. See you later, Miguel.”