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Chapter 005: A Corpo's Day
🕑 Added 2025-09-26 01:28:42 +0000 UTCArasaka Tower underground parking garage, Corporate Plaza.
With a soft brake squeal smoothed by noise reduction systems, the vehicle broadcasting an internal Arasaka Security ID signal came to a clean stop.
After passing the security scanners and receiving standard inspection salutes from Arasaka guards and hacker agents at the entrance, Vera stepped out. Once the vehicle handover was complete, she led her two assigned bodyguards straight to the executive-only passage.
Arasaka, after all, operated on strict class separation. Officers and foot soldiers never walked the same path.
Through the steel-and-glass curtain wall, the preserved ruins of the old Arasaka Tower, nuclear-blasted and blackened, stood in the distance. Vera gave them a passing glance and didn't spare another look.
That section had been deliberately left standing during reconstruction, a gesture meant to “remember the shame.” The monument read:
“2023 — Never Forget.”
She’d seen it too many times. Whatever message it carried had long since dulled.
Inside the tower's internal lobby, fixed scanners, drones, and surveillance radar swept over her in sequence. Vera felt the brief attention of dozens of sensors and watchers, then they moved on.
Except for the first-floor public reception, Arasaka Tower contained no public spaces. Anyone inside was either an employee or authorized service staff.
Ding—
May 27, 2074. 8:00 AM.
After taking the executive elevator to the Security Department floor and clocking in, Vera sent her bodyguards to drop her briefcase in her office. Then, unhurried, she walked toward the internal cafeteria, projecting the day’s Night City briefing from Arasaka Administrative Center onto her optical implant.
She hadn’t eaten yet.
Arasaka's employee handbook was infamously strict, demanding 24/7 availability from its lower ranks. But she wasn't just anyone anymore.
She was mid-tier management in the company's largest department: Security. On the cusp of promotion. She'd recently wrapped the Brasília public security contract with perfection and even took initiative in securing a critical opportunity in Rio's reconstruction efforts.
In this world, winner takes all.
---
Regular Cafeteria, Arasaka Security Department
An attendant in a pale, flight-attendant-style uniform stepped forward as soon as she saw Vera, bowing politely.
“Good morning, Ms. Adelheid.”
Vera sat down near some decorative indoor plants and synced her optical implant to a nearby public holographic TV signal.
“Pasta combo. The usual,” she said.
“Certainly. Please wait a moment.”
The attendant retreated, bowing again.
“Good morning, Night City! I'm your old pal Stanley. Let’s get into yesterday’s death lottery...”
The bombastic voice of a famous Night City lottery host echoed from the TV as Vera ordered a glass of ice water and casually surveyed the cafeteria.
It was spacious. Seating was spaced far apart, each table partitioned by specially treated glass panels with a subtle blurring effect.
Only veteran operatives with over a decade of service, low-ranking leaders, or middle managers could dine here.
In this cyberpunk world, the more "regular" something claimed to be, the more exclusive and expensive it really was.
With the planet’s land and oceans severely polluted, the average citizen survived on artificial proteins and synthetic meats. Even genetically modified “natural” food cost a fortune.
So of course, Vera indulged.
While waiting for her meal, she noticed more Security Bureau colleagues trickling in.
She was Vice Chief of the Special Assault Force, the bureau's most elite unit, and commanded Team 6, a hundred-strong force of Arasaka heavy infantry.
The Security Bureau was massive, with multiple units. The 1st Mobile Squad handled public presence, plaza security, EOD, and major shootouts, functioning almost like corporate garrison troops.
Other Mobile Squads (the 2nd, 3rd, 4th) covered areas like Konpeki Plaza, the Northern Industrial Park, and the Arasaka Waterfront. They weren't agents so much as high-level SWAT.
The Special Assault Force, however, Vera's domain, handled global field operations, often deployed across branches. Their work demanded wilderness combat ability, public security enforcement, riot control, and contract defense. The gear? Military-grade.
“Miss Russell. Congratulations. I doubt it’ll be long before you drop the ‘Vice’ title.”
Unlike Intelligence or Counter-Intelligence, the Security Department leaned more toward combat readiness. It had its share of old schemers, but overall it maintained a stronger military culture and a less toxic atmosphere. Vera made sure to nurture relationships. She wasn’t cold, arrogant, or aloof—and people noticed.
At least on the surface, she got along well.
And when bullets were flying, no one wanted to be stabbed in the back.
“Thanks.”
“In time, Captain Vera will surely surpass old Director Fred.”
"Haha, I'll take the compliment. Still a long way to go. We're all Arasaka, mutual support, making the company stronger. Cheers to that."
She stood and raised her glass of ice water, drinking it like a toast.
A minor downside of inheriting her adoptive parents' positions: the department was filled with "uncles," mentors, and subordinates of her old man. Climbing above them meant showing strength but also giving them proper face.
Approachability made it easier to absorb her political inheritance and command resources without friction.
“Cheers.” ×N
They were all seasoned. After the brief chatter, they dispersed—either finishing meals or sitting down to order.
“Ms. Vera, here’s your cream ice cream, tomato beef pasta, and curry chicken... please enjoy.”
Natural food was available here, and since Vera didn’t worry about her weight, she enjoyed herself. She could afford it.
After a satisfying meal and a final sip of ice water, she paid and left.
The joy of a good meal, arguably one of humanity's simplest pleasures. Stress relief in a world gone mad. Assuming you didn't have an eating disorder.
With her energy restored, Vera headed toward her office with a complimentary coffee in hand.
Whatever else one said, Arasaka’s employee perks weren’t bad.
High salaries, platinum-tier Trauma Team coverage for execs, gear and weapons for combat personnel, combat implant discounts for elites, and the latest tech implants after just 20 years of loyalty.
The tower’s facilities included the regular and executive cafeterias, trauma centers, retail shops, equipment depots, entertainment zones, sleeping quarters, and barracks.
Downsides? Brutal pressure, no real downtime, no retirement pensions, and total confiscation of savings, implants, and apartments upon termination.
---
Back in the Office
May 27, 2074. 8:30 AM.
With the rank-and-file already at their posts, Vera held a short video conference with her superiors in the Security Bureau.
Then she retrieved her briefcase from the coffee table at reception. Opening it, she pulled out a stack of data chips scheduled for review this week.
Time to get to work.
Corporate drone mode: activated.
* [Brasília Public Security Service - Action Report]
* [Learning the Arasaka Spirit]
* [Special Assault Force Team 6 - Action Loss Statement]
* [Shortcomings and Improvements - Self-Reflection Report: Vera Adelheid Russell]
* [Security Bureau New Recruit Training Assessment, 2nd Edition]
* [Team 6 Combat Evaluation]
* [Action Bonus Application]
...
She’d only just returned to Night City from the field. Her promotion was in progress, but her jurisdiction wasn’t locked in yet. Today’s work focused on field reports and Team 6’s internal matters.
Of these, the Combat Evaluation and Bonus Application topped the list.
One affected soldier performance ratings; the other affected their wallets. Both were vital.
---
Time passed.
Vera, deep in Corpo mode, worked straight through to the afternoon.
“Phew...”
She stretched her neck after submitting the final chip.
Sipping what was left of her cold coffee, she stood to head toward the Biotechnology Research Department for her part-time role—just enough face-time to maintain her persona and stay visible to certain high-level contacts.
Beep-beep!
“Chief Vera. An invitation for you.”
Her bodyguard’s voice crackled through the desk intercom.
“Come in.”
The office door slid open with a red scanner flash. Her bodyguard stepped in.
He handed her a neatly folded invitation. Vera raised an eyebrow.
“A paper invitation? Who’s still doing banquets like this?”
The bodyguard shook his head. "Scanned it twice. No anomalies."
To be sure, he pulled out a scanner and swept it again in front of her.
Vera took the envelope.
The three-leaf clover Arasaka logo caught her eye.
Unfolding it—
“Arasaka Academy cordially invites its outstanding graduates...”
She read aloud:
“...to attend the 2074 freshman orientation ceremony and deliver a speech.”
