Cyberpunk: Infinite Progress Begins with Arasaka

Boom!

The shockwave from the mountain blasting spread out instantly. Dust and debris flew in all directions. When the smoke cleared, what once looked like a solid wind-eroded cliff face began to collapse on a large scale. 500 meters away at the designated safety perimeter, where the Arasaka convoy was parked, Vela stood with arms crossed, fingers tapping absentmindedly.

"Keep searching—long stem, single top bloom, dark red core."

Ever since 'discovering' the Sonnentreppe Flower deep within a naturally sunken cave beneath what seemed to be the chief's stone dwelling at the center of a major African tribal ruin, she had been visibly excited.

After collecting a dozen or so specimens—some pristine, others damaged, wilted, or even dead, along with several rotting, carbonized seeds—she had them sealed in petri dishes.

Then she ordered the entire rapid-response team to begin a full-scale search.

Meanwhile, she herself continued to update the exploration logs on her datapad, expressing a strong desire to return.

A barely concealed impatience to begin related research.

Under her command, every hut and structure within a one-to-two-mile radius was flipped—mud huts, wooden huts, stone homes, grass-roofed dwellings, even dung houses. In just two hours, the place was razed like a demolition site.

"Supervisor Russell, we've completed the sweep—no red flowers found in the eastern structures."

"None in the southern area either."

"Western sector showed signs of vagrants—campfire remains and trash. Some oxidized grain remnants inside the structures, likely exposed to heat and sandstorms for too long, and previously looted."

"Report: The mountain was opened by controlled explosives. While we did uncover some cave-like storage formations, they're too small in scale. Should we move to a new ruin and expand the search area...?"

Thud.

"Do as you see fit."

With a weary gesture, Vela waved them off, lightly tapping the vehicle's hood.

"Figures… A precious medicinal plant like that would've been hoarded by the tribal chief—no way they'd share it. Primitive people clinging to outdated traditions… I was too greedy."

Whether she was scolding herself or someone else, her muttering was loud enough for several nearby soldiers to hear.

"Well… it's enough. A small stroke of luck, at least I found a few…"

The rapid-response soldiers remained silent, listening to her complaints.

What they didn't notice were a few figures casually edging closer to the Behemoth armored transport that housed the Sonnentreppe Flowers.

But just as they were about to sneak closer—

Bzzzz…

The roar of AV engines rolled in from the distance.

In the night sky, the blue vector thrusters flashed. A heavy Octant-class drone and two Arasaka-clover-branded armored AVs cut through the air.

On the ground, the Arasaka soldiers—mid demolition and excavation—paused briefly. Then came the radio report in their earpieces: "Internal ID confirmed. Friendly unit. Emergency task force dispatched by Lubumbashi office."

Relieved that they were allies, some soldiers resumed guard duty, others returned to their assignments.

"They're here?" Vela looked up.

She had called for the armored AVs herself.

Though Congo and Central Africa were considered buffer zones between Arasaka and the EU bloc—with no massive corporate towers or branches—even major economic and political players like Arasaka and the EU wouldn't pass up this piece of the pie.

Basic liaison offices and factories were still scattered across the region. The area's rich deposits of rare and non-ferrous metals were far too valuable to leave in the hands of local warlords.

Sad, really. It was one of the few things the megacorps could all agree on.

As the AVs descended, the vector engines stirred up mini-tornadoes, lifting dust and gravel into the air.

Thud! Thud!

Several heavily armed figures dropped straight from the AV's side platform onto the ground.

"Supervisor Russell!"

"That's me."

No pleasantries. Vela gave a firm nod, displaying the authoritative and efficient demeanor expected of a Night City Arasaka security executive.

"Stand guard here. Give me a moment. Looks like the travel portion is over. I need to retrieve the greatest gain from this African study tour."

Before returning to the Behemoth armored transport, Vela summoned the three commanding officers of the rapid-response squads.

"Effective immediately, your escort mission is concluded. Thank you for your service. Trust me—when you return to the Cape Town station, a generous bonus sponsored by Danger Gal will be waiting. Clean up the site, then head back to South Africa."

"Yes, ma'am!" ×3

With that, Vela climbed into the transport. Moments later, she descended again, arms full of cases and bags—all containing flower culture dishes.

By then, the AV had landed. The soldiers who arrived with it quickly moved forward, assisting her with the transfer. Meanwhile, the other armored AV hovered overhead, a mounted autocannon sweeping in patrol.

Bzzzz…

Seated on a simple folding chair in the AV's side bay, Vela slowly ascended—watched by the rapid-response soldiers. A faint smile tugged at her lips as she gazed toward the layered mountain ridges in the distance. Under the desolate night sky, a faint gray haze lingered in the air, and even the sand-laden winds had briefly quieted.

Tch. Why hide so far away…

Vela lit a cigarette.

The mole didn't make a move when I "discovered" the flower—so are they backing off? Or planning something bigger?

...

"Goddammit!"

Covered in dust, a few Arasaka agents crawled out from a camouflaged trench, muttering curses.

Overhead, an Octant drone roared past at low altitude, vector thrusters flaring blue-white, followed by two ascending armored AVs.

"Target behavior consistent throughout. No contact with suspicious individuals. No additional comm frequencies detected in the vicinity... I swear, these loyalty-assessment surveillance missions are bone-dry. We're Arasaka too—so why are we skulking around like thieves?"

Watching the armored AV disappear into the distance, one of the security agents grumbled.

"We were the real bodyguards this whole time, but those security grunts are the ones getting the bonuses..."

They were low-level operatives, unaware of the second layer of the mission. Based on past experience, they assumed this was just another routine loyalty check for a rising executive.

Vela Adelheid had entered the list for higher-level promotion. Since she was heading to Central Africa—where Arasaka's influence was thinner—it made sense to assign them to shadow her.

"Target is en route back."

Elsewhere, at another observation point, the field-worn team leader—looking more like a vagabond than an agent—remained fixated on the terminal screen displaying the dark red flower.

"All clear. No abnormal behavior. According to footage captured by the embedded informant, she seems to have found the flower she described in her project…"

"Notify all units: mission complete. Withdraw."

...

As the Tokyo-headquartered Arasaka surveillance unit began to pull out and relay reports and live records back to HQ, a hidden channel within the network transmitted a separate exchange:

[Target has located the 'Sonnentreppe Flower' as described in the project.]

[Footage received. 9527, we've deployed garrison forces from the Congo sector. Can you remain in position to acquire the flower—or delay the convoy and sabotage it for recovery?]

[…No opportunity. Target called in the Lubumbashi emergency task force immediately after discovery. She's already left.]

[...Remain silent. Once she returns to South Africa, track Vela Adelheid Russell's movements. Based on her profile, she will begin research immediately. We must either obtain or destroy her results. Anything Arasaka wants to accomplish—we must sabotage.]

...

Time passed.

Across the ocean, in the Arasaka estate in Chiyoda, Tokyo, within a sealed room equipped with cutting-edge communications tech and anti-surveillance electronics...

"Baka! That was the perfect opportunity! Why didn't your men act?!"

"Are you serious? He's an infiltrator, not a cyberpsycho. No one knows better than us at Militech how dangerous Vela Adelheid is. In Night City, how many elite agents and soldiers have died at her hands? You think those rapid-response troops with SMGs could outpace her reflexes? That'd just spook her. Even if they got one flower, she'd still complete the research with what's left."

"Then what do you suggest? She's already brought those damned flowers—why weren't they extinct?—back to South Africa and locked herself inside Arasaka's Johannesburg lab. Her project, a new 'rejuvenation drug' that revitalizes human cells and organ tissue... If it succeeds, Saburo gets another shot at extending his life?"

"Oh, my friend, don't be so hasty. Let her collect everything first. Once she's settled in, we pinpoint the location, gather our forces, and then wipe it all out in one move. Whether we destroy it or steal it—thanks to your cooperation—we'll have the upper hand."

"You better hope so. Be ready."

Yorinobu Arasaka ended the call, removed his voice modulator, and his expression darkened.

"Western devils!"

He could hear the distrust and veiled condescension behind their diplomatic tone.

But there was no helping it. Saburo's grip on Arasaka was still absolute.

He was, in every sense, an emperor. Yorinobu could only rally the hawks by preaching Arasaka's rebirth. If anyone learned he sought to dethrone Saburo and end the family monopoly, his entire base of support would collapse.

And so, this treasonous alliance with Militech—this betrayal of Arasaka's interests—had to be carried out by Yorinobu himself.

Fortunately, the Americans only suspected he was a discontented Japanese insider. No one would ever imagine that Yorinobu—the son of Saburo himself, the 'Crown Prince'—was colluding with Arasaka's ancient enemy, plotting its downfall.

He cursed under his breath and turned back to his datapad.

The screen displayed the deep red flower.

"Sonnentreppe Flower... Damn you, old man. You actually lived to see this day."

He swiped again, pulling up surveillance footage: a blonde young woman with a bright, carefree smile exiting the AV, suitcase in hand, pushing a sealed metal case into an Arasaka facility.

"A bad omen… she must be stopped."

...

Johannesburg.

Arasaka Industrial Bio-Research Laboratory

The room gleamed white under harsh light, thick with the smell of antiseptic. In the center, reinforced glass chambers housed test mice.

Clad in a white lab coat and full protective gear, Vela stood watching with great interest.

Squeak—!

At her command, mechanical arms secured a chattering mouse. A thick syringe plunged into it, injecting a freshly synthesized progenitor virus.

For a moment, the mouse lay still. Then—twitch. Its front limbs stirred. Then bang!

It slammed itself against the reinforced glass, over and over, with no regard for pain—until blood smeared the walls and fur peeled from its body like that of a long-dead animal.

Vela exhaled slowly. She leaned forward and gently tapped the glass.

"Mhm. Arasaka's very first bio-mouse…"