Chapter 17: Goro Takemura

Chapter 17: Goro Takemura

Back then, Sandayu Oda had just joined Ash's team, and her hatred for the Sixth Street Gang ran deep. For a time, the two made it a personal mission to tear the gang apart.

The Sixth Street Gang, ironically, was originally formed with noble intentions. It was composed of war veterans, nostalgic patriots from pre-collapse America, and disillusioned ex-NCPD officers. Their goal? To bring order and justice to Night City.

They organized patrols, drafted tactical plans, and even urged civilians to arm themselves. For a while, they won the public's favor.

But that was just the glossy surface.

Behind closed doors, they smuggled arms, extorted locals under the guise of 'protection fees,' and worked with Nomads to hijack corp transports. Their operations were illegal, brutal—and deeply territorial. They rarely strayed from their base in the Santo Domingo river valley, preferring to avoid external conflicts and manage only limited outposts in other districts.

Even major corps found them useful—they'd eagerly purchase outdated tech and gear, reducing surplus stockpiles. What they did with that gear, however, was conveniently ignored.

Their newest venture? The "Red House." As Night City overflowed with desperate hopefuls chasing eurodreams, human trafficking and black-market augmentation became booming trades. To meet this demand, the Sixth Street Gang ventured into entertainment. But their only method of 'training' was violence. Unlike gangs like Tiger Claws, who ran slick operations, Sixth Street's brutality was primitive.

Their downfall came when they crossed Ash.

During a raid on a black clinic, Ash and Sandayu liberated Nina and other unwilling captives. Grateful, Nina pledged her surgical expertise to them. With a world-class medtech at their side, Ash's team became bolder.

Sandayu, whose memory was nearly eidetic, became their data prodigy. After intense training, she went from barely knowing how to boot a computer to breaching corporate networks within weeks—stealing proprietary data without triggering a single ICE alert.

Only Ash knew the full extent of her capabilities.

---

The surgery lasted into early morning.

Ask anyone the biggest difference between ordinary folk and cyber-enhanced humans, and the answer's always the same: energy.

Sleep became optional. Mods handled most of the body's needs. Still, Ash and Sandayu maintained a habit: they shut down their systems and slept—like humans. The only thing missing was dreams.

Sandayu woke first.

She ran a full-body cyberware boot sequence before sitting up. Rushing that process was like standing up too fast and blacking out—only more dangerous.

Ash was still asleep beside her. She smiled gently.

Her smile activated the lab's systems. Curtains pulled open, sunlight filtered in. Ventilation whirred. Cleaning bots rolled out. A drone zipped off toward a food stall, returning moments later with steaming breakfast in its claws.

Streams of data danced across her vision, collating top headlines through preset filters.

One alert flashed red.

Her eyes dimmed. Her expression grew conflicted.

"What's wrong, Sandayu?" Ash's voice was groggy, but alert.

She turned to him. "Saburo Arasaka is dead. The corp's issued a formal statement."

Ash rubbed his temples and sat up. "Let's eat."

"Okay." She nodded, still uncertain.

Ding.

The OR door burst open. Nina and Viktor charged out, phones in hand.

"Ash! Is it true?!" Nina exclaimed, holding up the death alert for Saburo Arasaka.

Ash stood, adjusting his coat. "Relax. First—how's the patient?"

"She'll survive. But her neural system's fried. Recovery will be long and fragile. She'll need help with nutrition and rehab," Viktor reported, his expression tense.

Ash nodded. "Yes, it's true. But don't panic. Stock up. The city's about to descend into chaos."

Both doctors nodded, collected their pay, and left in a hurry.

"Come on, Sandayu," Ash said. "Time to eat."

---

Arasaka Tower.

Yorinobu Arasaka glared at the man across from him. "Goro Takemura! What the hell is this?!"

Takemura stood firm, trench coat billowing, gun aimed at Yorinobu.

"I want the truth."

As Saburo Arasaka's personal bodyguard, his loyalty was absolute. But two petty thieves killing Saburo? That was absurd.

Yorinobu had been in that room too. Witness? Maybe. Murderer? Probably.

"One of them killed Father," Yorinobu snapped. "Then ran!"

Takemura's voice trembled with fury. "That's a lie. Saburo didn't resist. No struggle. It had to be you. Only you could make him... give up."

"You bastard! You killed Saburo Arasaka!"

Yorinobu's rage suddenly faded, replaced by a smug smirk.

"Takemura, the old man's dead. I'm the new head. Swear loyalty—or die forgotten. Either way, no one will believe your story."

Then—

Boom!

The door exploded inward.

A metallic fist cracked into Takemura's gut, launching blood from his mouth.

Adam Smasher.

Red optics glared like soulless rubies.

Takemura stumbled, but his eyes locked on Yorinobu. "Murderer!"

Smasher didn't wait. Another punch came, but Takemura rolled left, dodging, and lunged for Yorinobu.

Die now, but take him down!

But Smasher was faster. Leg actuators reversed his momentum unnaturally fast. Another punch came.

Takemura changed course, diving toward the window.

Survive. Expose the truth.

But Smasher had already predicted the move. His optics tracked muscle contractions, predicting the jump before it happened.

He leapt—

Boom!

Takemura crashed through glass and plummeted from the tower. Concrete cratered where he hit. Civilians screamed. Cars flew.

A second boom followed as Smasher landed, scanning.

Only blood remained. Takemura had vanished.

"Status?" Yorinobu's voice rang over comms.

"Got away," Smasher growled.

Yorinobu sighed. "Issue the kill order."

Minutes later, news flashed across the city.

"Former Arasaka exec Goro Takemura attempted to assassinate Chairman Yorinobu. Kill order issued. Reward: one million eurodollars."

A profile and bounty photo followed.

In a back alley gym, Ash landed punch after punch against a reinforced bag. The alert on his wristband pinged.

He wiped sweat from his brow and glanced down.

Takemura was alive. And now, on the run.

He smirked to himself.

"Guess he's hunting for the truth."