Lazarus

Due to the exclusive nature of the Gala Night, which will take place in 5 days. It would bring together the most influential people in the city and the major representatives of corporations from around the world. Hanako herself would attend representing Arasaka. Militech, Biotech, and Kang Tao would also send their own representatives. Along with the rest of the major corporations.

Consequently all attendees and security personnel have to undergo thorough investigation, and someone like Okami, Sora's alter ego as a merc, who had appeared two years ago without background and whose real identity was unknown, would never be allowed to attend.

However, if Okami joined the corporation with the golden spearhead logo, as his mother wanted, things would be different.

"You will do it! It's for your own good," Hanako said, matching her son's angry tone. Giving up on trying to convince him, she continued, "Since you've decided to be something as trivial as a mercenary against the opinion of everyone who cares about you, at least do it properly. The world is much bigger than this city, Sora, and joining will be-"

"MOTHER!" Sora suddenly interrupted, looking at her intently before gently raising his hands to the sides of his mother's holographic face and with a soft smile, he said, "I won't do it!" Ending with a kiss on the holographic cheek of the shocked Hanako.... who felt her son's hands on her face and his kiss on her cheek through the hologram.

"How?" Hanako asked. Placing her hand where she had felt her son's touch moments ago.

"Heh, second time I hear that today... Magi-" Sora joked before being interrupted by his mother's cold gaze. "Alright, alright. Putting jokes aside, I sent the tactile sensation of my hands to you through nanobots, via the secure line to the cyberware you hide in your head..." Sora said, casually talking about a multriple hack, in the blink of eye, through the firewall of his mother's cyberware without her noticing anything at all.

Causing Hanako to place her hand on the back of her head where she concealed her Interface Plugs. The cyberware used by Netrunners to connect to the network, and the one Sora hack to be able to simulate the sensation of his touch in his mother's brain.

Hanako was surprised for a moment before reacting. "Sora, that's dangerous. You shouldn't be manipulating my cyberware like that," she said in a serious tone. "You can cause permanent damage if you don't do it correctly."

Sora nodded. "I know, I know, I'm sorry. I shouldn't play with your cyberware like that. I'm sorry." Sora raised his arms, accepting the blame.

"You-you could do it again... but this time, so I can... touch you," Hanako said, somewhat embarrassed, wanting to touch her son for the second time in 3 years.

Making Sora laugh, he said, "...sure, Mom," as he approached his mother's hologram.

Sora closed his eyes, hiding the illuminated white circles of his pupils. Converting an idea or emotion into the mysterious white code, he synchronized Hanako's hologram with the nanobots in his body to simulate the sensation of touch from his mother.

"Whenever you're ready," Sora said, opening his black eyes in front of his mother's hologram. Hanako slowly lifted her arms, bringing her hands close to her son's face, causing Sora to close his eyes and smile at the tender side of his mother beneath all the orders, arguments, and icy looks.

But suddenly, Aoi and Sora were taken aback when Hanako didn't gently caress her son as expected. Instead, she grabbed him firmly by the ear and dragged him towards the door, causing Sora to cry out in pain. "Mother, what are you doing? Stop! Ahhhh, stop! Damn it, this hurts!" caused by his own Nanobots, naively given the command to synchronize with Hanako's hologram without limitations. He didn't expect his mother, from her office in Japan, to grab him like this and drag him through his grandparents' apartment in Night City.

"Don't talk to me like that! I'm sure your grandparents didn't raise you this way. Growing up in this city has been a mistake. Look at what you've become, always against your mother and arguing about everything I say. I am your mother! LISTEN TO ME!" Hanako responded.

"Mo-Hanako, it doesn't work like that, stop!" Sora pleaded.

"No! Where did I go wrong?. I'm tired of your stubbornness! You will obey me, and it's the final word on the matter. Open the door!" his mother ordered.

"No!" Sora replied.

"Do it!" his mother insisted, pulling harder on Sora's ear.

"I won't do it!" Sora affirmed, gritting his teeth.

"Sora, you're going to lose your ear," Aoi warned from the kitchen, barely containing her laughter as she recorded the amusing scene with her pad, planning to show it to Musashi and Hiroyuki later.

"I don't care," Sora stubbornly replied. Although he could have hit his mother's hologram's arm, interfering with the signal, or deactivated the nanobots in his ear that were causing him pain, he didn't do it out of respect for Hanako, who had caught him... and mainly because of the slight smile on his mother's face, as if she was enjoying "educating" him... causing him harm, something that puzzled Sora when he realized it.

"Sora, open the door, or I swear by my name as Arasaka that you will pay for it," Hanako said with such a cold tone that Sora could see the doors of death behind his mother's hologram, and her mentioning her name as Arasaka sending shivers down Sora's spine. Reluctantly, he opened the door, once again facing the man in the black suit who was still waiting on the other side, unable to understand how a hologram seemed to have someone in its grip.

"What the fuck are you looking at? Do your damn job and give me whatever it is you're selling," Sora said to the man in the black suit, who looked at him with surprise, paying the price for Sora's bad mood.

"Sora! Watch your language! Apologize," Hanako said, tugging at Sora's ear, enjoying the moment of educating her son, thinking that she should have done this the first time they met three years ago.

Sora felt like he was in a bad dream, wondering, "what I do to end up like this?"

"I'm... s-sorry," Sora managed to say, playing along, struggling to say every syllable of the apology his mother was forcing him to utter with his ear taken hostage.

"No problem. Here you go," said the man in the black suit. Still not understanding what the hell was going on but finding it amusing, unintentionally lifting the corners of his mouth as he offered the briefcase again to the hunchbacked Sora.

Sora took the briefcase with an annoyed "Tch," observing the "stupid" expression of the man, and quickly closed the door. "Satisfied? Can you let me go for once?" Sora asked, frustrated.

"Very much," Hanako replied, smiling as she released her son's bruised ear.

"You might find my behavior unreasonable, but if you weren't so stubborn that you refused to listen further upon hearing the word 'corporation,' you would know that the benefits of joining Lazarus outweigh the disadvantages" Hanako said, mentioning the corporation that wanted to recruit her son.

"Shhhhs," Aoi whistled in surprise from her stool in the kitchen. "You want to join Lazarus? And they've accepted! Not bad, Sora!"

"Do you know them, Obaa-san?" Sora asked, looking at the golden spear emblem on his mother's briefcase while rubbing his ear.

"Yes, I know them through your grandfather. Lazarus is considered a corporation entirely focused on private military contracting with operations across the globe, but in reality, it functions more like an organization. Its members have access to their vendors, cyberware, and RipperDocs, they even have their own private bars and hotels, located in most capitals and major cities worldwide. They even have their own currency," explained Aoi, surprising Sora with how Lazarus operates.

"Even if they're as good as you say, I still don't like it," Sora said firmly.

"Why?" Hanako asked, unable to understand her stubborn son.

"Mother, why weren't they the ones who wanted to recruit me? I've been working as a mercenary for two years, and although it's true that I've gained some reputation, it doesn't seem to be enough. I don't like the idea of getting in through connections. If I join, I want to do it on my own terms" explained Sora, showing a seriousness towards his work as a merc that surprised Hanako. She had always thought of it as something stupid and incomprehensible, but after hearing him... for the first time, she respected Sora's decision.

But the beautiful bubble Hanako had created was burst when Aoi spoke from the kitchen. Knowing Sora since he was a baby, she didn't buy it for a second. "Liar. Maybe you can deceive your mother or even your grandfather, but not me. It's just another excuse you've come up with."

"Tch. And a good one until you opened your mouth," Sora said, focusing on Aoi as he replied and then returned his gaze to his mother's hologram. "Don't pay attention to her...."

Hanako felt a bit disappointed for not knowing her own son as well as Aoi. "...You're incredible... even though it is not like you think, Lazurus does not accept anyone for connections, even if they come from an Arasaka, they accept suggestions but they have the last word. I have to go. Don't you dare lose the briefcase, do you hear me?" Hanako said having spent her little free time, at least satisfied that she had "convinced" her stubborn son to take the Lazarus briefcase.

"Yeah, whatever you say," Sora replied, placing the briefcase in front of Aoi on the kitchen island, bidding his mother goodbye while still rubbing his ear.

When Hanako's hologram disappeared, Aoi stared at Sora and the briefcase until she couldn't resist anymore and said, "Are you going to open it or what?"

"If you're so interested, go ahead and open it," replied Sora, pushing the briefcase across the kitchen counter towards Aoi.

Aoi caught the briefcase that Sora threw and opened it, her face lighting up. This caught Sora's attention, and he asked, "What's inside?" trying not to appear too interested.

"Oh, would you like to know?" Aoi grabbed something from the briefcase and threw it to Sora, who caught it in his hand and, upon seeing it, said, "A coin?"

"I told you they have their own, right? According to what your grandfather told me, with these coins, you have access to all the services Lazarus offers its members."

"hm" Sora carefully examined the gold coin in his hand. On one side, the corporation's emblem was engraved: the tip of a spear. But it was the other side that truly caught Sora's attention. Looking like what the spear wielder would be facing It, a mysterious figure, intricately engraved with an eerie level of detail.

"Huh, interesting." Sora began playing with the coin in his hand as he made his way towards the stairs.

"Hey, Sora, where are you going? Aren't you going to see what's inside?" Aoi was puzzled, expecting to tempt Sora into showing more interest in the briefcase, but he only held onto the coin she had given him and ignored the rest.

"Nah, the coin is good enough for me, I'm going to bed," replied Sora as he climbed the stairs.

The door rang again, and Aoi used her pad to check who it was and opened the door with it when she saw who it was.

"Hey, Aoi, do you know anything about those shameless ones we--" Ainara entered comfortably, heading towards the kitchen where Aoi was, but she stopped when she saw Sora on the stairs. "Oh! So, you're here, you granddaughter thief. Where are you keeping my Ranita?"

"Hello, Ainara... Judy told me to tell you that she hates you and and she never wants to see you again" said Sora, greeting Ainara as Judy had asked him to. Getting revenge for having to come by subway.

"What?!" Ainara was surprised and couldn't imagine her ranita saying such a thing.

"I know, right! I was just like you when she told me... I'm going to bed."

"Don't mind him. He's probably just getting back at Judy for one of their pranks. You know how they are. Ainara, do you want some coffee?"

"Eh? Yes... Even if it's a joke, I'll make Judy pay for not coming to see me for two weeks!"

---

Meanwhile, in a warehouse located in Vista del Rey, which had changed owners shortly after a violent assault by the Tyger Claws gang three years ago...

The previous owners decided to offer a generous discount on the sale price as a pay for the buyer's assistance when he saved his members. From then on, the place became the headquarters and workshop of a new company called Iron Beast.

Iron Beast gained rapid fame when a video went viral, showing one of its robotic pets, Iron Pet, defending its owner from a robbery and neutralizing the attackers. The video received extensive coverage on cyberware and technology shows, praising the pet robot's work and impressive defense abilities.

The viral video of Peter's (Judy's grandfather) robot pet attracted a large number of daily orders for Iron Beast. It also caught the attention of corporations when Hanako Arasaka directly purchased 20% of the company, causing other corporations to take notice.

Her CEO parked her Yaiba motorcycle in front of the workshop while her red-haired and attractive assistant, Natasha, watched her attentively from the entrance. Natasha and the other women who had been held captive by the Tyger Claws, after Judy helped them erase most of their captivity time, she also offered a job, which they all accepted. "You're late... again," Natasha reminded Judy, with a serious expression.

"I know, I know, sorry," Judy responded, taking off her helmet. "Do we have an important appointment?" Meanwhile, Luna, Judy's robotic cat in the form of an Oceltote, who had been sitting on the bike between Judy's arms, jumped to the ground.

"No, but... there's an intruder we haven't been able to stop waiting for you in your office," Natasha replied, pointing out the urgent situation that required Judy's attention.

"What? Should I call Musashi? He's here in the mornings for his classes, right?" Judy asked as they entered the workshop.

"Yes, he is, but... I don't think it's a good idea to notify him. Based on what Sora told us about Musashi's past, it wouldn't be convenient for him to meet the uninvited guest, in your office," Natasha warned.

"Why?" Judy asked.

"Because he's from Militech, the son of the former CEO of Militech, the current president of New United States," Natasha revealed.

"Fuck me!" Judy muttered, realizing the trouble awaiting her in her office.

"Sora seems to have done that already... have fun," Natasha replied shamelessly, commenting on the reason behind Judy's delay, while trying to change direction before entering the elevator.

"Very funny! Don't even think about it, you're coming with me," Judy demanded, making Natasha also enter the elevator.

"Too bad, I would have loved to escape this," Natasha expressed, revealing her desire to avoid the situation. "Men like him give me the creeps," she added, referring to Andrew Lundee, the son of Rosalind Myers, former CEO of Militech and current president of NUSA, and Emory Lundee, the son of Donald Lundee, the legendary CEO of Militech who brought the company to its current status and the main cause of the rivalry between Arasaka and Militech. A rivalry that arose from personal conflicts between Donald and Saburo Arasaka.

-

Judy entered her office, ready to confront the guest, who was waiting for her there, Upon opening the door, she came face to face with a tall, dark-skinned man with a shaved head, appearing to be in his mid-20s, examining a display case in Judy's office that contained carefully arranged fragments to reconstruct an Air Board, that seemed to have exploded.

"I always wanted to ride one of these, but my parents never let me," commented Andrew Lundee when he looked up and saw Judy entering with Natasha and her pet Luna.

"It's surprising that the son of Militech's CEO wouldn't be bought a simple Airb," Judy remarked indifferently, recalling the lessons Hanako had taught her about negotiations. Taking a seat behind her desk while Luna settled on it and Natasha stood by her side.

Andrew continued to examine the decorations in Judy's office with apparent calmness. "Well, in their defense, they saw it as something absurd and pointless that wouldn't bring me any benefit. At the time, I didn't understand, but now... bit more" said Andrew as he examined a worn-out leather jacket with only one sleeve, displaying the emblem of the old band Samurai, hanging in an elegant frame on the wall.

Andrew, with his charming smile and sunglasses still on, approached Judy confidently and extended his hand in a friendly gesture. "Miss Alvarez, a pleasure to meet a beautiful entrepreneur like you. I'm Andrew Lundee from Militech. I've heard a lot about Iron Beast. It seems to have a bright future ahead, and Militech would like to participate in that future."

Andrew stared at Judy and then at Natasha beside her, like a predator for a moment. Natasha was the only one who showed displeasure on her face, while Judy maintained a cold expression.

Unimpressed by the flattery, Judy shook Andrew's hand firmly. "Yes, whatever you say. I know who you are, and I'm aware of your intentions. Let me be clear from the start to save time: we have no intention at the moment of selling more shares or parts of our company. Iron Beast is our project, and we are committed to its success,"

Adjusting his high-quality, tailored gray suit, with the shirt collar slightly unbuttoned, allowing a suggestive glimpse of his muscles, Andrew sat down in front of Judy. His smile didn't fade despite Judy's direct response, hoping it would be enough to make Andrew leave.

"Oh, Judy, I think you're jumping ahead of events. Can I call you Jud? I'm here to explore broader collaboration opportunities between our companies. Militech is interested in investing in Iron Beast, a small company that, with our help, could flourish and reach a much more lucrative market," explained Andrew, trying to create a sense of closeness with Judy.

"No, you can't," said Judy, finding it hard to hide her displeasure when Andrew called her "Jud." "Let me guess, you want to militarize the Iron Pets, right? Do you think Kang Tao, Constitutional Arms, Group Tsunami, or any of the other thousands of arms corporations haven't already offered us that?" Reply Judy, without changing her expression as She recalled Hanako's advice while maintaining her corporate "mask" as cold as possible, trying not to show any emotion on her face or in her voice.

Andrew noticed Judy's coldness. "I understand... but let me ask you, don't you find it unpatriotic? We're talking about Militech being interested in your company, a NUSA company, and its main investor is Arasaka. Do you think that's okay, Jud-y? Think about all the citizens of the NUSA." Andrew had to pause his patriotic speech because he was interrupted by a loud laughter.

"HAHAHA, sorry, sorry," said Judy, interrupting Andrew as she wiped a genuine tear from her eye. "I thought you were joking. But since you kept going, I couldn't help myself... Let me tell you something, Andre-w, this is Night City. Although technically we're part of the NUSA, Night City is an independent city, and those of us who grew up here don't foster the patriotism you're trying to exploit for your interests. Maybe in cities on the other coast, like New York or Washington, that crap works, but I assure you, not here. Besides, the main investor may be a Arasaka, but it's not Arasaka. Do you understand the difference?"

Andrew realized that his previous strategy wasn't working, so he decided to change his approach. "I see... it must be because of Sora Inuzuka, right?"

"What?" Judy looked puzzled, failing for the first time to maintain her "mask" and appearing concerned at the sudden mention of Sora.

"That Hanako Arasaka herself has invested in such a small company must be because of the co-founder of the company, right? Or rather, because of the connections of his grandparents," Andrew mentioned, knowing all the details that Militech had about Iron Beast and its creators.

"Correct," Judy responded without providing further details, regaining her previous calmness after a brief moment of panic not knowing what Andrew was referring to.

"You must be very fortunate to have someone like that by your side. He must be a man worth it, right?" Andrew said with an ironic tone in his voice.

Judy frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing," Andrew shrugged and smiled before continuing. "Just the assessment of a person's value, after all... What role does he play in all of this? Besides securing the initial investment from an Arasaka. To me, he seems like dead weight for Iron Beast's success. Where is he? Letting all the hard work fall on you. Is that fair? In the end, it's been your leadership that has brought the company to where it is now. Do you really need someone else who only dead weight in your path?"

The first one to react to Andrew's words was not Natasha or Judy, but Luna, the large white and gray cat, who stared at Andrew intently with her robotic eyes. With Natasha being the first to speak, "What are you-" she stopped when she noticed Judy's raised hand, signaling her to stop, while still staring intensely at Andrew... like Luna, before responding.

"Sora is lazy guy when it comes to most things, using any excuse he can to escape his responsibilities. Sometimes it's true that I wish he would get more involved in the company... But he's also a genius who comes up with incredible designs and ideas as if he were a child drawing. That's one of the reasons why the company has the value it does.

You come here, planting yourself in my office without asking for an appointment, permission, or respect, under the false pretext of wanting to invest and help Iron Beast's growth, when it's more than clear what Militech's true intentions are. Seeking advancements from the dead weight, as you've called it, like the hologram technology we use in Iron Pets, which Militech has been interested in militarizing since we presented it to the public.

And as you said, I'm doing a damn great job running this company to be able to tell you for sure.... 'Fuck you.' What, do you think you can perform some kind of 'inception' and plant in my head the idea that Sora is dead weight and I'm better off without him? Seriously? Like I said, Sora may be many things, but never dead weight, and I think the one who underestimates its value here is you.... baldy," Judy said, mixing the 'mask' that Hanako had taught her while she thought what 'he' would say.

"Phffhahaha," causing laughter that Natasha couldn't contain, in response to Judy's unexpected answer and the final touch of 'baldy' to the son of the Nusa president and former CEO of Militech, while Luna returned to lying on the table and stopped looking at Andrew, as if she had the corners of her mouth raised.

Andrew's smile disappeared for the first time since he entered the workshop, seeing that his strategy of devaluing one of the creators in an attempt to create a rift between them, to exploit in the future, while hiding the true value of Iron Beast for Militech, failed so embarrassingly that they ended up laughing at him.

After a brief moment, Andrew regained his composure, and his expression became more serious. Staring at Judy, he responded, "Miss Alvarez, I understand that you defend your partner and value his contribution. But let me be clear with you, I'm here because I believe we can achieve great things together."

Andrew stood up from his seat and leaned forward, placing his hands on Judy's desk, and continued, "My goal is not to undermine your leadership or belittle your partner. I recognize your talent and what you've achieved at such a young age and in such a short time. But Militech has the resources and the necessary expertise to take Iron Beast to a higher level."

While speaking, Andrew maintained an intense gaze, "I know Night City is unlike other cities, and I'm willing to adapt to its style. My sister Tristana and I will attend the Gala Night as representatives of Militech. I hope to meet Sora at the gala and let me show you what Militech can bring to a partnership when we showcase one of the latest products my sister and I have been working on. I'm sure Sora, as an engineer, will be interested," Andrew said, switching to a friendly strategy without giving up on his plans.

Andrew said nothing more as he refitted his suit and walked away from the desk, leaving without looking back from Judy's office who said nothing more.

---

When the sun was beginning to set, Eco followed Sora's command...

With Sora feeling Eco's rough and dry tongue on his face that woke him up. He stretched his neck as he sat up in bed. he saw Eco sitting in front of him. "Time to work, little guy," Sora said as he stood up and grabbed the jacket hanging on the chair next to his old desk, along with a harness containing two customized Nue on the shoulder holsters, that Sora had been wearing since leaving home.

After putting on the harness, as he slipped into the jacket, something incredible began to happen. Sora's clothes, entirely made of nanobots, started to change shape and color. Starting from the feet, black metallic boots with armored parts formed, covering his shins. The pants remained gray, unchanged in color, loose from the knees up to the waist. The upper part of his attire, the jacket and shirt, transformed into armored gear, contouring Sora's muscular body, with a single sleeve leaving his black cybernetic arm free. The harnesses he wore underneath the jacket were exposed.

Not yet finished with his outfit, Sora turned his gaze towards Eco, who opened his chest, as if made of black sand, including his fur. Eco manipulated the nanobots in his new body, entirely made of nanobots too. Revealing a black helmet alongside a folded jacket of the same color and an old scarf with parts more worn than others. Sora grabbed the helmet and put on the tubular scarf and the black leather jacket. Once done, Eco stood up and opened his back, deploying the same moving black sands effect.

Inside Eco, a belt harness was revealed, holding two black Arasaka JKE-X2 Kenshin with blue details instead of red, along with Getsuga in its new customized sheath. Sora adjusted the belt on his legs and waist, placing Getsuga at the back of his hip as usual, with the new elaborate sheath featuring a wider and squared section near the hilt,, multiplying the power of Getsuga's unsheathing attack several times over, even adding a trigger like a gun.

Sora wasn't the only one to change outfit; Eco also entered on Okami Mode, changing the color of his fur to a pitch-black, raising his fur and ears, and growing a few centimeters now that he didn't have to compress his nanobots to hold Sora's belongings within him. His eyes lit up in the same blue as the eyes of Sora's helmet.

Sora's helmet had certain similarities to that of a certain Arkham Knight, but with more triangular ears, giving it a wolf-like appearance instead of a bat-like. When he put on his helmet, Sora stretched his neck again now that he was fully equipped, saying, "Showtime," with Okami's synthetic voice sounding. At the same time, two blue stripes lit up like eyes on the helmet. Drawing a silly smile on Sora's face every time they do it.