An Engineer In Night City

"Gooooood morning Night City!" The announcer calls from the car radio as the driver leisurely goes through the morning rush of Night City. "Today we're starting with special news regarding gang violence! As our listeners know, Night City has some of the highest murder rates for a city in the world, disputing first place neck-to-neck with the worst hellholes in this mudball, and recently the Night City just jumped a few points in the violence statistic overnight!"

The driver stops at the red light, feeling relaxed despite the traffic jam. For a moment, a hand reaches out to change the stations, but curiosity eventually wins out. "That's right, my fellow Night People, the rumors are true, one of the scourges of Night City is dead! Well, mostly, but that's good enough for me! You all felt it, didn't you? The gang violence suddenly took a lull, with one of the city's major gangs suddenly disappearing from the streets and creating a power vacuum, yet no other gang came to pounce on this moment of weakness. Well, you heard here first, choomba, a single person flatlined the Maelstrom gang!"

The light turns green, and the driver resumes the trip. "You might be asking yourself, 'but choom, how did a single gonk pullet it off in a single night? That's impossible! Not even the Arasaka Executioner can hunt down those cockroaches in a single night!' and you'd be right, listener! However, please remember the context of the situation. According to rumors, that you heard on this station first, the Maelstrom was undergoing an internal dispute between their major factions. It happens all the time with gangs as big and ancient as the Maelstrom. Please send a message to any ancient listeners that remember when the Maelstrom was an honorable combat gang, yes people that was real, it is history!"

The driver chuckles at hearing that trivia of an ancient story. After the Time of Red, much of Night City history was lost, and nobody cared about the development of the gangs' evolution, besides anthropologists, to bother piercing together the rise, fall, and change of Night City gangs. Inwardly, the driver bets that information came from some of the old guards that are still alive, and that kind of information doesn't come cheap.

"Because of the gang's tension, the two major forces of the Maelstrom often butted heads, trying to one-up each other. Rumors say that one faction wanted to keep the interests of the gang more… secular, while the other faction leader wanted to focus on the spiritual ideals of the gang. That's crazy gonk doublespeak for 'I want to make money' versus 'I want to break people so they're as miserable as we are.' That's why the Maelstrom was competing with the Scavs for the dubious honor of 'scummiest gang in Night City.' Since the Maelstrom is no more, the Scavs remain firmly in the first position for now."

The driver can't help but agree. There was a recent surge of disappearances, and occasionally a job would be posted to rescue or avenge a victim of the Maelstrom 'recruitment drive.'

"Now, according to my sources, on that day the two gang leaders brought most of their supporters to their main headquarters, the All Foods Plant, for some yet-to-be-determined reason, with reinforcements close enough to storm the place in case it was necessary. That was the Maelstrom first mistake: putting all their eggs in a single basket. Their second mistake was getting The Engineer involved."

The driver perks up in interest, listening closer to the next segment.

"The Engineer started as an urban legend at first. Apparently, someone counter-ambushed the infamous Jackal's pack from the Animals back in Pacifica. The madman set up a killing field full of gun turrets against the Animals, and the Motherfucker even had a box of grenades! Also, check this: he deliberately allowed one of the Animals to run away so that she could serve as a warning to others! But we all know that this is Night City, and we never pass a good opportunity to throw our lives away. So, a bunch of gonks hear about this story and go to Pacifica to check him out, maybe cash on some eddies, and they find a genuine Fortress there! A Fortress with loud sounds of machinery and the sweet, sweet smell of smog! Rumors say that the gonks that try to look inside the Fortress never return, which just fueled the rumors."

"Preem," the driver mutters under the breath, before quickly swerving the car and avoiding a speeding asshole from colliding at his side. "Look where you're going gonk!"

"… rescue. That's when the Engineer decided that he wouldn't suffer the Maelstrom gang existing anymore! So, he picks up his iron, puts on his PA, drives to the All Foods Plant, and starts blasting like a maniac while his partner goes to rescue the missing person. After a while, one of the sardines leaves the building while rescuing a victim, and then much later another PA leaves the building. There's a ton of shooting, screaming, and reinforcements arriving at the old factory in the meantime, though. Also, get this: the bodies of the Maelstrom gonks suddenly… disappeared! The NCPD, bless their poor hearts, investigated the Plant, and found plenty of evidence for violent deaths, but no bodies. They did find a lot of biological slurry on the premises, but when questioned the officers didn't comment. Sca~ry."

The driver turns to another street, coming closer to the destination. "The police call the events of that night the 'Maelstrom Culling,' though most people call it the 'Maelstrom Flushing.' There are still some remnants of the gang, so make sure that -"

*Click*

The driver turns off the radio and gets out of the car. He walks a familiar path and greets the woman at the counter. "Hey Misty, how are you doing? Is Vik there?"

"Hey Choom, I'm fine, thanks for asking. Vik is waiting for you, go in."

Jackie gives Misty a flirty wink, feeling excited about the upcoming meeting after listening to the news about the latest Night City rising star, who will soon ascend into becoming a Legend in the future. Jackie wanted to be a Legend, to have his name written in the history of Night City, to have his life mean something. That's why the mercenary is at the Viktor's Clinic to chip in some new chrome.

"Hey Vik, how are you doing? Is it true that you got a new Sandevistan on sale?"

"Calm down Jackie, you just got yourself chipped in. This is only a checkup to monitor your condition, remember?"

Jackie sounds sheepish, sounding embarrassed for the moment. "Sorry doc, I got too excited on the way in. Heard about the Engineer and got too carried away."

"I get it. For now, get on the chair and try to relax. We can talk more after the checkup."

Making himself comfortable, Jackie allows his mind to drift, dreaming of glory, eddies, and purpose.