When they realized the person who had landed was a MaxTac officer, different thoughts passed through Karl and Andy's minds. Karl looked down
When they realized the person who had landed was a MaxTac officer, different thoughts passed through Karl and Andy's minds.
Karl looked down at Melissa Rory, now under the feet of the MaxTac agent, and assessed her injuries.
Judging by the angle and the sound I heard a second ago, her spine is probably broken. Not sure if the nerves are damaged yet—if they're intact, she might be able to recover with surgery. If the nerves are shot… her survival depends on whether she had any pre-emptive spinal modifications.
Karl remembered Andy had hoped to take her in alive, so he was trying to give his friend's wish a chance. However, Andy's thoughts at the moment weren't on Melissa Rory, the cyberpsycho—they were focused on something else: the very embodiment of law and force in Night City.
If the NCPD represented the official face of Night City's law enforcement, then MaxTac (the Max-Tactical Response Team) was the real trump card wielded by the city council. It was thanks to their existence that Night City hadn't been completely taken over by the corporations or gang powers. Developed during the city's reconstruction, MaxTac had come to symbolize Night City's might.
Why would they send in MaxTac…?
Andy thought for a moment and figured it out.
Even if they hadn't intended to attract attention, the area they cordoned off and evacuated would have tipped off civilians. And during the evacuation, Andy and his team had told them there was a high-risk individual—exactly the kind of phrase that implies a cyberpsycho.
Someone must've called in MaxTac.
From their vantage point aboard an AV, MaxTac had likely spotted their target immediately and confirmed it was a cyberpsycho. Their entrance was just a little more "direct" than necessary.
Click-clack.
The MaxTac officer stepped off Melissa Rory's body, heavy armored boots thudding against the ground. His gear was reinforced with blue-tinted ballistic plates beneath heavy-duty armor.
He activated his thermal imaging scanner, sweeping it over Karl and Andy. His gaze finally stopped on Karl.
"You here to show mercy again, KK the merc? Come to save another one?" he said, before turning to Andy. "Just like how you saved this coward of an NCPD cop."
Saved me…?
Andy instantly realized who this MaxTac guy was.
Back when Karl had pulled him out of a cyberpsycho breakdown, Johnson had mentioned Karl had gotten into it with a MaxTac captain. Looks like this was that guy.
What a small world…
"So it's you," Karl said, dragging his eyes from Melissa Rory to the armored officer.
"Dallas Foster?"
Karl called him by name immediately.
He was already linked to the NCPD database. Even though MaxTac only technically falls under NCPD jurisdiction, one glance was enough to pull up name and identity.
Dallas, his face hidden behind a modified thermographic visor, let out a short grunt—clearly unbothered that Karl knew who he was.
As their AV landed and stabilized, other MaxTac officers began jumping out.
One of them, wearing slightly lighter armor and carrying a specialized rig—likely the squad's netrunner—approached Karl and Andy.
"According to Article 105 of the Cyberpsycho Protocol Statutes, all statements you provide will be recorded and submitted as official evidence. I'm the Inquiry Officer of Squad Four and will be handling the documentation. Please state your names and professions."
"NCPD Sheriff, Andy."
Andy clearly knew the procedure and responded without hesitation, even including his badge number.
"According to protocol, I should be in charge of this case."
"That was before," the netrunner replied flatly. "Once an alert is triggered and the target confirmed as a cyberpsycho, we take over."
She was clearly more well-versed in the regulations than Andy, who had once been a merc. "If you have any objections, refer to Article 56. When NCPD and MaxTac operate jointly, MaxTac's authority takes precedence."
Andy, realizing he was out of his league in legal terms, fell silent. He had nothing to say—MaxTac knew the law better than he did. It was what it was.
"Karl. First name Karl, last name… just Karl. Mercenary."
Before the MaxTac netrunner even turned to him, Karl spoke up.
After all, he was a law-abiding citizen—always had been. He'd never broken a law in his life. And even if he had, it had long since been scrubbed clean by T-Bug and Mr. Johnson. No blemishes. So of course, when MaxTac asked questions, Karl would cooperate like the upstanding citizen he was.
"Karl the Merc," the netrunner confirmed, then looked him over. "Disable facial disguise. I need a visual confirmation for the record."
"No problem."
Karl had already reverted to his normal appearance on his way over. But noticing the chip was still active, he pulled it out just in case. The netrunner scanned his face, confirmed his ID, and said:
"Verification complete. Please explain what happened."
"I'll take care of that," Andy offered, stepping forward as sheriff to recount the incident.
While Andy explained, Karl watched as other MaxTac members loaded Melissa Rory—now limp due to a spinal injury—onto a restraint stretcher and carried her to the AV. They didn't forget to inject her with something along the way. Karl raised an eyebrow.
Looks like MaxTac really is short on people…
MaxTac never saves people unless there's something in it for them. If they're rescuing someone, it means that person has value.
And for Melissa Rory, that value was obvious: combat ability.
First Andy, now Melissa Rory.
How long has it been? And they're still short-staffed?
I heard the original and most trusted core of MaxTac came from elite NCPD officers…
Karl had a thought.
Johnson's got a stable position now. Andy, as sheriff, doesn't have any more upward mobility—for now.
So…
If they'd already reached out to the NCPD…
Why not test the waters with MaxTac?
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