Chapter 146: Hunting Tanaka
Approximately thirty minutes later, Falco slammed the brakes on his modified, heavily armored off-roader, skidding to a halt beside Rebecca's car.
Maine, Dorio, and Pilar piled out rapidly.
"Sitrep?" Maine asked concisely, checking his smart pistol as he spoke.
"David's been inside for over forty minutes. Comms are cut, signal's gone." Rebecca spoke fast. "There are guards at the entrance. They don't look like regular medical staff. We didn't dare storm it, afraid of spooking them and hurting David's chances."
"Good call." Maine nodded. "Kiwi, Sasha, anything?"
Kiwi's voice came through the comms. "An unmarked black van left the clinic's rear exit fifteen minutes ago. The route was deliberately chosen to avoid surveillance cameras on the main thoroughfares. I'm trying to track its probable direction... need time."
Sasha added, "The money trail behind the foundation is complex, layered transfers, but it ultimately points to several shell companies linked to Arasaka. The suspicion on Arasaka for this kidnapping is high."
"Arasaka..." Maine's brow furrowed into a knot.
Them again. Although the last conflict seemed to have blown over, the Corp's shadow always loomed over them.
Just then, Lucy spoke up, her voice sharp with discovery. "Captured a fragment of encrypted comms. Source is near the area where the van was last seen. Content is heavily jammed, but I parsed one keyword... 'Technical Division'."
Technical Division! Arasaka Technical Division!
All clues instantly connected.
A kidnapping operation targeting David, orchestrated by the Arasaka Technical Division.
What was the motive? What did David have that was worth such a massive effort from Arasaka Tech?
Did his recent studies under the "Boss" attract attention?
Whatever the reason, they had to find David ASAP! Technical Division labs were easy to enter, but hell to leave.
"Falco!" Maine ordered immediately. "Follow the probable route Kiwi provided. We pursue! Rebecca, Lucy, get in!"
Everyone scrambled into the off-roader.
Falco floored it. The engine roared, and the vehicle shot out like an arrow, speeding through the streets of Night City guided by Kiwi's constantly updating tracking data.
Rebecca and Lucy followed behind in their previous car.
The atmosphere inside the vehicles was grim.
Maine maintained contact with Kiwi and Sasha at the bastion, sharing intel.
Dorio checked everyone's weapon status.
Pilar flexed his mechanical fingers, ready for combat at a moment's notice.
Rebecca gripped her shotgun tightly, her face showing naked killing intent.
Lucy drove while constantly monitoring the Net, searching for any missed clues.
They passed through the neon-lit city center and entered the relatively dim industrial district.
Kiwi's tracking indicated the van had finally disappeared into a large logistics warehousing zone near Arasaka Tower.
This zone was fully controlled by Arasaka and heavily guarded.
"They must have taken David into Arasaka Tower!" Rebecca said urgently.
"Not necessarily," Maine said, relatively calm. "Technical Division has some secret labs that aren't inside the main tower—too conspicuous. That logistics zone likely houses one of their covert facilities."
The vehicles stopped a few blocks away from the logistics zone. They couldn't get closer without alerting Arasaka's security grid.
"What now?" Pilar asked. "Storm it? That's Arasaka turf."
Maine pondered for a moment, then asked Lucy and Kiwi over the comms channel, "Can you find a way to get surveillance or access logs from inside that zone? We need to confirm David's specific location."
Lucy and Kiwi tried immediately, but soon returned with bad news: the network defense level in that zone was extremely high, almost on par with the main tower. Breaking through quickly was impossible.
For a moment, the operation stalled.
Knowing David was likely inside but unable to pinpoint his location or force entry.
Just as everyone was at a loss, the silent Dorio spoke up. "Maybe... we don't need to find him ourselves."
everyone looked at her.
Dorio explained, "Since the opponent is the Technical Division, and the goal is kidnapping David for some 'test' or 'experiment,' then they must have relevant project plans and scheduling info internally.
"Maybe we can start from elsewhere, find the person in charge of this project, and then... 'ask' him."
"Tanaka is the Director of the Technical Division," Lucy interjected suddenly. She had seen the name in her earlier investigation. "He oversees several cutting-edge cyberware projects. High clearance. If this kidnapping is Tech Division-led, he likely knows, or is even the mastermind."
"Tanaka..." Maine repeated the name, a cold glint in his eyes. "Can we find his whereabouts?"
"I'll try." Lucy closed her eyes again, jacking into the Net.
This time, her target was the internal schedule and comms logs of Arasaka's mid-to-high-level management.
This was slightly easier than breaching the logistics zone's defense, but still extremely risky.
Minutes ticked by. Every second meant David could be facing unknown dangers. The air in the car was thick with anxiety.
Suddenly, Lucy's body jolted. She opened her eyes, speaking rapidly. "Found it! Tanaka has a private engagement tonight. Location is 'Kyushu' Japanese Restaurant in Heywood. He's expected to leave in two hours."
Target acquired!
Maine made the decision instantly. "Falco, to Heywood! We wait for him near 'Kyushu'. Dorio, Pilar, prepare to 'invite' Mr. Tanaka for a nice chat. Rebecca, you're on lookout and support."
"Finally, something to do!" Rebecca licked her lips excitedly, gripping her shotgun.
The off-roader roared to life again, u-turning and speeding toward Heywood.
An interception operation targeting an Arasaka exec was about to unfold in the Night City darkness. They had to pry David's location out of Tanaka's mouth.
"Kyushu" Japanese Restaurant was located on a relatively quiet street in Heywood, exuding an elegance that clashed with its surroundings.
Maine's crew parked their vehicle in a dark blind spot at the corner, waiting patiently.
Two hours later, just as Lucy's intel indicated, Technical Director Tanaka walked out of the restaurant, slightly tipsy, accompanied by a single bodyguard.
He was heading toward his bulletproof corporate luxury sedan parked on the curb.
At that moment, Maine and Dorio materialized from the shadows like ghosts.
Dorio moved with lightning speed, delivering a precise chop to the bodyguard's neck. The man slumped silently to the ground.
Maine used his massive, augmented arms to put Tanaka in a headlock, swiftly dragging him toward the off-roader at the corner.
Tanaka struggled in panic, but against Maine's absolute strength, his resistance was like an ant shaking a tree.
He was roughly shoved into the backseat. Pilar and Rebecca immediately flanked him, sandwiching him in the middle, cold gun barrels pressing against his ribs.
Falco quickly drove away from the scene. The entire process was clean and efficient, causing no commotion.
(End of Chapter)