Gearbound: Cyberpunk 2077-Chapter 133

Her servant, panicked, rushed onto the balcony with a tablet in hand. Diana felt fury spike in her chest—she had given explicit orders never to disturb her during meals. How dare this lowly servant ignore those instructions?

"Dogs like you aren't—" She never finished. Her wrath snuffed out the moment she glimpsed the news feed displayed on the tablet.

The WNS anchor, Arif Iqbal, was in the middle of a major report detailing the "Nightingale Project." He called out both Biotechnica and Militech by name, accusing them of using more than seventy lives from a Nomad clan as test subjects for a ruthless experiment.

Diana's heart seized up in terror.

"W-what's going on? This can't be real! No, wait—could Arasaka have an inside man in Biotechnica...?"

After all, everyone knew News54 was Militech's mouthpiece, just as everyone knew WNS was backed by Arasaka. Militech and Arasaka were nemeses—bitter rivals since the Fourth Corporate War (when Arasaka was forced out of Night City) through the Unification War (where Arasaka returned, bolstering the Free State's fight for independence). If anyone had reason to blow the lid on a Militech-Biotechnica secret, it would be Arasaka.

**This is a disaster**, Diana realized. Fear replaced any smug delight she felt earlier. Now she had no inclination to mock "beggars" or punish her servant. She and JoAnne were the leads on Nightingale. If their superiors caught wind of this, heads would roll.

"No, no, no. I can't just sit back and do nothing. If Arasaka and WNS frame us for all this, Biotechnica is done for..."

She quickly called JoAnne.

"JoAnne, where are you right now?"

"At Biotechnica Tower. Last night, the place was breached. An entire platoon of security drones got wiped out, plus a Zetatech Surveyor heavy AV was destroyed and stolen. The building even had a chunk blown off."

"What?" Diana's mind reeled. Yet, true to her standing as a team leader, she forced herself to remain calm. "All right, look—put that aside for a second. Did you catch this morning's WNS broadcast?"

"Yeah, I saw... Don't worry, Dr. Kuno. Even if WNS did get hold of our classified intel, the PR team already has a plan. Relax."

Diana exhaled in relief. JoAnne—practically her protégé—had moved swiftly, contacting corporate PR. Good. Still, as a seasoned executive, Diana worried JoAnne's approach might be too naive.

"If it's just your PR response, that might not be enough," Diana warned. "The fallout is huge, JoAnne. To keep one leak from turning into a flood, we may need scapegoats so the rest of us stay safe."

"..."

Strangely, JoAnne went silent. Diana frowned at the comm channel. The line was active, but JoAnne didn't speak.

"JoAnne, you there?"

After a long pause, her colleague finally replied. Something about JoAnne's tone struck Diana as...off.

"You're absolutely right, Dr. Kuno. We need scapegoats, or our PR will be weak and pointless."

Diana noted the faint shift in JoAnne's voice, but since the younger woman seemed to agree, she let the unease slip away.

"You have anyone in mind? If not, I've got suggestions. For instance, your gene-engineer, Emilia Morton—she's been a thorn in your side, right? Always disagreeing with you. Kick her out now. But she alone might not be enough; her position is too low to quiet the public uproar."

Diana's mind raced. The Nightingale Project touched not just Biotechnica's internal secrets but could also threaten Militech's entire relationship with Biotechnica, potentially undermining Militech's trust. They'd need a scapegoat with a high enough rank—someone who could "fill the hole" left by the fiasco. But the only ones at the top were Diana and JoAnne.

**Not me**, she thought. **That's out of the question.** And that left JoAnne...

She pushed the idea aside for now. If they reached a point of no return, maybe she'd offer JoAnne as the sacrificial lamb. But it didn't have to come to that yet. Perhaps there was another way to ride out the crisis without throwing either of them under the bus.

Before she could say more, JoAnne's next words froze her brain.

"Truly, Dr. Kuno, I'll always cherish your noble sacrifice. Working under you has been my greatest honor, and I'll never forget you."

Ice shot through Diana's veins. "JoAnne, what the hell? Wait—! Hello?!"

The sourc𝗲 of this content is freēwēbηovel.c૦m.

The line cut out. Diana frantically tried to call back, only to find she'd been blocked.

Diana stared at the phone in stunned silence. She hadn't expected JoAnne not only to grasp the "scapegoat" plan but to beat her to the punch—and target Diana! Nor had she imagined JoAnne would be capable of such ruthless betrayal. A wave of dread churned her gut.

In a panic, she opened her bank account app and checked her Trauma Team Platinum plan. Both were terminated. The bank account completely closed, the membership revoked. Even the mansion's soft ambient lights abruptly switched to a harsh red glow.

"Warning! Unauthorized intruder detected! Notifying Biotechnica security forces. Estimated arrival: five minutes."

"Intruder?!" Diana raged at the empty air. "This is **my** house! **Mine**!"

She ranted for a good ten seconds, but it didn't help. Her domestic staff knew exactly what was happening. When that red light hit, they sprinted away, ditching their jobs on the spot.

Working for the rich in Night City demanded certain instincts, and that included not getting caught in crossfire if your employer became persona non grata.

Realizing this, Diana stopped ranting. She left behind everything she didn't have time to grab and raced into the garage, jumping into her sports car. Thankfully, the car had been purchased illegally via public funds she'd siphoned off, rather than through Biotechnica's official channels.

Engine revving, she sped out of the mansion gates and onto the street. She gripped the wheel with white-knuckled hands, steering north as fast as she could. **Where to go?** She had no real plan, but she did know she couldn't remain in North Oak. Gritting her teeth, she swerved onto the highway heading for Santo Domingo.