Chapter 19: Harmony Fee
Kay browsed through the chaotic jungle of Night City's local underground forums. His consciousness floated in cyberspace, detached from his meat body, scrolling through one absurd post after another:
> [Anonymous Post]: This is divine judgment. Unchecked cyberware usage leads only to destruction...
> [Reply]: So should we all just join the Animals? Also, are they still recruiting? I'm 158 cm, 45 kg, and available ASAP. Urgent reply needed!
> [Ad]: Looking for a donor! My husband lost fertility in a cyberaccident. I'm a young woman who still dreams of motherhood. Contact info below...
Kay snorted. The forums were garbage fires of fake ads, trolls, and conspiracy theories. But damn, were they entertaining.
He was surprised no one had shut these boards down yet—but then again, corpos didn't care what the street rats did as long as they didn't poke the hornet's nest.
But then something caught his eye—a live security feed with surprisingly lax defenses.
Location: private residence of Mayor Lucius Rhyne.
Oh? Let's have a peek.
Inside, Lucius Rhyne was on a rampage, smashing furniture and yelling like a choom with fried cyberware.
> "Damn Arasaka! Have they forgotten who welcomed them into Night City?! Who do they think they are?!"
Across the room, Senator Jefferson—his assistant—stood stiffly, trying to de-escalate.
> "Mayor Rhyne, please… Arasaka is a multinational military conglomerate. Going against them directly—"
> "Bullshit!" Rhyne slammed his fist on the desk. "They've bled billions out of Night City! I'm just asking for a little tax, and suddenly I'm the bad guy?!"
Jefferson fell silent.
After a moment, Rhyne lowered his voice. "Jefferson, you're the only one I can trust. Reach out to Militech. Tell them Arasaka's been moving oddly in the city, and that population loss in the lower zones is rising fast. You know what to do."
Kay smirked.
"Spreading chaos and waiting to watch the fireworks, huh? Cute. But you're dreaming if you think you can control that fire, Rhyne."
Kay disconnected from the net. Dawn was just breaking over Night City.
He didn't care about the corp chess matches. He wasn't here to dance with Lucius Rhyne or bleed himself dry for scraps from a tyrant's plate.
There were more important things on his mind—like the future of the Destiny Potion.
And then it hit him:
Cyberpsychosis.
If his stim spread too fast—without safeguards—would it trigger more psychotic breaks among the poor and cyber-junked? Would it turn mercs and bouncers into ticking time bombs?
He sighed.
> "I've put down my share of cyberpsychos. Each one had a story… But in the end, who cares?"
Kay stretched, ready to hit the sack.
But before he could, Dorothy stirred from her makeshift med-bed and blinked up at him.
Still groggy, she saw Kay leaning over her, mid-motion.
> "Kay… do you want me to, uh, thank you with… some pleasure?"
Kay rolled his eyes, lips twitching.
> "Go back to sleep, Dorothy."
He was still debating whether to call in the next patient when—
Knock, knock.
> "Kay! Trouble outside. Sixth Street Gang's back. Riko Vega isn't here—you gotta check this out!"
It was one of the Puff Pub employees, face pale.
Dorothy blinked. "Didn't Sixth Street already collect this month's protection fee?"
Kay sighed and stood. "Let's see what the punks want."
---
The laughter hit them before they even reached the door.
> "Yo, flat-chested girl! Come let me help you out with these hands—exclusive growth technique!"
Kay narrowed his eyes.
The punk was short, maybe early twenties, rocking a vintage jacket, baseball cap, and a cheap walkie-talkie clipped to his belt. Definitely gang scum.
Dorothy stepped up, shielding the girl he was harassing—her younger sister, Ning Dexi, one of the Puff's servers.
> "You want payment? Fine. But don't get cocky, dirtbag," Dorothy snapped. "You're not here to collect, you're just looking for a fight."
The tension inside the tavern snapped taut. Several patrons were already on their feet, eyeing the Sixth Street Gang's muscle with a mix of fury and readiness.
Rocky, Dorothy's old man, leaned in beside Kay and whispered:
> "This smells off. We usually pay 1,200 euros a month for the Harmony Fee, but today they showed up claiming they're part of some new 'hawkish' sub-faction and demanding more."
Kay nodded. He flicked his neuralware into action, linking the bar's staff into an encrypted local net.
> "Internal comms online," Kay said aloud. "Say what you need to. These goons can't break through my ICE."
The network buzzed.
> "Kay, these clowns are pushing their luck. They want us to hit first so they have an excuse."
> "Yeah, there's a gang car parked outside. My guess? They saw our bar's doing well and want to double-dip."
> "Say the word, Kay. I'll be the first to teach them a lesson."
Kay opened the security feeds. Outside, a beat-up car with Sixth Street decals was idling, the driver white-knuckling the wheel.
Got you, Kay thought.
He accessed the NCPD interface, uploaded the face data, and cross-referenced it through the city's registry.
Target Identified: Satoni
Threat Level: 9
Bounty: 12 euros
Affiliation: Sixth Street (Santo Domingo)
Charges: Robbery, arms trafficking, black market dealings
Pathetic. Not even worth the eddies for a kill.
But still—this wasn't about bounty credits. It was about principle.
Sixth Street thought they could waltz in, shake down a thriving joint, and walk away without consequences?
Wrong bar. Wrong doc. Wrong day.
Kay cracked his knuckles and turned toward the tavern floor, a calm grin spreading across his face.
> "Time to teach them what it costs to try and collect twice in Night City."