The prototype assembly was complete; next came the crucial field test. However, the choice of test pilot caused Osiris' logic core to briefly fall into deliberation.
Militech personnel were immediately ruled out.
He had no immediate plans to share the technology contained within this prototype, especially the 'machine spirit' system and shield technology, with the powers of this world.
Members of Maine's crew? He retrieved their neural response speed and combat skill data.
Rebecca might dare to pilot it, but she was better suited for wild assaults than precise control; Maine and Dorio were more accustomed to fighting with their own cyberware; Falco was a driver, not a mech pilot; Pilar and Kiwi were technical support.
Their average 'education level' and fine motor skills made Osiris feel they were less than ideal.
David Martinez was a promising candidate, with neural sensitivity and learning ability that met the requirements.
But he was a technical apprentice Osiris was investing resources in, and using him as a test pilot for a potentially damaged prototype seemed a bit wasteful.
Lucy? The netrunner girl who yearned for the moon.
Her abilities were decent, but her loyalty was questionable.
Osiris didn't want to find her one day piloting this power armor, a crystallization of his efforts, breaking through Earth's gravity and heading straight for the moon.
Although this was just a prototype for testing, and for Osiris, building another one would just be a matter of putting an apprentice through the paces again, for a Tech-Priest, any unnecessary loss was shameful.
His gaze swept through the database, finally settling on a figure who had been somewhat 'idle' recently—the former Arasaka Counter-Intelligence Department Deputy Director, V, Valerie.
At this moment, Valerie was in a relatively quiet corner of The Dump HQ, undergoing basic rehabilitation training.
Her right arm was still encased in a medical brace, and her face was pale from blood loss and her recent turbulent experiences.
Betrayed and hunted by the corporation, she had almost died. Although she was temporarily safe now, her eyes, besides the fatigue of surviving a disaster, held a deeper trace of unwillingness and confusion about the future.
Osiris retrieved her detailed file and recent activity records.
As a corporate elite who once dominated Night City, V's abilities were beyond doubt. Her combat readiness, on-the-spot adaptability, and psychological endurance had all undergone rigorous testing.
She had been ruthlessly abandoned and almost eliminated by Arasaka, and her loyalty to the corporation had long vanished. Currently, she was at a stage where she urgently needed to find a new foothold and purpose.
"A capable, experienced potential test pilot who harbors deep resentment towards the corporation and is temporarily without a place to go..." Osiris' voice carried a sense of confirmation after completing a calculation, "Buddy, what do you think?"
The servo-skull flew half a circle around him, emitting a hum of agreement.
"It seems we need to have a talk with this former corporate employee." Osiris' massive body turned towards the workshop exit, his metal feet making steady sounds as they hit the ground. "Perhaps we can offer her an opportunity to... prove her worth again, or even seek revenge for the past."
He needed to assess V's physical recovery, and more importantly, test whether she had the potential for initial synchronization with the power armor's 'machine spirit,' and her attitude towards piloting this war machine to serve Mr. Archmagos.
If all went well, the first combat data collection for this unnamed power armor would be completed by this former Arasaka operative.
—
Osiris' summons were conveyed through Morris, brief and without superfluous words.
Valerie followed the silent female guard through the labyrinthine passages of The Dump HQ, finally stopping before a heavy metal door.
The door slid open silently, and a scent mixed with oil, static electricity, and some indescribable energy field wafted out.
Valerie stepped in, her gaze quickly and discreetly sweeping the interior.
The space was wider than she expected, with various instruments she didn't recognize emitting faint lights, and thick cables coiling at the edge of her vision.
Her professional instinct made her try to remember the layout and possible exits, but she couldn't deduce the function of most of the equipment.
Then, her gaze fixed on the center of the workshop.
That massive, dark red metal construct stood silently there, its structure inhuman, bearing a mechanical feel that was almost sacrilegious.
It reminded Valerie of the ultimate creations of mad scientists in old sci-fi movies, but at the same time, it exuded a strange, almost religious solemnity.
When the crimson optical lenses turned towards her and clearly locked onto her, Valerie's breathing suddenly hitched, and her steps involuntarily paused.
Although she considered herself prepared for this 'Mr. Archmagos' through intelligence fragments and descriptions from Maine's crew, the impact of seeing him in person far exceeded any report.
At this moment, she fully understood why Arasaka had chosen to retreat after paying such a heavy price.
This was not merely a disparity in force, but an instinctive apprehension when facing an existence beyond comprehension.
"...Mr. Archmagos." Valerie forced herself to calm down, nodding slightly, her voice as steady as possible. She had been the Deputy Director of Arasaka's Counter-Intelligence Department, had seen countless major scenes, but standing before this entity, she felt as if she were facing a deep starry sea, a sense of insignificance naturally arising within her.
More ironically, not long ago, her mission was to try to contact or even evaluate this entity.
"Valerie." Osiris' synthesized voice echoed in the empty workshop, steady and without fluctuation, betraying no emotion, "I am aware of your situation. Arasaka abandoned you, like discarding a tool that had lost its usefulness."
Valerie's lips curved into a small, bitter arc: "The corporation is always like that."
"I have a position here." Osiris didn't beat around the bush, cutting straight to the chase, "Work for me."
Valerie looked up at the crimson lenses, not immediately showing wild joy or indecision.
She had experienced betrayal and being hunted, and was no longer the corporate employee who easily believed promises: "Work for you? What specifically? How is it different from toiling for Arasaka before? I don't want to be a corporate dog anymore."
"You will only be responsible to me, executing my commands." Osiris replied, "You need not heed the will of Militech or any other force. You are not an employee of any corporation; you are my subordinate."
Valerie pondered for a moment, then spoke again, this time with a touch of her usual pragmatism: "Then... what can I get? Mr. Archmagos. My brother, Jackie, and I used to dream of making a name for ourselves in Night City, of being above others."
"Night City?" Osiris' synthesized voice seemed to carry an extremely faint, almost mocking, undertone, "An ambition confined to one city is too small. Serve me, and the heights you can reach in the future are far beyond what a 'big shot in Night City' can compare to."
"Anyone can make promises, Mr. Archmagos." Valerie appeared very calm, "At the very least, I need a settlement fund so that Jackie and I can have no worries."
"Granted." Osiris didn't hesitate at all, "You and Jackie Welles, one ton of gold each. As an initial... settlement fund."
Valerie's pupils slightly contracted. One ton of gold? One ton each? Even during her days as an Arasaka executive, this was an unimaginable sum. This gesture was simple, crude, yet extremely convincing.