"...very generous." She took a deep breath, suppressing the tremor in her heart. "But money alone isn't enough. In this world, especially after everything I've been through, I understand that power is fundamental. I want...the power to no longer be easily manipulated or slaughtered by others."
"Power?" Osiris' crimson optical lens turned to one side of the workshop, where the dark red power armor, having just completed its final assembly, stood silently in the shadows, its unicorn-like antenna on its head gleaming coldly under the lights. "Power armor, cybernetic enhancements, advanced weapon systems...as long as you prove your worth, these can all be provided. Resources, for me, are not a bottleneck."
He refocused his "gaze" on Valerie, and his synthesized voice suddenly became grave, carrying an undeniable weight: "But for all of this, there is one prerequisite, one sole requirement."
The air in the workshop seemed to solidify with his words.
"Absolute loyalty."
Osiris' voice was cold and clear, every word like a hammer striking metal.
"If loyalty isn't absolute, then it's absolutely disloyal. This is my creed. Any form of betrayal, deception, or feigned obedience is intolerable. Can you accept this?"
Valerie met those crimson optical lenses, feeling an unprecedented pressure. She knew very well that this wasn't an ordinary employment contract; it was more like an oath of allegiance. The entity before her could indeed grant her the wealth and power she desired, but it also demanded unreserved submission.
She thought of Arasaka's ruthlessness, of her despair when her arm was severed, and of Jackie and their once seemingly unattainable dream.
With hardly any hesitation, she nodded, her eyes becoming resolute.
"I accept," Valerie said. "As long as you fulfill your promise, Jackie and I...are willing to pledge our loyalty."
—
When Valerie found Jackie, he was surrounded by several newly rotated Wraiths recruits, squatting by a pile of crates in a corner of the outpost.
His booming voice and exaggerated gestures stood out in the crowd; he was clearly boasting about some remarkable experience.
"...just one 'bang' of a shot! I used this 'old friend' of mine," he raised his hand, mimicking firing a gun, "to blow out the last working eyeball of that cyberpsycho! Ha! You should've seen it..."
A recruit, listening intently, happened to glance at Valerie approaching and nudged Jackie with his elbow.
Jackie turned around, saw Valerie, and his face immediately broke into that characteristic, brilliant smile with a touch of Heywood District swagger.
"Hey! Look who it is!" He stood up and waved at the recruits. "Go on, scram, my girl and I have important business to discuss."
The recruits chuckled and dispersed. Jackie walked a few steps to Valerie, lowering his voice slightly, the excitement not yet completely faded from his face: "How was it? They didn't give you any trouble, did they?"
"No," Valerie shook her head, her tone calm but with an undeniable resolve. "Jackie, I found a new job. For both of us."
"A new job?" Jackie raised an eyebrow, casually holstering his pistol. "Which fixer introduced it? Padre? Or..."
"Not a fixer," Valerie interrupted him, looking directly into Jackie's eyes. "It's the boss here, the 'Archmagos.'"
Jackie's smile faded a bit, looking somewhat bewildered: "Archmagos? Who's that? Maine's mysterious boss? My god, Valerie, that's no ordinary big shot...How did you get connected? And you brought me along too?"
He scratched his head, looking a bit confused, but there was no doubt in his eyes, only curiosity about Valerie's decision.
"The process was a bit complicated, I'll explain it in detail later," Valerie said briefly. She didn't want to explain now how she stood before that entity and reached an agreement. "You just need to know that we work for him. The pay...is very generous, far beyond your imagination."
She recalled the promise of a ton of gold.
Jackie looked at her serious expression, then at her empty right sleeve, remembering how she had been hunted like a stray dog by the corporation before.
He took a deep breath, and his large, fan-like hand clapped Valerie's uninjured shoulder.
"Alright! You call the shots, sis!" Jackie said firmly. "You'd never screw me over. If you think this path works, then I, Jackie Welles, am with you! Working for a big shot is better than having inconsistent jobs on the street! Maybe we can really make a name for ourselves!"
The light of aspiration rekindled in his eyes, although he didn't fully understand who this "Archmagos" truly was.
Valerie breathed a sigh of relief; Jackie's trust was what she needed most at that moment: "Next, I have a mission. The Archmagos gave me a set of...equipment that needs testing."
"Equipment? What cool stuff?" Jackie was interested.
"A power armor," Valerie said.
"Whoa!" Jackie whistled, his face full of envy. "Nice! Going big right away! What about me? What do I do?"
"You're on standby for now," Valerie looked at him. "Familiarize yourself with the environment here, stay ready. I'll let you know when I need you."
Although Jackie was a bit disappointed not to be able to participate immediately, he still nodded: "Understood! Be careful, driving that tin can is no joke."
—
Soon after, Valerie stood in Osiris' workshop again.
Her right sleeve was no longer empty; in its place was a rugged, angular mechanical prosthetic arm.
This was the "medical assistance" provided by Osiris. Although its industrial aesthetic was almost crude, far less refined than Arasaka's high-end prosthetics, the sense of power and responsiveness it conveyed was exceptionally good, far exceeding any model she had used in the past.
The dark red power armor with the unicorn-like antenna on its head had been moved to the test preparation area.
Under Osiris' remote instructions and Morris' silent assistance, Valerie climbed through the stern ladder into the cockpit located in the power armor's chest cavity.
The hatch closed heavily behind her, sealing off the outside. Internal lighting came on, the light stark.
The cockpit was narrower than she expected, with an extremely minimalist, even somewhat primitive layout—there were no comfortable seats, only an ergonomic metal frame structure that looked more like the riding position of a motorcycle or small aircraft. The pilot needed to straddle it and secure themselves with straps.
Her mechanical right hand instinctively gripped, precisely fitting into an exposed control interface, feeling a slight locking sensation.
There were no complex neural connection cables; the primary controls relied on several main screens in front of her, physical buttons, joysticks, and the helmet display she wore, which was now activating and projecting a wraparound view.
"System startup." Valerie, following instructions, combined voice commands and manual operations to issue the command.