"Three days ago," Tom said quietly, eyes lowered, "Evelyn was with a client… midway through the session, someone came in and took her away. She never came back."
Judy's breath caught.
Tom continued, his voice trembling. "I tried calling her—her comm's dead. No answer. No trace. Whoever took her… they knew what they were doing."
He sighed, shaking his head. "You have to understand, at Clouds, the clients are everything. We're dolls. We don't get to know names, affiliations, or what happens behind closed doors. Privacy here isn't a policy—it's religion."
"The only one who might know," he added, glancing at the door, "is our manager. The Woodman. He handles everything—assignments, client requests, off-site bookings. If Evelyn left with someone, he'd know."
Neo didn't reply. He just stared, silent, his eyes sharp and still. Then, without another word, he turned and left. Judy and David followed close behind.
"Wait," Judy said as they walked down the hallway, "you're just taking him at his word?"
Neo didn't slow down. "He didn't lie. A doll can't fake fear the way he did. They're built to please, not deceive."
...
They reached the top floor of Clouds, where the Woodman's office sat behind a heavy reinforced door.
Neo glanced at David. That single look was enough.
David understood instantly. He turned toward the corridor behind them, cracking his knuckles. "Got it. I'll make sure no one interrupts."
Neo kicked open the door.
The sound echoed through the floor.
Inside, the Woodman didn't even flinch. A massive man—his arms plated with chrome, skin tattooed with Tiger Claw insignia—sat behind his desk eating a burger, grease dripping onto his jacket.
"Hey," he said lazily, eyes flicking up. "This is a staff-only area. Clients aren't supposed to be here."
He took another bite, chewing slowly.
"But I'll give you a pass," he added, mouth full. "You're new here. You don't know how things work."
He leaned back, boots thudding onto the desk. "Now do me a favor—close the door on your way out."
Judy stepped forward, ignoring his smug tone. "I'm looking for Evelyn Parker."
The Woodman's smile didn't fade. "Never heard of her."
"Maybe I have," he said after a pause, pretending to think. "Hard to tell. We have so many girls here. Could've run off with some corpo sugar daddy for all I know."
He chuckled, voice slick with mock sympathy. "You know how it is. Some dolls think they've found their unicorn. They ride off into the sunset, never to be seen again."
He wiped his greasy hands on a napkin. "If you're looking for a replacement, though, try Roxy in Room Two. Same build, same sweet little moans. You'll forget your missing friend in no time."
That smirk—smug, oily, untouchable—was the last straw.
Judy opened her mouth, fury flashing in her eyes, but Neo's hand on her shoulder stopped her.
She looked up at him, confused.
Neo smiled—but it wasn't kind.
He stepped forward, the air suddenly growing heavy, his shadow cutting across the room.
"So," Neo said softly, "you're the Woodman. Let's see if you're as unmovable as your name suggests."
The Woodman scoffed. "Buddy, I don't take kindly to threats. You got five seconds to walk out before I—"
Shing.
He didn't finish.
A flash of steel split the air. The whisper of a blade—so fast the sound came after the cut.
Tap.
Something hit the floor.
The Woodman's scream followed a heartbeat later.
His left ear lay on the carpet, blood spurting in bright crimson arcs.
Neo slid his katana back into its sheath, movements precise, calm, efficient.
"Now," he said, voice low, "let's try this again. You staying still, or do I need to start collecting the rest of you piece by piece?"
The Woodman's face twisted in agony. "You… you psycho—!"
Neo's boot came down on the severed ear, crushing it into the floor with a wet crunch.
The Woodman froze. His rage evaporated into sheer terror.
He'd heard the stories, of course.
Everyone in Night City had.
The Konpeki Tower Massacre.
The death of Saburo Arasaka.
The fall of Adam Smasher.
And at the center of it all: a man with three blades and no cyberware. A man who'd killed legends with nothing but muscle and will.
Neo.
The Woodman finally broke. He fell to his knees, hands trembling. "Please—please, I'll talk."
Neo crouched slightly, eyes cold. "Good. Let's start with Evelyn Parker. Who took her?"
"She—she wasn't taken!" the Woodman stammered. "She left. On her own. I told the others she'd been picked up—to keep them calm. Dolls get spooked easy when one of them disappears. Makes business messy."
Neo's tone sharpened. "You expect me to believe that?"
"I swear! I begged her to go. After the Konpeki hit, Arasaka's been tearing the city apart. Their agents, their ninjas, their netrunners—they'd have come here eventually. If they found her in Clouds, we'd all be dead!"
He swallowed hard, sweat dripping down his temple.
"Clouds has protection," he said bitterly. "The Tiger Claws run it, sure—but compared to Arasaka? They're nothing. Ants. If Arasaka wanted her, no wall in this city could've kept her safe."
Neo's expression didn't change. "Where did she go?"
The Woodman hesitated, but only for a second. "To Fingers. The ripperdoc. You know, the sleazebag in Westbrook. He's the one who… who 'fixes' the dolls when they break."
His voice dropped to a whisper. "Everyone goes to him sooner or later."
Neo straightened slowly. "Fingers," he repeated.
The Woodman nodded frantically. "I swear, that's all I know! She left maybe—maybe two hours after I told her to go. That's it!"
Neo's blade flashed again—so fast the Woodman flinched, expecting death.
But the blade stopped inches from his throat.
"The Fingers guy called me," the Woodman said quickly, voice shaking as he clutched the blood-soaked side of his head. "Said Evelyn Parker had been bought by someone. A mysterious buyer. Paid good money too."
He swallowed hard. "Fingers even cut me a little bonus for keeping my mouth shut. Told me that if anyone came asking about her… I was to say I didn't know a thing. That's all I know, I swear."
Neo stared at him for a long moment, silent. The air between them was so tense you could hear the hum of the flickering neon outside.
Then Neo's lips curved slightly.
"Oh?" His tone carried a trace of intrigue. "Looks like the butterfly effect decided to shake things up."
Neo turned to leave.
"You're lucky," he said over his shoulder. "I've already killed one monster this week."
The Woodman didn't move. He couldn't.
Judy lingered for a moment longer, staring at the blood on the carpet, the terror in the man's eyes. Then she followed Neo out the door.