When the elevator door opened, Judy plunged into the office, stumbling to a stop when a new odour reached her. The smell of decay and dust was still there, but hovering just above that was a burning she instantly recognised. An electrical fire. The office stood just as it had when they'd left earlier, with Adriana's withered body still unnervingly reclining behind her desk, so Judy sprinted towards the lab.
She couldn't see any wisps of smoke, but the scent grew stronger as she neared. When she entered, she immediately saw the problem. A panel containing switches and a touch-screen input sparked intermittently. It had clearly overheated. Her brow furrowed as she looked to the cloning chamber. The body within was completely obscured by thick, white clouds of something viscous that violently swirled around the container.
Her gaze swept back and forth as she tried to determine if there were any other problems in the lab. The rest of the equipment looked normal, except for the angry blinking of lights on several displays.
"Adriana? What's goin' on?" she demanded, moving quickly towards the malfunctioning panel.
To her right, a thud against the glass of the cloning chamber caused her to jolt in surprise. A pink hand pressed against the glass, the skin no longer translucent. Slim fingers curled into a fist and slowly pounded against the casing, the thick liquid within taking any sting out of the blows.
"Shit," she breathed, panic stirring in her chest. She rushed over to the glass, barely able to see anything more than the hand.
Her eyes darted over the container. There had to be some way to open it. Another feeble slam of the fist. Judy pressed her palms to the glass, which felt hot to the touch.
"What do you need me to do?" she urged. Why wasn't Adriana answering?
The fist's struggle slowed to a desperate clawing at the liquid. Grimacing, Judy pushed herself away from the chamber and returned to the sparking panel. As her gaze flitted from switch to switch, she could see thin tendrils of smoke begin to seep from beneath the metal. Whatever the malfunction was doing to the cloning tube, she had to stop it.
Some of the inputs looked like they might control various facets of the cloning process, but Judy had no idea to what extent. She didn't want to do anything that would make things worse. She glanced with growing worry at the chamber again. A jet of bubbles raged upwards through the liquid. She couldn't do nothing.
The power. That was the only thing that would solve the electrical fire problem and whatever was happening to the cloning chamber quickly. But there didn't seem to be any simple way of shutting down this tech. Going with her instinct, she crouched down and tore off the metal panel on the front of the console. A dark cloud of smoke wafted into her face, causing her to cough and her eyes to burn.
She waved her hand in front of her, clearing the air slightly. A small fire sizzled amidst the cables within the tight confines inside the console. She identified the thickest of them as the one most likely to provide power. Gritting her teeth, she reached in and grabbed it, the heat nipping at her skin. She yanked as hard as she could, the muscles of her shoulder straining as the cable resisted. When the cord eventually ripped away from its housing, she fell backwards, her head glancing off the counter behind her. The panel fell dark.
Ignoring the stab of pain, she scrambled to her feet and hurried to the cloning chamber. The bubbles began to die down and the white light that shone down into the tube from above blinked to a bright red. As Judy stared into the goo within, the new light causing it to look like congealed blood, she found herself holding her breath.
Her gaze shot upwards as the level of the liquid began to fall. As it continued to drop, revealing dark, matted hair, a hiss of condensed air burst from the seal at the top of the glass. Judy stumbled backwards, apprehension sparking under her skin.
...
A hail of metal pummelled the wall, causing chips of stone to careen off in various directions. V tucked herself into a tight ball below it, her muscles cramping as she waited for the first bullet to pierce her only protection. The Aldecaldos fired blindly over the top of the wall, none of them careless enough to try to get a sight line on the robotic Biotechnica forces.
She knew that their positioning was awful, but with the constant barrage of gunfire, it was too risky to move. Their best chance was to lure the bots in and let the turrets do the heavy lifting. She only wished she knew how close they'd need to be for the tower's defences to take over. As Eli hadn't been gunned down when he passed the wall, V realised the bots would need to move even closer to the tower than that, which meant giving up the little shielding the stone provided.
V edged slowly towards Eli and Panam, powder from the dislodged stone settling on her jacket now. She hoped they'd be able to hear her over the din of the fight.
"We need to get 'em inside," V shouted.
Panam crouched down lower and narrowed her eyes at V. "What's your plan?"
V nodded in the direction of the tower. "There's turrets back there. If we can get those bots close enough, they should make things easier for us."
Panam scanned the tower's walls. "Too risky," she said firmly. "We'd get cut down as soon as we left cover."
Letting out a frustrated breath, V looked over at the other Aldecaldos. A quick estimate put their number at around ten, but V wasn't sure how many bots there were. The wall they hid behind curved around to the sides of the tower, apparently circling it. Perhaps they wouldn't need to retreat to the building itself.
"Tell your people to make their way to the rear of the tower. Use the wall. Biotechnica will need to come in after us. Hopefully, they won't notice the turrets," V suggested.
Following V's gaze, Panam considered the plan. Eli was already nodding. "Okay," Panam said curtly. "Best plan we've got."
With that, both she and Eli motioned to the other nomads to move towards the rear of the tower. Eli moved past V to creep along the wall. When Panam started to follow, V placed a hand on her upper arm.
"Lend me your rifle," she said above the patter of bullets. When Panam shot her a sceptical look, she quickly followed up. "I'll cover you from here. I'll get it back to you in one piece, don't worry."
Panam reluctantly held the weapon out and, when V took it, she retrieved her sidearm from its holster. "Don't be a hero, V," she said, almost too quietly for her to hear. She then hurried along the length of the wall.
In the next moment, there was a lull in the storm of bullets. V tensed. They'd likely realised that the Aldecaldos had stopped returning fire. The clunk of metal on concrete drifted through the dust particles in the air and an uneasy atmosphere fell over the courtyard.
V checked the rifle once, making sure it was ready to go, before casting a glance back at Panam, who had made good progress along the wall. As the stomping of the bots drew closer, she knew they might spot the retreating Aldecaldos at any second. She had to give them a little more time. In one swift motion, V swung the rifle over the top of the wall, lining up her first shot on the lead bot, and fired straight at its head. The bullet pierced the metal plating, causing its head to jut backwards at a sharp angle. The bot's body teetered for several seconds from the force of the shot before toppling to the ground.
V ducked down as the other bots unleashed a flurry of gunfire in her direction. She had counted three more automatons inside the courtyard and at least four outside by the vehicles. When the section of wall to her right crumbled in a heap of battered stone, she scrambled to the left, in the direction Eli and Panam had headed.
The frenzied shots faded once more and it didn't take long for the bots to change their tactics. She spotted one rounding the end of the stone barrier and she had to fling herself over the wall where it curved towards the side of the tower to avoid the next few bullets. She panted in relief when she realised she hadn't been hit. She glanced down the length of wall on this side and saw that Eli and Panam had done the same. They were at least safer for now.
She took the opportunity to fire off a few more shots of her own, less precisely this time. One bullet ricocheted off the chest plate of one bot, staggering it, but it didn't fall. Before she returned to her sheltered position, she noted one of the bots peeling off from the others towards the Aldecaldos who had rounded the opposite side of the tower. She could just see one of the turrets high up on the tower. Why hadn't it activated? Surely the bot was close enough now.
As more gunfire pelted the wall near her, she leaned back a little and scanned the turret. There was power, but no other input. What the hell was Adriana doing? V initiated a quickhack on the turret and primed it to fire at the passing bot. It jerked to life, quickly finding its target and releasing a round of high-velocity bullets. When the wall in front of her ceased its shuddering, she knew that had drawn the attention of the other bots. She peeked over and with some satisfaction spotted the smoking, twisted pile of metal that had been the turret's target.
The remaining two bots fired wildly at their new foe and V cursed when the turret burst open in a shower of sparks and falling debris. Realising she had to move, she crawled beside the wall towards Panam. She paused only to quickhack another nearby turret. More shots rang out around the courtyard, but they weren't aimed at her this time. She gritted her teeth and continued.
Panam shot her a relieved look when she neared, but worry was etched clearly into her brow. "They're taking out the other turrets."
"Shit," V breathed and held out the rifle to the other woman. It seemed they weren't just mindless bots.
Taking the weapon, Panam gave it a once over and looked back at V. "Might be better to dig our heels in inside the building."
V nodded slowly, considering that. The only entrance she was aware of was at the front, though. She carefully looked over the top of the wall and saw that the bots were systematically scanning the tower for any turrets, destroying them before they could get within range. There didn't appear to be any doors on this side of the tower.
"Can't go back 'round to the front entrance. Just gotta hope that there's a back door," said V quickly.
"Let's not hang about here then," Eli interjected, his expression grim.
Before V could move, Panam lay a hand on her forearm. "Do you know about the jammer? I wasn't able to contact the other Aldecaldos over comms. Everything seemed fine before we got to this place."
V's brow creased in confusion. She hadn't even tried to use her phone whilst they were here. A creeping unease slipped down her spine as she thought of Judy. She brought up her contact list quickly and selected Judy's name. Nothing. Fuck. Had Judy been trying to contact her this entire time?
"We have to get inside. Judy's in there," she urged, her voice tight. Before Panam could respond, V slipped past her and hurried towards the rear of the tower.
...
When the glass tube slid down into the floor, the remainder of the thick, pink goo spilled out across the floor, washing over Judy's boots. She instinctively lurched forwards to catch the body that tumbled out. The momentum brought both of them to the ground and Judy was struck by the impression that she was just holding a bag of skin and bones in her arms. The sickly-sweet scent of the cloning liquid reached her nose and churned her stomach.
Violent coughing racked the form in front of her and Judy turned the body, pulling back slick, black strands of hair from a gaunt face. Whatever the malfunction had done, it was clear that the cloning procedure hadn't quite finished. While Adriana seemed more or less whole, she looked emaciated and Judy couldn't help but think of the rotting corpse in the next room. Adriana's skin sunk at her cheeks and dark shadows around her eyes made them look cavernous. Her skin, however, was flushed a deep pink, probably from the heat of the chamber.
When Adriana's eyelids strained open, revealing green eyes, she convulsed in Judy's arms. Panic twisted her face and Judy could see the sheer terror in her eyes. As Adriana's limbs flailed, displacing large sections of the liquid around them, Judy tried to hold her down to stop her hurting herself. Fingers scratched at the air in front of Judy's face and she could feel her own panic swell.
"Hey, hey, it's okay," she said quickly and tried to grab Adriana's arms.
But the other woman seemed as though she couldn't hear her. Her hands found Judy's throat and her eyes widened at the surprising strength in them. Thin fingers squeezed, causing a strangled whimper to catch in Judy's throat. Her heart jolted in her chest as she desperately tried to force a breath into her lungs. No matter how hard she pulled at Adriana's hands, the vice-like grip remained.
"Adriana…" she managed to squeak out and the reaction was instant.
The hands around her neck relaxed and slowly fell away. Judy let out several pained coughs and sucked in thick gulps of air. There was a flicker of recognition in Adriana's eyes, which quickly shifted to confusion. Judy smoothed a hand over the sore flesh of her throat and watched as Adriana pulled herself up into a sitting position, wrapping her arms around her naked body.
"Where..?" Adriana asked, her voice quiet and higher pitched than normal.
Judy's brow furrowed. Had the malfunction messed up the transfer too? "You're in your lab," was all she could think of to say.
Adriana's gaze snapped to Judy again and she eyed her cautiously. "My lab?"
"You don't remember?"
Adriana shook her head slowly, clumps of hair swaying with her. "No, I—" she paused then and another flash of recognition brightened her eyes. "You're… Judy?"
Her tone was so different to the one Judy had heard on the calls. There was no derision or display of power when she said her name. Just uncertainty. Vulnerability. "Yeah, that's me."
Adriana lowered her head and lifted her hands to cradle it. When her shoulders shuddered, Judy looked around for something to cover her with. Surely, if Adriana had cloned herself before, there would be supplies here for after-care. If that was the case, she figured they'd be kept fairly close to the chamber. When Judy stood, her boots threatening to slip on the goo, Adriana's head lifted. She watched silently as drawers were opened and searched.
After several failed attempts, Judy finally came across a cupboard with a stack of towels, cleaning supplies and fresh clothes. The clothes were identical – all simple, light blue, short-sleeved tops and similarly coloured elasticated pants. She was reminded of old shows from over half a century ago about the dramas of everyday hospital life. Those shows were deemed too tame, too dull by modern standards, but Judy liked to browse the archives every now and then just to get a feel for what things used to be like.
She quickly pulled out several of the items and laid them on the countertop. When she turned back to Adriana, green eyes watched her closely. She approached the shivering woman slowly, cautious about scaring her, and knelt down.
"Let's get you cleaned up," she said, her tone soft.
Adriana let Judy lift her and guide her to the counter. She was surprised at how stable Adriana was on her feet. As she set about wiping the pink sludge off, Judy's mind went to V. She hoped she was safe, that Biotechnica hadn't charged in guns blazing. She hadn't heard anything, but she doubted even the mayhem of a battle would reach them this high above the city. What she really wanted was to demand answers from Adriana, but she knew that this was a delicate situation. She didn't even know if Adriana was still connected to the tower's security systems. She seemed to barely have access to her own memories.
Adriana gazed at Judy appreciatively when she was finally dressed. "Thanks, Judy."
Judy shrugged, still uneasy at how different this Adriana seemed to be. "How you feelin'?"
As Adriana grimaced, the skin across her cheeks became even thinner, taking on an almost translucent hue. "Everything is a bit muddy. I think I know who I am, what's happening, but it feels like it's happening to someone else."
Judy used a clean towel to wipe down her hands and to get some of the goo off her own clothes. "You probably just need some time. You're lucky I could get you out of there."
Adriana's eyes darted to the cloning chamber. "There was… a problem?" It was less of a question and more of a realisation.
Judy answered anyway. "Yeah, the panel was lit up like a firework. Think you were close to boilin' alive in there. Do you remember what happened?"
Silence fell over them as Adriana thought, the cut of her brow seeming exaggerated with how sallow her face was. "I…" she paused, conflict clear in her eyes. "I think I tried to rush the procedure. I can't remember why. It was too much for the old equipment."
Judy dropped the towel on the counter again. "Probably because of Biotechnica."
"Biotechnica," Adriana repeated slowly.
As Adriana shifted and moved around the counter, using its surface for support, Judy thought it was as good a time as any to broach the subject. "Yeah, they're here. Downstairs. Are you still connected to the system?"
Adriana paused when she reached the end of the counter, her brow creasing. "System?"
Worry gnawed at Judy. "The tower's security. You said you'd keep an eye on V."
Her gaze dropping as she thought, Adriana shook her head slowly. "V?"
Alongside that growing worry, Judy felt a surge of impatience. The longer she spent up here, trying to coax memories out of this woman, the more likely it was that V would need her help.
Finally, she let out an irritated breath. "Valerie." The name felt odd on her tongue, like the first apprehensive taste of a food she had never tried before.
"Oh," was all Adriana said at first, and a succession of emotions flitted across her face. "I lost the connection during the transfer."
"Great," Judy murmured and ran a hand through her hair. "I need to get back down there."
When she marched towards the exit to the lab, Adriana tried to follow and stumbled as she left behind the support of the counter. Judy reached out and steadied her, holding on to the other woman's arms.
"You should stay," Adriana said suddenly and there was an odd, uncertain edge to her voice.
"V needs me." Judy tried to pull away but Adriana gripped her upper arms tightly.
"Something's wrong," Adriana breathed and her face twisted in confusion.
Dread knotted in Judy's stomach. "What?"
"I… I don't know." Adriana's voice rose in frustration.
Judy strained against Adriana's grip and she finally relented, letting her slip from her fingers. She studied Adriana for a few moments and she felt a swell of pity at the lost look in her eyes. Gone was the cocky, arrogant scientist. As much as her previous body had been a physical husk, Judy felt like the woman before her had been hollowed out, the very essence of her being scraped away by the cloning malfunction. Now she could only grasp at who she might really be.
"I can't just wait around here for you to figure it out," Judy said, her tone firm.
When Adriana didn't argue, she turned on her heel and headed back into the office. Before she reached the elevator, something made her pause. She wasn't sure if it was the sudden shiver that teased down her neck or if it was the muted gasp from behind her, but as she turned, she could see Adriana staring in wide-eyed shock at the body slumped in the chair.
It had sagged since the last time Judy had seen it, the head lolling to one side, and without Adriana's forceful personality propping it up, it seemed to have given up any pretence of being more than a corpse. She wondered if the body was still being sustained by the tubes or if that had ceased when Adriana jumped ship.
With a hesitant jitter, Adriana stepped forwards, her hand reaching out as she approached the desk. For a moment, Judy thought she might touch her old body, but her fingers found a datapad instead. It was then that Judy noticed an alert blinking on its screen. Adriana's eyes darkened as a deep frown curled her thin lips.
"Arasaka…"
A prick of panic caused her heart to stutter and Judy moved quickly to the desk. "What?"
Adriana turned slowly to Judy, a shimmer of fear in her eyes. But, in the next moment, it was gone, replaced by cold steel. "They are coming."
...
V slammed herself against a pillar that stretched up to curve into the twist of the tower's spire. She winced as several Aldecaldos scrambled around the side of the tower, bullets pounding the earth behind them. More of Biotechnica's automatons had spilled into the courtyard, chasing down the retreating nomads. Panam crouched down beside her and steadied her rifle, firing off shot after shot to cover her people.
Raising her handgun, V shot at the nearest bot, which was bearing down on an Aldecaldo she didn't recognise. Probably one of Eli's men. The bullet lodged itself in the plating above the bot's hip, causing it to stagger to the left and turn its attention to V. She let out a frustrated breath and ducked behind the pillar again. She'd never be able to take out these machines with so weak a weapon. At least she had bought the nomad some time though.
Panam moved past V then and into the alcove of a large metal door set into the rear of the tower. There was a small panel in the wall beside it.
"Can you get it open?" V shouted to Panam as a bullet ricocheted off the pillar behind her.
"You try. I'll cover you," Panam countered.
That made more sense, V realised. Panam was the one with the rifle. She ducked down and threw herself into the alcove, bullets following closely in her footsteps. She slipped her handgun into her waistband and hunched over the panel, scanning it quickly. The security was fairly advanced and she wasn't sure she'd be able to break it, at least not quickly enough for the struggling Aldecaldos.
When Panam cried out suddenly, V shot her a concerned look. Following her gaze, she saw that one of the nomads had tumbled to the ground before reaching the steps that led to the rear door. Blood spattered the grey stone of the path. V cursed under her breath and renewed her attempts on the panel. She had to get the door open.
Eli's strained voice reached her, but she couldn't make out his words. Panam shouted an urgent reply back. When she felt a firm hand on her shoulder, V turned and Panam pointed far above them. V's breath caught in her throat. An airborne personnel carrier. Just like the one they'd seen in SoCal.
"You have got to be fuckin' joking!" V spat.
"How the hell did they get in here?" Panam growled out, her eyes quickly scanning the area.
Eli was positioned deeper into the rear courtyard, providing what cover he could for his people as they hurried to rejoin him. He was fairly well shielded from the bots by a tall wall, similar to that which circled the tower, but he'd be completely exposed to the incoming carrier.
Panam waved at him desperately. "Get your ass over here!"
Eli shot her a glance, a grimace tugging at his mouth. He shook his head and continued to fire at the bots. They hadn't reacted to the incoming craft yet. Several of the nomads scrambled up the steps towards them, and Panam crouched down to help them into the safety of the large alcove. V watched as the personnel carrier dipped as it drew close, the hum of its engines barely audible above the din of gunfire.
In the next moments, it swivelled and its rear door swung down, revealing several heavily armed troops. They immediately opened fire, tearing through the bots in seconds. There was no doubt in V's mind – it was Arasaka. The remaining Biotechnica automatons shifted their focus and fired precisely at the vehicle. Adrenaline coursed through V as one of the Arasaka soldiers keeled forwards and plummeted to the ground below.
Taking advantage of the confusion, V surged forwards and directed the remaining nomads to the alcove. She helped a wounded Aldecaldo up the steps, his leg looking badly mangled by Biotechnica's weapons. He whimpered as she sat him down beside the door. She was vaguely aware of the Arasaka carrier swinging around in a wide arc before making a second run towards the tower.
She looked up at the camera above the door that stared down blankly at them. "Open the fuckin' door!" she screamed, the muscles in her neck pulling taut.
She slammed a palm against the thick metal when it remained closed. She spun back towards Eli, who was attempting to make his way towards them now. The personnel carrier cut through the air in reverse, its rear door still open. V's eyes widened as gunfire ploughed into the grass just behind Eli. She could hear his cry as a bullet tore through his shoulder, sending him sprawling across the ground.
"Eli!" Panam called out, her voice strangled.
The craft continued on its trajectory, focused on the remaining bots now. When Panam vaulted down the steps, rifle in hand, V instinctively launched into a run to follow her. This was a terrible idea. They'd likely be cut down just as quickly as Eli had been. Her gaze continually flitting to the bots and the carrier, V's boots pounded against the grass as she strained to get to the downed nomad as quickly as possible.
Panam slung her rifle over her shoulder when she reached Eli, dropping to a crouch as he groaned and squirmed. V grit her teeth as she saw the blood ooze from his shoulder. He would need medical attention very soon. With as much haste as his wound would allow, she and Panam took an arm each and pulled him to his feet, supporting him as they headed back to the alcove.
He hissed in pain as the carrier turned once more. Several more bots had been reduced to smouldering heaps of scrap, but she knew there would be more around the side of the tower. Her heart hammered in her chest and she could feel the muscles in her shoulders cramp as the carrier bore down on them.
"Incoming!" she warned.
There was no cover here. Their best bet was to just keep going and hope that the Arasaka troops were getting tired. That their aim would be off. Dirt flew into the air as a line of gunfire rushed towards them. Panam dropped suddenly, pulling Eli with her. V struggled to stay standing as he cried out. Panic flared in her chest and her eyes shot to Panam.
The Aldecaldo leader knelt on the grass, a hand clutching her upper arm, blood seeping between her fingers. V hurried to her side, retrieving the dropped rifle from the ground and helped Panam to her feet.
"Can you walk on your own?" V asked, very much aware that the carrier would return any second.
Panam nodded, her lips twisted in pain. Slipping the rifle onto her shoulder, V returned to Eli and hauled him up again, ignoring his grunts, and dragged him towards the door. Several of the other Aldecaldos rushed down to meet them at the bottom of the steps and took Eli away from her, lifting him swiftly to the tower's large entrance. She turned her attention to Panam and helped her ascend the steps.
As she eased the other woman down into a sitting position, she eyed her hand. Crimson spilled over her fingers, but it didn't seem to be bleeding too badly. V peeled her hand away and saw that Panam's jacket had been torn by the force of the bullet. Dark, angry flesh peeked out from the hole it had left, blood flowing freely down the leather. V knew the bullet would be lodged within, but they didn't have time to deal with that now. She motioned to one of the Aldecaldos who was tending to Eli's shoulder and grabbed the offered bandage.
"Sorry, Pan," she muttered, as she tightly wrapped the wound. Panam merely grunted in response.
When she was satisfied that the bandage would stem the bleeding, she looked over at Eli. He was definitely in worse shape. His face had paled and his brow hung heavily over his eyes, which were squeezed shut. The sound of the carrier's engines drew close again and V hoisted her rifle into her hands, pressing herself against the side of the alcove.
Bracing her feet against the smooth concrete below her, she lifted the rifle, ready for the vehicle to come into view. The tail of the carrier emerged from the side of the tower and she spotted the troops scanning the ground for any sign of movement. She fired off two quick shots. She saw the spark of one bounce off the chassis of the carrier, but the second found its mark. One of the men fell back, his own rifle plummeting down and clamouring off the pavement below.
She spotted the other soldier's arm shoot out to the side and the carrier's door swung closed. The vehicle seemed to rotate on its axis then and its nose jolted upwards. V watched as it soared overhead before slowing near the side of the tower. She leaned out to see it disappear above a large platform high up the spire. Her brow furrowed. Was that a landing pad?
"V!" came Panam's urgent voice.
She spun around, ready for more trouble. A wave of relief swept over her as she saw the tower's door slide open. From the look of surprise on the Aldecaldos' faces, she didn't think any of them had managed to hack the panel. Was this Adriana's doing? She glanced briefly at the camera. Was Arasaka after her now?
"Get inside," she insisted, returning her attention to the courtyard. She had to make sure they didn't get shot in the back by those damn bots.
As the nomads moved into the tower, she kept watch. There was no movement either side of the tower. Had Arasaka taken care of them all? And what had become of Kulkarni? She wouldn't mourn him if he had been killed, but she felt a flicker of guilt at the thought all the same. She had brought a storm of chaos down on Alpha. She shook her head, her eyes still darting back and forth across the tower's exterior. No, he had brought this on himself.
"We're in," Panam shouted and from the tightness of her voice, V could tell she was in some discomfort.
V backtracked and slipped through the door. When she was inside, the metal scraped downwards of its own accord, sealing them inside. She cast an appraising look up the length of the corridor. Everything seemed still here. Quiet. Aside from the groans of the wounded and the puffs of winded Aldecaldos.
"You okay?" she asked Panam, shouldering the rifle again.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," the Aldecaldo leader said dismissively, her gaze going to Eli. "Can't say the same for this idiot."
"What the hell are you doin' here?" V demanded.
Panam blinked back at her in surprise, but a fire soon flickered behind her eyes. "Saving your gonk ass."
"And what's up with you and Eli?" V said with a wave of her hand in his direction.
Lifting a hand to hold her wounded arm, Panam shook her head. "I wasn't about to let you just run off and get yourself killed. I went to Eli, tried to find out more about this city. His contact. Anything. That hyped up scientist contacted him while I was there, offering him a ton of supplies for the Aldecaldos to act as his private security force. Managed to persuade Eli that we could use this opportunity. That he couldn't trust these corpo bastards. But he could trust family."
"That was one hell of a risk," V said, letting out a long breath. She had to admire Panam's tenacity, though.
"Yeah, well, we can argue about this later. We're not out of the fire yet."
V nodded, her gaze going back to the corridor. "Let me go get Judy. She must be in the security room still."
"Sure," Panam said and moved to her people. "Give us a shout if you need a hand. Going to get this lot on their feet."
V launched into a jog down the hall, her mind firmly on Judy now. Worry prickled at the back of her mind. Why hadn't she returned to her when she'd noticed that comms were down? Perhaps she had been busy trying to access the security systems, to get the damn turrets working properly. And how had Arasaka gotten into the city? Had Kulkarni gone to them for help too? And they'd just turned on him? But that didn't explain how they'd gotten here so quickly.
When she reached the security room, she parted her lips to call out Judy's name. She froze in the doorway. It was empty. The monitors offered her various views of the outside of the tower. So, Judy had been here. She quickly scanned the room. There didn't appear to have been a struggle. Where was she?
A sickening knot formed under her ribcage. She burst back into the corridor, her head snapping back and forth. Where could she have gone? She sprinted back towards Panam, who was looking at her with concern. As she passed the elevators in the main foyer, a single door eased open, the light within calling to her like a beacon. She stuttered to a halt and peered at it, a creeping chill passing over her.
Adriana. She had to be behind this. She controlled everything in this fucking tower. Every little thing that had happened to them in Alpha was because of her. She had moved them around like chess pieces. And now she had Judy. V was certain of it.
The beam of light that stretched towards her across the dust-laden floor flickered. V turned towards it and slowly walked forwards. A moth to a flame. The light dimmed.
"V!" Panam called out, her breathing hurried as she neared. "What's wrong?"
V swallowed the lump in her throat and clenched her jaw. "Judy's up there," she said and automatically tilted her head back as she thought of that foul-smelling office. Of how Arasaka was likely making their way to it right now. It was Haywood all over again.
A hand on her elbow drew her back to the foyer and she glanced at Panam. She wore a mask of determination. "Let's get up there then."
V didn't respond. She stepped into the lift, bathed in the dull orange of the ceiling light. She would not be too late this time. Never again.