08/10/2077
The Afterlife, Watson District
Night City, California
V and Panam
-
"You see him there, left of the Cyberdyne sign? He's the last one."

Panam nodded. "Hard not to miss him there, his scope is glinting."

"Good," V muttered, averting from his scope as he turned to Panam who was looking through her own. "You have the distance locked in there, wind speed and Coriolis effect?"

"I'm not an idiot, V. Six-hundred metres, just across the water. Wind coming in from the left. Ready."

V popped his head back up, scurrying away from Panam to her right as he took his scope and placed it on the ledge of the roof. Claws had been taking cheap shots, trying to pair it up when they made a charge into the alley entrance. Of course, when they didn't do that, they did their best to turn the one main entrance into a kill zone. This was their way of delivering a cheap counterpunch, and with Panam readying her rifle in the shade, V raised his hand and scope to the sun.

"Fire," V said, frostily.

Five seconds, was all it took. The wind's howling, pressing against the blue and black steel of before the single shot rang out from his left. The empty magazine dropped from Panam's rifle. Pulling back the bolt as the expended bullet flew out of the chamber. Slowly, V rose up into the sun, exposing himself to the morning sun as he reattached his scope to his Ashura smart-rifle. Panam pulled herself from the shade, reloading the rifle without a care to look, she knew that rifle better than some people at camp in the way that she handled it.

V sighed, looking at her as the glowering sun broke through the cracks of the city's skyline and blocks of skyscrapers. The more time he spent with her, the more he felt himself falling into a routine. The Afterlife was a boring place without the music, and drinking in a potential combat zone was hardly appropriate when they were the ones being attacked. They'd found ways between skirmishes to spend time together, sitting on the roof in the night, listening to old music together and just talking.

Not that he would ever tell her everything. There were always some things that were better left unsaid, and the less that she asked about his career in Militech, the better. His freelance days were better topics of conversation, time spent with Jackie, Misty and Vik. That made him (and her) smile, it made him feel right. Her smile radiated an incorruptible friendliness, a bond between the two nomads that had refused to die, even after ten years of separation.

"Nice shot." V complimented, the two partners sliding down into the shade provided by the walls of the roof.

Panam smiled again. "I did learn from the best."

"So, not me then?"

"You'd be surprised." Panam began. "Mitch and Cass have a real good eye for shooting. They taught me, least when I got hold of this beauty from Mitch when he went to the NUSA."

V nodded, listening in silence as he took a screwdriver from the toolkit at his side. His new arm was still a little rusty, movement was static and would occasionally jitter and stick if moved a little too quickly. He picked at his axles and the entrance to the joints in the prosthesis, opening them to poke and prod at the fibres inside before he closed them back up again, screwing some loose plating tighter than it was before as he screwed himself back together. He checked his hand, flexing the fingers as his knuckles opened up, diodes sparking wildly as high-voltage electricity jolted out. That was new, but the arm was just the same as it was prior to his old silver limb. His hands could still rip a door off it's hinges, a turret from it's stationary set-up. The familiar red shine of the Muramasa blade was latched onto the arm, a mechanical sheath added to the new arm to fully conceal the blade.

Ringlets of Panam's loose hair blew wildly when it was exposed to the wind. "You okay, V? You've been tinkering with that for the past couple of days. You sure it ain't rejection?"

"Nah, never had it in my life. Might just be sticking while I get used to it. I've never had three arms in the space of what, two months, so it's just the wear and tear. Thanks for checking though."

"No problem," Panam replied. "You know, when we came here to the city, I was thinking of leaving the clan forever. I couldn't stand seeing it fall apart after how many we lost at Granite Pass."

V's head turned, eerily like a desert owl. "Bullshit, that doesn't sound like you at all. Besides, that won't happen anyway. As soon as we get the rest of the supplies for the camp, you guys will be on your way. Don't even worry about it. I'll see you out of this shithole myself if I have to."

"I'd prefer it like that," Panam said, with V noticing the small blush and hidden smile. "I want to at least want to say goodbye before I ride off to, wherever we go. Be better if you came with us."

"Came with the camp, or came with you?" V asked.

"Both options work, don't they?"

V tried to hide the sigh that he gave, whistling it away into nothing as he thought to himself. She wasn't wrong, hell, she rarely was. However, she was emotional and thinking of something that V just didn't know about. Meredith would have told him to get a hold of himself, slapped him around a little and told him to stop being a bitch about things. Then she'd soften up and really be nice. It was always eerie as if V just couldn't make a link between the work-Meredith and normal-Meredith.

Panam was just that. Panam was Panam, there was no bullshit or fucking around, she was either there or she wasn't and he'd experienced both versions of her. The outright aggressive and argumentative bulldog that couldn't get along with a Solo V if they even tried. Then it was the opposite end of the spectrum, this attached and caring form of her that refused to leave him to rot away in Night City to become some shell of a person, that or a corpse in an alley or abandoned scavver den.

Night City, after a good seven years, was a real shithole. Afterlife was a temporary haven, just like his old apartment on Corpo Plaza before he killed O'Connor or the apartment that had most certainly been staked out by Arasaka in Megabuilding Ten. All that was left in that place was some nice furniture, some garish suits and a lot of alcohol that definitely needed an owner or at the very least, a heavy drinker.

"I guess they do." V grunted. He sounded more animal than human. He looked at Panam, his eyes leering on her body, the skin that was exposed to the sun that was clinging to the black fabric vest that was tucked into her tight blue jeans.

Panam smirked. "You don't sound too sure about that, choom. What's up, afraid of a little sand and motor oil?"

"No, not at all. Never been a stranger to it." V huffed. "Just, I don't know, scared, I guess. If I come back, what happens if it doesn't work out? I don't know what I'd do, I wouldn't want to leave Cass and Teddy, or Mitch and Scorpion, or…"

"Or?"

V turned to her. "Do I really have to say it?"

Panam caught his eyes, wandering around before her hand caught his cheek as he tried to look away. "Only say it if you mean it, if you don't, don't."

V was silent, for a long while, longer than Panam had expected him to be. She would never lie to him, and she would probably hope the same of him. Rogue did say that a lie of omission was still a lie, and in many ways it was true. He cared, maybe he cared too much for him to say the words he most certainly wanted to say to her. What else did he have to lose other than his life and his sanity? He'd already lost two lives and two friends, there wasn't much else to give up, especially on a gamble that was either all or nothing.

"I don't want you to leave on your own, not if Saul is the way he is, not if it means you have to lead on your own," V uttered. "I don't want you to be on your own, not if I'm not there. I…"

There wasn't much else he could say without the words being exactly what Panam wanted to hear. If he wasn't ready, he'd only be bringing back something from the past that he would no doubt break into tiny, shattered pieces. He wasn't unfamiliar with slipping; he'd slipped many a time and he knew the feeling of that was hardly pleasant. Then again, holding on too hard to something was just as easy to destroy something, and it was even more likely to hurt himself in the process. He was kicking himself, over and over again, why the fuck did he ever have to put himself in these positions where he scared himself on purpose.

Johnny appeared, sitting across from them in the sun, lazing against old cement and bricks. "Why don't you just stop being a bitch? You won't get anywhere, you won't win if you don't play, V."

Once again, he'd appear with a rare (but helpful) comment before he ripped himself out of V's reality. He found himself still staring, Panam's hand still warm against his cheek. Her thumb stroked against the cyberware at the side of his eyes, her smile small and contained before V broke himself out of his head. He placed his rifle at his side, Panam having already done so as the barrel of the Overwatch rifle lingered in the sun as the rest of it remained in the shade.

Panam rose to her knees, her other hand gently pressed against V's chest. Under his shirt, she could feel his heartbeat thumping, the tiny echo of a third beat coming directly from his heart micro-generator. In the time that she had been alone, she had never met someone that she had adored as much as she had done him. Whether they were stupid kids that were too scared to mess around, or if they were adults where they found themselves stuck in the worst situation possible, with nothing left to lose.

"V?"

Fuck it, here goes nothing.

V turned to her, and just as she was about to move forward, he did so too. She'd slowed, allowing V to move of his own accord before he planted a gentle kiss to her lips. He'd never intended it to be long, or particularly amorous or lusty. At first, that was what it turned out to be. Her eyes had closed in response, the blush on her cheeks was visible once more, and her eyes had opened as V's had closed. She'd soon returned the gesture, pushing him from his knees and onto his back before she crawled on top of him and placed a series of kisses on his lips and neck.

She'd grasped at his shirt, as much as V had done at the straps of her tank vest. Their touches were desperate, yearning and aching before they were interrupted. The door that led downstairs into the club slammed open, the small and lithe form of Judy walking through before she saw the two nomads and turned right back around. "Cristo! Will you two get a room?"

V groaned, his head pulling back as Panam got to her feet. She'd picked up her rifle, offering a hand to V to pick himself up before she planted a longing kiss to his lips. "You and me? We…"

"Aren't done," V said, with a barely-contained smirk as he picked up his rifle. "Got it."

Panam walked away with a buzzing smile, moving past Judy at a leisurely stroll down the stairs back down to the club. The Mox technician turned the corner to the roof, catching V readjusting his shirt and belt from his ruined escapade. She hadn't seen that side of V, she was much more in tune with people of the opposite sex, but she never thought that he would be that type of guy that got caught in the heat of the moment. Rita had said otherwise, but after knowing her for so long, she was a master of chatting a lot of bullshit.

V looked at her as soon as he had finished tidying himself up, brushing his long hair back to something resembling neat before he picked up his rifle. He looked at her with a firm line, the smile caused by his intimacy disappeared. "What's up, Judy?"

"It's about the Claws, time to get rid of them, but we have to go now. I need you to trust me that where we go is going to be dangerous, and I need you to keep that trigger finger under control, yeah?" the tech expert responded. "You with me?"

"Never been one to say no, especially when it's taking it to the Claws. Let's go."

The way down from the roof had been one littered with small silences and the occasional half-conversation. From the little she knew of V, other than his hidden (yet readily-apparent) caring nature, he wasn't much of a talker if he didn't know someone. That was a trait he also happened to share with her, as they descended, they took note of an elderly man in a heavy cloak and red goggles with a woman at his side. They'd moved so fast that V barely got a read on who they were until he saw the shine of silver skin and the leaking trail of bio-oil. He'd been rolled past on a gurney, with Rogue at his side too.

"Shit, wonder what happened to him?" Johnny whispered.

"Can't say, but whatever it is, it didn't look good," V muttered to himself; Judy turning to look at him oddly. "Hopefully, he'll be okay."

Judy nodded. "From what I've heard, that big guy is a real tanker of a merc. I got a feeling he'll be fine."

The pair were of an unlikely sort, the large half-borg trailing behind the angry-looking techie as they climbed back into her van. V had gotten them access to come back in that case, Dum-Dum's eyes seeming to flick between the merc and the techie before he whirled his hand in there, allowing the van to drive through the security. The streets were barren around the club, the attacks had happened on such a scale that the traffic on the road had died away. It at least provided the pair with an easy exit into the traffic streams deeper into the city, cutting through traffic as deftly as possible.

"What is it about the Claws that was so urgent that we had to leave right away?" V asked, checking his smart-rifle as he slid a fresh magazine into the slot. "I'm guessing it's a precision strike."

Judy muttered a curse under her breath. "I have a contact in the Claws, she's a floor boss at Clouds but she's good."

"Can't be that good if she's with the Claws. Any reason why she's not dying with the rest of them?" V questioned, taking the scope off in exchange for the standard iron sights of the rifle.

Judy had soon swerved out of the inner traffic trails, sliding on the outer side as they turned onto the outer lane that led onto the bridge into the Westbrook district. Judy was quiet for most of the drive, other than when V pressed her into a conversation, as rare as it was. Her denim overalls seemed to slip from her shoulder, revealing more and more punkish tattoos, mostly black with red and pink highlights scattered on her alabaster skin. On her leg was a loose thigh holster, complete with a heavy Liberty pistol inside that looked like it was ready to be used.

The drive had soon finished, but the two operators hadn't gotten out of the car. V could tell from the small bags under Judy's eyes that she was tired, but how and for what, he didn't know. At a guess, it might have been due to her having to look out for Evelyn since she'd been compromised. It was a dirty job, looking after someone with trauma, but it had to be done Scavvers did a lot of shit, not one bit of it was pretty, and he'd seen enough suicides from people who'd been captured that Evelyn could quite easily have been of those people too.

"Why she's not like the rest doesn't matter. It's not the point. It's the fact that she's got a direct line to the bosses for the Claws, and she will call them if she needs to." Judy stated, quite hesitantly. "Look, I just wanted to say thank you. For helping me, helping Evelyn too. If it weren't for you, we'd both be dead and gone."

"It's not a problem. I might be a merc, but I'm not an asshole. Usually." V grunted in response. "This Claw, what's her name?"

"Maiko Maeda. Floor boss for Clouds, and an all-around arrogant piece of work. Talkin' with her is like playing three-dee chess. Whatever she says, whether it's offensive or some shit, just don't let her derail you."

V nodded. "Roger that, boss."
-
Megabuilding H-8, Westbrook District
V and Judy
-
The megabuilding in which Clouds was built was no different from any of the others that were constructed in Night City. All of them bland, built with neo-concrete and hard-shell wiring that provided mass amounts of power for every soul that lived inside. Each establishment, big or small, siphoning that power for their neon signs and widespread advertisements through the hyper-structure. V knew for certain that Megabuilding Eight was nothing like Ten, in which he'd resided a cosy and quiet life, it echoed with sounds of violence from across the lobby, bounced around the service pathways whilst godawful sex holo-ads played louder than AV engines.

It was in the service paths that V and Judy managed to sneak past the majority of the Claws security, ducking and weaving past vent ducts and water pipes before they came up to a dead-end. It was dark, dingy, water droplets popped and echoed around them before Judy went to fiddling with an electrical outlet on the wall to the left. She hadn't said much about Maiko, hell, she hadn't said much since they entered the mega-structure.

In the silence, V at least found time to consider his situation, immediate as well as everything outside of it. Sneaking around to take down a corporate-backed gang of Japanese thugs, but then having to team up with a group of Night City legends, one of which being inside his head. If someone told him that when he was still a nomad kid, he would have left laughing before sticking his head in an engine block.

"What a fucking skeefed plan. I don't like this; V. I don't like her. I have a feeling she's hiding something."

V sighed. "She doesn't have a reason to lie, or to hide anything considering she could have died to these guys if we didn't get her first."

It didn't take much longer, with a small passageway opening up on the right side of the wall after Judy finished tinkering with the electrics. The small tunnel wasn't long, and V followed behind Judy in a single line, his rifle stowed but close enough to be used if necessary. He patted down at his side, checking the two other magazines he'd had prepared just in case. Judy pressed against the dead-end of the passage, once again scanning the wall before she pressed down on a loose panel.

V patted her on the shoulder. "You been through here before or something?"

"A couple times, a good few years back now."

V nodded. "Good to know."

The tunnel opened up, leading into a wide and expansive office, coated and decorated in old Japanese scriptures and kanji. Panelling that was decorated with illustrations and artwork of old Samurai, stories interwoven across the walls and sliding doors. A desk sat squarely in the middle of the room, ordered neat with a woman sitting at it, tapping away rapidly at the computer before she took note of her incoming intruders.

She relaxed in an office chair, the fine black leather creasing slightly. "Judy Alvarez! I'd say it's great to see you but I'm never one to tell a lie. Also, I don't like surprise parties, which you know."

"Smells like bullshit from a mile away." V whispered to Judy as they approached.

"You don't know her like I do, V." Judy replied. "Yeah, and I know why you don't like 'em. Maiko, this is…"

"…is V. I know, it's hard not to hear about a guy who likes to cause trouble for my organisation. Judy, I thought you hit rock bottom when you joined the Mox?"

Judy's fist (which was clutching the leg of her overalls) tightened. "Of course, you would think that, Maiko, from your little office."

"Guess you went even lower, consorting with random mercenaries who answer to Rogue Amendiares' every beck and call. Sorry about Lizzie's, by the way, but that wasn't my call."

Judy turned to V as if to beckon him to not speak. That was ignored. "Sounds like I left a mark on this place. Good."

Maiko's cocksure smile and relaxed posture died away. She leant from her seat before she opened a drawer of her desk, laying out the faded steel of an old Rolex watch. "If by mark, you mean scaring Woodman stiff that he got himself killed because he thought you'd come back, congrats."

Judy glared at V. "What the hell did you do to Woodman?"

"Asked him what he did with Evelyn, and he said he gave her to Fingers," V informed the pair. "It was a friendly visit over drinks, and he threatened me. I told him he'd end up like Mr Shobo in Kabuki if he didn't give me some info and lickety-split like the little bitch he was. Not my fault he got offed."

Maiko laughed at that. "He offed himself, thought you'd come back for him when he heard about the scavver shoot-out and news reports. I'm more surprised you didn't kill Fingers."

V grunted. "Look, ignore me. I ain't here to talk, Judy is. I'm gonna blend into the décor."

"That's no reason to not get involved." Maiko spat back. "Why come at all if you have nothing to say that's worth my time?"

"To make sure Jude here gets what she came here for."

"Jude, woulda had a better chance of getting that, without you."

Johnny reappeared, one more time that was becoming more and more common with every passing day. He'd fizzle in and out of reality whenever he felt like it, offering his suggestions and ideas and more often, his utterly disgusting comments and jokes. If there was one thing that V would be thankful for, it would be that when Johnny was out of his head, he wouldn't have half of his brain in the fucking gutter when he had control back.

"The audacity of this bitch, I'm surprised she hasn't been zeroed in an 'accident' already. Christ, makes me wanna do it myself. Lemme take control, V, I'll show the cunt some respect."

V resisted the urge to shake his head. Johnny looked ready to do it. "No, Johnny, that ain't how we're rolling right now."

"Pussy."

Judy finally spoke up, filling the void left by V and Maiko's frosty opening conversation. "I have a… proposal. It's about Clouds."

Maiko gave the largest, most shit-eating grin she could present. "You wanna come back to Clouds? That's great! We always did appreciate your skillset and work ethic, but I don't understand why you had to bring the loose end with you."

"Speak like that, and the only loose end getting tied up will be you," V growled. Shit, was that me? Johnny, what the fuck?

"Sorry, choom, had to be said."

"V!" Judy chastised, turning her back to him before she focused solely on Maiko. "Look, stop treating dolls like pieces of meat you can sell off on the side and I'd consider it. First things first, Clouds needs to be taken from the Tyger Claws. It's either that or this place and the Ho-Oh get burnt down. If you couldn't tell, some of us are happier to do one thing than the other."

Maiko Maeda was by all accounts, a very frigid bitch. Her eyes were artificial, frosty and cold as V could see from the bright green eyes that were brighter than artificial grass on some of the Night City penthouse terraces. Her hair, neatly tied into a dark pink ponytail. Her leopard-print leather dress revealed a lot of cleavage, and if she wasn't such an amazingly massive bitch, V would have entertained himself with her company.

She was perhaps the most egotistical person he knew, other than Johnny. The only difference was that Johnny had the charm and the legend that was attached to his revenge-filled and hate-spewing tirades. Maiko was just that, a bitch who worked the bitches downstairs on their backs.

"Ok, look, it's very clear that what happened with Evelyn was traumatic, but that wasn't me. It was Woodman, and Woodman is dead."

Judy quirked an eyebrow. "I was convinced you didn't know, that or you just didn't give a shit."

"Oh, I knew. That girl was just asking for an unhappy ending. I was just surprised it took so long." Maiko grimaced. "That's how it is for most dolls, and you know what, this place is better than most other than the Mox."

"Maiko, come on, we have to do something! Woodman raped Evie when she was unconscious, sold her off to Fingers and then sold her to some fucking scavvers to do whatever they wanted like she was a piece of fuckin' scrap. They were selling X-BDs of her, Maiko! They could have killed her; she could have killed herself if it wasn't for V and his friend helping me get her out! What the fuck is wrong with you to not see that it's wrong to keep this place for the Claws?"

Maiko seemed to stare at Judy as she went off on her tirade, allowing her to almost scream her lungs out at Maiko about what happened to her friend whilst V remained silent, as per usual in the negotiations. He wasn't a business major; he was just the hired gun with an inherent hatred of the cold piece of shit that was running the floor for the Claws. He thought he'd seen bad people, and he had, but the intentionally blind and ignorant? That made his trigger finger itch.

The floor boss took her packet of cigarettes from her desk, sliding one between her lips as she took matchstick and lit the nicotine-infused concoction. Maiko offered the open packet to Judy, and then to V, who readily took two. Maiko squinted, taking note of V as he placed one behind his ear and one between his lips, taking Maiko's lighter before throwing it heavily on to her desk.

"So, I guess V is gonna be the one that's composed." Maiko dug at her former employee. "Care to explain what this is about?"

"You sat by when Evelyn was getting raped by Woodman, according to Judy. If you did, what's the point in asking? You won't help us anyway."

Maiko was silent, taking a small series of drags. "Tyger Claw bosses rule this place. I might be one too, but you know what I mean to them? About as much as your problems mean to me. Negligible."

"Maybe you should wonder why you even work here then."

Maiko smirked again. "I could ask the same thing for you working as a merc for some small-time techie. She payin' you in pussy? I can tell you now, she's locked tight for the likes of you."

"Get fucked, Maiko. Come on, V. Let's go."

The pair left the office through the tunnel they had entered in, sealing it tight behind them as Maiko went back to her seat. V had been quiet, watching silently as he observed Judy's movements as they slipped through the service paths and back into the main passages of the mega-structure. Her fists would tighten, as would her jaw as she struggled to find something suitable to pummel after the meeting. He didn't know Judy well, he barely knew anyone in Night City other than Panam and maybe Johnny, in his head.

V took note of the Claws on patrol, clicking his safety off as they strolled past, giving looks as they walked on. He wished they'd tried something, he'd scramble their brains with his fists, slice them up or just blow their brains out. After that meeting, V was aching to aim something at someone. He caught up to Judy, walking side by side as they entered the main elevator. She slammed down on the ground floor button, tapping quicker and quicker before she eventually punched the panel.

The cyberized merc held out his cigarette. "Bum it. You need to fuckin' chill."

Judy took the stick of nicotine, finishing what remained like it was nothing. She slumped in the elevator, her head dropping as V leant against the wall next to her, slowly sliding down next to her. His fist nudged gently against her knee. "Sounded like you two had some history there, quite deep too."

Judy ripped out a dead laugh, nodding all the while. "You could say that. I guess I was alone when we were a thing."

"Just like everyone else like that in Night City." V proposed. "Been in places like that before. I guess it's different for everyone else. That was before Konpeki at least."

Meredith was always an afterthought now. She still resonated in his mind, her face clear in his mind, but her death was a question, quick or slow. Judy offered her hand, V clasping his new hand gently in hers. "Only difference is now you got Panam. She's nice, she's real with you, she's smart and I ain't gonna lie, she's a brave motherfucker. Maiko, she's an ice-cold bitch. Evelyn, well…"

"You and Evelyn are a thing?" V asked.

Judy laughed; it was a dry sound. "We try. I almost signed her off to whatever happened and then when you brought her back, I don't know, I just realised that I needed her with me. It wasn't even a thing until she could talk and understand everything. I'd never hurt her, and I wouldn't let anyone hurt her again. Over my dead body."

The mercenary at her side nodded in silent, taking the strap of his rifle from his shoulder and laying the rifle at his side. "I never really thought about it until recently. I've known Panam since I was a kid but before now. Especially before we found Evelyn, me and her were at each other's throats until we managed to talk without threatening each other."

"Maybe you guys should talk more." Judy smirked, picking herself up before offering her hand to V. "You guys looked cute until you started trying to fuck on the roof."

V cackled. "Yeah, well, maybe don't try and sneak up on us next time, not unless you want to join in."

Judy shook her head, refusing to laugh but the smile was there. "No chance, V. Panam, maybe, but not you."

"Ouch."

The pair left the elevator, stepping through the lobby of the main building before they got to the van. They drove out of Westbrook as soon as possible, as quickly as they could before the Claws could realise that they were even there. The thoughts remained with him, how Evelyn was clinging to Judy and how Judy did the same with Evelyn. She'd rejected Maiko in a way that was so cold and brutal that the two couldn't stand the sight of each other for more than a second. V could understand why, everyone made stupid decisions when they were young and alone, he was just one of many. It was the mistakes that they learnt from, and the mistake in letting Panam go was one he wouldn't make again.

The two arrived back at the Afterlife in the mid-day. For once, it seemed like the Claws had refused to attack the club for one day. The security settings remained active, and the guard of mercs, Maelstromers, Animals and Mox guarding every inch of the parking lot as Judy's van pulled in. They'd parked up out of the firing line, immediately jogging back into the club as the main doors opened.

Rogue stood proud, flaunting her figure and status as she spoke to the old man that had arrived just as he and Judy had left. The younger operators were caught in a trance as if staring at the headlights, caught by the legends of the city. The old man offered his steel-coated hand to V.

"Ah, V. Rogue told me a lot about you. Name's Blackhand, Morgan Blackhand."

"Holy shit…"