After years of serving with the Night City Police Department, River Ward had thought he'd seen it all, thought there was nothing that could surprise him anymore. When he met the mystery of a woman that was V, he found out that some things still could surprise him. The now former detective had worked a case with the woman and in that time, V had shown herself to be a strong and determined woman, someone that knew what she wanted and took it. She had helped give him clarity about the dirty cover up he'd landed himself into, she had even shamelessly flirted with him a few times during their down time on the case. Yet even now, V still held surprises.
River watched V while he held his nephew after saving him from an extremely disgusting display of human evil. V stayed near the other two surviving boys that they had found in the old dairy farm. With a voice as soft and gentle as spring wind, V sung to the boys. The woman, still very young by today's standards, watched over the two boys like a mother comforting her frightened children. She sang soft soothing lullabies and gave the two boys more motherly attention than River had seen from his own mother. River couldn't take his eyes off V. It was a handful of hours before the police and medical teams arrived and River was forced to take his eyes off the stunning woman.
River stood next to V as the woman sat on the hood of her car. They had stayed clear of the proper authorities as they took evidence and the medical teams started tending to the boys, preparing them for transport to a hospital. River kept looking at the woman, ripping his gaze away whenever she started to look towards him.
"We did good today." V mused aloud. "Glad we got here in time to save them."
"Yeah. Thanks V, I mean it." River finally let himself meet the merc's eyes. "Couldn't have done it without you."
"You could have," V waved off, "Just not as quickly."
"What made you do this?" River questioned, his tone careful to hide his thoughts. "You're a merc, and you're not known for doing things out of the kindness of your heart."
"Sometimes I do." V shrugged, "I like you River, you've got an innocence and a view that Night City needs sometimes."
"Like me how?" River wasn't sure how else to get the information he wanted from the woman.
"Like you in the way that if things were different, if it was two or three months ago and we met, I would have taken you home and fucked your brains out until your cyberware malfunctioned. Probably wouldn't stop then."
River was caught completely off-guard and his face must have shown it. V laughed with untamed amusement for a moment before covering her mouth and getting ahold of herself.
"What?" River couldn't fully process what had just been said. The blunt and vulgar statement from V had his head swimming. "What do you mean if things were different?"
"I mean that I am unofficially spoken for right now and in a way where I'm happy to keep myself just for her. Had I not met this woman, or met you instead of her, I would have taken you for a ride of your life, maybe more."
"I think I understand." River tried his best to recover from the candid and open rejection. "This person is really special to you, I respect that."
"Think she's more special to me than even I know." River watched a visible shudder snake its way through V's body.
A shout from the medical team that had been working with River's nephew caught their attention. River turned to head towards them as they were preparing to depart.
"River?" V's voice stopped him, her eyes looking towards his nephew's still form, "If you need anything, or your family does, give me a ring and I'll pick up if I can."
"Thanks, V." River tossed over his shoulder, knowing now that what he wanted wouldn't happen. But at least it was better than not knowing.
V watched the medical transport leave the farm for a few moments before gingerly getting off the hood of Johnny's old Porsche and getting in the classic car. She pulled out the pair of Johnny's old aviators that had sat in the glove box for the last fifty years and put them on. She looked to the passenger seat and as expected, Johnny had taken up his shotgun spot.
"You know we're a lot alike V" Johnny smirked, pulling down his own digital aviators, "If I were you though, I woulda still fucked him and then moved on with my life."
"I know you would have." V laughed aloud, guiding the car out and away from the farm. "But unlike you, I know when I have a good thing going and don't want to fuck it up."
"And what's that s'possed to mean?" Johnny's brow furled in confusion. "Everything I had was good."
"If you wanna call it that sure." V shook her head, she actually felt bad for the old rocker. "You had fun with everything in your life, but I've seen some of your memories. You were always clueless to what those around you really wanted. Head always up in the clouds."
While Johnny had no body or eyes of his own, V could feel the man looking at her, trying to read and decipher what she meant. While the two could communicate with thoughts alone and could read each other better than most, they still were two separate minds and V knew there were some things she could keep from him. Johnny didn't like it that V kept him in the dark, but he could feel that he would learn what she meant soon enough.
"Do you believe in fate, Johnny?" V asked, looking to her ghostly passenger
"No, we're the ones that take matters into our own hands, pave our own paths." Johnny was curious as to what the merc was trying to get at.
"I used to agree, that there was no higher power, nothing that has any effect on the world besides people." V mused, taking a leisurely pace on the freeway leading back into town. "But when I met you, I think that changed. Even when you tried to kill me right off the bat, there was something more. More than just a chip in my head between us."
"How you figure?" Johnny crossed his arms, giving the woman his full attention.
"Well, look at us," V waved a hand between the two of them, "We aren't that different in a lot of ways. Both dress practically the same, my ass just looks way better than yours in synth-leather and I can pull off stripper boots better than anyone in Night City."
"And yet you're a runner, I never had any skill for the stuff." Johnny pointed out. "And your hormones are all out of wack. You've got nice tits, but I was born with a real impressive cock."
"A cock that would break most women." V laughed, "Seriously Johnny, I saw that monster you had, I'm surprised Alt or Rogue ever let you near them with it."
"Get on with your point, V." Johnny struggled to keep the smirk off his face.
"My point is that you and I are a lot alike," Continued V holding back her laughter, "If anything, I'm almost a perfect replacement for you. The biochip is supposed to put your mind into my body, for the most part, my body is already one that you would want."
"If I took your body, You wouldn't be here to annoy me endlessly." Johnny's digital head looked away from V and stared out the window. "You've grown on me kid."
"And I've started to like you too, even if you are an asshole and a gonk."
Judy sat at the bar of Lizzie's, a barely touched drink in front of her and a far away dreamy look on her face. It had been only three days since Judy had last seen V in person, but the way she had left the other woman still filled her mind. Judy and V had exchanged messages back and forth since, but V wasn't able to talk much with a couple jobs she was currently on. Even through texts V and Judy were heated and Judy desperately wished she wasn't alone at night.
"What has you so worked up?" An amused voice asked next to Judy." Never seen you like this before."
"You know that merc who was here a couple weeks ago?" Judy asked, looking next to her at Rita, one of the Moxx bouncers.
"Which one? I see tons come and go sweetie." Rita's face showed she knew exactly who Judy was talking about.
"The one with pink hair and an ass sent from angels." Judy shot back, a smile spreading over her face as she recalled V's hips swaying in front of her. "The one all of you talked about for days."
"Did the big bad merc steal your heart away?" Rita teased, gently pushing at Judy's shoulder.
"Yeah, she did." Judy looked away from the other Moxx, her face warming up. "But I don't know what to do next."
"What happened?" Rita smirked, "She give you a wild night and hasn't answered since?"
"I think I gave her the wild nights," Judy grinned to herself, V's expression burning in her mind. "I want more, but I don't know if she feels the same way."
"Listen, just call her up right now, and ask her on a date." Rita rolled her eyes. "And then just talk to her. I saw the way she looked at you the first time she was in here, doubt she's gonna be against it."
Judy paused for a moment, considering the other Moxx's words. Judy pulled out her phone, and dialed V's number. Judy tried to ignore Rita as the woman leaned in close to listen into the conversation.
"Hey Judy," V answered, her voice light and airy, "I was just think' about you."
"Do I got amazin' timin' then? Or are you always thinkin' about me?" Judy teased a hand reaching up and fingers twirling her hair.
"I could have been cursing your name," V's voice sent shivers down Judy's spine, "But it's hard not to think about you."
Judy realized that she didn't respond for too long when Rita tapped her on the shoulder, urging her to respond.
"I got a favor to ask." Judy tried to clear her head a bit with a shake. "Mind helping me out?"
"Ask away, I'll do anything for you." Rita smacked Judy on the arm, an excited look on the woman's face.
"Well, this particular mission is different." Judy gave a harsh look to Rita, "Don't need no gun, just a wetsuit."
"Okay, gotta know," V laughed, "Why the wetsuit?"
"Can't back out now, just need to use your imagination." Judy's voice took on a thick note as she herself started to imagine.
"Already doin' so." V's smokey voice returned, "But I'm afraid you won't be able to handle me squeezed into something that tight."
"Just have to find out then won't we?" Judy swore she could hear V's breath hitch at the comment.
"I'll send you the location, A little abandoned bungalow outside the dam. Meet me there, at sundown." Judy struggled to focus, nearly forgetting that she needed to tell V where to go.
"Sundown?" V almost purred, "Asking me out on a date Judy?"
"We'll have to find out won't we?" Judy hoped the merc's head was swimming just as much as hers was.
"I'll be there." V's dreamy voice spoke just moments before disconnecting. "Johnny shove it up your ass."
Judy set her phone down on the bar and let out a heavy breath, her eyes closing for a moment. Next to her, Rita had the largest shit eating grin Judy had ever seen the woman wear.
"Now was that so hard?" Rita teased, "Just need to not be a gonk and you melt her like butter."
"Thanks Rita." Judy mumbled, she couldn't wait for the day to speed by.
"Who's that Johnny she mentioned?" Rita pondered
"A friend of hers, real asshole I guess."
V pulled up to the small bungalow that Judy had invited her to while the sun was on its slow descent on the horizon. Had V not known that the waters in the manmade lake in front of her were extremely toxic to consume or be in unprotected, she would have found the sight before her to be more beautiful than it already was. The rays of sun caused the surface of the water to sparkle and outlined the small bungalow before her. Sitting next to the bungalow at the water's edge, was a small makeshift pier. Between her and the pier was an old rusted out car that had been long abandoned. Sitting atop the car's hood, haloed by the sun in front of V, was Judy's unmistakeable form, her body had turned from the lake to face the approaching merc.
V walked towards the woman, leaving Johnny's Porsche forgotten behind her. The almost angelic look the sun provided Judy in this moment made her already racing heart jump into her throat. V wondered if the other woman knew how she looked, how she made V burn with desire to hear her voice and be in her presence. When V could see Judy's face better, she could see that there was sorrow and defeat on her face. Judy seemed to push whatever it was away from her however once V stood in front of her.
"Damn, V." Judy breathed out, looking the woman up and down. "Looking good."
"You mean considering what we've been through?" V joked and sat on the hood next to Judy.
"In that case you look fuckin' amazing." Judy smiled and V could see that same defeat and sorrow from before in her eyes as it mixed with pure joy.
"You okay? Look like something happened." V asked, and gently put a hand to one side of Judy's face.
"I don't wanna think about it right now." Judy pressed into V's hand, "Don't wanna think about all the dark shit going on in that city right now."
"Okay," V nodded in understanding, "It's just us tonight then. So what is it you had in mind?"
"I figured out how to scroll a virtu with two actors," Judy's eyes and face were full of thanks, "And I was hopin you'd help me out with recording my first one."
"You don't even need to ask that." V smiled, "What do you need me to do?"
"Just follow me and enjoy yourself," Judy straightened herself up a bit, "Just need you to scroll with me, that's all."
"That's it?" V's perplexed voice caused Judy to giggle. "Always though virtues and BD's were, I don't know, complicated?"
"They're complicated to edit, sure." Judy shrugged, "Not so much to scroll. They take your experiences, your emotions, everything you feel and the end result lets someone else experience the same thing as the actor."
"You sure you want me for this then?" V inched herself closer to Judy, and glanced down at her body, "I might be a bit distracted."
"And you think I won't be?" Judy stood, a bright smile on her face. "You should probably get changed, can't get in the water like that."
V watched while Judy walked away towards a crate that had a laptop and some other tech sitting on it that V couldn't identify. V shook her head and began stripping out of her street clothes, piling the discarded items atop the car Judy had been sitting on. As she changed, V felt Judy's eyes on her. While pulling on the wetsuit, V turned around, throwing a look to Judy and catching her gaze.
"No peeking." V teased as she shimmied into the tight material of the wetsuit. V felt Judy's eyes lingering on her ass as she finished and made sure to stretch her body in the attempt to give Judy the best view she could.
Having finished, V walked up behind Judy and put her arms around the other woman's waist and pressed her chest into Judy's back. V looked over Judy's shoulder at the equipment in front of them.
"So what do I need?" V asked, her voice low and her mouth next to Judy's ear.
"Here, slot this in." Judy responded, her body shivering against V's. Judy held up a data shard to the merc, her hand visibly shaking.
V gave Judy some relief when she stepped back and slotted the shard into her skull. V watched with satisfaction as it took Judy a moment before she could do the same. The two pulled on the rest of the diving gear they needed, sending smoldering looks to each other. Once they were ready, Judy stood on the edge of the pier with her back facing the water.
"Ready?" Judy asked, taking both of V's hands in her own.
"As I'll ever be." V was brimming with excitement.
"Then follow me." Judy smiled, falling backwards into the water and pulling V with her.