I didn't want to believe what I saw. I certainly did not want to acknowledge the implications. After all, Takemura hadn't recovered completely, so his drawing could be misrepresenting the input ports. There was also a possibility that I didn't remember the way the chrome on the side of V's neck really looked. I was in deep denial. My V? My wonderful, caring, slightly awkward kind-of-girlfriend? It's not like we broached the subject of committing, but the energy between us was pretty damn obvious. No. Not her.

I just didn't think V had it in her to be a psycho cyber killer. Sure, she was agile, quick, and her reflexes were amazing, but that was just growing up the way she did, wasn't it? The difficulties and challenges posed by her situation were what forged her into this amazon-like form. I honestly couldn't see even a shred of hostility or evil in her.

She was stubborn and I did get a bit scared when she outright carried me to the water's edge to show me her old house but that didn't give her the markings of a super soldier assassin. For a moment I wondered whether there was really no evidence supporting my train of thought... or like a very biased and very bad scientist, I did not want there to be any evidence of it. If the results do not fit the hypothesis, many are quick to avoid drawing conclusions. Don't do that, though. That's bad research.

The very things I mentioned may have been signs that I decided to conveniently ignore. Her speed, her strength, her ease of hunting. What if that alone confirmed what Takemura was proposing? Looking at V from the other side opened up a deep, uncomfortable pit in my stomach. Things in my head began to click, pieces of the puzzle fell into tentative places that made too much sense for me to push them out of my consciousness.

I had to check. I had to make sure that Takemura wasn't just talking out of his feverish, recovering ass. One possibility I hadn't considered was that he was just plain crazy from finding himself on a tropical island and fighting off some rando 'borg, which in turn made him paranoid and convinced him that the world is full of those. But if that was the case, how come he could have known about the way V's input ports looked like? I guess my denial was deep if I was willing to entertain such hypotheses.

V was conveniently busy cleaning up after the cooking, so I went outside to check the ports on the recently deceased cyber psycho. The ports weren't difficult to find, and despite the dirt, I could easily tell that they were similar to those V had. They may have been made from a different alloy, perhaps newer, but their shape matched, for sure. I covered her back with leaves and retreated, since the temperature on the island didn't exactly lend itself to preserving the freshness of a corpse.

Did that mean V was some kind of a prototype? Some form of a trained, vat-grown super assassin? No. She was the cutest awkward dork, had the warmest smile, and whenever she looked at me, I felt like I was positively melting, and not having to run for my life because she would murder me.

Sometimes her glances made feel a different kind of warmth simply because of their intensity, and the poorly disguised lust lining them. I didn't pay much attention to them at first, but now that I knew that there was more to them and we inevitably moved into the direction of make-outs, I was pretty sure that there was more behind it. Now with Takemura in our little paradise, and cyber psychos roaming around... Well, it really was a shame we couldn't explore our feelings further. It was just my luck.

I could really go for a cigarette. Just a few quick drags, something to clear my mind. Times like these I really regretted quitting. Then again, if I were caught cold turkey on the island, I would just most likely go crazy.

V joined me on the porch, taking a seat next to me. I smiled when she gave me a playful shoulder bump, then offered me a mug of warm tea.

"So..." V started and frowned. She wanted to express herself properly but it still cost her quite some effort.

"So..." I responded in kind, showing that not every utterance had to be quick and eloquent. She was already making amazing progress, "Is this some magic brew again?" I wondered, "Not sure if I can manage through another night of trippin', V."

"No, no. Just tea. Not to worry, Joodee," she smiled at me, but the corners of her lips soon moved down and she frowned again. "More fighting. Not great," she sighed and I nodded, taking a sip of the herbal brew.

It was certainly a good idea to make some, even if she hadn't asked if I felt like any. Wasn't a cigarette, but it had a calming quality to it.

"No, not really. I ain't a fighter, can tell you that much," I scoffed at myself, shaking my head.

"It's okay, Joodee Aflowers. Gonna fight for you," V puffed out her chest, "Keep you safe. I promise," she smiled at me. That was just the cutest thing ever. Her being all protective, even if I wasn't really the type to buy into any macho bullshit. V just somehow made it feel okay, maybe 'cause the danger was real and it wasn't just words. She had saved my life twice so far, one way or another, and she was true to her word.

"And what am I gonna do? Sit 'round lookin' pretty?" I asked. Not being a merc was a bit frustrating in the current situation.

"Always do," V quipped and smirked at me from behind her cup of tea, trying to hide her smug grin under the guise of a sip.

"Alright, you charmer. Is that how you're gonna play it from now on? Sweet words and flowers to butter me up, huh?" I raised my brows at her. If she was going to keep doing that, I wasn't just going to remain idle about it.

"Just like seeing you smile. Aflowers for you," she shrugged and looked up at me. I felt an instant surge of warmth filling my very core. It was one of those smouldering stares that were almost impossible to recover from. You know, the kind that makes you lose the ability to speak properly. Or even brain, in some cases, "Don't need many words anyway."

She took another sip of her tea, taking some kind of primal, almost predatory pleasure satisfaction from watching me blush. The sun was setting and it was getting darker by the minute, but it did nothing to help hide the angry red blotches on my cheeks. No words, huh? Oh, I was going to show her no words.

I set my cup down and moved to straddle her, my hands instantly moved to V's cheeks. She quickly put her tea away as well and wrapped her arms around me. This was the least responsible thing to do at that moment, surely, but that stare managed to shift my priorities and make me forget about cyberpsycho assassins. I saw that as a good thing.

Our gazes remained locked for a few moments. It didn't last. My lips were on hers before I could even think of saying anything. She welcomed it and tightened her hold around me. Shivers ran down my spine and I pressed myself against her as we slowly rocked together. Gone was the slow and tentative kissing from before. This was definitely more unhinged, on both sides. A full-on make-out, even without the frog jar. We didn't need it anymore. We needed each other. Naked. In that very fucking moment.

V's hand moved under my thighs and she lifted me without much effort, taking a few steps forward to lie me down gently on the ground in front of the porch. Turning around and making the few steps to get to the bed would definitely be the more comfortable solution, but we didn't have that kind of time.

I wanted her so much. It was a raw need, a desire I've never felt for anyone in my life before with this intensity and I was more than ready to give into it and let V do wonderful and naughty things to me. My hand moved to her hair when I felt her lips on my neck, warm, gentle, but greedy, stealing suckling kisses before she tried a more daring nip, eliciting a low moan from me. For a lonely woman growing up on an island, V surely knew how to make me melt with her touches.

I could feel her hands on my sides, touching my skin, tentatively reaching further up. We parted from our kiss in a rather sloppy manner just so I could nod and breathe out, "Don't stop, keep going," to give her the green light.

She wanted me too, I could feel it. But at the same time, there was this cute, tentative element to her exploratory touches. Her warm hands roamed my skin, making me feel … worshipped. I felt her hand untie the knot on my top, so she could slide under the fabric and touch the underside of my breasts. I wish I were more patient, really, but instead I just wrapped my legs around her to keep her close and urge her on. Fuck, I needed this. I wanted this. Finally, we were right where I wanted us to be and there was nothing that could...

A creak of a board

He clears his throat quietly

All sound dies in shame

"I do beg your pardon, ladies, but I believe we should focus on the situation at hand," Takemura spoke. He managed to turn around after witnessing us on the ground and his face was only half turned, making him look like a guy from a samurai movie, about to go on a 5 minute monologue before he goes off to his death.

Fuck me. Except not that time.

V closed her eyes and rested her forehead against my shoulder. I patted her head, "I know, V. I know," I whispered and kissed her on the head. Resigned, she pushed herself away from me, shooting me a sheepish grin. We were not done. We didn't even begin properly, but we were going to go back to this topic, for sure.

She sat down next to me and pulled me up to a sitting position as well. We were like two guilty teenagers, fixing our hair after being caught making out by strict parents. Except we didn't care to be told off that much.

"Ya know, it's rude to just perv on us like this. Give women some privacy," I frowned at him.

"I was not aware of your activities," he replied, picking his words carefully, "I was feeling good enough to stand up and I wished to inform you about this development. May I turn around now?"

"Yeah, we're decent. Ish." I added that last syllable when he was mid turn, causing him to do a double take. I was going to have some fun, even if it was going to be at his expense, and not the kind of fun I was aching to do. God, I was so fucking wet that I was sure V could smell it on me, considering how sharp her senses were.

"Very good," Takemura nodded and sat down on the porch. He was still taking things easy, but it was a good sign to see him up and about, from a medical perspective, at least, "My drawings. Have they helped you confirm that the woman comes from the facility?"

"Yeah... Yeah, they did," I nodded. They suggested V was from there as well. And there was no way in hell I was going to tell this corpo gun about that. My V was a precious treasure and even if I wasn't much of a fighter, I could protect her by... conveniently avoiding certain announcements.

Technically, I wasn't lying. Something told me he wouldn't hesitate to shoot V in the head right in front of me, if he knew that getting one last of his enemies was going to please his zaibatsu overlords. No way in hell I'd let that happen to my V.

I caught myself smiling like a gonk at that thought. My V. We still needed to make it official and become girlfriends. Well, we were living together already, sorta, but being old-fashioned in some aspects, I preferred to ask. Always. I got burned one too many times when I thought it was the beginning of something special, but the other side only saw it as a pleasant distraction. Wasn't gonna let me burn that again. I needed my skin for ink.

"Ms Alvarez. Judy. And are you sure?" Takemura's voice pulled me back to reality.

"Yes. I mean you can check it yourself. She's right over there, under some leaves," I shrugged.

He stood up on shaky legs and made his way to the woman's temporary resting place. He spent a few moments kneeling at her side, then looked over his shoulder and gave us another nod.

"Then it is decided. Tomorrow, we move," Like that was going to tell me anything or explain what he had in mind.

"Move where?" V asked, probably as confused as I was.

"To the facility," Takemura replied.

"Oh, how are we gonna find that?" I scoffed. Magic, surely.

"Please. Go inside. I will make everything clear in a moment," he inclined his head in what looked like a respectful half-bow and turned back to the woman. He didn't move until we did. I led V back to the house and we sat on the bed, waiting for the grand revelation.

"Sorry..." V said, reaching for my hand.

"Oh no, no, don't be. I liked that," I reassured her.

She looked up at me with a spark in her eyes, her lips curled up in a warm smile, "Yeah?"

"Oh yeah. A lot. I want more. I want you to touch me, V. When we... uh, got a moment," I chuckled and rested my forehead against her strong shoulder.

"I want to touch you, too, Joodee Aflowers. Everywhere," she admitted, making me blush. I was also feeling a bit mischievous, so I couldn't help but boop her nose, "There too?"

"Kisses, yes," she replied, and I swear, that was the cutest thing I've ever heard from another woman.

"Don't worry... I know what you mean. It's just that... conditions ain't ideal at the moment," I sighed and she agreed with a wistful nod, glancing towards the door.

"Soon. We do the thing," Oh boy, she wasn't going to waste any time... "We kill the bad ones," Oh right. That's totally what I was thinking, too, "And then I can kiss you all over," she nodded and smiled at me, blushing as furiously as I was. I couldn't help but lean in and steal a quick kiss.

"It's a deal. Gonna hold you to it," I furtively licked my bottom lip after we parted and I could just see the effect it had on V. She was suffering from a debilitating case of horny, that much was obvious.

Takemura came back into the house with bloodied hands, holding up some kind of a chip in one hand and a knife in the other, "There it is! Our passage to the facility!"

V stood up in a split second, aiming her arm blade at him, seeing his entry as a form of a threat.

"Jesus fuck, Takemura, you can't just walk in like a fuckin' psycho... Wash off that blood, put that fucking knife away and maybe then we'll talk?" I stood up as well, trying to mediate before they were going to hurt each other, "V, take it easy... he's on our side. He's just... still recovering."

The two kept staring at each other for a moment more before Takemura yielded first and moved to wash his hands with a bowl while V settled down and sat next to me again.

Finally, it was time for some explanations. According to Goro, the chip acted as a two way location system. So that was the first liability. It would show up the location of the cyberpsycho to whoever made them, but it would also guide the alleged assassin back to the facility with ease, wherever they were in the world.

"So they'll know we're coming. Great."

"They will think it is her."

"After being offline for so long? Are you out of your mind? Their recovery team or something is probably on the way, since the tech's so precious. Damnit, why didn't you tell us there's a big red target on us?" I was beginning to boil. This kind of warmth was definitely not welcome. Made me wanna slap a gonk.

"Let them come, I say. It will only make it easier to reach them," Takemura was stubborn.

"And what, let the three of us face against their squat of heavily armed, armored corpo soldiers? Man, I think your fever's gone worse," I shook my head.

"This location is remote. I do not believe they would make efforts to recover a unit that had sustained damage and likely reported it to them before going offline," he was doing his best to be optimistic.

"Then either they're stupid or out of business, because leaving this for chance isn't something I'd see a bunch of people who make chrome assassins for a living do with such ease," I spat out, frowning. V gave my hand a squeeze, and I appreciated it a lot. I wanted to strangle Takemura for interrupting us, and this convo surely wasn't helping his case. But maybe...

"Do you got any tools with you? Anything that can be used to take a look at this chip? And that's still working, of course. I could tinker with it." I offered.

"Tinker with it? And possibly obscure the location of the facility if it backfires?" He frowned and shook his head.

"No. Switch off the tracking on our side. If I can separate them or loop the signal to the last known location instead of forcing it to regularly ping and give them updates, I'd make it into a one sided guidance system. We'll have the biometrics, their systems should let us it, provided they're not big on cameras... but they won't know we're coming. Gives us an element of surprise."

Takemura did not expect that. His expression was deliciously dumbfounded.

"I do have... a small reader, yes," he started searching through his pockets and produced a device with a small screen, size of a booklet, flat but with a flexible screen so one couldn't break it when accidentally sitting on it.

"I'm gonna need some time on this. I'm gonna take my cold tea and go to the kitchen, and you two better not kill yourself while I'm busy."

"That will not be an issue. I will leave you to it and... continue recuperating," Takemura said and wiped sweat from his forehead, proceeding to lie down.

"Gonna go fish," V muttered, "Joodee gonna be okay with the thing?"

"More than okay, babe. I'll make it safer. Less fighting," I smiled. I knew V understood more than she could say, as was often the case with recovering language, but I still wanted to reassure her.

"Babe," she tilted her head to the side at me and smiled, "Like darling? Or honey?" she wondered. Maybe that was what her parents used?

"Yeah. A bit. Just for you and me," I quipped and grinned at her.

"For Joodee and V," she nodded. Yup, now we officially owned that word a bit. Together. I could go along with that.

V gave my hand one more squeeze and went to retrieve her spear, some nets, and a bucket. Watching her do spearfishing was kinda hypnotising. She did that on a few occasions, and she was quick and precise every time. Gave me a chance to ogle her a bit, too.

We had a battle to fight, so we needed to eat well. I completely understood her logic, from the survival point of view. I moved to the kitchen and booted up the reader to familiarise myself with the system and do a few checks before I could even think of connecting myself to it.

It felt really good to hold a piece of tech in my hands again. I missed it. Civilisation had left its mark on me, I wasn't a child of the wild by any stretch. I needed chrome, microprocessors, networks, and neons in my life. A part of me wondered whether V could ever find herself in an environment like that, in the long run. Something told me she'd do just fine. She'd do great. She was a natural born survivor. Well, perhaps not natural, if she really was connected to that facility in any way.

The chip had an interesting architecture. Intricate at first glance, but more as a show of know-how and to intimidate a junior techie rather than really hide something that was so simple. GPS tech was ancient by human standards in my day and age, and tweaking the whole system a bit didn't take me that long. It was enjoyable to wrestle with a bit of silicone as well. It put me right in my element, and knowing I beat it and adjusted it scratched a bit of an itch I've been having ever since I washed up on the island. There were other kinds of itches, too but... that'd have to wait for a moment of some damn privacy.

I must have been a bit out of practice, because the effort, the emotions of the day, and just everything combined had left me quite drained. When done, I safely stowed the chip and the reader – away from Takemura's grubby hands for the time being, as I didn't want him to ruin my work with his impatience, and went to bed.

When V got home, quiet as a cat on the floor, I only woke up when I felt her cuddle up to me on the bed and give me a gentle kiss on the head. Oh, this woman. She was amazing and I wanted her in my life until the end of days. I enjoyed feeling so hopelessly head-over-heels about her. Against all odds, and the wacky circumstances... it felt right. It really felt like we could make something out of it. Make it work in our own way.

I had to wait for her to fall asleep and turn to the other side. Only when I heard her calm, deep breaths did I turn around to face the uncomfortable truth. I lifted her hair gently, slowly, like a sneak-thief, and took a look at her ports in the dim moonlight that got through the windows to make the house a bit less pitch-dark. There was no escaping the facts. V's ports looked like the ones of the cyber assassin. If I were to be picky, I'd say they didn't look as... sophisticated? Less slick? Earlier iterations, perhaps, if I were to make an educated guess.

She wasn't one of them. Perhaps she had been groomed to be, but she definitely wasn't a part of some crazy bunch of assassins. I could no longer deny that the ports matched, but no one was going to take away my faith in V. I wrapped my hand around her, pulling up the blanket, and cuddled up. It was my turn to spoon her, and feeling her warmth helped me fall asleep. Even if we were on a suicide mission with Takemura, I still had my time with V. Wouldn't trade it for the world. And the facility? We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

I chose to be hopeful.