Fade Away Chapter 44: 43 - Ballad of the Buck Ravers, a cyberpunk 2077 fanfic

13/09/2077 – 9:55 PM

Clouds
-
"You're a real stone-cold bitch, did Judy ever tell you that?"

"Too many times to count, and never enough for me to care about what she'd think."

The pair stood in the middle of the penthouse, surrounded by the corpses of those that had threatened the dominance of Rogue and the Afterlife crew. The Tyger Claws were dead, bodies lay slain at V's feet as he waited for the right time. The Jinchu-Maru, blade glowing purple and slick with blood was aimed at the floor in his grip. His hand flexed tight around the grip of Johnny's Malorian as it was aimed dead at her.

V shook his head, looking straight at the two-timer. "I should've told Judy not to trust you. This was a fucking mistake. Amateur hour."

"It was either that, or you get ruined in two weeks when there's four of you left trying to defend some ruin from another life. This is just me guaranteeing my own safety, I'm sure you understand."

"Oh, I completely understand. That's corpo one-oh-one." V grunted in response. "Always ensure your own survival, before trying to screw someone else's. I just think you don't totally understand that rule. You don't take the same rulebook, and try to play a different game by those rules."

The woman in front of him soon changed her position, her own blade and pistol remaining fixed on V as she placed her back towards an elevator. In the battle, unlike V, she'd failed to take into account that somebody was coming up to the penthouse. He'd deactivated his comm on his infiltration, and there was very much the risk of it being more Tyger Claws that would be loyal to Maiko.

"Play a different game? What the fuck are you talking about, you goddamn psycho?" Maiko questioned; her finger half-ready to squeeze the trigger. One shot, that's all it would take.

V smiled, twirling the Malorian before sliding it smoothly to it's holster. He looked at the blade of the Jinchu-Maru, the purple light of the blade reflecting off his face. He soon slid the blade away, his hands falling to his hips. In her rush for answers, she'd ignored his hand falling over Jackie's pistol. "I'd turn around, Maiko. Really take a look at what you missed."

In her rush to do so, she'd almost immediately turned back on the fake assumption that V would have done anything. He'd never felt lighter in his life, like water that ebbed and flowed around an obstruction in a small riverbed. A muzzle flash, a rushed grab for his brother-in-arm's pistol, two familiar sounds.

Ding.

Bang!
-
13/09/2077
The Afterlife, Watson District
Night City, California
V
-
He wished he could have stayed in that bed, that way he would have regretted even thinking about getting out of it.

Yet, that was all in the past. He and Panam had never felt closer, and yet he had been no closer to finding the kind of closure he needed or demanded. If he ever heard mention of Adam Smasher, he felt himself falling halfway into a rage. The image of Jackie being impaled and dropped off the side of Konpeki, his frozen body in cold storage under the watch of the Devil of the Kabuki Ward.

Four days and four attacks, heavy and well-prepared, they came in thick and fast. In the day, in the night, to the Tyger Claws, it didn't matter. Gunfire would wake them up, and gunfire would keep them from falling asleep. After three straight days of it, and with no news from Judy about Maiko, he'd just about had enough of the bullshit. A series of shots woke him up from a warm bed and body next to him, he'd rushed to get up and ready, running downstairs with Silverhand's Malorian ready and willing to spit lead.

As soon as he heard the gap in the gunfire, he'd rushed to run out, squeezing the trigger repeatedly as he ducked behind a barricade next to Dum-Dum of all people. A couple of other mercs had rushed out, led by Squama and Rita. The erupting firepower came from both sides, with V popping up with potshots that were nowhere near as accurate as he usually was. It only took something close to an hour for the battle to end.

By the end, Tyger Claws once again had been put on the retreat. They'd lost more than the Afterlife crew, there was no doubt, their bodies littered the tarmacked entry. The procedure followed, burn the bodies, requisition the ammo and weapons, strip for parts. Dum-Dum had taken a high-calibre bullet to the brain, ripping half of his circuits to shreds as he dropped dead. The majority of the Maelstrom had soon replaced him with Brick, who immediately put actions into place as their second-time leader after the late Royce and Dum-Dum.

V walked down the entry, catching sight of a still-living Tyger Claw with a bullet in his leg and gut. Kicking the man over, he'd watched as he desperately (and pointlessly) reached for the barrel of the cannon. Without a care, as usual, V fired two rounds off, marking the end of the fight. The rest of the day? Quiet, more than anything else, but as the day fell away and the warm dusk melted into night, he could still feel it in his blood. He needed to do something.

He grunted, walking away before Panam rushed out, dressed and ready for a fight with others that was certain to come. "Surprised N54 hasn't reported yet."

Panam gave a small smile, hugging V tight. "Probably waiting to get us all killed beforehand so they can get that super-accurate reporting."

"Yeah, well, I don't want to give them the chance again. You seen Judy anywhere?"

"Might be upstairs with Evelyn. Want me to come up?" Panam asked.

V shrugged. "If you want. I'd rather you just gear up, and be ready. I got a plan I want to execute today, ASAP."

Panam smirked, planting a kiss on his cheek before she purred. "Roger that, sir."

He couldn't help but smile as he watched her walk away, something he thought he'd be reluctant to do. The thought of her leaving permanently flickered through his thought process before shuddering them away. He'd rather not think of the negatives as he approached the storage lockers. He'd left the one with Johnny's Porsche in locked, going to the Outlaw and opening the trunk for what felt like the first time in a millennium.

It all lay before him, a buffet of pistols, rifles, bullets and explosives. He'd quickly stripped, ridding himself of the torn kryptek uniform and getting into something more comfortable. He kept his combat boots, covering them with some black jeans before he strapped his kneepads and holsters. He dug through the duffel bag of clothes, finding an old white Crye shirt, perfect for urban warfare. It felt a little tight, even when he took his zip down. He dug through to find his heavy ballistic, throwing it over his head as it thudded heavily on his shoulders. Reminders of heavy operations, times where he felt a bullet pummel into his vest and leave heavy bruises came rushing back, to be pushed away as he tightened the straps.

He'd just gotten his elbow pads on when Rogue had made her presence known, her nails tapping against the roof of the car. V had closed the trunk, looking at the piece of clothing in her free hand. She looked angry, as if she had refused to look at V before she threw him the jacket. It was similar to the one Jackie wore but still different in it's own way. Genuine brown leather, the arms cut off with the same popped interference collar that remained a trend. It was the logo on the back that stood out. The blood-red face of an Oni, covering the gun-metal grey cybernetics underneath fading into a flame-like pattern.

"I know we haven't talked much, not recently anyway. He," Rogue stuttered. "Johnny would have wanted you to have this. I had some alterations done, for your size and specs."

V threw it on, leaving it unzipped as he showed the heavy vest that covered his torso and neck. "Thanks, Rogue. I guess you've been catching up with Spider and Blackhand."

"If you want to call it that." She'd replied, as cold as ice. "I should have apologised earlier, V. I shouldn't have forced Vik and Misty to leave you cold for me to deal with. It was an asshole move, and I fucked up, gave the game away to a lot of people. Guess even I can be an asshole sometimes."

V nodded, shifting around in the jacket before he pulled a pair of combat gloves from his back pocket, wriggling his hands inside. He offered one to Rogue. "I understand, Rogue. I'd have done the same thing if it was Jackie in Johnny's place."

Rogue swallowed her words, nodding to herself before she soon made eye contact with V. "Good, then at least it's water under the bridge. Morgan's been planning an op into the Pacifica, with Spider's help. If you're ready, we can get you in and see what we can do about getting Johnny out of your head."

"Heard. I'll come back for it when I deal with the Claws." V grunted as he reopened the trunk, Rogue moving to his side.

Rogue looked at V once more. "We have a plan for them too."

"Unless it involves going for them right now, it's not enough." The soldier grunted, sliding plates into the vest carriers for added protection before he took some pouches and started strapping them down. "I'm gonna load up, get Judy and the Mox and take it to the Claws at Clouds. Send 'em a fuckin' warning sign not to piss around with the Queen of the Afterlife or her squad."

Rogue patted him on the back. "Well didn't you grow up fast, soldier-boy? If you're ready, go and give 'em hell."

V smirked back. "Yes, Ma'am."

She'd stepped away, leading her private force of soldiers and gangoons before V went back to arm himself. He caught sight of Panam walking back out, ready and waiting to fight the Claws just as he was. Sliding magazines into his ammo pouches, he tightened his gun belt before he took a bowie knife, sliding that into a sheath just in front of his shoulder. Alongside Johnny's Malorian and Jackie's Nue, he dug through his arsenal, taking rifle mags and bandoliers filled to the brim with shotgun slugs and shells. He took two prototype Shingen SMGs, adapted drum magazines at the ready.

It was his choice of rifle that always provided the largest issue. Semi-automatic? Burst-fire? Fully automatic, just for fun? He picked up the late Oda's Jinchu-Maru high-frequency blade, sliding the protected blade across his back, feeling the magnet clip connect to the back of his vest. He'd used his shotgun holster on the vest to hold his personal pistol, the CS Unity with the genuine wooden grip on black metal.

He managed to come to a small conclusion on his final loadout. A DP12 foregrip-handle shotgun, hand-loading the slugs inside before he slung it over his shoulder. A Militech MDX rifle, loaded and chambered personally for firing 7.62 calibre bullets. He'd pulled back the hammer, clicking the safety off before he waved over Panam. Armed with his borrowed SMG, even when she looked like business, he couldn't help but smile. He'd took a small satchel, filling it to the brim with grenades and stunners before he closed the trunk.

She'd gotten closer than before. "Judy is waiting outside Building Eight with some of the Mox, she called to say she's ready and waiting. Some bitch named Maiko pulled through?"

"Yeah, bitch is about the right word," V grunted, turning to get into his car. "Let's go."

It didn't take long for them to get to the building, the Outlaw parking up right behind a convoy of four hot blue cars. V waited, watching outside through the shell of the car as some of the Tyger Claws outside started their guard rotation. As soon as they'd left their posts, Judy had gotten up from the second car, a small bulletproof vest tight over her regular overalls as she approached V's car. Rolling the windows down, she'd ducked down to speak.

"Maiko's called the Claw bosses into the penthouse two floors above Clouds," Judy stated, garnering a stern look. "It's Maiko, she does things when she does them. It's now or never, we take Clouds, Mox has a new base within Watson and Westbrook and there's no more Claws to worry about. You good?"

V nodded. "As good as it can be. Panam, go with Judy and the Mox."

"You sure?"

It had been Judy that jumped at the question. "If V is gonna infiltrate, he can do it solo. Besides, we'll need as much help getting the joy-dolls away from the Claws. If we do it quick, we can two-time it and take the maintenance elevator behind Woodman's office and corner the Claws if they try to escape."

Panam nodded, getting out of the car, prompting the rest of the Mox (including Rita) to get out too. Each one, armed to the teeth, not afraid to show off their skin and augs. V got out soon after, taking the MDX rifle and firing a series of bullets into the air, clearing the area as the Moxes charged to the entrance of the megabuilding. The Claws that were coming out to replace the others on the rotation were soon taken out, bullets ripping through their metal and flesh.

As the group rushed to the main elevator, V turned as soon as he heard the screeching of tires behind him. As soon as the Mox went up, he'd readied his rifle. More gunfire ripped through the lobby of the megabuilding from the arriving Tyger Claws. Ducking behind a noodle stand, he tried to get a few pot shots before he was forced into using his explosives. He took a stunner, spinning it across the floor before his ears rang. Soon after, a frag grenade followed. A loud crash and V leapt up and let off a series of gunshots as he pulled back towards the elevator. He at least killed two, scoring a clean headshot, as two bullets put down the other ganger following him.

He'd rushed to the second elevator, slamming an explosive charge on the first elevator prompt panel. He'd called down the elevator, ducking behind a vending machine as the Claws tried to charge forward. He'd fired blindly into the charge, nailing another two before they'd beat back to cover and popped smoke. The explosion to his right sparked out the first elevator, eliminating at least one way up or down the mega-structure. He fired of a series of precise shots, nailing another Claw in the neck before he heard the click of an empty magazine. With enough force, he'd flicked the empty magazine out, refilling the gun with bullets for it to spit back.

One Tyger had managed to get the drop on him, circling the vending machine before he got the metal elbow to the jaw, stunning him. Three shots rang out as V grabbed the man's gun arm, hoisting and breaking it before he put three holes in the gangoons, dropping the body. Gunfire continued, V throwing another frag grenade just as he heard the ding of the second elevator.

With what was left of the second magazine, he'd fired blindly in the gaps between each side of gunfire. Huddling to the side of the elevator and pressing the button for the floor below Clouds. Just as the doors closed, he slammed down another charge on the prompt outside. Just as he fell back to the little cover he had; he felt the ping of a bullet just scrape the area next to his ear. The doors closed, slamming shut and sealing the lift as it rocketed up.

The ringing didn't stop, it circled and swirled in his ear as he slammed his hand to cover what was left of his hearing. His rifle hand went limp, the gun dropping to the floor grating as he tried to find his balance, his equilibrium. It took a solid fifteen minutes to get up to his desired floor, and he could just about hear the sounds of combat above, the Moxes against their mortal enemies in the Claws.

He picked up his rifle, and just as he reloaded it once again, he felt his holo-cell ringing. It was an unknown number, one that he answered nonetheless. He spat out his greeting. "Fuck is this?"

"Is that any way of greeting anyone who holds real power over this city?" the voice over the holo replied. "Is that any way of greeting your betters?"

V let out a guttural growl, shaking the ringing from his head. "Maiko."

"The one and only. I assume Judy told you the plan? Infiltrate through my office, sneak through to the penthouse and eliminate the Claw bosses."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be there."

V cut off the call as soon as he could have, and even when Maiko had tried to call back more than three times, he tried to ignore it. That was at least until she had called another three times, in which V had eventually decided to answer. Her logo was that of a pink tiger, prowling around before it faded away to her face, glaring at him from the small audio box in the corner of his HUD.

"Are you done being immature like the rest of your moxie little harem?" Maiko questioned, sternly.

"Depends, you have something to say that's worth my time? I generally value who I talk to less when they act like an arrogant piece of shit." V spat back.

Maiko looked as if she were about to grind her teeth into dust. "You've got a group of Claws waiting for you on the eighty-fifth floor, armed and ready to turn you into paste. Good luck, asshole."

As soon as the holo cut out and his HUD was clear, he looked to the small venting grate in the roof of the elevator. With two precise shots, he stowed the rifle before he leapt up, ripping the grate off before climbing onto the top of the elevator. The gunshots were louder, reverberating across and along with the empty space due to the acoustics before the elevator thundered to a sudden stop. The gates of the heavy elevator rattled open, the shutters folding back into their holds as the Tyger Claws rushed inside, clearing it within seconds.

Tightening the sling for the MDX, he slipped it to the left side of his back next to the sword and heavy shotgun. Taking his Unity pistol, he checked the magazine was filled with hollow points, flicking off the safety. He took another stunner, pulling the pin before he dropped it through the grate, covering his ears and looked away as the stunner 'nade popped repeatedly. In his moment, V readied himself with his pistol and knife before he dropped in.

He'd softened his drop by using the man directly below him to soften his fall. The way he folded; his spine must have been snapped in half. The man next to him veered into V by accident, shaken out of his forced stupor when the cold blade of a knife was rammed through his skull. There were three more in the elevator, followed by the fireteam of gangoons that were still reeling from the stunner flash. V ripped the knife out, throwing it into the throat of the furthest soldier, who gripped desperately at the handle. Shots followed, gunfire ringing out on two floors of Megabuilding Eight.

The shots ripped through the faux leather of one Tyger Claw soldier. Blood spurted through the tears in the jacket, before V hauled his body through the open door into the stunned team outside. The final soldier in the lift had his head caved in, and even when he tried to fight back, he had gone for the gun in V's hand, the magazine emptied into his chest before the slide was torn off in desperation. V, in anger, slammed the gun into a gunshot wound, jabbing it repeatedly until the man stopped fighting back, falling into the corner of the elevator with the gun jammed in his chest.

As V stormed out, he'd dropped a frag in the centre of the elevator, the explosion sending it charging down the elevator shaft to block anyone else coming up behind him. Ripping the Malorian from his holster, he'd flexed his new prosthesis, the black and blue digits sparking wildly as he put two in the chest of his nearest opponent. His next enemy took a right jab to the chest, electricity effusing from his new prosthesis as he sent the tattooed fighter into a heavy stone pillar, jolting from the heavy static shock.

The stunner effects had soon worn off on the soldiers. They'd picked themselves up, dusted themselves down and tried to fight back against the unstoppable force that was the Militech agent they'd been warned against. Five more soldiers left, to his count. One of which had his arm wrenched behind his back as a shield, ripped to shreds by his own men as V ducked behind a pillar to his left. The storm of bullets began tearing away at the pillar, marble and stone ripped from their place as V dug through his satchel. One more stunner left, he pulled the pin and slid it across the floor.

Nine pops, and V rushed from his crouched position as he aimed what was left of the Malorian's magazine at his closest opposing combatant. Holes were blown through his torso, his leg blown off at the thigh as he dropped to the floor. Releasing the empty mag, he felt one of the Claws grab at his hand. His shock-arm augmentation hadn't charged. Grabbing at the small barrel underneath the Malorian's main barrel, he'd squeezed it hard before a stream of liquid flames spurted out, flung all over the open lobby as it burnt one of the soldiers alive. Ripping the gun from his opponent's grip, V delivering a harsh uppercut before his monowire slid out from under his wrist. The ultra-heated fibre-wire whipped around, and as the Malorian was thrown to the floor, V twirled into a swirling storm of super-heated fibre death.

The wire glowed a hot red, twirling around as it sliced through ligament, bones and flesh like it was nothing. The soldier close to him who had been grappling went first, in an ungracious manner. The wire cut through his knees, dropping him down to his stumps before it sliced off his left arm, bisecting his head soon after. It whipped away soon after, as V drew the Jinchu-Maru in a last-ditch effort as the final soldier charged him, shotgun at the ready.

It took two slices, the high-frequency blade cleanly cutting through the prosthetic left arm before the final cut was completely vertical. High-frequency blades were rare, each one forged from a genuine samurai blade. It's purple glow left a mark on any material it touched, organic or synthetic and artificial. The halves of the final man fell to the floor, and V soon continued on his way. He sheathed the Maru, picked up the Malorian and reloaded it as he marched forward.

His holo went off again, the number naming itself to Maiko Maeda which he promptly ignored. Strolling through the lobby, he'd holstered the pistol before taking the MDX, scanning the entrance to the maintenance tunnels and corridors before he snuck inside. He'd checked his corners, constantly turning to cover his exposed six, the one downside as a solo operator was that he had nobody to cover him if he needed it.

The holo went off again, the call being Rita instead of Maiko. He answered quickly. "Go for it, Wheeler."

"We've got into the club, Panam and Judes are freeing the dolls right now, but the Claws are really fuckin' tight up here. Where you at?"

"Heading up to the penthouse, you need reinforcements?"

The sound of a heavy revolver pounded through the holo-call. "Nah, we'll be fine! Just hurry your ass up, so we can double-prong those fucks in the pent."

"Affirm, Wheeler."

The call ended, and it was a graciously short and prompt call, a little like Wheeler herself. No playing, no stress, she was just straight up. So, he continued on, stalking through the darkness as blaring lights lingered and swerved around corners and alcoves. There was the general alarm for the next ten floors up and down, an odd occurrence, but one that was guaranteed multiple times a year. Heavy gunfire and explosions, stay inside your homes, lock the doors.

Eventually, he had found the same dead-end that he had found alongside Judy when he first met Maiko. Stowing the MDX, he approached the terminal and took his wire, plugging in as he slowly (he wasn't exactly known as a pro-net-runner) broke through the ICE security. The gunfire had died out, but it wasn't not present as he slinked through the utility and maintenance halls, shots ringing out as the door into Maiko's office peeled open, allowing the ex-corpo to slip inside.

The office was as elegant as it was when he left it. Old-world oriental art, traditional Japanese kanji that read out something he didn't entirely understand. He cleared the office, rushing to the holo-monitor that was connected to Maiko's computer. Breaking in, he'd managed to turn off the majority of the Clouds' automated security before moving on. Taking out the Nue, observing that in bronze engraving the barrel read La Chingona Dorada as he left the office. The hallway was empty, and V could only assume that they had rushed to defend the penthouse or main floor of Clouds.

Rushing to the elevator down the hall, he'd rushed inside and gone for the penthouse. That was at least before the power cut out for a moment. Activating his HUD, V called Panam. "What's happening? The elevator just shorted out?"

Panam was sweating, rushing around through her cam. "Judy's trying to break the hive-ICE which is linking the girls here to the Clouds database. Every girl is connected to the main network, as soon as we break that, we can lock the lower door and come up. Just give it a minute, and…. There. Power's back on, we'll call you when we're on the way up. Judy said there's an elevator direct to the penthouse from Woodman's office."

"Heard. Take care." V gave a curt smile.

Panam's was so much more genuine. "You too. Kick some ass, babe."

The elevator restarted, a whirring sound above his head and beneath his feet as it shot up. The glass window allowed him to look out below, a mass of whirring lights and patrolling AVs around the building. No Arasaka marks, but one was covered in graffiti and flying rather erratically unlike the others. As the elevator ground to a halt, he scanned around the lobby of the penthouse before he realised that not a single guard was present again. Rushing up to the main room up the steps, he burst inside.

The room was a pristine one, with black marble floors that shone and reflected anyone that stepped upon it. The walls, coated in a bright off-white as the main guests of Maiko Maeda were flat out on the fine black leather couch in the middle of the room. Each of them was connected to a small device on the coffee table in front of them, a small remote in Maiko's hand. Two other joy-dolls were present, their hands stroking the three men on the couch before Maiko clicked her tongue, an order to leave or pay the price.

"Was hoping that you would make less trouble getting in than you would getting out." Maiko tutted, as the door closed behind the girls. "Luckily, they're all jacked into virtus. It'd be game over otherwise. A little gift before the inevitable end of their reign, so to say."

Johnny appeared, leaning against the wall beside the window that Maiko was looking out of. "You could have snuck in or done it your way, she'd still be breaking your balls. This chick'll give you shit no matter what you fuckin' do. Real charmer this one."

"You could have called off the guards. Would've been quicker, less bloody if you'd preferred." V grunted in return. "But let me guess, you ain't got the authority?"

Maiko shrugged. "You're a lot smarter than the attack dog that I took you for. Maybe there are some brains under all the bullets, metal and Kevlar. Of course, I don't have authority, not yet anyway."

"Don't have authority, yet?" V questioned. "You sound damn sure of yourself for a head joy-doll."

"I left no room for error, V. We are exactly where we need to be," Maiko replied, taking a huff from her electronic cigarette before she nodded to the long-haired man in front of her. "Our target, Hiromi Sato. Head of Clouds."

The two others to Sato's right were garbed in expensive suits, garish reds and pure blues. One slightly larger than the other, both plugged into the same virtu that he assumed Sato was plugged into. Maiko let out a wry smile, her free hand stroking their shoulders as she took another huff of her e-cig. The way she strolled around the room, how she strutted as if she had total control, oozed the dominance that she thought she had.

"Who are the other two? What they watching?" V asked.

"Demo reel, the next top doll for Clouds, selected by yours truly. She'll replace Evelyn if she's up to the task." Maiko announced, almost proud. "The one in red, Takumi Minamino, he runs security for the Claws. The one in blue is Yuito Himura, who runs the finances. They'll watch Sato piss himself to death, and then give me total control of this little business of ours."

V squinted, taking out the Malorian. "That wasn't the deal, not from what I know. We kill Sato, the Mox takes Clouds."

Johnny appeared again, standing right next to Maiko with his arms folded. "The audacity of this bitch. Yo, V, look at me. Do you see this? This is the look of un-fucking-surprise on my face."

Maiko strolled away. "I know the Tyger Claws, I know they answer to Arasaka. Power, to them, it's a question of strength and ruthlessness. This is the only way forward."

V flicked the safety off, ripping the Jinchu-Maru from it's sheath. "The only way forward, for you maintain power."

"It's the way the game is played. I just play by the rules of it." Maiko replied, the grin on her face said it all. She'd played to win, no matter what side she was on. "I'm jacking them out. They will not be happy when they wake up. One show ends, another begins. Just as good and unforgettable, you understand?"

The one in blue woke up first, his sight a buzz and blurry before he shook them away. He looked around, his partner in the same situation as Maiko took her prideful spot in front of both of them. He looked, if anything, nonplussed. "What is this? What's going on?"

V stood next to Maiko, a part of her little demonstration. "This is a living demonstration that Sato's time is up. This mercenary has already disrupted Clouds twice, killing Woodman and Jotaro Shobo in Kabuki. Now, she's invaded Sato's residence. The Mox control Clouds right as we speak, freeing the dolls from the network, killing countless amounts of our soldiers. It has been too long that I have witnessed Sato's inept endeavours. He has outlived his usefulness."

The man in red spoke next. "Am I to understand that the future manager of our establishment is in front of us right now, speaking with such zeal and malice to destroy the business we own to make a point."

V didn't speak, but he took note of when Judy tried to ring him. He declined the call, pinging her a message that Maiko was going rogue. She'd soon messaged back that the network was down, the dolls were free and that the Mox was coming upstairs to clean up. Yet, the elevator that was at the right of the room looked like it was deactivated. He messaged her again, saying that it looked deactivated, that Maiko was cutting a deal with the Claws themselves.

"This wasn't part of the deal Maiko. Never should have dealt with you in the first place…"

Yuito glared at V. "I see that not all has been agreed with you and your mercenary friend here. So, this is the one that Saburo-dono and Takemura-san told us of."

"Clouds is declaring it's independence. Sato is going, and so are you too." V announced, causing Maiko to crush her e-cig in her tight grip. "So is someone else if she doesn't cooperate."

Takumi was next. "And what would you propose they do at Clouds, if you kill the clients after this little escapade, fuck one another all day instead?"

"It won't need Tyger Claw bosses when we have the Mox ready and willing to take over for you. They'll expand over Watson and Westbrook, look after the girls on the street and kill anyone who dares try anything stupid." V grinned. "Consider this revenge, for what you did to Suzy Q and to Lizzie's Bar."

Maiko stared at V, her eyes afire as she turned to him. "I think you are forgetting that I will be replacing Sato. Somebody has to run this place from the top-down."

"Yeah, Maiko, and it's gonna be the Mox."

Yuito's hands soon fashioned themselves into fists. "I detest this anarchy, all this fucking chaos."

"I will have it under control, Mr Himura."

"You, Maeda, cannot even control your own fucking mercenary," Takumi growled. "Sato will answer for his incompetence later. You will answer for your insolence, as of now."

V didn't utter a word. Just as Takumi and Yuito stood up to fight, he'd put two bullets a piece in their gut, dropping them back down onto the couch, oozing blood and guts all over the clean leather. Their bodies were lack empty sacks, whatever was inside dripping into the couch or onto the marble. V ended them with his blade, slicing their throats slowly before Maiko put a bullet in the head of Sato.

The former Claw boss walked away, her gun still in her hand as she paced. She'd soon aimed it at V, a panicked motion that V could see was not one she would follow through on. He could hear Johnny laugh in the back of his mind as V caught sight of the elevator sign. It was on, and it was coming up to the penthouse. Her aim was shaky, the barrel occasionally lilting to the left or the right as she tried to keep it aimed at V.

"What the hell were you thinking, V?" She questioned, immediately demanding an answer.

V shrugged, aiming the hand-cannon at her. "Me, personally? I was thinking that we don't deal with Claws, and as a rule, I don't do deals with traitors. Professional courtesies and such."

"You didn't see the bigger picture! You merc types never do!" Maiko exclaimed. "Do you have any idea what will happen now?"

"No, but paint a picture for me, Maiko, in your own style and in your own time."

Maiko grimaced, firing a shot just away from his feet. V didn't flinch. "Fuck you, V! They'll have their revenge, you just turned Clouds into a ticking time bomb."

V grunted, before he gave the most menacing grin he could. "By the time I'm done with this city, with Arasaka, there won't be any Tyger Claws to worry about. This revenge you were talking about? Half-baked, and it won't happen. Not with the Mox in charge."

Maiko cried. "I didn't make a deal with Mox! I was gonna make a deal with the Tyger Claws, this place would have been mine!"

"And it wouldn't have changed a bit. You are one dumb bitch." V stated, laughing. "I'm sorry but did anyone ever tell you you're a real stone-cold bitch, did Judy ever tell you that?"

"Too many times to count, and never enough for me to care about what she'd think."

V shook his head, looking straight at the two-timer. "I should've told Judy not to trust you. This was a fucking mistake. Amateur hour."

"It was either that, or you get ruined in two weeks when there's four of you left trying to defend some ruin from another life. This is just me guaranteeing my own safety, I'm sure you understand."

"Play a different game? What the fuck are you talking about, you goddamn psycho?" Maiko questioned; her finger half-ready to squeeze the trigger. One shot, that's all it would take.

The sound of the elevator doors behind her shuffling open, Judy and Panam, followed by the Mox behind her with the joy-dolls who wished to join them. Maiko was surrounded on all sides, and as soon as she aimed directly at Judy, Panam had put three bullets in her chest.

Clouds, was now the property of the Mox.