V leaned forward on Harry's bike, edging it between the platforms that led up to the terrace she was meeting Judy on. The bike was easy to control while flying. It was almost the same as riding it on the ground, though leaning held more control over the direction than it did before.

She lowered the bike till the wheels touched the platform, then cut the engine. There was a slight jolt as the suspension groaned under the sudden weight of the bike. Judy was leaning over the half-wall that separated the terrace from the platforms between the buildings. Her mouth had dropped open as she watched V, a half-finished cigarette dangling loosely between her fingers.

V sat back, a smirk on her lips as she crossed her arms. "Hey, Judy."

"Fuck, V, I didn't think you were serious about that flying bike shit."

V shrugged as she dismounted, grabbing the keys to stuff them into a pocket. She would not be the reason Harry's bike got stolen. "Least you got a better intro to it than I did." She hopped up to sit on the wall and spun to face the building. "So what's the plan here?"

Judy shook her head as she pushed off the wall. She took a drag of her cigarette, still eyeing the bike as she moved over to V. "First things first." She held out the shard that V had given her.

"See anything interesting?" V said as she took it back.

"Still sifting through most of it." She finished the cig and threw it over the wall. "But what I did see... Gonna need some serious shit to mess with that thing."

"Mikoshi," V said. "That's the only place that has the kinda equipment we'd need." That was what Johnny thought, at least. "Trouble is, the only connection to it is underneath Arasaka Tower."

"Fuck, you got a plan for that yet."

"Nope."

"What about that contact you had?"

"Fell through."

"Shit." Judy's leg bounced against the concrete floor. "I'll keep lookin' through that data. But, unless-"

"I know," V snapped at Judy. She rubbed at her temples and held up a hand to stop Judy's coming tirade. "I know. You let me worry about getting where I need to be."

"Nuh-uh," Judy stood and glared at V. "I'm not playin' that game with you. You helped Evie and you're helpin' me with my shit. So you can bet I'll help with yours."

"I don't wanna drag anyone else down with me Judy."

Judy scoffed. "Too late."

V gritted her teeth. This wasn't what she had in mind when giving Judy that shard. She expected Judy to spout out some technical jargon and be done with the whole thing. That was all V had asked for.

She slid off the wall, joining Judy on the terrace. "Well, I should hold up my end then." She nodded at the door in front of them. "Let's get this over with."

Judy sighed, but backed off. "Let me get the door open." She moved over to a black panel that was tucked into the wall.

"Anything you can tell me about this contact of yours?" V asked, rolling her shoulders in anticipation.

"Yeah." Judy opened the panel and was fiddling with the components inside. "Talkin' with Maiko's like a game of 3D chess, don't let her derail you." She looked over her shoulder. "In fact, leave the talking to me. Just in case."

"What, I'm just supposed to stand there." V scoffed. "I ain't mindless muscle, you know."

"I know." Another look, this time paired with a grin. "You're far too good looking for that."

V coughed, feeling a heat crawl up her cheeks. Johnny groaned from the back of her mind. "How you aim to get her over to our side?"

Judy closed the panel and turned back around. "Tell the truth." She lit up another cigarette, hands shaking slightly as she took a long drag from it. "About Evelyn and the whole situation."

"You think that's gonna work?"

"No. Gotta improvise from there." Judy opened the door and slipped inside.

Maiko's office practically oozed corpo ostentatiousness. It was big and empty, with more Japanese wall decorations than V could shake a stick at. A small seating area filled with flat, uncomfortable-looking couches was inset into the floor. Maiko herself was sitting behind an enormous desk that had next to nothing on it. Spare a computer and a few sparse decorations.

Maiko reflected the same copro neo-kitsch aesthetic. A pink spotted jacket, with matching hair. The sleeves covered in dark pink feathers. Thick eyeliner that was winged out, and blue lipstick that just left her looking more sickly than sexy.

"Judy Alvarez. I'd say it's great to see you, but I've never been one to lie." Maiko leaned back in her chair as she crossed her legs. Her eyes flicked over to V. "Also, I've never liked surprise parties, which you know."

"Yup," Judy said as she stopped in front of Maiko, arms crossed. "Bet I know the reason why too."

"Thought you'd hit rock bottom when you joined the Mox." Maiko was staring at V now, her lips curled in disgust. "Guess you've managed to stoop even lower now. Consorting with common thugs." She leaned forward. "Yes V, I'm talking about you."

V let a smirk slide onto her face as she allowed some of Johnny's swagger to leak through. "Sounds like I left an impression on this place… Good." She stepped back, circling behind Judy to get Maiko's attention on her instead of V. "Besides, I'm not really here right now. Just consider me part of your tasteful decor."

She was still focused on V. "That's no reason. Why come at all?"

"To make sure Judy gets what she came for."

"Jude woulda had a better chance without you."

V gritted her teeth and fought back the urge to snap back. "Judy has a proposal- About Clouds."

Maiko looked over at Judy. "Wanna come back?" Before Judy could reply, Maiko stood and made her way around her chair as she kept speaking. "Done. Always valued your skills, you know." She stopped at the large mirror set up against the wall, checking her makeup on it. As she finished, she glanced over her shoulder at V. "Just don't get why you had to drag this... Loose end in here."

Judy leaned on the deck, using her arms to prop herself up. "Stop treating dolls like meat and I'll consider it. But first things first." She pushed away from the desk, spreading her arms as she got to her main point. "Clouds needs to be taken from the Tyger Claws."

Maiko sighed and turned around to face Judy. She walked as she spoke, moving around the end of her desk to join the two of them. "Ok, look. It's clear what happened to Ev was… Traumatic."

"Huh?" Judy ducked around Maiko's hand as it reached out to caress her cheek. She took a few steps back to stand next to V. "I was convinced you didn't know."

"That girl was asking for an unhappy ending," Maiko said as grabbed a cigarette from the pack on the desk. "I was surprised you and your friend managed to rescue her."

"We were lucky." Judy's voice raised as she got more impassioned. "Not everyone is. We gotta do something. Woodman raped her while she was unconscious, then sold her. Like she was so much scrap."

"Yeesh." Maiko rolled her eyes. "You've always been unstable." She took a drag of her cigarette, blowing the smoke into Judy's face as she turned to V. "Ok, since you seem more reasonable. Care to explain what this is about?"

"You aware of what Woodman did to Evelyn when she was desperate for help?" V glared at Maiko, leaning in a jabbing a finger in her direction. "You sit by and let that happen?"

There was no immediate answer from Maiko. Instead, she stood up, taking another drag from her cig as she walked back around her desk. When she had sat back down, she answered, "Tyger Claw bosses rule this place. You know how much I mean to them?" Another drag of the cig. Smoke curling into the air around Maiko's face. "About as much as you two and your problems mean to me. Read, negligible. Besides." She leaned back in her chair. "Woodman's already out of the picture."

"What do you mean?" Judy asked as she leaned onto the desk again.

"I mean what I said." Maiko put out her cig on the ashtray attached to her desk. "Woodman's already gone. Disappeared soon after your attack dog here came through." She shrugged and crossed her arms. She raised an eyebrow at V. "I assumed you had just come back to finish the job."

V shared a look with Judy, who shook her head. V moved on. She had her own suspicions about who made Woodman magically disappear. But she would hash that out later. Away from prying ears.

"Doesn't make you wonder why you even work here?" V asked.

That seemed to be the wrong thing to say. "Gonna pretend as if you two weren't ever here. For old time's sake, Judy." Maiko pulled out another cig as she tapped something onto her keyboard. "Literally moments from now, security's gonna figure out you're here. Got two options. Go out the way you came in, or get thrown out." She lit the cig and looked up at them with a bored expression. "And that's not a threat. Or a figure of speech. Just a friendly heads up."

"Had enough," Judy said with a growl. "I'm leaving."

"Smart move."

V wasn't quite done with Maiko. As Judy stormed out, V leaned onto Maiko's desk, a scowl pulling at her lips. "You picked the wrong side, Maiko."

"I'll be the judge of that."

V pushed off the desk, turning to leave. As she did, she couldn't help one more jab at the woman. "Oh, since you're so beholden to the Claws," she looked over her shoulder, giving Maiko a vicious grin. "Tell em, Shi no masuta sends his regards." V swept out the door before Maiko could properly respond, but she relished the yelp she heard. More than likely Maiko had dropped her cig and burned herself.

Judy was already leaning against Harry's bike, petting a siamese cat that was sitting on the bike's gas tank. She looked up as V vaulted over the wall and leaned against it in one smooth motion. They stayed like that for a moment. Long enough that V noticed the cat's green eyes.

"That went… Smoothly," Judy said. She slammed her hand into the bike's fender. "She totally blew us off."

"Prolly needs some time to think." V doubted that. But maybe they could at least convince her not to interfere with their plans. "Coupla days tops."

Judy nodded. "Yeah, you might be right. I'll call her tomorrow."

"Hey, you wanna come with me real quick?" V asked. "Got something I want to check out, related to this whole." She waved her hand around. "Thing."

"What's that?"

"I think I know who got to Woodman." V stood and approached the bike. She scratched under the cat's chin, causing it to close its eyes and purr. "Just need to confirm if they also went after the ripperdoc that sold Evelyn too."

Judy's nose scrunched up. "That Fingers guy? Do we really care if he bit it, too?"

"It's not that I care." V picked up the cat, cradling it for a second before setting it on the ground. "It's more… Curiosity I guess."

V settle herself on the bike and turned to Judy. She stood off to the side, chewing on her lip as she shifted her weight from foot to foot. "I don't know V…" she trailed off before squaring her shoulders and pointing at V. "Fine. But if anything weird happens."

V laughed as she leaned on the handlebars. "You're about to get on a flying motorcycle. I think we've left weird behind a long time ago, Judes."

Judy huffed, but got on the bike. She settled in behind V, wrapping her arms around V in the same way she had with Harry. As the bike rumbled to life and inched forward, V felt Judy's head bury itself into her back. She chuckled as they dropped off the platform, the bike's tires spinning lazily as it floated in the air.

"Come on, Judy, you're missing the best part," V said as she pulled up and out of the cluster of buildings.

"I'll take your word for it," Judy mumbled into V's jacket.

The buildings fell away as they soared through the air. V let herself enjoy the wind in her hair for a moment before angling the bike onto one of the many overpasses that cut through Night City. She merged with traffic; the bike bouncing beneath them as they landed on the road. Judy lifted her head slightly as she looked around.

"What? You thought I flew through NC all the way here?" V called back to her.

"What?" Judy called back, her voice fighting against the roaring wind.

V sighed and activated her holo, ringing up Judy. After a second, the call connected a picture of Judy's squinting face in her hud. "Might be easier to talk like this, huh?"

"Probably," Judy said.

"So, not to poke at any hard feelings. But it seems like you and Maiko have a history." V said.

Judy nodded against V's back. "Yeah, way back when. Think I just felt lonely."

"Like everyone in Night City."

"She was different then, or at least I like to think so." Judy paused. "I think I was too."

V leaned with the bike as she caught an off-ramp, "I've found you can't trust people like that. They see everything as a numbers game. Line between patting you on the back, and plantin' a knife in you, is down to a decimal point."

"I know." Judy's voice had turned hoarse with emotion, though V couldn't pin down a precise one. "Right there with you. I… Well, used to have a crush on her. Took me a long time to believe she wasn't what I thought. But still. Honest or crooked… We need her." She sighed. "Huh, just think, I coulda been divin' this mornin'."

"That sounds nice. Little unwindin'd do you good. Me too now that I think about it."

They fell into silence the rest of the way to Jig-Jig street. It was still in the same state that V remembered from when she had been looking for Evelyn. The gaudy neon sign that boasted the street's name hung between the two steel pillars that held up the buildings above it.

It was crowded, as usual, with people from all walks of life. Corpo's dressed down to blend in with the crowds. Joytoys plying their trade from nearly every corner. Street merchants vying for any attention they could bring to their stores. And the regulars, who slipped in and out of the buildings with practiced ease.

V and Judy made their way to Finger's clinic, with Judy following behind V as she slipped around the crowd. They found it with nobody around, the door open to the world. It was eerie to find the place this dead. No one had even moved into the shop to replace the ripperdoc. Nothing was disturbed, even some of the shinier pieces had been left behind.

They soon found out why, when entering the back area, Fingers had taken them to talk. Painted on the wall in bright red was a bit of Japanese kanji. It bore the same message that hung on the plaque outside Lizzie Bar.

Death's Master Watches Us.

V sucked in a breath. This confirmed her suspicion. And, by the inarticulate growl she heard from Judy, she was making the same connection.

"That mother-fucking, gonk-ass, culero-" her cursing descended into an inarticulate scream of rage. She grabbed the silver statue of a woman's torso, that had been serving as Fingers ashtray, and flung it against the red lettering. The ceramic shattered against the wall, spraying dust and debris across the room.

Judy stood there staring at the spot that she had hit. Her chest heaving, teeth bared. She looked ready to punch the next person who pissed her off, so V approached with caution.

"Judy?" she said, taking a tentative step forward.

"After all that talk about revenge, and how they should just be forgotten," she gestured wildly at the lettering. "And then we find out he pulls this shit?"

"Totally get that, but-"

"No, no buts, this is bullshit!"

V didn't have a response to that. She could see for herself how hypocritical this whole situation was. But, her mind reasoned, it was a kind of hypocrisy she could understand. It didn't seem to be born out of a desire to put others down, like with the corpos who touted clean living but would inject just about every substance available.

"You know, looking at it now," Harry's voice floated over from the entrance to the room. He tilted his head as he stared at the wall. "I think it's crooked."

Judy was across the room, and in Harry's face by the time he finished speaking. "The fuck is your deal? You tell me to let it go, forget the people that fucked with Evelyn. Then you do this shit?"

"This oughta be good," Johnny said. He appeared, lounging on the messy bed, his hand resting between his head and the headboard. There was a smirk on his face as he watched Judy verbally tear Harry apart. "Girl's got some balls, that's for sure."

V grabbed Judy around her middle and lifted her away from Harry. As V moved her, Judy lashed out with hands and feet, attempting to claw her way back. "Put me down, let me at him. Quiero patear su maldita cara!"

"O-kay, why don't we not kick anyone right now," V said. She spun and dropped Judy so V was in the way of Judy's target. "Let's hear what he has to say."

"Oh come on V, let her at him."

"Not helping," V said with a hiss at Johnny.

"Where's the fun in that?"

Judy had stopped trying the push past V. Instead, she opted to prowl across the zebra print carpet, glaring daggers at Harry. After a moment, she calmed down enough to stand, though the glare remained. "Well? You gonna talk? Or just stand there?"

"That depends," Harry said.

"On what?"

"Your questions." He walked across the room, kicking at the larger chunks of broken ceramic on the floor. He gestured to the red lettering. "I assume they're about this?"

"You're damn right," Judy said. "You got me to stand down before. Then you go and do this? Why?"

"Because you were right. They needed to be taken care of." Harry's fingers trailed across the paint. "However, in that moment, Evelyn needed you."

"So you told me bullshit to get me to do what you wanted."

"Not at all."

"Why even leave Evelyn's implant behind then?"

"To see what you would do." A smile, bigger than any V had seen from Harry yet, split his lips. His eyes twinkled as he spread his arms, flaring his coat. "And, Judy Alvarez, you did not disappoint."

V had to grab Judy again as she tried to storm past her. "Culero, que te chingue un pez!"

"You better start explaining yourself right now," V said as she wrangled with Judy. "Or let her go."

"Ah, yes, well," Harry tilted his head, seeming to sort through his thoughts. "First, I'm sorry. Just need to get that out there. Second, no matter what you did, Ms. Alvarez, I would not have thought less of you."

He paused again, rubbing at his brow as he turned in the small, dingy space. He waved his hand, clearing out the ceramic debris and shoving it into a corner.

"I assume you know about my history with the Mox?"

Judy nodded, "Yeah, found that out while you worked on Evie."

"You remind me of Lizzie, you know? You and she shared the same passion. To protect. To build something better." Harry grabbed the only chair in the room, spinning it around so he could sit facing the two of them. "I needed to see how deep those similarities went."

"Coulda got to know me the normal way," Judy said, scowling down at him. "Instead of this, manipulative bullshit."

"Possibly, though I haven't been known for the best decisions." He leaned back, crossing his legs.

Judy snorted. "So what, you find what you needed?"

"Yes!," Harry said as he shot to his feet. "I did. I found that passion doesn't just extend to your friends. Which is what I was looking for. You care, a quality that is in rather short supply these days."

Judy's lips pursed as she regarded Harry. She shuffled her feet, eyes wandering back to the lettering on the wall. "I couldn't just… Do nothing."

"Exactly!" Harry paced across the room, gesturing around at the gray walls and tacky decor that had been Fingers style. "You saw all this. And instead of ducking your head once your friend was safe. You looked back and wanted to do something about it." He stopped in front of Judy. "You, Judy Alvarez, looked back and cared."

"Can't sit back and do nothin'."

"Good. I want to help."

Judy jerked back, nearly running into the nightstand next to the bed. "The hell, after the shit you just pulled?" She shook her head. "No, fuck no. I- I need some fucking air." She pushed past V, storming out the door.

V jabbed a finger in Harry's direction. "Stay," she said before following Judy.

She was outside, leaning against the red brick of the building. Another cigarette was in her hand, its smoke curling in the stagnate morning air. She glanced over at V as she exhaled smoke out her nose.

"You know those things'll kill you," V said. "What's that, like, your third one today?"

"Sixth for today actually," Judy wrinkled her nose at the cig. She took one more drag off it before flicking it out into the street. "You wanna know the sad part? Been clean for a few years now. Least till all this shit happened."

"I'm sorry-"

"Not your fault." Her shoulders slumped as she kicked at a bit of trash. "Feels like these past few weeks have been some kinda fever dream."

"Wish it were that." V joined Judy on the wall.

She glanced over at V again. "Is it weird I'm considering his offer?" she asked. "I hate that he pulled that bullshit, messin' with my life like that. But…" She chewed on her lip. "He was right. I was all hopped up to put a bullet in Woodman's head. In anyone's head, for what they did to Evelyn."

"So you're just gonna let him off the hook?"

"Hell no," Judy pushed off the wall. "He's still a gonk-ass culero. Didn't let me decide that for myself. Let'm stew for a bit. Got things I need to set up. I'll give ya a call when stuff's ready."

V watched as Judy disappeared into the crowd. She sighed and slumped against the wall. It felt like she'd been up a whole day, though the chrono in her hud told her it was barely past nine. Had it only been two hours so far today? And she still had to deal with Harry.

V was ready for it to be over.

As she stood to head back into the abandoned clinic, her holo rang. Panam's contact info flashed across her eyes, causing her to furrow her brow.

"Panam?" V asked once she opened the call.

"V, I need your help." Panam's voice was high-pitched and hurried. "Saul's been taken."

A/N: Yay, chapter 11 is done! I am now like Samwise Gamgee. I've taken that step beyond where I've been before. Anyway, hope y'all enjoyed the chapter. Kudos and comments as always are appreciated! I'll see you in the future!