V handed one of the two water bottles to Padre before sitting down across from him. She leaned against the wall, her feet hanging off the edge of the booth. She took a gulp of her own water before speaking.
"Thanks for coming," V said.
"Of course, V," Padre nodded. "I was a bit surprised by your request to talk, but I will always be there to guide God's children."
"God's children?" V raised an eyebrow at the ex-priest. "I'm an alien. I'm called the Heywood Devil."
"Even Lucifer was an angel before he was cast out of Heaven," Padre said. He took a sip of his own water as he thought over V's first point. "If God created the Heavens and all the cosmos, would you not also be a child of God?"
"Maybe… maybe. On Narjahim, gods were immortal soldiers. Something to fear, not worship."
"Really? You don't seem like the god fearing type."
"I'm not. Religion died before my birth. It was just tradition. All for show."
"Interesting," Padre wondered out loud. He took another sip of water then wiped off his mustache. "I doubt you asked me here to debate theologies. Why don't you tell me what is troubling you?"
V let out a quiet sigh. She took another large gulp of water; a small part of her wishing is was liquor. The green woman sat up in the booth to directly face Padre.
"I need an outside opinion," V said. "Everything feels like it's… falling apart. Like things are... like something bad is going to happen." She was struggling to find the right words to describe her anxiety.
"You are anticipating a great change," Padre nodded. "The whole world is going through a change. Power dynamics are shifting. I can only imagine how this is affecting you."
"I suppose," V mumbled.
"What are some of the things pushing on you?"
"The corpos, for starters."
"Are they still bothering you?" Padre asked.
"Kinda. They've stopped approaching me, but they are still watching. All of them. All month. I can feel their eyes on me."
"For a man to have the power of God," Padre pondered. "To be able to see everything you do. Man is greedy and fallible. We Earthlings are always trying to get one over on each other. The feeling of being watched by us would make anyone paranoid."
"Corpos, I can handle," V said. "But... I'm worried about Jackie."
"Jackie? Do you fear what the corporations might do to him?"
"No... It's… what I'm doing to him."
"Are you two fighting again?"
"No… Well, kinda… It's weird…"
V spent the next several minutes explaining the Warrior's Bond as best she could. She told Padre about how her mind was permanently linked to Jackie's. She told him about how they could feel each other's feelings and thoughts, and when they went to sleep they sometimes dreamed each other's memories. V also mentioned how the bond was changing Jackie's brain; it was literally causing his neurons to rearrange. Viktor couldn't make heads or tails of it. And it was starting to affect Jackie's behavior.
"Has it been a drastic change?" Padre asked.
"Yes. I first noticed during a gig."
V unplugged her ECM from the man's neck and clipped it to her belt. A large part of her wanted to fry the dork's brain. Synaptic Overload was always fun to watch in action. But there was no need this time. They got the files, and the man proved to be no real threat. To kill him would have been pointless gluttony. Not to mention it would piss off Jackie. V promised him no unnecessary deaths. The job was done. It was time to leave. Let the gonk weep in the streets.
V stood up and stepped away from the target. She turned to Jackie just in time to watch him pull the trigger on his left hand pistol. The green merc actually jumped a little at the sudden bang. She jerked her head to the target, a small hole piercing the now dead man's forehead.
"What- you- how come-," V struggled to form a sentence. She was the cold blooded killer, not Jackie.
"Too slow, V," Jackie said. "You feeling ok, chica? That's not like you."
"Why?!" V shouted, ripping off her helmet.
"What?"
"Why kill him? We were done."
"So?" Jackie shrugged as he removed his own helmet. "He was the target."
"We needed the files," V said, holding up her ECM. "He was a harmless dumbass."
"I don't see what your point is. Since when do you care about who gets killed on the job?"
"YOU said no unnecessary deaths. I hold back, because it's what YOU want." V was poking Jackie in the chest to emphasize her point. She was also doing her best to project her disappointment across the bond.
"Maybe I've changed my mind," Jackie said.
"Really?" V frowned not believing his excuse.
"I've taken a page from your book, V. It's more fun to just kill them. Gotta love what you do, am I right?" Jackie patted V on the shoulder. His smile was more akin to someone sharing a joke with their chooms, not someone taking about being a serial killer. Even V got maniacal when enjoying such things. The contrast was uncanny.
"Are you feeling ok, Jackie?" V hesitantly asked.
"Never better," Jackie laughed. "Come on. Let's get those files to Wakako. The sooner we get paid, the sooner we can grab something to eat."
"I called Vik that night," V said. "He wanted another scan, but Jackie said no."
"Jackie turned down Dr. Vektor?" Padre asked, his eyes squinting in skepticism. V nodded in response.
"He's getting worse," V mumbled. She took another sip of water in an attempt to calm her nerves. Her leg was bouncing under the table, and she couldn't seem to stop it. "He's getting more violent. More reckless."
"Reckless how?"
"Jackie wants to charge in without a plan. I struggle to hold him back." V paused. She looked up from her bottle and directly at Padre. "Jackie is turning into me."
"You? Hija, you may be violent but you are far from reckless," Padre smiled. "You are one of the brightest edgerunners I've met in years."
"That's now." V let a sad smile grace her lips. "The old V, long before Earth. She was reckless. Short-tempered. I learned not to be."
"I see," Padre nodded. "Is Jackie becoming short-tempered as well?"
"Yea," V nodded. "Last night…"
V was walking home with a bag full of groceries in her arms. She wore her hood up in a desperate attempt to hide from staring eyes, but she didn't think it was working. Everyone else was sporting short shorts and tank tops to deal with the July heat. She was probably the only person in Night City who was wearing layers and long sleeves. She could still feel the corpos watching her from the shadows.
The edgerunner was about a block away from the house when she felt it. A sudden wave of furious anger bordering on full blown hate washed over her. Fearing the worse, V ran the last short bit to the front door. It was still closed and there were no signs of forced entry. Reaching for the door knob, she was thankful it was unlocked and threw it open.
The two things V immediately noticed when she entered the house were the yelling in Spanish and the heavy odor of burnt synth-meat. Sure enough, when she stepped into the kitchen she saw Mama and Jackie arguing, and a pan on the oven that contained the smoldering remains of whatever was supposed to be for dinner. The alien let out a sigh as she placed the bag of groceries on the counter. Mama and Jackie had been getting into arguments all week, and she was starting to get a strange sense of déjà vu.
"I got the goods," V said, trying to get their attention. Mama and Jackie were so engrossed in whatever they were fighting about, that they had yet to notice her. "Want to order pizza? My treat."
"Just a minute, V," Mama responded before falling back into Español.
V leaned against the counter and rubbed her good eye. She really didn't like being left out of the loop. With her own frustrations growing, the edgerunner closed her eye. Reaching out with her mind, she tried to peer into Jackie's thoughts to get an idea of what was going on. It was something the two of them avoided outside of jobs as a point of respect and privacy. Neither partner had much practice as a result, forcing V to slog through the storm that was Jackie's emotions.
She didn't get far. The onslaught of rage only got worse as V tried to dive into Jackie's mind. Every time she was close to pulling a detail out of his recent memory, the fight would interfere and V heard some insult about Mama or life in general. The most she could discern was that Jackie forgot to check on dinner and let it burn. How that turned into a warlike mindset was beyond V. Still, she continued to search until she felt it.
… I'll make her shut up …
V's eye snapped open as Jackie brought his fist back. Acting on instinct, the alien pushed Mama aside before blocking Jackie's punch. When Jackie went for a follow-up, she grabbed his arm and forced him against the wall.
"Jackie, stop," V commanded in as calm of a voice as she could muster.
Instead of responding, Jackie shoved her back and went for another swing at her face. V was ready and ducked out of the way. Wanting to end the conflict as fast as possible, V jabbed him in the side to get him off balance. Then, she took the opportunity to wrap her arms around Jackie's head and toss him to the ground. The woman immediately restrained him, sitting on his chest and grabbing his hands by the wrist. With her superior strength holding him down, Jackie couldn't escape.
"Jackie, that's enough!" she commanded again, more assertive this time.
"Get off!" Jackie screamed, flailing his legs like a wild animal.
V was losing her patience, and the hurricane of rage and hate coming from Jackie wasn't helping. With a deep breath, V closed her eye forced herself to remain in control. When she was sure that she had a handle on her own emotions, she did her best to calm the storm in Jackie's mind. She started projecting memories to him. All the quiet moments like chilling in their room, or eating dinner as a family.
"Come back to me, Jackie," V whispered. She opened her eye and stared into his, her expression of worry meeting his wrathful gaze. "This isn't you."
Slowly, Jackie's eyes softened as his anger faded. V could feel the fire in him die out as the storm began to calm. After several long seconds, Jackie closed his eyes and laid his head back on the floor. He was in control again. With a heavy sigh, V got up and off Jackie. She offered her hand which he graciously took, and she pulled him up.
"¿Lo que se ha meti-," Mama started, but V raised her hand to stop her.
"Talk later," the merc said, "food first." She reached into her jacket and pulled out a 100$ slip to hand to Mama.
"V, this isn't the time to-"
"Mama, please," V pleaded. "Your pick. Just go and let me deal."
Mama hesitated, but took the money.
"Alright, chica," Mama nodded. "If you are sure." Without another word, she left the two children alone. Once she was out the front door, V turned to Jackie.
"So," she huffed, crossing her arms. "Why take a swing at Mama?"
"I don't know," Jackie said, his voice barely louder than a whisper. "We've argued before, but this time…" He paused, as if not sure how to explain the sensation. "It's like something came over me. Some dark hatred that I couldn't control."
"Hatred for Mama?" V asked.
"No," Jackie shook his head. "Just a general hatred of everything. And, well… Mama was standing right there. This thing… felt like it was drowning me. I had to let it out, so I directed it at her."
V nodded. She was familiar with the sensation. It was one she used to embrace. She would let the hate control her, and it pushed her to commit atrocities. Jackie showed her how to let go of that hate, but now he was falling victim to the same emotion. And it was because of her.
"V?"
"Yea?"
"What's happening to me? I feel like I'm losing myself. I don't want to turn into mi papa," Jackie cried, near pleading with her for an answer.
"You're not. I won't let you," V said. "We know what's wrong. Just need a way to fix it."
"You sure about that?"
"Positive," V smiled. Jackie tried to smile back, but it was halfhearted at best.
"Gracias, Hermana." Jackie started making his way out of the kitchen, but stopped in the door way. "Hey, I'm gonna go work on my bike. Need to clear my head a bit."
"Sure thing. I'll call you when Mama gets back."
It was a little less than an hour till Mama returned with three pizza boxes.
"I bought cheese, pepperoni, and Hawaiian. Here's the change," Mama announced as she handed the remaining cash back to V. "Let's eat so we can have a chat about what what's going on with you and Jackie."
"He's sick," V said. "I told you already."
"That's no excuse for his behavior. This isn't like him and I'm worried."
"I know. I know," V nodded. "I'll make this right, I promise."
"Bueno. Now, tell him to get down here and eat."
"He's at the garage. I'll call him." V selected Jackie's info on her holophone and held it up to her ear. She waited as it rang… and rang… and rang. "Uh…," V paused, her eye going wide. "He's not answering."
"Then go get him," Mama said.
V rushed out the door and down the street. It wasn't like Jackie to not pick up his phone, though it was understandable given the circumstances. He probably just wanted to be left alone. Still, that didn't keep V from running the three blocks to the garage.
She arrived to find the garage closed and locked. With alarm bells ringing in her head, V pulled out her spare key and opened the metal door. The place was empty, but looked more disorganized than usual. Jackie's tools were laid out, but the bike hadn't been touched. She went to the side room door and knocked.
"Jackie?" she called out. No answer. She opened the door to find the side room was also empty. Just the couch, lockers, and dusty, glass tank in the corner.
V decided to call him again. She selected his info and held the holophone to her ear. That's when she heard the ringtone. The weird sci-fi theme that Jackie's phone played whenever he got a call. She jerked her head in the direction of the music. Under the desk, she spotted the glow of Jackie's holophone. Kneeling down to grab it, she noticed the screen was freshly cracked. Jackie must have thrown it, most likely out of anger or frustration.
"Fuck, Jackie," V began to panic. "Where did you go?"
"And you have no idea where he went?" Padre asked.
"No."
"Dios mío, V," Padre muttered under his breath. He made a sign of the cross; touching his forehead, chest, then shoulders. "That's quite the tale. I see why you were so eager to talk, or why Guadalupe is so on edge today."
"I'm lost, Padre. I don't know what to do next."
"Is everything you told me true?" Padre asked. V nodded in response. "Then maybe this is a good outcome. Worrisome, but good."
"How's that?" V raised her eyebrow at him.
"If being around you with this bond is making Jackie ill, perhaps being separated will help him heal."
"Maybe," V huffed. "Probably not. The brain is complicated. Breaking the bond can be bad. It could make him worse."
"Is that so?" Padre inquired.
"You don't believe me," V accused the ex-priest. "You don't believe any of this."
"I do believe you, V," Padre assured her. "With how strange things have been these past few months, it would be hard not to believe you. But I also believe you need to have faith. El Dios works in mysterious ways. It is impossible for us to see the whole picture. It can often be daunting not knowing what happens next, but it will all work out in the end."
"Spoken like a true priest," V chuckled. "Is the answer to my problems going to just waltz in here?"
"Probably not, but help can come in ways we least expect. Take you and Jackie, for example. Your friendship had a rocky start, but you both came out stronger as a result. You gave Jackie a reason to take charge and conquer life. I'm not sure he would have ever left the Valentinos without you."
"He would have eventually," V retorted.
"Maybe," Padre shrugged, "assuming he never got himself arrested." He smiled softly as he stroked his mustache in thought. "You have changed for the better as well. When we met, you were selfish and angry. Jackie gave you something to fight for. You have something to believe in now. I can see the love in your eye. You two are hermanos, and you must have faith that it will work out."
"Padre," V sighed, her shoulders sagging. "Thank you for listening, but…" She paused, taking a moment to pull her mohawk back. "I've done a lot of bad things. People like me… we don't get to have faith."
"Don't be so sure of that. There is always room for redemption in God's eyes," Padre said. He gave V another reassuring smile, but she was finding it hard to believe his words.
"I should get going," V said. She began to scoot out of the booth. "See if Mama needs help. Thanks agai-"
"Hello, everybody! Welcome to the Galaxy!"
V froze in shock. It couldn't have been him. That was impossible. Even if the banjo-playing twerp and blue dino-bitch found their way to Earth, this planet was huge! There were hundreds of cities they could land in. How did they just so happen to land in Night City, and just so happen to stumble their way in to El Coyote Cojo? That was an improbability so astronomical; she had a better chance of getting smited by a falling meteorite.
"Hey, Padre," V whispered as she scooted back against the wall. "Can you go see who that was?"
"Sí, I can," Padre said, frowning at her in confusion.
The balding fixer stood up and walked over to the banister. Leaning against it, he looked down on El Coyote's main floor. He could see that everyone's eyes were on the two aliens that had just entered the bar.
"What do you see?" V asked, trying to be heard over the bar's radio and still keep her voice down.
"A pair of aliens just walked in. A small, orange one with a green hat and what appears to be a blue horse. It's wearing a saddle, but seems to be intelligent."
"Fuck me," V groaned.
"Old amigos of yours?"
"No. Just a pain in my ass."
"Guadalupe is talking with the orange one… he seems quite cheerful."
"Sounds about right." V's leg started shaking again as she tried to think of a way to avoid the fuzz ball. "If I'm careful, I should be able to sneak out th-"
"V!" Mama Welles called out from the main counter. "There's someone here to see you."
"Grop," V swore under her breath. "Quick, tell her I'm not here."
"Um, she has already left," Padre called back, trying and failing to sound confident in his answer.
"Sebastian Ibarra," Mama scolded, her arms crossing as she gaze up at him. "Tell that gamberra verde to get her butt down here."
"Apologies, V," Padre chuckled as he turned back to the merc. "Señora Welles is too smart to hide from."
"For the love of crop," V mumbled as she stood from the booth and made her way to the banister. "Go away, Wander!"
"Hiya, pal! Great to see you again," Wander cheered at her, his sickly sweet smile and bright, innocent eyes making the green woman cringe a little.
"We're not friends!" V yelled in Galactic Common, her temper getting to her. "So why don't you and your Zbornak get lost and leave me the grob alone!"
"I told you it was pointless," Sylvia said. "Dominator has zero interest in-"
"THAT'S NOT MY NAME!"
"Enough!" Mama shouted, forcing everyone in the bar to fall silent. "V. Here. Now."
With a huff of annoyance, V made her way down the steps and to the main counter. Mama walked over to her so they could talk without anyone listening in.
"With Jackie missing, the last thing I need is your attitude," Mama frowned.
"It's hard on me, too," V said. "Last thing I need is to deal with…" She paused to nod in Wander and Sylvia's direction. "… is that."
"They seem plenty nice. Is that not the case?" Mama asked.
"It is," V shrugged. "Orange one is so nice you'll want to strangle him."
"Well, how about you talk to them and try not strangling anyone?"
"Please don't make me do that," V whined.
"I am making you do that," Mama said.
"Fine, but not sober." V cleared her throat and switched to Galactic Common. "Wander! Sylvia! What do you want to drink?"
"Why? So you can poison us?" Sylvia spat.
"Nothing for the Zbornak. What about you, fuzz ball?"
"Water is fine," Wander said.
"Oh, uh, something tropical," Sylvia blurted out, quickly changing her mind. "The kind of drink you serve with a tiny umbrella."
"A sparkling water for the orange one," V said to Mama. "The Zbornak wants… uh… tropical and tiny umbrella?"
"I'll make a piña colada. And what about you?" Mama asked.
"Whiskey sour." V took another glance at Wander. "Extra bourbon. Put it on my tab." She pushed off from the counter and started making her way past Wander and Sylvia. "Follow me." V led them to a table in the corner that was close to a speaker. It was a high table, allowing her and Sylvia to stand, but Wander had to climb on to the bar stool.
"Did you have to put us so close to the music system?" Sylvia asked.
"I don't want anyone listening in. Sitting next to the speaker makes it harder to filter out speech," V explained.
"That's something they can do?" Wander gasped. "These locals sure are full of surprises."
"You have no idea," V said. "Most Earthlings, or at least most people in the NUSA, have cybernetic enhancements."
"Oh," Wander immediately deflated.
"Anyone with enhanced hearing would be able to eavesdrop on our little pow-wow. The speaker will help prevent that."
"And why in the blazes would anyone do that?" Wander asked.
"Because the corpos see me as a potential asset," V said.
"The who?"
"They're the- you know what? No," V grimaced. "I'm not telling you two dorks anything else. Not till you explain how the hell you found me."
"That's a fun story," Sylvia smirked. "You wanna tell it, buddy?"
"Oh, you're gonna love this, Dominator-," Wander started, but was cut off.
"V".
"Gazoontite."
"No. That's my name now. Just V," V corrected.
"Hm," Wander rubbed his chin. "I like it. So, V," he winked, earning an eye roll from the green woman, "we had just arrived in the city…"
"Isn't this great, Sylvia?" Wander gushed. "A huge, new planet full of potential new friends to make!"
"I don't know," Sylvia said. "Some of these locals don't look the friendliest."
"Ah, don't be getting shy on me now, Syl."
"Wander, every other person we pass is walking around with a blaster in their hands. And with all the staring, I'm starting to think someone is going to use theirs on us."
"They're just not used to off-worlders yet. Give it time," Wander encouraged her. "Remember that an-"
"An enemy is a friend you haven't made yet. Yea, I know," the Zbornak deadpanned. "Maybe we can teach them to pick up their trash. This place stinks to the sun and back."
The nomadic pair continued their walk through the city streets, trying to make sense of the constant noise and flashing lights that bombarded their senses. Everywhere they looked, ads were plastered trying to sell things that neither of them understood. While cities were usually advertisement heavy, this place took it to a new level.
They continued their walk until a commotion caught the pair's attention. What sounded like a desperate cry for help was coming down a side alleyway. They instantly sprang into action, ready to fix the problem.
"Fear not! We're coming, dear stranger!" Wander yelled as he hopped on Sylvia's back and they rushed down the alley. At the far end, they found a pair of men standing over another man in suit who was bleeding from his forehead.
"Hey! Leave him alone!" Sylvia yelled. Both of the goons turned to her, pointing their blasters at her and Wander. "Well, that complicates things," she frowned, but didn't drop her fighting stance.
"Don't worry, Syl. I got this one," Wander said. He pulled a Galactic-To-English dictionary out from under his hat and took a few seconds to flip through its pages. With a nod, the furry man shoved the book back into the hat and hopped off Sylvia.
"Why are you hurting this man?" Wander asked the goons in perfect English. "There is no need for violence. It's better to talk through our problems, so we can help one another." He finished by giving the goons they most sincere, heartfelt smile he could.
"Is this thing being for real?" one of the thugs asked turning to the other.
"I think it is," he laughed. "You must be new here."
"In fact we are," Wander smiled. "My buddy and I just arrived on your planet, and we're very excit-"
"That's nice," the first goon said as they both shoved their blasters into the furry alien's face. "Welcome to Night City, freak." Right as he was about to fire, a three-finger fist slammed into his face.
"Don't even think about it, you inconsiderate jerks!" Sylvia shouted.
She punched the other thug in the stomach before wacking the first with her tail. He dropped his blaster, letting Sylvia smash it under her ginormous foot. The second raised his blaster to fire at her, but she was too quick. She ran into the man and tackled him into the wall, causing the concrete to crack.
"Fuck this! Let's bail!" The first goon shouted and ran away. The second wasn't far behind, running after his counterpart while hugging his chest.
"Thank you," the man on the ground said. He stood up, leaning against the wall for support. "You two just saved my life."
"Our pleasure to help, kind sir," Wander said. He gave a small bow, removing his hat in a polite gesture. "Folks call me Wander, and this is my pal Sylvia. We're happy to make your acquaintance."
"Robert," the man said, shaking Wander's hand. "I wish I had a way to pay you back, but I don't carry cash on me."
"You don't have to pay us back. If anything, you should pay it forward and help someone else in need."
"Pay it forward?" Robert chuckled. "What a novel concept. This world would be a lot better off if people started thinking like that."
"All it takes is a little bit of kindness," Wander cheered. "You- uh- still got some blood on your… why don't you sit back down so I can patch you up?" He reached into his hat and pulled out a bandage roll and a pair of scissors. Robert complied, and Wander had a bandage around his head in under a minute.
"You know, your English is pretty good for someone who just got here," Robert mused.
"When you travel as much as I have, you pick up on these things quickly," Wander said.
"No joke. That other alien has been here for months and she's still learning English."
"Other alien? You mean we're not the first off-worlders in… what did they call it?"
"Night City," Robert answered. "And no, you're not. There's a green chick that hangs out in Heywood. She looks human enough, so for a while everyone thought she was just an exotic."
"Green, you say?" Wander pondered. "Did she happen to have pointy ears, red eyes, and a white mohawk?"
"She does! Do you two know her?"
"You could say we're familiar with each other." Wander was struggling to hold in his excitement, not wanting to startle poor Robert. "Any chance you know where to find her?"
"Uh, yea," Robert nodded. "You can usually find her at El Coyote Cojo. She's friends with the owner's son or something."
"SHE HAS A FRIEND?!" Wander shouted in disbelief. He was shaking in anticipation, his eyes and grin growing disturbingly large.
"Uh…. Yes?" Robert leaned away from him. "What's so weird about having a couple chooms?"
"Sir, would you be so kind as to point us in the direction of the El Coyote Cojo?"
"And he did," Wander smiled.
"Mind you, we had to stop and ask for directions a couple times," Sylvia said. "But we found it."
"Of flarpin' course you did," V sighed. "Just my luck you two dorks would land yourselves in Night City."
"What's the deal with this place anyways?" Slyvia asked. "Why is everyone walking around with a blaster in their arms?"
"Those are guns, not blasters," V corrected. "They fire solid ammo. See?" She unholstered her sidearm and removed the magazine to show the bullets inside.
"That looks painful," Wander cringed.
"Oh, it is," V said. "Took a couple hits my first day here."
"How'd you survive?"
"Jackie saved me. He took me to a doctor, and I've been living with him ever since," V shrugged. "That's his mom behind the counter. She owns this place."
"And now you're friends! I'm so happy for you, V!" Wander cheered, as he jumped on the table. He went into hug V, but she pressed her pistol against his chin.
"DON'T. YOU. DARE." she threatened. "Still got one in the chamber, idiot!"
"Ahem."
The three aliens all turned their heads to see Mama Welles standing next to their table. She was holding a tray with their drinks and was staring at V with a spiteful gaze.
"You know the rules," Mama berated V. "Mind explaining why your weapon is out and pointed at our guest?"
"He tried to hug me!" V defended, pulling her gun away from Wander.
"That's your excuse?" Mama raised her eyebrows, unamused.
"Yes… It's Wander!"
"You'll have to forgive her, Wander," Mama apologized as she set the tray on their table. "V can be short tempered at the best of times, and… our family is going through some things at the moment."
"It's alright, Lupé," Wander said. "Just a misunderstanding."
"I misunderstood nothing," V griped. "And since when do you let people call you Lupé?"
"Many of my old friends call me that," Mama pointed out. "It wouldn't make much sense for your amigos to call me 'Mama', now would it?"
"They're not my- forget it." V picked up the magazine and slid it back into her pistol, but Mama stopped her when she tried to holster it.
"Ah, ah, ah!"
"What?"
"Give it," Mama said with her hand out.
"Ghah, fine," V huffed. She handed the gun over.
"Other one, too."
V pouted as she reached into her jacket and pulled out her Overture revolver and handed it to Mama.
"And the machete."
"I'm keeping that one," V challenged.
"Very well, but I better not see it out," Mama said. She turned away and went back to the bar counter.
"Oh. My. Crop," Sylvia said. Her jaw was on the floor with what she just witnessed. She couldn't understand the words said, but it was obvious what just happened.
"If you got something to say Zbornak, just say it," V mumbled as she grabbed her whiskey sour off the tray.
"You just surrendered your weapons to an angry, old lady. Willingly! Lord Dominator, destroyer of the entire galaxy, has been domesticated!" Sylvia started laughing, a few tears falling down her face.
V sat on the raised bar stool, an angry pout sculpted into her features. She wanted nothing more than to turn Sylvia into Swiss cheese at the moment, but Mama just took her guns. And Mama would not hesitate to shoot her in the ass with her own revolver if she pulled out her machete. She was stuck with the nomads.
"This is it," V mumbled to herself. "I am in hell. This is my personal hell." She took a sip of her drink. "Guess there was some truth to Padre's god grop after all."
"Don't be so down, V" Wander said. "We're just happy for you. You were so lonely before. It's nice to see you with friends."
"Sure, whatever," V said, rubbing her good eye. "I still hate you, though."
"Ah haha, that's to be expected," Sylvia giggled as she wiped her eyes. "Which one is mine?"
"Piña colada," V said as she handed the white drink to Sylvia. "Pineapple, coconut, and rum. Mixed in a shaker. Served over ice. Bit too fruity for my taste."
"Hm," Sylvia shrugged. She took a sip and smiled. "That's pretty good. Could use an umbrella though."
"I don't know what that means, but we don't do that here."
"Why is the water in a can?" Wander asked.
"It's sparkling water. You'll like it," V said. She popped open the tab and handed him the can.
"Pre-installed can opener. Neat," Wander said. He took a sip, testing the feel. "Bubbly water. It's like soda, without the weird sugariness." He smiled and took another sip.
"So, you're a bar tender now?" Sylvia pondered. "Might want to work on your people skills," she chuckled.
"I used to be a barkeep. But that was when everyone thought I was an Earthling with weird synthskin. Once the Ballzerians landed, everyone put two and two together. Now, I constantly have to watch my back in case any corpos try to nab me."
"Again with the corpos," Sylvia said. "What does that even mean?"
"Right," V deadpanned. "You just got here. Let me start from the top."
V explained to the nomads how life worked on Earth, and more specifically life in Night City. She went over how everything was profit driven, and that the corporations were running the show. They controlled pretty much everything, from the government and law, to food and water supplies. The biggest ones had their own militaries, and would occasionally go to war with each other. Humanity was just another commodity to be bought and sold. Violence was a daily occurrence. The only real path to freedom was to isolate from the system as much as possible. And even then, there was a good chance it would chew you up and spit you back out as a lifeless husk.
Wander and Sylvia listened intently, their eyes growing fearful and depressed as V told them everything she knew.
"Wow… that's really messed up," Sylvia said.
"The whole planet is hurting, and no one wants to do anything about it," Wander slumped. Even his hat had turned a little grey in sadness.
"Welcome to Earth, my choombas," V said, raising her glass. She gulped down the last bit of her drink before slamming the glass down on the table. "Last bastion in the galaxy."
"All thanks to you," Sylvia snapped. "Figures you would be able to thrive here. The most evil villain in the universe found her paradise. A world where everything is out to get you and you're allowed to kill without consequence."
"It hasn't been all roses for me, either," V snapped back. "See this?" She pointed to the bandage covering her right eye. "A gang of cyberpsychos grabbed me, tortured me, and stabbed my eye out. And they would have cut out a lot more if Jackie hadn't shown up with the Valentinos."
"Oh, boo hoo," Sylvia mocked. "That's the least you deserve after what you did. All the lives you uprooted, the homes you destroyed. And those are the lucky ones."
"Shut up," V muttered through gritted teeth, but Sylvia continued.
"How many trillions did you murder in your sick game? How many galaxies did you demolish? Because there's no way this was the first."
"SHUT UP!" V slammed her fist against the table, drawing the attention of everyone who wasn't already watching them. She stared wide eye at the Zbornak, her fist clenching as she fought back tears. V didn't want to think about her sins. She didn't want to think about all the death her past-self caused.
"Ok, I can see that tensions are high at the moment," Wander piped up. "We all just need to take a deep breath, and relax."
"What I need is another drink," V said. She grabbed her glass and walked over to the main counter before Wander could continue. She sat down at the bar in front of Mama Welles. "Another, please."
"What was that all about?" Mama asked, more worried than angry at V.
"THAT was why I didn't want to talk to them," V glared at her. She reached into her jacket and slapped a 50€$ slip on the counter. "Another whiskey sour. Then I'm going home."
"I'm sorry," Mama sighed. "I didn't realize they would get under your skin like that."
"It's ok," V mumbled, staring down at the old wood. "There's just a lot of bad blood between me and them."
Mama made the drink and placed it in front of V. She walked off to tend to other orders, leaving the green woman in peace.
V was about half way done with her drink when Wander strolled over and sat down on the stool next to hers. They shared a glance, but neither spoke right away. The two sat in silence, Wander letting V get used to his presence.
"You doin' alright?" He finally asked.
"Never better," V said dryly, her eye remaining forward. "Like your pal said. Night City is my paradise."
"Oh, you know ol' Syl. She can be quick on assumptions."
"You don't say?" V tried to sing in her sarcastic tone, but it came out more like a pitiful cry.
"You don't seem very happy here," Wander observed.
"Do me favor, fuzz ball. Look around. Tell me what you see. Take a good, long look."
Wander scratched his head at her bizarre request, but did as the green woman asked. He took his eyes off V and started to glance around the bar. At first, he wasn't sure what he was looking for. It was just like any other bar in the universe. The dim lighting and loud music over the sounds of chit chat. Except, there wasn't much chit chat going on.
It dawned on Wander. There wasn't much chit chat going on. Most of the people were watching them, some more obviously than others. A couple even had their phones out, possibly taking pictures or video.
"Why is everyone watching us?" he asked.
"Because we're weird," V said. "We off-worlders are the hot, new topic and will be for a while. Any culture Earth has is being slowly eroded away. It's all about getting eyes on the screen. Gotta get those clicks, because clicks mean cash."
"Seem's awfully intrusive…"
"It gets better. Some people are just staring right? No phone out?" V asked, as she had yet to turn away from the back wall.
"Yes?"
"I bet most of them have cyberoptics. Artificial eyes that can record anything they see."
"That's…" Wander couldn't put his thoughts into words. He had seen many weird and 'messed-up' things as Sylvia would put it. He had traveled to several galaxies in his long, long life. There was always some cultural wrong that needed to be unlearned. But this one was new for him. This odd lack of privacy was uncomfortable.
"Sylvia is wrong," V murmured, just loud enough for Wander to hear. "Night City was fun at first, but it's turning into my hell." She held up her empty glass, watching the ice spin and slowly melt. "And the worse part? I can't escape. No matter where on Earth I go, corpos will be there watching. And if I leave Earth, I'll be hunted down by everyone I've hurt." V paused before letting out a sad chuckle. "I just realized I'm on borrowed time. I give it a couple months at best before word gets out that I'm alive. Then all the other aliens will come to Night City to put my head on a pike."
"Well, I won't let them."
V's eyebrows shot up as she slowly turned to Wander. She met his gaze, and was shocked by the sheer amount of determination in his eyes.
"Those are some powerful words for a pacifist," V said.
"And they are true," Wander responded, his frown growing. "People need to see that you're not evil anymore. You're a good person."
"You just don't know when to give up, do you?" V sighed, more out of exhaustion than annoyance. "I am not a good person and I don't want your help. I'm tired of needing people to save me. Anyone comes after me; I'll fight them off myself or die trying."
"But you don't have to-" Wander started, but V cut him off.
"Drop it, Wander. I've made up my mind. Now, beat it and leave me alone. I'm not telling you again."
Wander slumped in defeat. Not wishing to bother V any longer, he hopped off the bar stool and went back to Sylvia.
V watched her ice melt for another minute. She sipped up the small amount of cold water that was in her glass before setting it down. Everything hurt. Not physically. She was in the best shape of her life. But her heart hurt, and her head swirled with confusion and depression. She was about to get up and leave out the back, but stopped when a thought pierced her foggy mind.
… I need to stop her …
"Jackie?" V whispered. Her head perked up, knowing that her friend was near. But he was dragging along a storm of anxious anticipation and determination.
… I have to, Isabel … It's the only way …
"Isabel?" V spoke louder this time as she frowned in bewilderment.
"Did you say something, hija?" Mama asked, having noticed V's sudden change in body language.
"Jackie is close. I think Isabel is with him," she said.
"Oh, gracias, Dios," Mama sighed in relief. "He's alright."
"I'm not sure about that."
V tried to concentrate on the bond. It was more difficult than she was used to, as the alcohol was clouding her focus. She reached out, hoping to get through to Jackie. If nothing else, she might be able to figure out what had him on edge. For a brief moment, she could feel it. Their minds touched, and began to synchronize.
GET OUT OF MY HEAD!
"Ahh!" V grabbed her forehead and clenched her eye shut. The feeling of closeness was replaced by pure agony. It felt as if her brain was being ripped to tatters. Jackie's rage was so great, it somehow forced her out. The alien was overcome with dizziness and fell to her knees.
"V!" Mama cried, rushing around the bar and to the woman's side.
"He's coming," V said, her breath heavy from stress. "Jackie's coming for me." With Mama's help, she climbed to her feet and leaned against the bar counter for balance. "Jackie's going to kill me."
"No," Mama shook her head. "No, that can't be right."
"I need to leave, Mama. Before he… he…" A chill ran up V's spine. She turned to El Coyote Cojo's main entrance. "He's already here."
Jackie pushed the door open. He stepped inside, Isabel right behind him. She was speaking in Spanish, most likely trying to talk him out of what was about to happen. But V knew it wouldn't work.
The green edgerunner stood frozen, her eyes locked with Jackie's. He stopped just inside the door, about 20 feet away. The air was tense, as they each waited for the other to make a move. Jackie broke first, removing the shotgun from his back.
"Jackie, wait…" Mama said, desperately trying to get through to her son. "WAIT!"
Without breaking eye contact with V, Jackie raised the shotgun and pulled the trigger. V dived to the side, making sure to shove Mama down and protect her. She dodged most of the shot, but she could feel the sting of a single pellet piercing her side. She scrambled to her feet, ready to make a hasty escape.
Jackie was about to fire again, but Isabel intervened. She shoved the man to the side. Grabbing the shotgun, the gangster began to wrestle Jackie for control of the gun.
"¡Dejarlo como un pendejo!" Isabel screamed. She desperately tried to yank the gun out of Jackie's hands, but his hold was too strong. As they fought, the trigger was bumped. A spray of shotgun pellets went flying into one of the speakers, the force of the shot ripping the gun from Isabel's and Jackie's grip.
"¡Vete al carajo!" Jackie swung at Isabel, his fist smashing into her nose. Isabel staggered back, giving him a chance to grab her and shove her to the ground. Turning back to V, he spotted her trying to escape. "Oh, no you don't!" He unholstered his duel pistols and opened fire on the alien.
V had only just made it to the hall when she felt the bullet hit her in her left shoulder. The metal slug dug into her skin, cracking the alien's shoulder blade.
"Grob!" V cursed, the injury forcing her to her hands and knees. "Fine, you want a fight? I'll fight." Forcing the pain away with gritted teeth, V crawled behind the bar. With her left arm rendered mostly useless, she wielded her machete in her right hand. Then she waited.
V only paused for a second before she heard heavy footsteps approaching. Powering through the agony, she jumped up and swung her blade at man perusing her. Jackie reacted just in time, blocking her swing by catching the blade between his crossed pistols. V pulled back before shoving him away with her good shoulder.
"The fuck is wrong with you?!" V yelled.
"You are! You're the one who keeps fucking with my head!" Jackie tried to point one of his guns at her, but she punched him in the stomach to stop him. Leaning against the wall, Jackie lowered his pistols to his sides. "I know what you did."
"Excuse me?"
"Everyone you killed, I had to watch!"
"I told you, they deserved it," V spat. "Someone would have destroyed Narjahim eventually."
"Not them," Jackie said. "Everyone else…"
V's glare dropped into an expression of sheer panic. Jackie reached into the bond and forced the memories onto her. Thousands upon thousands of planets, each home to countless innocent life forms, were bled dry. V relived the moments in a spit second, feeling the same horror Jackie was feeling at knowing what she did.
"When did you see that?" V asked.
"Last night. I woke up this morning knowing I couldn't let you live." Jackie raised one of the pistols to his friend's head.
"Jackie, please," V pleaded. "That's not me. That person is dead."
"No, she's not," Jackie said. "No more pretending, V."
"When you're feeling grumpy, or the world's got you lonely," Wander began to sing, strumming away on his banjo. "When it seems like everything is trying to bring you down."
"Is he being for real?" Jackie asked, looking over V's shoulder.
"Yea, probably," V sighed. She turned to find Wander standing on the bar, smiling in their direction as he sung.
"When you feel so sad, and there's no happiness to be had," Wander started walking towards V and Jackie till he was at the very end of the bar. "I tell you there's no need to frown, cause you'll always find a friend in me."
V was about ready to throw something at Wander, but had an idea. She knew it was a gamble, but if it meant no one dying then she was willing to go for it. Placing her machete back in its sheath, V ever so carefully reached across the bond. She focused just long enough to confirm that Jackie was distracted by Wander's song. Feeling his bewilderment, she smiled at Wander whose grin grew larger and brighter.
Without warning, V rammed her right shoulder into Jackie. Jackie let out a pained gasp as all the air was forced out of his lungs. V didn't let up, ramming into him again to take advantage of his position against the wall.
"Whoa, whoa!" Wander panicked. He hopped off the bar and dashed to V's side right as she rammed into Jackie a third time. "Stop! Stop! You don't need to fight anymore!"
V responded by ripping his banjo from his hands and smashing it into Jackie's skull. With her partner left dazed, V took the opportunity to rip the pistol from his left hand and shove it into her holster.
"La maldita perra," Jackie grunted, as he tried to raise the pistol in his right hand. He didn't get the chance as V grabbed him by the neck with her good arm and threw him aside, causing him to slide to the center of the room. He tried to take one last chance to shoot her, but V was already on top of him. She kicked the gun out of Jackie's hand and stomped on his forearm for good measure, causing the bone to snap.
"Aaurg!" Jackie cried out. "Fuck!"
"We done?" V asked panting as the adrenaline began to wear off. "We roughed each other up. Can we move on now?"
"Fuck you," Jackie spat.
"Cute," V said condescendingly. "For the record, you would have never hit me if I wasn't so buzzed at the moment." She began to walk away. She planned to hit up a ripper and then go to bed early.
"Tell them," Jackie said, stopping V in her tracks.
"W-what?" she stuttered, turning back to him.
"Tell them who you really are."
"Vheenaslivawheske Rayi-"
"ENGLISH!" Jackie roared. "SAY IT IN FUCKING ENGLISH!"
"Go fuck yourself," V calmly responded.
"V," Isabel said.
The green woman turned to the gangster. The Latina woman was leaning against Mama Welles for balance. Her nose was bloodied and her ribs were damaged enough to see the bruising though her tank top.
"What is he talking about?" Isabel asked.
"It's nothing."
"Please, V," Mama pleaded. "We deserve an answer."
V gazed at the older woman, examining the worried look on her face. The edgerunner's eye began to travel around the bar. She saw the fear in everyone. They had just survived a shootout that while brief, could have ended in disaster. They would want to know why Jackie Welles turned on his friend and partner in crime.
"No more pretending, V," Jackie said.
V turned back to him. Her fellow merc was sitting up on the floor, his right arm lying broken and limp across his lap. V hesitated, looking back up at the second floor. Her gaze met Padre's, who was still standing in the same spot against the banister. The fixer gave her a solemn nod, as a sign that is was the right thing to do. V locked eyes with Jackie once more. She took a deep breath to steady her racing heart.
"My name is Lord Dominator, Consumer of Worlds and Greatest Villain in the Galaxy. With my warship, I destroyed thousands upon thousands of planets and ended countless lives. I demolished Andromeda. I am the reason the extraterrestrials are coming to Earth."
"You really are El Diablo," Jackie accused.
"Yea, guess I am," V said, struggling to hold back tears. "Goodbye... Jackie Welles."
V turned and left out the back, heading back to the Welles' home one last time. She would grab her things, hit up Vik, and then find a motel in Watson. It was a simple plan, and about the best she could think up at the moment. Her mind was preoccupied with the growing void in her soul. Where she had grown used to Jackie's presence, there was now an empty spot that felt like it was swallowing her whole.
The bond was broken. She was all alone.