Chapter 8

"Oh my God, Jude, I've never felt like such an asshole," I groaned as I pressed a bag of ice cubes against my face.

"You keep saying that, but I want the detes!" Judy called earnestly from her kitchen before gratuitously dropping a large skillet onto the counter with a loud bang.

I was laying down on the couch in her apartment, slightly hungover but feeling worse in my head about what happened the night before with River. After retreating from the water tower, I called a cab to her place since it was much closer than mine. I wasn't as drunk as I had been when crashing at her place before, so she didn't seem to mind me showing up in the middle of the night again. She bustled around the kitchen making coffee, breakfast, and as much punishing noise as she could.

"You don't want detes, you want entertainment," I retorted.

"Tom-ay-to, tom-ah-to," she shrugged with a spiteful smile."In the first place, since when do you have the time to go look for a new input?"

I scoffed and rolled the bag up to my forehead. "I wasn't lookin' for 'im, we met on that case with the Peralezes."

"They paid you for that, right?" she asked.

I chortled, "Heh, and then some. A few more jobs with them and I might be able to buy this building."

She chuckled, "Then what the hell were you doin' with the cop when the job was done?"

"His nephew went missing, and he needed my help to find 'im," I explained. "After we did, he and the family were grateful and wanted me to come over for dinner. He invited me over like it was his sister who wanted me to come, then when I get there, I find out that he was the one settin' it all up. We cooked dinner, we drank, he even told me about how his parents were killed, and he wished he were 'more like me.' And then his sister is all like, 'River couldn't wait to see you again,' and 'My brother likes you,' even right in front of him. And then after all that, he takes me aside alone to his favorite spot. The fuck else was I supposed to think when we were sittin' like that?"

She put two plates and two mugs up on the counter in front of the kitchen barstools and motioned me over. "So, the sister was even trying to shack you two up?"

"Even her kids were," I defended as I flopped down onto the stool and stabbed at the unrecognizable food. "River and I played this game with them, and we let them win. I even thought… ugh… doesn't matter. Ugh. 'Fascinating and charismatic' my ass."

She scrunched up her face and looked strangely at me. "What's 'fascinating and charismatic?'"

I shook my head. "Misty's damn tarot cards. Said I'd meet someone like that, and that I'd grow to love them."

"Pshh," she snorted. "That tarot shit's BS."

"Eh, she said I'd have consequences about poor decisions, too," I added begrudgingly and gestured to the ice bag on my head. "Here we are."

"That's everyone," she argued loudly. "Drop the whole thing, but first, call out that bitch sister for leading you both on like that."

I rolled my eyes and sipped the coffee, my ears ringing with her near-shouting. "And say what, 'Why'd you try to set me up with your brother if he wasn't interested?' Wouldn't change anything and just be even more awkward. She's prolly getting an earful from him, too."

She laughed and shook her head. "He sounds like a bit of a dick, too. He wasn't exactly keeping it outta the fast lane."

"He said he 'missed running around with me' and that he hoped we could work together now that he quit the NCPD. Don't see that happening anytime soon," I grumbled as I stuffed another forkful into my mouth.

"Yo, no guy 'misses' someone that isn't dead or that doesn't make them horny. I call BS – dude was playin' games." She then clarified, "Not that I'm the one to put any stock in guys, but I say drop 'im. Don't need 'im."

Johnny appeared laying on the couch where I had previously been. "I knew I always liked her…" he hummed with his usual wit.

"Ugh," I moaned and propped my head up on the counter. "I just want one – just one – relaxing evening before we move on the Arasaka parade."

She snickered and nudged me. "Yeah, but if that happens, what'll I do while waiting for the next season of 'Watson Whore' to come out?"

I swatted her hand away, which only made her cackle louder at my expense.

The motorcycle's engine purred smoothly as I rode down the highway across the badlands. The wind in my face and the lack of traffic usually helped me shake off stress, which was definitely a plus. I rode past the Sunset Motel in Red Peaks, and past the train tracks where Panam and I hijacked a Militech convoy with a few other Aldecaldos. The badlands held interesting memories that were only recently made yet highly amusing. As I rode past a field of wind turbines, my holo started ringing with a call from Jefferson Peralez. I quickly pulled over and let the engine quiet down before I answered.

"Hello, V," he greeted me calmly, though without the practiced smile I was used to seeing.

"Uh, Jefferson?"

"Listen, I need your help again. Matter's… private."

I was troubled by the tense tone of his voice. "Sure, OK. What's it about?"

"Not on the holo," he quickly corrected. "Come by, I'll lay it out, explain everything."

I shook my head and thought, 'There goes my one night of relaxing…' But I straightened up before returning to the call. "Got your back, Jefferson, not to worry," I assured him.

He gave a half-smile. "Great. We'll see you here, then? 'Member where?"

"'Course," I replied. "Be there in no time."

Johnny appeared in front of me and leaned over the handlebars of the motorcycle. "I thought we talked about this, V. The Peralezes might seem like decent and down-to-earth folk – not sittin' snug in the corps' pockets like the rest. But they're still a part of the ruling elite. Don't believe even for a second that they're any different."

I huffed, "'Preciate the lecture, but they're just hiring me for a job, not tryin' to adopt me."

"The way you jumped on his call, I don't see much difference," he jabbed before disappearing.

I grumbled to myself and kicked the bike back to life, then turned around and headed for the city. As I did with them before, I stopped by my apartment to change into fresh clothes and to retrieve the Caliburn. I felt a shiver go down my arm when I unholstered River's gun. I didn't need another reminder of my embarrassment while trying to do a job, so I put it away, holstered one of Jackie's custom pistols, and grabbed an SMG. When I arrived, I called up to their apartment via the intercom and Elizabeth let me through to the elevators. When the doors opened to their penthouse, she was there to greet me but not in her hostess-like pose. The large smart panel with the strange colored patterns on the wall still baffled me as I entered, but I kept my focus on her.

"It's good to see you again," she greeted happily, but urgently.

I nodded. "Something happen?"

Her lips pressed tightly together. "Come on, Jeff will explain everything. He's just about done prepping for the debate. I've rescheduled all his meetings out of the office today… the office meaning here, so – nobody'll bother us."

I nodded and followed her inside. "Um… bother us at doing what, exactly?" I overheard Jefferson on a heated phone call with someone in the background as she kept talking.

"You'll know in a minute."

Jefferson growled into his holo, "Look, I gotta go. Make the amendments, we'll pow-wow later." He pocketed the holo and looked up at me, his tense demeanor changing to one of relief. "V – glad you could make it."

"Jefferson," I nodded at him.

"Grab a seat, please," he gestured to one of the sectionals. "I'll explain why I asked you to come over." He waited until I sat to begin, "We've had a break-in. Not the usual kind, though."

I raised an eyebrow. "So, unusual how?"

"A couple of days back, dead of night, something wakes me, a noise," he explained. "I grab my pistol and come out of the bedroom. I see a stranger. He looks like he's about to reach for his piece, so I pull the trigger."

I nodded. "Nail him?"

He shook his head. "No idea – my head started spinning and I passed out. No trace of him the morning after. I'd like you to find him, find out what he wanted."

As he spoke, Elizabeth took her position sitting at the top edge of the sofa behind him.

I frowned as I thought it through. "Why me of all people? Wouldn't you rather have a detective look into it?"

He shrugged. "Prefer to use tried-and-tested contacts. Former mayor's death – you unraveled that mystery. I trust you'll be able to crack this one as well."

"Have you notified the badges yet?" I asked. For a moment, I had forgotten the previous night and wondered if River would be of any help, but then I quickly shoved that thought aside.

"No," Elizabeth replied. "We don't want any buzz around this, no attention whatsoever."

He smirked. "You know… NCPD's full of people who like the occasional stray eddie. If we reported a break-in, the media'd descend on us like a swarm of locusts."

I nodded understandingly. "No badges – gotcha."

"Of course, we notified SSI about the incident – our private security," Jefferson continued.

"What did they say?" I asked.

He narrowed his eyes. "This is where things get a little weird."

Elizabeth leaned forward. "They claim there's no sign of a break-in or of a shot being fired."

"Security cams didn't record anything," he added. "Guard outside didn't see or hear anything."

"They suggested Jeff must've had a bad dream," she recalled skeptically.

I shook my head. "Convenient answer… Did the intruder take anything, break anything?"

"Nothing's missing," he answered.

She shrugged. "I haven't noticed any damage, either. Jeff must've scared him off before he could do anything."

"What did the intruder look like?" I continued.

"I can't remember much – it was dark," he described. "He was wearing some kind of mask… or maybe an implant? Eh, couldn't really get a good look at 'im."

I looked at her. "You didn't see him either?"

"I slept through the whole thing," she explained. "Election season takes its toll on you."

Looking back at Jefferson, I pressed on. "You said you passed out?"

He narrowed his eyes like he was trying to think back, but then he clenched them shut and ran his hand over his forehead. "That's right," he strained. "Just after I fired."

I narrowed my eyes at his strange reaction, but continued, "Then what?"

"Nothing," he shrugged. "I woke up in bed the next morning. Killer headache, to boot."

"Any idea how you made it back to your bed?" I asked.

"Nope… none," he noted worriedly. "Elizabeth's at a loss, too. She gave security the day off so I could call you in."

I nodded. "This um, security outfit, SSI… who are they?"

"Been on the market the last fifteen years," he replied. "They have clients across the city. If memory serves, they came recommended… an acquaintance. You think SSI might be behind this?"

I frowned. "Well, that or someone hiding behind SSI. Anyone come to mind readily?"

"Heh," he huffed. "Weldon Holt? He did kill the last mayor."

"And the polls do have him trailing Jeff," she added.

He shrugged. "But, it could be anyone, really."

"Jeff has many enemies," she continued, "a lot of them powerful. Heh, we could sit here naming names all day."

"That's why I called you, V," he reminded me. "I need you to find out what the hell's going on."

I nodded and smirked. "Anything else you wanna tell me, or… think maybe you should?"

"It seems like everything," she sighed. "It's unlikely we'll learn anything, anyway."

I was surprised at her defeatist attitude after how she had been talking before.

"Honey, please," he pleaded and put his hand on hers. "I'm sure V will turn something up."

"Wouldn't mind taking a look around the apartment," I suggested.

Jefferson nodded as they both stood up. "Of course. Liz can give you the tour. Gotta run to a meeting. Soon as you learn anything, let me know."

She smiled at me as I looked at her. "Come on, let me show you around."

I sighed hesitantly, but then replied, "Actually, I'd rather poke around my own way. You mind?"

"No, of course not," she assured. "I'll be right behind you, in case."

I began with the main entryway and started scanning as I walked through the house. The smart glass with the strange display didn't show up as anything unusual, neither did the other one in the entertaining space, which had a different pattern but the same colors and style. I was perplexed when I saw a third one in the dining room.

"What are these screens?" I asked.

She looked over at them. "Oh, some kind of new digital moving art. They came with the place. I never really understood them, but I really don't pay them much attention anymore."

I continued scanning and notice a bowl of fruit, but there appeared to be more than just organic compounds in it. "You guys eat these?"

"Yes," she answered. "They deliver it to us – it's included in the rent."

I continued scanning them to get more details. "Looks like they've been enhanced, loaded with neurotransmitters – dopamine, serotonin, noradrenaline… Know anything about this?"

"It's called 'SmartFood,'" she explained. "It's enhanced for improved mental performance. I don't know if it really works, but people believe it. Other than that, it isn't half bad."

Johnny appeared and started looking around, starting with the bowl. "Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables," he dramatically groaned.

I continued through to the next room where I saw several screens and computers taking up the walls.

"This was my den before the campaign," Liz noted. "A place to focus, relax, but… Security had to set up somewhere. One of the many small sacrifices I've had to make. This was the first, but it won't be the last."

I tried logging into the main security terminal, but it took me perusing through the messages on another terminal to find the right code. The messages detailed SSI's commitment to the Peralezes' safety, but also to their emotional stability. They were to monitor behavioral anomalies, as well. In the messages, however, was proof that SSI did know about the break-in and covered it up, which was no surprise. A message on the main terminal also showed SSI knowing about the Peralezes hiring me. But as part of their routine maintenance, they scrubbed every video file they had on that terminal. I found a remote code to open a security door, but I didn't know where it was.

I then had Elizabeth show me upstairs where I immediately picked up on some poorly cleaned bloodstains. "Where's the blood from?" I asked. "Is it yours?"

She shook her head. "I'm 100% sure it's not ours. Maybe the intruder's? Jeff shot the man just in that hallway," she pointed to another set of doors.

We walked through and I continued scanning, following the blood trail. Then I found a set of four bullet holes on the wall that had been filled in and painted over.

"Bullet holes," I showed her. "All caulked up. Someone tried to patch them up, and I'm assuming it wasn't you?"

"No, of course not," she defended.

We continued to their bedroom where I was immediately drawn to a fourth smart screen with the same strange colors and patterns. I narrowed my eyes and scanned it, though like the others, nothing unusual came up. Above the bed was a large extended arm, which looked like it could've been housing a holo TV unit and some lights, but I couldn't get any readings from it. By the bed, I noticed a photograph that appeared to be from their wedding.

"Wedding pic?" I asked. "Interesting backdrop."

She smiled proudly. "I wanted blue roses, so we ordered a whole truckload."

I smiled and looked back at the picture, but then looked closer. "Heh, blue roses? Wha-you sure? 'Cause the roses in this picture look pretty red to me."

"Hmm," she shook her head and held her hand up to her forehead. "Of course. You're right. They didn't have blue roses… I forgot…"

I started to have a sinking feeling that something was wrong when I looked up at her and her seemingly absent mind. I looked over at one of the other end tables and noticed a gun sitting on top. I quickly scanned it. "Iron… This Jeff's gun?"

"Mine, actually," she clarified. "But yes, that's the one Jeff used that night."

I huffed wryly. "Well, surprise, surprise, it's been recently fired."

"Hmm," she hummed. "And here I thought we wouldn't find anything."

We continued out to an upstairs terrace where the scrubbed blood trail continued. I looked on the walls and there was yet another smart screen, but it was off.

"Broken?" I asked and gestured to it.

"It was fine a couple of days ago," she shrugged. "Like I said, I really don't pay attention to them anymore."

Johnny appeared and leaned up against it, examining it closely. I looked closer and pressed my hand against the screen, but then it lit up bright red and surged, and all of my senses blacked out.

I slowly started to come to, and I felt a splitting headache. I heard sirens in the background, but my Kiroshis were still out. I felt around and realized I had fallen over, so I tried to get up as my Kiroshis rebooted. When they turned back on, the smart screen was now on and displaying a pattern just like the others.

"What was that?" I breathed.

Johnny also looked disoriented. "No fuckin' clue. Felt kinda good, but weird. Like tripping on acid."

I slowly got to my feet and noticed Elizabeth standing a distance away and staring off like I hadn't just blacked out on her deck. "Does that happen to the screen a lot?" I asked. "Or to any of the others?"

She stared blankly at me. "I don't understand."

I frowned. "What just happened a second ago. You didn't see it? The surge? Me on the ground?"

"No…" she shook her head. "What?"

"OK," I slowly replied, feeling another chill up my spine. "Never mind." I looked at the time, and I could've sworn I had only been there for about ten minutes instead of thirty, but my system's time was connected to the Net and was accurate.

I continued following the blood trail, and it led through an open doorway to another small security room. There were soundproof tiles, additional screens monitoring rooms I hadn't seen yet, and many more pieces of equipment. I could even see the other side of the smart screen from inside.

"Jesus Christ," Elizabeth breathed.

I looked back at her and nodded. "Think we're safe putting' your security at the top of our list of suspects." I continued looking around and found a used and bloodied medical kit, likely the one used by the guard Jefferson shot.

"They violated our privacy…" she realized shakily. "The sons of bitches! Under my own roof!"

"I wonder how long they've been keepin' this from you," I noted.

"Too long. This ends now!" she raged. "I'm not letting any more of those freaks set foot…" she paused and clutched at her head. "Ugh… my head…"

I approached her and offered her my hand. "Something wrong?"

She waved me off. "Don't worry about me, do what you have to do." She shakily pulled out a cigarette and left the room.

I kept looking around and found a data shard titled "Rewiring Synaptic Pathways." I scanned through it, and it referenced plasticity and manipulation of the brain, which made me start to wonder what I was seeing. I then opened one of the terminals and started reading the messages. The reports were titled "Project Condin." One of the messages read:

Typical behavior of the target exceeds acceptable variation. ALPHA has started using stimulants, most likely due to the heightened stress induced by recent events.

I hereby authorize amplification of neural dampening.

I reread the last line. "Neural dampening?"

"Talkin' to yourself again?" Johnny quipped, appearing next to me.

I grumbled, "More and more – ever since this terrorist started stalking me." I continued reading the messages, the final one showing "Suspension of Project Condin" after one of the agents had been shot. They still were keeping agents on-site, but the other teams were remotely observing. I looked around and saw a piece of tech that I didn't recognize with several cables running out from it.

"Weird hardware… What's it for?" I posed to Johnny.

He looked around, then back to me. "Connected to the wall-mounted screens. Wonder where else these cables run."

I followed the cables up to the roof where they led to a heavy-looking transmitter. "Odd…" I mumbled as I scanned it. "Tech's practically prehistoric, but it doesn't look older than a day."

"Saw somethin' like this back in the war," Johnny noted. "Transmitters – Militech was using 'em. Short-range UHF. Signal only travels line-of-sight, but it can't be intercepted."

"Line of sight," I hummed and looked around while scanning. I stuck close to the transmitter and looked down its sight, then found a tall receiving antenna about a mile away near a parking lot. A small, black SUV was parked next to it. "Think we got a winner," I mumbled to Johnny. "I wonder if Elizabeth has ever seen that car. They're gathering information on everything that the Peralezes are doing."

I went back down into the penthouse and found Elizabeth in the upstairs patio, smoking a cigarette and starting worriedly at the coffee table. "There's a transmitter on the roof. It seems to be conveying a signal to a van out front. You know who it might be?"

She looked up at me as she thought about it. "We never set up any transmitter. And I don't know a thing about any van, but my guess is it's SSI's."

I shrugged. "Don't really see any other possibility. But we still don't know who they work for."

"So, what do we do with the transmitter?" she asked.

"Nothing just yet," I replied. "Lemme check out the van first."

She nodded. "I'll wait here. Just… don't tell Jeff anything for now, OK?"

"Sure, whatever," I agreed. "I'll call him once I know something more substantial."

She took another drag of her cigarette, almost shaking but trying to appear calm. "That's fine. Just remember it's the busiest time for Jeff right now. You can always come and talk to me, though."

"I'll keep that in mind," I replied as I stared at her, wondering what she was thinking.

I raced my way downstairs and to the elevator, hoping whoever was in the van hadn't seen me poking around. Once I reached my car, I quickly popped the trunk and brought out the Saratoga SMG stashed inside, loaded up on explosive rounds for my PLS, then checked Jackie's golden pistol that I kept with me. With everything loaded, I slid into the front seat and gunned the engine. I bolted across the street in a sharp U-turn, then sped over to the parking lot. The people in the SUV must've seen me because they immediately took off, speeding out of a gate on the opposite side. I slammed on the gas and followed them, my Caliburn easily outclassing their bulky SUV.

"Don't lose em, V!" Johnny warned as they rounded a sharp turn and tried to weave through traffic.

"Oh, really?" I laughed dryly. "Now you're interested?"

"We could expose a corpo conspiracy here, V, I'm tellin' ya," he ranted. "They could be corpo spies or who-the-fuck knows what. You look at politicians and see a curated display. But behind the scenes, it's all-out war. Citizens don't choose their representatives, but rather the key players, the string-pullers. They spy on all the Peralezes, look for weak spots, blackmail, rig elections… This is the exact shit I told you not to step in. But now that you're here, let's do something about it."

I dodged a few slow-driving cars and kept close to the SUV. "I'm starting to have enough of these 'corpo conspiracies,'" I grunted. "You heard what Sandra said about Night Corp backing Maelstrom and the AI experiments."

"It could be connected here, too," he added. "They're leading us to Northside, Maelstrom territory."

"Shit, shit, shit," I swore. "This can't end well."

The ducked into an alley where I followed them, skidding to a halt where I saw that the alley opened up to a loading bay between a few buildings. As two agents jumped out of the SUV, several Maelstrom were waiting and opened fire on me. I quickly cut down the closets gangoon, but tried to look for one of the SSI agents amid the incoming fire. They were both scurrying up ladders to the top of the bay. I whipped out my pistol and fired off a few shots, taking one of the agents down. I couldn't see the other as he rounded up top, but more incoming fire diverted my attention. I sprayed a volley of fire towards a pair of shooters to my right, and a small CHOOH2 tank exploded near them.

I heard a rush of wind and the sound of engines roaring, and I looked up to see what looked like light bending around something massive. I could see the distinct fire of engine exhaust underneath it as what sounded like an AV lifted off. I watched the craft move, but I could barely see it against the sky. It sped upward, then flew back towards the city. I couldn't believe what I saw – and almost didn't see – but I was brought back to reality by more shots being fired a me and a grenade exploding just next to my car.

I kept in cover and shot down as many people as I could, but just as I thought I had most of them, two more Maelstrom cars arrived loaded with reinforcements. I fired all three of my explosive rounds at them and managed to detonate both cars, taking at least four gangoons with them in the process. The others proved to be little challenge, especially when I was able to get them one-on-one. Jackie's pistols were quite accurate, and I took pride in rarely missing my one-shot kills with them. The tranquilizer darts also were quite effective once I found vulnerable spots in my targets' armor.

When the shooting seemed to stop, I looked around. Three cars, my prized Caliburn included, burned in ripped-apart heaps, but the SSI SUV remained seemingly intact. I took one last look around to secure my position, then I went to the side of the truck where there appeared to be an interface. I jacked in, and thorough records on the Peralezes appeared. They included pictures, medical records, and something else that caught my eye.

"Vulnerability to neuroplasticity?" I mumbled to Johnny. "That's like what I was reading in that shard they had. Jefferson – 'Memory Loss: Severe?'"

Several brain scans also appeared for each of them, along with progression charts for their scans over time.

"Fuck, What about that? That blue shit?" he pointed to a blue area in one of the scans.

I quickly read the report with the scan. "They're fresh neural links. Oh god, they're not spyin' on them, Johnny, they're fuckin' with their heads!"

"Mean to say someone's literally controlling our upstanding politicians' minds?" he asked.

"Yeah… Look how the blue section is messing with those bits of memory residue" I nodded to the charts. "That's why Liz forgot the flowers at her own wedding. They're planting new memories, modifying their personalities… This is big shit, Johnny."

As I poked around, he stopped me and pointed to another folder. I opened it and a bunch of profiles started loading on the screen.

"Fuck me," I breathed as I studied them. "They got other guinea pigs besides the Peralezes, too."

"Quick, download the data," he urged. "Whoever comes lookin' for it – that's your suspect."

I started trying to copy the files, but the terminal froze. A strange symbol I never saw before started flashing on the screen, and the data started being erased

"Shit, they're wiping the data!" I yelled. I tried to break through the ICE, but it was too strong. "We've been made." I pulled my jack out of the port before anything could get uploaded back into me. "Now they know someone's been in their database."

"Wonder if they also know who," Johnny guessed.

I remembered that I tagged one of the agents, so I followed the ladders up to where that AV, or whatever it was, had taken off. I found the body up near the roof and searched it until I found an encrypted shard. Keeping it away from Net access, I decoded it.

PROJECT CONDIN SUSPENDED

Notice to all team BLACK field operatives: Project Condin has sustained a Class A security breach and has been SUSPENDED, EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY. BLUE and ORANGE teams are withdrawn. Team ALPHA-BLACK is ordered to withdraw to EVAC, code 8-BRAVO. Local armed friendlies will provide cover for extraction.

Team ALPHA-BLACK is notified that Control has authorized termination protocols in the event of capture or incapacitation.

"Wow…" I gasped, my breathing shallow as the immensity of the entire picture caught up to me.

"You need to tell them," Johnny replied. "They need to know what's happening."

I took a deep breath, not sure how to drop this big of news on someone. "Fuck… what do I say? Any possible explanation will make me sound bat-shit crazy."

"Duh, because it is bat-shit crazy," he reminded me. "But it's true."

I nodded and took another breath, then scrolled through my contacts and dialed Elizabeth.

"Okay," I began once she answered, "you're gonna want to sit down for this one."