You're Gonna Dance to My Tune, Papi!
Chapter 4
After much deliberation, the crew agreed it was time to return to Night City and lay waste to the Arasaka foothold there, once and for all. Conveniently, both Saburo and Hanako were in town, as were the other members of the board, so they would be able to kill them all in one swoop.
"Are you sure about this, V?" Judy inquired.
"I've never been so certain about anything, Judy. Arasaka's probably in disarray right now, so this is probably our best shot!"
"V's right," Mitch concurred with her. "Their best soldiers were taken out, and now we're sporting a rather impressive force our self. If we coordinate this right, we can take them all down with minimal losses."
"It's agreed then," Panam decided. "We are going to take down Arasaka. But… How do we get back into Night City? We can't transport the entirety of the Aldecaldos into Night City with just one AV and the border patrol will on high alert.
Goro, almost proudly, exclaimed, "I already have a plan. Anders Hellman and several members of his team have been working against Arasaka on the inside. In fact, their AV fleet should be en-route to us as we speak."
Jackie joyously exclaimed, "Look at you, mano, you're just full of surprises!"
Goro retorted, "It should be of no surprise that I like to be prepared."
V couldn't help but smile as she looked over her crew. She finally had her family all in one place, all ready to go to war with the most brutal, most evil corp to ever exist. She thought to herself, If only Johnny were here.
Her train of thought was interrupted when an unknown caller reached out to her, almost coincidentally.
"Miss V, I'm so glad I finally get to talk to you."
This man, whoever he was, had some mysterious glowing blue eyes.
"Who the fuck are you?"
"Someone who has a mutual interest in the destruction of Arasaka. I seek to liberate Mikoshi from them, and will require your assistance in doing so. In fact, I was able to make contact with the constructs you once did…"
"What the fuck? You mean Alt? Johnny?!"
"Indeed, that is correct. Speaking of Mister Silverhand, he was quite adamant we create a synthetic body for him, so he can help you take on Arasaka personally."
V was concerned on how her desire to take down Arasaka or her involvement with the rocker boy was made public so soon. "How did you know?"
"Our eyes are everywhere, Miss V. The net allows us to see all there is to see. Hear all there is to hear."
The merc scoffed. "So let me guess. You're just looking to destroy Arasaka so you can fill the power vacuum they leave behind?"
"You are not wrong in this assessment. However, unlike Arasaka, we are not looking to kill you or your comrades. Refuse to help me liberate Mikoshi, however, we will have no choice but to designate you as hostile."
Great, V told herself, another megalomaniac I have to deal with.
"By the way, it seems Johnny's synthetic body has completed. He will be contacting you shortly. Before I go, here is a small transfer of Eurodollars; Think of it as a down payment for your services." The man with the glowing blue eyes then ended their call.
"Uh, hey guys," V spoke up, flabbergasted, "I was just given a job offer to liberate Mikoshi from Arasaka. He just transferred 100 million Eddies into my account as a down payment."
This sounded familiar to hit man. "Were his eyes glowing?"
V replied, "You know him?"
Tobias spoke matter of factly. "I've accepted a few assassination jobs from him, ones that wouldn't tarnish with my standing with the Mafioso or Arasaka of course. He pays well but something about him just felt… Off."
Jackie scoffed. "I could say the same about you."
Before V could question it further, she received another call from an unknown. "Holy shit, is that you?"
The man on the holo was none other than Night City's baddest rocker boy. "Been a minute, hasn't it, V?"
"I didn't think I'd ever say this, but it's so good to see you again."
"Well, you're about to get more than you bargained for. Our mutual benefactor manage to transfer my engram into a new body. A synthetic one that's indiscernible from actual flesh and blood. It's pretty nova, really."
"About him, can he be trusted?"
"I doubt it, he's just another corpo looking to exploit his way to the top. But if it helps us bring down Arasaka, then I won't complain."
The Aldecaldos took a breather 10 miles outside of the Night City border zone, where they were met by a fleet of Arasaka AVs, which would transport the whole of the Aldecaldos into Night City.
Hellman emerged and acknowledged Goro. "Mister Takemura, I take it the shard worked?"
"It would seem, however you should probably run some diagnostic just to be certain."
"Of course. Miss V, may I?"
"Go right ahead."
Anders slotted into V so he scan her neurological state. "My, my. This is unprecedented…"
V glared at him. "Spill."
"It seems the shard was more effective than anticipated. Our initial tests showed it would take days at the earliest, possibly weeks even. However, you've managed to make a complete recovery in mere hours."
V wasn't sure if she should be grateful or creeped out. "Gee, thanks for that, doc."
"Don't thank me," Anders spoke matter of factly, "The plans for this shard were actually constructed by someone who goes by the name of Mister Blue Eyes. All I did was check to make sure his algorithm was scientifically sound before the manufacturing process began."
"Did his eyes glow?"
"Indeed. You know of him, then?"
"Just met, he transferred a hundred million Eddies to liberate Mikoshi from Arasaka as down payment."
"Very good. Then allow me to introduce you to the second phase of the plan."
With that said, another, familiar face emerged from the AV. The famous terrorist of 2023 made flesh.
V's eyes went wide in utter amazement. "J-Johnny?"
Johnny Silverhand smirked. "What can I say? I too would be taken aback by my sex appeal."
It was a sobering moment as V sneered. "Yeah, same old Johnny."
Johnny looked over her crew. "I see you've gathered your entire family."
The crew gathered round, amazed that the legend of Night City still existed.
Johnny didn't care too much for the gazes he was receiving. "Come on. Stop gawking with your dicks in hand. We have some Arasaka gonks that need to be fried."
V growled. "Did I ever mention how much of a dick he is?"
Panam sighed. "You certainly have, on more than one occasion."
Meanwhile, a young lady was having a difficult time processing this all. "Papi."
"Milena."
"This… This is too much for me. Large scale battles with corporations. It's suicide."
"Just another Tuesday for someone like me. Someone like them. You should have seen all the Kang Tao and Militech forces I've slaughtered over the years."
Milena protested. "Papi, please don't fight Arasaka with them! If you died, then I…"
"And if Arasaka is left unchecked, they will hunt us down. No doubt they are now aware of my betrayal, as well as the fact that you are the one that makes me vulnerable."
The young Valentinos woman continued her rant, "And if you do succeed in taking out Arasaka? What next? Are you going to stamp out Petrochem? Kang Tao? Biotechnica? Militech? Where does it end? And honestly, doesn't all this violence you commit to make you just as evil as the corporations that instigate it?"
It hit him deep. He's only known this girl for the better part of 48 hours at this point, yet somehow she's had the most profound impact on his life compared to anyone or anything prior.
"You're right, Milena. You're absolutely right. I promise, this will be my last gig. Then we can flee. Mexico, Columbia, doesn't matter. As long as it's far away from here. I don't need any more money. If we have kids, and they have kids, they'll be set for life with what I've earned.
Milena clasped his face again and looked deeply into his cerulean eyes. "Would you do me this honor by granting me children, Papi?"
"I would, Milena Saurez. In fact…" He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small pouch. "This was my grandmothers, I kept it for good luck." It contained a small platinum ring, with a Sapphire stone welded in.
The young woman blushed. "By Santa Marda! Just what are you insinuating?!"
"Will you marry me, Milena Saurez?"
"YES, TOBIAS BINNOTTO! YOU MAKE ME THE HAPPIEST WOMAN ALIVE!" She tackled him as she kissed him deeply.
Francisco exclaimed, "This is fucking bullshit!"
Goro sighed at this development. Upon waiting for the lovers to finish up, he insisted. "Tobias."
"Ahem, yeah, sorry about that."
Goro continued. "Tobias, you are excused."
"Pardon?"
"Old friend, you have a special lady you need to take care of. I would hate to see her hurt if you died in the assault."
Tobias protested. "But…"
Jackie smirked. "Don't worry about it, mano. Anything you can do, I can do better. I'll kill those Saka bastards far more efficiently than you could ever hope to."
"Please!" Milena begged her lover, "Accept their offer, Tobias! You have nothing left to prove! You can retire at the top of your game and have no regrets!"
"What about me?" Francisco chimed in. "Can I have a crack at those Saka putas?"
"Hell no, ese," Jackie shut him down, "We're taking you all back to Heywood. That is, if it's okay with you." Jackie looked to Goro.
Goro gave his blessing. "Of course, that is what we will do."
After they dropped off Tobias, Milena, and Francisco at the El Coyote Cujo bar, Goro extended his hand to Tobias. "It was good to see you again. Hopefully this will not be the last time."
Tobias shook his hand firmly. "Indeed, Mister Takemura. Hopefully we can catch up after your mission."
