Vergil's thoughts about the strange way both the emperor and his son were being evasive were shaken away by a light touch on his shoulder, and he turned to see Hanako giving him a small smile.
"Sparda-san. I see you are very interested in the topic at hand," she said in English. He tilted his head, considering her angle of attack.
" She obviously wants me to be part of her little faction. And she saw how I and Yorinobu were at odds. What will you offer me then, Hanako Arasaka?" He blinked once, then decided to play her little game.
"Indeed. Something that revolutionary…and dangerous would be disastrous if it fell to our adversaries."
"...And what constitutes something as dangerous, Sparda-san ?" Hanako said in a low voice, drawing near and grabbing his arm. Vergil allowed the action to occur and raised his brow at the brazen action.
" She's playing that game then. Hmm…" Vergil brought his free hand up to her wrist that was holding on to him, and slid down her arm, making her shiver slightly at his ice-cold touch, before returning to her wrist. Leaning in slightly, he whispered in her ear.
"Let's just say Silverhand was correct in stating that one shouldn't play with fire." he drawled, his grip firm and cold on her arm.
Oda tensed at the action, his eyes narrowing to slits and he began to stalk forward to break the perceived assault. Valerie was observing the entire debacle between Vergil and Hanako with a raised brow, and then noticed her neighbor begin to move. Realizing her boss was in the middle of "Intel gathering", she decided to intervene. She nudged Melissa, who glanced over at her, and Valerie walked forward quickly. She stepped right in front of Oda, who stopped in place and had to look up at the slightly taller woman to glare her straight in the eyes. She took it in stride and flashed him a grin.
"...Hey cyber ninja. You think that the fire powers come with being resurrected like that?"
"...Out of my way, woman. I know what this is. What you are trying to do." With her smile intensifying, she walked forward, forcing Oda to take a few steps back until his back hit the wall. Valerie raised her arm and placed it against the wall, pinning Oda with her body. Oda grit his teeth and clenched his fist, ready to deploy his Arasaka Mantis Blade on his right arm, but Valerie grabbed his arm with her free one and shook her head.
"C'mon now. Let our bosses have a bit of fun, and we can have a bit of fun ourselves, no?" she said, enjoying the man squirming under her.
"You…You…!" He tried to deploy the blade, but the mechanism was being held shut by Valerie's grip on his arm. The pinkette smiled with her teeth and shook her head back and forth. Her eyes glowed yellow, scanning her target.
"Let's not cause a scene in front of all these people now, Odie…"
Grimacing, he tried to deploy his left blade, but another hand was holding it down.
Melissa was inexplicably there on his left side holding his arm, but her attention was fixated on her boss and Hanako, a dark look on her face.
"Tsk tsk. Now you got the psycho's attention. Who knows what she'll do if you try anything…untoward." Valerie whispered, faux worry written on her face.
" When…when did she…" Oda stuttered in his mind, before exhaling and relaxing in their grasp, deactivating his blade mechanisms.
Oda was many things, and an elite Arasaka Ninja was one of them. And to make it as far as he did, he knew when to retreat when the situation called for it.
Live to fight another day, so he may return with a vengeance.
As skilled as he was, he currently stood no chance against these two agents who were hand-picked by the Dark Slayer himself.
"Good boy…" Valerie purred, and both agents released him, with Valerie twirling around and finding herself leaning on the wall, arms crossed and her shoulder touching Oda's. Melissa leaned against Oda too, but still paying him no heed, still glaring holes into Hanako.
They had sandwiched him from both sides, and his face burned with indignation and embarrassment, his honor as an elite soldier being run aground by these two… femme fatales. He glanced around, seeing if anyone would assist him in his predicament, and caught eyes with Zaburo. Zaburo ran a hand through his beard, glancing back and forth at Oda's furious expression and the two women holding him hostage, and raised a brow, before flashing him a thumbs up.
" Shit." Oda cursed in Japanese.
Vergil took a momentary glance at the commotion behind himself, and Hanako followed his gaze.
"It looks like our escorts are getting along," Hanako commented, a sharp glint in her eye.
"...So it would seem." He deadpanned, rather unamused at the situation, but Hanako pressed on.
"Well? What do you say about further cooperation then? It shouldn't be just our guards who have such… rapport with each other." she said, tilting her head to the side.
He considered the situation. If he took her side in the power struggle, then Yorinobu would have to pull something drastic to wrestle back control. The chaos could either help him dig deeper in Arasaka, but could also make it much harder to navigate through all the noise. It was too early to say. He would have to postpone the decision and see where the wind blows, in this case.
" But how to go about doing that…" Glancing at his neural watch, he noticed that the time was drawing closer to his rendezvous with Jackie in Afterlife.
"...I suppose you are correct. It would please me if we go over the details in a more…private setting." He said in a low voice, which caused her eyes to sparkle.
"Hmm~. I can rent out Embers, and we could have the entire floor to ourselves, to discuss further pertinent details…"
Vergil could only smirk at her response. " Jackpot." Blinking, he mentally cursed out his brain for even thinking that accursed word, and then returned his attention to Hanako.
"That sounds lovely. However, I have other engagements for the time being. How about sometime…let's say…next week."
Hanako could only nod in confirmation, easily consenting as she finally had a foot in the door that was the enigmatic man's schedule. Vergil nodded and pulled away before glancing at his lieutenants. He jerked his head to the exit, and they nodded, before releasing Oda from his prison.
"Have a good rest of your night, Odie…" Valerie spoke in her husky voice, before rounding on one boot and walking away.
Hanako walked forward and grabbed Oda by his hands, smiling up at him.
" Oda, I didn't know you had it in you! Excellent work today. You have no idea what this means for the corporation. I cannot thank you enough!" She said excitedly.
Oda could only stand there with his jaw dropped, glancing back and forth at his charge and the retreating woman, that damnable pinkette slightly swaying her hips. It seemed she had sensed his eyes on her, and turned to the side, before flashing a wink at him. He blinked in turn and she rolled her eyes before continuing on her way to her boss.
" I…I…yes, Hanako-sama. I live to serve."
Vergil beelined toward the exit, with his lieutenants and Secretary joining him.
"Whatdya think about the engram, bossman?" Valerie said, idly twirling her hair.
"...A dangerous tool, moral implications aside."
"Since when did you care about the moral implications of anything, sir?" Vergil turned to his second in command and scoffed.
"Pondsmith, remind me what I told you before we entered the room."
"I uh… I didn't say anything." Valerie quickly remediated, slowing her pace so she was out of his field of vision.
They left the room, and rounded the corner, before they came across Yorinobu and his metallic bodyguard on the other side of the hallway, waiting for the elevator. An air of tension permeated through the hallway, with Melissa and Valerie standing slightly behind their boss, and Itane standing a good few meters away from the event. Yorinobu stood there, unsure of how to proceed with the charged atmosphere.
Smasher on the other hand…
" Sparda…" he started, and walked a few steps forward, his titanic frame taking up most of the hallway. Vergil had to stifle a smirk, as the way Smasher had said his name was eerily similar to how the demons back home would curse his father.
" Surrounding yourself with fuckable meat?"
A single beat passed. A pin drop on the carpet could have been heard in that hallway right at that moment. The silver-haired man blinked at the brazen comment. Yorinobu himself had an agape expression, not expecting the confrontation to end up going in that direction. Vergil narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth, but then memories of his twin brother came rushing back at him. Of his penchant for surrounding himself with women as deadly as they were beautiful. Of a woman that looked eerily like his mother, who he saw around Dante during his time as V, and that woman from Temen-Ni-Gru, Arkhams apparent spawn.
" Am I…becoming more like him? No… it can't be." Vergil quickly glanced behind himself and took in his underlings. Valerie was leaning to her left side, a slight smile on her face that did not reach her eyes. Her hand near her belt belied her true feelings at the comment. Melissa on the other hand was barely holding in her rage, the mechanisms of her mantis blades in her arms trembling slightly. And Miyashiki was shaking like a leaf, clutching her datapad like a shield.
" Not to mention all the women you've met during your time as a merc, you sly dog."
A distinctly Dante-like voice rang in his head, before he dispelled his musings. He didn't need that much foolishness at this crucial junction. Arasaka was playing with powers they did not understand, and now he had a solid lead to his heirloom…
Refocusing on the chrome titan in front of him, he walked up until he was face to face with him. The cyborg was two heads taller than Vergil, but the eldest Son of Sparda did not care. Most, if not all of the demons he's hunted down were taller if not gargantuan in comparison to his height.
Smasher was nothing special in that regard.
"Very amusing, Smasher. But I would watch your tongue around me. I would probably not be as quick to save your life a second time."
Smashers eyes blinked a harsh red, before clenching his fist, the sound of grinding metal reaching everyone's ears.
" Come again, meat?"
"We just saw the dead come back to life not too long ago. Who knows? Maybe the mercenary V will make a reappearance… and I won't be as inclined to stop him from snuffing you out." Vergil threatened, and Smasher leaned in more, their foreheads almost touching.
" Hahahahaha. You've got balls, Sparda, I'll give you that much. But next time will be different. I have my upgrades. That cunt won't be an issue."
At his statement, the panels underneath parts of his armor hissed open, and his entire body glowed an eerie red. Melissa hissed in a panic, her blades now fully out and at the ready, her eyes glowing red. Valerie drew her handgun, dot steady on Smasher's skull. And Vergil…
The silver-haired man could only quirk a brow.
" That power he's radiating. He's different from before. Exercising caution would be best here. I will not be fooled again. Not after Malphas…"
"...Hellmnium implants, Smasher? I'm surprised you can even have this conversation with me right now."
" Hehehehe. You could say that I'm special. Unlike that toy of yours over there. Breaking not once, but twice. Hah!"
At his comment, Melissa stalked forward, but Valerie reached out and grabbed her by the shoulder, shaking her head. Melissa grit her teeth and fought against her grip, but Valerie pulled her in, silencing her with a shove.
"That's Adam fucking Smasher, you gonk. We can't handle that kinda firepower. But bossman certainly can." she whispered, but Melissa continued to shake in her grasp, her blades trembling at the promise of violence. Rolling her eyes, she reasoned with a different angle.
"What, you don't trust our lord? What'll it mean for his standing if his servants do the fighting for him?" She said, wincing at her performance. The effect was immediate, with Melissa's blades retreating to her arms and the violence retreating from her pupils. Valerie huffed in annoyance before returning her attention to Smasher, her gun at the ready.
Vergil scoffed at Smasher's response, before the elevator dinged. Yorinobu walked into it in a hurry, eager to leave the quickly escalating situation.
"Smasher-san. Time is of the essence. You are not being paid to harass your fellow employees." he ordered, wringing his hands, oozing nervousness. Of what, Vergil could only guess.
The two bogeymen of Night City stared each other down, Smasher's visible crimson Hellmnium aura and Vergil's invisible pressure bearing down on each other before Smasher let up and closed the panels on his body. The harsh red light evaporated, and Melissa exhaled a sigh of relief.
" I suppose we'll dance another time, Sparda."
"Mayhaps. Now run along to your master, dog." Vergil snarked, and Smasher's eyes glinted once more before he huffed in his metallic voice, turned around, and stood in the elevator with Yorinobu. The door closed, and the agents of Counter-Intel were alone in the hallway, waiting for their elevator.
" I should have killed that miserable pile of scrap…"
"Miyashiki. Do you have the timetable for tonight?" Vergil asked, still staring ahead of himself, and stretched his hand out to the side. Itane walked up towards him and handed out her datapad to him, which he glanced over. His eyes scanned the document, and began to assign a gameplan in his head.
"Rory." He ordered with a single word, and Melissa walked up to him, eager to be of use.
"My lord?"
"You will be in charge of this night's patrol. Take five of our green agents and put them to work." He unclipped a datashard that was connected to the pad, and handed it over to her, which she slotted in without comment. He showed her the datapad, and began to further explain extra work details that he wanted done correctly.
"I want him shot. I want her shot, but make sure her brother sees. Kill this one with your blades, but plant the evidence that the Tyger claws were at fault. I want that one specifically clean, understand? Make sure to track the Militech Convoy coming in at 3:00 am this morning from the Badlands, and give me a report the following day of what they are delivering." Vergil ran through the list on the data pad in a rapid-fire manner. Her eyes glowed a dull yellow for a few seconds, making a checklist before she responded.
"It will be done, my lord." She said in a breathy manner and clicked her boots together in attention before stalking off to complete her tasks.
"Pondsmith." He glanced to the left, and Valerie waltzed up, crossing her arms under her chest.
"Yes, bossman?" At her response, he turned and grabbed her shoulder, and pulled her in, whispering in her ear.
"...This will be a request under the table. I need your utmost discrepancy in this regard."
Her demeanor immediately shifted from an easygoing to a hardened one, her green eyes humming a tone darker.
"Sir." The cheer erased from her voice, the Corpo that had originally wanted to become head of Counter-Intel resurfacing for a brief moment.
"...Trail Yorinobu's actions. Find out where, who, when, how, and whatever you can find about him during the last month. If there is nothing pertinent, look at the previous month, and the month before. I need this done quickly."
She looked him in the eyes, his cold blue orbs gazing into her oscillating green Kiroshi optics, before she leaned back and put up her front once again.
" Under the table…under Arasaka's nose. There's a deeper conspiracy going on here that boss wants me to uncover. Hohoho, you sure know how to get a girl fired up…"
"Sure. I'll get ya knowing the exact number of times he's played with himself by the end of the week, bossman." She said, a Cheshire-grin on her face. Vergil gazed at her deeply, before sighing and letting go of her shoulder.
"It'll do."
Handing the datapad back over to Itane, the silver-haired man glanced at the elevator number, which was rapidly descending down to their floor. Remembering his final member that had accompanied him, He turned to his secretary.
"Miyashiki. Retire for the day."
"I…yes sir," she said, bowing at the waist. At that moment, the elevator door opened, and Vergil quickly got in, shooting his underlings a glance before the door closed and went up to his office floor.
—-
Vergil opened the door to his office and walked in, taking in the unlit atmosphere. He closed his eyes, mentally drained from the political maneuvering and posturing that he had to endure. But there was a silver lining to it all. The presence of the engram. The sheer amount of demonic power it radiated was the glowing yellow road for where he would tread next.
He slicked back his hair, and reclined on his chair taking an energy drink from his personal fridge and downing it in one go. His eyes roamed over to his closet, where he considered if even going back to his merc persona was worth the hassle. He had his lead. He had a trail, and he was raring to follow it.
His merc life held baggage he'd rather not resurface either. He originally played out both lives of a legendary Solo and Corpo, but he decided that staying with the Corpo lifestyle suited him more. It was much easier to obtain information that way than wrestling in the dirt with the commoners.
Not to mention V was number one most wanted on Arasaka's hitlist.
…But he had already agreed to the meeting with Jackie. And let it be known that a Son of Sparda always follows through on his words. Getting up, he opened his closet and pulled out the old merc outfit that he hadn't worn in a good few months. It was similar to his old outfit, but with distinctions that set his two personas apart.
The top was a dress shirt that had two belt-like bandoliers wrapping around the chest in the shape of an "X", with gold buttons accenting the collar to the stomach, where a gold embroidered belt sat. The bottom of the shirt was cut off with a fringe, leading to an asymmetrical, yet stylish ending that was decorated with a fancy pattern, one he sewed on himself. His trousers were also black and followed down to his knee-high boots. Over the dark ensemble was another long jacket with three coattails, but instead of the white jagged lines of his standard outfit, they had intricate gold patterns that went from the collar to the bottom of the tails. The asymmetrical look was completed with only his left arm having a bracer made of a gold alloy that was sturdy enough to block melee weapons. He then pulled out his signature brown duster, which further helped to conceal his identity.
Putting his outfit on, he stared at the mirror and adjusted his collar. Seeing that there were no more imperfections on his person, he smirked at the mirror, before frowning at his hair. Closing his eyes, there was one thing left to do.
Focusing on his demonic core, he began to breathe in and out. He began to pull memories back from his previous world. Remembering the life he had before. Remembering his short time as the human V in his old world. Channeling memories of the time when he was fully and only human. Remembering the time he had spent with his son.
Nero.
" I won't lose next time. Hold onto that until then..."
Opening his eyes, he exhaled one last time, and slicked back his now jet-black hair. Vergil had not grown idle when it came to his abilities. Weakened as he was, there was no excuse for allowing his other abilities to atrophy. Instead of focusing on his raw power, he had heightened his control over what had remained. Speaking of which…
He raised a fist, clenching it tightly in front of his face. He remained like this for almost half a minute, molding his core within him. Sweat began pouring off his face in his efforts, but he paid it no mind, condensing the heat from within himself. Finally done, he released the tension with a grunt and swept his fist aside.
A blue spectral ghost sprung up beside him, in his true demonic form. Its jet blue flames lit up the area, casting dark shadows around the room which contrasted deeply with the light. Vergil leaned against the wall, but his task wasn't done. Gathering himself, he stared at his doppelganger, before focusing once more on his taxed core. The ghost stared back, gazing into Vergil's eyes with its own blazing infernos. It slowly began to change shape, losing its horns and flames until it was the silhouette of a man. Vergil smiled, his task almost done. He walked up to the blue silhouette and touched it in the chest area.
The blue visage shattered into flakes, and in its place stood a perfect copy of the Head of Counter-Intel, dark midnight coat and silver hair in all.
By honing his control over the doppelganger, he was able to create a perfect copy of himself, minus the blue ethereal effect.
The black-haired Merc and silver-haired Corpo glanced at each other for a minute, before V walked over and fixed his doppelganger's collar which was slightly sagging on the side. Sighing in contentment, he turned around and walked to the window, before glancing back at his double, who was already sitting down at his desk.
"...I will be out for a spell. Finish the report for the earlier meeting today and start the paperwork for yesterday's hunt. Do try and keep everything in order."
"Of course." His doppelganger responded, tilting his head toward his summoner.
V turned back to the city and placed his foot on the railing, taking in the city at night on top of the tower. The rain fell in a light drizzle, cascading down his cloak, and pooling at his fingers where it fell down in tiny droplets. His eyes drank in the neon lights, the night sky covered by advertisements and crude attempts at prying money from fools that didn't know any better. The sounds of the city were still audible from V's Ivory tower, making him grimace in disgust. The impatient car honking, the chatter of peasants toiling away at their jobs that they hated but performed out of necessity, the random interspersed gunshots, the sound of faraway law enforcement sirens.
All incessant noise.
The disgusting trash and pestilence building up at every nook and cranny didn't help either. It showed how these humans, at the pinnacle of their technological prowess, had their eyes glued to the sky with their ambitions, but they were all mired in the dirt and trash they themselves allowed to coalesce into an unacceptable collection of offal.
V leaped off the top of the tower, running down the glass with such speed that he was outpacing the rain. Leaping off into the air, he became a dark specter, his coat billowing in the night sky. Falling a far distance away from the tower, he landed with a splash on the empty street. Quickly glancing around himself, he adjusted his collar and pulled his hood further over his head. Mentally remembering the path to Afterlife, he hung his head in distaste, before steeling himself for the next monumental task he would have to undertake.
As V, his old vehicles were all blacklisted and taken in by law enforcement for being a wanted man. There was only one way he could both travel and blend in with the crowd to remain unseen by Arasaka agents.
Taking public transportation to the damn bar.