Chapter 20: Last Things
The Horus flew onward, leaving New York and Manhattan far behind as the wreckage of Scylla burned high into the air. V was deep in thought, still thinking about the decisions he'd made that had led him to this conclusion. The fact that no matter what he did, the Revolution would have started regardless with or without him being present for it. They were heading back to the City of Shadows where this all began, Night City. The last Free-City and the home of many unscrupulous corporations that did all of their shady business free from intrusions from the government.
V thought about what he could do at this moment, crash the AV? Kill everyone on board? That was something he could try. Jericho had just survived an exploding building and a nearly point-blank fusion explosion, so a crashing AV wouldn't kill him, it would just make him mad. V really didn't want that to be chasing him all over the world for betraying him. He could leave, just jump out or ask to be let off at the Nomad camp, but then the Revolution would continue on without him as he rode off into the nuclear sunset with the Aldecados. He could also shoot himself, but that would have the same result as the previous one. Or he could just submit and live in the mess he'd caused, but he didn't cause it at all, this was already planned from the beginning. If he had a magical time-machine he could go back and change history, but that supernatural power was beyond his limits at the moment and if it were at all possible, Jericho would've already done it. He just sighed and resigned himself to his fate. He was afraid of what would happen to the world he knew, but was change so bad? The world could be a better place, honestly. Maybe this was for the best. A Human Revolution.
The AV continued on. The wastelands of the midwest passing below beneath them. V stood in the cockpit watching the landscape as it flew past. There wasn't anything else to do right now. He stared out and saw a Nomad caravan making its way through the sun-blasted desert towards a derelict town, maybe they were seeking refuge or scavenging parts? That was the life he was used to, never in one spot for too long, always moving forwards. He looked to the horizon and saw the gleaming lights of Las Vegas. The city was only slightly better than Night City, but offered food, booze and cheap entertainment. Although no longer Free, they were still run by some of the biggest gambling and braindance corporations out there, adhering to their reputation.
"Aye, kiddo, you wanna stop in Vegas?", Scotch asked.
"Yeah. It would be-"
"Of course! It'll be fun!", Asher exclaimed cutting V off midsentence.
"Aye, I'll land at Caesar's Palace... Jericho won't mind a quick pit-stop."
Jericho just looked up at them. "No. Las Vegas has been run by Militech since the Casino Wars in the early 21st century, we have our mission... Keep flying."
Scotch just grunted and kept the AV flying on. The gleaming city with towering mega-buildings and glittering casinos passed by below them. From within the cockpit, V could see Militech SUV's and AV's firing onto what appeared to be a homeless camp. The lower levels of Sin City were apparently worse than Pacifica with the higher levels of the metropolis reserved for the social elite and corpo kings as was the universal standard. More of the same oppression with a slightly different color scheme.
"You can see them down there, suffering beneath the corporations that run their lives. When the Big 4 ran Las Vegas, it was a time of prosperity and economic growth, but now that Militech has stepped in, it's just another City of Shadows...", Jericho noted as he watched the events on the ground unfold. "That was a homeless camp, a tent city full of displaced citizens, nomads, and the downtrodden; their only crime being without a place to live. Undoubtedly there homes are being razed to build another parking lot for their corporate overseers."
"It's terrible, but... even with your Revolution, thousands will still die...", V msued.
"True. A possibility, but when we have won... the future of all will be what we make it. This world that we've broken needs to be rebuilt with a stronger foundation..."
"Look, I don't exactly agree with what you have planned, but... I'm sure it'll be worth it. Can't be any worse..."
"Get some rest, V. We'll be back in Night City before you know it."
V just walked back over to his cot and sat down. He'd try to get some sleep before the Revolution started.
"You know, V, we're not trying to rule the world like some kind of comic-book villains. We're creating a new one.", Hildegarde mused.
"I know. I guess I'm just afraid of change...", V sighed. He laid down and turned away from the one-eyed woman for now. "For better or for worse..."
Several hours had passed in the meantime, the Horus flew silently through the Badlands outside of Night City. It was dark with only the bright lights of the city in the distance and a campfire in the Aldecados campsite providing a light source.
"Call the banners. It's time.", Jericho stated, addressing the entire crew. V was still sleeping.
Asher obeyed. She sent out multiple messages all around the globe to Ouroboros' allies calling them to the City of Shadows, Night City. Replies began to come from all over the world, called into action by their General. A few familiar voices shouted over the comms.
"Jericho! Give us a few days to get there, Hyperion isn't particularly fast but it is heavily armed. Where will we meet you?", Handsome Jaune exclaimed.
"Badlands, there's a Nomad camp nearby. Sending the coordinates now."
"Great! See ya soon, kiddo!"
Ve are already in pozition! Awaiting your orderz!", Gunter announced.
"Good. Wait for us to land. We'll wait for the others."
"Affirmative!"
Dozens of other like-minded mercenaries called in and confirmed their positions and their travel times. At this point, there was roughly one week until everyone had arrived. Jericho motioned to Scotch to land the AV in a canyon outside of the Aldecado's campsite, the nomads had stayed put presumably waiting for V to return. Jericho pulled a lever on the inside of the AV and deployed their GAU-8 cannons, only the upper ones and set them to auto-target intruders. This would be their base for now, a nice little valley with only two ways in or out. He opened the rear hatch and walked out into the night air.
"One week. And then the Revolution will begin. Prepare yourselves.", Jericho noted staring at the gleaming skyline in the distance.
"Jericho, are you going to Run again?", Asher asked.
"Yes. Janus will be freed once again. It will pull the attention of NetWatch and the others. But now, we'll be prepared to take them on."
"Okay... Should I keep the Veil up for now?"
"Yes. Obviously. Once Janus is free, get off the Net, use local networks only."
"Cool. I hope this works better than it did in Prague."
"It will."
Asher just walked back into the AV to set up their stealth protocols. Hildegarde came out shortly afterwards and stood next to Jericho, leaning slightly on the doorframe.
"Well, we've certainly got the team assembled. V is still sleeping, by the way. Should I wake him?"
"Wake him, take him back into the city, get him what he needs to function. I will be coming along as well, I need to make sure everything is in place."
"Got it. Asher is worried, she thinks this is going to end like it did in Prague. V won't do what Vostok did, I'm certain of it."
"As expected. However we have new allies and are better prepared this time."
"I know. Besides, if he does try anything I'll put a stop to him. Just like Vostok."
Hildegarde walked back into the AV to go wake V. Jericho stayed outside for a while longer. Night City, where it had began for V was also where it ended. Ouroboros.
"Wake up, V! We've got a city to burn!"
V just bolted upright in bed. That was the second time he'd heard that phrase. He looked around in confusion before meeting eyes with Hildegarde, who stood over him. They'd landed, which meant that they were in Night City. This also meant that the Revolution was about to begin. He swung his feet over the side of the cot and sat up.
"Already?", V asked.
"Yes, V. We're in Night City. Get up and get ready. Go talk to your friends, buy more ammunition and finally decide what you're doing. You've got one week!", Hildegarde shouted.
"One week?"
"One week before Jericho is ready. Figure yourself out."
V just pushed past the plum-purple woman and walked down the exit ramp. It was night. He could see the Aldecados' camp in the distance a few hundred feet away. Night City loomed in the distance, it's glittering lights and false paradise seemingly mocking him. He just began to walk in the direction of his nomad friends. They'd understand what was going to happen. He could still run away. He just kept walking, he'd tell Panam about the coming Revolution and get her opinion. They had planned on running away and starting a new life together, she probably didn't want another war to begin. Right?
As he approached the campsite, he immediately noticed two familiar faces. One was a tall and bulky cyborg not unlike Adam Smasher and the other was a shorter pale woman with a glowing red eye. They were surrounded by other nomads and a few other heavily armed mercenaries near the roaring bonfire. V just approached them carefully.
"Ah! Vee, it is good to see you again!", Navarre exclaimed upon seeing the wayward merc.
"V? You're back!?", Panam shouted. "Come with me, we have much to talk about!"
V was just pulled off and away from the other mercenaries. The silver-tongued word of Jericho had apparently already reached the Aldecados since the cyborg's allies were staying in camp. This didn't bode well.
"V! Those mercs, they've told us of a Revolution. They're taking on Militech, Arasaka, the other corporations... They're going to try to free Night City.", Panam rambled.
"I know. And it's not just Night City, it's the entire world. They're planning a universal uprising against all corporations."
"D-Do you think they really could?"
"I don't know. This guy I've been traveling with, Jericho... The Nuclear Nomad... He's the one who's organizing this. It's insane."
"Are you going to go along with it?"
"I don't have much of a choice right now. I guess we could just cut and run, but this Revolution is going to happen with or without us. Might as well see it through."
"V... A free world... No more corporations... We wouldn't have to worry anymore, we could go anywhere and do anything...", Panam mused.
V just sighed. Panam was on board with this. Running away from it was not a possibility anymore. He did promise a new life with Panam and it looked like that new life was going to be in a new world. "Yeah... We could really do anything..."
V just sat with Panam outside of the camp for a long time. A new world free of corporate greed, what a world that would be. There would be smaller corporations that would take the place of Militech, Arasaka, and others but the constant opposition from the people would keep them in check. This wasn't going to be as bad as he thought. Hell, it might even be great.
"See V, this is what I wanted all the way back in 2023. An uprising. A Revolution. Normal people breakin' the chains that held them down.", Johnny noted appearing next to V.
"I know. I've got my life back, might as well live it.", V stated. He was in this now. For better or for worse.
Panam eventually led V back into the campsite, walking into her own tent and leaving V to walk around the place as he felt. He decided to go and talk to the other mercenaries, he walked over to one of them. This mercenary was wearing a black leather trenchcoat similar to what Jericho had worn with a dark set of sunglasses set on his face. He carried a large rocket launcher.
"Sunglasses at night?", V asked idly.
"My vision is augmented.", the mercenary added, not saying much else.
V walked away slightly confused before running into a nearly identical man standing nearby, this man wore the same outfit but held a silenced sniper rifle. He didn't wear sunglasses, but had glowing blue eyes like Jericho.
"Stealth is key! Silent but deadly...", he whispered.
"Uh... Yeah...", V noted.
"I'm Paul, by the way... That's my brother JC.", Paul noted pointing to the man wearing sunglasses at night.
"Oh, you're the Twin Guns. I'm V.", said V.
"And I'm Alex!", a shorter but similar looking girl added from just behind.
"And together, we're Ex Machina. You've heard of us right? We're Freedom Fighters!", Paul announced.
"Yep. I met Navarre and Gunter in Anchorage. You're pretty similar to us, I guess.", V noted.
"Sorta? OH! You haven't met Jock yet, he's our pilot!", Alex added pointing to a drunken man that was currently slouched over next to Cassidy by the bonfire. It seemed like all the good pilots were drunken buffoons.
"Preem..."
V just gave up and walked back towards the AV. He knew the way back into Night City from here and would simply call one of his vehicles for delivery. He head to talk to someone else, anyone else other than the four crazed lunatics he'd been stuck with for the past several months.
"Hey, V...", Asher noted as V walked past the AV.
"Asher? What's up?"
"I'm just worried. I know Jericho won't tell you, but this is our second attempt at this. Prague, three years ago, we tried to do the same thing but NetWatch, Militech, and Sovietek found us. Jericho said Vostok sold us out, but I saw what he did to the Net in Prague. He couldn't break through the Blackwall.", Asher sighed.
"Why? Why would Jericho need to break through the Blackwall?"
"It's for Janus. Janus needs uploaded to the Net permanently. I don't really know why."
"What is Janus?"
"An AI... Jericho programmed it from the ground up, even wrote the assembly language so it's completely unique and unhackable... I've seen it. It's like a massive ball of tentacles, floating in the Net and consuming everything."
"What the hell? This have something to do with that Revolution he keeps talking about?"
"Yeah. Probably. He says it's the Key to Salvation."
"Do you believe that?"
"Well... It has to be... What else could it be, V?"
"DataKrash 2.0. The end of the whole fucking world."
"Oh... Nooo... I don't think he's after that... But I'll keep it in mind."
"Ehh... See you around, Asher..."
V just walked off. Janus, the AI was a part of this. Not just the Chipset or the cyberware, but the AI that coupled everything together. V had been told that none of the other crew members had AI's though, so he wondered what the point of Janus was. Maybe it was some kind of custom Operating System for the Chipset and its abilities. He didn't know, but wanted to find out. He knew of a few good NetRunners in Night City that might be able to help him, but he needed to get there first. He pulled up his phonebook and dialed the number for his garage and had his Rattler sent to his location. He hopped into the car, taking notice of a large dent in the rear quarter-panel and sighed, Hildegarde had done that when they'd left Night City the first time. It didn't really matter, though, the car was still functional and soon it was soaring down the highway towards the Afterlife Club. He needed answers before this all kicked off.
Back at the Aldecados' camp, Hildegarde walked around for a while looking for V. He was nowhere to be seen. She even asked the angry nomad from before if she'd seen him and she had, but he'd walked off in the direction of Night City a bit earlier. So much for keeping an eye on him. She was worried slightly that he was going to do what Vostok had, tip off NetWatch and send their plans straight into the toilet. She hurried back to the AV to find Jericho.
"V's gone!", Hildegarde exclaimed.
"He went to Night City in his car. I think he needs some time alone before this kicks off. I told him about Prague.", Asher noted.
"You what!? Did you specifically mention what happened there? To the Net?"
"Well... He asked..."
"Asher... If you weren't important to us right now, I would be killing you very, very slowly and savoring every waking moment of it."
"Uhhhmm... Please don't? I didn't tell him anything important! Just that last time didn't go very well for us since Vostok sold us out and NetWatch closed the gate on Janus!"
"You've said more than enough to him. He'll talk to his friends and then word will get out about us. The Revolution must succeed. This is the only chance we have at this!"
"I'm sorry! I didn't think he'd say anything! He's never showed any signs of betraying us!"
"Shut it, Asher. Looks like I'm going to be tying up some loose ends..."
Asher just curled up on the couch in fear as Hildegarde grabbed her weapon and hurried out of the AV. Jericho turned to the young NetRunner.
"Don't worry. We'll succeed this time. Why don't you go have some fun with the Aldecados? I'll take care of Hildegarde."
"O-okay... I- I'm just worried... About all of you."
"I know, Asher. I know."
V's Rattler slid into the secluded parking lot of the Afterlife, the normal amount of mercs and street-samurai walked around the entrance of the bar as usual. He quickly got out of the car and ran downstairs into the main bar itself, the bouncer sliding aside as he ran past. He took immediate notice of Rogue sitting in her booth and walked over to her.
"Rogue!", V shouted.
"V? Or... Is it Johnny?", Rogue asked, her eyes narrowing upon speaking the name 'Johnny'.
"It's V. You have any updates for me?"
"On what we talked about earlier? I'd have thought you'd know her well enough by now since you've been seen tromping all over the world with her. Hildegarde presumed dead in a failed heist, suddenly reappeared in Night City, pulled a heist on Kang-Tao, then killed a rival mercenary in Irkutsk before disappearing again and reappearing in London. If you're here, she's probably here as well...", Rogue noted. She wasn't wrong.
"Yeah... That's pretty much it... Look, that Jericho guy I told you about... He's starting a Revolution. Wants to smash down all the corporations like Johnny did to Arasaka back in the day."
"V. You do know that Night City was built by the corporations. This city is run and runs on them. Removing them from NC is the exact polar opposite of what anyone wants here, as bad as they are."
"Really? Then... What chance does he have?"
"None. He's got Arasaka, Militech, Kang-Tao, Kiroshi, SovOil, Petrochem, and countless others to take on just here in NC. And they all have their own militia. Unless he's got some kind of army, he's going to get you and all of his allies killed."
"T-That's what I was afraid of. What do you think? What should I do?"
"Cut and run, kid. Get out of here before the shooting starts, I know I will. Squama has told me that Chicago is a nice place these days."
"That's not an option unfortunately..."
"Well, then I'd hope that this Jericho has something up his sleeve, because a frontal assault isn't going to end well for anyone."
"Got it... Preem. Is Nix around?"
"He's in the back. Take care, V."
Rogue just turned back to the other mercenaries at the table, none of which seemed particularly thrilled by the idea of a Revolution against the Corporations. It really wouldn't do much good in Night City, the City built by corporations and run by corporations to remove the corporations from it by force. He hoped that Nix could at least give him a bit more information on the AI known as Janus. He walked around the bar and headed back into the room that Nix was renting, the room where the NetRunner usually laid and scoured through the maze-like structures of the Net. As he was told, Nix was sitting at his desk playing with the cyberdeck V had brought him earlier, the one that was previously used by Rache Bartmoss.
"Hey, Nix! I was wondering if you could help me..."
"V! Good to see you again! Heard you've been off on a wild goose chase alongside The Genocider of all people. Looks like you're still alive, so I guess it went well?"
"Yeah, about that... Have you heard of an AI called Janus?", V whispered.
"Janus?"
"Yeah... Long story..."
"Janus is a myth, V. Just a legend NetRunners tell to the greenhorns to scare them..."
"Okay... But what if it was real?"
"Well, I'd say we're all fucked if it's real. You know the legend right?"
"If I did, I wouldn't be here asking you!"
"Alright, geez! Janus is more than an AI, it's a sentient, adaptive, and malevolent AI. Nobody knows where it came from, just that it appeared one day in Prague. Think Soulkiller but on steroids and boosted with 'Dorph. Went and laid waste to the CitiNet, NetWatch could barely contain it, had to close the whole Prague SubNet down."
"Oh... Shit..."
"Yeah, but it's just a legend. A scary story to tell the newbies so they don't go cracking into things they don't understand. Haha! Wouldn't want to accidentally release what's basically the DataKrash onto the world right?", Nix just stared at V, who didn't respond. "Right? V? Hello?"
"Yeah... Good thing it's just a legend, right?"
"Right! Now, care for a drink or two? It's been a while, V and I've made some progress on this old cyberdeck you gave me!"
"Maybe later, Nix. I- I've got some things to do, ammo to buy."
"Alright, V. Don't let the computer bugs bite!"
V just left the room. He walked to the bar where Claire was working and ordered a Jackie Welles. He sat idly with a thousand-yard stare plastered on his face. If Janus was as bad as Nix had said it was, then the world would end. And from its ashes, a new world would be born. But what would that world look like without the Net? Would humanity live in thatched huts like they did in the 11th century? He had to think of a way to stop this before it was too late, but how? He could sell them out to NetWatch as Vostok had did, sacrificing his own life for the entire world. But then again, Jericho would recover from that and come looking for him out of sheer vengeance if he somehow evaded the cyborg. Or, he could try something at the 11th hour, right before Jericho uploaded Janus into the Net. That was his chance. Then he'd cut and run as long as he could before they found him again and ended his existence. Once again like before, his lifespan was now being measured in days, but this time he got to decide how it ended.
A sudden loud pfoom drew V's attention. The bouncer of the Afterlife lay dead where he once stood near the entrance to the bar. Patrons of the bar began to scramble for cover as an unknown assailant entered the bar out of sheer rage. V just turned around and saw Hildegarde, fully powered up and aiming her rail-gun around the room as hapless bystanders ducked under chairs. Claire made the mistake of raising her own rifle against the Outlaw and promptly had her hands shot off. Rogue and Crispin 'Squama' Weyland pulled their own weapons and took a defensive stance against the plum-purple clad woman as she scanned the barroom.
"Where's V!", Hildegarde shouted. "Nobody needs to die, I just need to find V. If you stand in my way or raise arms against me, you will die!"
"I- I'm over here...", V stuttered, raising his hands above his head.
"V! You've got some explaining to do...", Hildegarde noted as she promptly shot Squama in the knees, crippling him.
"Don't! Don't kill them!"
"Why not?", Hildegarde asked as she shot Rogue in the shoulder, nearly removing her arm. "I'm sure they're thrilled I've come back to Night City, V."
"They're my friends! They haven't done anything to us and they won't!"
"Are you sure?", Hildegarde asked as she shot a random Afterlife Merc in the head.
"I'm sure! They wont do anything!"
"Okay.", Hildegarde noted as she shot another random Afterlife Merc in the chest. "I'm just tying up some loose ends... You understand, right?"
"I've got it! Jeezus! Just stop shooting them!"
"But it's fun!", Hildegarde cackled as she killed yet another Afterlife Merc with a shot to his back.
"Hildegarde! Stop! Please! I'm right here!"
"You're right... You are...", Hildegarde hissed as she aimed her rail-gun at his skull, the violet energy inside its barrel swirling as it charged.
"I'm leaving... Okay? I'm going now. I'm going with you. Nice and easy..."
Hildegarde just led V out of the Afterlife leaving the interior of the club filled with bodies of various Mercs. "Say what you want about me. I'll find you."
None of the Mercs said anything, the Genocider had returned and lived up to her namesake. Rogue just ran to Squama and cradled him as he lay crippled on the floor with both cybernetic legs in ruin. Claire just slumped under the bar staring at her destroyed cybernetic hands. The rest of the patrons gave the Outlaw a wide berth as she led V outside.
Outside the Afterlife, Hildegarde led V into an alleyway, a dead end with no escape other than over, under or through the one-eyed woman blocking his path.
"Now, V. Tell me what you've done.", Hildegarde hissed.
"Nothing! I just asked some questions about... Janus...", V deflected. "You didn't have to kill them!"
"I did. You know my feelings on betrayal, V. Had to be sure..."
"Janus is just a legend. Nobody knows anything about it!"
"That's good."
"And your Revolution is going to fail!"
"That's not good."
Hildegarde shoved V against the brick wall at the end of the alleyway, slamming her foot into his stomach and holding him there. She pressed her rail-gun into his temple.
"Why is it going to fail?"
"Night City... Was built by the corporations and it runs on the corporations! Removing them from Night City is impossible!"
"That's what you think. Did your geriatric friend tell you that?"
"Yes! That's everything! I didn't tell anyone about your plans!"
"That's better."
Hildegarde just let go of V, allowing him to slide down the wall out of breath. She holstered her firearm and began to walk away. "I told you I don't like you, V. I was just beginning to trust you too, but then you've gone and talked about what's to come. If you betray us, I will hunt you to the ends of the earth."
"I know... But Asher..."
"I know what Asher told you and she's got her own day of reckoning coming. Don't forget what you're up against, V."
The plum-purple clad outlaw just left the alleyway and V. She disappeared around the corner. V went to go and catch up to her, but she was already gone having disappeared into thin air. He shouldn't talk about the Revolution anymore or even speak about Janus. Any level of betrayal was going to be met with deadly force as he was painfully aware of that. He had to be as vague as possible. He brushed himself off and headed back to his Rattler. He'd go and see Vik, maybe he had some fatherly knowledge to impart. But he had to be careful, Jericho was still keeping tabs on him and nobody else needed to die for a pointless cause.
Far away, in a small garage once owned by Jackie Welles and the reused by Jericho, the man himself stood idly alongside his lover and right hand woman, Hildegarde.
"And? You killed them?", Jericho asked.
"Some of them, not all of them. V just did as he does, asking stupid questions without any idea.", Hildegarde noted.
"Well, at least they're aware of what's to come. Their lives don't matter in this. And as far has the thought of a failed Revolution, this is not even a possibility."
"I know. But I had to be sure V wasn't going to become another Vostok."
"I understand..."
"Do you!?"
"I do. You needn't question me, Hildegarde. I have everything in place. We just need to breach Arasaka Tower, the others will fall once the King is killed. And V can make his own choices, not that they will impact us in any means."
"And if he does betray us?"
"Then as I've said before, you may kill him."
Hildegarde just smiled widely. She liked killing people, the noises they made when they begged for their lives, the sounds they squealed when her caseless rail-gun ammunition pierced their bodies, it was all music to her ears. And soon, inevitably when V betrayed them, he'd get to sing the loudest out of all of the ones she'd killed.
V's Rattler slid into a street parking spot near Vik's shop. He just ran through Misty's Esoterica and waved to a tiny holographic Jackie as he passed the counter, the deceased choomba just staring at him as he headed into the alleyway and down the stairs into Vik's workshop. He ripped the gates wide open and forced the door open before stumbling the rest of the way into Vik's shop. The older man jumping out of his chair as V entered.
"Oh, V... Don't tell me you've gotten yourself into another mess.", Vik noted.
"I have. A real big one, too."
"Biochip? Are you dying again?"
"No... I- I'm just in a little over my head. Took a job, but it means the death of a lot of people I love, possibly the end of the world."
"V? What's going on?"
"I'm exaggerating... Sorry. I've got one choice and that's to take on a set of Mercs I can't even compare to. If I do, I'll die. If I don't, then thousands will die. I don't want either outcome. What do I do?"
"V... You've backed yourself into a wall. Best choice for you is to just rope-a-dope them. Let them make their hits on you and when they're all tired out, you can spring back up and take them down. It's an old boxing trick."
"You think that'll work?"
"It will. I've seen it hundreds of times. Just go along with it for now, you'll get your chance. Just play dumb, goad them into letting their guard down. Then strike, fiercely, before they can react!"
"I- I knew I could trust you, Vik. You always know what to do..."
"I just hope you know what you're doing, V."
I do... Now I do..."
"Good. When this is all over, drinks are on me."
V just sighed heavily. That was the plan. Go along with Jericho and Hildegarde and their pointless Revolution for now, but when the time was right, he'd strike back against them. It may cost him his life, but the world would get to survive. A change of plans, but this world no matter how bad it was, was better than the alternative. He knew he'd made the right decision. He'd return to his apartment and get some well-needed rest before regrouping with the others. The Revolution would begin and he knew what to do.
Chapter End.