Chapter 22: Megalomaniac

V just ran after the two lunatics, Jericho and Hildegarde. He knew he couldn't take them down now. He could try to spring an attack, but it wasn't the right time yet. They were descending the Arasaka Tower. Closer and closer to where he'd fought Adam Smasher right before he'd broken into Mikoshi. That was his chance. One or both, that was what mattered. He needed to stop this at any cost. Let the mercs fight above, it was a race to the finish. Soon the USAF would arrive and quell any kind of uprising if it got too intense, Militech would soon receive backup and the Revolution would fail. Many would die, but Night City would survive. This was history being made.

"This is the century to win your immortality...", V sang quietly. "And now it's time... Our time to shine... We're making history..."

"That we are, V. That we are...", Hlidegarde noted.

The plum-purple clad and one-eyed outlaw just grabbed his hand and led him further downwards until the staircase ended. She held him back was Jericho charged up his arm-cannon and fired into the nearest wall, a spike of radiation filling the small corridor. The blow had blasted a hole into the elevator shaft. Mikoshi awaited them a few floors below.

"Time to go.", Jericho noted as he looked down the shaft.

Hildegarde and V just jumped, following Jericho as he descended down the elevator shaft before landing at the lowest floow. Mikoshi. They'd need clearance to enter, but Asher had already granted them access. The locked doors slide open silently. Jericho looked around for any opposition.

"Hildegarde, scans?"

"Lots. Tons of fucking Arasaka gonks headed our way, they've got bots, drones, heavies and NetRunners not to mention the laser-targeting turrets and a maze of laser-tripped mines."

"Then get ready. We're so close now.", Jericho sighed as he readied up both his arm-cannon and his nano-ceramic blade. V used another Anti-Rad hypo as the radiation began to spike once again. He held the rear, keeping and eye on anyone that had followed them down the elevator shaft. He was also keeping aware of Jericho and Hildegarde's positions and waited for the right moment, rope-a-dope, just like Vik said.

A flood of Arasaka corpo security swarmed around the corner to where the elevators sat. V had been through here before, there was a bottleneck just around the corner, a set of metal detectors. Jericho just rounded the corner, his enhanced reflexes catapulting him forward like a bullet. There were the sounds of screams and metal hitting metal as a spray of blood washed down the walls. V peeked around, Jericho was darting down the hallway cutting down Corpo Mercs like weeds. His arm-cannon fired and sent a blast of Cherenkov-blue energy down the hall and into the farthest wall, the explosion sending body parts flying. He just kept running. Hildegarde followed behind Jericho frowning slightly, Jericho was getting all the fun kills. V just crept along keeping a watchful eye on their rear. Nobody was following them. He just hurried along down the hallway, past the crater that Jericho had blown in the wall and around another corner.

This hallway had a locked door at the end of it and opened into a small NetRunning room, the NetRunners were already charred and smoking in their seats. Jericho was currently prying the exit door open as Hildegarde finished off the rest of the Heavy-duty Corpo guards, a bullet for each one right in their mouths, their heads blown apart by a rail-gun.

"We're clear!", Hildegarde shouted as Jericho forced the exit doors open.

"Good.", Jericho stated.

"Is that it?", Hildegarde asked as she pointed out of the large bay window, she was referring to the Arasaka Mainframe that sat on a lower level with several NetRunner beds around it, these NetRunners were also charred and smoking where they lay. V just looked at the dead NetRunners, no wounds, what had done this? Even the ones outside of the room they stood in down inside the Mainframe room were in the same shape. Neither Hildegarde or Jericho had even been there to kill them and Asher was preoccupied with other things at the moment.

"What happened to the NetRunners?", V asked.

"Janus. It's unhackable, V. Automatic Black ICE.", Jericho noted.

V just stepped away from the window. Another reason to stop Jericho before this thing was uploaded. He just followed Jericho and Hildegarde out of the exit door, the room beyond the door opening up into a large warehouse with stairs leading down to the Mainframe level. As they descended once again, more Arasaka kill-bots came and ambushed them. The larger Arasaka assault drone firing grenades and missiles at the trio. V just jumped into cover as Hildegarde concentrated her fire onto the bots. Jericho had jumped into the air and landed onto one of the assault drones, he just punched into it's 'head' and began to rip circuitry from it as it flailed around. Both of them were preoccupied with their targets. V had his shot. Rope-a-dope. He just aimed the Malorian at the back of Hildegarde's head, compensated for her movement and fired, the bullet hitting her in the back just at the base of her neck and launching her forwards. Rather than fall over dead, she just turned around and eyed V angrily.

"Watch where you're bloody shooting, you plonker!"

"Sorry!"

V just sank back into cover. Hildegarde's body-suit must've had a higher neckline than he'd remembered. He missed his shot. Rather than try again, he just blind-fired over the crate he cowered behind, if he was very lucky, one of those shots would hit one of his allies instead.

"Goddammit, V! Use your fucking eyes! If you shoot me again, I will end you!"

He had managed to hit Hildegarde again, just not lethally. He wasn't doing anything except pissing her off and that wasn't good. She'd be on edge for a while and revealing his sudden but inevitable betrayal right now wasn't going to get him very far.

"Sorry!"

"You'd better be!"

"We're clear! Keep moving!", Jericho shouted to them.

Jericho moved through the rest of the massive chamber until he found the doors that led into the Mainframe room. Mikoshi was near. He simply ripped the doors of their hinges and walked into the room. Hildegarde spat at V and followed behind the cyborg. V just continued to keep his distance from the two of them. Watch and wait, make his move at exactly the right time. He still had one more chance at this. Jericho would not get to Mikoshi.

"...Hey guys. I've locked the doors for you. No more Corpo goons!", Asher announced through their comms.

"Good.", Hildegarde cursed. "Mainframe is in here, I've got it... It should be accessible right now, Jericho."

"Thank you, Hildegarde."

Jericho just walked over to the risen mainframe server that sat in the middle of the room, its red display screen scrolling too fast to be read. V just stalked over to the computer where Hildegarde had accessed the terminal to raise the server. The outlaw herself walked over to Jericho who was currently attaching his data links into the device. His left hand split and revealed the same intrusive tools he'd used on V when he installed the Chipset. The perverse tendrils sank into the network ports of the mainframe as he began to work.

"What are you doing?", V asked.

"Gaining access to Inazagi. Keep a watchful eye, V.", Jericho noted, not looking up at V.

Hildegarde just walked over to Jericho, her back was turned once again and she didn't seem to be paying attention. V walked a little bit closer to her, slowly pulling up the Malorian. She was saying something, but it wasn't important, she'd stop talking very soon. He quietly raised the firearm and brought it level with the back of her head again. She didn't turn around. "Surprise, Jericho. Your lover is dead. Now what? Gonna kill me?", V thought. One shot at this. He just pulled the trigger.

V didn't even manage to get the shot off before Hildegarde spun around and wrenched the Malorian out of his hand. She simply punched him in the gut, hard, causing him to double over in agony. Her knee flew upwards and connected firmly with his jaw knocking him back upright. His hands fumbled towards his face as he saw stars, but that was the least of his worries as Hildegarde promptly delivered a bone-crushing roundhouse kick to his chest and sent him flying across the room and into the wall. Upon impact the wall cracked and he just slid down onto the ground stunned and in absolute agony. He'd failed.

"Don't tell me this is your pathetic attempt at an 11th hour betrayal, V.", Hildegarde snarled as she turned to him. "Asher was right, you're not like Vostok at all... You're just a gormless moron playing Mercenary."

V just tried to sit up, bit his muscles refused to work at the moment. His body felt like it was on fire from the impact, the punch and the knee to his face. He tasted blood and spat onto the ground. "Had to try..."

"You're nothing. Not even worth my time of killing... This is a nice gun though, It'll look great on my trophy wall. I'll put it right next to Starhawk's categorized as 'Dumbest Mercs I've Ever Killed.'", Hildegarde mocked as she examined the Malorian 3516. She turned it over in her left hand eyeing its polished exterior and left-handed custom design. She was distracted again. V still had one last trick up his sleeve and Hildegarde's biggest weakness was her tendency to gloat when she'd thought she'd won.

V just struggled, his slipped Dying Night into his hand, slowly extracting the basic gun from its hidden pocket in his jacket. He just aimed it from his hip and used his Ballistic Coprocessor to aim at the woman who continued to mock him. Her sneering face highlighted in his targeting system. Locked on aim, he just shot her. His bullet flying through the air towards her lips that were curled into a smug grin. Almost in slow motion, Hildegarde noticed immediately and attempted to dodge out of the way, but was still too slow and V's final shot found its target and firmly planted itself into her throat. Her eye widened in shock as her right hand flew up to her new wound, pressing into where V had scored his lucky shot. Her expression immediately changed to one of horrified shock. V just grinned at her. "I think your head will look better on my trophy wall!"

Jericho just looked up as Hildegarde began to stumble forwards in pain, her hand still clasped over her new neck wound. "Hildegarde?"

Hildegarde gasped for a few seconds, the pain in her neck stinging. She pulled her hand away and stared at it for a moment. Silvery synth-blood ran down her fingers. She simply just flicked her fingers, sending the metallic liquid splattering onto the floor before straightening back up. She just stared daggers at V as he laughed at her, as he thought that he'd won. Still holding the Malorian, she shot back hitting Dying Night and sundering its barrel and frame, the ruined firearm flying out of V's hands.

V just looked back up in shock as Dying Night exploded and flew out of his grip. He stared up expecting to see Jericho, but instead saw Hildegarde who was just scowling at him angrily. There was a fresh wound on her neck, but it wasn't fatal. He had managed to graze her throat and a small trickle of silvery synth-blood ran from it. He'd failed again. He'd failed everyone and now he was going to die.

Hildegarde just grabbed V by the head and hoisted him into the air, his feet kicking helplessly. "Lucky shot. Too bad you didn't make it count.", she cursed. She just raised the Malorian and pressed it against V's chin "Any last words, V?"

"Had to try..."

Hildegarde just shoved the gun up under his chin, V was going to be killed by his own gun. Or Johnny's gun in this case. He silently wished for the Rockerboy to take control right now, save him from his impending doom.

"Nah, V. This is all your fault. You're the one who decided to try to stop this.", Johnny sighed as he appeared next to the flailing mercenary. "It was nice to see you again, V."

"Hildegarde!", Jericho shouted.

Hildegarde loosened her grip slightly as she turned her head towards the cyborg and pulled the Malorian back for a moment. Her grip on V's throat stayed tight.

"Leave him.", Jericho commanded.

"Wha-What!? But he just-", the outlaw stammered in confusion.

"Tried to betray us? It doesn't matter. We've already won.", Jericho noted as he pulled his data links free from the Mainframe. The scrolling text on the mainframe slowly changed from red to a sinister blue-blackish. The name 'JANUS' was displayed across its screen in large letters before tendril-like circuitry spread from the same letters and wrapped around the display.

Hildegarde just slammed V into the wall again, harder, before dropping him on his ass. She just looked one more time at the Malorian before she tucked it into her belt and walked off towards Jericho. She turned back to V for one last moment as she spat directly in his face. "You're lucky, V."

"Don't feel lucky at all... What about Mikoshi? How have you won?"

"I never said I needed Mikoshi, Mikoshi was destroyed by you almost a year ago. There is nothing left down there for me. Inazagi, however was always my goal. This Mainframe is Inazagi. Arasaka's access to the Net and the Net's access to the rest of the world.", Jericho explained. V just felt sick.

"Then... What happens now?"

"Wait and see, V. Welcome to a new age. And thank you, for everything...", Jericho sighed as he walked away with Hildegarde.

"...Hey guys... Militech and the US army is here... They're blowing us to shit. Umm... There's a hidden elevator that will get you to the CEO's office near the door to Mikoshi. We'll meet you up there for extraction.", Asher called through their comms.

"Good. Be there soon. V will not, he had a change of heart.", Jericho replied.

"Oh? Oh well... At least he didn't betray us, right?", Asher added.

"Right.", Jericho concluded eyeing V for a moment.

The cyborg and the outlaw just walked away, heading into and up the hidden elevator towards Saburo Arasaka's old office. V just sat in dead silence for a while. He could try to follow them. There wasn't much of a point though, the world was doomed, the Uprising may have failed, but with Janus in the Net the Revolution would begin. The new DataKrash would collapse the world's economy while also destroying every corporation at the same time. Jericho had won.

V just crawled to his feet. Time to go. To to go back to being a nomad again. He just limped out of the Mainframe room, he had no weapon and couldn't fight back. He just continued up the stairs in agony back to the overlooking room and picked up a random Arasaka sub-machine gun from one of the many corpses, it was better than nothing. He just continued to the elevator shaft, the ground level many stories above him and the hole into the stairwell not far away. He slammed a MaxDoc, regaining his strength and began to climb back up the shaft. Just cut and run.

As he entered back into the stairwell, a few loud booms echoed above him. Militech was bombarding the Mercs outside. Or the Mercs were winning and fighting back. He didn't know, he just slowly walked up all the flights of stairs to the ground level of the Arasaka Tower. The lobby itself had been blown open by gunfire and explosions and revealed a massive hole that he could see the skyline through. Militech AV's flew overhead outside and fired upon the Mercs that still fought on outside. He limped further and made his way outside.

V just looked back up at the Arasaka Tower, a familiar heavily modified AV just soared off into the sky, Horus, and Jericho's crew were gone. In an utter daze, he just walked out of the Corpo Plaza as fireballs were shot back at Militech by the strange robed mercenary. Gunter shot back at the reinforcements, his chain-guns blaring and his skull-gun auto-targeting everything else. Navarre briefly emerged from stealth and shot down a few more Corpo Cops. V didn't stop walking. He just kept on as the explosions and chaos roared behind him. He followed the highway for a while, Militech and US Army vehicles speeding past him.

V looked back one last time, the entire Corpo Plaza was engulfed in flames. The Militech building has partially collapsed, Kang Tao was missing its entire front side, BioTechnica looked like a blown out wreck, the Memorial Gardens just a crater and Arasaka Tower had holes punched into its monolithic body. He just called Panam.

"Panam? We're leaving. Night City is being destroyed."

"I know. The camp is already mobile. Mitch went out looking for you, find him and get back here."

V just sighed and walked on leaving Night City for perhaps the final time. A small golden motorcycle approached quickly with Mitch astride it, the older man motioned to V before sliding to a stop. V just got on the back of the motorcycle and held on as Mitch turned the bike around and sped off into the dusty Badlands.

"Goodbye, Night City...", V sighed. He just looked onto the horizon. He'd survived. He was free again. He could go and ride the roads to paradise. A thought struck him though, Jericho was still out there. Eventually the cyborg would find him again and when that happened it wouldn't be good. He shook his head, he'd be with the Aldecados then. If Jericho wanted to fight off all of them, then he'd have a real battle on his hands and V would finally get to put an end to his madness. He sulked again suddenly, but then there was also Janus. He'd have to find a good NetRunner, maybe there was still time to stop the AI before it destroyed the Net? All of these things though, were they important to him? Important to a Nomad Clan? He just settled into the ride, he'd do what he had to when those things were actually important. Right now, leaving was the only thing on his mind.

Mitch and V rejoined the Aldecados. The nomads were already enroute out of Night City and the feeling was frosty. He rode in Panam's caravan again taking a seat next to the leader of the Aldecados.

"...It's all over now. Jericho won, he uploaded that AI onto the Net. His Revolution is starting and the end of all corporations is coming. I'm free.", V mused.

"As you said it would. Why aren't you happy about that? No more corpos!", Panam noted.

"Yeah, but... I just feel like something bigger is happening. We should just go, though. The farther away from them the better..."

"Why? Did something happen?"

"I- I tried to stop him at the last moment. I just couldn't let the Revolution happen. It would mean the death of all of my friends in Night City."

"Oh, V... Do you think he'll come and find you? Kill you?"

"I don't know... Maybe?"

"V, you've got us. We'll protect you if he comes looking."

"I know, Panam... I know..."

V just sat back as the landscape passed by him. The Aldecados had loaded up Johnny's old car and brought it along since it was sentimental to V. Johnny himself just sat in the back seat behind V and idly smoked a cigarette. Once again, he'd attacked Arasaka, but unlike last time Johnny was here to stay. He only hoped that all would turn out well for everyone in Night City, but that was going to be difficult. Newswires blared about the NUSA taking Night City and restarting the Unification War now that Arasaka had been crippled. They also ran screamsheets about a new virus that was taking over the Net. V had caused this; or allowed this to happen. The new age of mankind was just beginning.

Chapter End.

A/N: The Bad Guys Won. The End.