Chapter 27: V and Asher's Unfortunate Adventure

The Elevator chimed as V and Asher reached the 34th floor of the Crown of Monarch Plaza. The doors slowly opened and beheld a long walkway with a railing that overlooked the lobby of the hotel itself, there was a safety netting about four or five feet down from the railing, presumably to keep drunken guests from falling to their deaths. Konpeki Plaza had changed its name and interior design, but this place reminded V of the terrible heist he and Jackie had taken part in so many years ago. V just looked around, their room was just a little farther down the hallway.

"Ooh! This place is huuuge!", Asher called as she ran down the walkway.

"Asher! We're not here for pleasure! We're supposed to be doing something!"

"Oh yeah... Right... Umm... I guess we'll just have to use the elevators on the other side of the walkway..."

"We need to get to the penthouse... There was a server room in there."

"Umm, V... If there's still a server room in there, Janus is already inside it. We don't really need it."

"Oh... Well, there's still a maintenance shaft on the upper floors below the penthouse level. I landed inside it during my heist, it's a perfect hiding spot."

"Cool beans, V. Lead the way!"

V just led Asher to the second set of elevators, this one he'd used to escape the tower with Jackie. He knew approximately where he was supposed to go and pressed the button that took them to nearly the top floor. As this set of elevator doors opened, the two of them entered into a large office hallway with a fountain on the side. A few office workers milled around and didn't pay much attention to them. The fountain was an ornately designed version of a Floating London concept roughly arranged like an aircraft-carrier with the lower portions of London rearranged into a ship-like hull with the original Monarch Tower held up high alongside Buckingham Palace with the House of Parliament running beside it, almost making a command bridge for the floating city. Floating London's multi-leveled and class-based vertical architecture mixed old and new buildings in a roughly triangular shape. V wondered if this was actually what London had become since Jericho had sold some of his designs to Monarch.

"V? What are you doing here?", a familiar voice asked.

V turned to the speaker of the voice and stared into a somewhat aged, but still strong River Ward. River was now wearing an extremely ornate Legionnaire's Armor in Monarch's corporate colors with a long blue and gold-trimmed cape with golden pauldrons.

"River? I should be asking you the same thing! I'm back in town, gonna be knighted on Friday."

"Congratulations, V! I'm a knight as well. Monarch heard of what we did for those boys and they knighted me, gave me an award... I just couldn't refuse, V. They said they could put Joss up in a nice estate... And they did..."

"That's preem, River. Never thought a corpo would end up helping people like Monarch."

"Monarch is different. They care about the people of Night City. I'm actually in charge of the Legionnaire's Guard. We're basically what the NCPD became after Monarch took over. It's a hell of a different experience, V."

"So, what are you doing here?"

"I'm on duty, patrols mostly. This week I'm in charge of the Crown of Monarch. Next week, maybe the Tower itself, who knows?"

"Seen anything odd?"

"Hm... Not really. Why?"

"Just curious..."

"Oh. Well, I should get back to work, V. You're welcome to visit my estate whenever you're in the Glen. I'll make some more of my famous jambalaya!"

"See ya later, River..."

River Ward just headed into the elevator behind V and disappeared. Monarch actually was doing good for the people, it was a genuine surprise. All of his friends seemed to be happy with their new corporate overlords and the city itself seemed a lot safer. V just walked down the hallway until he'd reached the maintenance door. It wasn't locked, so he just opened the door and stepped inside. There wasn't anything even useful in here as the room ended a few feet later. A few electrical conduits and water pipes wrapped around the small space. V just scratched his head and backed out of the room.

"Asher... I don't think we're going to get anywhere here..."

"Oh, yeah... I was going to say something earlier when you'd mentioned coming here. Janus has this place locked down."

"Asher!"

"What? You didn't ask! You know, you could just ask Janus if he's seen anything odd."

"Janus?"

"Query?", Janus' voice asked inside V's head.

"Seen anything unusual in the Crown of Monarch?"

"Negative."

"Okay... Have you seen anyone from Arasaka in here? Former employees?"

"Negative."

"Right... So... Am I even in the right place? I'm trying to figure out your cryptic message."

"Negative."

"Shit."

V just shook his head. His memories of Night City and what Night City had become within the last two years didn't mesh with each-other. Staying here or exploring the Plaza itself was pointless if Janus already had the place locked down. He racked his brain trying to figure out where any Arasaka, or Kokuryuu members would be if the whole place was guarded both by the Legionnaires and Janus. He needed some time to think about this.

"Hey, Asher... Wanna get some icecream at the pub downstairs?"

"Veee! Is this a date?"

"No... Well... No. I just need some time to think."

"Okay! Suuuure... Veeee..."

V just sighed as he pulled Asher back to the elevator and headed back down to the lobby. He had a feeling this would be a snipe hunt in the end, but he really didn't want to give up and call Hildegarde without checking all of the possible locations first. The outlaw would just end up mocking him to death.

Meanwhile, back at Monarch Tower... Hildegarde just paced around Jericho's lab. V had run off with Asher in some kind of pathetic attempt at finding Daichi Arasaka and his gang. V had apparently gotten the most cryptic response ever from Janus and decided to interpret it himself instead of asking for clarification like any sane person would've done. Jericho just stared at her as she made her hundredth lap of his desk.

"They'll be fine. We have all the time in the world."

"You know, it's like you're not even worried about Arasaka returning..."

"I'm not. What could they do? They do not have the source code for the Jericho Project, Ouroboros, or Janus. I created the code myself, from the ground up, even creating its own assembly language. They do not have access to the Net and even if they did with some kind of Veil, Janus would see right through it."

"True... But what if they attack?"

"Attack? Us? I understand you're worried about Monarch and the safety of your own family, but an attack against us in any form in impossible. Let's say they found allies and raided the Tower, I would simply go up and disintegrate them myself."

"I guess you're right... I"m just worried... Arasaka was always the biggest pain in the arse..."

"Not anymore. They're nothing. Nothing but a distraction. We can play with them for a while before we destroy them if you want. Feign Death, as you'd say."

"Now that... That sounds like fun."

"It will be... A simple game of Cat and Mouse."

Hildegarde just cackled with glee as she thought about the second downfall of Arasaka. It would be fun. It would be glorious. She'd get to crush their dreams personally, this time. And it felt so good to be so close to victory.

Back at the hotel formerly known as Konpeki Plaza, V sat at the bar with Asher, who was just finishing her seventh bowl of gourmet icecream. He was deep in thought, scouring his memories for where the actual location might be. In shadows. In old memories. Where friends had fallen in each-other's arms. Jackie didn't die in Konpeki Plaza, he died in the car... He died in a Delamain taxi... Delamain. The taxi company's headquarters was in Vista Del Ray. Maybe that's where he was supposed to go. He tapped Asher on the shoulder.

"Hey, Asher, ever heard of Delamain before? They had taxis that could drive themselves."

"Yeah... Janus ate them already. That's why your car drives itself and can be mean to you."

"Great... But, no, they had a corporate headquarters. Janus is just in the Net right? All over the place? What if Delamain's old HQ is abandoned and Arasaka is hiding there?"

"Oh! Yeah, V! That makes sense! Nobody would look at an old abandoned building!"

"Come on then, you've had enough icecream for now. We need to get to the old Delamain HQ!"

V pulled Asher away from the bar and headed back outside of the Plaza. He ran down to the valet parking lot and called out for his car, the Aerondight sliding up next to him smoothly. He slid into the driver's seat as Asher carefully took her place in the passenger's seat. Once again, the seat belt promptly wrapped around her body and restrained her into the carseat.

"Janus? Take me to Delamain HQ!"

"Error. Location not found."

"What?"

"Location not found."

"Uhhh... Take me to Heywood, Vista Del Ray, Madison street."

"Confirmed."

V just relaxed as the car sped off in the direction of Delamain HQ. Janus didn't have this location on file, so this must've meant that Arasaka gangers were hiding inside. A location off the grid, a perfect hideout. This little espionage mission would be a success and he'd finally have something to brag about into Hildegarde's ever-scowling face. He tried to imagine the outlaw's reaction to being bested by a 'useless merc', but honestly couldn't think of a response that fit her character. Johnny probably would've, though.

"Destination reached. Madison Street, Vista Del Ray."

V just hopped out of the car and quickly ran around the passenger side to catch Asher as she was flung out again. Janus was still holding a passive-aggressive grudge against her. Oh well. V just walked down the street acting casually. He was just a random gonk, not a knight, not a merc, just nobody special. Asher copied him and acted like a tourist. He immediately spied the abandoned corporate HQ with its doors and windows boarded up. He carefully crept down the ramp towards its old garage. The garage door was chained shut, but he had his Strength Core. Except he didn't. V just grunted a lot as he tried to break the chain holding the door shut.

"Um. V? Having some problems?"

"Nope! Just... Ugh! Yeah, I'm having some problems!"

"Okay... Gimme a sec..."

Asher just knelt down and pulled on the chain, her own Strength Core activated and the chain simply snapped in half. She grabbed the underside of the garage door and heaved it upwards, opening their passage into the darkened building.

"Is your Chipset acting up, V?"

"Uhh... Yeah. I'll have to ask Jericho about it later. None of the enhancements have been working."

"Don't worry, V! I've got your back!"

V felt somewhat pathetic as a tiny barely five-foot-tall girl just wrenched a locked door open for him. Hildegarde would never stop laughing at him at this point if he told her about this. Fortunately for him, Hildegarde still needed to breathe, so hopefully she'd just laugh herself to death as she mocked him. He just headed into the dark garage, nothing seemed to be moving inside. He pulled out his Monarch 3516 and held it at the ready in case something jumped out.

As the two unlikely heroes carefully crept through the old corporate HQ, the sounds of heavy thumps began to fill their ears. The sounds of fighting or training, the sounds of grunts of pain as blows were traded. There were people here and they were getting ready for a fight. V just crept ever closer, eventually seeing a light source around a corner. He posted up in cover and motioned to Asher, the small girl pulling out her own RT-46 Burya. V just gave a signal before launching around the corner, surprising whoever was on the other side. He was unfortunately outgunned and outnumbered. Pale faces, grotesque bio-sculpted bodies and goofy hairstyles greeted him. A sudden blast from a miniature rocket launcher shot past him and impacted the far wall. He attempted to activate his Reflex Core to dodge, but quickly realized that without Johnny, he was just a regular human. He panicked.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait. I know this gonk! Stop shooting!", one of the larger gangers shouted.

"What? But he attacked first, Ozob!"

"Yeah, I figured. Probably thought we were up to no good, Bongo."

Bongo the Bozo just lowered his gun and stared at V.

"Ozob?", V asked.

"Hey, kid! How's it hanging?"

"Been better... What are you doing here?"

"Practicing. Got a gig lined up at Monarch Tower. A little bloodsport in their Fighting Pit! You wanna thrown down again? I got a new nose!", Ozob noted pointing to his nose which instead of a grenade, now fired a miniature rocket. It was still painted red like a clown nose.

"What? But... Why?"

"Eddies, kid. Lots of 'em. Those gonks at Monarch like to see a little blood. Heard we're facing off against The Genocider, so we're practicing. This old shop seemed like a great place to fight, it's out of the way and nobody comes down here... Or did you mean the nose? I dunno, a grenade in my face just seemed like a bad idea after the fight with you."

"Oh... She's a tough one. I'd be careful."

"It's to the knockout, V. It'll be fun. Or a lesson in humility... Wait, did you just say The Genocider is a she?"

"Yeah. She's a woman. A really scary woman who kills without remorse."

"Well, shit. Hopefully the boys and I won't get too distracted then, right!?"

"For your sake, I hope you keep your eyes on her fists. When's this fight, anyways?"

"This Friday, you comin' to watch? Some gonk is being knighted or somethin' and those corpo-rats needed entertainment. The Bozos and I are the entertainment."

"Yeah, I'll be there... How long have you been here anyways? In this old building?"

"Huh... Maybe like, two years or something? Used to be a taxi hub. 'Delamina' or something. I dunno. Why?"

"Just curious, I might find you on your off days again, maybe get back into the ring."

"Sounds good, V. See you at the fight!"

V just walked back around the corner. Nothing but clowns in here, no Arasaka. He left Ozob and the rest of the Bozo gang to do their thing. He'd get to see them again in a few days. Maybe they'd actually give Hildegarde a run for her money? That would be a sight to see, a plum-purple outlaw beaten into unconsciousness by a dozen goofy-dressed clowns. He just chuckled lightly to himself before motioning to Asher to follow him out of the old Delamain HQ. He'd struck out again, nothing here at all. This was turning into a wild goose chase, but he still needed to check out the All-Foods Plant. Maybe the Arasaka gangers were hiding there?

Back at Monarch Tower, Sigmund paced around his office. Hildegarde stood in front of him arms crossed in boredom.

"I'm just... I dunno about the entertainment. We've got the arena set up, but you're fighting against a bunch of gang members who dress like clowns.", Sigmund sighed.

"It'll be fun. Besides, don't all kingdoms need court jesters?"

"I guess... Maybe we could hire them on full-time if they put on a good show..."

"Or you could jump into the ring yourself, set a new record for the fastest knockout..."

"No. Not here. Not again. Three seconds is way too embarrassing, I don't need you to knock me out even faster."

"Wimp."

"Bitch."

Hildegarde just turned around and left, flipping her brother the V-sign as she left. He just scowled back at her and gave her double V-signs as she left. Siblings would be siblings as it seemed.

Back in V's Rayfield Aerondight, Asher was firmly bound in the passenger seat again and they were on their way towards the All-Foods Plant where V had acquired the Flathead. That place had been a gang hideout forever. Arasaka ad to be hiding there. If they weren't, V was just going to jump off the dam and save himself from being beaten to death by insults and vicious mockery. As they reached their destination, he just jumped out, caught Asher again and ran off towards the side entrance of the plant. He threw himself through the doors and ound himself in a very odd predicament.

The All-Foods Plant was running at full steam. A very strange man in a very oddly colored pantsuit greeted him with a bizarrely cheery attitude.

"Weeeelllllllcooommme! Are you the Golden Ticket holders? Are you here for the legendary tour of the factory? Magic beyond your wildest dreams lies within! You'll get to see how we take your average scop and turn it into magically delicious gourmet delicacies before your very eyes! Follow meeee!"

V just turned around and left. He didn't have any time for this ridiculousness. He knew what happened to scop and how it was turned into the shit that all the gonks ate, he really didn't need a tour of the 'magical factory of dreams'. This was a wild goose chase. He was striking out every time he went anywhere. Asher just looked at him.

"I mean, it could be fun, V. How do they get all the flavors of a turkey dinner into one bar of kibble?"

"No. We're on a mission, Asher."

"Awwh. But I really wanted to see if they really made that wallpaper that tastes like fruit! And that jawbreaker that never loses flavor! And those edible bubbles that make you jump really high! And-"

"Asher!"

"You're boring, V."

"We're supposed to be looking for Arasaka gang members, Kokuryuu, remember?"

"Yeah. Where are we going next?"

"Totentanz. It's a bar and club."

"Oh cool. That's a neat place, V. They play hard-bass all day long. I've been there a bunch of times!"

"Really? They haven't been turned into a Monarch corp?"

"Nope."

"Great. Let's go, then."

V just hurried back to his Aerodight, which was still parked and waiting for him. He jumped into the driver's side door and took a seat as Asher tried to trick the car into activating its automatic seat-belts. She failed and was instantly bound sideways awkwardly into the passenger seat with the seat-belt wrapped around her neck and legs, pinning her face against the back of the seat. She just screamed muffled yelps as the car sped off towards the Totentanz.

The massive towering bar and club came into view within a few moments, as it wasn't that far from the All-Foods plant. V could feel the bass thumping inside. A few somewhat less-modified Maelstrom gangers stood at the entrance alongside some other mercs. Monarch hadn't converted this place yet, thankfully, so there was still hope. He exited the car, not bothering to catch Asher as she was catapulted from the car and began to make his way into the building. A few of the Maelstrom gangers gave him a look, but let him pass anyways. Asher just hurried along behind him.

As V walked further into the building, he came to the elevators. A Maelstom ganger stopped him, reaching a hand out against his chest.

"Where do the shadows gather?", the ganger asked.

V thought for a moment. This was the place. He needed to answer correctly. Finally, after all this running around town, he had found the place where Arasaka was hiding.

"In old memories.", V answered.

The Maelstrom ganger just nodded to him before opening a hatch on the elevator and pressing a button. A different set of doors opened inside the elevator revealing a hidden passage through the elevator and into a long hallway. V just walked in, leaving Asher behind. Asher was asked the same question, but had no answer, so she just rode the elevator up to the dance floor where loud hard-bass thumped away into the night. She was completely unaware that V hadn't gone in the same direction as her.

V just continued down the hidden hallway, a few other gangers he didn't recognize accompanied him, following him at a short distance down the hallway. These must've been the Kokuryuu. There were no Maelstrom in here. At the end of the hallway, there was a single door, which he opened. Inside the room, there was a stoic Japanese man seated at a card table, a game of poker was being played with a few other Japanese men and women. The two gangers that had followed V also entered the room with him.

"Merc is here to see you.", the one ganger added.

"Ahh... Good. Have a seat.", the stoic man noted.

V just sat down at an empty chair. He stared at the rest of the group inside. This was where he was meant to be all this time. He had found where the shadows gathered.

"I take it that you have found our message. Our mission. You also oppose Monarch and their totalitarian rule over the world."

"You could say that. I'd like to know who I'm dealing with, first."

"We are but a remnant of what used to be. A world that has been strangled to death by corporate lies. We are Kokuryuu, the Black Dragon."

"Nice. Arasaka flunkies, I assume?"

"We are not flunkies! We are Arasaka!", the stoic man raged.

"Arasaka is dead. I don't believe you."

"Believe me. I am the last Arasaka. I am Daichi Arasaka, the son of Michiko Arasaka and the heir to their once prosperous empire."

"Okay... Humor me. What does Arasaka want from Monarch? Because it seems the whole world is a lot better off without Saburo's greed."

"Monarch lies to you. They rebuilt the world for themselves. They have enslaved your minds with their Chipsets. The seek an age of man where AI and IQ are the same. A Technological Singularity. The Singularity means the end of all life as we know it, uncontrolled AI growth and the death of humanity. We aim to stop them."

"Funny, because I thought the same thing a few years ago. I even tried to stop them, but it didn't work."

"And you? Who are you?"

"I'm... Vostok. You may have heard of me?", V lied.

"Vostok? The one who killed The Genocider? If you live, then the rumors of her return are false..."

"Oh, she came back alright... I just finished the job two years ago. Shot her in the throat, watched her bleed out gasping for her life... It was my finest artwork.", V lied again. He hoped he was making the right decision.

"Then Monarch is crippled. We are aware of The Genocider's personal connection to the Corporation. If she indeed lies dead, then her lover... The mechanical man has gone mad with grief and sorrow. He will not oppose us. Are you certain that she is dead, Vostok?"

"I put a bullet through her head after she was done warbling like a wounded animal, I splattered her cyber-brains all over my shoes. Had to be sure. Couldn't stop the cyborg, though. I barely got out with my life. Hid among the nomads for a while.", V continued to lie.

"What color was her blood?"

"Silver; Synth-blood."

"You speak the truth... Will you aid us? We will take them down, already we have modified their Chipsets for our own means, although the Net still is out of reach."

"How?"

"With this...", Daichi noted pulling out a small data-shard. "It is Soulkiller, version 4.0. It will free the Net of the demon that controls it."

"And? How the hell is that going to work?"

"We need to upload it into Monarch's mainframe. Only then will we be able to retake our future. The future of humanity!"

"I'm in. I can get inside easily, just had my body bio-sculpted, so they won't even recognize me."

"Good! Our future lies in your hands, Vostok. Help us bring about a new age of mankind. Mankind against the uncontrollable AI's. A Mankind Divided."

V just took the data-shard and pocketed it. He got up from the table, leaving the Kokuryuu to themselves and their ongoing card game. The two gangers that had accompanied him led him back out through the hidden door in the elevator and back to the lobby of Totentanz. Asher was nowhere to be found. He sighed and asked the Maelstrom ganger if it was okay to head upwards into the club itself. The ganger nodded to him and allowed him passage. Now he had a serious choice to make, take the data-shard to Jericho and tell him of Arasaka's plans, or keep it to himself and betray Jericho, Monarch, and side with Arasaka. The choice was his, and he knew what he was going to do. He was going to be a Knight and nothing would change his mind.

Back down in Jericho's Lab, Hildegarde sat on the couch near his desk. She seemed deep in thought, something had just hit the Tabloids that was a deep lie. A obvious lie. Yet, she was still worried about it.

"You hear the news, Jericho?"

"I skimmed it. Nonsense as usual."

"Vostok is alive. Sided with some Arasaka drop-outs."

"How could he? He's dead. You brought back half of his brain with the Chipset still lodged in it."

"Well, someone out there is claiming to be him."

"Someone who doesn't know our reputation. Whoever this is, you have my permission to kill them if you feel that's necessary."

"Good. Did you know that they're claiming to have killed me?"

"Well, you're going to prove them wrong. And after that, Arasaka will fall."

Hildegarde just smiled. Once again, Vostok was going to die. He'd die screaming her name. He'd die gurgling up his own blood. He would die publicly in front of everyone so that the world knew that The Genocider was back. She could hardly wait.

V walked around the Totentanz as heavy hard-bass thudded shaking the floor itself. The lights in the club flashed with the beat almost simulating a battlefield filled with bomb blasts going off all around him. The dancers didn't care, though. He just continued to walk around the drugged-up gonks that made up most of the clientele in the Totentanz before he finally found Asher at the bar. Asher was enjoying an icecream float.

"Asher? It's time to go. I found them."

"Wait, really?"

"Yeah. And I got something to give to Jericho, too."

"Awesome! We're heroes!"

"Yeah... Now let's just get out of here. I'll go first, you come down a little later. I uh... I had to use a fake name. I told them I was Vostok..."

"Really? And they believed you?"

"I told them I killed Hildegarde."

"You wish!"

"Yeah... But they believed me."

"Cool beans, V! Let's get out of here!"

V just headed back down the elevator, leaving Asher to finish her drink. He exited the club and walked around the block and called his Aerondight. Better safe than sorry in case anyone was watching. Asher exited the club a few moments later, looking around for V's car before walking around the block and joining him. He just nodded to her as the car began to take them back to Monarch Tower. He still had some final decisions to make, give up everything and betray Jericho like he'd tried two years ago or betray Arasaka for the second time in a row. Johnny's input would likely have leaned towards Arasaka, as hard as that was to believe. So instead of listening to the voice in his head, he decided that, yes, he would give the data-shard to Jericho. This new life was all that mattered to him and whatever followed after the supposed Singularity would be even better than before given the cyborg's track record.

Chapter End.

A/N: More Epilogue. Yay. Enjoy.