The sky was the color of a brain dance that didn't fuckin work. Not that I could see it from the window of my Japantown apartment. It was blocked by the mega towers and the mystical glow of a billboard displaying the horniest unicorn I've ever seen. I flicked the ash of my smoke and raised my glass. Here's to you El Guapo. I can always rely on you to know exactly how I feel. "Fucked in the head"
The names V. Just V. Night city merc. For the past few weeks I've been one foot in the grave. Tonight I'll be three sheets to the wind. "Only a gonk would waste away like this, V. You got people to kill, places to be and a chip to stop from eating your brain". "Shut the fuck up, Johnny. I'll do the narrating today." I washed down a shiny red pill with the last sip of O'Dickin whiskey. Needless to say, I got enough on my mind. But he was right. Hanako has been waiting at Embers for days now but I'm holding out for better options and getting restless. Need to get my mind off it. Time to find a gig.
I didn't bother checking the desktop. I haven't gotten a fresh email in weeks. So, I checked the holo and saw 4 missed calls but those were the ones I "missed" on purpose. Recently the gods gifted me the ability to ghost Regina. Dealing with cyber psychos is not what I need right now. Then I noticed a text from Judy and I couldn't help but smirk. Says she's got a job for me. Great. Another one of her crusades? Haven't seen a single eddy for all I've done for her "cause" but what can I say? I got a soft spot for the dame. She IS my output after all. Might as well hit her back.
"Heeeyyy, V!" She said with her signature slight giggle. "Judy, my favorite techie" I said nervously "let me guess, the sexy underworld calls on me again?" "Ha you know it" she said. "But it's not for me this time." I was caught off guard. "Remember Rita? Works the door at Lizzie's?" How can I forget those purple buns and double guns. This might be interesting. "On my way."
Night City never sleeps, and neither do I. Seriously, what's the point. Lizzie's bar was across the bridge so I took Jackie's ARCH. I figured the poison wind in my face would sober me up. When I dropped the kickstand and walked towards Lizzie's main entrance I was greeted with the silhouette of a slim female build with double bun hair and a spiked bat leaning on her shoulder. Rita Wheeler. "V!" She said with her 'I can kick your ass' voice. "Glad you came. Judy tells me you don't fuck around". I responded by saying "Well, I haven't eaten solid food in god knows how long. I live on boosters and emergency inhalers. Does that constitute as not fuckin around?" She gave a stone faced nod. "So what's the problem?"
She tells me about a stolen BD. You can guess what kind. "Some fuckin gonk thinks he can fuckin klep a funkin scroll with MY fuckin likeness to make a fuckin buck he's got another fuckin thing fuckin coming!!" and this is how she talks when she's only mildly perturbed but I can tell she's keeping her composure. No need to guess, she is the star of that BD. "So why call me? Doesn't the MOX handle these things?" "Enforcement is a thing of the past. The MOX's main concern is making eddies. Times have changed, V." She was right. Eddies ain't worth the digital code they're printed on and noble deeds are worth even less. I said "Look. I don't mind taking the case. You're friends with Judy so I'll be reasonable but I ain't free. That's reserved for my output. So, what's on the table?" She drops her head kicking her bat. "I'm a little light on eddies." I rolled my eyes. "Hold on now." she reassures me. "How would you like an Armadillo crafting spec?"
To be continued…..