V realized that he was still hugging Panam, standing in a pile of his own vomit. He loosened his grip on her, and they stood side by side, in his puke, holding hands, not really believing what they were seeing.

Mitch was standing there slack jawed too.

Ortega spoke up again. "The merch. Please?"

Mitch finally spoke. His voice was still full of shock. "Yea, we got it. In the tank".

Ortega's eyes pulsed red and then back to blue, and he spoke "Your Militech Basilisk is damaged, quite badly. I have assessed it via my external camera system. Are you sure the merchandise is intact, as we discussed?

"Yeah, its preem. I checked last night, 'fore we ate". Mitch answered him.

"Good. It would be a shame if you had come all this way for nothing. Can you please go and get it?" Mitch nodded, stepped out of the warehouse, headed over to the basilisk.

"What did this guy want with 'saka tech. Any idea?" V asked Panam.

She shook her head "I do not know. Mitch set this up."

Ortega looked at V now. "Do you mind if I scan you? I have heard of you. You killed Smasher. Raided Araska Tower."

V shook his head. "Do it" His vision dimmed, and he stumbled. What the fuck kind of scanner was this?

"You are more badly damaged than your tank. You are dying." Orega said, in a soft voice. He was looking down now, almost talking to himself. "So, it is true…" Ortega looked back up, his metallic eyes met V's. "You are not human. You have been soulkilled. You are a machine. Terrible. That is a fate worse than death. You can never replace what you've lost. But... did I detect…" Ortega spoke directly to V again. "Can I scan you once more? This one will be intense. You should brace yourself."

V leaned on Panam and nodded. He felt himself get scanned again, Ortega's face look puzzled. He could feel this one deep in his brain, he almost passed out. Ok, who was this fuckin' guy? And how was he doing this?

"How..." Ortega sounded surprised now. "You are in love. Impossible. And…" Ortega scanned Panam now, she stumbled on her feet.

"Fuck, really! Can I at least get a warning next time?" Panam snapped at Ortega and then realized what she'd done. Ortega smiled, and apologized to her, he didn't look upset or flustered at all. He almost looked happy she'd snapped at him.

"Such passion. Such fire. Amazing. I have never seen anything like it" Ortega was looking at Panam, he seemed impressed.

Mitch came back in, pushing a hoversled full of boxes, covered in a tarp. Ortega walked over to the sled, then looked at Mitch.

"Do you mind if I scan you? I like to know who I am dealing with." Ortega asked. He looked over at Panam. "I apologize again for scanning without your permission. I was lost in the moment."

Mitch looked over at Panam, and then at V. They all shrugged.

"Fuck it. Go for it." Mitch nodded at Ortega. Mitch stumbled too but didn't fall.

Ortega's eyes went wide again. "You...you knowingly faced certain death. Would have sacrificed yourself. For them." Ortega pointed at around the room and continued. "When you raided Arasaka tower. You could have just ran. Anybody in Night City would have fled in that Militech basilisk. You spent weeks in a coma."

Mitch looked puzzled. He lit a cigarette. "Fuck runnin'. They're family. Anybody here woulda done it." Everyone nodded in unison. Mitch spoke again "How'd you know that? You some kinda' mind reader?"

Ortega laughed. "In a sense. But probably not how you would think of it. I cannot hear your thoughts, if that is what you understand mind reading to be."

V spoke up now. "How'd you know about me then? That I was dyin'. About soulkiller. That shit you said. Said about..love?" He squeezed Panam's hand. She squeezed his back.

Ortega spoke again. "Have any you heard of Stormtech?"

Dakota spoke up now. "Sure. They have contracts with some of the Seven Nations. We move equipment for them, other odd jobs sometimes too."

Panam followed her. "Yes, Saul had some contacts with some of them. I think Santiago did some work with Stormtech too. The Aldecaldos funded some of their projects, years ago. One of our members is in contact with their people in Phoenix right now. They were in originally based in Chicago, before the plague took it out."

Ortega nodded. "Correct, you are well connected, and well informed."

Panam looked pleased, but then continued, looking puzzled. "Saul never did say what we were funding though. Or why we stopped. It was all before my time."

Ortega answered her. "I know what you were funding. I was working with Stormtech at the time. The Aldecaldos, along with a few other nations were funding development of biotechnology, nanotechnology."

Panam gasped, "Why would Saul have not told me this?. Did he not trust me?" She looked at Dakota, and at Mitch "Did either of you know?"

Dakota shook her head. "Rumors'. Nothin' concrete." Mitch shook his head as well.

Fuckin' biotech. And 50 years ago, if they were workin' with Santiago. Shit, V thought. Guess these nomads are well connected. He wondered what Ortega's deal was though, he didn't exactly look trustworthy.

Ortega continued. "This was a long time ago, and top secret. Saul was protecting you by keeping it from you. With the additional funding and resources of the nomads, Stormtech made several biotechnical breakthroughs. One was an implant to help them negotiate with other corporations, to help them sense the motivations of their adversaries. It works by analyzing the chemical reactions in your brain. Using these implants, I can infer your emotions, motivations, desires, loyalties. Occasionally I can glimpse a strong memory, or a persistent thought, but that is rare.

Ortega looked at Mitch now. "At Araska tower, when you were prepared to sacrifice yourself, you felt only loyalty, compassion, concern for your family. You did not experience fear, or doubt. What you did made a permanent implant on your mind, when your synapses were burned, that loyalty, that compassion was burned into them. You are changed forever. I have never seen anything like it."

Mitch ground out his cigarette with his boot, and spoke up "Like I said, family. I'd do it again. No fuckin' question"

"I know that you would." Ortega replied with a smile. "Now that your question is answered, do you mind if I inspect the merchandise?"

Mitch nodded, and Ortega walked over to the sled, and pulled off the tarp. V saw what printed was on the boxes. 'MIKOSHI'.

Ortega turned to the nomads. "Perfect. Exactly as I had hoped" Ortega's eyes flashed, and several smaller metal panels unlocked in the floor. No turrets this time, though, it was a circle of chairs and a stainless-steel table in the middle of them.

"Preem." V gasped, and then caught himself. Who fuckin' has shit like this?

Ortega looked at him with amusement "Preem indeed. Please, have a seat, let us negotiate. Name your price. I must have this Mikoshi technology."