Author's Notes: I feel the need to mention that this is the first fanfic I've ever written… so please go easy on me! :) (Update: Made some modifications to this chapter. Cleaned up a few things, broke up some larger paragraphs, and added more inner dialogue)

[Focus] The main characters in this story are V and Judy with a focus on their evolving relationship. You will see that there is an in-depth view of the thoughts and feelings of each character throughout the story.

[Perspective] Told through V (based on the 2018 female V model) and Judy Alvarez's perspectives. Chapters will stagger starting with V's perspective, then followed by Judy's perspective of the same event.

[V's Background] Street Kid with high stats in intelligence, tech, reflexes, and cool. Lesbian.

[Cyberpunk Information] The majority of the information within the story is pulled directly from marketing video playthroughs from CD Projekt Red (like V's birthday and the start date of her journey), information within Cyberpunk 2077 gameplay (like dialogue, shard data, mission structure, etc.), and Cyberpunk lore.

[Creative Liberties/Original Content] I've taken several creative liberties with some moments/scenes, text messages, timeline, etc. I've added additional scenes that are not within the game between V and Judy to fill in some serious gaps. For example, after the interlude, V is tasked to locate Evelyn - V has the option to call Judy to find out where Evelyn is… However, V never had Judy's number prior to getting flatlined. Somehow Judy's contact information is randomly added to V's phone even though no one gave it to her...?! I've added a scene to Chapter One that covers how (in my world) V obtained Judy's number. As for the dialogue, many of the scripts are pulled directly from in-game while others are made up - the original dialogue occurs during original scenes. Also, all characters within the story are from Cyberpunk 2077. No original characters have been created.


"Holy shit. Wasn't sure we'd walk out in one piece." Jackie was hunched over, hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. He slowly straightened up, stretching his arms behind his back; his chest was sore. He rolled his head back and forth, trying to loosen the stiffness in his neck. Ducking and dodging bullets was no walk in the park.

V had just finished a brief conversation with a Militech agent and approached Jackie with a grin. "We did it Jackie - you did great. We got the flathead and we're still alive." V struck Jackie's back with a prideful smack.

Jackie let out a small laugh, shaking his head, looking down towards the ground, "Dex best be crackin' us open a bottle when we meet him tomorrow at the Afterlife. Actually no - he better treat us to a mierda ton of free shots."

V's eyes flashed bright blue as her holo began to ring. "Well speak of the devil" V muttered. A box with a live feed to Dexter Deshawn popped up in the upper lefthand corner of her vision.

Dexter: How're things lookin', Miss V?

V: We got the bot.

Dexter: And how'd it go? Run into any trouble? And what about the Militech angle?

V: Sure. 'Course there was trouble. Royce couldn't've given two shits that you and Brick had shaken on it.

Dexter: How'd you get him on board? You use the corpo woman?

V: Met with Stout. Managed to strike a deal.

Dexter: Well, well.

V: Gave me a chip with scratch for Maelstrom.

Dexter: So you paid for the Flathead with corp cash.

V: No. Decided we could use the eddies instead… and we just grabbed the bot.

Dexter: Jus' like that…?

V: Not just. Had to use violence.

Dexter: *chuckling in amusement* You got some balls, Miss V.

V: We're all set, ready to go. What now?

Dexter: Now I need you to chat with the client. I gave her a ring - let her know you'll be meetin' up with her.

V: Great, I'll go see her.

Dexter: See ya, Miss V.

V's irises faded back to their normal dark brown hue. Jackie looked at the caked-on synthmeat and other dried fluids on his jacket and pants, trying to wipe it off. Bullets had pierced bags of synthmeat during the firefight in All Foods, spraying them with raw mealworm muck. "Ay huele feo… this meat. Ack… I can taste it…"

The mercenary snickered, "I thought you loved meat?" Jackie was not amused. "Buhh… yeah, but not like this. I like eating it - not wearing it. We smell like sewage." Jackie gave up trying to clean himself off and sighed, "What time is it?"

V looked around and realized it was dark outside. When she and Jackie entered the food production warehouse it was early evening. V's eyes glowed a bright orange, her eyes flickering left and right, "It's almost 11PM. Jesus, how long were we in there?" V's eyebrows squeezed together as she shook her head, her eyes losing the bright orange glow.

"Hijole…" Jackie sighed, "Whelp - I think I've had enough for one night. It's late and I'm spent - Gonna see if Misty'll let me crash at hers. I'm too tired to ride to Heywood." Jackie headed off towards his pride and joy, an ARCH Nazaré, a customized motorcycle he purchased with the eddies from their last gig, saving a corpo woman from a scav den, and a 'muy pequeñito' loan from who knows where.

"You headin' home?" Jackie asked V, glancing over his shoulder as he swung a leg over his bike.

V shook her head, "Not yet. Headin' over to Lizzie's. It's open now and Dex said he would arrange a meeting with our client. 'Evelyn Parker' is her name."

Jackie eyed V up and down. She had blood and a few skull chunks matted in her hair, synthmeat sprayed all over her shirt and pants, and some other foreign liquids on her hands and sneakers. "You're gonna go… like that?" V's eyes narrowed.

"No… Apartment ain't far from here and Lizzie's ain't far from there. I'll go freshen' up before meetin' her." V popped up her orange glowing collar on her favorite netrunner jacket, "Gotta look preem for this meet - represent us well!"

Jackie snorted and his eyes flashed blue, firing up his bike. "¡Ahí te ves V! See you at the Afterlife tomorrow!" Jackie peeled out onto the street, kicking up smoke and speeding off, leaving the smell of burnt rubber behind him.


V pulled a grey towel off her head and tossed it on the bed. She had wrapped her hair up after a hot shower to dry and now was wrestling with what to wear. It wasn't cold enough outside to need a jacket and not warm enough for short sleeves. She settled on a pair of black synthleather pants, a long-sleeve white shirt, and a pair of fresh black sneakers.

"Either Evelyn Parker's got the best intel in town, the biggest pile of scratch, or the brightest goddamn lucky star twinkling over her at night. Fuck, maybe she got all three. Still, good thing Dex is sending me to this meet. No offense Jackie, but I clean up better. If this goes down right, Evelyn'll be a nice new contact for us. And you know the deal - won't get anywhere without contacts in Night City. So don't fuck it up, Val..." she muttered to herself.

V glanced toward her apartment bay window. The neon blue digital clock flashed on the glass. Almost midnight, V thought to herself.

She walked to the room where she kept her weapons and eyed her selection of pistols on display. V reached for a handgun she recently polished. Good 'ol trusty. She grabbed a holster hanging near the gun and affixed it tightly to her thigh.

V slid a newly loaded clip into the base of the gun, cocked back the chamber to make sure there were no jams, and slid the gun into its sleeve. She grabbed a few extra clips, and stashed them in the holster, shifting the fabric back and forth on her pants to ensure a snug fit.

She nodded to herself. All right, good to go. The merc clicked the lights off in the weapons room and headed out the door.


V drove down Night City's streets in her black Archer, a vehicle brand notoriously known for its low-quality build. It's nothing flashy, but it gets the job done and saved her Jackie's asses on more than one occasion.

She noticed a few stars were fighting their way through the pollution that populated the evening sky - desperate to shine.

On her right, NCDP officers had taken down a lowly pack of Tyger Claws, forcing the gangoons' faces into the pavement. Behind her, horns were blaring, cars were racing to pass each other, on their way to who knows where this late at night. The city never seemed to come alive like this when the sun was out. No wonder they call it Night City, V snickered to herself.


The drive from V's apartment to Lizzie's bar was about 10 minutes if the traffic wasn't bad.

V pulled up. Seems like Lizzie's is pretty busy tonight.

She was lucky enough to find a parking spot. The merc stepped out of the car and scanned the area. People were chatting on concrete benches, taking long drags on cheap cigarettes, and swigs from large, glass bottles. More patrons leaned against neon signs close to the bar advertising "The Watson Whore", some TV show V recognized from ads on repeat.

Nearby was an ad for Mr. Whitney, a popular energy bar. "Life is too short to be slow", V recited the slogan under her breath. How fitting for Night City. V headed toward the entrance.

Lizzie's logo flickered a blinding electric blue. Next to the entrance with two double doors stood two signs in the shape of female silhouettes. One of the female silhouettes was pink and holding an ax, the other blue, holding a bat.

In front of the door were two women, club bouncers. Their hair colors and the color of their attire oppositely matched the female silhouettes above them; the blue-haired female bouncer held an ax and the pink one held a bat. Was that intentional? V wondered as she walked up to the door.

The blue one was leaning against the door, taking a long drag from a cigarette. The pink one blocked V's entrance. V quickly scanned her. The words [Rita Wheeler, Affiliation: The Mox] flashed in front of her eyes.

Thanks Vik. Viktor, her ripper doc, recently loaded an updated NCPD file search engine into her Kiroshi optics.

Rita flashed a grin towards V, "Hey there dollface. Interest you in a preem BD?" she swung her bat and laid it across her shoulders, shifting her weight from one leg to the other.

V, returned the playful grin, "Whaddaya got?" The blue-haired bouncer took another long drag from her cigarette and looked over at V, "What don't we got? Women and men of your dreams, synaptic acting A-listers. No washed-up virtuporn boytoys or blow-up dolls here." Rita piped in, "Amateur stuff - It'll grip your heart and blow your nerves right outta your body. Pure bit-based ecstasy - THAT'S why people come here."

V raised both eyebrows, impressed, "Clearly know how to sell it." Rita dropped the cheerful act and narrowed her eyes at V, "Not a sales pitch, it's a warning. I'll give you one word - bespoke. Not for everyone's synapses." "Think you can handle it?" the blue-haired bouncer asked, lighting another cigarette. V cocked her head to the side, "Bespoke - damn, that sounds promising. I get it, I'm in."

"Mmmhmm..." Rita eyed V up and down suspiciously, pulling her bat down from her shoulders and into her hands. "Couple of things you need to know first..." Rita cleared her throat, purposefully hitting the palm of her left hand with the bat - in a way that looked almost threatening.

"...First, there are severe penalties for any unauthorized recording." She quickly swung her bat in V's direction, using it as a pointer, "No drugs, no groping..." and lowered her bat, pointing towards V's thigh, "... and no shooting."

The blue-haired bouncer tapped on her cigarette, dropped ash to the ground. "If someone catches your eye, you do NOT grab 'em. Ya find 'em in the catalog, ask for a BD, and get yourself a box." She lifted the cigarette to her lips and took in another long drag.

V held back an eye roll. She looked quickly between the two women, and exhaled out a long drawn out sigh, "I really look that green to you? Like I don't know… ?" she couldn't hold it in anymore and rolled her eyes at the bouncers.

The bouncers looked at each other as if speaking without words. The blue-haired bouncer gave a small shrug of her shoulders and drifted her gaze away from Rita and V, finishing off what remained of her cigarette.

As V waited for a response, a small group of what looked like young adults, possibly in their very early twenties, began to approach. A timid and scrawny member of the group was practically getting dragged in by his choombas. He seemed very nervous, but also a bit excited - probably his first time ever going to a place like this. They teased him, promising that he and his 'lil pecker' would lose their virginities tonight.

Rita nodded her head slowly and looked towards V. "Mhmmmm." She paused for a moment and then flashed V a wink, "Door's open." Rita tapped her bat on the ground then took a large step to the side as the bar's entrance behind her slowly opened.

As V began to walk past the bouncers into the bar, Rita leaned forward and whispered in V's ear, "Have fun, cutie…!" As the mercenary walked in, she heard Rita begin to intimidate the young man as his chooms stood back and laughed. "Hey there dollface. You even old enough to handle our girls? They'll tear your cute little ass up. Guaranteed." Poor kid. Has noooo idea what he's walkin' into. The double doors slide shut behind V as she stood in the lobby, taking in her surroundings.

To V's left was a dark L shaped couch where three people sat, smoking and sipping on drinks. In front of her was a pink glowing counter that a purple-haired woman stood behind. She wore a lot of purple; purple makeup, purple spiked collar, purple shirt, purple pants - everything was purple except her skin. She took a sip of what V believed was coffee. "My… what a sweet little face you have..." the employee said with a sly smile, batting her eyelashes. The merc returned a friendly smile, taking note of the very large Mox gang tattoo near the woman's pelvis.

There was a pile of datashards on the counter advertising information about who the Moxes were and the history of how Lizzie's Bar came to be. Though V grew up in Night City and knew about Lizzie's and the Mox gang, she picked up a shard and popped it into the vacant neural slot behind her ear. Doesn't hurt to know more about who you're dealing with.

Her irises glowed bright orange as information loaded and flashed up into her Kioshi's - ["The Mox came to exist because it had to. We didn't have a soul in our corner, no one to make sure street justice was on our side. So we took matters into our own hands. The Mox is composed of the people who, if any of them disappeared from the streets tomorrow, you might never even notice: sex workers, 'ennyless artists, aimless rebels, and restless souls who weren't dealt a fair hand. Today, the Mox is thriving, as demonstrated by the booming biz of Lizzie's Bar.]

The information quickly refreshed with new information as V finished reading the last word - ["Lizzie's is renowned for being arguably the best braindance club in Night City. Corporate suits, gangoons, pop stars, and locals alike all gather at Lizzie's to kick back, have a drink, and dip into the most beautifully scrolled and tuned BDs you've ever experienced."]

V had only visited Lizzie's Bar once before, three years ago. Some of her Heywood chooms took her there for her birthday - right before she left for Atlanta. They wanted V to experience the 'best BDs Night City had to offer'. However, watching smut wasn't really V's thing, but she was coaxed into it anyway.

["You'll find no better braindance club in the city, no matter how deep you dig. Modern boxes, solid tech, but most important: the catalog, chock-full of nearly any experience you can imagine. You'll find everything you need to get you off - fast or slow, nasty or classy, and everything in-between. Don't let the girls at the front door scare you off or kill your buzz - they're wary of newcomers, but once you get in they'll treat you like one of their own."]

She continued to read the shard, skimming over the story of Lizzie, the stripper who stood up against a Tyger Claw gonk and ended up getting flatlined two days later by the gang. A sad story, but an impactful one. Lizzie's bold move empowered several other workers to ban together, outnumber, and outfight the Tyger Claws, winning the bar's independence for a small percentage of earnings.

V slid the shard out of her neural slot and reached over to return it to the pile. As V placed down the shard, she noticed the phrase "FUCK TO DEATH" reflected backward on the countertop from a large pink neon sign on the wall. She glanced up toward the employee, who was now on her phone participating in an intense text conversation.

The mercenary proceeded past the counter towards another set of doors which had a purple neon sign above that flickered "LIZZIE'S BAR". She could hear music leaking under the small gap at the bottom of the doors.


V was greeted by loud music and the hum of several club goers chatting and dancing with one another. There were also the lower murmurs coming from clients sitting on synthleather couches, wearing BD wreaths that flashed bright blue lights into their eyes. R E L & Artemis Delta's 'Night City' pumped over the speakers, the bass thumping V's diaphragm and rattling her eardrums.

She glanced up to see glass - on the second level appeared to be a DJ booth that overlooked the club. V watched as the DJ, a young woman with short blue spiked hair, bobbing her head to the beat. The woman gradually lost herself into her music, leaping up and down while pumping her right fist into the air as the bass dropped and the tempo sped up.

Flashing red laser lights descended from the ceiling and bounced throughout the club, the beams catching themselves on the smokey haze that seemed to touch every corner of the building. V allowed her eyes time to adjust to the dim and foggy room, taking in the stale smell of smoke, alcohol, and sweat.

A waitress quickly brushed past V with a tray full of shot glasses. "Sorry, s'cuse me sweetheart", the waitress said, flashing V a sultry smile.

"All depends on what you're into. Maybe you can tell me about it... over another round of drinks?" Asked a voice nearby. The mercenary looked toward her right and saw a man leaning against the wall, talking to a young, petite woman.

The man had shaggy, unkempt looking hair, wearing a black blazer that hung open, a white button-down shirt underneath half untucked, and a tie dangling from his neck, half undone. He spoke with a slur towards a woman who twirled a strand of her green hair around one of her fingers. She wore a translucent blue jacket, white short shorts, and a golden neon glowing shirt.

"Ey! Another round here, stat!" shouted the man in the direction of the waitress that had brushed past V earlier. The waitress looked up and nodded in acknowledgment toward the man.

"So, what can a horny girl like me do for a hungry guy like you?" cooed the green-haired woman. "A little vanilla and sprinkles?... Or maybe kinkier? Wax?... Maybe electrosex! Zappies… power implants. Hmmm?" she tilted her head lower, continuing to twirl her hair, batting her eyes up at the man.

The man moved towards the girl, hiccuping and grinning, with a carnal desire in his eyes. The woman quickly took a step back, avoiding the man as he tried to get too close.

"Nah…" slurred the man. "Here's what I want…" he reached over and tightly gripped the woman's wrist. "You and your girlfriend. Wearin' high heels, blindfolds, and bitgags," He sneered.

"Hmmm… no… problem," said the woman, who broke her wrist free in a sly yet flirtatious manner. "You buyin' or rentin'?" she asked the man. "Renting. How much?" he demanded. "Relax baby. It'll go on your tab." She smiled lightly and bounced on her heels, "I think I got just the thing for you too! This one's me and Candice. You'll feel us eeeeverywhere… It'll be fun!" she licked her top lip and slowly glanced down between the man's legs, then looked back into his eyes as she slowly bit her bottom lip.

"So, see you on the other side, baby…" She winked and blew a kiss towards the man, who flashed a huge grin back at her. The woman quickly spun around on her heel and walked away. Her charming smile quickly turned to an annoyed purse of her lips as she rolled her eyes and quickly headed towards a door that only employees could enter. V chuckled to herself, No one likes corpos. Especially drunken, entitled, and handsy corpos.

Near the drunken corpo man were two private booths enclosed by thick glass. The booths were occupied by what looked like more corpos - men and women in expensive attire chatting, drinking, and BD playing.

V began to head further into the club, walking past strangers grinding who were grinding on each other. She was careful as she skillfully glided in-between the dancers, taking care to not make contact with their bodies. She wasn't really a people person and didn't like being too close to strangers - who knows if they could suddenly pull out a knife or gun on her.

As she walked further into the club she saw an area glowing brightly - a large neon sign illuminated "LIZZIE'S BAR'' above a counter that burned a bright white with a slight purple tint. This was the club's bar, a hotspot for the club goers. Maybe the bartender'll know if Evelyn's here.

Bar stools were filled with people conversing with each other as they drank a variety of different drinks; Beer, vodka shots, and some other drink that was on fire. The others who didn't have drinks were leaning over the counter, attempting to get the bartender's attention so they could place their orders.

The bartender had muted purple hair slicked back, wearing a teal shirt that was unbuttoned, exposing his chest and stomach. The shirt was patterned with streaks of whites, reds, and yellows that stood out under all the neon lights. A white hand towel was draped over his left shoulder as he poured drinks with grace and filled orders with finesse - he remained cool and calm, despite having multiple people shouting and waving, attempting to grab his attention to place orders.

A man slid himself off from one of the barstools, leaving the prime real-estate vacant. He carried multiple drinks toward another group of men who were sitting at a booth, all with BD players in hand. They smiled at the man as they saw all of their drink orders arriving. Who knows how long they'd been waiting.

As V walked in the bar's direction, hoping to claim the empty barstool as her own, she noticed something in the corner of her eye. One of the many drunken dancers attempted to show off their skills, either for fun or to try and impress someone. They had lost their balance and began to fall toward V.

The merc quickly pivoted on her foot, turning to the side, allowing the dancer to fall onto the ground and not into her. She raised her eyebrow at the person on the floor as they laughed and slurred incoherent words to themselves. What'a gonk. She proceeded to step over the dancer and continue on her way.

She managed to reach the bar in one piece. Luckily for her, the barstool was still vacant. She swung her leg over the synthleather cushion and sat down, making herself comfortable.

At the end of the bar was a rather overweight bald man wearing headphones around his neck, smoking a cigarette and chatting with two women; one of the women had long orange and white hair and giggled a lot as she knocked back what looked like a shot of vodka. The second woman was very tall and also bald. She had tattoos that spiraled around her skull that pulsed bright yellow glow.

Next to them was a woman texting on her phone - it didn't seem like she was a member of their group. She had a short blonde mohawk and wore unapologetically large pink circular rimmed sunglasses. She scowled down at her phone and quickly placed it on the bar counter. The woman swallowed a large gulp from a green bottle that sat in front of her before she grabbed her phone, returning to whatever text conversation she was previously part of.

Beside the blonde mohawk woman sat another woman whose legs were gracefully crossed. She took a long drag from her cigarette as she slowly looked around the nightclub. Smoke danced beautifully from her lips as she blew it out. With a gentle flick over her ashtray, the glowing amber end of her cigarette fell.

This woman had short light blue hair that ended at her jawline and her bangs ended halfway down her forehead. Everything about her glowed with enigmatic worldlines. Her body features were almost as striking as her attire. She wore bright, flashy colors that were fashionable for any Night City celebrity. The most noticeable part of her garments was the large white pinkish-purple mane erupting from the collar of her coat. It reminded V of a beautiful peacock whose tail feathers were spread out on display.

The blue-haired woman began talking to another woman who was standing next to her.

This petite woman was nonchalantly leaning back against the bar's counter. The glow emitting from the bar highlighted every stunning feature and curve on her body.

She wore a white tank top that was tied up tightly under her breasts, almost exposing her stomach had her black synthleather overalls not blocked the view. Various tattoos kissed her skin - roses, 'M' and 'Moxes' in calligraphy, a cartoon ghost popping out of a clamshell, the Moxes iconic skull girl, and a shark. She had other tattoos on her right arm that V couldn't see and she most likely had tattoos in other places that the mercenary wouldn't mind discovering if invited.

Similar to V's, the woman's head was half shaven but the hair that draped down on the right side of her face was cut a bit shorter than the merc's. Above the woman's left ear was a black and silver metal plate that had small words etched into it that V couldn't quite make out.

The majority of the woman's hair was dyed green and purple before it faded to her natural color; a dark brown. There were a few rebellious strands that refused to stay grouped with the bulk of her hair, as they hung down in her face in an imperfectly perfect way. The stray strands that had caught V's eye motioned the mercenary to explore the woman's face.

She had a young face and her porcelain skin looked smooth as silk. Her eyebrows were the color of her natural hair and well-manicured with a slight arch. Her button-shaped nose was delicately curved. The woman's full rounded lips donned a rose matte lipstick. There was plumpness to them that made the merc's legs feel weak; had she not been sitting, V was sure she'd have fallen over.

But when V caught a glimpse of the woman's eyes, she felt like her breath had been stolen from her.

The woman wore sharp black winged eyeliner and black mascara hugged her long eyelashes. Her eyes were hazel brown in color with green flecks. Something about her eyes - the way they danced about as she watched people on the dance floor left V with an ache in her chest; she felt like she wanted the woman's eyes to be on her, and only her.

Woah. Man, if I wasn't here on business… would totally introduce myself to this girl… maybe. V was a tad bit shy when it came to things like this. Her life as a mercenary did not leave room for dating or outputs. So, she was a bit rusty and tended to just keep to herself in these types of situations.

The current song came to an end and a new song began to play: A remixed version of Clockwork Venus' BM. Almost all of the club goers, excluding those viewing BDs, cheered and either continued to dance, or joined the dance floor. The sudden movement of people snapped V out of her daze.

V glanced up towards the DJ in the glass booth who now had both of her hands swaying in the air, smiling down at the cheering crowd. V returned to scouting out people at the bar, hoping to identify who Evelyn might be, or if she was even there. She had a strong urge to look back at the tattoo-covered Mox, but valiantly fought back.

Beyond V's stool were a few more people, a man with a thin mustache wearing a bright red neon visor and matching triangular shaped earrings, laughing at another man beside him. The other man sported a blonde meticulously trimmed beard and wore his long flaming red hair tied up in a bun, sharing a laugh with his choom.

Approaching the men was the same waitress who V seemed to keep seeing. They only got one waitress or somethin'? She was returning to the bar to drop off several empty glasses and pick up more filled drink orders. She flashed the men a smile as she discarded and reloaded her tray with liquor glasses that were filled to the brim. V was impressed at how well the waitress could balance the drinks, never spilling a drop.

The mercenary peeked over toward the bartender to see if he was available yet to chat. He was still dressing up drinks and pouring orders. V watched him pour those drinks like it was an art form. As he poured a row of vodka shots, she noticed his forearms - they were covered in tattoos. She was able to identify screws and bolts, a few wrenches, the word 'MOXED', and a diamond-studded anal plug. I wonder if some of those tattoos are random or if they have any meaning behind them, V pondered.

The bartender finished pouring the shots and returned the tequila to the liquor shelf. He looked at all his satisfied customers and noticed V - someone he hadn't filled an order for. He grabbed the white towel off of his shoulder along with an empty glass, polishing it as he walked over towards her.

"Hey", V said towards the man. He had black eyes with white irises. "Get you something?" he asked with a smile, placing the clean glass down on the counter. "Lookin' for an Evelyn Parker. Know if she's here?" The bartender continued to look at V, his smile fading, "Who's asking?" "Name's V. Evelyn and I have a… date." V heard a glass clink down on the counter nearby but continued her eye contact with the stubborn bartender. She raised an eyebrow up toward him, pressing for an answer.

"Well V, it's a pleasure. I'm Mateo'' responded the man, avoiding to give V the answer she was seeking. "Uh-huh… So… Evelyn?" V squinted her eyes and leaned in a little closer to Mateo, again, pressing for an answer. He sighed and looked around, slightly uncomfortable. "Club's big. You're 'onna have to look around. Can't do it for you." The hell I gotta do to get some info? Maybe eddies will 'em him sing.

V shook her head but before she could open her mouth in response, a woman chimed in. "It's alright Mateo. I was waitin' for this one." The merc quickly looked to her left. The woman who was two stools over with short blue hair and bangs placed her cigarette in an ashtray.

She stood up, grabbing her purse off of the counter, and walked over toward V. There was a powerful yet graceful elegance about this woman. She placed her purse back on the counter and leaned over, giving V a provocative smile. She then broke her eye contact and glanced over at Mateo, who had grabbed two glasses from under the bar and placed them on the counter. She nodded at him and he popped open an amber bottle, pouring liquid in each glass.

"Evelyn Parker," the blue-haired woman said, returning her eyes to V. She smiled again with a charming and alluring aura radiating from her. The left corner of her mouth slowly raised higher into a smirk with her left brow following suit. In a flirtatious tone, she leaned a little closer toward V, "I knew it was you the moment you walked in."

The mercenary slowly raised both eyebrows, staring at Evelyn. Her attention quickly broke as she heard Mateo slide the filled glasses toward them. V picked up the glass and took a small sip. She was surprised. Oh shit. Is this my drink? Dude, this is totally my drink. The taste was familiar to her as she downed the rest of the drink.

V looked at Mateo, "Centzon? Only tequila I drink." She turned, narrowing her eyes and exchanging a smirk back towards the blue-haired woman. She did her homework. She's good. Real good. "Mhmmm. How did you know?" asked V, lowering her head slightly toward Evelyn with an eyebrow still cocked, not breaking eye contact.

Evelyn blinked flirtatiously towards V, "I like to know everything about the people I work with…" she broke eye contact, now looking towards her own glass of tequila, circling her finger around the rim. She flicked a glance back at V, "...either that or it was just a lucky guess." She gave a half-hearted shrug while picking up her glass to take a sip. She studied V's face or a reaction. Did she do her homework... or was it luck? V shook the thought from her mind - doesn't matter. "Mind if we talk about the job? I heard you got somethin' for me." V asked coolly, spinning her barstool towards Evelyn's direction.

The blue-haired woman gave a slight nod toward V, "Mhm." She swallowed the tequila in her mouth and placed the glass on the counter while smacking her lips, "But not here." She lifted the glass again and drank the remaining amount of tequila. She closed her eyes as she shook her head slightly back and forth, swallowing the remaining liquid, finishing it off with a breathy exhale. Can't tell if she's nervous or just doesn't like Centzon…

"Come with me" Evelyn looked at the mercenary, then glanced over towards the bartender while snatching her purse from the counter, "We'll be in the lounge, Mateo. If anyone asks…" Evelyn spun around and began stepping away from the bar "... we aren't here." She glanced over her shoulder toward V, who was still sitting at the bar.

The merc quickly hopped off her stool and followed Evelyn. They walked through a pair of double sliding doors into a hallway where a few employees were speaking privately with customers.

A couple of the employees were extremely close to their clients; One ran her fingers through a male client's hair while coaxing him to purchase another round of BDs and another round of shots. Further down the hall, another employee traced her finger up and down a woman's arm while she browsed the catalog.

Evelyn walked ahead of V, up to a door, and pressed a touchscreen pad. The door slid open as Evelyn slowly pivoted on her heel to face V - she leaned against the doorframe and gestured for V to enter, "In you go". V noticed the expression on Evelyn's face - she was no longer smiling but looked serious.

V entered the booth, taking in the decor. In the middle of the room was an illuminated table that had glasses and bottles of liquor on it. A holographic stripper danced slowly above the table. Noticing V's entrance, the hologram slowly bit her lower lip and smiled towards V. The stripper reached a handout and pointed a finger at V, slowly beckoning her finger back in a come hither motion.

V ignored the hologram and walked over to the black couch that circled around the room. She felt Evelyn follow her in, hearing her click open her purse and rummage around through it. V found her seat and looked over toward the blue-haired woman who had found a cigarette in her purse, pulled it out, and began lighting it. Evelyn pressed a small button near the door and it slid closed.

"Dex had a load to say about you. Called you professional. Effective…" Evelyn narrowed her eyes at V, scanning her face while flicking the orange glowing ash of her cigarette on the floor "... and trustworthy." Evelyn crossed her left arm in front of her, laying her hand in the crease of her right arm. She raised her right hand up into the air, holding her cigarette. "I hope he wasn't overselling..."

She lifted her head up slightly while looking down toward V, her tone almost cold. She's analyzing me. Why would Dex have a load to say about me? We literally just met today. The merc shifted ever so slightly in her seat, staring straight at Evelyn. "I'm good at what I do. I've got a solid crew at my back, too. Never once botched a job."

She continued to look at Evelyn, with a stern matter-of-fact expression. Evelyn quickly fired a rebuttal, "You do realize I expect more from you than scraping street corner dataterms? Much, much more." Evelyn took a long drag from her cigarette, still watching V for an expression.

"I'm the best. And I know what I'm getting into. Dex was clear - The job's high-risk." V continued in her resolve, trying to remain cool and convince Evelyn that she was capable and confident of pulling off this heist - but more importantly, V was trying to convince herself that she actually could pull it off.


They exited the room, making a right down the hallway. V tilted her head and frowned toward Evelyn, "How's a braindance supposed to help? I need facts, not thrills." Evelyn scoffed as she continued walking. Responding in a mocking tone, "Think BDs are only good for fondling virtual tits, jackin' off to in these boxes?"

Evelyn turned a sharp corner down another hallway. V followed behind, turning so sharply that she almost slammed into a couple who are making out against the wall. V stumbled slightly, trying to avoid a collision. She regained her footing and walked faster to catch up to the blue-haired woman. Evelyn was marching on at a brisk pace.

The blue-haired woman continued, "No. They can be a very useful tool. Good for analyzing details human perception-even boosted-doesn't grasp." She glanced behind towards V, "Exactly what you need."

They continued walking and entered what appeared to be an employee dressing room. There were three Moxes hovering over a mirror, applying blushes, eyeliners, lipstick, and plucking eyebrows. Evelyn and V walked through the room, heading through another door.

"This BD is of Yorinobu's suite. The interior. You'll have to find the relic yourself. I hope I captured enough data for you." They began to descend down a flight of stairs to what seemed like the club's basement. "Woah, hold up… so you mean to tell me that YOU scrolled this BD?" V asked Evelyn, wide-eyed with a shock of surprise in her tone.

Evelyn reached the landing and stopped before continuing down the next flight. She spun around and faced V, "Mhm..." she nodded, crinkling her nose towards the mercenary. "BD rec implant. Why, you object?" V stumbled for a moment, taken aback by the question. "Er…" Okay, that came out wrong. "...N-no. No objections. None at all" V mumbled. "Let's see this braindance."

The two continued down the stairs and through the dark and dim basement. Ahead of them, another set of doors stood. There was a moment of silence between the two of them before Evelyn spoke again, "Judy will help us. She's a Mox too. Besides, we go back uh… years."

The two reached the set of double doors but Evelyn did not open them. Instead, she stopped and turned around, folding her arms across her chest. "V, this is important." She sighed with solemnity in her tone, "Judy's always been there for me. Always helped out. I trust her… But she's a Mox. Not the latest member of your crew. Try not to forget."

There was a bit of coldness to Evelyn's remark, almost like a threat. "So… You'll be a good girl, tread lightly, and keep that tongue of yours on a leash." Evelyn slowly raised an eyebrow, awaiting a sign of understanding and agreement from her guest. V lifted her hands up in the air, yielding, "Relaaax. Believe it or not, I'm no stranger to tact. In biz, or life."

A smile washed over Evelyn's lips as she turned around and opened the double doors. They walked into another room that was warm and glowed a soft red, filled with computer servers and other technologies. V paused for a moment to glance around - Wow, they must need some serious hardware to run all of the black boxes and tech upstairs.

The merc hadn't noticed how long she had been gawking at the equipment before realizing that Evelyn was waiting in another room. She looked over at V and motioned for her to come over.

As V made her way into the room, she noticed a woman lounging back in a chair next to Evelyn. V caught a glimpse of the stranger and immediately recognized the woman's attire. Woah wait - this was the chick who was standin' next to Evelyn at the bar.

The tattooed woman wore a braindance wreath, her eyes glowing a bright blue as the player flashed bright lights into her eyes. She wore a glove covered in tech on one hand, which was lifted in the air making small movements and jerks. On the monitors next to her, several different porn clips were playing.

"Ahem…" Evelyn loudly cleared her throat and folded her arms across her chest while staring down at the tattooed woman. The blue flashing lights on the stranger's wreath immediately turned off and the blue in her eyes faded. The woman shook her head slightly, letting her sights adjust to the dimness of the room.

She looked up towards V and her eyes widened. Then she quickly looked toward her right and saw a familiar face - after regaining her bearings, she smiled up toward Evelyn, "Heeeey, there you are!" Evelyn looked down at the woman and motioned a hand towards V's direction, "This is V. She's here for that BD roll." Evelyn unfolded her arms and made a gesture towards the woman. "And V… This is Judy - best braindance editor I know."

Judy immediately smiled and rolled her eyes, glancing away towards a monitor that was playing hard-core porn. She batted her hand in the blue-haired woman's direction, "Ugh, enough already. Gonna make me barf." Evelyn placed a hand on her hip and dramatically rolled her eyes, shaking her head while looking towards the floor.

V looked around and nodded slowly, "Sensory sig amps, acoustic and emotive wave monitors…" She was so focused on studying the equipment in the room that she didn't notice Judy slowly turning her head away from the monitor, ears perked up, with a warm smile aimed up toward the mercenary.

"Huh… top-shelf hardware" V said as she continued to look at the tech before looking towards the techie. Judy quickly averted her eyes while continuing to wear a big smile across her face, "Ehhh. Well, most of it's customized. Only things factory here are the casings."

V raised her eyebrows, clearly impressed. "Mod all this yourself?" Judy cocked an eyebrow towards V, continuing to smile, "What do you think?" V walked up closer to Judy, checking out the monitors, various sensors, and wiring on the desk.

"Expression translator… Futuysuki, right? Thought the matrices on that series were fucked up." Judy nodded, "they were. But swappin' out matrices' simple. N' this was the only model that'd support additional scanwa-"

"Ahem", Evelyn loudly cleared her throat with annoyance. Neither Judy nor V had noticed Evelyn had been standing there with her arms folded across her chest, tapping her foot, clearly unamused by the conversation.

Judy raised her hands in the air, "All right… all right." She lowered them and gave one last smile toward the mercenary before resorting to a more serious tone."Compiled your BD, Ev," Judy reached up and removed her braindance player as Evelyn looked eagerly towards the techie, "So what do you think? Think it'll do?"

Judy tilted her head to the side and scrunched her nose, "Eh… well… still pretty raw, but yeah… it oughta do." Evelyn nodded toward Judy, "Mhm. V needs to get deep inside, that's most important." Judy inspected V for a moment, "So then..." she placed her hands on her knees and pushed herself out of the chair she was leaning back in, "...let's calibrate and tune it to her."

Judy smiled at V as she headed towards her, turning her body to the side in an attempt to squeeze past the mercenary who was standing in her way. V stumbled back, almost falling in the process, "Er, oh. S-sorry." V felt her cheeks heat as the woman brushed past.

A pleasant fragrance wafted from the tattooed woman. Rosewater - shampoo? Maybe her perfume… or body wash? Whatever it was, V liked it. Judy snickered toward the stumbling merc and sat down in her computer chair.


"So, how 'bout it, V?" She narrowed her eyes and dropped her octave lower, "Raw Braindance" She leaned back in her chair, "Ever taken a dip before?" V blinked rapidly for a moment. I dunno what the hell a raw braindance is. How is it different from a normal braindance? Erhm… "I think I can handle it. Let's just do this!" V blabbed out toward Judy, who immediately returned to typing away at her keyboard.

She nodded at V but never broke eye contact from her monitor, "Right-o… Okay, siddown, settle in, and we'll get'cha goin'." Judy pushed herself away from the desk, rolling her chair backward. She bounced out of the chair and walked past V, flashing the merc another bright smile.

V eyed the braindance editor who was walking towards a chair in the middle of the room. Wow, she's stunning, V thought to herself. Maybe she'd want to grab a drink later… er, Noooo. Nope. Here on business. Head outta the gutter, champ. The mercenary heard Evelyn clear her throat again which snapped her out of her thought bubble.

She blinked rapidly for a moment, feeling her cheeks flush slightly as she watched Evelyn stare at her. The merc quickly walked towards the chair in the middle of the room, climbing on it like a kid trying to crawl into a dentist's chair. Judy giggled as she watched V get flustered by Evelyn's impatience.

The mercenary shifted around in her seat for a moment to get comfortable and then rested her hands on her lap. She glanced up at Judy who approached with a BD wreath in hand. Judy held the equipment up and paused for a moment, looking toward V for a sign of approval before placing the tech upon the mercs head. V gave Judy a small, encouraging nod and watched the techie gently place the wreath, making minor adjustments to the equipment so it fit snug, yet comfortable.

Judy stepped back slowly, eyeing the merc's head closely like V was a canvas and the artist was making sure each brushstroke was placed just right. Judy gave the merc another gentle smile and a confirming nod before she turned around and walked over to her desk.

V couldn't help but notice the womanly sway of Judy's hips as she walked away. A movement that was sophisticated and mature with a smooth creaminess, beckoning for someone to try its flavor. Then the merc noticed the techie's waist - her luscious curves were well defined.

The merc quickly shook her head and gulped, forcing her eyes to break free from the trance the beautiful tattooed vixen cast on her. The hell'm I doin'? Got a job to do. Focus, ya fuckin' gonk. She bounced her gaze away, exploring the room as she felt the temperature in her cheeks lower.

It was dark and there were several monitors and braindance equipment cast about - some hardware old, other hardware new. Her eyes happened to glide over toward Evelyn, who was watching V with suspicious eyes. Ooohshit, how long she been watching me? Did she see me staring at…? V blinked and stared at Evelyn like a deer caught in headlights, her cheeks beginning to feel even hotter. Evelyn shook her head and quickly rolled her eyes as she clicked open her purse to rummage for a cigarette.

"Okay! Gotta create your sensory profile first" Judy said, unknowingly breaking the awkward silence, as she began clicking away again at her keyboard. V turned to look towards the techie, "a what profile now?"

Judy tried to hide a laugh and flicked her eyes at V for a moment before looking back at her monitor. "Model of your perceptions and emotional responses. Need to adjust that so the raw BD won't overwhelm you." V furrowed her eyebrows in concern. Huh? Did she say, 'Overwhelm' me? The hell's that mean?

Judy glanced at V again, seeing the confusion in the mercs eyes. "If I don't, best-case scenario, you'll get nauseous as soon as you're in. Prolly barf like you would in a shotty virtue enviro." V immediately felt her stomach flip, "Mhm… and… worst-case scenario?" Judy paused for a moment before locking eyes with the bothered mercenary.

"Your synapses sizzle like locusts in a deep fryer..." The BD editor shrugged a shoulder and broke eye contact with V. The merc's eyes immediately grew large with anxiety as she raised a hand to rub the back of her neck nervously. Oohkay. Not sure I'm gonna… go through with this… Judy quickly looked back and chuckled at V, "...but we're not about to let that happen, nuh-uh." Ohthankgod.

V let out a small, forced laugh. She removed the hand from her neck, lowering it back down to her thigh, "Okay. Hit me... Just promise me it won't hurt." Judy continued to watch the uncomfortable merc. She responded with a raised pitch, "It won't…" then dropping it, "... not this time." She tossed the merc a playful look and returned to her screen.


V let out a loud and painful cry, lunging forward in her chair - her vision black but the image of Judy's studio slowly came into focus. V quickly yanked up her hand to touch the back of her head, desperately searching for a gaping hole in her skull. As her eyesight continued to return, the room spun around violently leaving the merc with an intense need to vomit.

She swallowed hard and quickly pulled her hand down, inspecting her fingers, expecting to see blood or brain matter. She felt her blood draining from her face as her vision began to slowly fade out again, her skull throbbing with an intense pain that she could not describe.

"Slow, deep breaths. Your cortisol and adrenaline spiked, but the soft activated your hormone blockers." V, struggling to keep herself from blacking out, looked up and met a pair of beautiful hazel brown staring eyes.

Judy was leaning over the armrest of the mercs chair with a gentle and comforting look in her eyes, "Nothin' happened, you're alive and well." Her eyes scanned over V's face, searching to see if the mercenary grasped what was just said.

V closed her eyes, letting her head drop low, slowly shaking it back and forth, trying to keep herself from blacking out. "Digame… how ya feelin'? Just breathe slowly, calmly. You're okay, it's all right…" Judy laid her hand on V's thigh, rubbing up and down, hoping it would help calm and stabilize the shaken merc.

Electricity erupted through the mercenary, yanking her back from teeter-tottering over the edge of consciousness. Judy's hand - warm and soft, it's movement soothing. V took a few deep breaths and began to relax. "That flash of… intense shock. I-I… can still feel it…" V's voice trembled as she spoke.

Judy looked down toward the floor, slightly narrowing her eyes while her eyebrows furrowed, nodding as she listened. "...I remember…" V lifted her hand back up to the base of her skull, "... Fuck! That last s-second... " she lowered her hand back down, checking again for blood.

The two women slowly looked at one another, eyes locking. Again, an electrical shock coursed through V, her adrenaline spiking. She chuckled hoarsely, "...coulda warned me how much it hurts to die." Judy gave V a soft smile, "trust me…" she patted her hand on V's thigh before standing up, "...real death. It hurts much, much more." Judy playfully teased as she returned back to her computer.

"Not so sure about that," mumbled V. The BD editor sat back down at her computer catching an impatient glimpse from Evelyn, "You'll be fine. Got everything set up. Let's switch over to editing mode." Judy clicked a button and the wreath began to pulsate, stealing V's vision away again.


V felt the intense pain again as she finished practicing in editing mode on the same Heywood Hold-up braindance. However, this time she didn't react as violently as she had before. Seeing nothing but black, she heard Judy's voice while her vision slowly returned.

"Yeah, 'mpressive, right? It's too bad most BDs we have here are good only for floggin' the log…" V reached her shaking hand up again to touch the back of her head to inspect for any wounds. The mercs stomach was still twisted from the first flatline and her head throbbed worse during the second one.

"Anyway, you ready to do this? Look at your rec?" Judy inquired. V felt a chill travel up her spine, goosebumps forming all over her body. She shivered, "I-I… dunno. I…" The room spun while the mercenary took a moment to remove the quiver in her voice, "...Let's take a break..." Oh shit… feel like pukin'. V suppressed herself from retching, but still gagged slightly.

"Uggh…" She gulped as the color faded again from her face. Judy watched, her brows pressing together with concern. After the intense nausea wave had passed, V spoke again, her voice still shaking, "I… still feel like that kid... When… yeah… I think I'm done." She held her hands up in the air in surrender.

Evelyn quickly chimed in, "V… There's no time. Get it together, please." Judy frowned as she looked over toward Evelyn who was sitting in a chair near V, arms crossed with her foot tapping with impatience. "...Okay... Okay…" exhaled V, as she let out a long breath of air. "... Okay. Just - Yeah. Okay." V cleared her throat, "Okay. Go ahead… I just need T-Bug to link in."

Judy immediately stood up, her hands slamming down on her desk. She leaned forward toward V, "Woah woah woah woah, what? Excuse me? Who?" She pushed her hands off her desk, standing up straight, folding her arms with distaste. She stared intensely at V who was caught off guard by the sudden flare-up.

"S-she's a runner from my crew. Security specialist." V raised her hand, gesturing towards Judy, "She'll tell me what to look for while we analyze. No problem… I hope?" Judy quickly shook her head, looking downwards. She scuffed the floor with her shoe and looked coldly towards Evelyn, "Actually, it IS a problem. Not what we agreed, Ev."

V remained silent, scrunching her eyebrows together while looking at Evelyn with pleading eyes. Evelyn, seeing V's expression, stood up, "Judy, please…" Judy slammed both hands back down on her desk and leaned forward, glaring at Evelyn, "Ev, she wants to bring a 'RUNNER in. What part of that don't you understand?" Judy shook her head defiantly while Evelyn walked toward the desk. "How do I know she'll only slip into THIS footage?" Judy snarled, still glaring at Evelyn.

"Me - I'm your guarantee" Evelyn answered, softly. Judy rolled her eyes, standing back up, she placed her hands on her hips, "Yeah, right..." "Remember our agreement…?" Evelyn asked Judy, quietly. "Help me. This one last time. I promise. Everything'll work out - just like we planned." Evelyn stared at Judy with eyes begging for agreement.

Judy stared at Evelyn for a while, then towards V, then back to Evelyn. She let out a long, exaggerated sigh, dropping her arms lower, shaking her head back and forth. "Okay… Fine." Judy said, defeated. "Okay, V. Call in T-Bug and we'll dive in." V gave a small nod at the two women, her eyes flashing a vivid blue as she holo'ed T-Bug.

T-Bug: Hey, V. What's happenin'?

V: Bug, listen. I got some useful footage from Konpeki Plaza. It's a braindance.

Judy: ...Konpeki? Oohh… thought as much.

T-Bug: Someone there with you?

V: Judy and Evelyn. They're chill. They're helping me work through this BD.

T-Bug: … Uh-huh… All right… You gonna tell me what this' about?

V: Listen… need your help. Got no clue what to look for once I'm in.

T-Bug: All right. See if I can walk you through it… Jackin' into your tech now.

V's eyes dimmed to a royal blue before switching to a deep orange glow.

T-Bug: Hmm. You've gotta give me access. Opening port 1779… Secure protocol?

V nodded.

T-Bug: Good. I'm goin' in. Should be getting my request… now.

Red warning lights flashed through V's optics asking for approval to open the access port. V nodded and a loading bar appeared, filling rapidly.

V: Got it. You ready?

T-Bug: Uh, milisec... Oookay, connection confirmed. Now some quick temp ICE… aaaaaannnddd… We're clear. *T-Bug stretched her arms back and tilted her head, popping her neck* Ready to dance.

V: Awesome. All right, fire 'er up Judy!

V's wreath screens began to pulsate blue, diving the merc and netrunner into a braindance they won't soon forget.


"Get everything you need?" Evelyn asked V as the mercenary regained her vision, "Yup… That'll do… Thanks, Judy. We got it - Later T-Bug." "Nice work today. See you soon" T-Bug nodded at V on the holo before disconnecting the call. "I'll wipe the cache on your data. You were never here" Judy pressed a button on her keyboard, then stepped away from her chair, walking over toward V.

Judy removed the BD wreath from V's head, pausing for a moment in thought. She stared down at the wreath in her hand, then slowly handed it to V. "Keep it. I'll put it on Ev's tab."

V looked up at Judy then down at the wreath as she grabbed it. "Portable device for handling BDs. I've already uploaded your calibration settings" Judy said with a straight face towards V. "Not as sophisticated as what we got here, but should do the trick." Judy shrugged her shoulders slightly.

"And it keeps you outta harms way. Clever." V responded to Judy, impressed. Judy nodded, then glanced at Evelyn. "Speakin' of harms way… Know what I see lookin' at you? Walking…" Judy turned her head towards V, looking at her with a scowl, "...talking corpses." Woah. Little dark, princess. Judy's eyebrows scrunched together, her frown once fueled by anger morphed into one fueled by worry and fear.

"Relax - I've got everything under control," V said in an attempt to soothe the techie. Judy immediately placed her hands on her hips, flashing V an angry look, "If you fuck up and they come knockin' on MY door-" "Judy... Relax. That's not gonna happen" Evelyn barked.

Judy spun towards Evelyn, "Evelyn, please… no shortcuts. You go that route, city'll always win. So be careful." Evelyn scoffed, folding her arms together, "'Course I will be." Judy looked at both V and Evelyn and shook her head, walking away to sit down and edit the BD she was working on before she was interrupted.

Evelyn motioned for V to get up and follow her out of the room. V slid out of the chair and began to walk towards Evelyn before pausing for a moment. I shouldn't… leave without saying something to Judy. Think I pissed her off. V turned around, backtracking towards the techie. Judy was about to place her editing wreath on her head before she saw V approaching.

She slowly lowered to the wreath, looking up towards the mercenary. V gave her a gentle smile, "Well… Don't worry. I promise I won't do anything to get you into trouble. But, uh… I hope to see you again?" V tilted her head slightly to the side, giving an innocent look toward the braindance editor.

Judy looked away momentarily, then back at V with a small smile, "Hmm. Depends." V suddenly raised an eyebrow, "Depends…? Depends on what?" Judy's smile grew a bit more as she looked downwards, kicking her foot against the heel of the other, "On whether you come alone, or with a tag-along..." she looked up at V, wiggling her eyebrows with a mocking tone, "... like a netrunner." V chuckled and waved her hands in front of Judy, "No 'runners. I promise." Judy rolled her eyes and laughed, returning to her editing. "Well, see ya, Judy." V said, turning back around, heading towards Evelyn.

"Let's take a walk," Evelyn said to V. They exited Judy's studio and headed towards the exit. Before opening the door, Evelyn stepped in front of V and turned around, blocking the merc's exit, "Well, what do you think?" V looked down at the ground to gather her thoughts, "Intel on Yorinobu, the chip, the BD from Konpeki… Winds are right. Plan's perfect. A job like this comes one in a million."

She looked up to see Evelyn cocking up an eyebrow, "Hmmm... Thanks," The blue-haired woman waved her hand towards V, "Now the punch line, please." "Just sounds too good to be true. What's the catch?" V asked eyes narrowed with disdain at Evelyn. "What, cold feet? Are you lookin' to get out of it?" Evelyn smirked, shifting her weight on her heels. V responded sharply, "I wanna know if you're really in control here. That you're not sending me into the sorta shit that I can't wade out of."

Evelyn held up her hands, "V. I have ZERO reasons to haze you. We're in this together, really. Trust me that I got this." Evelyn folded her arms, looking at V for an agreement of trust. V sighed, rolling her eyes, "So… Now what?"

"V…" Evelyn paced back and forth a few times in front of the exit. "Do this job for me. I mean me alone. No splitting the payout with anyone else. No middlemen… No Dex." Evelyn quickly placed her hands on her hips, impatient for V's response.

What the hell?! She seriously wants to get me flatlined. V blinked rapidly, attempting to understand what was asked. "You wanna fuck over our fixer? I KNEW something was up." The merc shook her head, sarcastically laughing while looking up at the ceiling.

"Dex is a middle man, and a useless one at this point!" Evelyn moved closer towards V with an intense glare. "Evelyn, you don't mess with fixers. That's the ONE rule every merc in this city knows - and actually follows." V looked down toward Evelyn and matched the intense look. "But if we're smart-" Evelyn began to say.

"No. Doesn't matter. Mistake like that'll cost you your rep, and without a rep, you're nobody," V scolded, "You sure you wanna do that?" "Better ask yourself that question. Do you want to spend the rest of your days blasting scavs…" Evelyn stepped away from the door allowing the mercenary passage to leave, "or do you want to become a legend overnight?... Your choice."

V paused for a moment and then dropped her head alongside a sigh, placing her hand on her hip, "Okay… Okay. Look, if I agree, there'll be hell to pay. For sure." Evelyn smiled softly, "I know. Whatever you decide, it stays between us." Evelyn held up her palm towards V, "I can offer you fifty percent. Eddies enough to do with whatever the hell you'd like."

The merc immediately responded with concern in her voice, "I'd be finished. Dex won't forgive a dirt move like this." "Dex isn't the only fixer in this city…" Evelyn stated matter-of-factly, "...but, my offer's the only one you'll ever get." V sighed and scratched the back of her head, "Huh… Lemme… Lemme think about it."

"Mhm. If you need me, call. Here's my number." Both of their eyes glowed blue as Evelyn connected to V's holo, sharing her contact information. As their eyes returned to their normal colors, Evelyn nodded toward V, "Okay. Good luck… Now go. I need to have a few words with Judy."

The mercenary walked past the blue-haired woman, through the exit, which led back to the Moxes dressing room. She heard the door lock shut behind her as her eyes suddenly flashed blue. Her holo was ringing. Of course. This guy ALWAYS has perfect timing. He spyin' on me or somethin'? Like for real. How on earth does he know right when I'm finishin' somethin'?! She answered the call, seeing Dexter DeShawn's portrait flash across her optics.

Dex: How're things lookin' Miss V?

V: Turned out that Evelyn's recording from Konpeki was definitely worth our time.

Dex: Beautiful. T-Bug just called, said she's workin' her magic.

V: Well, we're all set. Ready to roll.

Dex: Get ready Miss V. Now we move forward with the job I originally hired you to do - grabbin' that biochip. We'll talk about the rest tomorrow at the Afterlife. See you there.

V: Great. See you then.

She let out a long sigh, shaking her head. Oy. This has been the most fucked day, with the most fucked jobs, with the most fucked people... definitely could go for'a drink.

She made her way through the dressing room, backtracking down the hallways Evelyn had previously led her through before. She approached a double sliding door that opened back into the club.

As she walked in, she noticed that there were a lot fewer club-goers partying - only a handful of dancers remained and a few stragglers sat on couches wearing BD players. The music had grown quieter and the laser lights were no longer bouncing around. V glanced up toward the DJ booth, but the DJ was not to be seen. Hallie Coggins' I Really Want to Stay at Your House beat softly through the club as the mercenary made her way toward the bar. Mateo was still there, cleaning the counter with his white hand towel.

"Hey" V said to Mateo as she sat down on the same stool she was on before. Mateo smiled as he looked over at her. "Successful meeting?" he asked, grabbing a clean glass from under the counter. "Heh… I guess you could say that… Wanna pour me my drink?" V asked, smiling weakly.

Mateo gave V a quick nod and turned around, grabbing the same brown bottle that housed V's favorite tequila. "Centzon'' Mateo said, as he poured the clear liquid into V's glass. Once he finished pouring, V grabbed the glass and toasted it in the air towards Mateo's direction, "to Centzon''.

She knocked back the entire drink and placed the glass back down on the counter, "Mateo... How well do you know Evelyn?" He shrugged slightly, "Y'know… In passing." V rolled her eyes, "Please. You know I ain't buyin' that." Mateo narrowed his eyes at the merc. "She come here often - Evelyn?" V inquired.

"She didn't tell you?" Mateo asked, raising up his hand, shrugging his shoulder. "Didn't come up," V responded. Mateo shrugged again, "She comes 'round sometimes." He looked down and began wiping down the counter again. "To see Judy?" V inquired again.

He paused, then continued wiping down the counter, "Maybe." "Are they close?" V asked, leaning closer towards Mateo. "Y'know. It's been nice to chat, but I gotta get back to work" Mateo quipped. V rolled her eyes, "All right, all right. Thanks for the chat."

She scooted her empty glass towards the bartender, "Hit me again, please". Mateo chuckled and poured V another glass of her favorite tequila. As she watched him pour, her spine shot up painful electric waves as a familiar ache struck the back of her head.

She quickly winced and placed a hand on her head - she was still feeling the shockwaves of getting flatlined in her BD. Her stomach flipped at the thought as she lowered her hand down to grab her glass, hoping to drown out the sensation and the memory.

The merc wasn't sure how long she was at the bar or how many glasses of tequila she had. Her eyes flashed orange as she checked what time it was - [3:25AM]. Shit, it's late. V sat up straight and pulled her arms back, giving in to a long and deep stretch. She let out a long satisfied sigh as a few knots in her back popped, releasing some of her tension. Can't believe Evelyn asked me to screw over Dex. Total career suicide. But... then again, Evelyn does seem to have friends in very high places. Hell, Dex only recently came back after embarrassing himself with the Pacifica scandal. Heh, maybe it's career suicide to be workin' for Dex.

V ended her stretch and returned to her glass with a frown. Maybe I should talk to Jackie 'bout this. Get his opinion. We're a team - Wherever he goes, I go. V continued her debate internally, losing herself in thought. She didn't notice that someone had sat down beside her as she continued to argue with herself in her head.

"Hey Mateo. La Perle Des Alpes, please." Mateo nodded and walked away towards a cooler beneath the bar counter. He pulled out a dark purple bottle that had frost around the rim and headed back towards V's direction. "Hey, V? You doin' alright?" a familiar voice asked.

V immediately snapped out of her daze and looked up towards Mateo and then to her left. "Oh. H-Hi Judy" V said, taken by surprise. "When did you sit down? I didn't even notice." Judy chuckled at V as she watched Mateo pop off the top of her drink, sliding it across the counter to her.

"Gracias" Judy said as she lifted the bottle in the air, tipping it toward Mateo who nodded and walked away to restock the liquor shelves. Judy took a swig from the bottle before placing it down, "Not long. I was heading out for the night and saw you sitting over here… by yourself... Kinda pathetic really…" Judy gave V a teasing smile.

V smirked and grabbed her tequila glass, sipping a small amount, "Well, ya know... Getting flatlined twice and returning to life twice in one night - not many can brag about such things. Earns ya mad cred. People were buyin' me drinks left and right once word got out. 'V, the unflatlineable Merc'. You must have juuuust missed them all, cooped up snug-as-a-bug in your little basement."

Judy gave a soft smile towards V and looked down at her bottle, spinning its edge on the counter. "Yeah… about that… I think I owe you an apology. Maybe a flatliner BD wasn't the best thing to start you off with. Y'know, most mercs we've worked with act like cocky, booster-addicted gonks with their heads up their asses. Think they're untouchable. Gotta knock 'em off their high horses in order to even work with them…"

Judy trailed off as the mercenary gave a stern look, "I'm not like most mercs." V looked back at her tequila and took another sip. "Heh, guess we'll see about that'' Judy laughed into her glass as she finished off her drink. V looked over as Judy swallowed the last bit, "Can I, uhm... Buy you another round...?"

Judy blinked a few times and chuckled. "Well, I work here, so my drinks are free… But since you offered... Sure, I guess you can buy me a drink." V scrunched her eyebrows and then laughed, waving at Mateo. "Can we get another bottle of whatever she's drinkin'?" Mateo nodded and grabbed a new bottle for Judy.


The two chatted for a while at the bar, sharing stories. V talked about Jackie, how they became a merc duo, and about some of the most outrageous contracts they'd ever taken.

Judy laughed a lot, especially when she heard the story of how the two mercs met: Jackie pressing a gun against V's temple in an attempt to steal the vehicle that V was in the middle of stealing from someone else, then both having to forfeit the vehicle to the NCPD who kicked the shit outta them, then they had lunch together, and then they became best friends all in the same day.

Judy shared stories about the craziest smut BDs she's had to edit, like a woman who was in love with a talking vending machine. Neither realized that they were the only two left in the club as the minutes flew by. Their conversation flowed from stories to music tastes, then to tech and electronics, something they were both passionate about. Judy was in the middle of telling V a story about a firetruck she was fixing up when she was younger before they were interrupted.

Mateo had to tap on the counter to get their attention, "Sorry ladies but it's time to close up." "Close up?... Wait, what time is it?" V asked. "Almost 6." "Holy shit!" Judy gasped, raising her hand over her mouth. She jumped out of her seat and beckoned V to follow.

V's eyes flashed blue while she looked at Mateo, closing and paying her tab while tossing in a nice tip thanks to the eddies she had swiped earlier from Militech. Mateo nodded in appreciation when the transaction wrapped up and waved the two off. V spun her barstool around and hopped off, following after Judy. The purple-haired Mox at the front counter was still there and curiously watched the two as they walked out towards the entrance of Lizzie's.

"Whelp. This was fun, but I gotta go crash… Got a big meetin' tomorrow and I need to be on my A-game." V flashed a cocky smile at Judy, who rolled her eyes. "Here... '' Judy said as her eyes flashed a bright blue towards the merc. V raised a confused eyebrow as her own eyes began to glow blue: an image of a laughing ghost coming out of a clamshell appeared in her optics.

"My contact info. Y'know. In case you need help with BDs or wanna talk more tech" Judy said, smiling. V smiled back and flicked her own contact information over to Judy, "And here's my contact info… Y'know. In case you need a merc to come do… merc-like-things for you?" Judy laughed as both of their eyes dimmed down to their normal colors, V's a bold dark brown, Judy's a soft hazel.

"Well, my van's in the back, so… guess I'll seeya" Judy said while taking a few steps backward. "Till next time'' V said, turning around to head out the front door. "V…" the dark-haired merc froze and looked over her shoulder as the entrance doors slid open, "Hmm?" "Be careful, ya?" Judy asked, looking at the merc with worried eyes.

"I promise," V said warmly while flashing back a peace sign to the techie before stepping outside.