"The Chariot - Always charge ahead even if pulled in opposite directions. As the rider, you will rein in the light and dark sides of the soul with the help of Reason. To ride in The Chariot is to experience highs and lows – ups and downs. Overcome conflicts and move forward in a positive direction. One needs to keep going on and through sheer hard work and commitment, then will they be victorious."
"There is no us"
V threw her mug of scalding hot coffee at the empty seat in front of her. "You know, you can't throw shit at me either", Silverhand quipped as the mercenary slid out of the booth, headed out the diner's front door.
The nerve of that fuckin' piece of scav shit. "I can hear'ya too. How many times we gonna dance this dance, V?"
The merc felt every muscle in her body tense up. Luckily the deceased Rockstar was only a digitized psyche, otherwise, V would have inflicted serious harm onto him. She could feel herself involuntarily grind her teeth while she pat around her jacket, trying to locate Misty's Omega Blockers. Ugh! Where the hell are they!?
"Left pocket, champ"
Her hand brushed over the pocket. Bingo... Y'know, if you weren't such a giant prick, I might've thanked you. She quickly pulled the bottle out, spinning off the lid. Less than half of the pills were left. Shit. I only got these things three days ago... I am so fucked.
"I know this'll be'a hard concept for you to grasp, but maybe if you didn't pop 'em like they were candy, you'd have more." She grabbed one of the large blue pills, tossing it into her mouth, and quickly swallowed. "What, not even gonna say goodbye?"
V could feel her uninvited guest drift away to the back of her mind. Though she could still feel his presence, it was better than listening to his infuriating thoughts. The past three days with her inner terrorist had been taxing, but the last couple of weeks was no skip in the park either.
Thirteen days ago, Dexter DeShawn executed V on the piss soaked, cum-coated floor of the No Tell Motel. Then, to add insult to injury, the Fixer deemed it necessary to toss the mercenary's lifeless corpse away in the Night City landfill, like a piece of blood-soaked garbage. Occasionally, she could feel a phantom bullet where Dex shot her, piercing through her left temple and tearing through her brain like a hot knife through butter.
Her body laid in the wasteland for four days. However, instead of rigor mortis setting in and her corpse starting the decomposition process, the biochip lodged in her neural port had activated. It kept her body alive, forcing her into a type of deep sleep as it began to repair her brain.
Then, she rose from the dead, buried under heaps of trash. No matter how many showers she'd taken, the mercenary still felt like there was a layer of filth fused to her skin. The Militech suit she had worn during her untimely demise was not in much better shape either. Misty tried washing it several times with no luck.
Though she could barely recall the events of that day, V did have a fond memory of witnessing Dexter's skull getting split wide open from a bullet gifted by an ex-Arasaka bodyguard, Takemura. As her ex-ripper's body fell backward, she watched life quickly drain from his eyes. It was satisfying to watch him eat his just deserts, but she would have preferred to carry out the sentencing herself. Had it been her, she wouldn't have given the bastard the satisfaction of a swift death. She would have dragged it out as long as possible until his body finally gave up.
Then for the next six days, she lay unconscious in Viktor Vector's clinic. There were a few times where she drifted back and forth over the line of consciousness, but for the majority, she was out cold. The ripperdoc hadn't accepted any other clients at all that week as he grappled with keeping the mercenary from flatlining a second time. For the first three days, he operated on her from sun up until sundown. He took bare minimum breaks to run to the bathroom as Misty monitored V, but other than that, he remained by the mercenary's side, desperately trying to fix her broken body.
On the first day was the bullet extraction, which surprisingly, was relatively simple. The bullet made a clean entrance through her left temple and only reached about halfway into her brain, all thanks to the cyberoptic and cyberaudio implants she had installed several months earlier.
As with most cranium installed cyberware, an implant's spider silk-thin neural wiring wraps within and around the brain. Those weaved wires created layers of shielding around V's brain that helped slow and ultimately stop the bullet. The neural wires of her cyberoptics did not suffer much damage from the bullet's impact, but her left cyberaudio wiring had been completely destroyed.
With the bullet's trajectory stopped, the relic could repair and rebuild most of the destroyed brain tissue, but not all of it. Irreversible damage would always remain in her frontal lobe and a small portion of her temporal lobe. Luckily for V, the location of the damage would not result in chronic consequences. It made it so she would no longer be able to smell or taste certain SCOP. More specifically flavored whey, chicken, and salmon SCOPs.
Had the bullet traveled all the way through her brain and exited through her right temple, she would have remained comatose with no hopes of ever reawakening. Even if the engram fully overwrote her psyche and regardless of the biochip's repairs, her body would always stay in a vegetative state.
The mercenary's vitals began to stabilize after the bullet, its metal shrapnel fragments, and pieces of shattered skull had been removed. Then Viktor performed a full body scan on her, trying to identify what all needed to be repaired or replaced in her head and the rest of her body.
Then, the ripperdoc's heart shattered – he found the biochip lodged within her nerualport and reviewed the fatal diagnosis over and over again. With his eyes transfixed on the screen, he felt an ocean of defeat begin to drown him – No matter what he did, he would not be able to truly save his friend.
It took Viktor a moment to get back into the fight – If there was anything the once heavyweight boxer of Watson learned during his athletic career, it was how to pull your pathetic ass together and stand back up to fight, no matter how many times you've been knocked down. Giving up was for losers and Viktor knew he and V were champs. He proceeded to replace V's damaged left cyberaudio implant with a new, upgraded version. He also upgraded her right implant as well.
Originally, V had installed a base model Phone Splicer with ECM Scrambler abilities. When paired with her cyberoptics marquee option, this type of cyberaudio implant enabled virtual holocalls with audio, review of recorded audio messages with live scrolling captions, and text conversations that could mimic the contact's voice when read. She simply had to click her teeth together to activate the soft and mutter under her breath to respond to calls or write out messages as the implant's receiver picked up the vibrations of her mastoid bone.
The scrambler feature ensured those calls and messages were encrypted so no one could hack in and hear or read her conversations. For a mercenary, this type of cyberware was crucial in order to be discrete, especially when accepting hitman contracts.
Viktor's upgrade was a Radio Link, an advanced version of her base model implant. This upgrade allowed V to hear a contact's voice through their text messages, control her phone completely through the holo via thought command as long as her phone was within 250 feet from her, and respond to holocalls and texts nonverbally if she enabled the feature. Her thoughts could project into audio and her text replies would automatically transcribe into letters. It also included the following features:
Voice Stress Analyzer: A form of lie detector AI that can read the mercenary's intentions. If it sensed V interrogating someone, the soft would pick up minute changes within vocal patterns and notify if the person was being truthful or dishonest via warnings flashing in her optics.
Enhanced Hearing with Sound Editing: Could either allow the user to 'zero in' on specific sounds, edit out distracting noises, or record audio.
Wide Band Radio Scanner: State-of-the-art scanner which connected to not only NCPD, but to fire, ambulance, and Trauma Team communication bands.
Vik never told V about the upgrades he gave her, free of charge. He knew she would feel obligated to repay him. Instead, he was hopeful that his act of kindness - fighting to keep her alive - would be returned by his dear friend pulling through and picking up the fight later; the fight to continue surviving.
Once finished installing the new implants, the ripperdoc needed to repair V's skull and replace the damaged skin on her head. She also had wounds spread across her body that were acquired during the botched heist that Viktor wanted to address as well. He pulled a few strings and called in a favor from an old boxing choomba who was the customer of a respected body sculptor. In order to settle his debts with the ripperdoc, the man paid for very expensive sheets of synthetic skin that would mimic V's skin color and tone and automatically heal itself if damaged. The man also paid for separate synthskin that grew tech hair of the mercenary's natural color.
On the second day, the man gathered the materials to deliver to Vik's clinic and the ripperdoc grafted a bulletproof metal plate that matched the natural shape of the left side of V's skull. He removed a large section of skin from her head in order to fuse the plate to her bone. Then that evening, the synthskin delivery arrived and Viktor spent the following day delicately suturing the new skin over the metal plate and replacing damaged skin around the merc's torso, arms, and legs. Once finished, he wrapped surgical dressing around her body to protect the new skin and ensure it would heal evenly. Once healed, she would look as if nothing had ever happened to her, plus or minus a couple of new scars.
The ripperdoc also never told the mercenary about the transaction that occurred between him, his choomba, and the synthskin doctor.
When she opened her eyes on day six, Vicktor wiped away a tear of happiness and relief. However, that moment was short-lived as he befell the fatal diagnosis to the mercenary. Her reaction to the news was one of the hardest challenges the ripperdoc had ever faced.
Misty then took V home, attempting to help the mercenary through the shock of the future she had to accept and face. Then the two women spent some time reminiscing about Jackie before Misty gave V two bottles; one bottle of blue Omega Blockers to calm the beast and one bottle of orange Pseudoendotrizine to release it. The mercenary didn't understand why she was offered the orange pills, but she was grateful for receiving anything at all. Not soon after, Misty left, and V fell asleep.
Then the next three days were the worst days of V's life.
On the first day, the psychotic engram kept trying to kill her. He tried slamming her head against her bay window, tried to get her to slice her own throat with a dull knife, even tried forcing her to bite out her own tongue so she'd bleed to death. V had to take Omega Blocks every half hour to keep Johnny at bay.
Her brain did not absorb the Omega Blockers well at the beginning. As the biochip continued to replace missing brain matter and repair damaged tissue, her system confused the vitamins as if they were a hostile foreign substance. Once the repair process finished, which would only take one more day, the blockers would begin working faster and longer. However, they weren't a miracle pill; V would still slowly fade away.
On the second day, Johnny left her alone to her own spiraling dark thoughts. She struggled to come to terms with the fact that she would soon cease to exist. She was still young and had always thought she would have more time. Now, her world and dreams were shattered.
She had dreamt of becoming a Night City legend alongside Jackie, but that was a dream they had together - without Jackie, there was no more dream and no more desire. She had also hoped to one day find a woman who wanted to be by her side - a ride or die that would grow with her. A woman who V could fall in love with and who would love her back. Now there was no time and she would never know the experience.
She struggled with thoughts of giving in and giving up. Ultimately to her, there was no point in waiting for the inevitable. The only thing she could control was how soon the inevitable would happen – wait it out and feel herself disappear, or go ahead and swallow the entire bottle of pseudoendotrizine, giving permission for Silverhand to take over immediately.
She was afraid, hopeless, and forever lost. She grieved terribly for Jackie – her best friend that could always make her laugh; for T-Bug – the antisocial netrunner who the mercenary had eventually gotten to open up and earn her trust; and for herself and the future that was stolen from her.
She had never felt like this before. The once determined and confident street kid quickly shriveled into a pile of sorrow, remorse, and fragility. She reminisced the days where she was strong and reliable - always ready to dive into action whenever someone gave the call. Her reputation with Jackie had built to a respectable level and she was quickly becoming a rising star among mercenaries. She never needed to ask for help.
But now when she needed it most, her plea for assistance could not be answered by anyone.
She tried numbing her mind with whatever she could find in her apartment, which wasn't much. A few full bottles of alcohol only helped slow her thoughts, not erase them. She didn't even bother swallowing more Omega Blockers. The broken mercenary had hoped that the bomb in her head was compelled to finish the mission he so valiantly fought for the day prior.
She pleaded for the Rockstar to take the reins she was too weak to carry, but again, her pleas were unanswered.
On the third day, she woke with a terrible hangover, and then the Rockstar decided to finally reappear. However, instead of attempting to take her life, he offered to make amends. He told her that he didn't want to kill her, and to his surprise, that infuriated her.
She believed his offer was a means to actually make her suffer more – he wouldn't grant her what she had begged for, and instead, would rather watch her slow decline. The hate that boiled in her toward him was becoming a new fuel; energy to fight for survival. If Johnny wanted to watch her death, then she would deprive him of such luxury for as long as she possibly could. If that meant she needed to fight to stay alive for months, she felt the determination to do it.
Her feelings of self-pity from the day before dissolved and were replaced with only anger and resentment. She resented Jackie and T-Bug for dying and leaving her alone. She resented herself for surviving. She hated Dexter for betraying her. She resented Viktor for fixing her and then telling her she had only a couple of weeks to live. She hated her hangover. And most of all, she hated that fucking parasite sitting on her couch smoking, filling her with an intense desire for nicotine, and stealing her future.
The mercenary forced herself from her bed and went to her bathroom. Looking at herself in the mirror, she eyed the bandages wrapped around her body. Next to her was an inhaler that she grabbed. On its side was a small digital screen with the words [Prescribed by: - 1 DOSAGE LEFT] scrolling by. She took the final dose, inhaling slowly and finally exhaling a bright green cloud of vapor.
Vik had prescribed her a medication she needed to inhale twice daily - once in the morning and once at night. Then she was required to remove the medical wrap once the final dosage had been taken.
She stood in awe, staring at her naked self in the mirror once all of the bandages were removed. She traced her finger around the left side of her head where she had been shot, admiring Vik's work. The area was still a bit tender, but other than that, V could not tell that she had ever had surgery. She checked the right-side of her ribcage where she remembered a bullet had grazed her during the Konpeki shootout. It too looked healed, as if nothing had ever happened before.
At this moment, the mercenary felt overwhelming gratitude toward her dear friend Viktor – He was almost like a father to her and she knew he cared for her deeply.
V decided to take a shower – She couldn't remember the last time she had bathed since her life spiraled out of control and cold water would surely help her hangover. She hadn't realized that Johnny had been watching her the entire time, trying to figure out how to talk to her.
Silverhand's offer was genuine – he wanted to make amends and he didn't want to see her die. He had his own time to reminisce about past decisions, but unlike V's, his past didn't make him happy. His past made him sad. He was not a good person and he knew it. He hurt everyone around him and he failed in removing the corporate grip that strangled Night City. However, now fate dealt him a new hand of cards – ones that he could play to make amends to old friends if they were still alive, to destroy the Soul Prison Mikoshi, and to finally perform an act of kindness; save the mercenary's life.
But personalities don't change over a night – or in his case, 50 years - and Johnny was still a complete asshole who didn't know how to communicate to others in a healthy or constructive way.
As the mercenary sat in her shower, running ice-cold water over her pounding and hungover head, the Rockstar walked around checking out her digs, critiquing everything. He didn't like her décor, she didn't have enough black clothes, he couldn't find any Samurai wallpaper or decals anywhere. After he criticized every item in the apartment, which took an uncomfortably lengthy amount of time, he waltzed into the bathroom without care. It had really annoyed him that V wouldn't acknowledge his attempts to start anew… or any of his bickering, and V was not a fan of him sitting on her toilet, smoking and staring at her. However, she was still too weak to stand and everything in the room was continuing to spin.
Then Johnny felt the next best step was to begin making passes at V. He asked if she would feel her own breasts so he could also feel them, then he asked her to masturbate so he could also enjoy it. He moaned and groaned that he hadn't been 'inside a woman in over 50 years' and that his 'blue balls' were driving him mad. Then he gloated, flaunting that as a rocker boy, he was 'able to fuck any woman who stood nearby'.
Naturally, V was completely repulsed by his request and by him even thinking about her in that way. Her feelings of disgust were so overwhelmingly powerful, that even Johnny began to feel a bit appalled by the idea of it all. She forced herself to leave the shower and take another Omega Blocker so he'd leave her alone. As she began to swallow the pill, Johnny tried to stop her by blurting out that he knew how to save her life if she would just believe that he wanted to actually help her.
She swallowed, and soon after, he was gone. A moment of hope sparked in her chest when she heard his claim, but then it quickly dissolved. She didn't trust the sociopathic terrorist. He would do and say anything possible to keep her from taking the blockers and ensure she faced oblivion sooner than later. Out of principle, she promised herself she would fight to stay in control of her own mind and body for as long as possible, just to annoy Johnny.
That evening, the mercenary had an aftercare follow-up appointment with Viktor and Misty. The ripperdoc wanted to see how V's body was healing, and Misty wanted to see how V's mind was healing.
Her body passed with a clean bill of health.
The ripperdoc was happy to inform V that her body had almost completely healed and, with the help of Misty's blockers, she could potentially outlive her prior diagnosis of living for only a couple of weeks to at least a few months up to half a year.
However, a warning came with the good news; by using the blockers, V's brain would most likely attack the biochip, causing malfunctions that would impact her nervous system, similar to an autoimmune deficiency disease. These flare-ups could range from minor and uncomfortable blips of discomfort to potentially fatal, painful attacks causing her nervous system to react too harshly and end up shutting off her vital organs.
As for her mental health, the mercenary was in trouble.
She told Misty about the dark places her mind had wandered and the anger and hopelessness that was consuming her
Misty decided the best thing to do for the merc was perform 7 card tarot forecast. This would require the mercenary to draw seven cards. V proceeded to draw and flip her cards over:
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
"The Chariot- Always charge ahead even if pulled in opposite directions. As the rider, you will rein in the light and dark sides of the soul with the help of Reason. To ride in The Chariot is to experience highs and lows – ups and downs. Overcome conflicts and move forward in a positive direction. One needs to keep going on and through sheer hard work and commitment, then will they be victorious."
"The Moon - She reminds us that reality is not always what it seems at first glance. Perhaps a misunderstanding on your part, or a truth you cannot admit to yourself. In a world of appearances and illusions, the best course is often charted by one's own intuition."
"The Hanged Man – A card of surrender and sacrifice, though it might not be your own. Prices must be paid in order for you to achieve some form of enlightenment. The Hanged Man's forsakenness opens the path for rebirth into a new life, though this path can be wrought with pain suspended in time and ultimately ends in some type of death or end."
"Justice Reversed – Dishonestly and imbalance. You must be very careful with those you meet... Not all will be worthy of your trust. Listen to your intuition as your decisions will impact others."
"Temperance – A card of balance. This might symbolize self-restraint or the gradual shift toward a more mature state of equilibrium. Associated with being in control of oneself as well as the desire to achieve inner peace."
"The Devil - You will find yourself under the influence of powerful people with unclear motives. Be wary, be careful, and listen. You will receive guidance from the side of light and the side of the dark. Carefully choose who you will align with."
"The Star - Hope and inspiration. In the darkest of nights, there is a light that shines the path to home. The Star is motivation, faith, and blesses those with the strength to move forward. Find what will be your star, whether internally or externally."
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
Misty also discussed the importance of aligned Chakras, or inner energy points, with the mercenary.
Aligned Chakras could help V connect with the universe, her inner self, and with the comic elements of the tarot. "For a soul with energy that is misaligned will tread down a path of distraction. However, a soul with energy that is balanced and open will allow one to connect with the universe and create a path to fulfillment."
Misty performed the Chakra analysis:
Root Chakra, where V's desire to survive came from, was open but imbalanced. The mercenary had a desire to survive, but not necessarily for the right reasons. Misty urged the merc to dig deeper within herself. If the root chakra remained imbalanced, it would compromise the integrity of her entire being, which would weaken V's will and leave her vulnerable, ultimately sealing her fate.
Sacral Chakra, which housed V's emotions, relationships, and feelings of self-worth, was closed. The mercenary needed to learn how to accept change, adapt, and forgive. An open Sacral Chakra would allow her to channel passion and emotional connection. If this chakra remained closed, it meant she would be shutting herself off to the support of the people she cared about the most.
Heart Chakra, which was the merc's ability to love, understand, trust, hope, and forgive, was blocked; her overwhelming grief and anger were preventing her energy from passing through. Giving love and receiving love would open this passageway, but this was something even V couldn't fathom yet.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
At the end of her checkup, Viktor told the mercenary that she was a fighter and he expected her to fight, to survive, and to win. "Just because I can't help you doesn't mean there isn't someone else, somewhere else, who could."
The mercenary left later, uncertain what to believe. She was never one to trust Misty's mumbo-jumbo.
It wasn't until today – the fourth day, that instead of only feeling copious amounts of anger, hopelessness, and confusion, she felt hope. On this day, Takemura called her in the morning, waking her up. He had been with Vicktor during the first few days of her operations and he understood the unfortunate predicament she was left with. However, he was confident he knew how to save her life, but in return, she needed to help him. She needed to meet him that morning at Tom's Diner.
Evelyn - Fuckin' - Parker.
V needed to find the mastermind behind the shitshow of a heist that had not only ruined her reputation but ruined her life. The person who swore that she had everything under control. The person who promised that Yorinobu would not be at Konpeki. The person who was supposed to provide accurate intel and keep everyone safe – keep everyone alive.
The mercenary demanded answers. Answers to all the unanswered questions burning in her mind. Answers that could potentially save her life. Even if Evelyn was most likely no longer in Night City or even nUSA, V was ready to travel to the other side of the world to track this woman down. The merc was no longer wallowing in self-pity. Now she had a goal. Now she was determined, and she was pissed.
Nothing's gonna stop me from gettin' answers. Not distance. Not a bullet to the brain. Not Night City Area Rapid Transit which isn't running for whatever reason.
And NOBODY is gonna get in my way. Not some gonk who totaled my fuckin' ride in the parking garage this morning. Not an unbelievably assholish digitized rocker-terrorist. And definitely not…
…Judy.
V stood outside of Tom's Diner, now quiet. Now still. Now a bit calmer.
The last time the mercenary talked with the techie was right before the heist. They had messaged each other - Judy reached out to V, wishing her and the team luck. Then at the end of their conversation, the mercenary made a promise to come back and unnecessarily buy the brilliant braindance editor another drink at Lizzie's.
Judy.
The stunningly gorgeous tattooed wonder that V hadn't stopped thinking about since she first saw the woman leaning against the bar – the last beautiful memory that flashed before the mercenary's eyes when Dexter pulled the trigger.
V quickly pulled out her cellphone to find Judy's contact information. I need to call Judy. Before she could open her contacts to find the techie's number, a laughing ghost popping out of a clamshell flashed in V's vision and began ringing. She was calling Judy.
W-what? Wait, what? I didn't even dial her on my phone yet. How the hell'd that happen?
In her optics, a message flashed by: [Thought Response Disabled] Think 'YES' to enable.
What the hell is this? 'Thought Response'? Uh, no?
As the mercenary stared at her phone in confusion, trying to figure out how she made a call without actually making a call and what the weird prompts were, she heard a beep.
[Judy]: V…? That you? H-holy shit V… I thought you were… gone.
[V]: You're not alone in thinking me dead… Heh… Thought it was game over for me, too.
[Judy]: Things went ass up, huh? Not as planned?
[V]: Heard about the heist, I take it. Must've talked to Evelyn.
[Judy]: Didn't need to. Whole damned city's heard.
[V]: Judy, listen. I need to find Evelyn.
[Judy]: Uhm…I really don't wanna talk about her.
[V]: I'm serious. Do you know where she is?
[Judy]: V, what'd I just say? Drop it. I won't tell ya' again.
…W-what? What the hell?
[V]: Judy, you're my one hope. The only lead I got. I gotta find her… An' I know you can help me do that.
[Judy]: Who told you I'd want to?
…Okay what the hell is happening here!?
[V]: …Can we meet? Let's meet, please? You at Lizzie's?
*click*
V stood in front of the diner; face scrunched with confusion. "W-w…WHAT THE FUCK JUST HAPPENED?!," she shouted down at her phone. Several passersby stopped and stared at the red-faced merc. Many averted their routes, either completely turning around in fear that the mercenary was succumbing to cyberpsychosis, or simply crossing the street to walk on the other side of the road.
Wow, this. THIS shit right here's 'xactly why we made the rule. 'Don't get friendly with clients or people related to a job.' 'Cause this type of gonk shit happens. What the fuck is her problem?
The merc turned and immediately hailed one of the many Delamain cabs that were driving down the street. She was in luck as one of the artificial intelligent cabs didn't currently have a passenger and the black vehicle immediately pulled over. As she approached, the backdoor of the cab automatically opened. V entered and looked at the computer screen that was built within the backside of the front passenger headrest.
"Welcome on board this Delamain service. With Delamain, you leave your problems at the door." V rolled her eyes, "Lizzie's Bar. Asap."
Nobody is gonna get in my fuckin' way. Not some gonk who totaled my fuckin' ride in the parking garage this morning. Not an unbelievably assholish digitized rocker-terrorist. And definitely not Judy.
"We are nearing our destination."
It was nearing 3PM when the Delamain cab entered the parking lot of Lizzie's Bar. The nightclub didn't open until 6PM, but nothing was going to stand in V's way. Even if she needed to pry the front doors open with her bare hands.
"Thank you for choosing the Delamain service. And best of luck!"
V stepped out of the cab and headed toward the bar's entrance. She saw the same pink and blue-haired bouncers she had met several nights ago. Rita held her bat in the air, pointing it toward the mercenary, "Hey! Haven't I seen you here before?" She squinted, then smiled, "Got a good memory for faces."
"Yes. Was here not too long ago," V quickly replied. "A-ha! Knew I recognized you. 'S.F.T.A'!" The mercenary furrowed her eyebrows in confusion for a moment, "I need to talk to punchin' Judy. She in her den?"
Rita's smile immediately faded as she stared at V. The pink-haired Mox glanced toward the other Moxer who responded with a slight shrug. Rita chewed her bottom lip and scratched the back of her neck in thought before looking back at the merc, "Yeah… she is… I'll let'cha in. You can take the stairs down. I'll let her know you're comin'. But… Just don't let me catch you messin' around. Okay?" She tapped her bat on the ground and the entrance began to open.
As V walked past Rita, a hand shot out and cut the mercenary off. She looked at Rita, whose arm was pressing against her chest. "Hey, just… Look. You know Judy. I know Judy. The girl can have a bit of a temper, right? Just… Don't take to heart what she says, feel me?" The mercenary felt her teeth grind with annoyance, "… Yeah. Preem. Got it." Rita continued staring at V for a moment before lowering her arm, giving a nod of approval to proceed.
The club's atmosphere was definitely different during the day. At night it was packed with people dancing, loud music thumping through various speakers, and the smell of booze and sweat hung in the air. However, during the day, Lizzie's Bar felt like any other gang headquarters V had visited before - Maelstrom, Valentinos, Animals, even Tyger Claws; Just a bunch of gang members lounging around chatting with each other, some eating and drinking while talking about gang gossip, some watching braindances, and some snoozing on couches.
As the mercenary walked by, several Moxers stopped what they were doing to stare, quickly turning back to their friends, giggling and shushing each other. However, not all members reacted the same way.
Near the bar were several cases of alcohol that had yet to be unpacked from a shipment that had arrived not soon before the mercenary. Sitting on top of the cases was Mateo who was taking inventory counts of the different types of liquor. When the bartender saw V, he quickly jumped off the cases and aggressively approached her.
"Club's closed. Why are you here?" he asked coldly. The mercenary narrowed her eyes at the muted-purple-haired man, "I wanna talk to Judy." He folded his arms and scowled, "Mhm. The question is, she wanna talk to you?" V cocked up her eyebrow and responded mockingly, "Well. Guess I'll find out soon enough. Gals up front let me in. Told me she's in her suite. So, thanks for the chat." The mercenary continued forward, slamming her shoulder against the bartender's, causing him to stumble.
"You lit-" As Mateo turned to grab the mercenary, another Mox member grabbed his shoulder, "'Teo, leave it alone."
V walked through the double doors that led to the maze of hallways, more doors, and stairs down to Judy's braindance den. Heh… Den. VERY fitting for the ferocious lioness that is Judy, V thought as she rolled her eyes. She turned down a hallway – at the end was the doorway into the Mox's dressing room and standing in the doorway were three Moxer's chatting. Suddenly, their conversation became amplified in V's ears, and all other noises became muted.
W…what the hell's happenin' to my hearin'? The mercenary scrunched her eyebrows and patted her ears with her palms, trying to see if there was an issue with her implants. No change. She gave up and continued walking, listening to the conversation that sounded like it was occurring right next to her.
"Phhfft. Judy's just embarrass'n herself. Again…" a female voice said. "Why does Suze even keep her around?" another woman's voice.
The mercenary immediately felt her hands clutch into tense fits as she continued to approach.
"You're… Kiddin', right? Jude's virtues keep 'em all comin'! Keeps the lights on in here. THAT's why," a male voice responded. "Puh, whatever. Club would make it off fame alone. Everyone knows Lizzie's!" the second woman exclaimed. "Susie would rather not test that theory. I can't blame her either," the first woman replied.
V's hearing switched back to normal as she reached the group, "The only reason Lizzie's has any reputation is solely because of Judy's virtues. No one can hold a candle to her gift. She cuts 'em like they're diamonds," V hissed through her teeth, "No one would ever come here without them. If you think ANYONE would come here just for you, you've got shit for brains. Now, get the fuck outta of my way." The merc stopped walking and stood with her shoulders straightened and arms folded, staring at the group.
"W-who the fuck are you? Say that again, bitch, n' see what happens to you," one of the women said while stepping forward toward the mercenary. As V felt her muscles tense, preparing for a fight, the male Mox member grabbed the woman, "Whoa – stop. Let it lie girl. We need to go, that's Judy's friend." The woman stopped herself from stepping forward but continued to glare at the merc. She let out a frustrated sigh and turned to the side, motioning for V to pass through.
The mercenary locked eyes with the woman as she walked by, "If you're gonna act tough, I suggest you take your grievances straight to Judy and not behind her back to your choombas, n' we'll see if she lets you live afterward." The woman's eyes widened as she took a step back. "W-whatever. Just go," the woman mumbled.
V continued on down her path, through the dressing room, down the stairs, through the basement, the server room, and then the lion's den. As the mercenary approached, she heard the voices of two women. As the braindance studio came into the merc's line of sight, so did two lionesses fighting; Judy and her boss, Susie Q.
"I hate surprises," snarled Susie. The smaller yet equally ferocious lioness folded her arms and shook her head, "Mhm. Reeeaally feelin' that sense of community right now…" Before entertaining a response, Susie caught the mercenary in the corner of her eye. She glanced toward the doorway at V, who was leaning against the frame, watching the show.
Susie looked back at the defiant little Judy, "Y'know, if you're so concerned about them strays, how 'bout you go take care of yours." The Mox Leader immediately lifted her hand and pushed Judy's shoulder, causing the techie to lose balance, stumbling back out of the Mox's way as she headed toward the exit. As V saw the interaction, she felt her fists tense up again and her jaw muscle flex as she bit down on her own teeth.
"S-suse! We're not done here!" the little lioness growled. Susie did not look back as she continued walking, "Oh yeah, we fuckin' are." As the Mox Leader approached, she tilted her head at the mercenary in a 'Wanted that conversation to end, stat. I don't know who you are – don't wanna know who you are, but thanks,' kind of way before V watched her leave the area.
"You just don't give up, do you? Got nothin' more to say to each other. Thought I made that clear or was I just too subtle for you?" V quickly snapped her head toward Judy, who stood in front of the merc, her arms folded with a scowl.
V was the type of mercenary who would accept any contract as long as the eddies' sang and it would help build her reputation. Sometimes, those contracts would put the mercenary in very stressful, hostile, dangerous situations - but the merc had several years of intense training on the streets, teaching her how to shut off her emotions when facing threats so could make calm calculated decisions.
What the merc didn't realize was she was about to face the most treacherous foe she'd ever encounter; A really, really angry Judy Alveraz.
The merc was caught a bit off guard as she felt the little lioness's glare cut through her skin, "What… uh… what was that all'about?" Judy rolled her eyes, "Everyone in this fuckin' city lives in their own goddamn bubble. You either fly high or you sink into quicksand, and no one'll give two shits when you drown. Why the hell do you even care?" The tattooed woman's lips sneered as she turned away, sitting down at her computer.
"Lady seemed like she knows what she wants… I'm assuming she's your boss?" V inquired, trying to ease tensions as she stepped closer to the techie's desk. "Did you seriously come all this way just to play 'Who's Who' at the Mox?" Judy barked, her hands turning to fists on her keyboard. The mercenary rolled her eyes and lowered her voice, "Listen. Have you seen Evelyn? Need to talk to her. It's important."
Judy rolled her chair back, throwing her hand in the merc's direction, "Why? So you can make her your little scapegoat for your trainwreck of a heist?" The mercenary felt her jaw muscle tighten, "Sounds like you know how everything went down. Guess that means you did talk to her." Judy shook her head and laughed sarcastically, "Heh, yeah. I know what happened. I know you fucked up. Got all your choombas killed, like a real fuckin' pro." Judy stood up from her chair and began to push past the mercenary.
V immediately stood her ground, shooting her arm in front of the techie, blocking her path forward. The mercenary's body shook. Her eyes narrowed, and her breath became shallow. She felt her stomach churn as emotion came crashing in; anger, grief, and guilt.
Got all your choombas killed. That was a blow, and a low one at that. A very, very low one.
She felt a chill travel down her spine as the fire rose from her throat, "Don't ever. EVER. Say that to me again. Ever. You weren't there. You don't know jackshit 'bout fuck-all, so don't act like you know. Sure, I took a risk. So did the rest of my team. So did YOU. Everyone did. But it was Evelyn who gave it to us in the first place," V's voice trembled, her jaw clenching tighter and tighter. She pulled her arm away, taking a step back. Her eyes burnt as she felt tears trying to build in numbers, but she quickly blinked them away.
Judy paused for a moment, disoriented by the mercenary's rage. She stepped forward, lifting a finger and pressing it hard against V's chest, "Know what? Yeah, I wasn't there, but we saw EVERYTHING on the news. Live. You're a fuckin' MUR-DER-ER. Killed Saburo because that's all you mercs do – if somethin' gets in your way, ya kill 'em. And then you get others killed or hurt. YOU fucked up and now YOU get'ta live with that."
V swatted the techie's drilling finger from her chest, raising her voice, "Don't act innocent in ANY of this. You played your part in this little fiasco. Heist wouldn'ta ever gotten off the ground without YOU messing in her BD." Judy's face flushed red as she bared her teeth, "You two HAZED me, for FUCK'S SAKE! Both of you! This whole thing stank. Said it from the start!" Judy raised her hands and pushed V in the chest, forcing the mercenary to step back as the techie walked by, heading toward the back of her studio. The merc sarcastically laughed, "You really wanna pull the victim card? Seriously? Because, I don't see a single fuckin' scratch on you, princess. We're all in this pisspot together, whether you wanna admit'it or not."
Judy stopped walking and went silent. Her hands shook as she balled them into fists. V approached, feeling her adrenaline surge and pupils enlarging, "Do you do this for fun because you got nothin' else better to do?! Bored in your little office?! Talkin' around in CIRCLES!? I tried to make this as simple as possible. Just tell me where she is for Christ's sake – why can't you!?"
The techie immediately turned around, her face red and her eyes tearing up. She quietly hissed through her teeth, "… I don't trust you. That simple enough for you'ta understand? Here, something else simple. I want you… to… get out… of my God damn studio. NOW. And don't ever come back again. You understand me? GO. Before I call the girls in." The techie shot her hand up, pointing toward the door.
The two stood there for a moment, eyes locked on each other. The merc felt a coldness close in around her – it was a familiar feeling. Similar to what she had felt when she had gotten shot. The lonely, cold embrace of death trapped within ice. She felt all of her emotions flush away – she wasn't angry. She didn't grieve or feel guilt. She felt dead.
She looked away, shaking her head, "Whatever. Wouldn't believe me if I told you that we didn't lay a finger on The Emperor – that it's all set up. All this 'murderer' has been doin' is try an' get some answers. Find out what went wrong… n' y'know what? Think I got my first answer to what went wrong. I misjudged you. You were right. Everyone in this hellhole of a city does live in their own goddamn bubble. Flyin' high, or sink'n quicksand. So, thanks Judy. Thanks for showin' me who you are. You're over there, not givin' two shits while you watch me drown." The mercenary turned around and walked away without looking back.
She stormed out of the braindance studio, jamming her fists in her jacket pockets. She felt nothing. She thought nothing.
She continued to walk through the glowing red server room, back through the basement, and up the stairs. The rocker appeared at the top of the landing with his sunglasses on, smoking.
"Mummy' n' Duddy' done fightin'?"
Fuck off. The mercenary walked through the body of the digitized Rockstar, pressing her way forward. As she entered the dressing room, the three gossiping Moxers immediately shushed each other. They froze in their positions, slowly watching the merc walk by. Not a peep was to be heard as V glared forward, walking through the next set of doors.
Lizzie's Bar had gone silent as if everyone knew something had just happened. Something big, something terrible. The gang members watched V walk through the main dance room, afraid to say anything about her, or to her.
V watched Mateo continuing to conduct an inventory count when she approached him. While he turned around to see who was walking up from behind, the mercenary grabbed the front of his shirt tightly into a fist, as if about to pick him up into the air. Her eyes flashed blue into his; She transferred 50 eddies. "There. Tell Judy I kept my promise and that'er next drink's on me. That'll be more than enough to cover it," V said coldly. She released the man before thwacking his chest with her hand.
Stunned and shocked, Mateo remained in silence as he stepped back out of the merc's way, watching her exit.
The double doors slid open into the lobby that led out to the front entrance of the nightclub. Rita was leaning against the counter, blowing a giant bubble of pink bubble gum. As she saw V approach, she popped the bubble and caught the dangling leftover gum into her mouth, "Eeeyyy, S.F.T.A! How'd it go?" The mercenary ignored her as she walked past, exiting the club. "W-what…. What'd I say!?," the pink-haired Mox stood baffled as the entrance doors closed.
As V walked to the middle of the parking lot, she took in a deep breath. She didn't feel like she breathed at all since she had left Judy's studio. She stopped walking, looked down at her feet in thought, trying to figure out her next move.
We don't need Evelyn. This is a dead-end n' a complete waste of time. You mentioned going to the Afterlife, right? For Rogue? The rocker appeared next to V, lowering his glasses. "Yeah, that's right…" He squinted at the mercenary with a slight tilt to his head, "You… uh… You good?"
I'm fine. Let's go. Don't wanna be anywhere near here. The rocker folded his arms, staring at the merc, "...Y'know, Rogue won't entertain anyone who isn't on their A Game".
V narrowed her eyes at the Rocker. You suggestin' I ain't on my 'A Game'?
"Not suggestin' shit. I'm telling you. It's obvious that you aren't. I can feel it and so can you" You're either with me, or you disappear. Got it? You don't know shit about me.
Silverhand chuckled to himself, stretching his back, "Fine. Listen to me or don't. Do whatever you want. Couldn't really care less" He walked over to a concrete bench and sat down while pulling out a cigarette "Tell ya one thing though. You leave this parkin' lot, you'll regret it"
He lit the cigarette and placed it in his mouth. The mercenary folded her arms as she glared at him. She let out a long, sigh of annoyance, Okay - know what? Go ahead. Obviously, you wanna say something, so don't beat 'round the bush. Say it now 'cause I ain't got the patience to listen to your bitchin' in the cab, n' I don't feel like wastin' more blockers.
The Rockstar grinned and took a drag from his cig. "I've been down this path a time or two and it destroyed a lot of good things… Hurt a lot of good gals. You leave'n - You might destroy somethin' good, n' maybe even hurt'a good gal. You ready to do that?"
V narrowed her eyes at the Rockstar. I didn't destroy anything. There was nothing there to destroy. The Rockstar glanced his eyes past the mercenary and smirked, "Yeah... Sure. Say that to her" Then he vanished.
What the hell is h- As the mercenary turned her head in the direction the Rockstar had last looked, she heard a voice.
"Wait!"
V looked over and saw Judy running toward her from the entrance of Lizzie's, "Judy?"
The techie stopped in front of the merc, taking a moment to catch her breath. D'she just run all the way here from her basement? Judy lifted her hand up and rubbed her temples for a moment, "So… That's it? Only reason you're lookin' for Evie is for answers?"
V raised one of her eyebrows as she stared at the techie, "Er…Yeah. Just… Need some answers." The tattoo-covered woman pulled her hand down and placed it on her hip, "Let's… say I believe you… What're tryin' to find out?"
The mercenary brushed her hand through her hair and let out a sigh, "I… just needed to know who she was workin' for. I know that someone hired her and I just needed to know who that someone was. That's all." Judy tapped her foot on the ground for a moment as she thought, studying the mercenary's face. "If you were worried that I was gonna lay a hand on her or somethin'… I wouldn't of done that... Wouldn't even make sense to hurt her," V said as she folded her arms, watching the techie.
Judy chewed her inner left cheek while thinking. She looked over toward cars driving down the street for a moment before looking back at V, "Fine… All right… Evie's a doll. Used to work at Clouds." V raised an eyebrow, "Clouds… That's where they tailor-code things to your fetishes and whatnot, right?" Judy nodded, "Yeah. Client's subconscious is the script – doll stars in it. No memory of it after, though, luckily. Thank Christ for that."
Judy reached into her pocket and pulled out a metal case. She stared at it a moment before lifting up toward V. "This is her cig case. It's got the address. Take it, and once you find Evie, give it to her."
V stared at the cigarette case in the techie's outreached hand. She shook her head, averting her eyes, "Sorry, but… I've already made other arrangements. Got someone else I can go to for help."
Judy slowly lowered her arm to her side as her shoulders slumped. She looked away, "V… I…" She sighed and shook her head, "I'm… I'm really sorry, okay?"
She looked back at the merc, "I... didn't mean to say a lot of the things I said back there. I…just - was afraid you wanted to hurt Evie." The mercenary looked away, clenching her jaw, "Told you already. I'm not like other mercs."
Judy placed her hand on the back of her neck, nodding toward the ground, "Yeah… I know you aren't... I'm just a fuckin' gonk. And I'm sorry. Just… Really sorry. I-…" Her voice cracked as she continued to look at the ground, "I do... I do trust you, V. I do. I believe everything that you said downstairs… Look, I didn't mean to hurt you, n' If I did, I'm sorry... God I feel like such a fuckin' gonk." Judy lifted the metal tin up again and stared at it quietly.
V watched Judy, not knowing what to say, not knowing what to think, and not knowing how to feel. The techie looked up at her and slowly nodded, "B-but uhm… Yeah… guess I understand. No means no. So, uhm… I'll just head back. V, again, I'm sorry. I really am," Judy took a couple of slow steps back before turning around, walking to the nightclub.
A warm current of energy began to spiral within the mercenary. A warmth that began to push back against the ice prison that she felt trapped in. She clenched her jaw as she watched the tattooed woman walk away. Then suddenly, V felt her pulse slowly return like her heart had started back up… just to feel it break.
You leave'n - You might destroy somethin' good, n' maybe even hurt'a good gal. You ready to do that?
The mercenary immediately broke out into a sprint toward Judy. She passed the techie, sliding on the parking lot's gravel as she turned to stop herself. When stabilized and regained her balance, she saw the tattooed woman look at her with startled eyes. The mercenary walked up and gripped onto the metal tin the techie was holding, "I'll head there now. See if I can find her."
Judy didn't let go of the tin that V was tugging on.
Instead, she stepped forward and slid her arms underneath the mercs, hugging her tight as she buried her face into V's jacket. The mercenary's eyes widened with shock as she stood with her arms up. She felt the ice around her shatter as the warmth of the woman holding her came bursting through. Blood coursed through the mercenary as her heartbeat began to feel strong and pickup pace. Feeling the powerful 'tha-thump tha-thump tha-thump' made the merc smile. She started to feel alive again.
V gulped, lowering her arms and wrapped them around Judy, slowly hugging her back. She closed her eyes as she laid her cheek against Judy's head, feeling her breath gently flow in and out.
"Thanks… Thank you, V'' Judy muffled into the merc's jacket. The merc squeezed a little tighter as she nodded against the techie's head. "I'll let you know what I find out, okay?" Judy didn't respond.
There was a moment of silence between them.
V began to loosen her hold of the other woman, "Uhm… Judy? You okay?" She felt Judy's hands grip tighter on the back of her jacket, forbidding the mercenary to let go, pulling her back in. V felt a shockwave down her spine as her heart's rhythmic beat became even louder and stronger.
"I… can't believe this. Like it's just now hittin' me. I was really worried, V… really thought you were gone for good. I keep... listenin' to your heartbeat, tryin' to see if you're really alive. Tryin' to tell myself I haven't gone crazy and that you're actually here."
The mercenary chuckled in response to the woman holding her. Judy pulled her head back and narrowed her eyes up at V, "Why are you laughin'?" A large grin spread across V's lips, "'cause… listenin' to my heartbeat isn't gonna help you… look, I'm real sorry to tell you this, Judy… but…" V squinted her eyes and whispered, "… You're already crazy."
Judy playfully punched V in her stomach, "You… are seriously a gonk." She let go of the mercenary and took a step back with a smile on her face. V cocked her eyebrow and laughed, "Heh. Cute you thought that'd hurt me. Felt like a gust of wind just tickled me."
The techie narrowed her eyes at the merc. Then, she proceeded to punch V again in the stomach, this time a more calculated shot, specifically targeting the mercenary's solar plexus. V immediately doubled over and collapsed to the ground with the air knocked from her lungs. She rocked back and forth on her back, holding her stomach, "O-ok….I…. I-I felt… I felt that one." She struggled to laugh as she attempted to catch her breath. Judy slowly shook her head as a small laugh escaped her lips. She tossed the cigarette case down on the mercenary's stomach, "Here. Now go, 'fore I call the girls over 'n have them all punch you too for scarin' me half t'death."
*BEEP-BEEP*
[Judy]: You make it there okay?
V's eyes widened as she heard Judy's voice play through her ears as she read the techie's message. Okay… Dyin' must've… done something to my implants because somehow I can now telepathically control my phone, have superhuman hearing, and now I'm hearing voices in my head—SHUT UP JOHNNY, DON'T MAKE A SMARTASS REMARK SWEAR'TA GOD.
[V]: Yep
[Judy]: Okay, great! Can you give me a call after?
The mercenary smiled to herself as she heard Judy's voice again as she read the reply. Okay, I admit. This is pretty preem.
"You know the chances of finding this whore girl is close to zilch, Right?" Johnny was smoking, leaning against the entrance to the high-tech brothel, watching a holographic stripper roll her hips while slowly pulling down her thong, exposing herself. V immediately stopped smiling and closed her messages. She rolled her eyes toward the Rocker. Your optimism is utterly encouraging.
As the entrance opened, the mercenary walked through the digitized engram. Johnny chuckled as he tossed his cigarette onto the ground and follow the merc inside. He removed his sunglasses and squinted while looking around as he followed behind V down a hallway. Need to check somethin' out real quick. Get the floorplan to this place so I know where t'go. She stopped and leaned against the hallway's wall, pulling up information through her optics.
As Johnny waited, he saw a vending machine that sat under a large "SEX TOYS" sign. He strolled over and peeked through the frosty glass. "'Redwood 'Peas n' a Pod'. Anal beads. 'The brand used professionally since 2034. Costs three eddies…"
V glanced toward Silverhand before shaking her head, returning to her research.
"There's a really big one here…Hot damn. It's like, twenty inches long. 'Captain PickHard'… Heh, how creative. Features lights and sound effects. Fourteen eddies. Oh, and then there's one shaped like a sword. Fuck me, it's even bigger. 'Fight against Evil. PROTECTOR. It's both funny and exciting'. Fourteen eddies"
With a grin, Silverhand and walked back toward the mercenary. "Could get one of them big ones. Use it on that feisty braindance chick. Would do her some good"
V's eyes grew wide with horror as she closed out of the data in her optics and stared at the Rockstar. You're gross. Stop thinkin' about it, because you're making me feel your nasty ass' thoughts. He smirked and leaned against the wall opposite V, pulling out another cigarette. "Don't get'chur panties wadded in a bunch. All I'm sayin' is she probably wouldn't be such'a bitch if she got a good fuckin'"
The merc immediately glared and pointed her finger toward Silverhand, Don't call her that, ya' shit rag. She pushed herself off of the wall and continued down the hallway. Johnny crossed his arms and looked away "God damn, your hormones are so jacked. Makes you fuckin' sensitive. I hate feelin' this shit... Don't know why that bothered you. I basically said you should go lay her. Sheesh. Tryin' to "encourage" you" He then vanished.
The mercenary shook her head as she continued down the hallway, flicking her conversation with Judy back across her optics.
[V]: Yeah, give you a ring. Promise.
Btw had to stare at this giant vending machine that sold a buncha dildos
There was one the size of my leg in there
And… I'm just… so confused… Don't even know how that would… work?
[Judy]: If you'd like I could show you some BDs that'll help…
Unconfuse you… ;)
[V]: Think… I'll pass on that tyvm
Got enough scars. Don't need more… haha
[Judy]: Heh. Offer still stands in case you see anything else there that you're… curious about ;)
As the mercenary reached the end of the hall, she made a right and entered a dim room. There was a large wrap around desk, glowing a soft pink with strips of white neon lights running along the top and bottom. On the walls were large posters of models, celebrities of NC, and a large red neon heart with the cursive word 'Love' written in the center. Standing behind the desk was a receptionist who had a very distinct style.
She had dark navy-blue hair styled in an odango with bangs that reached eyebrows of the same color. Her eyes were the color of a midwinter sky and her milky white skin had several dark freckles clustered over the bridge of her nose and cheeks. Her lips wore a metallic lipstick with a strip of gold running down the middle.
The receptionist wore a skintight blue sheath dress that complemented her hair and eyes. Running down the front of the dress was a hexagonal pattern of gold and dark purple. A thick gold chain necklace with a Ring-of-O hung past her collarbone and large golden hoops hung from her ears.
Her arms were a canvas of Irezumi stylized tattoos. An orange koi fish with blue eyes on her right shoulder, a green and blue koi fish on her other. Sakura flowers of different hues of reds, pinks, and purples flitted over black and grey waves dancing in the background.
Suddenly the mercenary's optics began to glitch with static as a warning flashed across [WARNING: SCAN UNAUTHORIZED]
"Welcome to Clouds. Where we know what you're looking for. Would you care to jack into the terminal?"
The mercenary took a step back. What the hell – she just scan me? N' she expects me to just jack in? That isn't secure. I could get hit with malware straight to my core – end up payin' an arm and a leg for a ripperdoc.
"Braindance chick is hidin' somethin'. No coincidence we already saw two Tyger Claws when we came in. They must control the building. And I'm pretty sure this chick is a Claw too."
You think Judy's lyin'? Why?
"Little something called intuition, V. Ever heard of it?"
Oh, so what you meant to say is that you're full of shit. Got it.
V stepped up to the counter and politely smiled at the receptionist, "Lookin' for an Evelyn Parker. She work here?" "Hmm… Give me a moment…" the blue-eyed woman said. She briefly typed on her keyboard before frowning, "Evelyn's not available at this time."
The mercenary tapped her hand on the counter, "Need to see her. It's important." The receptionist stopped typing and looked over her monitor at the merc, "The algorithm knows best. Trust me, it will choose a doll that will thrill you. Our dolls can change their hair and eye color in real-time to look just as you wish."
V raised an eyebrow as she continued tapping on the counter, "I'm not a customer." The woman motioned her hand toward the terminal on the counter, "All you need do is jack in. We'll just create your personal profile and you'll be good to go."
Silverhand appeared behind the Receptionist with his arms folded, "I'm sorry, she finally say anything useful? Fuck the menu. Let's ditch this waitress and take our special order to the chef, point-blank. Go in as a customer, keep a low profile. They wanna keep their cards close? Fine. We'll play our own game" V gave a small nod toward the Rockstar, pulling her neuralink from her left wrist, connecting it to the terminal.
The woman nodded as she watched V connect, "This will be a live session, so events may take an... unexpected turn… But don't quit if you feel uncomfortable - you could miss out on something truly remarkable. If you feel unready to handle what comes next, you can interrupt the session immediately."
V nodded, "All right, let's do this."
The receptionist gave a soft smile before returning to her computer. She continued typing while looking at her screen, "Now bear with me a moment… Scanning your personal profile. You should see compatible dolls in just a second…. Aaannnnddd… Two matches? Hhmm… Interesting."
The Rockstar let out a sarcastic laugh, "Only two willin' to spread their legs for you? Sad"
V glared at him, Go eat a dick, Johnny.
"You're dying. Deep inside… you fear this, cower before it"
She slid the VIP Access Card - a card she removed from a Tyger gangoon she had knocked out and stuffed into a bathroom stall - into her back pocket as she headed upstairs to the restricted section of the brothel. The conversation she had with Skye, the doll that the Clouds' algorithm assigned to the merc, was replaying in her head. Though she didn't know what to really expect when she entered the brothel, it definitely wasn't that.
"Y'know, dunno what's sadder. The fact you had to pay a robohooker to get your rocks off… or the fact that the robohooker ended up giving you'a therapy sesh instead"
She narrowed her eyes at the Rocker who was climbing up the stairs with her. Gonna… just choose not to respond to that.
"Technically, that was a response"
She growled with annoyance under her breath as she continued up the stairs. When she reached the top, she scouted the room - there was a large round bar with a Tyger bartender behind it, two guards, a security camera, and four customers - two who were watching braindances.
"Come to terms with the fact that you died once already only to face another kind of death"
The mercenary quick-hacked into the security camera, disabling its live feed, and pinged the system to locate the direction of its control center. It would most likely lead the merc to a security room. One of the best places to find out information, other than beating it out of a live person.
"Fear of death is what drives us all to do what we do. You're scared because you've given up on your dreams. Instead of a dream, you're living a nightmare. You're afraid of being erased as if you never existed. Or is it just the fear of becoming someone else, different?"
She let out a sigh as she walked through the VIP room with Silverhand trailing behind. I'm afraid of dying… again. N' yeah, I gave up my dream of becoming a Night City Legend - it doesn't mean anything to me anymore. No value behind it.
"Think that's somethin' we both agree on. Being a 'Legend' is bullshit corpo fodder to keep the mice fightin' each other. So what if you're good at killin' people or can listen to a Fixer's orders real well? Woooo-fricken-whooo" The Rockstar spun his finger in the air sarcastically.
I don't think what scares me is being erased and no one remembering me. Think that's how I felt… y'know, before all this. N' I don't think I'm afraid of becoming 'different' either. People change everyday… I dunno. Maybe I'm afraid that I'll disappear and never get the chance to… live? That if I'm gone, no one would really… care. V felt an ache in her heart at the thought.
"Guess it boils down to what you believe "living" is? What does it mean to you?" she furrowed her eyebrows as the two walked. She didn't have an answer because she didn't have any idea. She had never thought about it before - she never needed to think about it before.
The two walked up to a door that was labeled [DO NOT ENTER]. They stared at it for a moment.
"Gonna enter?"
A'yup.
"You've never backed down from anything in your life, even when you maybe should've. In this city, people die on their way to the corner store for a scop-pop. But that threat never stopped you. And it won't stop you now. You dive into the middle of it all. Always have. You've never backed down from anything, so don't stop now… Not one step backward"
V checked to see where the three Tyger Claws were. One had his back facing the merc as he watched a television screen, the other was continuing his patrol by heading back downstairs, and the bartender was focusing on cleaning glasses. She shrugged her shoulders and proceeded through the door. Whelp, that was easy. Y'know, for such a high-tech club, their security system's a joke.
They entered an area that looked like a dressing room. Looks like some personals are in here... might find somethin' of Ev's. Help me look around. The two were the only ones in the room as they searched.
"V, here. On the floor. Name's on the tag" the mercenary walked over to Silverhand who was pointing down at something on the floor. That's her coat. V bent over and picked it up, brushing it off. Odd that she'd just… throw it on the floor. This thing's expensive. The Rocker shrugged toward the merc.
"Evelyn had her own story before it collided with yours. But I know you'll find her. You always get your way."
After the two finished looking in the dressing room, they exited and headed to check the next room nearby. It was the employee locker room. They browsed around until V saw a locker labeled [ ]. Inside of the locker was the doll's purse. She left her purse here? That's really… odd.
"Maybe she's got two? Seems like most chicks have more than one… do you have more than one?"
V shook her head, I don't own any purses... And all her shit's still in this one... It's like she left in a hurry. Something isn't right here.
The two left the room and adjacent to them was the security room. Johnny headed in first, warning the mercenary that a guard was at the desk eating Buck-A-Slice. V crouched, sneaking up behind the guard, locking him into a sleeper hold. She hid the unconscious body underneath the desk.
"How can you change what has already happened?"
V hacked into the terminal and disabled the rest of the security systems while also giving herself security clearance to unlock any door within the brothel. On one of the laptops, she and Johnny read files and logs that contained information regarding an incident that had occurred several days ago. An external netrunner hacked into the brothels network, targeting a doll and frying their dollchip.
Then they observed a recorded video from the doll who had been attacked; Evelyn Parker. They watched her begin a session with a client. The man had been talking to her, guiding the doll to a bed. Suddenly, Evelyn began violently convulsing on the floor, screaming in agony. Even when V and Johnny thought it was over, the doll would begin convulsing and screaming again as if she was being tortured. Oh fuck… they both thought as they observed the rest of the video.
"You have been keeping up. You've made an impact. Not a single thing in this world isn't in the process of becoming something else. Likewise - you... The truth is, we and our paths are braided, never-ending, ever-transforming, not being - but becoming. And what's happening inside you… It could change the world. Listen V. Never look back."
The mercenary no longer felt the urge to find out what had gone wrong in the heist. She didn't feel like she needed to find Evelyn anymore to ask why the doll's intel was incorrect or why she hadn't warned them. It wouldn't change anything. That was in the past. That was looking back.
V's intuition screamed one thing and one thing only - Save Evelyn from wherever she was, figure out who attacked her, and hunt them down. You may or may not be rewarded for your actions, but it's the right thing to do.
The two exited the security room - only one room was left. It looked like an office, and sitting at the desk was a bald man eating a sandwich. Before she opened the office door to confront the man, V and Johnny looked at each other for a moment and nodded.
Nothing's gonnastop me from saving Evelyn. Not a netrunner. Not a brothel. Not an unending string of clues.
And I have people that I can lean on for support. An unbelievably assholish digitized rocker-terrorist. And….
[Judy]: V... You called, heh.
[V]: Promised I'd call, didn't I?
[Judy]: Promisin's one thing… Keepin' it's a whole other bag. So, manage to learn anything?
[V]: Evelyn's not at Clouds anymore. From what I found, it looks like she was targeted by a netrunner. They fried her behavioral chip. 'pparently the manager tried gettin' her fixed but nothing worked, so they carted her off to a ripperdoc in JigJig. Goes by 'Fingers.'
[Judy]: Oooh s-shit...
[V]: Know where to find this 'Fingers' character?
[Judy]: Uhm... Y-yeah. He's got a dinky chop shop near the end of JigJig... Fuck, V. This guy's all kinds of bad news.
[V]: Don't worry Judy. I'm headin' there now. To find her.
"The Chariot - Always charge ahead even if pulled in opposite directions. As the rider, you will rein in the light and dark sides of the soul with the help of Reason. To ride in The Chariot is to experience highs and lows – ups and downs. Overcome conflicts and move forward in a positive direction. One needs to keep going on and through sheer hard work and commitment, then will they be victorious."
