Chapter 6: Setting the Pieces
-V's apartment-
A couple of days later, V was sitting at his apartment waiting for Dex to get back to him about the Heist for the Biochip. As he waited, he came up with some ideas that could smooth over the heist that involved Elektra and Mara. These ideas bring us to now…
"You want us to join your heist?" The bioelectric woman asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I do. And I've got some ideas for what kind of roles you can play." V nodded in reply.
"Just what kind of roles do you have in mind for us?" Mara asked curiously.
"Elektra, you can head to the power grid of Konpeki Plaza and wait for the signal to fry it with an EMP blast." The Corpo began, setting his gaze on the bioelectric woman. "At least, that's my hope." He added.
"I got some Legendary grade cloaking two days back, and yeah, I can generate an EMP." Elektra confirmed with a nod.
"And me?" The bone woman interjected.
"You can act as a bodyguard for me and Jackie. Seeing as how you've got strength on your side, that shouldn't be an issue." V told her.
"How right you are." Mara nodded with a smirk, flexing her muscles a bit. It should be noted that she had gotten Legendary gorilla arms to compliment her fighting style.
"Does this mean you'll join in?" V asked.
"Yep. We're game." Elktra told him, Mara nodding in agreement.
"Awesome." The Corpo nodded in satisfaction. With these two aboard for the ride, things were going to be drastically different. "And don't worry about Dex. I'll explain things while you give him a showcase of what you two can do." He told them.
"Got it." The sisters nodded.
(Later)
-Afterlife, Night City-
V walked to the Afterlife with Mara, Electra, and an undisguised Mako in tow, the three not having on their disguises because they decided to just pass it off as Bio-splicing aesthetic upgrades.
Waiting for them at the doorway was Jackie and a casually dressed Meredith, the former on the phone with Mama Welles.
"Si, si. Love you too, mama" The bruiser said before ending the call and looked at the freshly arrived quartet. "Ready to head on it?" He asked.
"Yep." Mako nodded in reply.
"That Mama Welles?" V asked.
"Yeah, she's just trying to make sure I'm not rotting in some dumpster like the rest of the Welles boys." The bruiser nodded with a heavy sigh. "Ya know, mano, the more I tell her that I'm gonna be OK. The more I feel like I'm straight up lyin'." He added with a heavy tone.
"It is hard to find honesty in a city like this." Meredith nodded with a sigh. "Those few instances of good will are often kept close." She added.
"Ain't that the truth." Mara nodded.
"By the way, is there a reason why you came here?" The Corpo asked, looking at his blonde lover.
"I'll share that when we head inside." The Militech woman replied with a grin.
"On that note, let's go." Jackie beckoned before he led the group into the most famous bar in Night City. "You ready to get your cherry popped? HA!" He laughed as they walked in.
"The Afterlife, sure is famous, isn't it?" V noted.
"Yep. Used to be a morgue. Ya know that?" The man nodded.
"Jackie, everyone knows that." Mako chimed in.
"Right, right." The bruiser chuckled sheepishly before they arrived at the bar's front door, where a bouncer stood.
"Business?" He questioned.
"We're here to see Dex." V replied.
"One moment." He told them before getting Dex on the holo. "Hey Dex, you got some people here to see you." He said to the fixer. There was a moment before he addressed the group again. "He needs a moment. Get yourselves some drinks in the meantime." He told them before stepping aside and letting them in.
"Stay frosty, mano." Jackie smiled at the man in a friendly manner which earned a chuckle in return.
"So you can be nice when you want to." Elektra noted.
"Hey, I'm always nice!" The bruiser shot back indignantly as they sat at the bar.
"Hey. What'll it be?" The bartender, a brown haired woman named Claire, asked.
"Six tequila old fashioneds each with a splash of cerveza and a chili garnish." Jackie replied.
"Six Johnny Silverhands coming right up." Claire nodded before she got to work.
"Right on, Chica." Jackie nodded.
"Someone's done their homework." The Bartender smiled as she mixed a quarter ounce of simple syrup, a dash of Angostura and orange bitters, two ounces of tequila, and used a bottle of Muerte Abbey Agave Maria dark beer to float on top of the drink inside two Afterlife glasses that were rimmed with Chipotle and lime powder.
Taking the glasses, the woman slid them down the bar to the six, V in particular slamming his fist down to catch the glass with a mixture of poise, confidence and gravitas that made Mako get a little wet.
"I think the dog ate mine." Elektra remarked as she took a swig, coughing on some of the garnish.
"Drinks are named after regulars here." Claire told her.
"Yeah, Wayland BoaBoa, Morgan Blackhand, they all sat on these benches." Jackie nodded, before pointing at a woman in the back. "And you see that lady back there? That's Rogue! Best fixer there is!" He added.
"I thought that was Dex." Mara commented.
"Nah! Rogue was setting up gigs while Dex was shittin' his diapers." Jackie corrected with a snort.
"Yeah… didn't she hit Arasaka Tower back in 2050 with Johnny Silverhand, Morgan Blackhand and Spider Murphy?" Meredith questioned.
"Yeah. How'd you know?" Claire questioned.
"My dad was the one who paid for the gig." The woman explained.
"Oh shit, for real?" The bartender asked with a surprised look on her face.
"True story." The Militech woman nodded with a smile.
"I never thought your family would have a hand in that." Jackie remarked, just as surprised.
"It was headed by Militech, Jack. Of course they would." V chimed in.
"On another topic." Mako said before looking at Claire. "How exactly do you get a drink named after you?" She asked.
This caused the more savvy of the group to facepalm, again.
"Well, if you wanna get that far, you gotta go out in the biggest blaze of glory you can muster." The brunette told her. "Really, it's up to you. Just don't overdo it." She added.
"Seems like a steep price to pay for a drink…" Mara notes, sipping her drink.
"Ah but what a wonderful tradition!" Jackie chuckled. "I have my own recipe if you'd like to write it down." He added.
"Alright. Let's hear it." Claire shrugged before getting her notepad and pen out.
"Shot of Tequila on the rocks, lime juice, ginger beer–Oh–and most importantly–a splash of love." The bruiser explained.
"And… Got it." The woman nodded before she moved to put her notepad down only for Mako to speak up.
"I got one of my own." She started, getting Claire's attention before she flipped to a fresh page on her notepad. "My recipe is dark rum old fashioned with a sea salted dark chocolate garnish." She continued with Claire writing it down.
"A Corpo who's a Rum girl? Huh. That's a new one." The Bartender noted.
"I grew up on the coast." Mako shrugged in reply before one of Dex's men walked up to them.
"He's ready for you." He told them.
"Well, time to get down to business." Jackie mused as he got up, followed by the others.
(Later)
As the ground reached the designated room, Dex was quick to notice the duo's plus ones–or four in this case.
"Mr. V, Jackster, glad you could make it." He nodded. "Guests of yours, I assume?" He added quizzically.
"Extra help, actually." V corrected. "Care for a run down before we get down to biz?" He offered.
"Let's see what they bring to the table as we go." The fixer replied before gesturing to a pair of shards. "Go on. Slot 'em in." He prompted. V and Jackie did so, and were greeted by the details of the heist.
"You'll slip into Konpeki, wait for Yorinobu to leave. Then disable the security systems with the Flathead and T-Bug. And lastly, klep the Relic and slip out, leaving Yori none the wiser." Dex explained.
"Alright. Well, I have a few contingency plans for each of these. But I'll let Mako ask the questions she's just dying to ask." V nodded as he turned knowingly to his Shark wife.
"What kind of cover do we have for this?" She asked.
"Jackie's alias will be Ramon Victorino while V is Harry Conwell." T-Bug replied.
"Ramon–Okay." The bruiser nodded, testing the name. "What do we say we're there for?" He asked.
"Biz as usual. Corpo arms deal. 'Case anyone asks, you're there for a bogus meeting with Arasaka's defense rep– Hajime Taki." Dex explained, causing V to snort.
"The irony of that." He commented dryly.
"Wha– Oh. Right." The fixer started to ask before remembering V worked for Arasaka and now Militech and let out a small chuckle.
"Any aliases for us?" Mara questioned, gesturing to her and her sisters.
"We hadn't planned on you guys joining." T-Bug explained, looking at V. "Care to explain your plan with these four?" She asked.
"We can bring our own stuff to the table." Elektra stated. "I plan on heading to the power grid so I can fry it with an EMP in case things go south. That should destroy all the records stored in the mainframe." She explained, holding up a hand and creating a small cube of electricity. "I plan on getting there through a back door, if one can be provided." She added.
"If you can truly pull that off, then I'll get you some data on potential entry ways you can use." T-Bug told her with a nod.
"I'll pose as a bodyguard under the name "Ashley Dawn." I'll act as extra muscle in case we need to fight our way out." She added, flexing her arms to show she could pull it off.
"You do look the part." Dex nodded, liking what was being offered so far.
"I can pose as Harry's secretary, "Rebecca Shroud." I've got a huge amount of hacking experience, so I could Trojan Horse an AV if one is available for an emergency escape vehicle if we need it." Mako provided.
"Very nice indeed." The gold plated fixer whistles. He could definitely see how that would be beneficial.
"And as for me." Meredith began. "I've arranged for Militech to be on standby in case things go tits up. Additionally, I can go to the meeting with Taki to keep him distracted and Yorinobu in the dark." She added.
Dex took a moment to mull everything over. This heist already had plenty of things that could potentially go wrong, but now? Now more things have been added, and all of it helps the plan considerably. There was only one answer to this.
"I have thought about what you all brought to the table, and I am pleased with what I've heard." He told the extra faces. "Welcome aboard." He added with a smile.
"And our escape plan?" Mako questioned.
"Delamain." Dex replied.
"Heh, no shit?" V snorted.
"It's the preemest ride in the port. Nada mal…"Jackie whistled.
"DeShawn don't work with anyone but the best, and I consider Delamain just that." Dex added with a nod.
"How he still keeps a permit is still a mystery…" Meredith hummed.
"Read my mind." Jackie nodded.
"If everything goes smoothly, Delamain will drop you off back here." The fixer told them. "If things get sticky, you'll head for the safe house." He added.
"No-Tell Motel, I'm guessing?" Mako asked. After going there a fair share of times, she knew from experience that it was a reliable safe house. That said a lot.
"Bingo." Dex nodded in reply.
"Well, as stated before, I could hack into an AV if one ends up being available if we can't make it back downstairs." The shadow bull stated. "If it comes down to it, we'll ditch the AV we take somewhere deserted if we can find one and probably call Delamain to pick us up from where we landed, if that's an option." She added.
"A bit improvised from the sound, but if your method can make it work, I'll be sure to make Delamain available." The dreadlocked man nodded.
"Any more questions?" T-Bug asked.
"Yeah. Eddies, how much we talkin' here?" Jackie asked.
"What the fuck, Jackie?" V groaned.
"What? I'm just makin' sure it's worth it." The bruiser retorted defensively.
"Normally, I'd make the first cut a non negotiable thirty percent." Dex explained, eliciting a groan from Jackie. "But, given that Mr. V was so forthcoming with his plans and was kind enough to even make contingency plans for problems that weren't even considered, I'm willing to bump that cut up to a smooth sixty." He added coolly.
"Well, in that case, I'm game." Jackie grinned while giving V a nod for his plans.
"Additionally, Konpeki has a strict no iron policy. Security gates, the works." Dex continued. "So you'll leave your lead spitters in the ride." He added. "Take the Flathead inside."
"Guess we'll have to improvise when we get in there." Mako mused.
V, smirking, brought out his arm sniper rifle. "I'm not exactly worried." He stated.
"Got some deft suits too. Should help you look the part." T-Bug added.
"Sweet." Jackie smiled.
"Me and Mako will have to get some outfits for ourselves. Shouldn't be that big of an issue." Mara commented.
"I'll help with that." Meredith told her.
"Not to count chickens, but when do we see our eddies?" The bruiser asked.
"If Miss Parker follows through? Week or two, tops." The fixer replied.
'Sure hope so.' V thought. "And what do we do till then?" He asked.
"Whatever you do to stay busy and not go stir crazy… Or cyberpsycho." Dex chuckled somewhat humorously. "Well, as the old Greek homie once said: 'Life's a banquet, so don't get thirsty. But don't get drunk either.'" He quoted as he got up.
"Aristotle." Mako noted, getting a chuckle from Dex.
"Nice to know you're cultured." He said before he walked out of the booth.
"I think that's my cue to delta too. Anything you wanna get off your chests before we get to work?" T-Bug asked, looking at the gang.
"What're you gonna do with your cut?" V asked.
"I intend to move to a Kretean villa where I'll never step into cyberspace again." She responded.
"Send us a postcard, at least." Jackie quipped with a friendly smile.
"Yeah, we could even have a little fun." Mako purred, laying on the couch on her stomach and raising herself up on her arms, causing her breasts to jiggle, a seductive smile across her lips.
"… Maybe I will. I haven't decided yet." T-Bug shrugged. She was going to burn all bridges for a clean break, but Mako seemed… Interesting.
Plus, she personally found her Maneater splicing look hot. She'd be an idiot to not at least give it a shot.
"Heh, sounds good to me." V smirked. "What about you, Jackie?" He asked.
"Me? I'm gonna retire." The man replied. "After that? I'm thinking of settling down with Misty." He added.
"Good. The two of you look amazing together." Meredith nodded. She had met Misty a few times, and she found it nice to talk to a fellow blonde.
"What about you, mano?" Jackie asked.
"I'm gonna get a mansion built and live in it like a boss with my girls." V said with a coolness that actually rivaled Dex's level of cool. "Then with my foothold in Militech secured, I'll keep building up my wealth and then retire in about five years." He added. "Then, I'll live out the rest of my days–surrounded by loved ones and children a plenty." He concluded.
"Now there's a life to live." T-Bug nodded with a smile.
"Damn right." V grinned back. "Now, let's go. No sense in waiting." He added, closing the Flathead's case.
"In gettin' rich, ya mean!" Jackie laughed as he and T-Bug got up.
ThermalsniperN7: Sorry for the long wait. This was on the backburner due to other stories taking priority. But still, here's a new chapter after a long time, and V has brought contingencies to the table to make the heist possible.
Dragon Emperor0: Considering that we've now got a concrete plan for how we're going to take this heist, I'd say leaving this be for a bit to let things stew was a good idea. Because like all stews: they're better after you let them sit for a few days. I speak from experience.
ThermalsniperN7: Fair enough. All of this is like one well made stew, so I think it'll come out just fine. I may also decide to add T-Bug to V's harem, but that is currently undecided. And as for the girls walking about without their inducers on, remember that splicing animal genes is a thing in Cyberpunk. It's just not seen in 2077 for some reason. Probably because of how obscure it was.
Dragon Emperor0: It probably wasn't of enough detail. It is a fairly obscure part of the lore as well as the idea of the cyberpunk pets. Regardless, it's interesting.
ThermalsniperN7: Very true. Anyway, see you next time.