Chapter 16: Reality
V looked to the wall where Johnny was stood, almost in shock, and then back at me, "Can... can you see him?"
I smiled and shook my head, "Not at all."
"How did you know he was there?" She shook her head, "Actually, how do you know that I can see him?"
I took a drag of my cigar, "I saw you looking at that wall every so often, and I took a guess. As for how I know about Johnny... let's just say that's a conversation for another day."
V drew back into herself, her eyes laced with a touch of mistrust, her hand unconsciously straying to her hip. Doubtless Silverhand was talking into her ear, "Is that right?"
Not wanting to start this meeting on the wrong foot, and aware that even unarmed that V would be more that capable of turning me to mulch, I tried to summon and explanation for my otherworldly knowledge. Looking at her, it suddenly came to me. She was wearing Silverhand's Samurai jacket, his trousers. What looked like his aviators poked out of the top of one of the pockets on the jacket. The only thing she was missing was the shoes and his shirt, replaced with a pair of platform heels and... nothing.
The jacket covered the important bits, but there was still a long stretch of completely exposed skin from her neck to her hips. Interesting choice for a solo. Wouldn't she have wanted to protect her torso from bullets?
Then again, who was I to judge? It was a good look.
Like all the Cyberpunk women I had met so far, she was unbelievably attractive, and I felt my gaze lingering longer than it really should have. Perfectly arranged facial features, red hair going to her shoulders, clear skin with the seams of her cyberware well-hidden, and an athlete's build with plenty of curves to boot. It was like a professional designer had gone to work with the character creator, with the intention of making the most perfect human they could. As distracting a sight as it was, it was also irrelevant, and I pushed it to the side as the idea crystallised in my mind. I took another puff of my cigar, "Tell me, have your heard Arasaka's announcement about a new biochip they have? The one that gave their stock price a nice little boost?"
She grit her teeth, "Don't change the subject."
I raised my hands in a placating gesture, "Humour me? Have you heard about it?"
She seemed unsure about it, but thankfully she opted to play along, "Sure, it's all over the screamsheets."
I nodded, "And then I hear about a heist gone wrong, one that winds up with Saburo mysteriously dead. Dex suddenly disappears off the face of the earth, and you start popping up in a lot of chatter. After your little stunt with Hellman and the AV, it didn't take a genius to put two and two together and figure out that you had the biochip in your head, and that you didn't want it there. Hellman has a very specific speciality, after all."
She seemed to buying into it, and then she frowned, "And Silverhand?"
I gestured to her person, "Look at what you're wearing, V. I mean, you don't really strike me as the kind of woman who would be a Samurai fan."
She narrowed her eyes at me, "Looks can be deceiving."
I allowed myself to laugh, "Oh, don't I know it!" I puffed my cigar, the motion of the deadly habit soothing my nerves, "Silverhand is notorious for his little stunt with the nuke, and it makes sense that Arasaka would have gotten their hands on him after the fact. Given all of the people he indiscriminately killed, it also makes sense that Arasaka would have been none too gentle with his soul. They would want him to suffer for what he did. What better way to make a man like Silverhand suffer than to use Soulkiller on him, stuff him in a computer?"
Her voice adopted a mildly resentful quality to it, a touch of Silverhand lacing her tone, "Very fucking clever of you. Now, what do you want, or did you just call me here to show me how clever you are?"
I eyed her up in the hope of making her uncomfortable with the ensuing silence. Hopefully, she had the patience of the same hyperactive fourteen-year-old that may have been controlling her if this was a game. I puffed once again on my cigar, and spoke only after the silence had been stretched near to it's limit, and V began to show signs of agitation, "Do you know who I am, V?"
Her hand once again strayed to her hip, "That a threat?"
I raised my hands in a placating fashion, "Just a question."
She spoke the words like they were some sort of insult, "You're the city's new golden boy." I gestured for her to continue, "Next Mayor, even though the election hasn't even happened yet. I don't think there's a living person in the city who doesn't know who you are."
I smiled, "You read my manifesto?"
She shrugged, "Some of it. Too boring to finish."
I put a hand on my heart, "Oh, that stings. Right here, V, in the feels." I waved my own bad joke away, "Anyway, even from a partial read, I trust you can tell that I am not a man who looks too fondly upon corporate involvement in government?"
"Oh, really?" Her tone became almost accusatory, "Cause from what I remember, you came off quite fond of it in that. What did you say, that their interests and influences could not be safely eliminated? Better in than out?"
"Ah, so you did read my manifesto." I chuckled, "Johnny must have hit the roof, huh?"
"He's convinced you're just another corpo-rat."
I nodded, "Well, believe it or not, I'm not. And that is why I called you here." I took another puff, "Do you know anything about the reality of the wider political situation, V?" I gestured in the general direction I believed him to be, "Does Johnny?"
She spoke curtly, "We know enough. Keep it short."
"Well, to keep it simple, Night City stands as the battleground between 'Saka and Militech. Both corps want to control the city, to expand their respective spheres of influence, and Night City is where those spheres collide. Militech has the NUSA under it's influence, and Arasaka has the Pacific. To that end, both parties want to control the city, to act as a staging ground from which they can expand their influence into the other corp's territory."
V seemed to be losing her patience, "Get to the point."
I raised my finger in objection, "This is important. You see, because both corporations are so eager to control NC, they will take any measures to that effect, including attempting to leverage the Mayor, or in this case, the future Mayor of the city, to make him their puppet."
V seemed utterly unsurprised, "Surprise surprise. Which one was it?"
"Arasaka, whom I happen to know you are none too fond of. Exec by the name of Kaoru Fujioka."
She threw her head back and laughed, "You're fucked! I worked for 'Saka for a while, and trust me when I say that I can tell you that with full confidence." She gestured to the door, "It's a cute little setup you got going here, but I can tell it ain't nearly enough. Arasaka will tear you apart. My advice? Do what he says." She snorted, "Hell, I used to eat people like you for breakfast, and I was just a lowly operative." She snapped her fingers, "An exec will flatline you like that."
Ah, so this V was a corpo. That was good to know. I nodded and smiled, "Oh, I'm well aware. From what I hear, you were quite the impressive little operator, at least before Abernathy had you ousted." I puffed on my cigar, "You know she's dead? Killed herself, just a few days ago."
V just looked at me, seemingly unsure of how to feel at the news, "That right?"
I sighed, finding myself losing patience with this type of circular negotiation. It was time to cut to the point, "Look, here's the deal: you're dying." She made to object, but I cut her off, "No point in denying it. If you've spoken to Hellman, then you know that you're dying. And you've spoken to Alt from behind the Blackwall, so you also know that the only real chance at survival that you have is with Mikoshi."
"Mikoshi? How the fuck do you know about that?"
"I know. Never mind how, I just do. I'm offering to help you save your own life, so it's in your best interests to play along. You may not like me, and you are well within your rights to not like me, but you and I have a common enemy right now. And it's hardly as if we hold opposing positions, is it? Different ones, to be sure, but not necessarily opposing."
She grit her teeth and spoke in a disbelieving shout, "How!? All that happened behind the Blackwall. The fuck would you know what she said?"
I rolled my eyes, leaving my answer deliberately vague, "Both the Voodoo Boys and NetWatch were involved, if I recall."
V looked suspicious, but I wasn't exactly lying, and she knew it. She was on the hook now, I could tell. My knowledge had reeled her in, and my offer of help was simply too enticing for her to pass up, "What, exactly, are you offering?"
"Help. Help to get you to Mikoshi, and to deliver to Arasaka a great big punch to the gut in the process. Help to manage your... condition, if you want it."
She seemed surprised at that last part, "You can do that?"
I nodded, "I'm no biomedical expert, but I do have a... friend, one who has a similar problem to you. AI trapped in her head for the past few years. She's a little nutty, but she seems to be holding up pretty well, all things considered. I don't know if it's the same thing as yours, but hey, giving her a call can't hurt, right?"
She quirked her eyebrow, her tone disbelieving, "Just like that? Outta the kindness of your heart?" She looked me in my eyes, "I don't buy it. What do you want from me?"
"Meredith's number, among other things." I shrugged my shoulders, "Plus, helping you out in this way helps me too. Gets me out from under 'Saka's thumb."
"Meredith's?" she asked. "Like... Meredith Stout? Angry Militech lady? She a part of your plan?"
"More of an insurance policy, to be honest. In case shit goes sideways, which it seems so often to do, the balance of power between the two needs to be maintained. Having both involved allows me to play the two sides against each other whilst minimising escalation." I shook my head, "I don't want to start my term in the middle of a new corporate war by letting this spiral out of control."
V still seemed sceptical, but with precious little in the way of alternative options, she nodded her head regardless, "And Mikoshi?"
This was the tricky bit. Though almost every potential outcome would be in some way beneficial to me, to maximise my upside from this little plan would take some finesse. I smiled my most devilish smile as I rounded my desk, sitting back in my chair with a huff, and taking a long drag of my cigar. I gestured for her to sit, "Are you familiar, V, with the Aratama-matsuri festival?"
Well, here is V! At least, this was my V.
Bit hard to write her cause everyone knows a different V, so I just decided to write her as generically as possible.
Feel free to comment and let me know what you think.
Hope you guys are enjoying the story thus far!
P.S. Didn't quite like the way this one came out. May be subject to rewrite
