V stood on the street corner with her back against the wall of a convenience store, her normally emerald eyes switching suddenly to a light blue hue. She had tapped into the security camera of the building across the street, a fenced off dilapidated factory that looked as though it hadn't seen a visitor in the past century. And yet the electronics within were powered including the security system which allowed the accomplished merc to confirm that the intel for the gig had been true. Switching between each angle V let out a sigh upon making visual contact with the day's target.
His name was once Richard Kite but ever since hooking up with Maelstrom he now went by the moniker of Headshot. Formerly a ripperdoc, Headshot had only recently become an official member of the Maelstrom after an apparently bad breakup that left him wanting to reinvent himself and abandon as much of his flesh as he could. Normally that would be enough to allow him to earn his place in the ranks of the miserable cybernetic gangoons except Headshot opted to take things one step further by kidnapping his former partner and extracting his revenge for a broken heart with the kind of malicious precision only a man of his talents could accomplish.
His sickening tale may have gone unnoticed were it not for the fact that he'd recorded a braindance of the entire tortuous killing with his new companions handling the distribution. One such copy falling into the hands of the now deceased woman's father who now sought his own more justified brand of vengeance.
"Yo V. How we looking?"
Jackie 's voice spoke directly in V's ear courtesy of the earpiece planted there. The big man himself was down the block scouting out the rear entrance to the factory in the hopes that it would offer a more subtle entryway than barging through the front guns blazing.
"Our target's in there alright, plus another seven or eight gonks hanging around. Looks like they're using the basement as a clinic. Doc's working with a patient right now."
V was still watching Headshot work through the eyes of the camera. The doc whistled to himself as wiry fingers operated on the gaping chest of the gangster. The opening incision would leave one hell of a scar but knowing Maelstrom it wouldn't be long until he planted all new chrome to cover up the mark.
"Padre's intel was as good as ever, eh? Just what I like to see."
Jackie 's remark came in tandem with the sound of scraping metal, causing V to cringe while ripping her attention back to reality.
"Ugh, fuck was that?"
"Redecorating, choomba. Swing around the rear and come check it out. I gotta say, I'm pretty proud of it."
V rolled her eyes but there was a smirk on her lips as she strolled down the sidewalk to join the bustling crowd. It had been three months since she started working with Jackie full time after being cut from her corpo life. Saddling up with him after working with such strict professionals for years was an adjustment to be certain. But now V had managed to actually see the charm that Jackie was so quick to boast about. With the kind of things they saw and did on a daily basis it was easy to get lost in the horror, become just another merc gone psycho. Jackie had a way of grounding things, his jokes a reminder they weren't just an extension of their iron. They were humans doing their jobs just like any other corpo salaryman or wired up joytoy.
It had even gotten to the point where V was starting to buy into all his talk about becoming legends. On paper it sounded corny as hell. Fresh after being fired, V's biggest concern was grabbing enough cash to keep a roof over her head and food on her plate. Jackie had been kind enough to offer her a room at Mama Welle's place but waking up every morning to the sound of latin music and screaming kids running around wasn't the kind of future she'd endure for long. And thankfully the merc life had been good to them. Slow steady work that put V into an apartment, secured some wheels, and even kept up to date with some of the latest tech Vic could part with.
And with comfort came room for reflection. The dream of reaching the corpo peak was long gone now but that didn't mean there weren't other highs worth aspiring to. In some ways becoming a night city legend was even more rewarding then becoming Queen of the corpos. The biggest difference being legacy. The corpos could tire away in their ivory castles all day long but they would never go down as legends.
A lofty thought that only seemed to drift further away as V caught sight of Jackie beside the warehouse fence. A wired barricade bolstered by metal sheets which Jackie had remodeled himself, ripping the welded steel away to create an opening just big enough to crawl through. V chuckled, her hands on her hip as she walked over to stand behind Jackie .
"You seriously expecting me to crawl through the dirt?"
Jackie smirked back at her from his place on the ground but for once didn't answer her right away. Instead with just a quick grunt of effort he shimmied himself through the gap, emerging on the other side with his outfit covered in considerably more dust than it had been moments prior. Not that the dirt seemed to dampen his spirits any as evidenced by his triumphant laugh,
"Ha! Lo siento, your majesty. Maybe I should go inside and see if they have a red carpet I could lay out for you instead? I'll have to check for one after I pick up the bounty on this gonk for myself…"
V didn't even wait for him to finish, already on her knees and crawling across the ground although her attempt was less graceful. A yelp escaped her lips as she felt one of the metal points of the fence prick her back, bringing her to quickly stand only to hear a disheartening riiiiiip as the back of her top was caught on the barricade behind her.
"Shit!"
She tried to crane her neck back to get a look at the damage but the tear was too low for her to get a visual. Meanwhile Jackie was all chuckles once more as he bent over to grab the remaining piece of cloth still stuck on the fence.
"Best not to leave any souvenirs behind chica. I thought I would've taught you better than that."
V huffed and once again rolled her eyes, reaching back in a vain attempt to assess the current state of her t-shirt. She could feel the breeze of the cool wind on her lower back but that was all. Turning her back to Jackie she crossed her arms over her chest.
"How bad is it?"
Jackie 's laughter hadn't faltered, the big man stepping in front of her towards the warehouse and making a show of pocketing the discarded fabric.
"I think it's an improvement. You ain't ever gonna catch Jackie Welles complaining about a woman showing off some extra skin."
V could feel her cheek growing hot at his comment, her gaze immediately falling to the ground below. Disguising her sudden rush of nerves by grabbing her handgun out from the holster around her waist. Checking it over she watched as Jackie did the same. His coolness was deceptive. On the surface he appeared aloof, amateurish even especially walking around with a pistol in each hand. But that was what made him dangerous. Even being a big guy he was easy to underestimate which on the job was his greatest strength. While he could look like some wannabe Valentino gonk there was nobody else in the city V would rather have watching her back.
With her mind back on business V flicked the safety of her weapon off and approached leaned against the rear entrance to the warehouse.
"Enough chatting. You ready?"
"Born ready chica. You still never said how you wanted things handled though. We ninjas or reapers?"
There came times on gigs where the kind of people they would be up against would just be hired stiffs putting in their 9-5. Some people would argue that nobody in Night City was completely innocent but in V's eyes that didn't make her or Jamie judge, jury, and executioner. Of course if it came down to her life or someone else's V wouldn't hesitate to pump them full of lead but she slept better at night knowing that they lived by some semblance of a moral code.
Although this was not one of those times. The bastards inside with Headshot may not have directly hurt the girl they were getting revenge for but they also had no problems profiting off her gruesome demise. You didn't have to be a judge to see that they were all guilty.
"Our target's headshot. But that doesn't mean we can't do this city a favor."
Jackie knew right away what she meant and his grin told V that he'd be along for the ride. She watched him plant a kiss of good luck on both of his handguns while she gave the rear door a push. The entryway creaked open to reveal nothing but a dim interior, dust floating through the air while scattered debris littered the floor in the form of rusted machinery and broken chunks of the ceiling. Without the knowledge granted through hacking the cams this place looked no different from any of the dozens of empty structures that populated the city. But they knew better than that, V's eyes now switching to a soft orange as both she and Jackie began to creep inside. The shift in hue this time gave her all the advantages of a primal stalker while matching the intimidating appearance of one. Though the world around her was still dark her optics made it so she could read the room clearly. Jackie meanwhile had no such technical advantages and instead followed her closely, trusting in her not to lead him astray. The irony of the moment was not lost on V who had placed what little faith she had after losing her old life in Jackie's hands. But there was no need to comment on that now, not while they hunted.
V stopped when they reached a heavy looking door that stood on the building's far right side. Giving a knob a twist she let out a silent thanks that this one creaked far less than last for she knew that below Maelstrom awaited. With Jackie on her heels she took each step one by one, ears straining to detect even the most remote sound. Conversely the further they went the more light was on offer as down here there was no need to maintain the appearance of this place being abandoned. The Maelstromers hadn't wasted anytime in setting up shop. Lights, speakers blasting punk rock, and of course the whirring of their various machine appendages echoing the space around them. Somewhere in the chaotic mishmash of sounds V was able to make out a gravelly voice speaking,
"I'm telling you choom if you wanna upgrade now's the time. Doc Headshot's a fucking whiz. Set me up with some real wicked shit and tomorrow I've already set myself up for a whole skeleton job. Full metal motherfucker."
Once reaching the bottom of the steps V caught sight of both the speaker and the man he was talking to. Both of them the typical Maelstrom crowd, protruding pieces of chrome from out of their bodies, sores developing around where metal had been implanted over flesh. She had no idea how they could stand to look at themselves in the mirror let alone walk around with that kind of gear. But she learned long ago that the kind of gonks that hooked up with a crew like Maelstrom didn't have much in the way of brains to begin with and whatever they had was replaced with chrome long ago.
"No shit? Suppose it's about time I got a tune up. Could get the next …"
"Hell yeah! I hear the new one's got a HURK !"
The gangbangers words were cut short as V wrapped her arm around his throat while at the same time Jackie grabbed his friend. CRACK! All it took was one hard twist and the gangster's neck was snapped and his body went limp. Reinforced tendons made the killing blow easy and while V would never end up like one of these chromed out psychos she could admit that her job would be significantly harder were it not for her own tech. Lowering the body gently to the ground V turned to signal Jackie that it was time to continue. That was until her blood ran cold as she looked forward to see her partner's gun aiming right for her.
"Jackie what are you…"
Before she could finish the question she heard the growl behind her and turned around just in time to see another Malestromer's head explode right in front of her face. Blood and bit of skull scattered across the room, the former coating V's cheek as the now headless corpse collapsed to its knees before falling completely to the floor. The sound of the gunshot echoed in V's ears as the realization came that Jackie was aiming past her. He had saved her life. Again.
"Thank me later chica! We got company!"
Jackie's own voice ripped V out from her trance as her eyes darted to the hallway where she watched two more Malestromer's emerge. The first one armed with a double barrel while his friend beared down on them wielding a spiked baseball bat.
"BLOOD AND CHROME!"
The batter attempted to take off V's head with one brutal swing but now that her attention had been brought to the attackers she would not be such easy prey. Ducking underneath the attack she drew her handgun once more and placed the barrel dead center into the gonk's chest before pulling the trigger four times. The lead ripped through his body while she pushed him forward, using his staggering form as cover while she closed the distance to the shotgun wielding bastard still in the doorway. A solid play as when the gangster did let loose his volley of lead the only meat it hit was that of his alley's back, bringing the now lead filled gangster to let out one more weak cry of anguish before the life drained from his body. Seconds later his companion would be joining him since before his body even hit the floor V had let loose two more shots. The first one whizzed past the gunner while the second made contact with his throat. The gangster could only let out a gurgled plea that fell on deaf ears as V planted one last shot right between his eyes. In total there were four bodies in the room, half of what V had spotted during her scouting with the camera.
"At least 4 more. Cover me while I reload."
V crouched and switched magazines while Jackie watched the doorway. Nobody approached and once satisfied that her weapon was resupplied V sent over a nod Jackie's way. The big man took the hint right away and peeked his head into the doorway.
"Hola! You in their Headshot? Or should I call Richard?"
"WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?!"
Jackie winked down at V who switched to a prone position. Crawling along the ground she made use of Jackie's distraction, keeping her eyes forward while her partner continued to taunt their target.
"Friend of your ex. Well her pops anyway. I wanted to thank you, pendejo. Sometimes when I kill people it keeps me up at night wondering if they deserved it. But you man? Heh, I ain't gotta worry about nothing."
V paused as she reached the end of the hallway. The door where Headshot's voice was calling from was only cracked open, preventing her from seeing all the way inside. With her head pressed up against the floor V squinted confirming that aside from the doc himself two more of his fellow gonks were standing there with him. Preparing for a final stand and likely trying to wake up their friend to make it a five on two.
"GO TO HELL! NOBODY KILLS HEADSHOT!"
V dug into her pocket and grinned as she felt the flash grenade stashed away in there. Still lying on the floor she pulled the pin and slid it where the door was opened. V could only make out a single sound of confusion on the other side of the door before she covered her own ears. Seconds later she heard the deafening bang of the grenade going off and with that hopped up to her feet and kicked open the door. All three men in there were clutching their ears, shouting to one another in spite of all of them being far too dazed to hear any of it. V made short work of the guards, a round each in their heads which saw them fall in pathetic heaps to the floor. Headshot meanwhile, would get a less quick conclusion.
"Jackie! Get in here."
V hardly needed to shout, her partner was in there within seconds with now both of them watching the still shaken Headshot try to get his bearings back. V smirked and pointed her thumb at the quivering excuse for a ripperdoc.
"How much did you say we were getting for this gig?"
Jackie cocked his head from side to side as if to jog the memory out from his head.
"Padre said 13gs."
"Perfect. A bullet for each grand. You do the honors."
Jackie smirked and took aim with both guns.
BAM. BAM. BAM. BAM. BAM. BAM. BAM. BAM. BAM. BAM. BAM. BAM. BAM.
Headshot laid dead on the floor with more than a dozen new holes pumped into his chest. And not a single one to the head.
Two hours later V sat in the car with Jackie driving beside her. In the center console between them was a wad of Eurodollars that totalled out at 13,000. A very good haul for a single day's work. The Padre was pleased with their efforts. A righteous cause was satisfied and the father of that young woman would now rest in peace. Fairy tale endings were a myth in Night City but what they'd accomplished was the next best thing.
"You're one scary chica when you wanna be V. 'A bullet for each grand'."
Jackie whistled to himself while they waited at a red light, his eyes on the road ahead. V herself chuckled and brought her legs up so that both knees were tucked up against her chest in the passenger seat. Jackie looked over her just long enough to send a wink her way.
"And I thought you were just in this for the cash. Talk like that makes it sound like you're interested in building a name for yourself."
V shook her head and looked at herself in the rear view mirror. The woman looking back was different from the suit that she'd been in just a few months ago. This woman was just as fierce and could be just as cold. Yet she had one thing that miserable bitch never even thought to dream of. Freedom. The kind that lets you write your own destiny.
"Yeah? And so what if I am? If it just took a few one liners to end up at the Afterlife then you'd have joined their illustrious ranks years ago."
Jackie laughed and shrugged his shoulders. Once the light was green the car moved forward while he kept one hand on the wheel and the other on the seat behind V.
"Guilty as charged. And you're right but we're on the road you know. We're getting a rep. Other day I even got a call from Wakako."
That brought a more genuine smile to V's lips than the more casual smirk that had been there before.
"The Lady of Westbrook Estate? You kidding me?"
Jackie laughed and shook his head, moving his head to place it over his chest in a show of sincerity.
"God as my witness chica. The big leagues better keep an eye out for you and me. This whole city is gonna know our names. Speaking of which…"
Jackie sent a side glance to V that she could quickly recognize. Her smile faded slightly while she shook her head.
"Don't Jackie. It's a good moment. Leave it at that."
V could see the emotions in his face. Her nickname was more than just that. Jackie knew about some of the skeletons in her closet but that was only scratching her surface. She could trust him with her life every day of the week if need be but her identity was different. Personal. Just as she could see the curiosity in her eyes he must have seen the hope in hers that brought him to drop the topic.
"Fine. What about…ah shit."
V followed his gaze and looked out the window before letting out an audible groan at the sight before her. Police standing on the bridge separating Watson off from the rest of the city. The damnable district felt as though it had a lockdown every other week. She'd already been looking for alternative living spots but nothing had come up yet which meant that once again she'd spend another night without her own bed.
"What you wanna do?"
Jackie looked at V for an answer but she only let out a sigh in response. Waiting the emergency out was always a choice but the badges never spilled any of the details. Things could be closed for the next hour or the next week.
"You mind swinging by a No-Tell? I'll just spend the night there and call an autocab in the morning."
Jackie gave her a nod and reversed away from the barricade. Minutes later they'd arrived at the motel, this one looking just as seedy as all the rest of its kind. Crummy or not it did have a bed and a shower and given that V had to wipe off the blood on her face with a few napkins Jackie kept in the glovebox the latter sounded like heaven. Opening the center console V took out the wads of Euros that were her own, tucking them away in her pocket.
"I'll see ya later Jackie…"
Only as she spoke he was already switching off the car.
"Mind if I come up with ya? Haven't pissed this century"
V chuckled at the crudeness of the request but didn't deny him. Instead she simply stood, walking inside while slipping a bill out from the rest of the bundle and pocketing the rest. There was no clerk at the front desk, merely a screen which gave her a few different rooms on offer. V opted for the largest and slid the money inside. Seconds later the machine burped out her key and she was moving once again with Jackie by her side.
"Haven't been to one of these places in a while. Actually last time it was with these two chicks with these crazy…"
V raises her hand to silence him just as they reached the room.
"Ah ah. Save it. I need to sleep in one of these beds and the last thing I need to think about is whatever the hell you got up to."
Jackie wore his usual grin as V let him inside. The place room surprisingly wasn't as bad as she had anticipated in that there weren't actual cockroaches crawling all over the floors and the walls weren't stained with any substance that the naked eye could pick up.
"Oh it was wild. Promise you won't tell Mama about it?"
V failed to bite back her chuckle and pushed Jackie towards the opposite end of the room where an open door led into the bathroom.
"Go take a piss before I change my mind."
But Jackie didn't move to the bathroom. Instead he stood there, looking at her in the eyes with that usual smile on his face. His look however wasn't as playful as it usually was. It was softer, more tender. More than V could begin to process as she suddenly felt him wrap his arms around her, his hand pressed against her lower back which was still exposed thanks to the hole the fence had ripped into her top.
"Okay I'll come clean. I was lying before. About taking a piss I mean. I really did come here with two chicks before."
V let out a laugh but it was one born more out of nerves or perhaps at the surreal nature of what was happening. Jackie Welles. Her partner. Her rock. Her best friend. If she didn't know any better he was…
V didn' have to suspect his intentions any longer as just as she opened her mouth to reply he leaned in and planted his lips around hers. At the same time he pulled her body against his. She could feel his warmth through his clothes. His muscles, born mostly from genuine labors rather than cybernetics. She could smell the strange mix of gunpowder and cologne. Taste his tongue…
That was all she could take. Only a moment after their lips met her hands where against his chest and she delivered a hard push. In spite of her being smaller than him her reinforced joints more than made up for the size differential, sending him stumbling backwards against the wall. Jackie let out a groan once he made contact, earning a gasp from V as she quickly hurried over to him.
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to push you that hard."
Jackie chuckled half heartedly, shaking his head while still leaning against the wall to steady himself.
"No, I get it. Came on a little hard there huh…"
V could feel something tearing inside her. Things had changed forever in just a single stupid moment. How could she fail to see this coming? There had to have been signs. Was she being ignorant on purpose? Or was she really that thickheaded?
"J-Jackie look its…"
Now it was Jackie's turn to raise his hand and buy her silence.
"Don't gotta give me that speech chica. Heard it plenty before. But listen…"
Before he could continue the sound of his pad filled the awkward silence of the room. Digging into his pocket he produced the still ringing object and sighed as he read the screen.
"Look at that. The Lady calling on us already. Wonder what she could want."
Jackie looked up to V while she prayed he couldn't see the regret in her eyes. If he noticed he hid it well while he turned away from her.
"I should go take this."
V could only watch him walk towards the door leaving her alone with her thoughts. And no idea in hell what to do with them.