Author's Notes

I have to issue a trigger warning for this one. This chapter contains some subjects that will bump the story's rating up to M. Be prepared for sexual assault, pedophilia and suicide.

Saturday - May 14th

"Fuck! Vik, that hurt…"

Pain spiked through V's arm as sparks burst from exposed wiring. The old Ripper Doc grunted with amusement. His motions didn't stop even under the solo's protests. "Replacing a nerve regulator does that, kid. Quit your squirming, this shit's delicate."

Viktor Vektor made a few more adjustments before leaning back and allowing V to rest.

V herself was stuck in an awkward position, laid flat on her stomach on a surgical cot designed for back surgery. Her arm was held up by a mechanised rig and had been disassembled to its bare cybernetic skeleton. This was part of chrome upkeep that she hated. Especially when it involved nerve regulators.

Morgana's completely horrified expression when Vik first started to disassemble the arm brought at least a little comfort.

"Where have you been, anyway? No one's been able to contact you since last week!"

"Would you believe me if I said Judy, River and I had been trapped in an alternate reality?" From her current position, all V could see was the thin slice of floor through the padded headrest. So if Vik had reacted, V couldn't tell.

All she heard was a chuckle. "I'd say you've finally gone Cyberpsycho, but you've gone through some weird shit." He shifted around and began the process of reassembling V's arm. "Well whatever, arm's fixed. What did you in? A damn broadsword?"

"More like a gladius."

Once all was said and done, V was glad to sit up and finally feel movement in her arm.

On the other side of Vik's workshop, Judy and Morgana had perched themselves on a pile of storage boxes. The cat was first to notice V had finished. He hopped down and quickly padded towards V.

Viktor raised an eyebrow. "I thought you had a sphynx cat?"

"That's Nibbles. This is Morgana. It's a long story." V nodded to the black cat who had leapt onto the cot, taking a seat next to her. "Say hi, Mona."

"You know he can't understand me, right?" Morgana rolled his eyes as he retorted. Vik may not have understood him, but he could still hear the meowing. The man gave a surprised laugh, thinking the cat was actually saying hello.

"Smart little fucker, eh?" He gently gave Mona's head a quick pat.

Morgana was outwardly protesting the touch, but as V had grown to know, the cat secretly loved any kind of attention.

"Anyway, anything major happened we need to know about?"

"Nothing earth shattering. Crime rate is still in the stratosphere. Gangs are still at each other's throats. The corps are still doing their whole thing. Mayor Paralez is doing his best with what he's got. Which ain't a lot."

V scoffed. "Night City is as Night City does."

It was oddly good to hear that nothing had really changed. Partially for familiarity's sake but partially because it meant Arasaka hadn't made any major moves yet. In the severely weakened state it was, the little they had accomplished was very concerning. But right now, V took solace in the feeling of home.

With the repairs out of the way and paid for, it was time to return home and get some much needed rest.

Fatigue still held a grip over both V and Judy so the journey home felt like an eternity. All the while Morgana had nestled himself in V's backpack, complaining about how filthy everything was.

Finally, they reached V and Judy's apartment. Its higher standard of luxury was a complete opposite to the streets below.

It was sleek and clean, save for a few fast food boxes still left on the counter. The cat looked around and held a genuine expression of awe. "You live here?" He couldn't believe it. V rolled her eyes and dumped the bag on a side counter. Honestly, the apartment was more Judy's than hers. V's line of work usually kept her away from home for days at a time.

"I did my time living on the streets," V shrugged as she went about fixing drinks. "I think Judy and I deserve some creature comforts."

"You… lived on the streets? In that trash?"

"I did." Her tone was flat. She chugged the volume of tequila before eyeing the cat. "I'm a street rat. Never knew my parents." Judy also chugged her own glass and gently patted V's shoulder. "I wasn't alone. Had family and some good chooms. One in particular."

"To Jackie." Judy raised her glass and took another big gulp.

Judy didn't know Jackie personally, but she did have a deep respect for the guy. After V had told her everything about him, stories of when they were kids, stories of their work together as edgerunners, she had formed a solid opinion on him. He was a good man.

V joined the toast and added; "and to Vince and Evvy."

Meanwhile, Morgana had to make do with a bowl of syn-milk. The taste clearly disagreed with him. He allowed the women their moment of quiet contemplation and did his best to keep down the milk. Finally, he had enough and pushed it aside. "Where did River go?"

"Probably marchin' to his death!" Judy jested with a smirk. Mona's shocked open jaw put a stop to her giggles. "Nah, he's gone back to his sister and her kids. Bein' gone for a week must'a spooked 'em 'cause his Holo was drowned in messages."

"Ours too, babe. Your boss is pretty pissed. I mean… more pissed than usual."

"At least Suzie ain't a Fixer. Good luck with Rogue."

Finally, the trio had settled down as night fell.

It was a calm change of pace as they flipped through news channels and ate syn-pizza. Even if Morgana occasionally complained about wanting to go home every so often, it was still nice. There was plenty to do and people to contact, but all that could wait for the morning. Right now, all V wanted to do was spend a night with her girlfriend without the ever looming stress of being stuck in an alternate reality.

It seemed Judy was in much the same mood as that night, sleep was the last thing on both their minds.

Morgana - not wanting to be anywhere near the noises - had taken to laying on the balcony outside. Overlooking the vast expanse of Night City, the cat took it all in. The distant sounds of thumping music, the occasional gunshot ringing through the air, the scent of gasoline. It was all so different from the world he had come to know.

Although it was terrifying, it was also intriguing. Such a different way of life. It was dark and dirty but it was alive. Thriving.

It might not have been Morgana's cup of tea, but at least he was able to see how V liked the place. Or perhaps 'like' wasn't the correct phrase. V seemed to both love and hate Night City. Paradoxically enough.

His thoughts were abruptly interrupted by a strange purring.

He gasped in shock as the lithe form of a hairless cat rubbed itself against him. "Wha!" He recoiled from the cat's touch. Unphased, it purred and rubbed the side of its face against Mona's neck. "Who… are you?" He received no response other than the lazy blinking of large round eyes.

The cat's motions repeated a few more times before it began to nestle itself beside him. It let out a large open mouthed yawn and began to gently sniff Mona's fur.

The black cat had absolutely no clue what was going on and wasn't sure if he liked it. Still, the only alternative was going back inside and subjecting himself to the drunken noises of two rowdy women in the heat of passion. That definitely was not an option. So, he let a sigh through his nostrils.

"At least you're warm…"

A familiar feeling gripped at V.

Familiar, yet very unwelcome.

She opened her eyes to see Felix's laidback grin behind the mesh of his little kiosk.

She had arrived at the firing range.

She grunted and shot a glare at Felix. "It's good to see you," he spoke slowly, knowing full well V didn't share the sentiment. "You've attained the means of travelling between worlds. Sooner than expected."

"Uh huh…" She leant against the counter of her booth, "is this the part where you spout some cryptic gonk shit filled with thinly veiled threats?"

The man chuckled. "Ah, as fun as that sounds, no." V's brow furrowed as suspicion set in. "Quite the opposite, actually. I've brought you here to grant a certain blessing." Not giving V a chance to retort, Felix made a vague gesture. Out from a door labelled 'Staff Only', a woman emerged.

Long white hair framed a delicate pale face. Her golden eyes seemed to shimmer as she moved with grace like a professional dancer. A deep azure Solo jacket sat comfortably over her shoulders. Below was a stylised Netrunner body suit with the same blue as her jacket. It was almost otherworldly how beautiful she was. In her hands, she held a simple wooden box.

"This is my attendant, Celine."

The woman bowed with a silent gesture.

V could feel the prickling of a faint blush dusting her cheeks. Clearing her throat and shoving the slight embarrassment back down, she reciprocated the bow. It seemed the afterglow from earlier was still burning bright.

Celine opened the box to reveal three data-shards.

"These are tools that you and your comrades can use to gain easier control over the powers granted to you via the contracts you've made." Felix explained as Celine handed the box over to V. "You've been told of Personas, yes? Well, these shards synthetically replicate that power when in the Metaverse. Though do be warned, these shards have limited storage."

"Jesus Christ…" V shook the murky haze of alcohol from her mind and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Can this whole shit show get any more gonk?"

Felix leant back in his seat and chuckled.

The merc scowled. "Alright, fine. Act all smug. Who says I have any plans on going back to that reality anyway?"

"We both know you fully intend on going back."

"Fuck you."

Unfortunately, he had her there. Even if she didn't want to admit it, she felt almost compelled to return.

The two fell into a silence as Celine quietly walked back into the Staff Only door. Honestly, the whole conversation was grating against V's good mood. She took some deep breaths and let the tension in her body slowly relax. "Fine, whatever. But it's just me going back. I'm not going to put Judy or River in any more danger."

Another lackadaisy chuckle.

Another scowl.

"We shall see." Felix's eyes closed as he bowed his head in an almost solemn motion. The sudden shift in his tone puzzled the merc. "Reality awaits. I suggest you prepare yourself. Gather your strength for the coming struggles."

Again, without even giving V a chance to retort, Felix clicked a finger and sent her senses into shutdown.

Constantly getting thrown about planes of existences against her will was starting to piss her off.

Sunday - May 15th

Large feline eyes curiously studied V as she rooted through various cabinets, crates and boxes.

Morgana's tail lazily curled and flicked. He lay in prime loaf position atop a workshop counter. After V had opened up a hidden room in the apartment, his curiosity needed satiating. Thankfully, the woman wasn't against him watching. In fact, she actually welcomed it.

As it turned out, the hidden room was a personal armoury stocked to the brim with firearms of all kinds.

It was an amazing sight.

The two even joked about how Lynn would have exploded if she saw it.

"So… all these are yours?" Mona asked as V began her first task; taking inventory.

"Most of them, yeah." Her motions were practised and efficient as she checked each firearm. "Judy has her own decent collection. She doesn't like me touching them, though." She giggled as she pointed to a display case decorated with various Mox related decals. Most notable was a long strip stuck near to the top. The words Keep Out, V was followed by a scowling cartoon skull. "The girl is so protective over the weirdest things."

A loud thunk startled the cat. V had not so gently placed a large ammunition case on the floor and was now placing round after round into it.

"Why do you need all of this? Isn't just one gun enough?"

"Ha! Sweet innocent baby." That was V's only answer to that particular question. Although it only managed to earn her a mildly agitated groan. "Pass that box, would you?" She pointed to a heavy looking toolbox sat on the other side of the counter.

Morgana's silence seemed to amuse the merc. She shook her head and retrieved the box herself.

"Forgot you were a cat for a second."

"I am not a-"

"Yeah, yeah. No need to get hissy."

As V went about her next task; cleaning and maintenance, she occasionally mumbled under her breath. Much like Lynn when she was working on her airsoft guns.

"You were getting close to Nibbles last night. Something I should know?"

Morgana yelped and hissed. He immediately picked up on the incinuation and did not like it one bit. "Hey, it's not like I wanted to be trapped on the balcony with some strange alley cat."

All V could do was laugh. "Hey, I ain't one to judge. I say good on you. Nibbles is a keeper."

"Nothing happened!"

"Riiiight."

The snarky remarks and light teasing faded, much to Mona's joy. Quietly and methodically V went about cleaning her pieces. The clicking and sliding sounds were oddly calming. So much so, Morgana could feel his eyes getting heavier.

That was until another loud noise shook him awake. The sound of sliding metal and the ka-chunk of a bolt action receiver.

In V's hands sat one of the largest rifles Mona had ever seen.

Granted he hadn't really seen many firearms until now.

Long, thick and covered in decals. The rifle looked like it packed one hell of a punch and it did. They didn't slap the 'Anti-Tank' label on it for nothing. "Like what you see?" V smirked at Mona's sheer awe. "It's a customised Grad. A gift from a Nomad friend of mine. I'd love to take it with me… but it's a bit much." Back into a display mounting the rifle went.

Morgana couldn't help but think the only reason V allowed him to watch was because she wanted to show off.

"Oh yeah, Lynn was looking for a replacement for Ann's iron, right?"

"I… think so? It's kind of hard keeping up with her when she gets going."

A screen mounted to the wall blinked to life. The merc wasted no time tapping away at a nearby keyboard. Various bits of text scrawled itself over the monitor accompanied by images and technical looking gibberish. It was complete nonsense to Morgana. The only clear understandable thing was the image of a pistol.

"Lexington. Small nine mill round. Easy to use, easy to fire. Weight compensator for easier recoil control. Quick slide magwell for faster reloads. Perfect for Ann's style." V clicked a button and a large machine whirred to life. Parts moved and sounds filled the room. "I'll add some personal touches because why the fuck not." She chuckled as another few minutes were spent tapping away.

Mona watched as shapes began to form behind a thick glass display on the side of the machine. As if being printed into life.

Minutes passed as the shapes - or parts - were then quickly assembled. Metal arms manipulated and screwed each part meticulously together. Gradually, the pistol took shape. "A bit of hot-rod red. A decal here aaaand…" with a final keystroke, the machine finished the assembly and began the painting process.

The pistol had gone from a standard gunmetal grey to a vibrant red and black piece. A cartoonish looking paw print was stamped on its side and finally the word 'Panther.'

"That should do it."

As interesting as watching the process was, Morgana narrowed his eyes. He let a suspicious huff fill his lungs. "You're… giving her a real gun?"

V laughed, shaking her head. "It's a real piece of iron, yeah," Morgana rose to his feet and was immediately ready to argue. The merc put a stop with a quick hand to the cat's forehead. "Relax. I was a lot younger than Ann when I first picked up iron. Besides, she's not going to be using it outside of the Metaverse."

"That's not the point!" Mona recoiled from the touch and glared at the woman.

V shrugged.

"You want the kids to have all the advantages they can get, right?"

Mona remained tense for a further few seconds as he thought it over. Eventually, he relaxed. "Yeah… I suppose you're right." He groaned in defeat and settled back down in his previous position. "You better teach her how to use it properly, though."

"Of course. I'm not a complete gonk."

Once again, the two fell into silence as V took the newly fabricated gun and performed an inspection. Happy with the outcome, she set it to the side along with an assortment of other objects.

"You… mentioned you were younger than Lady Ann when you first held a gun?"

V's movements stopped for a fraction of a second. "I was." The flat tone had returned. "Thirteen years old."

"I… see." Mona's head dipped in an odd sense of guilt. By the tone and her body language, whatever had happened wasn't a pleasant memory. He wanted to ask more, but wasn't sure if he had any business too. He made a couple of attempts to voice his curiosity but stopped himself each time.

His hesitance had earned a telling growl of irritation. "You don't need to pussy around it. Spin it, choom."

The cat sighed. "What happened?"

The gunshot was deafening.

The resulting ring in Valorie's ears refused to fade. It completely drowned out the pouring rain battering her bare torso.

Her hands shook as she gripped the pistol. Her breathing felt erratic as her adrenaline pumped ten to the dozen. In front of her, the adult man stumbled back, groaning and gargling. A built man with tactical gear covering his body. Eventually, his legs buckled and he crumpled to the ground with a wet thud. His strained breathing stopped and his body fell limp.

The man was dead.

"Fuck…" Valorie muttered. The cold and rain blew and slashed at her skin which was now speckled with bruises and the occasional cut. "Fuck, fuck, fuck…"

She dropped the gun and backed away from the body.

The kickback she felt from the gunshot still shook at her arms. It was like hitting one of Vince's baseball pitches, only much, much stronger.

The alley she was in was like most others in Night City. Filthy and covered in trash. Maybe it was enough to hide the body and mask the scent for a while. Valorie wasn't thinking straight. She had just killed someone. She grabbed her ripped shirt, tried her best to put its remnants back on and then dragged the heavy body at least partially into a nearby pile of trash bags.

Once that had been accomplished, she ran out into the streets.

She should never have left Heywood alone. She should never have believed the man who offered her all the eddies she could possibly dream of. She should never have gotten into that damn car.

Her head felt light as she ran. As though she was drunk. She could barely focus, causing her to run into people, street lights, garbage cans and other obstacles.

She needed to get back to Heywood.

She needed Vincent.

She needed Jackie.

Out of breath and soaked to the bone, Valorie burst into the squat she and her brother currently called home. Several other street kids were also there and a few older folks unofficially in charge of guardianship. They gasped and stared at her as she fell to the ground in a heap.

"The fuck, Val! You ok?" Vince's usual calm tone was now urgent and demanding. Valorie felt his hand gently press against her back. "Someone get a fuckin' blanket!"

The next few minutes seemed to blur together as people shifted things around and prepared measures to warm the frail girl up. A barrel fire was first to get going. Then came unwashed rags that served as blankets. Finally, she was given a heated mug of water with some scrounged up syn-coffee dumped into it.

"The fuck happened, Val? You look like you went the distance with Razor…"

"I… just killed someone."

Silence fell over the gathered crowd. Then muttering among the younger kids. "Who? And why?" Vince's regular calming tone had thankfully returned and Val slowly began to gain control of her breathing.

She struggled to gather her thoughts and memories, trying to remember every detail that wasn't the shock of the gun's kickback.

"I… d-don't know his name. He was offering a job… paid fuck tons…" she sipped at the barely flavoured bean water. "I t-think he was… 6th Street."

Immediately, a few of the older folks began to grumble and mutter. "The fuck you doin' dealing with those assholes?" One of them growled. An ex-'Tino. Valorie's grip tightened on the steaming cup as the man's tone grew a little too aggressive for her comfort. Thankfully, Vince quelled the growing unrest with a disarming gesture.

"Eddies! Why else? He was offerin' enough to feed us all for a year!"

The adults settled down fully once she spoke.

"What was the job? Drug running?"

She shook her head. "No idea. We didn't get that far. I don't even think there was a job…" she paused and stared down at her reflection. Her left eye was already beginning to swell and bruise. "Once I was in his ride, he sort'a tried to get close. He complimented me. Touched me."

"I see."

Valorie felt Vince's grip tighten on her shoulder. His understanding of the situation had set in and a quiet fury had bubbled up to the surface.

"So I tried to run," she continued, "he managed to rip my shirt off as I tried to get out of the car. I ran. He cornered me. Beat me. Threatened to zero me. We fought until I got his iron."

"So you shot him."

She nodded.

"Good." Flat and to the point. "You did the right thing."

Despite her shivering and heavy breathing, Val had yet to actually cry. It was like the swelling had sealed her tears away. Perhaps that was a small blessing. The added sting of salty tears probably would have sent her over the edge completely.

Everyone seemed to agree with Vince, yet the air was still filled with a strange apprehension.

This wasn't just going to go away.

6th Street never let things like this go. There was going to be more blood in the water, that was for sure. Whose it was and when it was going to be spilled was the only thing up in the air.

Despite that, this was Heywood and Valorie was a daughter of the street.

A peaceful quiet fell over the squat. The fire crackled and an old man had brought out his old guitar, strumming gently. A tune danced through the air that helped to set Val's mind at some kind of ease. A few of the kids had started to sing along the best they could. It was only a half remembered rendition of some old rock song, but it was nice.

"I saw in you what life was missin'. You lit a flame that consumed my hate…"

Sadly the peace was unceremoniously shattered as several adults burst into the squat and began yelling. Screaming and ordering. They were all dressed in military-esque gear and quite clearly held allegiance to 6th Street. They were also heavily armed and openly flaunting their chrome.

"Everyone fuckin' on the ground!"

One of the older kids - a boy in his late teens - made a motion for his own gun. The ganger nearest to him was far too quick. As though slipping into hyperspeed, the goon shot forward and decked the boy in the jaw. Everyone could hear the sickening crunch of bone.

"The Garcia bitch. Where the fuck is she!?"

V took a deep breath. Her story had stopped and for a solid minute, she didn't say anything else.

Morgana had remained silent as V told her tale. The mortified expression he had developed had only grown as things progressed. This definitely was not what he had expected. Granted, he didn't know what he expected. Understandably, V didn't seem like she wanted to continue. So, Mona simply waited for her to speak again.

"So yeah, my brother got flatlined as a result of my gonk ass."

"It wa-"

"Stop right there." V threw up a hand, cutting the cat off. "Heard that one a million times. It was my fault and I've made peace with it."

"V…" Morgana trailed off and accepted his defeat.

The woman had already made up her mind and Morgana was just another notch on the list of people who wanted to change it.

V shrugged and turned back to what she was doing. "Life isn't fair. If it was, I bet Lynn would never have gotten arrested." Next on her list of tasks was the disassembling of older looking pieces in her collection. "I'm not going to let anyone else suffer because of me."

"Then you're more of a gonk than I thought."

Judy's voice earned a blood curdling shriek. A noise that V had never made before. "Judy!? Jesus fucking Christ!" She spun around and glared at her girlfriend. The tech-wizard wasn't smirking or giggling like V had expected. She was frowning and was glaring straight back at her. "What do you mean?"

"You said you don't want anyone else to suffer 'cause of you?" Judy almost seemed to scoff. "Do y' know how it makes me feel every single time you walk out of the door? Not knowin' if you're gonna come back through it? It hurts."

V fell silent.

"How single minded can you fuckin' be?"

"Maybe I should… leave…" Morgana muttered as he slinked out of the armoury. As uncomfortable as the atmosphere was anyway, the addition of a lovers quarrel only made it more imperative he make himself scarce.

"Jude…"

"You have it in your head that if it's just you that suffers, everythin' is peachy. That is fuckin' stupid." Though harsh, Judy's tone wasn't hostile. Though piercing, her gaze wasn't persecuting. "That ain't how life works. Torturin' yourself is not protectin' anyone. It's like you don't have any faith in your friends. Do you think we can't handle ourselves?"

"That's… not it."

"Then what is? You had people to help you when Johnny was killin' you. People who care for you, but you just ignored all of 'em and ran off alone. Fuck, V, you had an entire clan of Nomads that had promised to help you. Yet nothin'."

"I didn't want anyone to die because of me again!" V slammed a fist onto the counter and left a small dent in the metal. "No matter how long I spent sitting on that damn rooftop thinking about it, I couldn't see any other option that didn't involve putting someone I love at risk. Johnny was my problem. No one else's."

"It wasn't just about Johnny, damn it!" Judy's temper finally flared. "You went off alone. You never intended to come back. You attempted to fuckin' kill yourself. Just like Evvy. You were goin' to abandon me. Just like Evvy. You were goin' to leave me alone again. Just. Like. Evvy."

Those final three words felt like a hammer on a nail.

V could feel the rising tension bubbling up in her chest. She wanted to scream and deny everything. She wanted to climb. Anything to get out of her own head. Her thoughts were a jumbled mess and - not for the first time - trying to form coherent thoughts proved almost impossible. "I don't know what the fuck you want me to say. We've had this argument before. We've been down this road. What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to let us in! For fuck sake, V!" Judy's built up anger vanished in the blink of an eye. What replaced it was something akin to desperation. At least that's what it seemed like. Her eyes glistened, threatening tears. "You charge ahead with no fucks given for your own ass. Always doin' fucked up shit to help other people. Never yourself. It's killin' you. Literally."

As if to add to her point, V began a short coughing fit. As if her own body was trying to side with Judy. Even the biometrics that briefly popped up in her vision was screaming at her. Frustration bloomed.

Still, V felt the desperate need to keep moving forward. She was determined to not lose anyone else. Especially Judy.

"Do ya know why I agreed to go on that job with you?"

The merc took a long breath and shook her head.

"It's 'cause, for once, I wanted to make sure you came back." Judy seemed to have had enough of the argument. She began to leave with a defeated lag to her step. Before she left completely, she turned back adding; "I… love you."

V had been left in stunned silence.

Judy's parting words were so heavy. It felt like Adam Smasher had returned from the grave to personally punch her in the gut.

Had she really given up? Was her solo assault really just a suicide that didn't go to plan? What was she even doing anymore? Johnny was gone, her brain was slowly turning to mush and her entire grasp on reality had taken a high yield rocket to the face.

Who was she anymore? V didn't even recognise herself.

"Fuck me…"

"Auntie V! Look! It's Auntie V!"

All but immediately stepping off her bike, V was swarmed by children. Their dusty faces beaming up at her. She smiled and shielded her eyes from the blazing sun.

"Damn, kids! You've grown!"

The Badlands hadn't changed much since the last time she visited. Harsh, dusty and unforgiving. Dakota's garage was a small sanctuary, yet the place still wasn't what one would call homely. Even still, a small shanty town had started to form around the garage. Corrugated metal shacks, trailers, tents. The works.

The merc walked deeper into the compound, doing her best to placate the kids. Mainly with head pats and the occasional high-five.

Mona watched with avid curiosity from his perch on her shoulder.

After fearing for his life within her backpack as they sped through NC on V's inherited Arch, the calmer pace was incredibly welcome. He was glad he couldn't reach those speeds when in the Metaverse.

"Is Pam around?" V asked one of the older kids. The boy thought for a second before pointing to one of the larger garage buildings.

"New rides! They're max nova, I swear! She's givin' 'em tune ups with Mama Dakota."

With that, she bid the kids to move on. She had to quell the protests of the younger kids with the promise that she'd stay for the night's races and dinner. She broke from the crowd and waved them off.

Inside was a cacophony of mechanical noises, banging, sparking and talking. Just barely audible over the noise was an old beat up radio doing its best to pump out Samizdat Radio. Albeit not very clearly. The woman of V's interest was - as usual - bent over the popped hood of a beefy looking ride undergoing heavy modifications.

Panam Palmer, the current leader of the Aldecaldo branch residing in Night City.

She was currently hard at work with an arc welder and wore a protective visor blocking her vision.

Overseeing Panam's work was the mature and wise figure of Dakota, the Badlands' top Fixer and owner of the garage. She was the first to notice V's arrival and waved her over.

"Good tidings, Sister." She nodded and nudged Panam. Off came the welding mask to reveal the sweat drenched, agitated face of a pissed off Nomad.

"I assume the mods aren't going well?" V's smirk crept along her lips. If V knew Panam, whatever was happening was likely going to be taken out on a poor old engine. She scowled and slammed the ride's hood closed.

"Hey, V." Here came the rant. "Fuckin' Saul's sent us a bunch of junk, expecting us to… I don't fucking know, perform some ritual sacrifice to the Machine Gods or something. Wants them all modded and tuned by next week. Then wants them carted off back to him." With irritable motions, the Nomad threw her visor and tools onto a nearby work surface. "I swear to fuck, if one more thing goes wrong, I'm going to strangle someone."

"I'll be sure to keep safe of the blast radius, then."

"Where's your other half, anyway? You two are usually joined at the hip."

V grunted and froze for a millisecond. The morning's argument still rattled through her head. Her distraction leaked into her voice as for the briefest of moments, her voice actually shook. "She's at Lizzie's Bar. Probably getting chewed out by Suzie."

Panam snorted. She allowed a brief moment of amusement to flash across her features. "I sense trouble in paradise. Anyway, you here for socials or biz?"

"Biz, I'm afraid."

The Nomad rolled her eyes and shot a sneer. "Of course. Spin it."

"Think you could get me some comms equipment? Strong stuff. Cross country." For a brief second, Panam blankly gazed at her. Her brow furrowed and with a quick glance to Dakota, she let her shoulders sag.

"That's a tall order…" she sucked air through teeth. "You'd need a huge antenna for something like that. There is the old comms tower across the ridge but you know as well as I do it's Raffen territory."

"I just need the radios. I'll figure the antenna shit out another time."

"That's an easier job, but we still have our hands full here." She motioned to the several rigs currently undergoing work. Still, the woman gave it some thought. "What I can do is-"

"What you can do is run this through me." Dakota interjected with a thin smile. Her usual respirator - which hung from her harness - had fogged up from her most recent puff. V never really knew why the old woman carried around the Oxybooster. Her biometrics never came up with respiratory issues. "We don't have any equipment to spare, but I can - say - hire you to run a job for us."

V raised an eyebrow. "I'm listening."

"Raffens hit a small convoy of ours a few days ago. A shipment of parts from Saul. Those parts were meant to be used in these rigs, but as you can imagine… we have had to make do without."

"I see. So you need the cargo tracked down." Dakota nodded. "Raffens - want 'em extinct?"

A sinister grin crossed Dakota's lips. "With extreme prejudice, sister. The attack took the lives of good brothers and sisters."

"Wait, wait, wait!" Morgana's panicked fidgeting resulted in V's shoulder getting clawed pretty badly. "Are you dragging me into one of your 'Edgerunner' jobs!? I didn't consent to this!"

"What's with the cat?" Panam looked Morgana up and down. To her, the outburst sounded like nothing but distressed mewling and hissing. Honestly, V was surprised it took the Nomad this long to acknowledge him at all. The kids were near enough instant in wanting the cat's attention. Still, V gave a quick scoff before putting a forceful hand on Mona's forehead.

"Ignore him. He's not used to the dust."

"V! I don't want to get involved in whatever this is!"

V made the executive decision to follow her own words and ignore the protests. Besides, biz was on the table and that meant V had slipped into work mode. "Cargo - any idea where the Raffens scurried it off too?"

Dakota nodded. "The parts included transmitters for inter-rig communication. We tracked those frequencies to the Shiv's camp. It looks like they're hiding in a network of old mining tunnels on the other side of the ridge."

"Numbers?"

"Rough guess? About forty, but could be more."

V grumbled as she thought. It reminded her a little of the first time she ever worked with Panam. Memory lane could wait. A fight was on the horizon. Something familiar. Something within V's wheelhouse.

"Get the shipment back to us and you can have some of the long range radios that should be in there. I'll even throw in some Eddies for the extermination."

"Alright, Dakota. I'm in. Zip the geo-loc data and I'll get your shit back."

"Tomorrow." Panam actually began to smile. "Tonight, you are with us. We'll get you fed and watered."

"I promised the kids, anyway. Hope you brought your Thorton."