2

Kerry felt out of place as he followed his input through the dingy doorway. The dark staircase led to a set of steel doors and he gasped when they opened to reveal a well lit hallway leading to another set of doors, an imposing man stood in front of them.

As the two men approached, the bouncer held up a hand but didn't say anything, his eyes glowing as he scanned Kerry.

"Don't worry, Emmerick. He's with me." V said.

Instantly, his eyes returned to their normal color and he nodded before stepping to the side.

Kerry let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.

V paused inside the door and held out his hand, leaning in when the rockerboy took it.

"You're fine, Ker. No one will mess with you here." He was practically yelling, but it sounded like a whisper over the loud music. "Come on," he pulled him in the direction of the bar.

"Hey, V." The woman behind the bar smiled but then raised an eyebrow. "Not to be rude, but shouldn't you be off saving your input?"

V cocked his head in Kerry's direction and her eyes followed. She gave a knowing nod and turned to the shelf behind her.

Kerry took a step closer to V, taking the mercenary's hand again.

"This is Claire, the best bartender in NC."

Claire smiled again as she poured a glass of Centzon. "You going to be in a booth or-"

V shook his head. "Heading to the back. Some Valentinos are going to be bringing a guy along soon. Have Weyland bring them back." He turned to Kerry. "What're you drinking?"

"What he's having," he nodded at V's glass and Claire grabbed another.

"Taking the bottle?"

V nodded and Claire set everything on a tray for them. He led Kerry around the end of the bar and waved at a woman in the secluded booth before continuing to a door tucked just out of sight, then down another hallway.

The room they ended up in was oddly quiet. The bass from the music in the bar dulled to a distant thud. A large boxed-in booth stood before them.

A strange look crossed V's face and he hesitated before stepping in. He set the drinks on the small table and dropped onto the sofa.

"You alright, V?" Kerry sat next to his input and wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

V was quiet for a long moment, his eyes focused somewhere through the floor.

"V?" He could feel panic rising in his chest.

"Huh?" V's eyes came into focus and he looked at Kerry. "Sorry, Ker. The last time I was in this booth was the day Jackie and I took the Konpeki job. The day he-" he trailed off, his gaze landing on something on the table.

Kerry followed and he saw two small boxes that looked like they once held data shards.

"Can't believe this booth hasn't been used since that day. Those held the shards with the mission brief."

Without a second thought, Kerry stood up and grabbed them. He tossed them out of the booth before sitting back down.

V's holophone rang and his optics lit up as he answered.

"Mhm… Great, thanks Padre."

"Our guy on his way?" Kerry asked.

The mercenary nodded. "I just messaged Claire and asked her to send along a round of Jackies when they get here."

Kerry raised an eyebrow. "Jackies?"

"It's a drink, vodka, lime juice, and ginger beer. Oh! And a splash of love. It's named after the one and only Jackie Welles. There's a whole menu of named drinks."

"What's the Vincent Special?" He put his arm back around V's shoulders.

"I don't have one. In order to get a drink on that menu, you've got to, and I quote, 'snuff it, in particularly spectacular fashion. Mid-op would be best.'"

"That's… oddly specific."

V laughed. "But not untrue. Johnny's got a drink named after him too."

"That so? Let me guess…" the rockerboy knitted his eyebrows together in thought. "Tequila old fashioned, beer, and chili?"

"Yep. That's actually what I had that night." Sadness crossed his face as he rested his head on the rockerboy's shoulder.

A strange feeling surfaced in Kerry's mind. It felt a bit like guilt, or maybe regret. "Hey, V?"

"Hmm?" His input tilted his head back, sparking emerald eyes meeting Kerry's blue ones.

He hesitated for a moment, trying to regain his train of thought. "If you'd known then, what was going to happen. That your friend was going to die, that you were going to have Johnny stuck in your head. That you could have died... Would you have gone through with it?"

V considered the question. "I learned a lot of hard lessons from that mission. If the Relic hadn't activated, I'd be rotting in the landfill with a bullet in my skull. But, more than that, I wouldn't have met Rogue, or Panam, or you." He gave Kerry a peck.

"I miss Jackie, a lot. But his memory lives on. Kept alive by his friends and family. I think. I think, yeah, I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

The two lapsed into companionable silence until the door opened and a hulking young man entered followed by two much smaller men. Between them was another unconscious man.

"Set him there." V pointed to a chair just inside the door. "Weyland, Claire is bringing a round of Jackies for the group. You staying?"

"Of course, mon." The hulking man gave a toothy grin.

The unconscious man was unceremoniously dropped into the vacant seat and a moment later Claire appeared with a tray of glasses. Everyone took one.

V looked directly at the two that brought the man in, raising his glass. "To Jackie Welles."

Everyone murmured in unison and drank. The room emptied as fast as it filled and soon the three men were alone.

Kerry stood and crossed the small space. "So who is this guy exactly?" He bent down and took his sunglasses off in order to inspect the man. His greasy-looking hair was slicked back, his jacket looked like something straight out of the 50s, and he wore sunglasses that were way too big for his face.

"This is Kurt. He's a small-time fixer. Set me up on a job once, almost got me and Jackie killed. He's got scop for brains."

"That bad?"

V nodded. "Was supposed to steal an Aerondight from an Arasaka exec. It was a shit show. Cops almost killed us." A smile touched his lips.

Kurt stirred and V cocked his head towards the couch. Kerry took it as his cue to sit and let the mercenary do his thing. He's always wondered what V was like when he worked.

"Kurt!" V gave him a firm slap across the face. "Wake the fuck up!"

"Mm?" He opened his eyes, his optics flashing as they tried to focus. "Where? V?"

"Got some questions for you. And I know how you are," he pulled Archangel from its holster and sat across from the other. "So you better answer honestly."

"Uh, yeah. Sure. W-what's this about?" Kurt shifted in his seat, sweat was beading on his forehead.

"Who put in for the hit on Kerry Eurodyne?"

"Woah, woah, the Kerry Eurodyne? I'm not that gonk, V!"

V stood and slapped him again. "Don't lie to me, Kurt. I've got recordings from your little conversation at the Coyote earlier." His optics glowed brightly and a moment later Kerry got a file. Kurt must have gotten the same. They listened to the recording.

Annoyed, Kerry chimed in, "Kovachek had been talking about buying a new yacht."

"Who's your friend, V?" Kurt seemed desperate to change the subject.

V stepped between the two men, forcing Kurt to focus on the mercenary. "Don't you worry about him. Now, who put out the hit on Kerry?"

"Ok, ok. It was his manager, L.B. Kovachek. Why do you care anyway? I almost called and offered the contract to you."

"What was his reasoning?" He prodded Kurt in the chest with the gun.

Kurt tried to move away from V, skirting towards the door. But a quick side step from the other stopped him. "I- I don't know. Something about sinking his yacht. That's all he said, I swear!"

"That's been over a year ago now," Kerry rolled his eyes but rage was bubbling in the pit of his stomach. "Is he really still that pissed about it?"

"Think really hard now. Was that the only reason?" V pressed.

Kurt nodded wildly. "I swear. He said he'd pay us any price. Said Kerry wouldn't fire him and he wasn't going to quit because of the new Us Cracks collab coming out. So he wanted it to look like an accident."

"That fucker!" Kerry growled and stood up. "Should beat his ass!"

"Calm down, we'll take care of him. Kurt," V turned the gun back to his target. "You're going to call Kovachek and tell him to meet you at the marina. Pier 4."

"But why?"

V opened his mouth to answer but Kerry cut him off. "Tell him Kerry had a yacht of his own moored out there."

"Fine. But who the hell are you?"

Kerry groaned and pulled off his hat. "I'm Kerry Eurodyne you fucking gonk!"

Kurt's mouth dropped open. "Fuck me."

"Better call Kovachek, Kurt. Clock is ticking." V clicked the safety off and pointed the revolver at Kurt's face.

"Alright, alright." His eyes glowed and he called up his client. "Kovachek, it's Kurt. The job is done. Found out some interesting info. Eurodyne had his own yacht. It's moored off of pier 4 at the marina. I'd like to meet you there… Mhm… Ok. See you soon."

V and Kerry exchanged a look while Kurt was talking.

"Said he'll be there in an hour. Can I go now?"

V frowned. "Sorry, Kurt. You fucked up."

Kurt opened his mouth to say something but V knocked him over the head, rendering him unconscious again. He threw the unconscious form over his shoulder and motioned for Kerry to follow.

They made their way back to V's car and put Kurt in the trunk.

"So," Kerry asked as they got into the car. "What's the plan now?"

"First off, sorry about that, Ker. I got ahead of myself and didn't ask your opinion on anything. And, seeing how this was a hit against you, I should have asked how you wanted to handle it."

"Oh, uh…" The rockerboy was slightly taken aback. "Never really dealt with this sort of thing. But, like I said earlier, what are we doing about Kovachek?"

"You know how the music industry works better than I ever will, Ker. If your manager shows up dead, how is that going to look on you?"

Kerry was quiet for a minute. "I mean, depends on the circumstances."

"Filled full of holes and thrown in the bay?" V inquired.

"Not ideal, but doubt anyone would tie me to it. With the chaos at Riot and whatnot."

"Especially if I take you back to your mansion. We've got time." He dropped the car in gear and slowly pulled out onto the road. Thankfully the crowd had dispersed and it was clear.

Kerry fumbled with the radio for a moment, stopping when Seamurai in Smoke cut through the static.

V weaved in and out of traffic and soon was clear of the heavy downtown traffic.

"Hey, V," Kerry spoke softly, his voice almost inaudible over the radio chatter, even to himself.

"What's up?" V took his hand and entwined their fingers.

"Don't, uh, don't kill Kovachek. Just intimidate him. Talk him into quitting, maybe."

With a nod, V brushed his lips over Kerry's knuckles, never taking his eyes off the road. "You're the boss, Ker. I won't kill him. Can't promise I won't beat the hell out of him though."

They both laughed. "Fine by me, V. Do whatever you have to. He knows I'm not firing him, and he sure as hell won't quit willingly. Then I want to ruin any future prospects for the that fucker."

The mercenary gave a thoughtful hum. "I think I can manage that. Don't you worry."

V turned into Kerry's property and parked in the carport. "I know it goes without saying, Ker. But stay here. Please. I'll call you as soon as I'm done."

"I'll be waiting." He leaned over and gave his input a kiss. "See ya later."

After he got inside, Kerry watched V through the window and he backed out and took off towards the marina.