Fifteenth Day
V looks at the inside of the garage with a certain sense of excitement, perhaps even a little sadness. To think that he could raise his life in such a short time in a place as limited as that... he would miss that little piece of junk.
He shook his head and snorted at the feeling of nostalgia he was beginning to feel for a place like that. Hm, but, well, he'd learned that everything had its uses. Now, he would think twice before bad-mouthing a place or throwing something away.
V then closes the gate and turns around. All his vehicles were now connected to Delamain, who in turn would drive them to the car carrier truck and transport them to what would be their "new home". He had no idea where he would settle in the future, but he had managed to rent a place near Nevada to stay for the time being. He didn't know how long it would take to get the car back, if he would need to plan like he did in that city, so he decided to leave his vehicles there for the time being.
The only vehicle he would use would be his van, with all the important equipment inside.
The former mercenary cracked the bones in his neck, adjusted his clothes and hid the exoskeleton underneath a little more. He decided to put on his armor, weapons, and left his mask in the backpack on his back.
He looked out over the cityscape. As much as he felt nostalgic for that small house, he would say that he wouldn't miss that town. Not at all.
"All right, Del. Go ahead. See you in Nevada." V said as he approached the car, and soon Delamain's image appeared on the screen behind the passenger seat.
"Are you sure you don't want me to go with you?" Del asked, and V shook his head.
"Absolutely. I'd rather you stay and protect the truck if necessary. One never knows in this shitty country." V said, not waiting for an answer before walking towards the van parked in front of the house.
Inside the vehicle, V watched Delamain leave with his vehicles, and a sigh escaped his lips. In all honesty, he hadn't thought the moment would come so quickly.
He blinks a few times, shakes his head and snorts at his own thoughts. Fuck it, he'd won.
He'd say hi to Rogue, maybe visit Vik... he'd texted Mama Welles a few days ago, he wouldn't meet her, not again, but he'd call her when he was out of town.
Oh, and of course, there was Takemura.
He set off with the van, and as he drove, he took out his phone and called a number.
"V... how's your affairs going?" Goro asked, and V just smiled slightly.
"Not even a good morning, Goro? You hurt my feelings." He joked, and Goro muttered on the other side.
"... Good morning." V let out a laugh.
"To answer your question, I've already finished. I got what I wanted." He said, looking around before turning the corner and accelerating again. He didn't know what it was, but there seemed to be fewer people on the streets.
"Great... coincidentally, there's just one thing left to sort out." Goro said.
"Do you think it will take long? I was thinking of leaving Night City today." V said, arching an eyebrow at the rather uneventful streets. Something was definitely going on.
"It shouldn't be long. We can meet on the way out of town this afternoon." Goro said, and V nodded to himself.
"Great, I'll keep busy in the meantime then." He said, staring with some curiosity and confusion at the police cars speeding ahead.
"Going somewhere? Be careful." Goro warned.
"Why do you say that?" He asked, and the man grunted softly.
"V, what did I say about listening to the radio? Don't you know there's a gang war going on right now? Little China, Kabuki, even south of Watson." Goro explained, and V grumbled loudly in annoyance.
Now it made sense that the streets were practically empty.
"Fucking hell! Of all days, why today?" He asked no one in particular, speeding up the van.
He knew Rogue would take care of herself, he didn't need to worry about the woman. But still, a gang war was no joke, especially one that affects 30% of the fucking city.
"The Valentinos and the Tiger Claws just needed a reason to go to war, and they ended up involving other people. There are even some members of other gangs, like the Maelstrom." Goro said, and V was silent for a few moments.
Maelstrom?! Fuck, now it made sense! The bastards hadn't managed to take Muamar's territory, they'd taken advantage of the tension between the two gangs and decided to use that to take their territory. It made a lot of sense and it was exactly what those rats would do.
"... Got it. Thanks for the warning, Goro. I'll catch up with you later." V said, ending the call.
Well, that morning took an unexpected turn. Not that he was surprised at the city's capacity to be fucked up.
A sigh escaped his lips as he drove, thinking of a good place to hide his van.
V was running at high speed through the streets, his exoskeleton allowing him to run at a speed equal to or greater than weaker vehicles, such as cargo vehicles, and the scenes in front of him, although somewhat desolate considering the state of the city hours ago, weren't exactly new to him.
Cars burnt out on the streets and sidewalks, store fronts destroyed, whether by explosions or a hail of bullets. Bodies lying on the ground, both gang members and civilians.
He spotted vehicles parked in a line in the street, probably to prevent other vehicles from passing by or to ambush them. The problem was that not only gang members fell into the trap.
Those sons of bitches were shooting at everything that moved, civilian or not.
He jumped over a truck parked in front. Soon, while he was still in the air, he heard shots coming from the street to his right, and glanced over to see some cops exchanging bullets with some Valentinos.
Oh, how great it was to know that the city's police were good for something other than beating up unarmed civilians and making deals with gangs.
V landed softly on the ground, continuing to run down the sidewalk, until he came to a part of the street blocked by some members of the Tiger Claws, who, the moment they saw him, shouted loudly and raised their guns in his direction.
V sprinted towards the building next door, running along the flat surface of the wall while being shot at. He picked up an EMP grenade and threw it towards the men.
The grenade exploded, the gunfire temporarily ceasing.
V leapt towards the nearest man, releasing his blades while still in the air. He landed on the man, his blades embedded in the side of his neck.
V rolled on the ground and advanced towards the other man, piercing his chest. He then retracted his left arm blade, picked up his Malorian and shot at the other two tiger claws.
He didn't even have time to process what he had just done and was hit again by a hail of bullets. He felt the side of his armor hit, and jumped back. Several tiger claws were coming towards him, but they were caught by bullets coming from the Valentinos.
V took advantage of the widespread chaos and picked up a fragmentation grenade, then threw it before he turned and ran towards the alley. He glanced at the place he was hit. Either the weapon was of low caliber, or it was a graze, whatever it was, it didn't pierce the armor. Good.
He could hear shots coming from different directions now, so many that he was even confused as to where they were coming from.
When he reached the end of the alley, he looked to his left. Some Valentinos were shooting at the back door of a building, trying to get inside at all costs in search of a single, solitary tiger claw.
He wouldn't have minded, normally. Let them kill themselves there. However, the screams coming from inside the building were too young and diverse to be other gang members.
Rolling his eyes, V picks up a fragmentation grenade and throws it towards the group. The grenade bounced a few times on the ground. The Valentinos, focused on that single tiger claw, didn't even notice, and those who did didn't react quickly enough.
The grenade exploded, throwing the Valentinos all over the place, literally. Some legs flew through the air, arms and weapons hit the walls hard. A blood-red cloud formed for a few moments at the site of the explosion.
At a fast pace, he walked over to them and shot at all those who were still moving. Then he turned to the now almost completely destroyed door, and with a kick, knocked it to the ground.
The loud noise of the door crashing against the concrete caused some people to scream in fear.
The tiger claw shouted a few insults, pulling an injured man towards him in the midst of the chaos. However, before he could do so, V raised his pistol and put a bullet in his head. His Malorian exploded the son of a bitch's skull, and the screams of horror returned briefly.
V looked around quickly. Civilians for the most part, a waitress from the diner next door, men, women, a few teenagers.
V put his gun back in its holster and walked over to the wounded man, who took a few steps back when he saw him approach. He was trembling and his eyes showed a terror that was not uncommon in that city.
V clicked his tongue. Sometimes he really wanted to just burn those gangs, the rot of Night City as a whole.
He bent down and picked up the tiger claw submachine gun, and held it out to the man.
"Do you know how to use one of these?" He asked, and the man blinked a few times, still uncertain, nodding a little hesitantly.
"I... I-I don't... I'm not very good. But yes." He said, stammering a lot as he slowly extended his hand towards the gun.
"That'll do." He said, and picked one of his EMP grenades, as well as an incendiary grenade, and handed them to the man. "Get to a higher position, lock yourselves in a room where you can see out, or know if anyone has entered the building."
He explained what to do as he took the Valentinos' weapons, at least the ones that hadn't been badly affected by the previous explosion.
"Make barricades, whatever, and wait. Only use that grenade if you see heavily augmented individuals, it'll save your lives." V said, leaving the weapons on the ground and facing the man, who nodded now a little more frantically, less frightened by his presence.
"Good. I'm counting on you." He said, just before turning and walking away, making his way towards Afterlife.
Still on his feet, he leapt towards the external staircase of the building ahead and grabbed hold of the corner of the third-floor stairs. As he propels himself upwards, he climbs onto the roof and runs towards the opposite end after reloading his gun.
He leapt from the roof, dozens of meters above the ground, towards the window balcony of the building ahead, near the entrance to Afterlife. Still in the air, he could see movement in the Afterlife alley. Rogue would be fine, she had probably set up a barricade in the club, not to mention that many of the customers were mercenaries. At least, as far as he could remember. He hoped that hadn't changed.
V landed on the balcony smoothly, running to the edge and looking down at the chaos below. Emmerick was still the bouncer, it seemed, and he was facing some Valentinos alongside another guy who V didn't know who he was.
The alley was decorated with fallen bodies, most of them Valentinos, but some unfortunately appeared to be civilians, or some customers who frequented the club.
V crouched on his knee and raised his pistol, firing at the Valentinos from above, providing a better view of the situation. Emmerick and the man next to him looked up in surprise, even suspicion, when they saw the mask, which was extremely similar to the one mentioned on some radio and news channels. However, they were only too happy to accept the help.
Emmerick advanced towards some Valentinos taking cover behind some armored cars ahead, while the man next to him ran towards some people who had been caught in the gunfire, helping them move towards the bar.
Emmerick jumped on top of the car after reloading his double-barrel shotgun, and fired at the Valentinos hiding behind the vehicle, paying little attention to the shots flying near him.
V raised his pistol and took aim at the other Valentinos in front of the security guard, the lenses of his mask zooming in, showing the distance between the targets.
He leaned on the balcony and fired at the first Valentino, hitting him in the side of the neck just before he could shoot Emmerick, who turned and fired with his shotgun. The incendiary bullets formed a wall of calls briefly in front of the gun, engulfing the Valentinos hit.
V, seeing that the eminent danger had passed, touched the side of his mask and called the name on his lens.
"V, now's a bad time!" It was the first thing Rogue said, and V would have smiled if it hadn't been for the situation.
"I know, but the front is clear." V said, watching Emmerick say something, his eyes glowing yellow, just before he turned and walked towards the entrance. The man stared at V with serious eyes, not exactly seeing him as a threat, but prepared in case he became one.
"Wait a minute, you're here?!" The woman asked, barely audible to V due to the commotion in the background.
"I'm leaving town today, I decided to stop by, have a drink. How are things in there?" He asked, leaning on the balcony. Emmerick entered the place but didn't close the gates. He crouched down with shotgun in hand, facing the wounded people, and seemed to wait while keeping an eye out for any new threats.
"We've got a few wounded but we're fine! V, look, I'm in a bit of a hurry! Come on in and we'll talk later!" Rogue said, sounding worried, he would even say distressed. In other words, there was something more behind it, since the woman wouldn't be distressed by just a shoot-out with a few gangs.
"What happened? I can help." V said, and heard what sounded like an irritated sigh from the woman.
"V, I'm not even going to ask how! Just come in here and I promise we'll talk when I get back!" The woman said again, and V rolled his eyes.
"Rogue, I wouldn't be here right now if I wasn't prepared for this, okay?! Why don't you come out and tell me what you need?" He said, and jumped over the balcony, landing softly on the ground. His eyes scanned the two entrances to the alley carefully. The shots were a little distant, which was great, but one never knows.
He stood back a little, he knew he was being watched by Emmerick, and he didn't want to appear to be a threat to the guy. In a while, Rogue came out with an unfriendly expression, and really, she looked as distressed as she sounded.
She ran up the stairs at a fast pace, a rifle in her hand. Crispin followed close behind.
The woman said something to the man treating the wounded. She turned and signaled to some people outside V's line of sight to help get those people inside. Then she said something to Emmerick, before looking in his direction.
V crossed his arms as he saw her mutter something, now looking more annoyed than before, and almost smiled as he saw the woman walk with hard steps towards him.
"What the fuck, V? Of all the masks out there, you decided to use this one?! Why?" She asked angrily, and V shrugged.
"You can't argue with taste. What's up, Crispin?" he asked, and the man nodded, curious.
"How did you get here? Last time I saw you, you weren't looking so good." She asked, and V pulled back the sleeve of his jacket, revealing his armored exoskeleton. However, given the look and manner in which it was constructed, Rogue merely arched an impatient eyebrow.
V sighed and activated the blade mechanism.
"I don't need implants to do what I know how to do." He said, retracting the blade. "Besides, Valentinos, Tiger Claws, The Animals, the Voodoo boys... hell, I was once hunted by all these gangs at the same time, that's why the mask." V explained briefly. In a way, things hadn't changed much, he was still being hunted by gangs.
Rogue, for her part, just sighed.
"Okay, fine. Look, the issue here is my son. He was on his way here when all this shit broke out and I lost contact with him! I need to get to him!" Rogue said quickly, and V, for his part, widened his eyes slightly under his mask.
He didn't know she had a son... she never mentioned it.
"Do you know where he is?" he asked, walking alongside Rogue after she had moved towards her vehicle.
"He called me to tell me where he was. North of Little China, near the overpass." She said, and they got into the vehicle.
Crispin pressed down on the accelerator, and typed something into an on-board computer on the side. V heard the sound of the doors locking, the windows going up. The light inside changed, the noise outside became extremely muffled, as if everything that was happening just beyond that window was distant.
"You said you were leaving Night City. Did you get what you wanted?" Rogue asked, and V removed his mask. There was no point in being masked in there.
"Yeah, I got everything. All that's missing is Johnny's car." He said, glancing at the woman. She was staring distantly out of the window, arms crossed.
"I'm not going to say I understand why you stayed. But I'm not going to judge. Well, you seem to have handled yourself very well." She said, looking him up and down. He was wearing the replica of Johnny's jacket, dark pants and shoes of the same color.
The woman's eyes lingered for a while on the bullet hole in the side of his torso, and her eyebrow arched in curiosity. There was no blood, no wound, just a black metal plate under his clothes.
"Night City is still the same shit, I just had to change the way I deal with it." He said.
"And you bought a combat suit?" She asked, still looking at him with analytical eyes. "Do you think you can go back to being a mercenary?"
"First, I didn't buy it, I built it. Secondly, I can go back to being a mercenary without any problems. In fact, given enough time, I can do everything I did before, but better." He looked at her with a sideways smile, a slight arrogance and confidence in his eyes. V's determination was something Rogue respected about him.
"... Well, I'm glad I have you on my side now." She said, shifting her gaze back to the street.
"So... your son. What's he like?" V asked, and Rogue sighed briefly.
"... His name is Steve. He's young, he turned seventeen last month. Dark hair, short, has a birthmark on his cheek and is always wearing that orange cap with a Japanese kanji on the front." She said, shaking her head, probably with her own thoughts.
The vehicle shook a little as Crispin accelerated and passed a barricade of cars. They didn't lose any speed, Rogue's car could be a real tank.
They made their way through the chaotic streets. Sometimes they were targeted by shots that didn't get through the car's armor, other times they just ran over the bastards stupid enough to stand in the middle of the street.
When they passed another blockade of cars, they moved on quickly, and with the streets empty, conflicts became scarcer.
Rogue tried to call the boy once more, but he didn't answer. Maybe he'd lost his phone, maybe he'd been hiding and couldn't answer at the moment... she thought it all, but avoided thinking the worst.
That was, of course, until they approached the place.
The street they followed was long. Commercial buildings, stores, restaurants... a very commercial and busy street on a normal day. Ahead, the road that ran several meters above the street was destroyed. A very strong bomb, or several explosives placed at strategic points. Even ordinary members of the Valentinos or the Tiger Claws wouldn't have been able to do something like that.
In other words, there was a mastermind behind those attacks, and he would bet big money that it was the heads of each gang.
"Shit..." Rogue muttered beside him, and V put his mask back on, ready to act. There were a few Valentino cars around, as well as Tiger Claws vehicles. The gunfire was raging, explosions, screams, gunfire... but in the midst of the chaos, one group in particular stood out. Apparently, Maelstrom had decided to buy the fight personally, and was shooting at both gangs with military weaponry.
"I can't stop here, I'll stop in the back street!" Crispin said as they came under fire. That caliber was stronger, it shouldn't penetrate armor easily, however, but the risk had increased a little more.
Crispin turned the steering wheel to the side and hit the gas. They entered an alleyway that led to the back of a commercial building.
"Stop here, Crispin!" V said, attracting two pairs of wide eyes.
"What?! Are you crazy, V?!"
"If the boy's alive, he's either in this commercial building or in the building across the street! There's no way he could have gotten any further with all those cars around! I'll check this one, you can check the other!" V said quickly, and Crispin begrudgingly stopped the car.
"Careful, V! And if you find him, take care of him for me!" Rogue said as she saw V open the door, and the man waved to her before getting out of the car.
V turned and jumped over the wall that surrounded the commercial building's yard at the same time as Crispin sped down the alley towards the street. The yard was long, open and very visible. To his right was the entrance to the building, with some stores and businesses in two different corridors.
Velantinos were firing at Mealstrom, some tending to the wounds of others while their partners fired. Others were trying to stay awake, holding on to what little life they had left.
V turned and ran into the megabuilding. He was 90% sure that the floors above were occupied by gang members. With luck, they'd start killing each other and wouldn't have time to worry too much about him.
V clucked his tongue in annoyance at the sight of the broken elevator. Well, he'd have to take the stairs.
With quick, long strides, he runs to the stairs and jumps up step after step. That mega building was exactly as the name implied, mega. How the fuck would he find the boy?
Of course, first he had to analyze things. The situation outside was chaotic, there was no chance of him staying there, he would have entered the building, perhaps by the side stairs as it was closer. The gunfire reached the first floor in a matter of minutes, so he'd have gone upstairs for sure.
V thinks as he jumps over a destroyed bench, releasing his blades and stabbing them into a Maelstrom member who has entered the building from the side, probably to flank the Valentinos on the floors below.
The former mercenary clicks his tongue and faces the situation ahead. The Valentinos were already dead, and those who weren't would die soon, they hadn't come to flank.
Some civilians were trying to hide in a clothing store and the gang members were approaching at a rapid pace.
V grabbed his pistol and fired at the gang members, who, despite being taken by surprise, immediately turned around and started shooting at the man.
V jumped to the side, taking cover behind the wall that led to another corridor connecting another part of the mega-building, but also close to the side stairs.
The man patted the holster on his waist. His EMP grenades were gone, but he still had a fragmentation grenade and a few flash grenades. He didn't know if those grenades would work very well against Maelstrom's implants, but they would work for something.
He threw the grenade and counted the seconds. The moment the grenade exploded he came out of his brief hiding place and advanced towards them while firing with his pistol, missing a few shots, but killing as many of them as he could while closing in until his gun ran out of bullets.
He put his pistol back in its holster and unleashed his blades, killing the first one by going through his neck. V kicked his body aside and advanced on the second, who gritted his teeth and raised his gun.
But the man didn't even manage to shoot, instead a high-pitched scream of pain escaped his throat as V cut his arm in one swift movement, a scream that was soon interrupted by muttering, desperate grunts as he pierced the man's stomach.
The third member of the Maelstrom raised a submachine gun, and V, in turn, ducked slightly and lifted the body of the man still impaled by his blade, and began to advance towards the man using his companion's body as a shield.
"You crazy fuck!" The man shouted, and V almost smiled at the irony. They killed people indiscriminately, experimented on civilians and innocents, kidnapped random people off the street and fucked them up just for fun, and he was called crazy.
What a joke.
V quickly threw the man's body to the ground as he approached and attacked the man, who tried to dodge backwards, but wasn't fast enough and had most of his arm ripped off.
V prepared to kill him, but before he could do so, he heard footsteps coming from behind and suddenly he was hit by something hard on the back of his head. He grunted slightly and staggered forward, almost falling to the ground in the process, but he managed to recover and turned around quickly, facing another Maelstrom member holding a two-handed hammer.
He would have been knocked out if it hadn't been for the added protection of the mask.
The man with the hammer advanced towards him while the other grabbed a pistol with his only remaining hand.
V, however, advanced against the second man and pierced his chest before he could even raise the pistol, and then focused on the last of his opponents. The man tried a side attack with his hammer, which soon proved to be a mistake.
With his blades and a quick movement, V cut the hammer in two, and the Maelstrom member gritted his teeth, feeling in that small moment, in that brief instant, that his guard had opened, and he was gone.
V finished him off by driving his blade just below his neck, and with his other arm, he decapitated the poor devil.
The former mercenary moved away just before the body hit the ground, and he looked around, on the lookout for any other threats. Seeing that the place was clear for the moment, he turned to the civilians hiding in the clothing store and kicked a gun towards them.
It was a group of women, four of them together with two men. Most of them didn't look like they worked there.
They blinked in confusion when V kicked the gun in their direction, but they didn't ask any questions or waste any time, they just took the gun and some nodded in his direction. V waved back before turning and continuing his search.
He heard shots coming from upstairs, loud screams echoing along with the bullets being fired. V leapt towards the banister that surrounded the floor and, gaining momentum, jumped to the floor above, holding onto the corner of the small wall and propelling himself upwards.
Tiger claws... they seemed to be doing better than the Valentinos against the Maelstrom members... but they weren't going against armed enemies at the moment, the bastards were executing civilians. Why was that? He didn't know, nor did he care why.
V leapt towards the first tiger claw and plunged his two blades into his body. The other members heard the man's scream of pain and agony and turned, immediately firing at V, who just put his clawed arms in front of his face, protecting his mask.
The shots hit his exoskeleton, but although he felt the impact of the bullets, he was glad that the caliber wasn't able to pierce the ballistic protection. He would have to do some repairs later, though.
V approaches the first gang member. A woman with chrome arms. She tries to back away, but he's quicker and drives his blade into her forearm, piercing her chrome as if it were nothing. In one strong movement, he throws her arm to the side and pierces her in the upper chest.
Another tiger claw advanced towards him with a katana, a horizontal slashing attack from right to left. V dodged by throwing his torso backwards, and countered by kicking the man in the side of the leg, bringing him to his knees. Finally, he finished him off with a double blow to his neck, decapitating him.
As he did so, he was hit by several more bullets, and was forced to seek cover in an electronics store next door.
V gritted his teeth, listening to the shots hitting the wall, dust and sparks of concrete hitting the floor with each bullet.
He looked down. His pants were full of holes, as were parts of his jacket. Oh, for fuck's sake, he'd have to take care of that later too.
After shaking his head, V waited for the opportune moment. They were firing at the same time, these idiots, which meant that they would run out of ammo at the same time, and the moment the firing ceased, he advanced.
The tiger claws screamed and tried to retreat while reloading, but V was simply faster than them. Or at least, most of them. He managed to catch up with two of those who tried to run, piercing the back of the first, then lunging forward and impaling the man hard against the wall.
He turned and focused his eyes on the rest of his targets, until his gaze focused on a quick red dot.
A woman advanced towards him, praying mantis blades ready and moving to strike him. V, however, grunted slightly and blocked the attack. The little time he had, he used to analyze her.
She was heavily augmented, optics, legs, arms... her chrome was totally for combat. Which was great, he wanted to test his skills against someone with those characteristics. Too bad he didn't have time for that.
V snorted in disdain and deflected the woman's arm to the side, attempting a piercing attack with his own blades. The woman deflected this attack by throwing her torso to the side and countered with a vertical slash from below.
V nimbly sidestepped it by turning his body sideways. Using the momentum of his movement, he picked up his last grenade and threw it towards the retreating tigers, then focused his attention on his opponent again.
At the exact moment the grenade exploded and threw limbs, bones and chrome everywhere, he punched the woman in the face, who grunted, but then dashed backwards, dodging another blow.
Taking advantage of her mobility, the woman dashed from left to right at the same time as she approached. V just stood still, waiting for his opponent.
As the woman approached, she tried a slashing blow from above, which V deflected by stepping to the side and forward, closing the little distance they had.
The woman gritted her teeth as she was unable to follow through with her attack, her guard now down, and V took advantage of this by landing a hook to her stomach, which wouldn't exactly have been a problem if it hadn't been for the huge blade that was now piercing her.
The woman grunted loudly, staring at V's mask with an annoyed expression. She tries another blow, but V decides to get it over with. He takes a step back, and in one movement, cuts the woman's arm, then the other, and finally, pierces her neck.
The man then retracts his blade and turns around, paying little attention to the woman's body. The grenade hit and killed most of the tiger claws. Perfect. There were a few civilians there who recoiled and cringed as he approached, but he just calmly took a shotgun from one of the bodies.
"I'm not going to hurt you." He said, his voice slightly muffled by the mask. The people looked at him still hesitantly, cowering against each other as he approached at a slow pace, his hands raised high after placing the shotgun on his back.
"This place was guarded, I don't see any bodies of the security guards..." He said, not entering the store, avoiding sudden movements, and the people slowly, lingering, still traumatized and in shock, relaxed.
"When... it all started... they told everyone to go to the fourth floor... they went to the fourth floor." One of the women said, and V nodded slowly.
"Okay... I'll go up there, I'd tell you to come after me, but I can't guarantee your safety. Take one of these guns and go into an apartment, lock yourself in and wait! Don't go outside, don't even check the windows, there's still a lot of them out there." He said, lowering his hands and straightening his posture.
He didn't wait for an answer, he quickly turned and ran away. However, he didn't get so far that he didn't hear one of them shout "thank you".
He smiled to himself... just before jumping towards the third floor. The fourth floor was the most secluded, with a higher concentration of establishments, and if he hadn't mistaken, a large shooting range. The place was fancy stuff, and probably the place where people were evacuated to, since it was arguably the most protected place in the building.
He ran up to the third floor, which had the fewest bodies, but seemed to have a higher concentration of tiger claws. There were a few bodies of Valentinos and Maelstrom there, with the tiger claws coming out winners.
"... Hold it. Stop complaining." He heard voices ahead and stopped running, adopting a more stealthy posture.
The corridor curved to the right, there were no bodies around, but the wall was marked with gunfire. Vending machines destroyed and damaged.
"We're fine... no... no, most of his men are gone... not yet, but we can get there soon." He leaned to the side, seeing a woman crouched in front of a bloodied man.
She seemed to be on a call with someone as she tried to stop the bleeding from the man's wound. She hadn't noticed him yet.
"What... did he say?" The man asked, hardly able to speak properly.
"Orta is retreating to Kabuki... he's asking for reinforcements. Apparently the leader of the Valentinos is very clever, if we don't go soon, Iki will die." She said, looking a little distressed as she spoke.
Iki... the new head of the Tiger Claws after he killed the previous two. Ah, history liked to repeat itself, huh?
Not only that, but Iki and Orta in the same place? He'd hit the jackpot.
Emerging from his little hiding place, he raised his shotgun at the exact moment the woman looked at him, and before she could even do anything, he pulled the trigger.
Her skull exploded in a mixture of gray matter and blood, splashing onto the face of the bloodied man, who just gaped before suffering the same fate.
V then turned and continued down the corridor. Everyone on that floor had apparently been taken to the place, because despite the bodies on the floor, the place was deserted.
It wasn't long before he approached the place. The walls were gray, reinforced, the glass was dark and also armored, and the door was solid metal. It would take a lot more than simple explosives to open that place.
He knew that the people inside were alert and had their guns raised. Approaching with a shotgun in hand and smeared with blood was a great idea of a friendly image.
He left the shotgun on the ground and approached with his arms up, he knew they were watching him.
"... I'm looking for a boy. I need to know if he's alive. His name is Steve. Young boy, seventeen, his mother sent me." He said loudly, standing a few meters from the entrance, waiting patiently.
After a while, the window to his left opened, revealing two burly men with guns pointed in his direction. Behind them, he could see some people, some injured, others not so much.
"What do you want with him?" One of them asked.
"I just want to know if he's okay. His mother is worried." He replied. "As I said, he's young... he usually wears an orange cap."
He said... the two men looked at each other briefly, until one of them muttered something to someone next to him, out of V's line of sight.
In a matter of minutes, the boy in question finally appeared at the window, and V sighed in relief.
It was indeed him, young, dark hair, an orange cap with a white kanji on it, he recognized that particular one, it meant "understanding". He was dirty with dust and debris, there were small blood marks on his cheeks and the side of his mouth, and he looked tired. But apart from that, he looked fine.
"... Are you Steve?" He asked, and the boy just nodded in response.
"Your mother and I work together."
"She's here?!" He asked suddenly, looking around frantically, worried, anxious.
"She's nearby, and she's fine. All I needed to know was if you were alive. Do you have your phone?"
"No... I lost it on the way here."
"Right... I'll contact her, she'll be here in a few minutes." V said, slowly stepping back and lowering his arms. He walked away at a slow pace, increasing his speed every moment.
Kabuki... well, he still had a while before he had to meet Goro, he could play around a bit.
But first...
"Rogue, I found him. Fourth floor, shooting range."
The bullets passed dangerously close, destroying the poor cover they had. Tigers and Valentinos, a feud that would most likely end that day. But as much as Orta killed members of the rival gang, as much as he fought, as much as he saw many of his men die, he didn't feel that either ending would be a victory.
He might even get rid of the tigers, but he certainly wouldn't have won. What would he do with a territory if he had no members to occupy it, and more and more bodies of his family fell to the ground.
But he wouldn't back down, no... he would at least take the head of their leader.
He turned to a bag on the floor and picked up a fragmentation grenade. Then he raised his gaze and nodded to the two men taking cover behind the wall of the establishment ahead, signaling for them to act on his signal.
Orta threw the grenade, which soon exploded, at which point he advanced towards the building.
Iki, the rival leader, was finished, cornered at the back of a convenience store. There was no way out of the back, his men were dying in the front... there was no escape.
One by one, the tiger claws fell, faster than the Valentinos fell, and it was only a matter of minutes before victory was within their grasp.
But in the end, it turned out that he was right. No matter what the ending, no one would be victorious, for just when he thought he would triumph over the bodies of his enemies, fate threw a bucket of cold water over his head.
The sound of a heavy engine approaching echoed through the ruined street. The Valentinos turned around, the remaining tiger claws smiling hopefully at the thought of reinforcements arriving. However, the truck didn't seem to slow down as it approached, and with wide eyes, both members of both gangs had to jump out of the way.
The truck went straight through, crashing head-on into the wall of the convenience store.
Both sides looked at it with confused eyes, but what they should have been paying attention to was not the truck, but the car that was following right behind.
V accelerated the vehicle, touching the side of his mask as he did so. The members of both gangs raised their guns in his direction, but before they could fire, the truck exploded in a wall of flames.
The explosion made the whole place shake, those nearby were thrown, parts of their bodies non-existent, practically disintegrated by the flames and the impact.
Those further away were thrown backwards, their eardrums burst, their vision blurred, their bodies numb.
It all happened so quickly. One moment, Orta was about to deliver a final blow to his enemy, the next, he was on the ground, bleeding, barely able to move.
He grunted, blinking a few times. His gaze first focused on the destruction around him. A cloud of heavy smoke took over the area, the smell invaded his nose and he thought he was going to suffocate in it. Few of his men seemed to be moving, least of all the men from the rival gang.
So he looked at his gun straight ahead, and moved to pick it up, his trembling hands barely able to open.
However, a leg kicked the gun away, and someone knelt in front of him. Orta just stared at that red mask with black eyes for a few moments, struggling to keep his eyes open.
"... You know... it's funny. After I kill you, I'll have killed all the leaders of the Valentinos over the last few years... the same goes for the tiger claws." He said, his voice muffled by the mask, but his words cold as ice.
Orta blinked, digesting the information... questions popped into his head. But after one aim of the gun, everything simply faded away.
V stood up, straightened his posture, and looked at the destruction caused. Poor owner of the place, he hoped he'd be rewarded after all that.
Well, considering they were in Night City, he doubted it.
V sighed, rested the shotgun on his shoulder and just stared at the sea of flames in front of him. He had killed a total of three leaders of the Valentinos, and three leaders of the Tiger Claws...
That was quite an achievement.
Little did he know that it would become better known than he had imagined.
V cracked the bones in his neck, briefly massaging his shoulders as he did so. Then he leaned back against the parapet, looking out over the late afternoon cityscape.
If it weren't for the smoke from all the chaos, the urban noises and the feeling the city gave off, he'd say it was a beautiful landscape. The perfect place to say goodbye, after all, there the city was less ugly.
He laughed at his own thoughts.
Soon, he heard the sound of an approaching engine, and he turned around, leaned against the parapet and crossed his arms in front of his chest.
Goro parked the car next to the curb. V arched an eyebrow at the vehicle. He didn't think Goro had a taste for sports cars. A red and black quadra turbo-r 740.
Well, in a way, he had to admit it suited the man.
And speaking of him.
"Goro! Good to see you... decided to change the implants after all." V said with a smile, taking two steps towards the man and shaking his hand firmly.
Goro looked refreshed. His hair was a little shorter, shaved on the sides and tied up in a ponytail. He looked better, cheerful almost, and the implants in his neck were different now, receding a little to just below his chin, a simple coloration of black and grey.
"I thought it meant a new change, a new phase in my life." Takemura said, a small smile on his lips. He was wearing casual clothes now, a long black shirt, pants in the same color and gray sneakers.
"I told you Vik would fix you up." V said, and both men leaned on the parapet, a few steps apart.
"He's a good ripperdoc... I've seen few with his skill, even among the Arasaka." Goro said.
"I say the same. But hey, I saw you bought a new car, new clothes. You look good." V said, and Goro gave him a sympathetic look.
"Thanks to you, V. I won't forget that." He said. "You look better too, although I thought you'd look more tired." V blinked a few times in confusion.
"What do you mean?" Goro snorted a laugh at the question.
"... Well, this time, I'll spare you the lecture about listening to the news. Your mask is all over town. The figure who killed two gang leaders and saved countless civilians from today's attacks." Goro said, and V picked up his phone with a surprised expression.
In his defense, he was busy for a while checking his exoskeleton and making some necessary repairs.
But just as Goro said, the symbol on his mask appeared on the news, footage from local cameras showed him leaping across floors, eliminating gang members in his path.
"They don't have anything better to show, do they? Like the number of victims, damage for repairs..." He said, not exactly angry, but confused. All right, it had happened in the morning, but he hadn't expected all this attention.
"V, it's nothing short of amazing what you can do in such a short space of time. There are several witnesses who say about your achievements. You know how journalists are, like vultures." Goro said, and V snorted as he put his phone back in his pocket.
"Tell me about it." V sighed. "But then... know what you're gonna do?"He asked, and this time it was Takemura's turn to sigh.
"I'll travel... find out more about the world beyond my home. Find myself... I see opportunities that I didn't see before. Japan no longer seems to be my home. But maybe, one day, I'll at least be able to visit my homeland, even for a few hours." Goro said, a distant look on his face, nostalgic, but unlike what V thought, not sad.
"Do you still want to visit even though it's not your home anymore?" V asked and took some gum from his pocket. He offered it to Takemura, who politely declined.
"Yes... just to be sure. I want to look at where I grew up, look at the place I once called home at least one last time. Not now, not in a month... maybe not even in a year. But one day." V nodded in understanding, happy for his friend.
"Good to see you've got your head on straight. You're a smart man, Goro, you'll do fine out there." V said, and Takemura nodded briefly.
"Now I realize that, with Saburo-san and Hanako-san dead... I can be something other than what I once was. I can start again, and it doesn't seem so bad." He smiled at the thought, bowing his head a few moments later. "What about you, V?"
"I still have to do one last thing. Go after my car. After that... I don't know, maybe I'll do something like you." V said, and Goro arched an eyebrow.
"There's an old saying, 'In the search for meaning, we discover not only distant horizons, but also the sanctuary where the soul finds solace and purpose'. Wherever it is, V, you will find yours. Maybe it's a place, maybe it's a person, but you'll find something to call home, and your ambitious spirit will finally find the peace you've been searching for deep down." Goro said, and being quite honest with himself, if it were in any other situation, with any other person, he would say they were talking a lot of bullshit.
But Takemura was serious, very serious in fact, his voice was soft but his tone was firm and his words were strong. And as much as his ambitious and adventurous side said no, deep down, perhaps, the answer was different.
"... I'll remember that, Goro. Maybe you're right." V said, his voice low, his gaze distant on the horizon.
They sat in silence for a while, just enjoying the light wind, the pleasant weather.
"I never thought I'd get out of Night City... and in one piece." Goro broke the silence some time later, and V snorted a smile.
"How does it feel to be one of the few who won over this city?" He asked, and Goro shook his head.
"I don't feel like I've won. I've lost a lot here."
"But you've also gained." Goro mumbled and lowered his head.
"... That's true. But the question here shouldn't be asked of me. Even if no one knows it was you, you left your mark. Everyone will remember your symbol." Goro said, and V snorted.
"For now, maybe. But in a month's time everything will go back to the way it was, they'll forget." Goro shook his head.
"Tell that to the people you saved." Goro replied, straightening his posture and crossing his arms.
"You know, Goro... I really hope we'll see each other later. In a different situation... a better one, preferably." V said, despite the pleasant atmosphere, the friendship he had with the man, the sooner they set off, the better.
"I hope so too, V. Until then, I hope you can find your bearings." He said, and the two men shook hands in a sign of friendship. "You have my number, we can talk occasionally."
"Of course. So... until the next time we see each other, buddy. Nice to have met you." V said, and waved to the man, who in turn waved back.
V walked away, Takemura did the same, each going to their respective vehicles.
Goro was the first to speed away, honking his horn as he passed V, who in turn watched the man drive away for a few moments until he disappeared from his line of sight.
Well... his turn. It was going to be a long trip.
Night City didn't break him... nor did it keep what it stole from him. The journey might not have been perfect...
But he was satisfied.
"Ah, hi, V, what's up? Yes, I saw your message earlier, I'm just now getting around to replying. Man, what happened in the city today was tense, it's been a while since I've seen such chaos. But I guess there was some good at the end of it all, three gangs destroyed in one day... it doesn't seem worth it with so many casualties but..."
Vik sighed at the call.
"Anyway, I'm leaving Night City in two days. Thanks again, kid, you have no idea what you've done for me, really. And that little matter I had to sort out, well, I'm not leaving on my own. I met this woman a few months ago and we've kind of got a thing going... hah, yeah, okay, it's much more than a thing. We're going to get out of here together, I just wanted to let you know, since you're probably far away from the city by now. Anyway, have a good trip, V, I hope you're well and... that we can meet up in the future. We'll talk." Vik's call ended
"V... mi Hijo. I'm sorry I only read your message now. Pepe's family and I had to leave our house. So many deaths have happened nearby that I don't even want to think about going back. We found another place, a bigger house, Pepe and his wife had been planning to move for a while, maybe it happened at the right time, as tragic as it was." Mama Welles laughed lightly, and children's voices could be heard in the background. It was good that she was laughing, it calmed his heart a little more.
"It's wonderful to know that you didn't get involved, Vincent, that you didn't get hurt. I hope you're taking what I asked you to do seriously. I hope the best for you, V, I know you have no plans to return to Night City, but as I said, don't forget to call from time to time. And I hope that one day you'll come and see me before I leave. I'm old, old people have to worry about these things. Know that I love you, V, like a son, don't ever forget that. May everything work out in your life, mi Hijo." The call ended and V gripped the steering wheel tightly.
Mama Welles knew how to show feelings at the right time... and the few times she said something like that, it always hit him hard in the heart, and he wasn't strong enough to stop a tear or two from running down his cheek.
Ah, Mama Welles... he certainly didn't deserve someone like her, but he was so grateful to have her.
"How are you, V? We didn't have time to talk after all that chaos. You just disappeared and, well, I've just read your message. It's a shame you left before you'd had a drink, but I completely understand. Look, I don't know if you'll ever come back to Night City, but I really wanted you to know that I'm extremely grateful to you for helping out at that time. Seriously, whatever you need, you can count on me, even if we're far apart." Rogue said, and for the first time since he'd met her, she didn't seem to be in Afterlife.
"Don't forget to call sometimes, you're a good kid, and I was already liking you. Anyway, I hope you manage to get Johnny's car, after that, get some rest, kid. Seriously, you don't have to retire, but you've done more in a few months than most people do in a lifetime. Everyone deserves a break, and if you ever get bored somewhere, send me a message. All the best to you, V, we'll talk." Rogue said, and the message ended.
V smiled to himself, pleased to know that there were people out there he would take a bullet for, and that they would do the same for him.
There are several theories about who Rogue's son is, and to be honest, the ones I've read are pretty convincing, but I doubt they're true. I think it was more for sentimental weight in the scene where we find out than anything else. BUUUUT... for the sake of simplicity, I left Steve, the boy at the end where we let Johnny have our body, as her son. It makes a bit more sense for the father to hit him, and for Johnny to care so much about the boy.
If it doesn't, fuck it, now it does!
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it! I didn't want V to leave town without leaving a legacy behind. Now he has two and that's great!