Chapter 5: The Rescue
Mission Theme: Archangel by Samurai
-Night City, Watson, half a year later-
V slowly parked out front of an apartment complex in his Quadra with Jackie in the passenger's seat. The two of them were about to start a new job.
"This is the place where we're supposed to get our target, probably still being held by the pendejos that took her." Jackie stated.
Their fixer had gotten word that a whistleblower had gone dark, probably kidnapped. That's where they came in.
"Ready, Jack?" V asked, glancing at his longtime companion since arriving in Night City.
"Yep. Let's do this." The bruiser nodded as they got out, moving towards an elevator.
As they entered the elevator, V started checking over the chrome he'd gotten since he arrived, making sure his systems were in top shape.
So far, in addition to his Mantis Blades and Sandevistan, he also managed to get some Titanium Bone implants, reinforced skeleton, Hydraulic legs, Synthetic Lungs, a Cardio Pump, a Synaptic Accelerator, and a Reflex enhancer.
And luckily for him, his head was still intact despite having this much chrome, which came in real handy during jobs like this.
As he was checking himself over, David appeared and leaned against the door of the elevator.
"Yet more hapless gonks about to get flatlined." He mused with a chuckle.
"What'd you expect, David? Scavs were never the sharpest tools in the shed." V replied with a chuckle as he and Jackie got on the elevator.
That was another thing. After David woke up in V's head, it took a bit to learn that the engram could hear V's thoughts like he was talking out loud. It certainly made communication easier…But it also made V careful of his thoughts.
Namely of the ones involving his old crush on Big Mom… He did not need to hear the Edgerunner's quips on the subject.
As the two rode up the elevator, a call came for them on the holo, specifically one from T-Bug, their designated Netrunner.
"Target's name is Sandra Dorsett. Her biomon went dark a few hours ago, suspected abduction." She told them as her image popped up in their vision. "Not sure you're on time." She added.
"Relax, Bug. We're on time." V told the netrunner as the elevator went up.
"Yeah, sure you're on phones, but that doesn't make you any less part of this squad." Jackie stated.
"Squad. Charming." The Netrunner mused as they stepped out of the elevator.
"Whatever. Where are we heading?" The Nomad asked as he shook his head.
"You're looking for 1237. I've got zero eyes in there." T-Bug replied as V spotted a woman coming out of her apartment before he waved her back inside.
"Comin' up on the door already." The Nomad told her as Jackie got his pistols ready.
"Think you can jostle the lock, V?" The Netrunner questioned.
"Yeah. Let me get a handle on it…" V nodded as he looked at the door through his scanner and then activated its automatic lock.
Once they were in, they started looking around the Scav haunt for their target. Along the way, they came across a woman with her chest cut open and her face torn off in a makeshift operation room.
"Damn it! Are we too late?! Is that our target, V?!" The bruiser questioned angrily. The Nomad was quick to do a scan of the body to see if it was Sandra, and the results came back negative.
"Sandra Dorsett's protected by tier two echelon Corpo immunity." He replied with a shake of his head. "This one's pack black market Zetatech repros, typical back alley fixups. This ain't our lucky girl." He added.
As they got near a door, Jackie grabbed his friend's shoulder, making him stop. "Hey, V, mira eyes up! Pendejos ahead." He whispered as they entered the room behind a bum. "Stealthy now, V, suete." He added.
David then appeared next to him and gave the Nomad a nod, which he reciprocated–right before time started to slow, and everything around him turned green and frame-like. Then he ran forward, leaving multi-colored afterimages as he went, before he snapped the Scav's neck and shoved him into the freezer.
After that, time sped back up for him.
"Smooth work, choom." The engram nodded in approval.
"Nice one, V." Jackie nodded with a hushed tone as he walked up to him.
The two then continued walking into the place before they reached what looked like the main hall, where T-Bug called something in.
"Heads up. Got more bodies incoming." She told them.
"Cabrones, thick as locusts. Come on, let's get ready to plan a spree." The bruiser said as two passed their hiding places.
"Let's go." V nodded before they quickly killed the two scavs that walked by them. Before continuing on. This time, they decided to go loud.
Deploying his Mantis Blades, he then used his Sande to zoom around and hack apart the scavs around them, and dodge the fire of an HMG that started shooting at him through the wall, revealing the giant of a boss.
The gun managed to hit him a few times, causing him to tumble to the ground, but Jackie used his arm cannons to make the guy back up.
"GET SOME!" He yelled. The Scav dropped his gun as he staggered, but shook the attack off, knocking his knuckles, showing he had shock damage Gorilla Arms.
"David?" V said, causing the engram to walk out in front of him.
"Yeah?" The street kid asked.
"You wanna get nuts?" The Nomad told him, causing the hologram to smirk as he glitches red, eyes flickering.
"Yeah, let's get nuts." He smirked.
Then V's vision turned red, and his optics started to glow red like the red eye meme. He let out a growl and deployed his mantis blades before he lunged forward.
This was what was known as "Psycho Mode," which is a little something that V and David were able to create two months back. It involved stimulating a similar process that created Cyberpsychos, but without the loss of one's self or their morals.
The two theorized that it could be done only if an engram was on the verge of going Cyberpsycho or had already gone off the deep end in life.
Activating all of his chrome all at once, V zoomed forward with his Sande, tracked his opponents movements with his Synaptic Accelerator, followed through with his Reflex enhancer, and then weaved through his punches, ducking them at breakneck speed–before leaping with his hydraulic legs and getting on the man's shoulders–slicing his head off in two clean strokes of his blades.
The giant man then fell to the ground with a thud, as did his head, and V landed on his feet, unscathed.
"And that's that." V nodded as his Psycho Mode ended.
"Barely even saw you move, but whatever." Jackie shrugged as the two continued looking for Sandra.
"The room she's in is overlooking a balcony. I can't find her, though." T-Bug told the two mercs.
"We'll look around." V told her as he and his street kid companion started looking around the place. Though when they opened one particular door to what probably used to be a bathroom, they were greeted by a grizzly sight. "Jesus fucking H Christ…" The man groaned as he approached.
There was their target, naked in an ice bath with one other person, the latter of which was dead. He hoped that the same couldn't be said for their target.
"It's real easy to forget how fucked up scavs can get." David remarked as he stood in front of the tub, shuddering a bit.
"What's goin' on?" T-Bug questioned.
"Found our target with another body, I'm not sure if she's alive." The Nomad told her. "What should we do?" He questioned.
"Jack into her neuroport, verify if it's her." The netrunner instructed. V did so, and plugged his personal link into the woman's neuroport to read her credentials.
"Yeah. Sandra Dorsett, Trauma Team Platinum." V nodded.
"Platinum? Shit, Trauma should've been here if she sneezed." Jackie scoffed.
"They must be jamming her sig. Look for a shard, that'll be what's muting her biomon." T-Bug instructed. It didn't take long to find since it was literally sitting above where V was jacked in.
"Removing the shard." The Nomad said as he did exactly that, and immediately heard a message that Trauma Team was en route. "Trauma's on its way, ETA three minutes." He reported.
"Let's get her outta there, mano." Jackie prompted. The moment V took the unconscious woman out of the tub, however, she started spasming.
"Shit, shit! She's flatlining!" V exclaimed in alarm as he set her on the floor. "Jackie, air hypo!" He called.
"Hey catch cuatro!" The bruiser yelled as he tossed one to his partner, allowing him to inject it into Sandra's chest.
"I think… Holy shit, it worked!" The Night sibling sighed in relief as Sandra stabilized.
"Come on, mano. Let's get her outside." Jackie beckoned. V nodded wordlessly as he picked the woman up and walked out to the balcony just in time for a Trauma AV to swoop in.
"Tch. I still hate these fuckers." David scoffed disdainfully as he watched the AV land and the Trauma soldiers walked out. V knew why he said that since he and David talked a lot, and the Edgerunner told the Nomad a fair bit about himself.
The fact that Trauma left David's mom to die in favor of another was pretty disgusting in his eyes, since they were basically sacrificing low level clients to save those with higher and better memberships.
"Place the patient on the ground." One of the Trauma soldiers instructed. V did so and quickly backed up so they could do their job.
"Phew, well, let's go." Jackie said, gesturing for the wanderer to follow.
"Great job. Shit show's over." T-Bug sighed.
"Hey Bug, don't suppose I could stop by your pad later? Got something I wanna talk to you about, face to face." The merc said as he and Jackie headed outside.
"I don't mind, but what's so important that you can't chat with me about it over the holo?" T-Bug asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Too sensitive to talk about here." V replied.
"Alright, see you then." The Netrunner nodded as they both signed off.
"Come on. The elevator will get us to the garage proper." Jackie beckoned as they left the haunt. "...Hey, V. Mind if I borrow your wheels?" The bruiser asked as they walked.
"Why?" The Nomad asked in reply as they got on the elevator.
"I got a date with Misty, and I can't take the metro. How's that gonna look for me?" Jackie asked rhetorically with a chuckle.
"He ain't wrong." David chipped in as he appeared, leaning against a wall.
"I won't leave you hangin', Jack. But don't get used to it." V told him as they got out of the elevator, ignoring David's comment.
"Preem." The bruiser nodded with a smile. "Come on, I'll drive ya home." He added as he got in the driver's seat of his choom's ride.
(Later)
The two were driving through Watson to get out and home when V got a call from Wakako.
"V, I trust the job went well?" She asked.
"About as smooth as natural silk." V replied with a nod.
"Excellent." The old fixer nodded in reply. "I trust the client is alive and well?" She questioned.
"Of course. It's what we agreed, right?" The Nomad nodded. "She had a hyperactive cardiac event, but it was fixed after we used an Air hypo. Trauma's got her now." He elaborated.
"Excellent news." The Japantown fixer nodded in satisfaction. "The NCPD is locking down Watson. You would best move quickly." She continued. "Your payment is ready to be collected whenever you like, but I imagine home is where you prefer to be." She added.
"You'd be right about that. I'll collect my pay when I'm ready." V nodded.
"Farewell, V." The woman nodded as she hung up.
As the two continued driving, Jackie turned on the radio, Gr4ves by Konrad OldMoney beginning to play.
"So, want to grab something to eat before I drop you off at T's place?" Jackie questioned.
"NCPD's locking down Watson. If I wanna get to talk with 'Bug, we can't make any stops." V told him flatly.
"Fuck, alright." The bruiser sighed. As they drove along, the street kid soon took notice of something that was approaching them from behind. "Shit, I don't like the look of this…" He muttered.
"I see it, too." The Nomad nodded with narrowed eyes as he watched a van pull in front of them. Before he or Jackie could say anything, the back doors opened and scavs started shooting at them.
"Mierda! V, hold on!" Jackie yelled as he swerved out of the hail of bullets while V leaned out of the window and started shooting the thugs with Bad Night Rising.
"You fuckers picked the wrong night to mess with me!" The Nomad yelled as he blasted them through their car, ridding it with holes.
Jackie growled as he swerved onto the sidewalk briefly before heading back onto the road, and the van was forced to take another road, giving the two some breathing room. After a minute, though, it came back and a side door opened up with another gunner shooting at them.
V made quick work of him, too.
"V, take out the driver!" The bruiser called, and one bullet was all it took for the driver to be killed and for the van to crash into the wall and explode on impact.
"Woo! Take that, bitches!" V whooped as he flipped off the burning wreckage as they zoomed off.
"Sorry about your ride, V. She got scratched up pretty bad." Jackie told his choom apologetically as he sat back down.
"Don't worry. The scratches can be patched up." V replied, waving his words off. "Now just drop me off at the circle tower in Kabuki, just at the edge of Watson. I can get to T's place from there." He instructed.
"Gotcha." Jackie nodded as they drove toward a bridge… and were met with a police blockade.
"Oh great…" The Nomad groaned as a policewoman walked up to the driver's side of the car.
"Watson's on lockdown until further notice. Necessary security measure." She told them as the window lowered.
"We were just leaving, actually. See, we don't live in Watson, but some Scavs cut us off so we had to make a detour." V explained.
"Scavs, huh? Hm, you two look like mercs. Did you just finish a job?" The policewoman questioned.
"Rescue Mission, yeah." Jackie nodded. "Poor girl got nabbed from her apartment. She's with Trauma now but, eihone. I can't imagine how she'll feel in the morning." He winced.
"Ooooh… Yeah, I know what you mean." The policewoman nodded with a wince before looking at her subordinates. "Let them through. They're the last." She ordered.
The Quadra rolled on forward without incident after that, but right as the two stopped at an intersection, they spotted some random thugs carjacking someone.
"Look, shit's goin' down." Jackie commented before an AV swooped in and some MaxTac soldiers dropped down.
"MaxTac. Those gonks are fucked." V commented as the three thugs were zeroed without hesitation.
"Yep. This is just a mid day snack for 'em too." Jackie nodded as they kept driving, a bit of silence passing before he let out a content sigh. "Ah, nowhere like Night City, right, mano?" He sighed.
"It's a city, Jack. Just like any other. Just bigger." The Nomad shrugged, having seen plenty of cities in his travels.
"It's not just 'any other city.' Legends are born here!" The bruiser exclaimed with a grin. "Morgan Blackhand, Weyland Boa-Boa, Adam Smasher–" He started to ramble before V cut him off.
"Jackie, what did I tell you about bringing up that last name?" The Nomad questioned in a firm tone.
"Oh… right. My bad, mano." The street kid apologized with a wince. Like any friendship, V had shared things about his past over the months in Night City. This included who had killed Willie Night.
Jackie Welles understood why Adam Smasher's name would be like an ancient curse to the Night siblings.
"My point is, legends are born here!" He exclaimed.
"Heroes are born, Jackie. Legends are made. They make themselves or are made by people from a hero's memories." The merc stated.
"Couldn't have said it better myself, V." David chimed as he sat on the hood of the car.
… What? He's an engram, and there weren't any available seats in the car. Plus Jackie couldn't see him, so he wasn't obstructing his vision as he drove.
"For fuck's sake, David…" The man groaned as the street kid flipped him off with a smirk as he disappeared.
"So, what are you planning on doing at Bug's place, anyway?" Jackie questioned.
"Somethin' personal that's been bugging me for the past few months." V replied vaguely.
"Do I wanna know what kind of thing it is?" The bruiser wondered before shaking his head. "Nah. No I don't." He decided.
A few turns later they soon reached the Kabuki roundabout, allowing V to get out. "Hey, do me a favor and check on Jerry Lee for me, will ya?" He requested.
"Consider it done, ese." Jackie nodded before he drove off.
V shook his arms a bit as he hopped in place, getting ready to head to T-Bug's apartment.
"Not telling your choom that you're going to visit T-Bug because you got the hots for her?" David questioned as he walked next to the Nomad. "That's pretty cold, V." He added.
"Excuse me for keeping my love life to myself after not getting the chance to confess to my original crush." V retorted.
David said nothing to that. He had gotten a glimpse of V's memories pertaining to his original crush… And admitted that V had good taste in women, but that's besides the point. He didn't blame the Nomad for being reclusive.
He understood that anyone would likely be that way if they had their long awaited chance ripped from them because their family got sold out.
"Gotta admit though, it's weird that both of us have the hots for a sexy Netrunner." The Street kid noted. "First me with Lucy and now you with T-Bug." He added.
"That is true." V conceded as the two kept walking. "I don't know what Netrunner women do right with themselves, but it obviously works really fucking well for 'em." He added.
As he said this, V reached the door of an apartment at the edge of Kabuki and Watson, and knocked on it.
"Hey, Bug! You in there?" He called.
"One sec!" The netrunning woman called back. After a moment, she opened the door. "Come on in. Let's hear what you had to talk about." She beckoned, gesturing for him to enter her apartment.
"Alright." V nodded as he sat down on a loveseat that the woman had in her apartment that was across from a geometric glass coffee table, where she was pouring them a drink.
"Rum, NiCola classic and lime." She smiled as she set a glass in front of her guest. "Or as I like to call it, a Ciudad de Noche Libre." She chuckled as she sat down next to him.
"The fact you put rum in this puts a smile on my face." V chuckled as he took a sip.
"Well, you did say it was your favorite." The Netrunner shrugged. "So, you were saying?" She asked, facing him as she crossed her legs sexilly–which was easy in her skin tight suit–resting her cheek on her hand.
"Right…" V sighed, steeling his nerves. "Ya know how we've been through a ton of jobs since my starting days in Night City?" He began.
"Yeah, started with you calling me out of nowhere to track down some gear, then came to now." The woman nodded. "What about it?" She continued.
"Well, it's hard to work with women like you and not feel some romantic feelings take hold." The Nomad told her with a shrug.
"... Oh." The netrunner uttered with a blink before she smirked. "In that case, it's hard to work with a Nomad like you and not start to have naughty thoughts." She returned, dragging a finger across the man's chest. "I mean, chrome aside, you got some serious body on you." She purred, draping a leg over V's lap.
"Well, I don't know what you did with your body, but you did it right." V smirked back, taking her into his lap completely.
"Oh I didn't do anything, honey." T purred as she took his head into her hands and held him to her E-Cup bosom. "This body's all natural." She added, her chest feeling like V was between two giant marshmallows.
"I think we could get a better feel for each other without anything in the way." V commented as his hands roamed her body before landing on the woman's ass.
"Mmmm, sure. Just gimme a minute to get freshened up." The woman hummed as she got up, walking towards her room in a sashay, swaying her beautiful hips and drawing V's attention to her gorgeous plum shaped ass. "Get ready, captain." She purred, saluting him before she went into the room.
"Have fun, V." David chuckled, appearing briefly before he vanished again.
A moment later, T-Bug walked back into the living room completely naked. There wasn't a sign of chrome anywhere on her already gorgeous body. V looked her up and down as she walked toward him, her hips swaying and breasts bouncing with each step.
"Well, V?" T-Bug purred as she approached the Nomad.
V knew exactly what he was in for… And he was going to enjoy every second of it.
(Later)
After around two hours of love making, V and T-Bug were laying on the couch together, both of them completely sweaty.
"So, think you're okay with me becoming your input?" The merc questioned, getting a French kiss on the lips in response.
"How's that for an answer?" The netrunner replied with a smile.
V chuckled as he held his woman close while they enjoyed their drinks.
"Yeah, I think you're definitely my woman." He smiled, kissing her back. "By the way, there's something else I wanted to run by you." He told her.
"Oh? What's that?" The netrunner asked with a hum.
"I want to get you to help out me and Val with a personal mystery of ours." The merc told her in reply. "We feel like there could be more than just chance to us having "Night" as our last name. We feel like there's a lot more to it." He explained.
"You want me to comb through cyberspace to see if I can find anything." The woman deduced as she nuzzled against him. "I'm not sure I'll be of much help right now, since I don't have anything to go on." She admitted.
"Don't worry. I'll find a lead." V assured her. "But that can wait for another time. Let's just get some sleep." He added, getting up and carrying her bridal style to the bed. Once both of them were comfortable, they fell asleep.
And as they did, V neglected to notice that he had five messages from Val…
Just another night in Night City.
Dragon Emperor0: And here it is guys. We're finally getting into the main story, and it looks like V's hooking up with T-Bug.
ThermalsniperN7: Yeah, and V is apparently one of those guys who keeps his love life to himself… After his big chance was stolen by a certain boogeyman, it's hard to blame him. Also, it's not a permanent relationship, guys; It's just a temporary one that's gonna happen.
Dragon Emperor0: Yeah. And looks like Viv just got a taste of her own medicine… Also, did V just pull a Raiden?
ThermalsniperN7: Let's see… Crazy side? Check. Blades? Check. Absurd speed? … Checkmate. Yeah he did. I do wonder what Val was sending him messages about, though.
Dragon Emperor0: Maybe it has something to do with what she and Judy talked about last chapter? I dunno. Anyway, guys, see you next time.