Chapter 7: The Meet.
-Coyote Cojo, Heywood, Night City-
V and Jackie soon walked into the Heywood dive that they frequented so many times over the course of their lives in NC, sitting at the bar as Pepe was cleaning the glassware while a group of Valentinos left the bar.
"Just finish a job, boys?" The bartender asked as he finished cleaning a glass.
"Yep. We just made Maelstrom regret setting up shop at that All Foods factory they took over." Jackie nodded in reply.
"Shit, didn't end too badly, I hope?" Pepe questioned.
"We left it without a scratch, if that's what you mean." V responded as he sat down, ordering a drink while he got a call from Dex. "Hey Dex." The Nomad said.
"Mr. V, I heard about what happened at All Foods. I take it Royce was beyond negotiation?" The fixer questioned.
"Unfortunately so. We ended up choosing violence." V replied with a nod. "We still got the Flathead, though, so we're good on that front. Me and Jackie are just chilling at the Coyote Cojo in the meantime." He added.
"Aight. And Parker? How'd you fair on that front?" The man asked.
"She seems antsy. Not least because the people she's trying to work for are both NetWatch and the Voodoo Boys." V explained. "Walkin' a razor's edge with death, that." He added.
"Shit… "Razor's edge" is right on point. I do hope she has a way to get us those eddies alive." Dex sighed.
"On that we both agree." The Nomad nodded. "But no sense in worrying about it now. Need to focus on the heist." He continued.
"Ha! True that. Well then, you stay safe now, Mr. V. Later." The man laughed as he hung up.
"Dex called about the situation?" The ex Valentino street kid guessed.
"Yep." V nodded in reply. "Satisfied with our work, as per usual." He added as he took his drink from the bartender. The drinks in question were a Mexican Mule and a "Free Night City".
"Seems you boys are moving up in the world." Pepe noted.
"Yeah we are, Pepe. This whole city's gonna know about us soon enough." Jackie nodded with a grin.
"That's assuming you guys don't bite it, first." David stated as he appeared next to V on the bar.
"Don't jinx it, Martinez." V deadpanned, causing David to chuckle before he vanished.
The two started enjoying their drinks again for a little while until Guadeloupe Maria Welles came up to them.
"Boys." The woman said as she set a couple plates in front them, which had her famous homemade chilaquiles. "You must be hungry." She added.
"Si. Gracias, mama." Jackie replied in his native tongue with a nod.
"Thanks. I really love these things." The Nomad added with his own nod.
"So, you boys have been doing a job? What are you doing?" The woman questioned.
"Well, we'd tell you, but then we'd have to kill you." David chimed in.
"The fuck, David…" V groaned, facepalming mentally.
"What? It's boring, being stuck in your head." The engram shrugged.
"It's our biggest job yet, mama " Jackie told her. "We do this, and we'll be hitting the major leagues!" He chuckled.
"Jackie…" The Welles matriarch started as she looked at her son. "I know that you do this to support us, but I can't stop worrying that your next gig could be your last." She told him in a worried tone.
"Hey, don't worry Mama Welles." The Nomad smiled as he hugged his best friend. "I got Jackie's back. Always will." He added.
"Yeah. V's got my back. I'll be fine." The bruiser chuckled as he hugged his choom in return.
"I hope so too, I want both my boys to come home safe." Mama Welles smiled, hugging the two tightly.
As they pulled apart, V got a text. Specifically one from Meredith Stout.
[You know, after some thinking and consideration, I decided you deserve to play hard in addition to working hard.] It read.
[Gonna have to take a rain check on that.] The merc typed back, getting a response a few seconds later.
[Fair enough.] She replied. [Gimme a call if you're ever interested.] She added.
"Can't say I blame you for passing that up. You're spoken for." David whistled.
"Exactly. I'm not cheating on T-Bug." V nodded..
"Good man." The engram said with a thumbs up.
(Later)
V was now in his apartment, petting and playing with Jerry Lee, with T-Bug, the nomad spooning his Netrunner output and showing her no insignificant amount of affection.
The two had been hooking up at either one's apartment for a good couple weeks now, and had spent a lot of that time talking, watching movies, TV, having dinner, taking showers together—or just going with old reliable and having sex for hours on end, both protected and unprotected.
Right now, they were just relaxing. It was at this moment that T-Bug had something important to tell him.
"V… I have something you need to hear." The woman told her lover.
"What's that, T?" The Nomad asked as he held her even closer.
"... I'm pregnant." The netrunner whispered into his ear.
"Wait, what?" V questioned, doing a slight double take at this tidbit of information.
"You heard me." The woman smiled, sitting in his lam. "You're gonna be a father." She purred.
The man was silent for a moment before he simply conveyed his feelings by taking T-Bug into his arms bridal style and tossing her on his bed, before getting on top of her and beginning to unzip her suit… before he kissed her again.
(The next morning)
V yawned as he woke up in his bed with T-Bug, sleeping on top of him, right before Jackie called him.
"Hey Jack, what's up?" He sighed, getting dressed as he washed his face in the bathroom.
"Dex is ready for us. Bring the Flathead so we can get this show on the road, mano." The bruiser told him.
"OK, where to?" The Nomad questioned.
"Meeting's got us stopping at the Afterlife, ese. Can ya feel the legendary energy?" His choom grinned.
"Oh yeah. Your reaction says it all." V told him in reply. "Meet you there. I got a few things I gotta take care of." He added.
"Lucky for us, there's no real set time to be there. Just the sooner, the better. That kind of thing." Jackie shrugged before ending the call.
"See you later, ladies." The Nomad smiled as T-Bug woke up and also got dressed. "Better call Val, it's showtime." He added, holstering his guns.
(Later)
V was quick to arrive at the Afterlife via his Quadra while T-Bug had gone ahead on the Metro while he picked up his sister.
As they neared the main corner, they soon saw Jackie waiting for them, and it sounded like he was talking to Mama Welles.
"What's the word from Mama Welles?" V asked as he and Val walked up to him.
"Eh, she's just checking to make sure I'm not dead in some gutter, like the rest of the Welles boys." The bruiser sighed. "Ya know, the more I tell her I'm gonna be fine. The more I feel like I'm straight up lyin'." He added with a sigh.
"Well, look at it this way." Val chimed in. "If this op goes well, you'll be able to jumpstart your solo career. And soon enough you could retire, then settle down with Misty and give Mama Welles some Welles grandkids to have runnin' around." She added.
"There's somethin' a lot of moms in this city would kill for!" Jackie laughed in agreement. "But plans for the future aside. Ready to go in?" He asked.
V nodded as he looked up at the green sign of the bar, a heart monitor pulse as an A in neon lighting. "The Afterlife. Known far and wide, that name. Some of the Nomad clans got their biggest gigs here." He nodded.
"I remember dad getting some of his best gigs for the Bakkers here, too." Val nodded in agreement. "Remember that one smash and grab he talked about doing before the fourth corporate war?" She asked, looking at her brother.
"Yeah?" V nodded as he started following her and Jackie into the hall. "What about it?" He questioned.
"He said that he actually got that particular gig from Rogue at the time, and he nearly gave her a heart attack when he ate a slice of pineapple pizza in front of her while sharing how it went after he finished it." She chuckled, recalling that story with great clarity.
"Hahahaha!" Jackie laughed, nearly falling over and using the wall to keep himself up. "Chingada Madre! Your old man's crazy!" He howled, right as David appeared–quite literally rolling on the ground in laughter.
"Holy fucking shit, I wish I could've met your old man!" The edgerunner howled, digital tears of pure amusement escaping his eyes.
"Th-that aside…" Jackie wheezed as they reached the stairs leading to the underground bar. "You ready to get your cherry popped?" He cheered.
"Chill, Jack. We're ready." The assassin chuckled.
"Heh. This place used to be a morgue, ya know that?" Jackie questioned.
"Really, Jackie?" Val sighed.
"What?" He asked.
"We told you that ourselves." The twins said in unison as the three of them approached the bar's entry door.
"Hold it– Wait, Val? These two with you?" The bouncer, Emmerick Brandson, asked.
"Yeah. We're here to see Dex." Viv replied. "Meet my brother V and our friend Jackie Welles." She added.
"One sec." The man told her before calling Dex. "Yo, Dex, you got a trio of live ones here to see you." He reported, the trio not hearing the response. "Dex says he needs a minute. Go on in and grab yourselves a drink." He told them as he stepped aside and let them in.
"Way ahead of you, viejo." Jackie chuckled as they walked in. "This is it! The heart of Night City!" He grinned, looking around in awe at what he was seeing. "Hear that? That's it–beating." He smiled. "Can you imagine? Susan Forest, Boa Boa, even Morgan Blackhand! All sat on those same stools. Fell asleep at that same bar!" He smiled, sitting on one of the stools.
"Looks like we're up." V chuckled as he sat down.
"Followin' in dad's footsteps." Val nodded in agreement as she sat next to her brother.
"Hey, look!" Jackie whispered, pointing at a woman sitting in a booth. "That's Rogue! Best fixer in Night City!" He added.
"Thought Dex was the best?" Viv questioned with a chuckle.
"Nah, Rogue was setting up jobs since Dex was shitting in diapers. The Afterlife belongs to her." The bruiser said, shaking his head.
"And our dad did gigs for her back in his time." V nodded with a grin.
"Hey. What'll it be, you three?" The bartender asked. V got a good look at her, and could tell she was a good person to talk to. She had red hair swept to one side of her face, brown eyes and what looked like mechanic's clothes on.
"Hey Claire." Val waved.
"Heeey, Val! How's things?" Claire smiled warmly.
"Gettin' ready for a big job." The assassin replied. "Anyway, I'd like a shot of rum, demurara syrup, lime juice, topped with NiCola." She continued.
"And I'll take a Vodka old fashioned topped with NiCola Blue with a lemon twist." V nodded.
"Okay, and you?" Claire asked, looking at Jackie.
"One Tequila old fashioned with a splash cerveza and chili garnish." Jackie listed.
"One Willie Night, one David Martinez and one Johnny Silverhand coming up." The bartender nodded as she got to work.
"Would I be right in assuming that everyone knows how dad died?" V asked.
"Hard not to, his fight with Smasher was all over the bar. No one could stop talking about it for weeks. And during that time, people were ordering his drink regularly." Claire nodded.
"Nice to know people were drinkin' to him." The Nomad sighed.
"Speaking of William, how'd that fight go?" Rogue asked as she walked over to them. V glanced at her before looking down at the bar.
"..." V was silent for a moment before he let out a deep breath. "It… As morbid as it sounds, was awe inspiring. Even after death, his body remained upright." He continued. "The haunting image of his battered body that mowed down his enemies was a sight to behold." He added.
The bar slowly went quiet as Rogue and many other patrons listened with great interest as V recounted the fight.
"The final tally of sword wounds he got in that battle was no less than 267. The number of gunshot wounds, 152. He was shot by rockets 46 times, and impaled by superheated Gorilla arms twice." He listed off, the listeners around him going wide eyed. "The battle ended with a crater the size of Watson being formed, and Adam Smasher being reduced to an armless and one legged state." He added. "And yet, upon the back of this proud man that was my father, and indeed for his entire life as a Nomad and a pirate, it remained unmarred by any form of retreat." He finished.
Everyone who didn't know the details of the fight were beyond dumbstruck, especially Rogue. She had heard the fight was on its own level, and what she just heard confirmed that.
"That… Is hard-fucking-core." Jackie commented slowly, taking a swig of his drink.
"Ditto." David added, appearing next to V.
"Well then." Rogue said, putting a hand on V's shoulder. "Thanks for telling us that story." She smiled. "... In fact, stop by again sometime. We can swap tales." She nodded.
"Yeah, I'd like that." The Nomad nodded.
"Enjoy your drinks, you three. It's on the house." The queen of fixers told them.
"Thanks, Rogue." Viv nodded in reply.
The three continued their drinks in silence before V spoke up. "So these drinks are named after dead regulars, right?" He asked Claire.
"Yep." The bartender nodded.
"Well there's a name missing, Morgan Blackhand." Jackie noted.
"Yeah, word is he can't decide if he's alive or dead." Viv nodded.
"What is he even doing that he can't even make up his mind on being dead or alive?" V wondered.
"Dunno, heard rumors that he's working for Myers on top secret stuff." Claire shrugged. "But no one knows for sure." She added.
"Oh." The Nomad shrugged as he downed his drink.
"So, heard you've been looking into David Martinez's crew for a while." Claire noted. "Jacket and the drink says it all." She added.
"Yeah, but I pretty much got everything I can out of that search, including a pair of rides." V shrugged. "Only reason it even started is because of me getting Rebecca's HMG off some gonk in a shootout a short while back." He added.
"Huh, well that's certainly interesting." Claire nodded, right as Dex's huscle walked up to them.
"Dex is ready for you three." He told them.
"Come on, guys." Val prompted as she got up.
"Yep, no sense in waiting." V nodded as David disappeared as they walked away.
(Later)
"Hey!" Jackie said as they entered a booth where T and Dex were waiting for them.
"Hey guys." The netrunner greeted with a nod.
"Here's the Flathead." V said, placing the bot on the table and opened its case up, showing that it was indeed there.
"Works like a dream, I see." Val noted.
"Sweet booth, it sound proof?" Jackie questioned as he, V and Viv sat down.
"The fuck, Jackie…" T-Bug sighed.
"Easy. The Jackster's right. Privacy is important for what we're about to discuss." Dex interjected in a cool tone.
"Still can't believe we're hitting Yorinobu Arasaka." Viv said.
"Man with a million eddie name and no talent to back it up." Dex nodded.
"And that means we'll have targets on our backs." V added. "That aside, how about we go over the plan ya got, Dex?" He asked.
"Slot in the shards." The fixer instructed, prompting V, Val and Jackie to slot in the shards that were prepped for them.
"Plan's a three stage one. Ops wise, should be a stroll on the beach." T-Bug began.
"Elaborate, I wanna hear more." Jackie chimed in.
"Same." Val nodded.
"First, Delamain will drop yo asses off at Konpeki Plaza. You'll stroll right in thanks to your false identities." The fixer began. "Then, with Bug's help, you'll breach the hotel subnet." He added.
"Mine and the Flathead's help." T-Bug interjected.
"Last but not least, you'll get into Yorinobu's penthouse and klep the Relic. Simple." Dex continued.
"Goes without saying, but we do this on the hush–ideally, no bodies." The Netrunner added. "Not a one." She continued.
"You'll have T-Bug on comms for the duration." The man nodded. "And now for your burning questions." He added.
"These new identities, what are they?" V questioned.
"Hello Ramon Victorino." T-Bug started, nodding at Jackie. "And you two are Harry and Mellissa Conwell." She added.
"So we have cover names. Okay." Viv nodded.
"Ramon? –Yeah, okay, so what do we say we're there for?" Jackie questioned.
"In case anyone asks, you'll be there for a bogus meeting with Arasaka's defense rep, Hajime Taki." Dex told them. "Anything else?" He asked.
"The penthouse, how do we get in?" Viv asked.
"Since Yorinobu has zero huscle, that means that we'll just have to deal with the dweller ahead of the penthouse security." T-Bug explained. "Only catch is we'll have to slip the Flathead through on the inside." She added.
"I expect a place like Konpeki to have security gates. I think I can come up with something." V nodded.
"Improvisation, ya don't see that kind of innovation these days." Dex nodded in approval.
"So this transport, it's a Delamain?" The Nomad questioned.
"Best cab in all of Night City… Nada mal." Jackie chuckled.
"Nice." David whistled, appearing next to Dex.
"Dexter DeShawn don't work with anyone but the best, and I consider Delamain to be just that." The fixer nodded.
"Yeah, who needs nosy, creepy cab drivers when ya got a smooth AI to bring you to point A to B in style?" T-Bug nodded.
"... T?" V said, causing his output to look at him. "Make a note to call Delamain after the job. I just had an idea." He added.
"Fill me in when you can." The netrunner nodded with a smirk.
"How he still keeps a permit is still a mystery." Jackie nodded.
"If all goes well Delamain will drop you off here. And if things get sticky, you'll head to the safe house, the No-Tell Motel. But I'm flat certain that won't be necessary. " Dex continued. "Anything else to get off your chests?" He asked.
"Yeah, I got a question, when do we get to the real reason we're all here?" Jackie questioned.
"The fuck, Jack…" Val groaned in exasperation.
"Hey, I'm just makin' sure this whole heist is worth it." The bruiser said defensively.
"Cut for new talent is usually the same. Non-negotiable, thirty percent." Dex began.
"Bro, thirty?" Jackie groaned.
"Wait, what do you mean 'usually'?" Val questioned, spotting a keyword.
"Recent developments, such as Mr. V's call to bring you in to cover bases. His and Jackie's near flawless handling of the shit show at All Foods. And the fact that I can trust you all to adapt should things go sideways, I've decided to split the cut to sixty percent." The man explained.
"Okay, I can work with that." Jackie nodded, satisfied with what he heard.
"Last thing, Konpeki's got a strict 'No Iron' gates, the works." Dex explained. "So you'll leave your lead spitters in the ride, then take the Flathead in its case." He continued.
"You'll have some deft suits so you'll look the part too." T-Bug nodded.
"Sweet!" Jackie grinned.
"Thanks T." V nodded.
"Okay, I think we got everything in order." Val nodded after mulling things over in her head.
"Not to count chickens, but when will we see our eddies?" Jackie questioned.
"Assuming Miss Parker can get things set up with her Voodoo Boys and NetWatch friends? I'd say a week, two tops." Dex shrugged.
"Let's agree to not hold our breaths. We all know what the VooDoo Boys do to people they hire." V stated.
"Yeah. When we get the chip, we should be ready to deliver it to NetWatch ourselves in case something happens to her." Val nodded in agreement.
"All excellent points." Dex acknowledged with a nod. "Now, as an old Greek dog says, 'Life's a banquet, so don't go thirsty. But don't get drunk either." He added.
"Aristotle." Val noted.
"Indeed." The fixer nodded before he got up. "Come on. Let's get this show on the road." He added before walking out of the booth.
"That's my cue to get set up, too. If you guys have any other questions, now's the time." T-Bug told the others.
"So, what're you gonna do with the cash after this job?" V asked.
"Hopefully it'll be enough to get me to get a Creton Villa from which I'll never step inside of Cyberspace again." The Netrunner explained.
"Send us a postcard at least, Bug." Jackie quipped.
"No offense, but I'm thinking of burning any and all bridges except for a select few." The woman told him. "But… Yeah, I can try to keep in touch with you guys at least." She nodded.
"What about little ol' me?" V questioned in a mock hurt tone. "I was hoping you'd stick around for the baby's sake." He added.
"Wait, huh?" Val uttered with a blink.
"Long story short: You're gonna be an aunt." V told his sister, causing her to squeal in delight.
"I'm so happy!" She exclaimed in glee.
"Yeah, congrats, mano!" Jackie nodded with a smile as he he gave his pal a double thumbs up.
"Okay, let's get this heist on the road. No sense waiting." V stated as he closed the Flathead's case.
"In gettin' rich, you mean!" Jackie laughed.
"Hell yeah, I second that!" David added with a grin.
(Timeskip)
Nine months later…
After a nine month break to make sure any chatter, goings on, rumors or what have you had completely died down about the heist, the gang was ready.
This period was suggested by V for this purpose, as well as allowing Evelyn enough time to secure her deal with Netwatch and attempt to get the VDBs off her back—the success of which was currently unknown.
It was also done to allow T to have the baby, so there wasn't a threat to its safety. And have it she did—as the week before the heist, one Beetlejuice Night, aka BJ was born. A healthy 8 pounds, 12 ounces.
Now though, three were now entering their Delamain cab with Flathead in hand, all decked out in suits.
The job would've taken place the day after their meeting at the Afterlife, but on top of T being pregnant—there had also been a massive flareup in gang activity that set them back. V, Val and Jackie had to work full time to keep things from getting out of hand. That resulted in them taking a lot of breaks in between.
"Welcome to the Delamain service. With Delamain, you leave all your problems at the door." The AI greeted.
"I bet." Val chuckled from the navigation seat.
"Before we begin, I must verify the identities of all passengers. Please insert personal links." Delamain instructed. The three did so, and the AI quickly verified their identities. "Identities verified. Excelsior package." He added.
"Excelsior?! Aw shit this just keeps getting better and better!" Jackie exclaimed with a grin.
"Combat mode, medical services, the works. Nice." Val grinned.
"This is how you cruise into the major leagues." The Street kid smiled.
"Oh yeah. This is good stuff." V nodded in agreement as the taxi started moving.
"Wouldn't say we're there yet, boys." Val told them.
"Huh?" Jackie questioned.
"I dunno guys, it seems like you're losing your grip." She said. "Need you all to keep your heads clear, in the game." She added.
"Trust me, Val, I got an iron grip on this." V told his sister.
"My head's been no more clear than it has in my fuckin' life! I had to live in the shit around us, and I ain't going back." Jackie hissed.
"I'm just makin' sure you're good." The assassin told him.
"Alright everyone, need to do a mic sync check." T-Bug called in. "How's things going?" She asked.
"Smooth as fucking sandpaper." Jackie said.
"Right…" The netrunner trailed off awkwardly. "V, call Jackie and Val. I want the comm line to be as clear as possible. The two of you do the same to each other." She instructed.
"Right, hang on." The Nomad nodded, doing so and causing static to bombard Jackie and a microphone screech to hit Val.
"Ah! Yep! It's working." Val groaned.
"Same…" The bruiser groaned as he held his head before the noise cleared up.
"Sorry about the noise." T-Bug said apologetically. "Alright, looks like you're there. Time to get this show on the road." She nodded.
"Right." V nodded as he and Jackie turned to each other. "Alright, Jack, looks like it's time." He continued.
"To light the night on fire!" The two grinned as they fist bumped, getting out of the car with Val.
Dragon Emperor0: And here we are, the second to final chapter of Act 1. The gang is about to enter Konpeki Plaza and proceed to klep the Relic… One can only hope that it's all uphill from here.
ThermalsniperN7: Here's hoping. Let's just hope Dex doesn't do anything stupid later when this is over. Anyway, V managed to get a booty call from Meredith, but he's taking a rain check on that. You'll find out why later.
Dragon Emperor0: I think one of them will be fairly obvious due to the summary. Along with this, we'll be deviating from canon quite a bit here in the final stretch of Act 1. Seeing as that we've spotted multiple missed opportunities for different outcomes to the Heist that could have been in game. Not that what we got was bad, no. Just that it could have been more interesting if it was a "Every Equation Leads to the Same Solution" situation.
ThermalsniperN7: Yeah. Let's spice things up a bit, why don't we? It could go pretty well for us in terms of content.
Dragon Emperor0: That said, it wouldn't be Cyberpunk without some form of tragedy, so… Heads up. Anyway, see you next time.