Chapter 10: The Bartmoss Aneurysm
-Tom's Diner-
Val sighed as she walked down the street of Little China to Tom's Diner after a rather eventful sleep and waking experience.
As she turned on a corner to enter the restaurant in question, she saw her brother sitting across from Takemura, who was currently dressed in a white suit.
"Hey, sis. Come on, have a seat." V prompted as he waved her over, and Val was quick to sit next to her sibling.
"Okay, what's this about?" The Widowmaker questioned as she focused her gaze on Takemura. "This about the biochip?" She questioned.
"I hear that it has already been activated, meaning that any attempt to remove it would be disastrous for you." The man replied.
"Guess the guys like to talk." The Netrunner said, looking at her brother. "What is it you want?" She questioned.
"To begin, I need you to tell me where to find Evelyn Parker." The corpo began.
"We're just as clueless about her as you are." V shrugged. "The plan was to get the data on the Biochip to the Voodoo Boys and sell the chip to NetWatch. I guess the former of the two got her before she could do anything, which leads us to now." He added.
"I see." Takemura sighed as he took in the information.
"What is it you want from her, anyway?" Val questioned, eyes narrowing as she looked at the man skeptically.
"She and Yorinobu had intimate relations, she knows how to get to him." The man explained.
"And why should I care about that? My beef is with the biochip, not getting close to Yorinobu Arasaka." Val stated.
"I seek her because she may have some more hidden information on the chip, how to remove it, even." The Corpo explained. "This information could be of use to you." He added.
"Either that, or we look to the chief behind it: Anders Hellman." V interjected.
"Unlikely, I tried looking for Hellman, he seems to have–How you say? Dropped off the face of the earth." Takemura mused.
"Well luckily, I may know a person who can help us." Val chimed in. "The queen of the Afterlife, Rogue." She added.
"That's gonna be difficult." V hummed. The second twin shrugged as she was about to leave, but Takemura stopped.
"Wait." He told her, hands clasped. "I need you, both of you." He told the two.
"Why?" The two questioned.
"Yorinobu Arasaka must answer for his crime of patricide." The man stated. This got the two siblings to glance at each other before looking back at the one who punched a hole or two in their father.
"You're looking for justice, in Night City?" Val scoffed.
"Revenge, much more feasible here." Takemura amended. "I have allies who are prepared to bring Yorinobu to his knees. All I need now is proof." He continued.
"And we're it? Do you truly believe the board of directors will trust the words of two mercs, even if they bore witness to the crime in question?" V questioned.
"I have nothing better now. Also I know no one here, I am a fugitive, I am hunted." The man replied.
"And what if we say no?" V questioned.
"Better yet, why should we not say no?" Val continued. "After all, it's your boss' corporation that killed our father, forced our family apart. And–if what I read in Saburo's personal encrypted diary is to be believed–his majesty the 'Emperor' planned to nuke Night City to wipe it off the face of the earth and keep his plans of world domination in place." She added.
Takemura was silent as he considered his next words carefully. The Night Twins in front of him had plenty of reason to say no to his request for help, and if he didn't convince them here, they'll be liable to not only kill him, but continue hurting Arasaka. He just needed to figure out how to appeal to them in a way that they could relate to.
"Then perhaps, I can convince you with what rewards await you if you assist us in trying to stopping Yorinobu." The man began. "Rewards that may appeal to your individual desires." He continued.
"That's another thing, material rewards aren't of interest to us." V told him. "... Save one thing, in particular, however." He amended. "Specifically, our father's glaive. I saw that Adam Smasher had gotten someone to steal it for him. Something like that is of value to us." He stated.
"That is true." Val nodded in agreement.
"Then what, besides this weapon, would be worthwhile to you?" Takemura questioned.
"Depends on what the Arasaka corporation is willing to give." The Nomad man stated. "But personally I think that the idea of the great grandchildren of Richard Night being able to take control of Arasaka for the benefit of the City he created definitely has a nice ring to it." He mused.
"That's… more than I can promise." Takemura said slowly. "Not to mention I am unsure if you two know how to run the corporation in an efficient manner, given your Nomad origins." He added.
"You'd be surprised how fast we can learn." Val stated. "But that can be worried about later." She continued, hands on the table. "Listen, if we help you, just promise us a chance to kill Adam Smasher, and we'll figure out the rest from there." She added.
"Now that, I can promise." Takemura nodded.
"So how is this gonna go down? We supposed to waltz into Arasaka HQ declaring that Yorinobu's a kin killer?" V asked.
"We will get a hearing before reasonable people in a neutral location. Certain… procedures will be preformed to establish the truth." The bodyguard explained.
"A lie detector? Forget it." Viv rebuked.
"In that case, another option." The man said, looking at Val. "You are dying. A chip–the Relic–is the culprit. Technology created by Arasaka. Technology only they know." He continued. "This corporation can save you just as easily as it can make you disappear. It is simply a matter of getting certain people on your side. Politics." He added.
"What kind of people we talking about here?" V asked.
"People who are close to Arasaka–its heart–people who are interested in the corporation's stable growth." Takemura replied.
"You mean people like Hanako Arasaka?" Val questioned.
"Mmm, Saburo-sama often referred to Hanako-sama as the heart of his family, of the corporation. "Your intuition is indeed sharp." The bodyguard nodded.
"Getting a word with her is going to be a chore in and of itself, then." V remarked.
"Yes. It will take time to make that happen." Takemura nodded.
It was at this point that a meeting with Hanako Arasaka appeared on the TV, getting Takemura and V's attention.
'Hm… Hanako doesn't look too bad.' He mused. 'Though I have no interest in going after anyone like her.' He added with a mental scoff.
However, before the report could go anywhere, Tom–the owner of the diner–changed the channel.
"Fuckin' saka scum's everywhere." The man grumbled.
"Hey! I was watching that!" The Corpo exclaimed indignantly.
"You actually care about what that Corpo bitch is spewing?" Tom scoffed.
"What did you say?!" Takemura growled as he got up. Before things could come to blows, V intervened.
"Calm down, Goro. Let it go." He told him.
The man sighed as he sat down, glaring at the owner of the Diner.
"Last thing we need is to draw attention." Val hissed.
"I'm sorry, a stupid reflex." The man sighed as he sat back down. "I need time to prepare, things to arrange and favors to call in. All I ask is that both of you do not leave the city." He continued.
"We need help here, we're not leaving yet." V stated. "Val's gotta try and find Evelyn before anyone else does, she's our best chance at getting the VDBs and NetWatch off our backs." He continued.
"And V's gotta get in touch with BioTechnica. They're our best bet at getting me a new body in case we can't get the chip out." Val added. "Not to mention he's gotta find Hellman, he's our best source here." She continued.
"Splitting yourselves to pursue both, wise. More so, since both of you can handle it." Takemura nodded, knowing full well that the twins could definitely handle themselves separately.
"Then it seems like we have our objectives." V nodded as he got out of the booth while Val stayed seated, and Takemura left after him. "See ya, sis." V said as he walked out.
"See ya." Val nodded. Though as her brother left, Johnny appeared and sat down across from her while another engram appeared in the doorway as V walked out, that being David.
The two engrams waved to each other with smirks on their faces before David followed after V and Johnny turned to Val, tapping his hands on the table.
"Zapper dumples and filth, in some ways Night City never changes." The rockerboy stated. "Arasaka's still a despotic machine and the world's on a collision course with chaos. But hey, at least Rogue's still alive." He added.
Before Val could respond, she got a text message from V, prompting her to look at it.
"David just told me Johnny is active, and that you've seen both of them. Some advice for talking to Johnny: Think what you wanna say to him, and don't say it out loud." It read.
"There a reason you came out here?" Val questioned.
"Just saying that I know where my priorities stand, and that's workin' with you to take down Arasaka while making sure you survive the shitshow to get to that point." Johnny told her in reply. "I owe Willie that much at least." He added as an afterthought.
"So, what? I'm just a means to an end?" The Netrunner questioned.
"Nah, nothing like that. Think of it like a symbiotic relationship. I help you get us both revenge on Adam Smasher, avenge Willie and Holly, and takedown Arasaka in one go." Johnny stated. "Or take it over at the very least, David's mentioned your brother's thoughts on that plan. Half baked as it is." He continued.
"Oh? And what about the chip taking over my body with your psyche?" The woman asked.
"Isn't it obvious? We find some BioTechnica bigwig and put his balls in a vice, force him to clone you another body." The engram stated. "That way when we get untangled, I get the original and you get the new model." He added, putting a foot on the table.
"But you'll also have to change your name to Jane Silverhand." Val quipped with a gleam of amusement in her eyes.
"... Shut the fuck up." Johnny deadpanned. The assassin snickered quietly as she got serious.
"So, how do you think we should try to get BioTechnica in a vice?" She questioned.
"Simple, we start with Rogue. We go back to the stone age." The solo replied.
"You're the Ghost of Christmas Past, Johnny. Anyone who knew you are either dead, or so old their memory's gone." The Widowmaker stated.
"Johnny Silverhand died a legend, nobody forgets that." The man retorted.
"Alright, but what do I tell her? Got a talking brain tumor that claims it's her old pal Johnny?" Viv scoffed.
"Trust me, Rogue's heard dumber shit than that. Way back, back before you and that brother of yours were an itch in your daddy's ballsack." Johnny retorted.
"Let's hope that holds up." Val grunted mentally. "By the way, how are you even able to talk with David, anyway?" She wondered.
"No fuckin clue. Probably something to do with construct connections or some shit." The engram shrugged. "But we can worry about that later, just get us to the Afterlife." He told her.
"On it." Val nodded as she got up and walked out of the diner.
(Later)
-Night City Landfill-
Val groaned as she heaved the well over two hundred and fifty pounds of partly gold plated flab that was Dexter DeShawn out of the back of her van and into the mud and trash of the NC landfill, where it could rot in peace and become maggot and other pest food.
"Phew, that takes care of that." The netrunner sighed, wiping her brow as she closed the back doors to the van behind her. "Rot in Peace, dickwipe." She said, flipping off the dead fixer.
As she began to walk back to the driver seat of her van, a cool box not far from where she dumped Dex seemed to catch her eye. Partly because it looked like the same kind of freezers that runners used to preserve themselves whilst in cyberspace during the 2010s.
"The hell…? This should be buried under garbage by now…" Val mused as she approached the machine and opened it. "Urgh... Fuck a dog doll." She groaned in disgust as the smell of decay hit her.
"One thing I know like I know my own name: You do not go poking around in other people's cool boxes. Best case scenario you find a half emptied jug of rancid milk, worst case... Motherfucker up a satmast! That's Rache Bartmoss!" Johnny exclaimed in shock as he peered inside to look at the dead body within.
It was a man in some water that still had ice in it somehow, and he had a netrunner suit. It was impossible to tell what his skin tone was due to the decay on his skin, but he did have black hair.
"THE Bartmoss? Datacrash RABBID Bartmoss? Guy who trashed the first net?" The widowmaker questioned in equal shock.
"Well it wasn't his uncle. Yeah, yeah, him." Johnny nodded. "Public Enemy number one, this guy. Wanted posters all over the city. And it looks like they finally got him, dead in some random cool box in the middle of nowhere." He added.
"It looks like it happened… twenty years ago? Judging by the stench." Viv guessed before shaking her head. "Pfft, who cares…" She scoffed and turned to walk away when heer passenger stopped her.
"Hold up, take a look at that." Johnny told her, pointing at a cyberdeck next to Bartmoss's corpse. "Take that with ya, could be worth something." He added.
"It better be, or I am going to be so fucking pissed off…" Val growled slightly before she took a breath and quickly grabbed the cyberdeck.
"That cat at the Afterlife, Nix. He's a choom of yours, right? Could help us crack this thing." The rocker noted.
"Good idea. He's one of the best Runners I've known since I arrived in the city, so he'll definitely be able to help out." Val nodded as she got in her van and drove back to the city.
She had shit to do.
(Elsewhere)
Meanwhile, at the Afterlife, V was currently sitting at the bar having a David Martinez Vodka and NiCola Blue while he waited for Rogue to arrive. He hadn't heard much from Jackie since the fiasco at Vik's.
"What's goin' on with him…?" He whispered to himself, wondering what his choom was up to that he'd have to go dark for.
His thoughts were interrupted, however, when he got a text from Meredith right as Rogue walked in. "You remember how you helped me pin Gilchrist on the Whole All Foods scandal? Yeah, well I just had the honor of putting that fucker in concrete shoes and dropping him in the bay." It read. "Expect a reward for you to come real soon." She added.
"Thanks for the heads up." V responded. Then he got up and went to talk to Rogue. "Hey Rogue! Mind if I get a word with ya?" He called to the woman as she turned in his direction, before gesturing for her huscle to move aside.
"You don't look like you're here to trade stories about Willie's jobs." She noted.
"Sorry, Rogue, not this time." The Nomad replied. "Need help with a job, one to track down a guy named Anders Hellman. Val's been struck by the Relic–his creation–and in order for me and my crew to finish the job we started and save my sister's life, I need him alive." He explained.
"I can tell that you're committed to your sister's wellbeing, but…" She trailed off. "Are you aware of the image you set up for yourself after you killed Dexter DeShaun?" She questioned, looking him in the eye.
"Dex double crossed us, not the other way around. Far as I'm concerned, he brought that on himself." V stated.
"While true, not a lot of people want to team up with someone who'll kill their fixer, generally speaking." The woman told him.
"I could care less about that at this point in time." The Nomad scoffed. "Now, about Hellman…" He trailed off.
"Right, assuming you got the scratch, I can hook you up with a merc I know who can help you with Hellman." Rogue nodded, before taking a minute to prep a shard. "But first, eddies, then slot this shard. I'll explain how things are as of now." She continued.
Not even batting an eye, V sent her the scratch she wanted.
"Alright, then, let's get started." Rogue nodded as V sat down and took the shard, Claire giving them a couple glasses of Whiskey.
(Elsewhere)
Meanwhile, presumably a little while after Rogue and V started talking, Val arrived at the Afterlife to talk to Nix. The man was currently in his net den and was easing back after procuring some info for his boss when the Widowmaker walked in.
"Val, my girl! What brings you to my humble abode, Widowmaker?" He asked in a chill tone.
"Found something that I know for a fact you'll be interested in." Viv replied. "That being the cyberdeck of one Rache Bartmoss… He's dead." She added.
"Sure, and what else ya find? Alan Turrand's tapes?" The man scoffed as she held up the deck.
"Being serious, Nix. Have a look." She told him.
"Running shits, Viv! Where'd you ferret this out?!" The Netrunner questioned with a shocked look as he examined the deck.
"In a cool box outside of town, 2023 cryogenic model. Right next to the owner's dead corpse." Val explained. "Based on the data I could pull from the box, it was,under a contract to keep Bartmoss preserved when he returned from the net. Problem is, NetWatch got to him first–killed the mercs charged with hiding him and then he got lost in the Net long enough for the contract to expire–and there she thawed." She added.
"Well… Ain't that just a son of a bitch." Nix whistled. "So that's how the great Rache Bartmoss died… Well, might as well help ourselves to what's on his cyberdeck." He mused. "Go ahead and hook it up, and I'll see what I can find on it." He prompted.
"Will do." Val nodded as she set the deck down while Nix got hooked up.
(Elsewhere)
Meanwhile, back with V and Rogue, the two were just wrapping up discussing Hellman and the AV he was currently in. And now the queen of the Afterlife was explaining just who V could trust with the job.
"So what's the deal? You know any hick mercs that know the Jackson Ridge area?" The Nomad asked.
"Just one–one you may find enticing–a Nomad I'm familiar with, Panam Palmer." Rogue explained right as David appeared, sitting on the table.
"Another Nomad? Well, Falco always did say you guys stuck together." He mused with a shrug.
"Palmer… sounds familiar. She an Aldecaldo?" V questioned.
"That's right, though she can't rely on her clan anymore. But regardless, she knows that area inside and out. She'll help you." The woman explained.
"Hold on, if she's been exiled from her clan, then I can't trust her. Exiled Nomads are usually bad news." V stated, grimacing. "I know from experience." He added.
"Oh, don't worry. She wasn't exiled, but there have been some… events that happened that made her leave on her own volition." Rogue assured. "Something to do with the family, though I don't buy it. Nomads say it's all about honor or integrity, but I know what it's really about: power. Typically." She added.
"Ya know, for such a people person, you don't seem to understand how we Nomads work." The man stated idly.
Rogue gave him a look that seemed to say 'Don't start with me' before he changed the subject.
"Regardless, that is something I can understand." V nodded. "Especially after what that bastard Bronzehand did…!" He added with a growl.
"Heard of him. Cheap Johnny knockoff who uses a 2061 "Yami Yami" Dark Matter emitter gauntlet set." Rogue nodded.
"Spot on. He used those fucking things to nullify dad's Quake Quake gauntlets." The Nomad nodded. "If you find any fresh intel on him, give me a call so I can shove that prosthetic arm of his down his throat." He added, cracking his knuckles for emphasis.
"That I'll do for free, kid. Trust me. You'll be doing this bar a public service." Rogue stated. "Now, back to the task at hand. Panam will help you, no doubt. Partly because you're a Nomad, partly because you're the son of one of the most famous Nomads in history–." She continued. "And partly because you'll be able to help her with a bit of a jam she's in." She added.
"Somebody screwed her over, I'm guessing?" V asked before shaking his head. "Nevermind, I'll ask her myself." He amended.
"Good call. Naturally you'll call her first, sending you her detes." The woman nodded as her eyes flashed for a second while he got up.
"Alright, let's roll." David sighed.
(Elsewhere)
Meanwhile, back with Val and Nix, the older runner was busy trying to crack Bartmoss' deck–when something went horribly wrong.
As Val was watching, Nix started convulsing as he was attacked by a Daemon!
"Dog Shit! Cat Shit! Rat Shit!" Val cursed as Johnny appeared while she ran to the computer. "Looks like a trapdoor Daemon. Lulls any would-be intruders into a false open lock and then traps them while a predesignated quickhack attacks them on the other end." She hissed.
"Yeah, and it's a high end short circuit by the looks of it." Johnny nodded as he looked at the convulsing netrunner. "Ideas quickly Val, or else his brain sponge is well done steak!" He yelled.
"I fucking know! I'm working on it!" The Nomad woman snapped before she activated Breach Protocol on the deck. Given how outdated it was, cracking it was actually simple.
The second he was clear, Nix sat up and took several deep breaths.
"Fuck a muffin–That… was too… close…" He breathed.
"You were attacked by a Trapdoor Daemon. I got lucky with how outdated it was, or things would've been uglier." Viv told him.
"Well, it's all good, let's just see what we pulled here." Nix hummed as he got his bearings before examining the deck's contents. "Let's see… Logs, mail, a chat history of sorts. Potentially interesting depending on who Bartmoss was,communicating with–but nothing explosive." He mused.
"Got any names on who he was chatting with in that chat history, or is that too corrupted?" Val asked.
"It is corrupted, sadly, but I was able to pull some copies of the Daemons off of it." Nix told her in reply. "Take 'em, and take these drone quickhacks. A little token of appreciation for saving my brain." He added, sweetening the reward.
"Drone quickhacks?" The assassin asked with a raised eyebrow as she accepted the new quickhacks.
"They'll let you call in drones to support you." Nix elaborated. "Or flip other drones to your side." The man added.
"Preem, I'll make good use of this." The woman nodded as she left the man be. "You gonna be okay?" She asked.
"After some pain killers, whiskey and a nap? Sure." Nix nodded as she disappeared out the den towards Rogue.
(Elsewhere)
Meanwhile, at a street corner just outside of the Afterlife, V was busy trying to call Panam.
"Hello?" The Nomad woman asked as her holo image came up.
"This Panam? V here." The man introduced himself.
"V what? V who? V where?" The woman questioned, causing V to groan.
"Vincent Night." He amended.
"Wait, Night? Any relation to William Night?" Panam asked with a blink.
"Yeah. He was my dad." The Nomad man confirmed. "But that's not important right now, listen. I got your number from Rogue–." He continued before he was cut off.
"Oh perfect, where's that old war horse wanna kick me now?" The woman groaned.
"Listen, this thing between you and Rogue? Couldn't care less about it. I got a job that needs doing, and I hear you're the gal to help me do it." The man stated as he called his Hell Cycle up.
"Alright, fine. Meet me by the freight yard to the east, the one hugging the edge of the city." Panam told him before flicking him some coordinates and hanging up.
"You gonna spook her with the Hell Cycle?" David asked with a wide grin.
"I'm gonna try." V replied with his own grin before he drove off, turning on the holographic flames as he went.
(Elsewhere)
Rogue continued to lounge in her usual spot when Val suddenly came up to her, now in her modified MaxTac Netrunner/battle catsuit with her visor retracted, Widowmaker rifle on her back.
"Oh, Val." The woman noted, looking at her. "I see you're doing better." She noted.
"Mostly." The Netrunner nodded. "Listen, I need your help with something." She continued.
"That being…?" The queen of fixers asked.
"I need you to help me get a member of BioTechnica's board's balls in a vice." Val explained. "I need something only they can get me, and I don't have time to pay for it." She stated as Johnny appeared behind Rogue.
(Elsewhere)
Meanwhile, Panam grumbled as she fiddled with the engine of the car she stole from some gonks over in Santo Domingo as she thought about the call she had with Vincent, or V, as he apparently went by. She noted that his call logo was the Nomad N with the Edgerunner logo on it, and figured he was okay if he really was a fellow Nomad.
But what—
Her thoughts were cut off when she heard a demonic roaring noise coming her way, causing her to snap to attention since she knew what the Ghost Rider's Hell Cycle sounded like in the first movie.
'Fuck, is the Ghost Rider real and coming after me…?!' She thought worriedly with a gulp and started trembling as the noise got closer.
Then… V came into view and turned off the engine of the recreated Hell Cycle he apparently owned… along with the holographic fire.
"Sup?" He greeted casually like he hadn't nearly given her a heart attack as he got off his ride.
"You asshole! You made me think the Ghost Rider was real and coming to give me his motherfucking Penance Stare!" Panam barked as she tried to calm her nerves, causing V to burst out laughing.
"Yeah, yeah that was kind of the point!" He chortled as he walked up to her.
"Well you're here. Where's my damn car?" The woman demanded as she resumed working on her borrowed car.
"You're working on it." V snarked flatly.
"Oh, right." Panam sighed. "Long story short, a Raffen Shiv out in the Badlands named Nash screwed me over and stole my real ride along with some merch I was gonna give to 6 Street." She explained.
"Hold up, 6 Street? You shittin' me?" V questioned.
"That a problem?" The woman questioned.
"Choom of mine's home town's had a beef with 6 Street for going on 10 years, and another close friend of mine's mom actually got zeroed during a shootout between them and the Animals." The man replied. "Maybe you heard the name before: Gloria Martinez?" He offered.
"That kid David's mom?" Panam blinked. "Wait, your choom is David Martinez? How? Rumors said he vanished and was likely dead last I checked." She told him.
"Knew him years back, before I actually got settled here." V shrugged as David appeared.
"V you lying son of a bitch." He chortled.
"Zip it, Martinez.' The Nomad chuckled.
"Anyway, my point is that 6 Street and I ain't exactly on speaking terms. So if you got biz, best leave me out of it." He told her. "That all aside, your truck and the merch is in Rocky Ridge, and apparently you're supposed to know where it is." He added.
"That I do." Panam confirmed before the car's alarm started blaring, causing her to curse before tearing out and discarding the module for it.
"Alright then, we go to Rocky Ridge and get your stuff, then you'll help me with getting the guy I need to nab from Kang Tao." V hummed.
"Kang Tao?" Panam inquired with a raised eyebrow.
"He used to work for Arasaka, but I found out he defected to Kang Tao." V elaborated.
"Alright, looks like we got a bargain." The brunette nodded before she closed the hood of her car. "You gonna ride with me or are you taking your monster ride?" She asked as she headed for the driver's side of the car.
"Let's ride together, I gotta fiddle with a few things before we get settled and I can't do that on a bike." The man replied as the two got into the car, driving to Rocky Ridge.
(Elsewhere)
Meanwhile, back at the Afterlife, Rogue looked at Val as she processed what the merc had just said.
She wanted to get something that she apparently needed, by apparently getting ahold of a bigwig from BioTechnica.
"That's a pretty tall order you're making." She commented after she finished processing what Val requested. "What could you possibly need from BioTechnica that you need to get a bigwig's balls in a vice?" She questioned.
"A new body." The Nomad woman explained.
"A new body?" Rogue parroted with a blink. "What happened? Did you contract some kind of disease that makes you need to ditch your current body or something?" She asked.
"That's certainly one way of puttin' it." Johnny remarked.
"You could say that." The assassin shrugged.
"Alright… Gimme a millisec to look things over." The Queen of Fixers nodded as her eyes lit up a bit. "Uh huh, yeah. That's the one. Where is she? Uh huh, right. Okay, that should do." She mused to someone on the horn for a bit before a man came to her with a shard. "Slot this in." She told Val.
The Nomad woman did so, and saw what she needed to know pop up in her vision. "Debra Riseman and Sarah Kennie. BioTechnica's head scientist and head geneticist of their cloning division. Sounds like a real dynamic duo." The Nomad woman mused.
"They are, and if you really need a new body, cornering these two is your best bet." Rogue told her. "Do that, and they'll be wrapped around your finger. First thing's first, you gotta get to 'em." She added.
"Alright, so how do I get a hold of them?" The woman asked.
"Well, currently they're not in BioTechnica right now, rather they've been snagged by another party. But as for who it is I have no idea." Rogue explained. "Currently there's an AV that's on route out of the Badlands on its way to NC, so that means one thing…" She continued.
"It's them." Val deduced with narrowed eyes. "Looks like I'll have to get in touch with V and see if he can lend a hand when he can." She mused.
"Unlikely, he's predisposed at the moment." Rogue explained. "You'll need to take that AV out of the sky in this area." She continued, highlighting an area that was south of Rocky Ridge in a place called the Plaugelands. "This spot is the only place where the NCPD and any backup huscle won't be likely to be on you if you were even to flip that AV off." She added.
"Okay? Know any mercs that can help me with that?" Val asked.
"Yeah, a Nomad who goes by simply as 'The Drifter'." The woman nodded.
"I think I remember hearing something about him before I left the Bakkers. It wasn't much, though." Val noted. "It was mostly something about how he was on the run from his old clan." She added.
"Yeah, now he lives out of his vehicle and gets mercs to go into his combat hussle he calls Gambit." Rogue nodded. "It's real weird, if I'm being honest. He's also particularly obsessed with food." She added.
"Sounds like he went a period in his life without much food." Val remarked. "But enough of that. I'll be getting in touch with him. Thanks for the intel, Rogue." She added before sending her some eddies and taking her leave.
"You really think you can trust this Drifter guy?" Johnny asked, appearing when the assassin left the bar.
"It's not like we have much of a choice, Johnny, this as close as we're gonna get here." The Widowmaker told the Rockerboy.
"I know, but even in my time, the Plaguelands always gave me the creeps." The engram admitted with a shiver. "It was like the place was haunted, and not by digital ghosts, either. I could never go in there without feeling like I was being watched by something not human." He added.
"I haven't seen those memories of yours yet. I just hope it's not that bad." Val commented with a small shudder.
"Don't you fucking dare invoke Murphy's Law!" Johnny barked since that was the last thing the two of them needed.
"Wow, who knew the legendary Johnny Silverhand is scared of ghosts." Val chuckled as she hopped in her van and started driving to wherever the Drifter was currently.
Dragon Emperor0: And here we are, guys. We are officially starting Act 2 with the start of Ghost Town and another of our original missions "Drifter's Gambit". All of them are going to be great to write because we have a shit ton of good ideas for them.
ThermalsniperN7: And the references, can't forget those. Destiny fans will know exactly who we're bringing into this story next chapter. And yes, Viv will give her old body to Johnny… who will indeed be renamed Jane Silverhand since… Well, ya know.
Dragon Emperor0: Yeah. And it looks like V and Panam are getting along okay, which is good considering that they'll be seeing a lot more of each other in the very near future. I mean, we all know how that situation goes in-game after all.
ThermalsniperN7: Right. And V wants to take over Arasaka… Wonder how that'll go over, especially with Hanako. She is supposed to be the corporation's heart, after all.
Dragon Emperor0: That's definitely true. Anyway, guys, see you all next time.