Cyberpunk: Fatherhood

by RobinRounds

Car wrecked. Mom in the hospital. Bills are due. Desperation setting in. Our only chance is a number in mom's old holo records. It's listed as "Vinny - Emergencies Only!" I mean, fuck it, he can't make it worse for us. Right?

9. Chapter 9 - Your Better Half

While V was proud of the fact that he could easily work a good 48 hours straight with out resting at times, he would freely admit the events of yesterday had worn him out. It was the first time he was putting his trial run of his bull turned factual plan to the test, but he had gotten interrupted in the observation phase. Originally, he had planned to spend the day with Maine's crew in the desert, observing them and how they handled their new toys. Instead, he had gotten an automated alert from one of his personal systems back at Arasaka that required his attention.

Unable to remotely access the system to check the problem, he had been forced to leave to deal with it in person. A good thousand causes and fixes flowed through V's mind the whole ride back to the office. Some were good, some were bad, and some were downright ugly. It was the possibility that the alert was due to something in this last category that had V on guard as he moved through the building to his office. Fortunately, it turned out to simply be a minor error in the coding one of the techs had upgraded the night prior that was blocking access and triggering false alerts. V's system wasn't the only one affected by the glitch if the techie being dragged out by security to the amusement of his coworkers was any indication.

While that situation had resolved itself, V wasn't about to drop his guard, and instead of sleeping spent the night checking over everything again. It was all still in order; completed requisitions marked as such, pending forms unaltered by hand or machine. Even so, V couldn't smother the tiny voice telling him something was off. A voice that only grew the smallest decibel louder as the suit left the office and made his way towards his van.

It wasn't too rare a sight to see vagrants or other posergangs hanging around parked vehicles. But the three men currently leaning on his company ragnar weren't posers. The colors and insignia on their clothes and bodies marking them as Tyger Claws. The trio shifted as V approached, but made no effort to move away from him or the vehicle.

"Can I help you?" V glared at the three men who were leaning on his Ragnar.

One of them, the biggest of the three, took the lead. "Your boss wants to have a word with you."

"Uh-huh. And I didn't get a holo-call why?" He closed his eyes, sending a message to Jackie that was short, sweet, and to the point. ["Jackie. Apartment. ASAP."]

"Don't know, don't care." One of the Tygers pointed his gun at him. "Come with or else."

"How 'bout you fuck off or else?" V spat back, not in the mood to deal with whatever gonked out scheme the group had going.

"Hard way it is." The leading Tyger didn't seem surprised, the tiny flash of light in his eyes the only warning V got. The suit hissed as he felt all of his cybernetics shut down as one. He knew he was still in one piece, but still felt disconnected from his own flesh.

"W-what? H-how?"

"Your boss warned us you might resist." The leader grinned, making the other two with him laugh. "Said to tell him so he could make collecting you easier."

V rubbed at his eyes, trying to massage away the headache he could feel building behind them. "F-fuck."

"Exactly corpo-rat." The man's eyes lit up again, and he let out a low whistle at whatever message he had just received. "Looks like your boss is pissed."

Before V could react, a hand had grabbed his head and pulled it to the side, exposing his neck and the ports to rest there. Barely a second later and V heard the mistakable click of a shard being slotted. The hand moved then, joining the other in holding him in place.

"What did you plug into me?" V tried to raise his hand, but the Tyger held him firm.

"Can't have Trauma Team interrupt as we soften you up."

"Wha-oof!" V was interrupted by one of the other Tygers punching him in the chest, effectively winding him. The next hit had been in the form of a kick to the back of his knee that caused him to kneel, but not fall. The three Tygers moved in then, all of them kicking or punching as he fought to get back on his feet. V knew a thing or two about close quarters combat, and could usually hold his own, cyberware or not. Disoriented from the whole shut-down experience however, V's reflexes weren't at their best and the Claws were quickly able to gain the upperhand. Finding himself on the ground, the last thing V saw clearly was the toe of a Tyger's boot connecting at his temple before he blacked out.

The first thing V became aware of as he woke was the mire he felt himself floating in. Everything seemed oddly disconnected to the point where even the light breeze blowing against him seemed alien. He struggled to open his eyes, both of them feeling as if someone had strapped tungsten weights to the lids. Feeling a dryness in his throat, V tried experimentally to make a sound. While V couldn't tell if he actually made a sound, it turned out not to matter as he finally got his eyes to open.

Chest high walls surrounded the area he was at, and he could see a few ventilation units. He made another attempt at communicating, eyes blinking and body shifting just slightly as he fought to regain his senses. As if it was a signal to restore what was lost to him, V heard a single snap of someone's fingers, bringing him back just enough to realize what was about to go down.

Once more a group of Tyger Claws moved in to surround him, five of them this time. Before he could even begin to ask a question, the one closest to him picked him up like he was nothing, before slamming him face-first into the metal tiles of the roof. V felt the air rush from his lungs, and he coughed and choked in a poor attempt at recovery. His actions only seemed to annoy the Tygers more, as another was quick to move in and slam a foot on his stomach. The foot was held there, keeping pressure on the already bruised flesh from his earlier beat down.

"Kare o mukae ni iku." He heard one of the Tyger's speak and felt himself being pulled back to his feet. V had just enough time to see one of them, presumably the one who had spoken, putting on a pair of shallow studded knuckles. Two of the goons held him up, arms outstretched to where he looked like a scarecrow. Knuckles wasted no time in delivering punch after punch to V's now exposed shoulders and upper arms. Each hit felt like being stung several dozen times, and it didn't take long before V could feel his blood starting to drip and flow down his arms and chest.

"Enough." V flinched at the voice, groaning as the Tygers holding him changed position. Apparently they both decided it was more comfortable for them if they held him by his now clawed up triceps.

"J-Jenkins?" The name came out in a cough, and V suppressed another groan as one of the Tyger's squeezed his arm.

"I never thought I'd see the day you start disappointing me V." Arthur Jenkins crossed his arms, head shaking in disappointment. "I thought we knew each other better than that."

It took V a moment to swallow enough saliva to coat his throat to where he could speak. "If you'd tell me what I'm supposed to have done wrong I might be able to explain, sir."

"Wanna tell me the truth behind all of this?" Jenkins swirled his finger in the air once, before pointing at the Tygers. "Or should I ask them to start again?"

"What truth? What are you talking about?" Another cough escaped V, hoping he could get Jenkins to talk first.

"Boys, another round please. Show him why he should stop playing stupid."

As one, the two men holding him threw him partially across the rooftop. Before V could properly register what happened, the five had swarmed around him and were keeping him down with all matter of stomps, kicks and punches. One of the Tygers in particular seemed to be getting a laugh out of repeatedly kicking him in the stomach to the point the other four had moved back to let him have some fun. With each hit, V could feel the tenderized patches of muscle grow, along with the urge to vomit, and he wondered if that was the Tyger's end goal. Before he could get an answer however, one of the kicks seemed to go off target and caught him on the lower left side of his rib cage.

V heard one of his ribs crack, the pain he initially felt from it magnified by another kick to the same area. He let out a hoarse scream and tried to curl into a ball, the action making him realize that more than one of them had been fractured or broken. The one with the knuckles came back over, grinning as the kicker hauled him back to his feet and held him up with a leg between his own. V expected Knuckles to go for his ribs, and was horrifically surprised as he instead went for the stomach again. Hit after hit rained down on V's stomach and lower abdomen, one particularly hard punch catching him in the bladder. Despite the pain, V hung his head in shame as the injured organ betrayed him, causing him to soak himself.

While the sight made Knuckles laugh, the wetness that had seeped through to his holder's leg disgusted the other man. Once more, V screamed as his ribs hit the ground. That cry was cut off quick enough by a heavy stomp to his chest that stole his breath. Vision out of focus due to a lack of oxygen and blunt force trauma, there was no doubt in V's mind that he'd be dead if the blurred visage of Jenkins didn't raise a hand when it did.

"Let him breathe. He can't answer if he's dead." The words were simple, but true and V took that moment to catch his breath again.

"F-fuck." He croaked out, coughing and wheezing as he fought against the rising waves of pain.

"So when were you intending to tell me about your son?" Jenkins' moved a few steps closer to V. "When your little plan was done and over or when you decided to fuck me again and make me look like an idiot?"

"It was nothing p-personal. Just biz." He coughed again, one arm clutching his battered torso while he tried to use the other to rise.

"Using corporate slush funds to upgrade your kid, pay for your joytoy's medical bills, and buy an armory with Arasaka eddies sounds very, very personal to me." The other suit snapped his fingers, and V got an up close view of a Tyger's boot as it connected with his face, knocking him back down. He half expected Jenkins to actually walk all over him when the man's shadow fell upon him. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't have you take a severance package and let your whole scop-shit family be purged from the gene-pool?"

Once more, V managed to rise slightly as he felt something in the back of his throat. Much as he wanted to cough on Jenkins', he instead angled his head to the side and spat out more blood than saliva. "N-nothing's changed. Motivation has nothing to do with results."

He coughed and clutched at his ribs again from the pain the action caused, eyes looking up at Jenkins.

"Is dumbass tattooed on my face? Maybe stupid? Gonk?" There was no amusement in the smirk on the other suit's face. "Or is there some other signal I'm not seeing that makes you think you can play me?"

"Gloria is an old flame, David is my kid, happy? Me and her had history, shit went sour, she ran off and came back with a kid." It hurt V to admit those facts aloud just slightly more than all his other injuries combined.

"Your goal here is to convince me to keep you, not sell a sob story to the screen-sheets." With a shake of his head, Jenkins turned around, showing his desire to no longer listen.

"You wanted the truth, I'm givin' it to you!" Another coughing fit had him wheezing. "My lungs aren't up for another round and I'm already down."

"Fine, continue." Arthur Jenkins turned just enough so that V was back in his line of sight.

"Gloria's car got shot up with her and the kid in it. Kid called me for help, didn't know who I was, just that I was an emergency contact. The kid was already on my desk thanks to the fuck up with the academy servers the other day. I put two and two together.."

Jenkins made a rolling motion with his hand. "Get to the end where you say what this whole song and dance was supposed to lead to."

"Alright, alright! Gloria had gotten her hands on that military Sandevistan that was on the streets. When she got into the accident, David had some backstreet ripper plug it into him. Kid had fixers lookin' for him, and the company was eyeballing him in short order. My pitch to you was the only way I could think of saving the both of them in time."

"How sweet, you do have a heart." Jenkins laughed humorlessly, and V saw one of the Tyger's mock him by making a heart with their hands. " I'm sure the people of Neo-Oaxaca feel better knowing that their killer loves his son and an ex-squeeze."

"You wanted answers, I'm giving them." V spat up another small wad of blood.

"I want compliance, and I suspect that you're still keeping secrets." Jenkins leaned in, eyes boring into V's own and the younger man almost regretted not holding his shot just that much longer.

"I told you, nothing has changed." V held his gaze, "I still plan on getting results."

"Really?" Jenkins moved back just slightly. "Because so far, all I've seen is you going on a spending spree."

If it wasn't for the fact it would do him more harm than good, V would have laughed at that. "I didn't want to come to you with only hearsay."

"Color me intrigued. I know you V. Spill." The standing man gently nudged his leg, inviting him to continue.

"Faraday. One of the top NC fixers. He's compromised." V started haltingly, not wanting to fully drop the card from his sleeve until he saw the other man's reaction.

"Go on." Jenkins once again nudged him, attention fully focused on what V had to say.

"He's Militech backed. Been pointing mercs at the competition and taking jobs that give them an edge. That fuck up at Biotechnica's city center office? The one where someone got into an admin office and then sent all that data on Securicine. That was his doing. The crew I've been chummy with? They're his go to crew. It was only a matter of time till I get hard proof that he's been fucking Arasaka, and then we could fuck him as we pleased."

"Hm. Impressive." Jenkins hit him with the slow clap. "Less than a week and you're promising me a major player in exchange for your head."

"Serendipity." V smiled, despite the pain it caused him. "I was aiming for other leads, this just fell into my lap. The crew is pissed at Faraday cuz of the botched job. Their runner got killed. Faraday handled it badly, and they want a new supplier. I wanted evidence and to keep my kid in my sights, they wanted supplies and a new handler. Two and two."

Jenkins gave a nod of his head, arms moving in just the tiniest apologetic shrug. "It seems I've misjudged you. Most who spend months behind a desk lose their edge, get compliant and daring. Nice to see employees with a go-get-them attitude. Its almost refreshing."

"If that's your apology, then I'm gonna go." Once move, V held his chest with one arm and used the other to try and push himself up. "Think I need to have my ribs replaced."

A snort left Jenkins, the man snapping his fingers twice in a non-verbal order. V groaned as he was yet again hauled to his feet, though instead of being thrown to the ground, he was instead dragged over to a small table and chair set he hadn't seen at first. The Tyger shoved him into one of the chairs, and V let out a relieved sigh. He looked at the table which had been set with a couple glasses and bottle. Based on the quality of the items, there was little doubt in V's mind that Jenkins had prepared the table for himself.

"What's your hurry? Sit down, have a drink. Take the edge off." Jenkins gestured to the bottle as he took the other seat, the Tygers still hanging close.

"Sure. Love to." V reached for the bottle and poured two-fingers worth of the drink into a glass that he slid to Jenkins, before pouring just a little less than that for himself.

The older suit accepted the glass, opting to take a drink before speaking. "Do you know why this misunderstanding occurred V?"

"Lack of reports?" V took a drink of his own, the alcohol burning his throat just as much as soothing the dryness of it.

"You could say that. Or it could be that you tried to keep secrets from me when we're working together on a big scheme. That's the kind of thing that can lead to broken trust and... hasty decisions. Something I don't think either of us enjoy. Correct?" Jenkins took another drink.

"No, sir. I do not." V matched the action, hearing the other man hum in approval.

"Good. See to it this doesn't happen again. You try any more misleading, and I will personally see to it that Gloria Martinez and her boy will be at the bottom of the bay A.S.A.P." He punctuated the threat by pointing to where the bay was just visible from their current roof top perch. "Are we clear?"

"Transparently."

"Excellent." Jenkins drained his glass, but continued to hold it as he stood up. "Now go get yourself cleaned up. You have a job to do and since I'm feeling so charitable, you have a week to do it." He set the glass back down, the dull thump of it striking the table signaling the start of V's latest timer.

"Yes, sir."

"When he's finished with his drink, dump him back at his apartment."

With what little defiance he could muster, V downed everything in one shot.

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Following the beatings he had received, V was almost willing to call his ride home on the floorboards of the Tyger Claw's van peaceful. He heard the vehicle come to a full stop, taking note that the engine was still running. As the door slid open, he recognized the building that housed his apartment before him. He caught sight of Jackie in the window of his apartment for just a second as Knuckles threw him from the van to the ground. V landed on his already cracked and broken ribs, and let out a groan that was drowned out by the slamming of the van's door and the roar of the engine as it sped away.

Only once the noise of the engine fell away did he register the sound of footsteps. He turned his head up as much as he could in his current prone position, seeing the grimace on Jackie's face as the man came to his side.

"Madre de dios! V are you still breathing?!" He felt one of Jackie's hands move under his chest, the other going around his back as Jackie raised him to a sitting position. In hindsight, it probably wasn't the wisest idea to move him, but he couldn't exactly remain laying on the street. Jackie gave V a moment to adjust, before raising him to his feet. V gave a tiny nod in understanding and shifted his posture so that he could support himself against Jackie with one arm, and use the other to hold his ribs.

"Barely." He sniffed, teeth clenched tightly together to stop his groans of pain as the pair started to walk.

"Christ V, you look like you got jumped by Maelstrom!" The Latino man adjusted his own posture, and V appreciated and took advantage of the silent offer and shifted most of his weight to Jackie. "What happened?"

"My boss is a prick who likes to rush into things." He coughed, eyes squeezing shut from the pain it caused. "Shutdown my implants and let Tygers take turns taking a bite outta me."

"Hang on a sec, choom." Jackie opened the door to V's apartment and pulled him inside. V shrugged off Jackie's arm, opting instead to lean against the wall.

"You got any health kits?" The other man asked, eyes looking around the place.

"Stack of three boxes under the sink in the bathroom. Bandages on top, injectors in the bottom."

"On it."

V watched Jackie move away then, his steps sounding loud even on the carpet. Holding back another groan, V shuffled his way along the wall, eyes focused on the goal of making it to his bed. Though he felt control return to his cyberware shortly after being thrown from the van, he was too beat up for it to make any difference.

"I got it choom." V shifted his gaze from the bed over to Jackie, who was holding the requested items. "You safe to make it to the bed?"

"Yeah." V let out a grunt and made the final push, a groan of pained triumph leaving his mouth as he sunk into his bed.

"So what's the damage?" Jackie knelt at his side and opened up the health kit.

"Two ribs are broken on the right, three cracked on left, one floating at bottom left." He tapped his torso, before tipping his head at one of his arms. "Lacerations on my arms, countless bruises. Oh, might have a small concussion somewhere around here..." V brought his hand up to the right side of his head where the Tyger had kicked him originally.

"How are you not screaming?" Jackie shook his head, and V watched as the man started to pull out bandages, creams, and other supplies.

"Been puffin' MaxDocs like a panicking asthmatic." He reached into his pants pocket and took out one of the inhalers. "Only thing I really feel is the overdose."

By the roll of Jackie's eyes, he knew the man didn't believe him. Especially when V let out a hiss as Jackie gently swabbed one of the cuts on his arm with the rubbing alcohol.

"Not that I mind being your field medic..." Jackie started, tearing open a gauze pad that he pressed against the now cleaned wound. "Hey, can you hold that? How has Trauma not shown up to patch you up?" V complied and held the pad as Jackie secured it with some medical tape.

"Jenkins had his pets plug a shard into me. Best I can tell it's blocking Trauma from getting a call." He let out a groan as Jackie started cleaning another wound. "Take it easy with that stuff, will ya?"

"Thought you were only feeling the overdose?" There was no humor in Jackie's expression, the man's eyes drifting to V's neck. "You want me to pull it?"

V shook his head, once more assisting Jackie in covering the wound. "Patch me up first, once I'm stable we can head outside before we pull it."

At that, Jackie raised an eyebrow, but didn't stop his dressing of the injuries. "Why not now?"

"Gotta set up a story." V rolled his now patched arm, shifting to allow Jackie better access to the other one. "You're my bodyguard, we got jumped, you applied first aid, but they came for round two before Trauma got the call."

"Okay. Can you shift over just a little more? But why?"

"Trust me Jackie." V moved as much as his ribs allowed, and presented his other arm to Jackie, "I gotta plan."

"I don't like this." Jackie shook his head, turning away just slightly at something he saw in V's wound. "Is that bone? Oh, don't like that either."

"Neither do I Jackie." V looked at the spot in question, before looking at Jackie's face. "But it's like you said. I made a deal with the devil, and now he's at my neck."

"Why'd you let them beat on you?" Arms patched up, Jackie shifted his focus to his ribs. Taking out a roll of gauze, he started wrapping V's torso to provide a small amount of support. "I've seen you move, even without the high quality chrome, you've snapped a dozen necks before they'd know where you were."

"Arasaka Internal Security Software." A sardonic smile came to V's face. "As long as it's their tech in me, they can shut down everything they gave me with permission from my superiors. And Jenkins is just high enough to have access."

Jackie made his disgust of that knowledge known with the less-than-gentle snap he activated a cold pack. "Cuttin' loose ain't an option, is it? Also, you want this on the left or right?"

"Head." V took the pack from Jackie and placed it against his concussion. "Jenkins is pissed and on guard, if I show a shred of disloyalty, I'll be worm food before my parts lose their charge."

"V..." One of Jackie's hands landed on his shoulder, concern on his face.

"I gotta do this."

"Brother, this spy game will kill you." V was certain that Jackie would have shook him if it wasn't for his injuries. "Backing out is still an option. Join up with the nomads, hit the sands running with Gloria and David."

"You know I can't Jackie. I have to do this. Someone else might get it wrong." He met Jackie's concern with determination.

"Entiendo." The big man removed his hand. "So what's the next step then."

"Gotta get our hands on some ocusets. Jenkins shortened that timer I've been worried about to a week. If I can't get him dirt on Maine's old fixer by then, then game over."

"A week?" Jackie leaned back, one hand gesturing to V as he looked him up and down. "How are you supposed to do that when you're one good shove from having a spot in the Columbarium?"

"Gonna need you for legwork." V gently nudged Jackie with foot. "Plan to handle this from two angles."

"How so?"

"First? You get to be my faceman for a while." He closed his eyes and adjusted the cold pack. "Give the orders in person on my behalf. Cover for me if they ask where the fuck I've gone."

"Yeah, probably not a good idea for their tall, dark, and spooky image of you to get shattered by you turning up to visit half-dead." A tiny morbid chortle came from Jackie, causing V to roll his eyes. "And if they ask where you are? Well, I'll just say you're on a mission for 'Saka. They probably won't ask anymore questions after that."

"My thoughts exactly." V gave a nod. "See, while you tag along with the crew, keeping them in line and keeping David safe. I turn to my connections and do some backroom dealing while letting Trauma fix me up. No offense to your handiwork but..." He shrugged, quickly regretting the action. "If I'm lucky, they can patch me up and keep me stabilized long enough to where I can get some new parts sent Vik's way. Your ripper chromes me up. And then we find some dirt on Faraday, and even things out before the week ends."

"Easy said, but a bitch to do." Jackie rubbed his chin, taking a moment to think. "You sure about this?"

"Not in the slightest. But at this point it's either bite the bullet and do this, or lay down and take a bullet." V let out a sigh, watching as Jackie started to pack up the health kit again. "Either way, not fun."

"Can't fight you on that point, but I'm in." Jackie closed the kit, nodding his head in reluctant agreement to the plan.

"Thanks Jack, 'preciate you." V yawned, laying back down on the bed.

"Don't think you're supposed to sleep with a concussion homes." Jackie shook his head, eyes going from V back to the kit. "But if you want, I'll finish cleaning up here and leave so you can rest."

"Nah, still got work to do." V let his eyes close, thinking. "Finish cleaning, then pour us something strong. We'll head back out once our drinks are finished."

"Okay, I know you're not supposed to drink with a concussion, and probably not with your other injuries you've taken. But I suppose if rubbing alcohol fixes outside injuries. Then the other kind should take care of inside injuries." He gestured to the small collection of liquor bottles V had on display, laughing at his own stupid joke as he made for the bathroom.

"Hey, if that justifies it for you." V let out a laugh of his own, but it quickly changed to a curse as the action jostled his ribs. Still, he let out an appreciative hum as Jackie grabbed the vodka before moving to the fridge, and there was no doubt in V's mind that the man was going to whip up his signature cocktail. With a groan, V sat back up. "Eh, maybe go a little light on the vodka in mine?"

"Sorry, already made it in the usual way but here." Jackie kissed one of the glasses and held it out to V. "Little extra love for yours."

"Really?" Another sigh escaped V, but he took the glass and gave a nod of thanks before taking a drink that drained a third of the glass.

"Hey, drink that slow. You're supposed to be resting."

"Just a short rest, then back to work." V kept the thought to himself as he raised the glass to his lips, mind already working on the details of his next plan.

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Much as V hated hospitals, he had to appreciate the level of security and privacy Trauma maintained around its clients, especially those on the higher tier plans. It was only Jackie he had put on his 'authorized visitors' list, anyone else wanting to see him would have to check in at the desk and then be approved by V. And with his Arasaka corporate platinum coverage, it would only be the Arasaka family themselves who could see him without the additional authorization.

Not that his bosses would ever come to visit him to begin with. At most he'd get a message asking when he'd be back in the office. Still, it felt nice to be able to traverse through the halls of the Trauma Center without a dozen eyes following from behind. V would almost argue he was feeling relaxed, or maybe that was just the copious amount of painkillers coursing through his system. He couldn't keep the smile from his face as he arrived at his destination.

"Gloria?" He knocked on the door, calling her name as he slowly opened it. "Gloria, you awake?"

His smile grew as he watched the red-head sit up, smile on her face. "V? It's good to- Oh my god?! What happened to you?!"

There was no doubt in V's mind that if Gloria wasn't currently confined to her bed thanks to the cast and braces on her legs that she'd be rushing over to hold him. Instead, she sat up straighter and shifted to face him as much as she could while he hobbled over to her side and sat down in the ever present chair.

"What can I say? Night City is a dangerous place."

"You look like you went twelve rounds with Razor Hugh!" It wasn't a lie. Though the patient scrubs he had been dressed in covered part of his arms, the bandages wrapping them showed clearly where the sleeves ended. His torso was bulkier than normal too, with a compression wrap supporting his ribs and additional bandages encircling it. The upper right-hand portion of his face had also turned an olive brown thanks to the concussion he had received.

V gave her a playful pout. "Only three rounds... and it was with five or six Tyger Claws."

"Five or six?!" One of Gloria's monitors beeped in warning as her breath caught at his words.

"I don't wanna sound racist, but I could only tell about five or six apart and I'm not certain on that either. Pretty sure that was when I got blood in my eye." He shifted his eyes and eyebrows to indicate the bruising. In reply, Gloria reached out and gently pulled his head down, just enough to be able to give him a tiny peck on his bruise.

"How can you joke about this?"

"Because I am on so, so many painkillers right now." A dopey expression worked its way onto his face as Gloria removed her hand. "It is seriously impressive that I am awake."

"Then what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in a bed too?" He could tell by the lines at the corner of her eyes that Gloria was trying not to laugh.

"Benefits of Arasaka's Corporate Platinum plan. I get a few bonuses, like being able to stumble into my baby-mama's room and spend time with her for a bit before they drag my ass to a bed and make me all better." He reached out a hand gently booping her on the nose.

"V..."

"Think if I bribe the right person, they can hire you as my nurse?" Never mind Gloria could barely stand on her own, V wanted her close. "Maybe get you one of those frilly outfits instead of the usual doc garbs?"

"V." The smile fell just slightly from her face.

"Is it weird that after all these years, I still recognize your warning tone?"

"Only if its weird that I still find it amusing you're a loose chatterbox when intoxicated." Gloria's smile returned with a vengeance, and V replied by brushing a few stray strands of her hair from her face to see it better.

"You have no idea how hard that was to keep under control during training days." He giggled, pointing at his chest with a thumb. "I got to be wasted on the company dime, but then they'd dock my pay if I couldn't shut up."

"And you can't use that now because?" The red-head raised an eyebrow, and V melted.

"I like talking to you. Did. Still do. All of the above. Take your pick."

Gloria shook her head, a tiny sigh escaping her as she once again placed a hand on his face. "Seriously Vinny, how did this happen?"

"Yeah... Might have gotten caught in a rush and paid for it." He leaned into her touch, letting out a tiny hum of pleasure as she gently stroked his cheek with her thumb. "No biggie. I have it handled."

"Do you?" She didn't sound convinced, and V could tell she was less than happy with his reply.

"Yup. And if I don't, Jackie is helping keeping my 'ganic ass outta the fire." The beaten man stood up and stretched, "Something I hope you appreciate."

"I do." V jumped slightly as Gloria slightly slapped one of his cheeks. "It's a nice butt, and it would be a shame to see it be replaced with chrome and Real Skinn."

"Nice to know you're still that firecracker with a love for tight butts and good music." He sat down before she could get another strike in.

An indignant gasp left Gloria's mouth as she crossed her arms defensively. "You make me sound like I was a wild child."

V matched her posture, inclining his head just slightly in a show of faux-superiority. "Excuse me, I seem to recall someone corrupting a young and innocent corpo-kid in her youth."

"Nope. Not me. I was an innocent angel." The red-head batted her eyelashes at him, hands clasped before her as if in prayer.

"Angel, yes. Innocent? Fuck no." V laughed. "I still remember when some Valentino legacy tried to cop a feel and you broke his golden teeth on his car hood."

"Sounds like he got what he deserved, but...That wasn't me." Her mouth said one thing, but V could see her eyes telling a different story.

"Alright, sure." He threw his arms up in mock defeat. "Then what about that time I had a gig at the Red Dirt? And I had to call it early because...?"

The color of Gloria's cheeks matched that of her hair at his reminder. "Somebody may have smashed a bottle or two into a face over an argument."

"And you don't recall the argument?" V's eyes danced with mirth, cheeks high in a shameless smile.

"Why would I have been in a bar fight?" To her credit, Gloria managed to pull off looking scandalized through her giggles. "I told you I was an angel."

"An angel who liked to party." He fought back, a former rocker boy personality showing for just a second as he threw up the horns.

"Oh my god, you're high..." She muttered just loud enough before going back to her usual volume. "I didn't hear you complaining."

"When I was older, yeah. But at sixteen, you liked to bitch that I was bitching too much. At fourteen you were the datakrash to my networks."

"You were a corpo-kid, destined for corruption." Gloria crossed her arms, letting out a tsk-tsk as she did.

"Yeah, my sense of self or morality." V smiled, not really disagreeing. "Instead I had a wild child from Santo who decided to keep me as a choom. And look where that ended us?"

The jovial personality Gloria was sporting fell away, only a sad smile remaining on her face. "Yeah, doesn't sound the best when you put it that way."

"Ugh, don't go all dark and depressing on me." He pulled her into a soft hug, being careful to not aggravate either of their injuries. "Fucked as it may sound, I'm kinda glad you took off on me. God knows what my parents woulda done to him if they found out about David."

"V. I need to tell you-" She tried to pull away, but he held fast.

"Nope. Nix it. Not happening. Save the dark and drama talk for later." V nuzzled her. "I am high as a jet carrier, plotting revenge in my head and reliving the good old times with my ex-girl. We can have the big talk when a young miss is outta medical care, and I'm outta danger." A second too late, V realized his misstep.

"Danger? V what-" Again, Gloria tried to pull away, making him hold her just that much tighter.

"Nope. Good times talk. No drama." He released her then in favor of using his fingers to manually shift her face from a frown to a smile. "I want us smiling, no frowns."

Gloria scoffed, her own hands moving to pull his away. "Fine. You're still so weird when wasted."

"Says the lovely young lady who figured that out after a few too many parties in the badlands." Once more, V found himself compelled to punctuate his thoughts by booping her nose.

"You weren't complaining then." She booped him back, smile returning to one of contentment.

"Oh I certainly remember I was," V tapped the uninjured side of his head, "or I was until I was a few beers deep."

"You were so cute then." Gloria ruffled his hair.

"So I'm not cute now?" V pouted and gave her the best puppy-dog eyes his optics allowed.

"You were adorable then, now you're handsome." She leaned in, one hand caressing his face.

"Careful now." His own hand came up to hold hers. "I might get the impression you're flirting with me."

The red-head's eyes shined with unrestrained joy. "Wow, you have matured."

"What do you mean by that?"

Gloria laughed. "You can tell when a girl's interested."

"I wasn't that thickheaded." V couldn't hide his confusion. He knew Gloria was interested in him, and he her. Even when they were younger he knew it...Didn't he?

"V, I could have paid to have every ad in Night City proclaim I wanted us to fuck and you'd still not get it." She pouted, "even spray painted it on one of the wrecks in the scrap yard we used to party in and you ignored it."

"I was not that thick." He saw the moment she was referring to clearly. The bright yellow paint proclaiming 'fuck me' with Gloria standing right beside it, giving him her best 'bedroom eyes'. It had just been old graffiti, and a trick of the desert heat making her look like that. Yeah, that was it.

"What about that time I was changing and I said you could stay?" She puffed out her chest, adjusting her own hospital garb in just the right way that he caught a glimpse of the valley between her breasts.

"I was being polite." He turned his head away, though his eyes were turned towards the sight as much as they could be.

"Nu-uh." She shook her head as he turned back to face her again. "You were thick."

For some reason he couldn't quite explain, V felt offended at the accusation, and like he needed to prove himself. Straightening out, he proudly proclaimed, "I'll show you thick!"

"Really now?" Gloria's face split into a wide grin, and V felt the color rushing to his face as she chuckled.

"That...sounded different in my head." He lamented, bowing his head in shame which only made Gloria laugh louder.

"That's a shame." She gasped, eyes watering both from pain and amusement. "Thought I'd...get t-to see, little V again!" Gloria leaned forward, several of the monitors attached to her starting to sound alarms as certain numbers climbed and fell as the red-head fell into uncontrollable laughter.. Seeing the dancing numbers, along with Gloria so giggly made V start laughing.

Neither one of them heard the running of footsteps, both only reacting when they heard the door open and saw a team of doctors and nurses standing in the frame.

"Is everything alright in here?" One of the eldest doctors took the lead as the group descended on the pair. Three of them working on Gloria while two of them busied themselves with V.

"Just...fine." V panted, trying to catch his breath as one of the nurses started to take his vitals. "Just two, old friends, catching up. Right?"

"R-right." A cough escaped Gloria along with a hiss as one of the doctor's gently poked at her stomach.

"You've torn a couple stitches, Miss Martinez." The doctor by her stomach shook her head. "Looks like were gonna have to patch you back up. Andre? Can you escort Mister Linder back to his room while we patch up Miss Martinez?"

"Of course." The nurse who had taken his vitals gave a nod, offering his arm to V for support as the injured suit stood.

"Sorry Gloria, didn't mean to get you busted up again."

"Worth it just to see yo-ow!" The content smile on her face changed to a grimace as one of the nurses gave her an injection near the torn stitches.

"Still worth it?" V asked, eyes soft with regret as the nurse holding his arm gently tried to tug him out of the room.

"Totally." The smile that Gloria gave him as he was escorted out of the room filled him with newfound determination in his plan.

"Hey, uh, Andre was it?" He looked at the man walking beside him, seeing him nod. "How soon do you think I'll be out of here?"

"With your injuries? A day, maybe two at most." He answered, ushering V into his hospital room.

At that, V sighed. He could handle losing the rest of today, but anything more than that was going to be cutting it close, and he already didn't have the widest margin for errors. Keeping that in mind, he shoved the little voice calling him an idiot aside and asked the question he knew worked best to get you what you wanted in Night City.

"How much to get me out of here today?"

"Excuse me?" Andre didn't seem offended, his tone level as he helped V get settled on the bed.

"How much to have my status updated to where I can get out of here today?" He pressed, watching the man make a few notes on his tablet.

"As a medical professional, I must advise you to refrain from trying to buy your way out of here." His voice was flat and deliberate, face held in professional neutrality.

"And as a person?"

Andre's eyes briefly lit up. ["Fourty-thousand Eurodollars. Covers what's left of my loans and gives me some extra scratch to live on."]

["Didn't need your life story...Done."] V's eyes flashed in reply, almost thankful for how deep corruption could run in a person. "Sorry, think its the meds messing with me. How long did you say I'd be here for?"

"Oh, please don't file a malpractice suit, but I was looking at the files for Mister Lender, not Linder when you asked me originally." The nurse went through a show of making adjustments to the files on his tablet. "According to this, you just need to be under observation for an hour or so to make sure your vitals are and remain stable. Then it's just a matter of waiting for the discharge papers to go through."

"Uh huh, and how long does that usually take?"

"Two, maybe three hours." Andre smiled, "and before you ask. No, there's no way to speed that process up." V could almost appreciate the man's poor attempt at humor and nodded his acceptance. "If you'll excuse me, I'll get started on the paperwork while you rest."

"Works for me." He shifted on the bed, deciding he might as well be comfortable while he waited. "Is it alright if I make a quick call while I wait?"

"Go right ahead." The nurse gave a nod, "might I advise calling someone who can give you a lift? Really shouldn't be driving with the medications in your system. I'll be back."

With that, Andre gave a tiny dip of his head and left the room. Letting out a sigh that was half-relief, half-victory, V opened up his comms and called Jackie.

["I was starting to worry. Everything good?"]

["Just fine. Hey, any chance you can swing by here and pick me up in a couple hours?"]

["So soon? Man, Trauma works fucking magic, huh?"]

["So do eddies."] V laughed, but quickly grew serious. ["But yeah, I'm still in no condition to drive at the moment. And I've an errand to run."]

["Alright choom. But you better promise to really get some rest after this."] He could just feel Jackie's concern radiating through the line.

["I will."] V let the sincerity into his voice. ["Suspect this last errand will drain me for the day anyhow."]

["Misty says she's got a nice herbal tea that will help you relax. Might even make you sleep better."] Jackie offered after a moment's thought and unheard conversation.

["Tell her that sounds nice, and I'll take her up on the offer when I'm done."] He smiled, ["and this way, you can spend more time with your girl while not abandoning your bro."]

["Works for me. Give me a call when you're ready and I'll come get you, alright?"]

["Will do. Thanks Jack. Really owe you for all this."]

["Eh, you know what you can do to make up for it."] V heard the grin and the narrowing of Jackie's eyes, mind unable to figure out just what his best choom might argue for.

["Really don't, but..."]

["No te preocupes, we can talk business later. For now, just relax, alright?"]

["Sure Jackie. See you soon."]

["Via con Dios."] With that, Jackie ended the call and V let out a sigh. One hurdle passed, a thousand more to go. Taking a moment to collect his thoughts, V returned to his contact list and made the next call.

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Thanks to the bureaucracy that invades everything, it had been a good four hours before V had finally been able to leave the Trauma Center. He called Jackie the minute he got the all clear, and spent his time waiting outside. Even though he was leaning against the side of the building for support, it was still a herculean effort for him to remain on his feet. Only when he saw his Ragnar roll up did he push off the wall, nothing but sheer determination keeping him upright as he climbed into the passenger's seat. Only once he was settled did he let out a relieved sigh, allowing some of the fatigue to catch up with him as he looked around the van's interior.

"Alright, you either moved the seat, or fucked with the presets on the radio." V narrowed his eyes at Jackie, who was sitting quietly in the driver's seat.

"Por qué no los dos?" Jackie smiled, but it quickly fell away when V turned a death glare on him. "Heh, I kid. I kid. Didn't even shift the floor mats."

V grunted in reply. "Better not have."

"You sure you feelin' okay choom? You seem a little grumpier than normal."

"Sorry, the painkillers are just wearing off." V scratched at his chest, trying to ignore the burning pain coming from it. "Ugh, didn't realize how itchy gauze wraps were."

"And Trauma didn't offer you more?" He could see Jackie's eyes were wide in the reflection of the windshield. "What do people even pay them for them?"

"They did, I just haven't taken them." He reached into his pants pocket and removed the small bottle of pills he had been discharged with. "And before you ask why I didn't., these are the preem kind that'll have you seeing unicorns within minutes of taking them. Plan to take them later when I'm done with business today."

Jackie didn't look convinced. "Uh huh, and when will that be?"

"Right after we're done in Japantown." V turned a pained smile to Jackie, "speaking of, let's get going. Sick of staring at hospitals."

"Even if you're visiting Gloria?" Jackie gently nudged him as he started to drive. "And where exactly are we going in Japantown?"

"Jig-Jig Street." The almost-crippled man answered, "need to barter with Wakako. Also, Gloria's the only thing good about Trauma right now."

"Can't argue that." The driver smacked a hand on the steering wheel, flipping the car next to them the bird. "And what do you need Wakako for?"

"Gonna see if she can't get us into the Afterlife." V cursed as Jackie hit a bump, "and easy there Jack. Sure she's got armor but..."

"Ruin my fun." He sighed, but didn't argue. "Anyhow, are you sure you can't handle this over the holo? You look ready to drop."

"Jackie this needs to be in person." If V was driving, he'd be gripping the steering wheel as a distraction. As a passenger however, his only option was to wring his hands. "I'm gonna have to try and earn some sympathy credit and watch her reactions if I want to convince the Lady of Westbrook to give me an in."

Jackie nodded, though he kept his attention focused on the road. "So, you want me to come in with or...?"

"Sorry, meeting with her solo." V glanced out the window, hesitating a moment. "You mind waiting outside her parlor, keep an eye out for Tygers? Suspect Jenkins is gonna have me tailed, and the last thing we need is an ambush compromising things."

"Depends." He watched as Jackie's head tilted side to side, knowing the man was in but up to something. "Got any guns in the back?"

That made V laugh, something he quickly regretted as his ribs protested. He coughed, "Wanna play solo, ninja, mix or..."

The driver took maybe three seconds to give him an answer. "Got anything that would make me feel like Morgan Blackhand?"

"You and your heroes." He shook his head, but had to appreciate Jackie's almost child-like answer.

"Was that a no?" Jackie frowned, looking almost disappointed.

"That was a statement of fondness before I answer." V crossed his arms as much as the bandages allowed, trying to be smug.

Jackie gently pumped the breaks, shaking V. "Stop stallin', start sharin'."

"Ugh, fuck." V coughed, holding back a pained whine. "Fine, how's a Burya, a Satara, and an Ajax sound?"

"Damn Holmes." Despite the curse, there was a smile on his face. "That's quite a spread. You expecting an ambush or an army?"

"If two borg killers and an assault rifle aren't enough..." V rubbed his chin, thinking for just a moment, "There should also be a defender in the back. The fat case on the bottom."

"Alright, alright. That's plenty choom." Jackie laughed, hand reaching over to gently pat him on the shoulder. "What's next, you got some vests for me too?"

Much as it hurt, V turned in his seat and looked at the dry cleaning bags he had forgotten in the back. "Your choices are black or Arasaka."

"So black or black with red?" The driver rubbed his chin. "Gotta go straight black, Corpo just ain't my style, ya know?"

"Best I can do on short notice." V gave a tiny shrug, "but I'll have to agree on that front."

"Aww, I'm touched." V thanked every power that Jackie was driving, no doubt in his mind that the man would have made a heart with his hands. "Though thinking about it now. It's kinda gay that you're pickin' out clothes for me but..."

"Don't start." He jabbed Jackie in the side with a finger.

Jackie didn't flinch, and instead doubled down. "I mean it will disappoint Misty and Gloria, but I think Mama would approve."

"We were having a moment of friendship. And you ruined it." V hit his head against the passenger's side window, wondering if he could give himself a matching concussion. At the very least, brain damage to forget this conversation they were having.

"Just enjoy the bromance. Savor it." Jackie's hand was back on his shoulder. "Ignore the awkward feelings and accept it."

"If you weren't driving I would have driven into the canal." He wistfully eyed the canal as they drove over it.

"Isn't that what friendship is all about?" The hand returned to the steering wheel.

"Normal friendships? No, fuck no. Ours? Unfortunately."

That statement only made Jackie laugh as they crossed into Japantown and soon came to a stop just outside the entrance to Jig-Jig Street. While it took V a moment to get out of the van, Jackie had hopped out almost instantly and started poking around the trunk for the promised guns. The suit had to give the latino man credit; he had the Burya holstered at his hip, hands holding the Defender. Holstered on his back was the Satara, the Ajax sitting beside it. If V didn't know Jackie as well as he did, the man's current look would have had him thinking twice before approaching him.

"How do I look?" Jackie struck a cheesy pose with a childishly happy grin, and it took everything V had to not roll his eyes.

"You look like you're back with the Valentinos or some other gang." It was a compliment. "Sure you're not moonlighting as Padre's bodyguard?"

"Those days are behind me. Besides, I like being your bodyguard better." Jackie adjusted his grip on the Defender, motioning that he and V should get a move on. As V hoped, the sight of the gun-toting heavy kept everyone at a distance as they made the short walk to the Pachinko Parlor. "Don't want to hurt Wakako's business. I'll be just over there, next to that public terminal. Let's me keep an eye on the parlor and the surrounding area."

"Good call." V gave a single nod of his head as Jackie moved into position. Once he had eyes off Jackie, V made his way inside and took the short walk across the floor to Wakako's office. The woman greeted him with a nod as he entered, her eyes watching him as he moved to stand before her desk.

"Wakako, I need a favor." Past experience told him not to waste time in asking Wakako for favors.

"Ahh, V. It is a pleasure to see you again." V knew the outline of the bandages was visible, even under the suit he was wearing, but Wakako made no comments about it. "I trust this time will be just as profitable as the last?"

"Profitable, and easy." He took a deep breath. "I need a meeting with the queen."

Wakako caged her fingers together, studying him through the gaps. "That would not be as easy as you think. Especially for one such as yourself."

That wasn't the answer V had expected, but he kept his surprise in check. "And why is that?"

"Rogue is not fond of corporate jobs." One of her hands gestured to his suit. "Least of all those from Arasaka."

"This meeting isn't on behalf of Arasaka." V shook his head, "I have a personal job that needs her connections to fulfill."

"Yes, I have heard of that. A few of my boys were hired on to gather some of your recent supplies." Her eyes briefly shined, reviewing some record or another. "You have been making moves, yet you say it is not on Arasaka's behalf?"

That got a light hum and a smile from him. "Careful now, no need to ruin the surprise before it is ready."

"Ever the charmer." The woman returned the smile, eyes narrowing as she studied him.

"So can you help me?"

"Not without some idea of what is to happen." Wakako moved her shoulders in an almost-shrug. "If you want me to coax the Queen of the Afterlife, to convince her to let her into her den, I must have the right bait."

It was V's turn to gesture at himself, hand lingering a little longer around his bruised temple. "You see how I'm at less than perfect health?"

She gave the faintest nod. "I had noticed, but decided that it would be rude to ask."

"My boss decided to have me jumped because he came to a mistaken conclusion." V rolled his shoulders, trying to alleviate some of the pain he could feel from his arms at the memory of the beat downs.

"Is that so? Tragic." The old woman almost looked sympathetic. "But I fail to see how this would entice Rogue into welcoming you."

"My boss has set me up for failure." He admitted. "Arasaka has reason to believe one of your fellow fixers is ignoring the balancing act."

"And so he sends you to investigate?" Wakako leaned forward just slightly.

"Indeed he has." V looked away just slightly. "I have a week to gather dirt on one of the big ten, or be cremated."

Wakako sat up straighter than she already was. "And you believe that Rogue has fallen so far?"

"Fuck no." He would have laughed if the action wouldn't have made him want to cry. "I believe that Rogue has the connections to get me the supplies I need to become a massive thorn in some sides, and some info to make it easier."

"And I do not? Your lack of faith hurts me." The corner of Wakako's mouth turned down almost imperceptibly.

"You could do the job, sure. But if this bites back, it could cause trouble for your boys and yourself. If that happens, I'd rather stay on your good side."

"Yet you do not have issues leaving a mess upon Rogue's doorstep?" Her head tilted to the side, considering his words. "It could result in similar risks."

"I don't know her. I know you. I'm keeping you clean and giving her a chance to gamble. I don't think she'd mind having a member of Arasaka's Counterintel owe her, with some dirt on me to ensure it must be paid." He rubbed his fingers together in the internationally known sign for money.

Wakako closed her eyes a moment, a tiny hum escaping her as she opened them. "A very risky game then."

"So?" He prompted, trying to maintain a neutral expression.

"Very well. I will do what I can to have Rogue contact you." She favored him with a small smile, head tilting slightly. "No promises that it will be what you want."

The answer was better than nothing, and V was more than willing to take what he could get. "Thank you Wakako. I'll leave you to your work."

"Safe travels V. Don't do anything foolish." She dismissed him with a wave, her attention instantly going back to the newspaper before her. V bowed once more and made his way back through the parlor and out to the street. Unsurprisingly, he came out to the sight of three Tygers harassing Jackie, who seemed to be having a grand old time with them.

"Got problems here, Jackie?" V asked, hanging back just slightly.

"Ah. V. Seems these gentlemen are here for you." Jackie gestured to the Tyger closest to him; a musclebound man with a pair of shallow studded knuckles that V was all too familiar with.

"Do'inpo kusojiji, your master wants us to keep an eye on you. To make sure you don't run."

"Pleasure seeing you again Knuckles." V grinned, curious what the man would do at the nickname.

He shook his head, flipping his over-dyed red locks from his eyes. "That is not my name."

"I didn't care to learn your real one."

"Baka Yarō!" Knuckles cursed, punching his fist together. "I should-"

"Urusai! Kisama kisottare! Jakamashi kutabare!" V's thoughts drifted back to his time in Tokyo, not caring if he was butchering pronunciations or grammar. Claws on both side of the ocean were the same. Never back down for them if you wanted to live. "You are to follow me. Not to cause trouble, not to dishonor your bosses, or to annoy me!"

"You are not the one in charge here!" A studded fist was readied, and Jackie responded by raising the Defender just slightly.

"Neither are you! Kisama kuchikatanai kusogaki!" V daringly stuck a finger in Knuckles face, making the bandages stand out more underneath his suit. "You get a little thrill from making me bleed at my boss' behest, and forget yourself. This is Wakako's turf. Even if I don't pull hōfuku from your lifeless hands, what makes you think her sons, your bosses, will do if you displease her?"

At that, Knuckles backed down, motioning for his goons to move away. "Fine. Your point is made."

"Good, now fuck off gesuyarou. And keep your distance." V ordered, watching as the three of them disappeared further down Jig-Jig street.

"Thought I was supposed to be guarding you?" Jackie laughed, his grip relaxing just slightly as they walked back to the van.

"You are, but this situation called for a more..." The spy-hunter paused, considering the right word, "diplomatic approach."

"I know. I just wanted to play with my new toys." Jackie looked fondly at the Defender before storing it away with the Ajax and Satara. He noticed Jackie kept the Burya, something that V appreciated given their recent encounter.

"Didn't you get to play enough yesterday?" V taunted, having heard the man's stories last night.

"Yeah, but live targets are more interesting." Jackie closed the trunk and made for the driver's side. "Guess I'll just settle for getting to drive your Ragnar again."

"That's fair. Need to take my meds anyhow." V climbed into the passenger's seat, hand taking out the bottle of pills. "Come on Jackie, take me home."

"I will, but first we're gonna pick up Misty. Then we'll go to your apartment where Misty will make us all a nice cup of tea." Jackie grinned, his eyes bright as he recounted his plan. "Then, she and I will relax while laughing at you while you're high as the top floor of 'Saka tower." A laugh escaped him as V dry swallowed a dose of the painkillers.

"Planned all this out yourself again? I'm impressed." He met Jackie's smile with one of his own, officially in too much pain to care about anything except the relief the painkillers promised. "Just don't...record any of it again."

V closed his eyes, not hearing Jackie's reply but knowing that the man wouldn't do such a thing. Instead, V turned his attention towards the next part of his plan, opting to think about it while he still had some level of lucidity.

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Morning came too soon. With it came aches, pains, and playfully unwanted guests.

Jackie and Misty had arrived with smiles on faces, bags in hand. Meanwhile V kept to his kitchen counter seat and pathetic excuse for sustanence.

"Brought you breakfast." Misty had a gentle smile on her face as she approached, holding up a bag containing three disposable take-out boxes. Her eyes then looked at V's counter, seeing the can of Nicola and the bottle of painkillers. "And don't try to tell me that's your breakfast."

"Would you believe me if I told you it's a Corpo Breakfast?" Misty didn't buy it, instead she moved the items aside and started to set the containers down on the counter. "Taking that as a no. Hey Jackie, what gives?"

"Misty was worried about you after we left. She wanted to check up on you and what better way than by bringing you breakfast." Jackie moved in close, lowering his voice so only the two of them could hear. "She wouldn't let me leave without her, so just go along with it. Make her happy, for me?"

"I'm not getting out of this am I?" He found it impossible to argue as Misty pushed one of the containers towards him. Opening it revealed some syn-egg fried rice, a croissant, and some RealFruit. There was also a couple links of sausage, though V couldn't tell exactly what flavor they were. "Thanks Misty. Got to admit, this looks better than Nicola and pills."

"Sounds like a terrible flavor of breakfast kibble." Jackie opened up his own container and started eating.

"You're welcome V. Might not be the best breakfast but it'll be easier on your stomach and hopefully help you recover faster." She shrugged and ate what appeared to be a piece of banana.

"At this point, I'll try anything that might speed things along." V grumbled, one hand scratching at his ribs again. "Never realized how much I move around in my sleep until I woke myself up by rolling over at least three times."

"Tonight, try putting pillows on either side of you, just under your arms." Misty pointed to herself, showing him where to place them. "Should serve as a brace of sorts, help keep you still."

"Really think it'll work?"

"Worked well enough that time I broke my leg after we went off-roading in the Badlands." Jackie answered, a spoonful of rice halfway to his mouth. "Remember choom, Misty works as a sort-of nurse for Vik, so she at least has an idea of what she's talking about."

That earned Jackie a friendly slap from Misty, and V had to admit he was enjoying their company a lot more now that he was sober.

"Figured I could give you a check-up too before you and Jackie go off on whatever adventure you've got planned for the day." Misty's expression looked so gentle that V found he couldn't refuse the offer. "What do you two have planned, anyways?"

"Don't know but-" V saw Jackie's eyes light up then, the man excusing himself with a raise of his finger to take the call. "I suspect that Jack'll have something in a few minutes."

"Just be careful, and no heavy lifting." Misty's head dipped down to indicate his chest. "I saw those bruises."

V nearly choked on his current bite of rice, one hand feeling the bandages encircling his chest. "When?"

"Before we tucked you in to bed last night." She giggled upon seeing his confused expression. "After picking me up, we stopped off to pick up a pizza – got your favorite locust pepperoni, before coming here. I made us a nice pot of tea, and the three of us just watched TV, with you and Jackie making your own dialogue for the shows, and ate dinner."

"So a pretty peaceful night?" He relaxed, washing down his latest bite of rice with some Nicola.

"Yeah, until you declared you wanted to go to 'sleepy time junction'." Misty's giggles started to turn into laughs. "You stood up, mumbling about needing to use the bathroom. Two, maybe three minutes later you stumbled out shirtless and started to pull your bandages off, whining that your shirt was being mean."

"Fuck. How many painkillers did I take?" V hid his face behind the take out box.

"Jackie said you took one dose when you were done at Wakako's...And then you took another one a few hours later. Don't know if you took anything else." She placed a hand on his arm. "Don't worry, Jackie and me changed and fixed your bandages before tucking you in. We left shortly after that, so don't think we crashed in your apartment all night."

"Appreciate that." He emerged from behind the container in time to see Jackie moving towards him, mouth set in a line. "What is it Jack?"

"Just got word from Maine." He sighed, "they're meeting with that prick Faraday later on tonight."

"Where?" V ate the last few bites of his meal and drained his soda, already switching to work mode.

Jackie let out a sigh. "Their usual spot. Turbo's."

"Amateurs." V shook his head, "gotta break them of that habit. Makes them too easy to set up."

"Later." Jackie glanced out the window of the apartment. "So what you wanna do about the Tyger tails?"

"I got no idea. " He groaned, holding his head in his hands. "We've got to shake them somehow but-"

"Got it!" Jackie snapped his fingers, one hand bouncing as he spoke. "Remember that music shop in Heywood? The one with the retro name?"

"Yeah, Time Machine. What about it?"

"We go there, the owner owes me a favor. We set up at the place, browse around. When the Claws drop their guards we drop out the back." He clapped his hands, "clean and easy."

"Classics are classics for a reason." V nodded in agreement of the plan. "So what, we goin' now or?"

"Probably should. Misty's got to open up her shop anyhow." Jackie looked over, seeing Misty nodding in agreement. "And that'll give us time to sneak everything out, make plans."

"Go ahead and get ready. I'll clean up here. Oh, before I forget, here." Misty reached into her pocket and removed a bottle of pills. She picked up the bottle Trauma gave him, comparing the two before handing her's over. "Same stuff you're taking now, just a smaller dose. Should give you some relief without sending you to la-la land."

V accepted the pills and pocketed them, promising to pay her back. Moving to his stash, V removed a couple of media ocusets, the type that allowed for both audio and visual recording from a mile away. He also opted to change out of his usual Corpo attire and into something more reminiscent of his days as a rockerboy; Leather pants, black tank top with a faded Samurai logo on it, and a tattered leather jacket. A pair of faded but intact leather boots, and a worn out Samurai cap completed the look.

"Choom. Know I said we're going shopping for music, but was that really a reason for the throw-back?" Jackie chuckled, "should visit Gloria like that when were done. Sure she'd love to see 'Little V' in his rockerboy glory."

"Fuck off Jackie." He took a moment to adjust the jacket, favoring Misty with a smile when he heard her comment on how well the look suited him. "Hoping this might throw them off a little more."

"Personally, I think it's gonna make you stand out more but...Eh, what do I know about fashion?" He shrugged, "ready to go?"

"Yeah, let's delta." V gave the green light and followed the pair out of the apartment, locking it behind him. Jackie took point while V brought up the rear, both of them looking around for any type of threat while they walked. Misty just smiled and made a joke about the two being her bodyguards.

"They better not try anything against you." Jackie raised his fists as they came even to V's van, steps taking him to the driver's side. "I'll beat them up, then run 'em over."

"Woah! Who says you're driving?"

"Misty." Jackie threw a thumb at her, and she looked down, one hand nervously rubbing her arm.

"Yeah, sorry V. Your driving scares me."

"Fine. You can drive until we drop her off, then I'm taking over."

"Thanks V." Both Misty and Jackie said as one, laughing as he grumbled and climbed into the passenger's seat. Misty didn't care and slid into the back behind Jackie. Though the ride to Misty's Esoterica wasn't long, V noticed a car behind them bearing a Tyger Claw paint job on the hood.

"Not particularly subtle, are they?" Jackie asked, having seen what V did.

"He wants us to know we're being followed." V huffed, an idea forming in his head. "Think we can pay Vik a visit before going to the music store? Not that I don't appreciate your handiwork Misty, but something doesn't quite feel right with my optics."

"Sure choom. We've got all day, won't hurt to kill a little time." Instantly, Jackie caught on. "Hey, this'll give me a chance to collect the fifty eddies Vik owes me. Told him Kano would win that fight , but he insisted that Yagi was due."

Misty and Jackie shared a laugh, one V was able to join in on after they explained Vik was zero for three in recent bets with Jackie on boxing matches. They pulled up to the clinic all three getting out at the same time. The car that was following them drove by, but no one was willing to drop their guard just yet.

"I'm gonna get the shop set up for the day if you boys want to pay Vik a visit." Misty offered, opening the door to the shop to allow them entry.

"Sure, and once you're done, we'll start unloading everything." Jackie gave her a quick kiss on the forehead as he passed by.

"Sounds good, thanks Misty." V gave her a thumbs up as Jackie motioned for him to follow. The two men walked into the clinic, and Vik welcomed them with open arms...At least until Jackie asked for his eddies. After several choice words and complaints about the fight, Vik handed over the eddies, before telling V to take a seat in his chair. The three men spent a good half hour just talking while V received his check up. Much to his surprise, no one came into the clinic looking for them. And when Misty popped in to ask if they needed anything, reported that she hadn't had any 'customers' either.

"Might have to go outside to check. How you wanna play this round?" Jackie looked to the door of the clinic, then back to V.

"You know the vending machines across the street? Misty buys some stuff from them for us, giving us eyes on that side." V pointed in the direction of the machines. "While she goes shopping, we'll be going back and forth between the van and the stores, packing up what we need and storing what we don't want to risk losing."

"Sure, what else we bringing besides the ocusets you grabbed back at the apartment?"

"Figure we'll go for the small arms and knives." V patted the pocket of his jacket. "Want items that we can carry concealed, or easily hide in a pack or something."

"Just make sure you let Jackie carry the heavier items." Vik, who had been listening quietly stared at V. "Can't stress those ribs out too much."

"Thanks doc." V closed his eyes, wondering how many more times he'd hear that warning while his ribs healed. "Come on, let's get started."

The plan went off without a hitch. Misty hung out across the street, buying a couple items before bringing them back across the street to him and Jackie. Meanwhile, the two men occupied themselves with looking through the mobile arsenal. As agreed, they looked for anything they could easily hide. V was looking through knives and other small melee weapons while Jackie was browsing the pistols.

"Taking the Burya I didn't get to play with. Maybe the Nue, or the Unity."

"You know the Burya kicks like a mule, right?" V raised an eyebrow. "Sure its only got four shots per clip but damn if those four won't take your arm off. Maybe play it safe and go with the Quasar if you're wanting a revolver?"

"I would, but the frame on it makes for an awkward grip with my big hands." Jackie admitted, a curious noise escaping him as he opened up another case. "Hey V, thought you already took your Kenshin?"

"I did." He showed Jackie the weapon in question, "got my Apparition right here."

"You have two of them?" Jackie showed him the case, and V nodded.

"Second one's not mine." V saw Jackie's eyes widen slightly, "and it's not yours either, so don't touch it."

In reply, Jackie just shrugged and stored the gun away. "Didn't want it anyways, already got a tech with the Burya. Think I'm taking the Nue..."

"Here boys, brought you a couple sodas." Misty appeared at their sides, drinks in hand. "Also, one of your 'friends' walked by, but didn't bother going inside the shop."

V popped open the can and took a drink as Misty shook her head. "Good. Let's get the rest of this stuff in and organized."

With Misty holding their drinks, V and Jackie carried in the rest of the stuff and started to pack what Misty affectionately dubbed their stake out bags while discussing what they saw.

"So they want us to know they're there, but aren't going to interfere unless there's good reason, is that it?" Jackie asked, storing a few more magazines of ammo for the Nue.

"Seems like it." V looked over his Apparition, "my guess is that Jenkins has told them to hold back a little. Let me think I'm off the leash, when in reality all he's gone is given me a little slack that can be pulled away at any time."

"Still think our plan's gonna work?"

"It should. Like I said, they're hanging back. Just waiting for us to do something that they can move in on." V finished packing his bag, taking a moment to double check the items he had hidden on his person. "All good?"

"Yeah. Come on, let's go to Time Machine. Mama's birthday is coming up and I want to see if they've got any classic Vicente Fernandez vinyl for her...And maybe some Kartel Sonoro for me."

"Sure." V let out a snort as Jackie shouldered his bag and started walking towards the car. "Now give me the keys."

"Eh, I tried." Jackie tossed him the keys, shooting Misty an apologetic look as he did. In reply, she just shook her head and told them both to be safe. Promising that they would be, the two hopped in the car and started to drive. They had only gone maybe two or three blocks before Jackie noticed another Tyger on their tail. As the one that followed them to Misty's had, it hung back but remained in their sights.

"Well, the test run went well. Now let's try the real thing." V pulled into one of the spaces nearest the music store, both him and Jackie shouldering the small bags they had put together back at the clinic. The pair made their way out of the car, and watched as their tail drove past them again, though they didn't react and walked into the store.

Jackie wasted no time in greeting the owner with a wave. "How you doin' Journey?" He approached the counter and struck up a conversation with the woman behind it, while V went to browse. Similar to when they were at Vik's clinic, the pair were able to spend a couple hours just looking around, listening to and discussing music from all genres. It wasn't until V saw a pair of Tygers enter the store did he decide that it was time for phase two of their plan.

"These are nice, but I'm looking for something a little more vintage." V set down the Cutthroat album he was holding. "Your friend got anything like that?"

"She does, come with me." Jackie waved V over to the counter, and after a short discussion and some eddies changing hands, Journey lead the two of them into her backroom.

"And you're sure she won't let anyone else in here?"

"V, this is where she keeps the quality stuff. The kind of stuff you only let customers handle if you're certain of a sale."

"True, should have known by that Tenzor Paradize on the wall there." Much as they were on a timer, V couldn't help but take a moment to admire the guitar. "Might have to come back for that..."

"Another day choom, come on." Jackie motioned to another door that lead the pair down a short hallway and out an emergency exit that put them behind the store. Keeping a low profile, the two of them made their way back to Japantown and over to Turbo's. Not wanting to risk being seen by either party, the two opted to set up on a nearby roof top. It gave them perfect line of sight to the diner and the parking lot. On top of everything else, there was no sign of the Tyger Claws or anyone else having followed them to their current location.

"Just have to hope they don't decide to trash your car while you're here." Jackie looked back in the direction towards Time Machine.

"Eh, I've got extras." V shrugged it off, taking a moment to stretch as he settled in to wait for the crew and Faraday to show up.

"Should have known. Anyhow, the smell coming from that yakitori stand over there is starting to get to me. You want something to snack on while we wait?"

"That depends, you buying?" Jackie nodded, "then sure. I'll take an order of whatever you're getting and some cola."

V's eyes followed Jackie as the man made his way down from the rooftop and over to the food stand. Turning on the ocuset, V decided to put the directional microphone to the test.

"Yeah, can I get four orders of yakitori, and some plain fried rice?"

"Anything to drink?"

"Take that six-pack of Chromanticore you've got back there."

A small snort escaped V as the vendor made some comment about not being liable for any damage to his health, but proceeded to sell the requested goods. Jackie returned to the rooftop looking a little grumpy, while V couldn't help but smile. When confronted, he sent Jackie the clip he recorded of him, thanking him for the test run. In reply, Jackie gently punched his arm, before deciding that eating took priority over anything.

Time seemed to pass quickly for the two spies camped out, and before either one of them knew it, Jackie received a call from Maine telling him they were en-route to the meeting. Confirming that they should continue as planned, Jackie disconnected the call as they adjusted position. Not long after, V caught sight of Maine's crew pulling up, all of them taking up different points around their vehicles.

"Hey choom, did you want them to bring David along?"

"What?" V looked to where Jackie was pointing, seeing the EMT jacket David had taken to wearing standing beside Maine. "Oh goddammit. Know I wanted him to learn but-"

The sound of another vehicle rolling up cut him off, the pair now seeing a burgundy Chevillon Jefferson make an appearance. The car came to a stop in front of where David and Maine were standing. In response, both V and Jackie activated the occusets and watched as the door to the Jefferson opened.

A slim man in a burgundy suit stepped from the vehicle. His gray hair was professionally cut and only further showed off his experience in the field. The most striking thing about the man however was his optics. He had three blue eyes in a perfect vertical stack on the right-hand side of his face, while a single golden eye was on the left.

"I'd make a four-eyes joke but..."

"Really choom?..." V closed his own eyes and tried to look annoyed, but the smirk on his face betrayed his true feelings. "Focus."

The Latino man nodded, attention turned to the meeting between the two. After the initial pleasantries were exchanged between the two leaders, they got down to business.

"So, what's the gig this time?" Maine cracked his neck, trying to seem relaxed as he faced the suit.

"Data retrieval." Faraday answered, handing over a datashard.

"Just retrieval?" Maine slotted the shard, his eyes glowing as he looked over the data.

"Yes, though I must stress that this requires discretion above all else." The suit crossed his arms behind his back, speaking so the rest of the crew could hear. "I'm looking for the data from a specific vehicle. The car belongs to an executive of Arasaka by the name of Tanaka." Faraday's eyes briefly lit up as he sent some additional data over to Maine. "His driver, Maxim Kuznetsov will be easier to handle."

"What? Want us to bring him in along with data?"

"No. Do nothing to alert Arasaka. I just want the data. Understood?"

"Gonna need more than that." Maine matched Faraday's posture, moving just a little closer. "Seems a little too easy for what you're offering." The blond man turned towards the crew, all who nodded or gave other signs of agreement. At the show, Faraday didn't flinch, the man's posture and expression remaining the same despite the hard looks the crew was fixing him with.

"What you need to know is on the shard, and in the other file I sent you. You don't need to know anything else." Faraday's mouth twisted into a smirk. "Bring me the navigational data, and you get your money."

Maine growled, one hand punching the other as he once more looked at his crew, eyes lighting up as he sent something to them. He watched their reactions a moment, before looking back at Faraday. "Alright, we're in."

"Excellent." The suit gave a nod, one hand coming to rest casually on his hip, as if he had expected the answer from the start. "Now, while I would love to stay and celebrate our latest contract with you. I have other obligations." Faraday turned on his heels and started walking back towards his car. "I look forward to hearing from you after the mission. But do remember that discretion is valued above everything else this time." He delivered that last note of caution again before climbing into his car before driving off. The pair spying upon them followed the car as long as they could, only cutting the recording once it was out of sight.

"So, where do you think he's going now?" Jackie cracked his neck, watching as the crew went about their business as he started to pack up his gear.

"Probably to meet with one of his other contacts." V replied, looking over the footage they had gathered. "Think Maine might know where he's going?"

"Contacting him now..." Jackie went silent a moment as they climbed down from the roof. "Says Faraday has contacts and safehouses in Pacifica, and given the way he went after leaving, that's about the only reason he'd go that way."

"Great." An annoyed huff escaped V, "and how are we supposed to get to Pacifica? Can't take my car because the Tygers are probably watching it. And I think my spare would attract too much attention from either side."

"I would ask how many 'Saka cars you have, but I've got a better idea." Once more, Jackie's eyes lit up as he made a call. "How about something they wouldn't expect?" V was about to respond, but the sight of a rusted blue junk pile in the shape of a car driving up to them stopped him short. "Heh, there she is."

"Jackie, where did you get this?"

"Borrowed it from Padre." He gently slapped the roof of the vehicle. "She's might be a little rusty, but this Villefort five-thousand valor is a good car. "

"Jack, you know I don't really know cars." V looked the car over, "but I would like to know how you got Padre to lend you one of his."

"To be fair, it's the cheapest one he has." There was a shameless smile on Jackie's face. "As such, he doesn't mind if this one gets a little banged up."

"Whatever, long as it can get us where we need to go." He motioned for Jackie to get in and started the vehicle up. "Does Maine have any idea where Faraday goes for these meetings?"

"Sadly no, but he's got Kiwi looking through old data to try and narrow it down."

"Well, hopefully she can find something." V turned his attention to the road, lead foot on full display as he maneuvered through traffic. A small part of him hoped that he'd be able to catch up to the man, but given his head start, was just wishful thinking. Instead, he let his mind wander to possible locations the man could choose to go to. If he was meeting with Militech, the man would probably want some area where they would have some level of privacy, but still allow for some measure of security. It would also have to be neutral turf for all parties involved.

"Any chance he's working with the VDBs?" Jackie asked, interrupting V's thoughts as they crossed into Pacifica.

"It's possible." He shifted gears, considering the possibility. "They're not the most welcoming to strangers, but Pacifica is their territory. Suppose if Faraday was looking for some additional muscle, he might hire them on while conducting business." V looked out the window, trying to see any sign of Faraday. "No word from Maine or the crew?"

"Not yet." Jackie sighed, "guess we're just going to have to drive around and hope we get lucky."

"Alright, suppose he is working with the Voodoo Boys. Where do you think they'd meet?"

"Possibly at that old butcher shop that's currently surrounded by VDBs." Jackie pointed to one of the shops they had driven by, V quickly sight of a familiar burgundy red car in the parking lot of the shop.

"Shit. About time something went in our favor." V brought their car to a stop a few streets over, the two making the trip back to the shop on foot. After doing a sweep of the area, the two once again set up on a rooftop and turned their attention to the gathering in the parking lot. Faraday's car was there, and a scan showed that Faraday was waiting inside his car. The Voodoo boys scattered around the area were all armed with assorted firearms, or carrying bats and batons, and V had to wonder if they were actually guarding Faraday or the area around him.

V felt a nudge to his side as he scanned the various members of the gang, eyes following Jackie's hand as the man pointed to the truck that parked itself next to Faraday's car. Though there was no markings on the other vehicle, the level of armor it sported and the black and gray coloration tipped them off to its Militech ties. He activated his ocuset as the windows of the two vehicles rolled down, all their occupants to discuss business in the relative safety of their vehicles.

"Were you followed?" From what V could see and hear, it was a man dressed in Militech armor. Due to the vehicles armor, he couldn't get an accurate scan on the newcomer, making it impossible for them to know if he was actually dealing with a higher up, or just a messenger doll.

"Of course not." Faraday's voice held a hint of pride. "The Voodoo Boys may be trash but they have a talent for keeping followers off me in our territory."

"Did your crew take the job?"

Faraday nodded. "They did, with less resistance than usual."

"You're sure they can get the data?" The man didn't sound convinced.

"They've yet to fail me." The suit nodded, hand idly tapping the window frame. "They will get results."

"Without alerting Tanaka or Arasaka?"

"I have informed them how important it was to not alert them." Again, Faraday was maintaining a calm and collected air.

"You didn't answer my question." The Militech man's eyes narrowed, trying to put pressure on his opponent.

"There is always a chance of failure." Faraday shrugged dismissively. "Nothing in this world is absolute."

"Don't forget yourself fixer. Militech can always replace you." The Militech rep gestured to the area around them. "You might be king of Pacifica's shit heap, but all it takes is a word from me and your throne tips over."

If V hadn't been looking directly at Faraday, he would have missed the scoff the suit let out at that."Until then, Militech still needs me for a reliable, deniable, source to strike at Arasaka or its other competitors."

"Perhaps. Let's wait until your crew is done with this job before we continue. Be seeing you." The window on the Militech truck rolled up then and drove away, leaving a grinning Faraday in its wake.

"Thank you gentlemen, your payment." Faraday's and several of the Voodoo Boys eyes lit up as payment was exchanged. Job done, Faraday rolled up his window and drove off.

"Think that's all we're going to get tonight." Jackie commented, shutting off his ocuset. "So what's the plan now?"

"Now? I take everything we've recorded and go confront my boss with proof of my claims." He gently shook his own ocuset as he removed it, one hand wiping his brow. "Might not be the best quality, but it should be enough to start things rolling."

"I know what we've got is pretty damning in the right angle, but..." The Latino man took a moment to collect his thoughts. "We both know you're faking it, and that doesn't mean this will make it work. Don't take this the wrong way, but your luck has been shit lately."

"We found Faraday with no extra intel." It was a poor and defensive argument and V hated himself for it, but. "And what choice do I really have in the matter?"

"Just saying. Like Misty would say, Karma might creep up on you, on us, if you're not careful." He placed a hand on V's shoulder.

"Think I don't know that Jackie?" V removed the hand, his own gently scratching at his bruised scalp. "That's why this is my best option. It's also the option that'll hopefully leave only one casualty if everything goes tits up."

"I don't like the way you phrased that choom."

"Neither do I, but it's the truth." V suppressed a groan as he stretched, raising a hand to silence Jackie before he could speak again. "Save it. Come on, let's get back...Think I need a drink and the stronger painkillers after this." V could tell Jackie was going to protest again, and decided to silence the man's protest with one of the surefire ways he knew worked. "And besides, I suspect Padre wants his car back." He climbed into the driver's seat, watching as Jackie's face went from tired concern, to annoyance, before finally settling on exasperated.

"Told me I could borrow it as long as needed, but you're right. Should probably return it sooner than later." Jackie gave a grudging nod and climbed in. "Besides, your ride is way more comfortable."

V let out a tiny grunt, unable to argue on that point. Giving their surroundings one final scan for threats, he started the car and began the drive back.

01010011 01100011 01100101 01101110 01100101 00100000 01000010 01110010 01100101 01100001 01101011

Similar to the night before,V found himself with extra but not unwelcome house guests. Once more, Jackie decided V shouldn't be left alone in his condition..And Misty decided she shouldn't leave the two of them unsupervised. Instead of pizza or take out, Misty made some of her famous vegetable ramen while Jackie brought out the alcohol. Misty wasted no time in forbidding V from having any, arguing it will make the effects of the painkillers even worse. This was only a momentary annoyance for the suit, as Jackie was quick to start sneaking shots into his cola.

In hindsight, he should have listened to Misty and stayed clear of the alcohol after taking his medicine. It would have saved him the trouble of being consciously aware of how stupid he was being, while simultaneously not giving a fuck about everyone perceived him. Fortunately, it was only Jackie and Misty, and both of them knew him well enough that his actions weren't that much of a surprise.

Sometime after his third or fourth drink, V had gone to the bathroom. Upon seeing his reflection still clad in rock attire, he had picked up the guitar that rested beside his bed, and 'Little V' returned. Now, standing before his friends, V was shredding on the guitar, singing some pre-collapse hit.

"Memories broken, the truth goes unspoken. I've even forgotten my naaaaame!" He scream-sang, not caring if his neighbors heard or complained.

"Not that I'm complaining about the free show, but I'm tryin' to figure out what has brought," Jackie snorted, "'Little V', back to us?"

"I know you've been slipping him shots Jackie." Misty picked up V's most recent drink and sniffed. "Told you can't mix that stuff with his meds. Depending on how much he's been keeping them in his system...V, when did you last take your medicine?"

"Because the mountains don't give back what they take!" V heard the question, but was too lost in a guitar riff.

"Never mind, figure it out myself." She sighed, thinking. "I saw eight pills in the high dose bottle when we had breakfast..." Misty picked up the bottle and held it over her head, counting how many pills she could see from the bottom. "And now he's down to just two? Jackie, when did he last take these?"

"Saw him take a dose from the Trauma bottle just before we started eating breakfa- Really V? Doin' a cover of 'Factory Inspection'?" Jackie gave him a thumbs down, and V stopped playing for just a moment as he considered his next song. "But I didn't see him take any more during the day, not even the ones you gave him."

"I'm right here you know." The would-be rockerboy grumbled, "and I took a dose of Misty's pills when we ate lunch, then the good stuff when we got home." V reached out and took the bottle from her. He grimaced slightly as he noticed how many remained, "though I think I may have accidentally taken a double dose, because I took some the moment I walked through the door, and remember taking some before we ate the ramen." Setting down the bottle, he once again shouldered the guitar. "Anyhow, this next one's called 'Life Will Change'."

He started to play, fingers dancing over the strings. Much to his delight, both Misty and Jackie were clapping, encouraging him to keep playing. It was just as well, as there was no doubt in his mind that his ribs would let him get any level of sleep anyhow.

"Much fun as it is watching him play vintage video game tunes..." Misty studied him with a sad compassion, "he's gonna be in for one hell of a hit once the high wears off."

"Misty, you're probably right but for now...Can we just relax and enjoy seeing Little V in action." Jackie took a sip of his drink, one arm slipping around Misty's shoulders as V started up a new song. "Not often I get to see him sauced enough to go rocker boy."

"Ah, I like this song...But that still doesn't make this okay." Misty snuggled closer to Jackie, eyes going from him back to V. "He didn't play when you first met?"

"Only heard him play once when sober as a cover for a job." He grinned, making V frown, though it didn't stop his playing. "Rest of the times I've heard him, he's had to be at least three sheets to the wind."

"Does he sound the same sober as he does intoxicated?"

"Yeah, but sober Little V doesn't dance as much." Jackie gently shook his drink in V's direction right as V did a tiny backwards slide.

"Can you two stop talking about me like I'm not here?" V complained, playing the last few notes of the song. "And not my fault putting on this outfit made me feel...nostalgic."

"Nostalgic enough to where you embraced the rocker boy stereotype and took too many drugs." Jackie shook the pill bottle. "So you should be thankful that Misty and I are here to keep an eye on your ass if you OD."

"Speaking of..." She took the bottle from Jackie, eyes narrowing as she read the warnings on the label. "Shit, V...How have you not already OD'd from this combination?"

"Corporate issued detoxifyer, yeah!" He hit the whammy bar of his guitar to punctuate his words, making Misty hold her head in shocked shame.

"That's probably the only thing keeping you up right now." She shook her head, "and I know you complained you probably won't sleep. But you should at least sit down and relax some more so your ribs can recover."

Misty's tone had a level of care mixed with her scorning so perfect that it brought an old memory to the front of V's mind. A similar conversation with a red-headed firecracker about him having a banged up jaw, guitar in hand. The two moments blurred together, and V found himself speaking lines from the memory, before reliving it.

"After this next song." V strummed a few notes, making a minor adjustment to the strings before starting to play. "I couldn't wait for you come and clean the cupboards. But now you're gone and leaving nothing but a sign..." He came out of the memory fog, truly realizing how out of it he was to be singing that song, but didn't exactly care. V simply flipped Jackie off when he realized the man was recording his performance, but continued to sing.

"Jackie, why are you recording this?" Misty whispered just loud enough to be heard over his playing.

"One, he's high enough to where I'm concerned he's gonna become a highrider. And two, apparently this is, or was, his and Gloria's song." He grinned, "think she might appreciate seeing it."

"Aww, that's sweet of you Jackie." Misty gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "Now shush, and let's watch the show."

"So. Get away. Another way to feel what you didn't want yourself to know. And let yourself go..." V continued singing, too wrapped up to care about his best choom's plan for his performance. He had just strummed the last notes of the song when he got a call on the holo. It was an unfamiliar number, but there was no doubt in his mind that it was the call he had been hoping for. "Excuse me everybody. Hello?"

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a Bounce Back MK.3, something he saved for emergencies only and jammed the injector into his sternum. The effect was almost as instant as Misty's outraged bitching over his recklessness, he felt himself sobering up with a rush of adrenaline and synthetic stimulants as a new voice came over the comms.

["I hear you want to talk to me?"] The voice was feminine, sultry, with just a hint of something deadly.

["Rogue? Queen of the Fixers, right?"] He smiled, relishing in this small victory.

["Yes. And you're V, Arasaka's pawn. Introductions done, tell me what you want."]

["Aren't you a little grouchy to do biz?"]

["I don't have time for another of Arasaka's toys to try and get an in with me. Say your piece in five or I hang up."] V had heard that Rogue was a smooth talker, but there was an edge to her voice that clearly showed how annoyed she was.

["Come on-"] He hadn't been expecting the call so soon, and the surprise showed on his face.

["Five."]

["Wait just a-"] He raised a hand, trying to get just a little more time.

["Four."]

["Gimme a-"] If it weren't for the Bounce Back, he wouldn't have been alert enough to even have reached this point in the conversation.

["Three."]

["I need cyberware ASAP and I wanna sell out to pay for it!"] He practically bellowed, not caring anymore to play by the usual rules.

["See. That wasn't so hard."] Rogue's tone was that of a parent whose child just obeyed a command.

["Fuck you."] Might not have been the smartest thing to say to Night's City's top fixer, but the words were out. Fortunately, Rogue seemed not to mind his outburst.

["Can't you tell? I'm already fucking you. Make no mistake here kid. I hold all the cards in this transaction."]

The smugness in her voice almost had V rethink his idea. ["Then why are you even bothering to call?"]

["Just because 'Saka drones like you are made by the hundreds for an eddie doesn't mean I can't find a use for you."] She almost sounded tired at the thought.

["You've made me feel really valuable so far."]

V could feel the incredulous look she would have been giving him. ["Do you have any idea the number of times a member of Arasaka has approached me for some bullshit idea or another?"]

["Lemme guess, countless times?"] He let out the tiniest huff of a laugh at Rogue's grunt.

["More like, I'll hit infinite before I die. The difference between them and you is that you're coming to get fucked of your own volition, they were doing it because their bosses told them to."]

["Yay me."] Alright, maybe the Bounce Back hadn't fully sobered him up.

["Get to the Afterlife in Watson. Noon tomorrow. If you're not here by one, deal is off."] There was no room for misunderstanding in her words, and V hated what he was about to admit.

["Small problem."]

["What is it?"] Her tone was flat, and V would swear he heard her take a swallow of some drink or another.

["My bosses have a team of Tygers following me."] V admitted, almost feeling embarrassed at having to do so.

There was a brief pause on Rogue's end, followed by a hum as she decided something. ["Bring them along. I'll take care of it."]

["Thank you."]

["Don't thank me yet."] Her voice had returned to normal. ["Noon tomorrow. Don't be late."]

The holo-call ended the same as the rush from the injector. Abruptly and with a massive down.

For a time, V sat there on his couch. Guitar in hand, and a medicinal high fading fast into mental fog.

He could hear Jackie and Misty try to talk to him, to get a response. But to him, everything sounded like it was on the other side of a wall of cotton.

With an audible smack and a cacophony of wrong notes, V was sent stumbling forward just slightly into Misty's open arms. Ignoring the stinging pain coming from the back of his head, he gently pushed off Misty and turned to face Jackie. "The fuck was that choom?"

"Sorry. Had to break you out of that trance somehow...And 'pain therapy' seemed the easiest and most viable option.."

"Side effect of going from two powerful downers to a major upper...especially one of that caliber." Misty explained, soft and clinical as ever. "What was that about?"

"Rogue called." V took a deep breath, centering himself. "We're in."

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The next morning, after sobering up though more traditional means, V decided it would be better to confront Jenkins immediately. Though it was barely eight o'clock, V knew the man would already be in his office.

The trip to the tower was tedious, the trafic minimal, and the weather was... almost pleasant. The elevator ride was monotony incarnate, with the same Arasaka propaganda playing on loop.

All V could think about was what he was going to say to Jenkins and wishing it would be quick. He'd yet to take a morning dose of painkillers and his chest was aching unbearably.

The Counterintelligence office was the same madhouse it always was. A least a dozen grunts going back and forth with tablets or stacks of shards, and three dozen more gathered about and plotting on Arasaka's behalf.

Like always he had to send a request to enter the ACI head office. Security protocols and bureaucracy at its finest. Jenkins had granted the audience almost instantly, he didn't acknowledge V entering his office.

That was alright, the soft lighting over the black and gold paneling of Jenkins' office was a comfort to his eyes, while the light shining through the large wall-length windows was muted with sheer curtains. The man himself was seated behind his desk, hands typing away at his keyboard while his eyes lit up, dimmed, and flashed in time to his actions. He seemed not to even notice that V was there, attention fully focused on his own work.

Even though he knew the man's strategy was to make him shut up and wait, V couldn't help but feel just the slightest bit on edge. That tension only grew as V watched his boss pointedly glance at the small holographic desk calendar next to his computer before finally addressing his employee.

"I believe I told you that you have a week." Jenkins eyes didn't meet V's instead returning to his computer screen.

"You told me that you wanted evidence. I have it." V reached into his suit jacket and pulled the ocuset he had been wearing out from one of the pockets. Without fanfare, he placed it on the desk before Jenkins.

"A media's ocuset?" He gave V just a shred of attention in the form of raising an eyebrow at the piece of tech.

"A set of recordings. Faraday hiring a crew to steal an Arasaka executive's travel data, then meeting Militech reps in Pacifica with Voodoo boys guarding the meet-up. More than enough to get the company on his ass, but also enough to get his bridges in NC burned if the streets learn about this. "

With a casual thought V transferred a copy of the recordings over to Jenkins, and watched as the man reviewed them. He had to give his boss credit, the man remained stone-faced through the entirety of the videos.

"Very nice V. Very, very nice." The corporate bastard gave a single approving nod. "See how things turn out when you have proper motivation?"

"Its been illuminating." V replied dryly as Jenkins looked back at his computer.

"Now, what's your plan for this? Bait to draw him out?"

"Way I see it, this video gives us three options. First, use him to fuck over Militech in a big play. Second, force him to play for us now that we got proof he's owned. Third, and finally, draw him in and kill him. Last is the lowest risk, least gain. First is a decent risk, but lets us poison Militech from the inside."

"You want to go the first route."

"We have him, we have his go to crew. The crew knows they're in our pocket, he doesn't. We do jobs for him, but compromise them each time. He wants data, we give him edits. He wants tech, its gathered but broken. We start sabotaging Militech missions that run past him, letting just enough go that he seems worth it. Then when a major play comes, the hammer falls. Faraday gets burned, Militech gets the screws, and if this all screws up Arasaka comes out clean."

"Not bad." Jenkins looked back at V. "Of course, you still get to be the fall guy if this comes back to us."

V nodded his understanding. "Same as before...why bring it up?"

"I want you to remember that you are the only one with something to lose here." Jenkins gave a small shake of his head. "It be a shame for the Martinez family to find your corpse on their doorstep."

"Thanks for the unneeded reminder." He gave a tiny bow, eyes going to the calendar. "Is my clock still counting down or is this enough?"

A small huff escaped Jenkins, one of the man's hands sliding V back the ocuset. "It's enough for now. What I want you to do next is get them ready for a few asset denial assignments."

"Who's the targets?" V picked up the ocuset and returned it to his pocket.

"A crew of Wraiths run by a soon-to-be corpse named Bruce Ward have been doing work for ASO. I want their clubhouse and the whole crew burned to the ground." Jenkins sent over a file that V was quick to look at.

"Easy enough. Want the blame pinned anywhere or?"

"Sixth street or those dust breathers in the Aldecaldos. Make it look like they'd been stepping on each others toes. If a fight starts up it'd make it harder for her to replace them." Jenkins' attention went back to his computer, hands slowly returning to typing.

"Got it."

"Good, then go." One hand briefly left the keyboard to shoo him. "I've got a shit to take that's more important than you. Make some use out of your time off."

"Fine, I'm going." He turned on his heels and took a few steps away.

"And V..." Though his back was turned, V could feel Jenkins' gaze piercing into his back.

"Yeah?" He paused, turning to look over his shoulder in a show of submissive loyalty.

"Don't be so hasty ditching your followers. It makes you look suspicious." With that, Jenkins returned to looking at his monitor. Only then did V continue his walk, knowing he had just one more hurdle to get over in his current race.

He didn't turn off the ocuset until he was safely out of the building.

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V had arrived at the Afterlife with over half an hour to spare. As he knew he would be, a car of Tygers had followed him almost from Arasaka's main entrance to a parking lot near the Afterlife. He did his best to ignore them as he finished the journey on foot, attention instead focused on a group of Maelstrom borgs who seemed to be holding a vigil of some kind near the entrance of the queen's club. Not wanting to disturb them, V approached as quietly as he could, and did his best to move around the group to reach the entrance. The Tygers following him however didn't share his respect of the deceased, and one of them made the mistake of deciding to walk right up and through their group. Dirty looks were shared by all, with only one of the largest opting to speak.

'Largest' being a massive understatement. When she stood, her eight feet of muscle and chrome towered over those gathered. Borg and Tyger alike.

"The fuck you chipped chinks doin' here?" Her voice was low, deep, and sounded more primal than robotic. "Fuck off if you wanna live, last warning."

V studied the woman, she had been outfitted with all sorts of chrome, head replaced by a helmet that made her seem more machine than human. Muscles, both organic and synthetic, flexed and moved with ease with her robotic parts.

The original walker just laughed. "We have no trouble with you freak. Let us pass."

"Guess you incestuous sake sucking shit heads didn't understand me." One of the woman's arms reached out and grabbed the Tyger by his arm. With the same ease that V opened up a can of Nicola, the Tyger's arm was twisted out of its socket and ripped off. "I said fuck off or die!"

"Shineyo debubitchi!" Another Tyger cried, katana out and ready as she charged from behind. The borged woman wasn't having it, and like one does with a fly near their food, swung her hand to swat the annoyance away. With a sickening snap, metal connected with organic flesh and bone, and the katana wielder's head was now under some guy's car. The body collapsed at her feet.

"I don't speak Harbor-Bomber." She kicked the headless corpse onto the body of her first victim before looking to her remaining foes.

"Holy shit..." V muttered, watching the third member of the party get mowed down with a shoulder strike. The man's gasp for air silenced by the woman's boot stomping his chest in. He looked to the last man, a red-headed Tyger he would know anywhere. "Good luck Knuckles..."

The red-head tried to run, but the borged bitch had anticipated it and caught him by an arm. She lifted him up by the captured limb like he was a used tissue and started to spin with all the skill of a professional shot-putter. She let him fly after a couple twirls, making sure she was aligned with the oncoming traffic.

The only thing that kept Knuckles from becoming a smear under someone's tires was the fact that he had flailed the whole time. The action causing the woman's aim to be off, and instead he flew over the cars and clipped a road sign. Instead of falling onto the road, he fell over the guardrail. A loud splash echoed for just a second as Knuckles hit the canal water.

"Gawdamned Tygers ain't good for shit. Can't fight, can't run, can't even thrown them straight..." Despite not having a face, V could feel the rage she was looking at him and other bystanders. "The fuck you all lookin' at? I told them to fuck off or I'd kill 'em, but they didn't fuck off!" She scratched her foot against the ground, like a bull getting ready to charge. The action, combined with her words, had everyone who wasn't Maelstrom running away. Seeing his chance, V slipped inside the building, spotting Rogue leaning against the bar's counter almost instantly.

"Right on time." The woman blew a strand of graying black hair out of her face as she waved V over to her. "Trust you didn't have any trouble getting in?"

"Unless you count the hunting party of Tygers that was with me getting curbed-stomped by a Maelstrom woman as trouble, no."

A flicker of amusement briefly showed on Rogue's face as she started walking. "Had a feeling Hildryn would take care of that."

"Hildryn?"

"The Maelstrom you mentioned. Lot of people ask about her." Rogue let him to one of the VIP rooms. Completely soundproofed from the look of it. "She's ex-Maelstrom. Ex-Animals too, not that you'd have any problems believing that with the way she looks. She works for me as an independent. Has ever since her partner died. He got offed by Tyger claws, and I bet you tell how that made her feel about them."

"Explains the vigil they were holding." V muttered entering the room. "Appreciate this Rogue."

"You're welcome V. Now that pleasantries are done. Make your pitch." Her voice had gone cold, arms crossing over her chest in indifference. The switch was such a stark contrast to her original tone that V couldn't help the question that came from his lips.

"How the hell did you get this far being this bitchy?"

"You want to take personal detes then get the fuck out of my bar." Rogue eyed him hard, one hand pointing back towards the entrance. "You want to talk biz, sit your ass down and tell me what you want." The hand moved to indicate the leather bench that covered a third of the private room's wall.

"Need an assortment of cyberware and other goods." V started, taking a seat as he forwarded the list to her. He stayed silent, watching as the old fixer looked over the order.

"Routers, signal extenders, and switch receivers are easy to get in the city. I assume you want their IDs wiped." Though it wasn't a true question, V nodded in agreement. "The Cyberware will take a couple of calls, but the only things on the list that will be difficult are the warp dancer and the netdriver. The GASH Grenade case might be a pain, but doable." Her eyes flashed briefly as she checked something. "I won't ask what you need an NCPD's uniform for, but that won't take a day as long as you don't need the IDs to be valid. The biggest pain in the ass is finding someone to make those custom slugs you're asking for, but that's just a matter of time."

"I'm not asking for too much am I?"

Rogue uncrossed her arms and gave a small shrug. "Not as long as your payment is good."

V's smile was forced, even by Corpo standards. "I don't suppose you have a selection of payment plans I could look at?"

"Cute." If V hadn't been watching her, he wouldn't have seen the brief flash of a smile she gave. "No, instead I have a job for you."

He knew this moment was coming, but still don't know what to expect. "And that is?"

"I need bugs placed in Arasaka tower." She met his eyes. "A lot of them."

"You could try giving me a task that sounds less like a death sentence." He tried, having realized he'd not previously understood just how much Rogue hated Arasaka and other mega-corporations in general.

"And you can always go somewhere else for your supplies. But that's not an option is it." Again, it was more statement than question. "Boss is angry, old flame in a Trauma bed, and you're putting a crew together for reasons unknown. You're racing a clock and it's all going downhill fast."

If it wasn't for the fact that he didn't want to offend her more than he probably already had, V refrained from giving her the slow clap. "You did your research. Congrats. Tell me something I don't know."

"Your boy has a BD scroller hidden in that Sandevistan he uses for a spine, one that has a remote link to a XBD editor that goes by the handle JK." She dropped the information with a casual ease, eyes watching for his reaction.

That caught him just a little off guard. "JK?" He'd seen the handle before, but didn't know anything about the man behind it.

"Jimmy Kurosaki. He's been peeking at your game with your boy's eyes."

It wasn't the most outrageous claim given the level of surveillance in Night City but still. "Got proof?"

"Military prototypes like that sandy are all equipped with BD scrollers for test data. Your girl Gloria swiped the sandy from its old owner." She started to slowly walk around the room. "So if it went from James Norris to Gloria, how'd you explain the fact that Norris' last stand is in an XBD on the streets if the chrome went to the boy?"

The pieces suddenly clicked into place. "Well, fuck me."

"Yup. Kurosaki peeked just in time to see some of your back room deals, and told your boss. Your kid has been spying on you this whole time, and you didn't know it." Her pacing came to a stop, and it wasn't lost on V that she came to a stop in front of him, effectively trapping him where he sat.

"Lovely." He rolled his eyes, cursing himself for not realizing that information sooner. "I assume you wouldn't tell me if you didn't have a solution to my problem."

"I do indeed. But that's gonna cost you separately." Rogue suddenly found the dirt underneath her fingernails more interesting than V.

He took a moment to think, only two possible options coming to mind. "I have a feeling I know exactly what you want."

He hoped she'd take unspoken option one of eddies, but once again, Lady Luck flipped him the bird and Rogue wanted the other option.

"You have proof that Faraday is comfy in bed with Militech. I want copies of the data. What you have now, and what you get in the future."

V narrowed his eyes just slightly. "Funny, I don't remember naming names with Wakako."

"You're not the only one eyeballing Faraday, kid." Rogue turned, calling up a few files about Faraday on one of the screens in the room. "He's been too successful lately, made a lot of eddies out of nowhere and spending them like a corpo-legacy flush with inheritance."

That was a bit of information that V was quick to store away. However, it also brought along another question. "Why haven't you taken care of him yourself?"

"He's on guard against me and my usual. Just like he has his crew of choice for a job, so do I. If I start poking at his biz without proof he can start trouble between the fixers, and that means less profit for everybody." She pointed at him, "Thus, where you come in. You've got an in with his crew, and stumbled into proof that he's no longer trustworthy. Not enough to burn him, but enough to start."

"So I give you Faraday and you'll have my boy fixed up?" It seemed almost too good a deal, but V wasn't about to question it. Especially not after Rogue reached into her pocket and withdrew a datashard case. Wordlessly, she held it out to him, and he was quick to accept it.

"Have your kid slot this. I had my runner put it together for you. It'll shut down Kurosaki's backdoor into your kid's eyes."

He scanned the chip, not seeing anything wrong with in. At the same time, he sent the recordings of Faraday's interactions to her. "It's funny, I can recognize a load of your moves in this trade off, but it's the first time I've been on this side of the table."

"Kid, I was a thorn in corpo sides before you were a line of genetic code in your granddaddy's ballsack." She dusted her knuckles on her chest, seeming proud of that fact. "Now, back to the original deal. You want goods, I want my bugs nibbling on Arasaka secrets."

"Still not on board with a plan that's gonna get me killed." He admitted, pocketing the shard case.

"You can't possibly think I'll let this chance be replaced by a stream of credits."

"No, I don't." V paused, "I have a counter offer instead."

By the slight way Rogue tilted her head, V knew she was interested. "Like?"

"What do you think about casting a wider net?" He drew a circle in the air before him, drawing a second, smaller one within. "One the fish know about? One that hides another in plain sight?"

"I see where you're going, but will your boss buy it with his dander up?" Rogue fixed him with a curious gaze.

"If you don't mind putting on a show, I think we have a better buyer to sell this story to. It all depends on how much you hate Faraday and Arasaka."

Rogue let out a brief laugh. "I wouldn't waste piss to put them out if I saw either burning."

"Alright, then how would you like to see Arasaka department heads at each others throats? Or maybe starting a company civil war along the way?"

"Uh-huh, now I know you're full of shit." Once more, her arms were crossed and she was giving him the cold stare.

V didn't back down. "What do you wanna bet?"

"Kid, if you can get two department heads to fight, I'll get your chrome for you in the next twenty four hours. No pay upfront either."

"Plug in your personal, and listen to the magic happen." V stuck his neck out and tapped the data ports, inviting her to connect with him.

"Sure, why the fuck not?" Rogue sat down next to him and complied, expression unreadable as V went through the process that was connecting to higher members within Arasaka's walls.

["Director Abernathy?"] Rogue's expression didn't change.

["Who is this?"]

["Vincent Linder, employee number NC770416, Counterintelligence."]

["Give me one good reason why I shouldn't have you detained for using this holo-code?"]

["I'm assigned to a black project under ACI Head Arthur Jenkins. I suspect that the man is intending a longplay using my investigation of a Fixer as cover."] He told both parties the truth, seeing Rogue's mask crack just slightly.

["Explain."]

["I've activated several DSAs, and have established a merc crew. Members of which include my own family. Jenkins has ordered me to keep all progress in this assignment as 'Lost On Arrival', and to otherwise keep no records. So far my instructions have been all verbal, and he has granted me access to slush fund money to fund this entire operation. Given his history with you, and his desire to have the crew prepared for assault work, I can only hypothesize that he intends to use them as a hit on you or another in his way."]

["Cut the bullshit. Why'd he pick you."]

["My son has a stolen military prototype Sandevistan in his back. Jenkins threatened to turn him into the company or worse. Check my medical records. He called in a team of Tygers to beat my ass when I tried to resist."] V saw Rogue's eyes flick to his still-bruised scalp and bandaged chest.

["So now you come to me? With a sob story and a hunch?"]

["I come to you with a complaint and a request. Jenkins has fucked me over, and more importantly he's trying to fuck over the company. I can't prove it, but his play is letting a fixer from Pacifica fuck Arasaka. I want to bleed Jenkins and I need someone higher on the ladder to do it."]

["I'm hearing a lot of talk and no substance."]

["I've an ocuset recording of a meeting with him, confirming that he is threatening me and my family, and confirming that he's having me do dark ops for him. Specifically that he's interfering with your department."] Rogue shifted forward just slightly, and V knew she was intrigued with what she was hearing.

["Much better. Back to the core of this, what are you asking for?"]

["My request is that your department will give me support when needed, and back my actions when I tear into Jenkins and prove that he's disloyal to the company."]

["Anything else?"]

["Jenkins' hidden black op has led me to being in contact with Rogue Amendiares, Night City's queen of fixers.] His attention shifted fully to Rogue, who was giving him an incredulous look. ["She's having me plant bugs in Arasaka facilities. I have no proof of this apart from my word and the incoming delivery of corrupted shards."]

Rogue's jaw hit the floor, even as Director Abernathy replied. ["You must have an impressive Stud, holding back a claim like that."]

["Ma'am, if I had lead with such a claim would you have listened?"]

["Don't play coy with me. What are you intending to do with those shards?"]

["I was hoping that they could be better used by the Special Operations department. Specifically, if you could either alter the shards or better yet, tell me where it would be safe to use them."] V was being honest with both parties, though he could tell he'd thrown one of them for a loop.

["You want to feed the queen of Night City's fixers false information."]

["Since I can't confirm how deep Jenkins' deal with Rogue is, I thought it would be more effective if I used his own plans against him. He's currently using me to sabotage and feed false intel to the fixer known as Faraday, a Militech asset."]

["And what is your goal at the end of this?"]

["Secure my position in the company, bring my son into the Arasaka fold, prove my loyalty, and hopefully earn a better position."] He'd been honest with everything else so far, might as well just put it all out there.

["Vincent was it?"]

["Yes ma'am"]

["It's a shame you won't be working for Special Operations going forward."]

["Ma'am?"] It was V's turn to raise an eyebrow.

["You can fill in Jenkins shoes when he's gone."]

["Thank you director."]

["Don't thank me yet. You will provide updates and backups on all progress, and I expect results."]

["Yes ma'am."]

The call disconnected then, and V motioned for Rogue to pull her link. "Well?"

Rogue ignored the real question. "She's pleasant to talk to. Got an attitude like a Maelstromer on lace."

"Gonna go out on a limb and assume you didn't know that Jenkins and Abernathy hated each other ever since Abernathy snubbed him in front of the Board to steal the promotion to special ops director?"

"I did not. Smooth kid." She leaned back, arms behind her head. "It's been awhile since someone pulled one over on me."

"So, can I get that chrome in matte black or at least with a side of Real Skinn?"

"Cute only lets you go so far kid." She wiggled a finger at him, a silent but friendly warning.

"As long as it gets me to where I need to go."