div class="chapter preface group" style="border-width: 1px 0px 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.5em 3em; padding: 0.643em 0.643em 0px; float: none; border-style: solid initial initial initial;"
div id="notes" class="notes module" style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0.643em; position: relative; width: auto; float: none; min-height: 5em;"
blockquote class="userstuff" style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 1em; line-height: normal; font-family: 'lucida grande', 'lucida sans unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0.643em; padding: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto 0px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"span style="font-style: oblique;"Been a while since you struck a nervebr /Soul shocked, and I'm waiting: Servebr /Strong words, wise up you gotta read the roombr /Pinch 'em in the back and it's something newbr /spanbr /span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: bold; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"No Easy Way Out - Comeback Kid/span/p
/blockquote
/div
/div
div class="userstuff module" style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; width: 1088.63px; float: none; overflow-wrap: break-word;" role="article"
h3 id="work" class="landmark heading" style="border-width: 0px 0px 0.25em; border-image: initial; outline: 0px; font-weight: 500; font-size: 0px; font-family: Georgia, serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0.125em; overflow-wrap: break-word; line-height: 0; opacity: 0; height: 0px; clear: both; color: transparent; border-color: initial initial #333333 initial; border-style: initial initial double initial;"Chapter Text/h3
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The architecture surrounding them was a stark contrast to the ultra-modern, neon-lit skyline of Night City. Here, the buildings were rich with intricate details of a time long gone. The glass pyramid marking the entrance to the museum was the crowning jewel of the courtyard and the lines trailed out long and far. But Yuki had secured their entrance, sparing them from the wait. /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Kerry hadn't seen the museum in decades and was excited for it. He decided to invite his assistant to join him so he didn't have to enjoy it alone. Francis on the other hand was contractually obliged to be Kerry's shadow, so his presence he didn't count, and he trailed at a safe distance behind the two thanks to Kery's instance, but never too far./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Kerry was disguised in a synth-cotton mask that covered the lower half of his face and a beanie to conceal his hair. He toned down his usual leather and studs for a more subdued look, opting for jeans and a denim vest. To maintain his punk edge, he kept his rings and bracelets in place. No disguise was infallible for the most devoted fans, but he noticed the French were more reserved than the people of the NUSA, finding himself not being stopped as often to sign autographs./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The Louvre's grandiosity was apparent as they stepped into the first gallery. The high ceilings were adorned with intricate frescoes, and the walls were lined with paintings from the Renaissance and beyond. Kerry found himself drawn to the vibrant hues and intricate details, but it was the sculptures that truly captivated him. Even the soggy cardboard that was Francis seemed moved by the artwork./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"He stopped before Michelangelo's 'Hercules Fighting The Hydra.' The sculpture towered over him, commanding his attention simply by its raw strength and power. Kerry marveled at how the cold stone could evoke such intense energy./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Ah, Hercules' second labor." Yuki chimed in. She stood beside Kerry eyeing the statue with admiration, her arms folded across her chest./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Hercules' what now?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Yuki's mouth curved into a humorous grin. "It's an old tale from Greek mythology. Hercules was a demigod and a legend. The story goes that he was driven mad by another god who made him murder his family, and then he was given twelve impossible tasks to complete to right his wrongs. Because of his immense strength, both in physicality and in character, he completed them all. This one is the second task - killing the hydra."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Kerry whistled. "I had no idea you were such a history buff. Or whatever."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Greek mythology is a special interest of mine." She shrugged./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""So what, Hercules completes the tasks and that's span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"it /span? End of story?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Yuki nodded. "Yeah. That's it. He was free to get on with his life. But the tale is about the journey, not the ending. The resilience and the strength to keep going, no matter how impossible things seem, makes it so compelling - at least to me."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Sounds somethin' like what an old friend went through. 'Cept without the whole 'murdering his family' part."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""The old myths were told and retold for a reason. They're a reflection of people like us, people like your friend, trying to wade through and survive the trials life throws at us."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Kerry shifted his weight and cleared his throat, deciding to change the subject. /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""To think, this Hercules had no gorilla arms or reinforced tendons, just pure 'ganic, and he was also like the strongest guy ever!"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Well, I don't think Hercules was real, but it's something to think about."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Oh, yeah I knew that." He paused, eyeing the dozens of marble statues in the gallery. "I can't believe these were all carved by hand. Fuckin' crazy. No implants to help 'em, no nanobots to speed the process up…"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""I can't imagine how they did it, how patient they had to be. I can't live without my cyberware!" Yuki agreed with a lighthearted laugh./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"***/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Kerry sat on the edge of his hotel bed, the only light being the city's glow through the window and the lone ember of his cigarette. His phone felt heavy in his hand, the screen displaying V's number. He sighed, running a hand through his hair./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Dammit." /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"He tossed the phone onto the bed and paced the room, his thoughts racing. Finally, he picked up the phone again and scrolled through his contacts until he found Rogue's number./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The holo rang for a while and Kerry wasn't sure she'd pick up at first. Just as he was about to give up, the screen loaded and there she was./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Hey, Rogue! How've ya been?" Kerry greeted, injecting as much charm as possible into his voice./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Kerry? Didn't expect to hear from you. Do you need something?" she replied coolly. "I'm assuming you're not calling just to say hello."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Ah, that was Rogue. Cold as ice and straight to the point./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Can't a guy just call an old friend outta the blue?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Rogue rolled her eyes and shifted. Kerry noticed she was making a coffee./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""What time is it over there?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Six in the morning." She answered. "People don't usually call me just to chat, Kerry. But if you must know, I've been great. The Afterlife is thriving and I've got an army of mercs on hand. What more could a girl want?" She lifted her mug to her mouth and behind her, a hairless cat leapt onto the table. /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Kerry's heart jumped into his throat."Is that fuckin' V's cat?!"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"She turned and scratched the cat on the head. "Yeah, he span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"was /spanV's cat. All his stuff was auctioned off after he went missing. Luckily I managed to nab this little guy before anyone else did."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Kerry's heart was hammering. "Rogue, V's back."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Rogue took another sip of her coffee, her expression unchanged. /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Did you hear me?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Yeah, I got it. Sorry if my reaction wasn't more… shocked? Mercenaries have a lot of enemies, and V picked a lot of fights with a lot of powerful people. When things get sticky, guys like him are known to skip town. It's not the first time I've seen it, and it won't be the last."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Yeah, 'cept this wasn't the case. He had surgery to get rid of the chip and fix the damage it caused. It put him in a coma for two years."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Now that's a surprise. What's his status? Should I expect to see him here soon?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Eh, I don't know. He said his body can't handle implants no more, and to be honest, he looked pretty worse-for-wear. He said his ripper could fix him up, but I haven't heard anything."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Hm, alright. Why did he tell you this?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Kerry felt a pang of defensiveness. "You serious? V was my input two years ago."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Two surprises in one morning. You should call more often." She joked./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Yeah yeah, I prefer to keep my shit private, Rogue. That's 'prolly why you didn't know."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""When did you find out about all this?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""He called last month. We haven't spoken since."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Thanks for the information, Ker. Look after yourself." The call ended, and Kerry sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"He sat in the quiet of his hotel room, staring at his phone. Rogue's indifferent reaction wasn't surprising; he didn't know what else to expect from her, or why he even called her in the first place. They were never exactly friends with their only connection being Johnny. Maybe it was just that he wanted someone to talk to who knew the sich, hoping it would help him process everything better./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Why is this so damn hard?" He whispered to himself. The emptiness of the room swallowed his words./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"In an attempt to distract himself, Kerry grabbed his guitar and notebook. Diving into his music would help clear his mind. He strummed a few chords from the new song he was working on, and as he played, it was like a dam wall had broken and the lyrics was the water flooding out./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Lost in a world that's cold, searching for a hand to hold…" He hummed. "Ghosts of the past, they whisper lies, but your voice is my guide."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Music had always been his refuge, a way to channel his emotions when everything else failed. He didn't know what the words meant however, and he was too afraid to dig deeper to find out./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"***/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"span style="font-weight: bold;"span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;""Unplugged and Unraveled: Kerry Eurodyne's Inner Turmoil Exposed!"/span/span/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"Kenzie Winters - journalist at Poul de Paris/span/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"Kerry Eurodyne, the legendary rockstar, has once again found himself in the spotlight. The recent release of his self-titled album has been met with critical acclaim, but behind the scenes, it seems the rock icon is battling demons that threaten to overshadow his musical achievements./span/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"In an exclusive interview with Poul de Paris, Eurodyne opened up about the personal challenges he's faced over the past few years. "Life's thrown some curveballs my way," he admitted, hinting at a series of traumatic events that have left a lasting impact on his mental health./span/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"Sources close to the rocker reveal that Eurodyne's struggles are more severe than he let on. "He was in a creative slump, dealing with some heavy personal issues," says an insider. "There were times we were genuinely worried about him."/span/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"The most shocking revelation came when Eurodyne alluded to his past suicide attempt, a dark chapter in his life that he has never spoken about publicly. "It's easy to get lost in all the bullshit," he said, his voice betraying the pain behind his words./span/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"Fans have been quick to pick up on the raw, emotional nature of his latest album. One track in particular, "Visions of Your Memories," has sparked speculation about its inspiration. While Eurodyne refused to divulge details, it's clear the song is a cathartic release for a traumatic breakup, leaving listeners to wonder about the identity of the person who left such a deep wound on the rock legend's heart./span/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"Eurodyne's recent behavior has also raised eyebrows. Known for his charismatic and often abrasive personality, those close to him describe a man on the brink of insanity. "He's always been intense, but lately, it's been different." says one source close to the star. "There's a fragility there that wasn't so obvious before."/span/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"Critics suggest that Eurodyne's new album might be more than just music; it could be a desperate cry for help. The deeply personal and haunting lyrics paint a picture of a man grappling with his own psyche, trying to find solace in his art. "His music has always been a reflection of his life, but this album feels like a cry from the depths of despair," commented a renowned music critic./span/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"The question on everyone's lips is: Can Kerry Eurodyne maintain his sanity while continuing to perform under the immense pressure of fame? As his galactic tour continues, fans and critics alike will be watching closely./span/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Kerry sat on the edge of his bed in his hotel room scrolling through the article on his laptop, his face growing increasingly red with anger. The words seemed to blur together, each sentence hitting him like a punch to the gut. /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Fucking bastard. I'm going to gut that French motherfucker and strangle him with his own intestines!"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"His hotel room was filled with the usual pre-travel chaos. Suitcases were scattered across the room half-packed with clothes and personal items and empty booze bottles littered the floor. He had to leave for the next part of his tour soon, but he couldn't help himself. He was furious./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The article had painted his album as a desperate cry for help, not for the fucking creative genius it was. He needed to speak to his publicist and lawyer immediately, but he was unable to tear his eyes away from the trainwreck in front of him./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts, followed by Yuki's voice, "Kerry? We need to leave in about fifteen minutes for the Orbital airport. I've got your coffee."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Kerry stormed to the door and yanked it open, startling Yuki. She held out a takeaway coffee cup. "Here's your -"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Kerry snatched the cup from her hand, took a hasty gulp, and immediately spat it out. "Fuck, Yuki! It's hot!" He snapped./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Yuki blinked, taken aback. "I... I'm sorry, I didn't -"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""What do you think about this?" He demanded, shoving his laptop in her face./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"She squinted at the screen, trying to make sense of the headlines. "I don't know. What is this?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Kerry's eyes were wild. "What is this? This is the fucking media tearing me apart! They think I'm having a mental breakdown!"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Yuki took a cautious step back. "I... I had no idea he'd do this. I'm sorry."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Kerry laughed bitterly, a manic edge to it. "You're sorry? The media are all a pack of vultures. No - sharks! They're making a spectacle out of my life, twisting everything I say and making me out to be some kind of unstable whackjob!"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""I don't think it's span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"that /spanbad. I'll get your publicist and lawyer on the holo -" Yuki offered, her tone calm./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Kerry took his laptop back and kept scrolling. The next article made his heart sink further: span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;""Secret Romance? Kerry Eurodyne Spotted at the Louvre with Mystery Woman." /spanThe paparazzi photos showed him and Yuki, her chatting to him animatedly with excitement in her eyes. /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Well, she was actually talking about Greek mythology./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"He could feel his pulse pounding in his temples and his breath coming in short, sharp bursts. He slammed the laptop shut before Yuki had a chance to see the article./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"She was busy trying to calm him down, but Kerry was tuning her out, mind was already elsewhere plotting his next move. He needed to do something drastic. Something to regain control. /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The sleek black car sped through the streets of Paris, the city's lights flashing by in a blur. Kerry sat in the backseat, mind racing. Next to him, Yuki was on the phone with his publicist./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""I understand, but -" She tried, her voice strained but professional. "Kerry's words have been taken out of context, and we need to clarify -"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" A twisted grin spread across his face as an idea began to form. /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Yuki hung up with a growl of frustration. She massaged her temples. "There isn't much they can do - millions have read the article already and -"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Hey Yuki," he said, cutting her off. "I need you to get me the best netrunner's number in Europe."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Yuki blinked, momentarily confused. "What for?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Just do it. I've got a plan." He leaned back in his seat, his fingers drumming against his thigh. "And hurry up. We're almost at the airport."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Twenty minutes later the car pulled up to the private terminal and Kerry stepped out, his mind still buzzing. Yuki rushed to keep up with him./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Kerry, are you sure about this?" She asked, her voice filled with concern. "What you just told me - this could seriously backfire on you."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Kerry shrugged. "It's too late to back down now. Besides, it's time to remind Kenzie who he fucked with."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"They walked through the terminal, the hum of activity around them barely registering to Kerry as they reached the private lounge. Meanwhile, Yuki made some calls and pulled some strings, proud of herself for being able to get the contact information for a top-tier netrunner in such a short amount of time./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Got it." she said, digitally transferring him the details. "But seriously Kerry, think about this."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Kerry ignored her, opening his holo and dialing the number. The line connected and a disguised voice on the other end answered./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""This is Ne0nG0d. What do you need?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Kerry smirked. "I need you to crash the network of a French media outlet. Wipe their servers clean. Delete fucking everything they have. I want you to ruin them. Think you can handle that?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"A low chuckle came from the other end. "For the right price, anything's possible. What's the target?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Poul de Paris. I'll throw in some extra cash if you leave a message on Kenzie Winters' desktop that he can't get rid of. Something like… um… Oh! span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"'FUCK YOU' /spanin big letters."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Consider it done."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Kerry ended the call feeling a surge of satisfaction, wishing V was there to enjoy this victory with him./p
/div
div id="notes" class="notes module" style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0.643em; position: relative; width: auto; float: none; min-height: 5em;"
blockquote class="userstuff" style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 1em; line-height: normal; font-family: 'lucida grande', 'lucida sans unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0.643em; padding: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto 0px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"span style="font-style: oblique;"Been a while since you struck a nervebr /Soul shocked, and I'm waiting: Servebr /Strong words, wise up you gotta read the roombr /Pinch 'em in the back and it's something newbr /spanbr /span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: bold; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"No Easy Way Out - Comeback Kid/span/p
/blockquote
/div
/div
div class="userstuff module" style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; width: 1088.63px; float: none; overflow-wrap: break-word;" role="article"
h3 id="work" class="landmark heading" style="border-width: 0px 0px 0.25em; border-image: initial; outline: 0px; font-weight: 500; font-size: 0px; font-family: Georgia, serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0.125em; overflow-wrap: break-word; line-height: 0; opacity: 0; height: 0px; clear: both; color: transparent; border-color: initial initial #333333 initial; border-style: initial initial double initial;"Chapter Text/h3
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The architecture surrounding them was a stark contrast to the ultra-modern, neon-lit skyline of Night City. Here, the buildings were rich with intricate details of a time long gone. The glass pyramid marking the entrance to the museum was the crowning jewel of the courtyard and the lines trailed out long and far. But Yuki had secured their entrance, sparing them from the wait. /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Kerry hadn't seen the museum in decades and was excited for it. He decided to invite his assistant to join him so he didn't have to enjoy it alone. Francis on the other hand was contractually obliged to be Kerry's shadow, so his presence he didn't count, and he trailed at a safe distance behind the two thanks to Kery's instance, but never too far./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Kerry was disguised in a synth-cotton mask that covered the lower half of his face and a beanie to conceal his hair. He toned down his usual leather and studs for a more subdued look, opting for jeans and a denim vest. To maintain his punk edge, he kept his rings and bracelets in place. No disguise was infallible for the most devoted fans, but he noticed the French were more reserved than the people of the NUSA, finding himself not being stopped as often to sign autographs./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The Louvre's grandiosity was apparent as they stepped into the first gallery. The high ceilings were adorned with intricate frescoes, and the walls were lined with paintings from the Renaissance and beyond. Kerry found himself drawn to the vibrant hues and intricate details, but it was the sculptures that truly captivated him. Even the soggy cardboard that was Francis seemed moved by the artwork./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"He stopped before Michelangelo's 'Hercules Fighting The Hydra.' The sculpture towered over him, commanding his attention simply by its raw strength and power. Kerry marveled at how the cold stone could evoke such intense energy./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Ah, Hercules' second labor." Yuki chimed in. She stood beside Kerry eyeing the statue with admiration, her arms folded across her chest./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Hercules' what now?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Yuki's mouth curved into a humorous grin. "It's an old tale from Greek mythology. Hercules was a demigod and a legend. The story goes that he was driven mad by another god who made him murder his family, and then he was given twelve impossible tasks to complete to right his wrongs. Because of his immense strength, both in physicality and in character, he completed them all. This one is the second task - killing the hydra."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Kerry whistled. "I had no idea you were such a history buff. Or whatever."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Greek mythology is a special interest of mine." She shrugged./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""So what, Hercules completes the tasks and that's span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"it /span? End of story?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Yuki nodded. "Yeah. That's it. He was free to get on with his life. But the tale is about the journey, not the ending. The resilience and the strength to keep going, no matter how impossible things seem, makes it so compelling - at least to me."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Sounds somethin' like what an old friend went through. 'Cept without the whole 'murdering his family' part."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""The old myths were told and retold for a reason. They're a reflection of people like us, people like your friend, trying to wade through and survive the trials life throws at us."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Kerry shifted his weight and cleared his throat, deciding to change the subject. /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""To think, this Hercules had no gorilla arms or reinforced tendons, just pure 'ganic, and he was also like the strongest guy ever!"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Well, I don't think Hercules was real, but it's something to think about."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Oh, yeah I knew that." He paused, eyeing the dozens of marble statues in the gallery. "I can't believe these were all carved by hand. Fuckin' crazy. No implants to help 'em, no nanobots to speed the process up…"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""I can't imagine how they did it, how patient they had to be. I can't live without my cyberware!" Yuki agreed with a lighthearted laugh./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"***/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Kerry sat on the edge of his hotel bed, the only light being the city's glow through the window and the lone ember of his cigarette. His phone felt heavy in his hand, the screen displaying V's number. He sighed, running a hand through his hair./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Dammit." /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"He tossed the phone onto the bed and paced the room, his thoughts racing. Finally, he picked up the phone again and scrolled through his contacts until he found Rogue's number./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The holo rang for a while and Kerry wasn't sure she'd pick up at first. Just as he was about to give up, the screen loaded and there she was./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Hey, Rogue! How've ya been?" Kerry greeted, injecting as much charm as possible into his voice./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Kerry? Didn't expect to hear from you. Do you need something?" she replied coolly. "I'm assuming you're not calling just to say hello."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Ah, that was Rogue. Cold as ice and straight to the point./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Can't a guy just call an old friend outta the blue?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Rogue rolled her eyes and shifted. Kerry noticed she was making a coffee./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""What time is it over there?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Six in the morning." She answered. "People don't usually call me just to chat, Kerry. But if you must know, I've been great. The Afterlife is thriving and I've got an army of mercs on hand. What more could a girl want?" She lifted her mug to her mouth and behind her, a hairless cat leapt onto the table. /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Kerry's heart jumped into his throat."Is that fuckin' V's cat?!"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"She turned and scratched the cat on the head. "Yeah, he span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"was /spanV's cat. All his stuff was auctioned off after he went missing. Luckily I managed to nab this little guy before anyone else did."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Kerry's heart was hammering. "Rogue, V's back."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Rogue took another sip of her coffee, her expression unchanged. /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Did you hear me?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Yeah, I got it. Sorry if my reaction wasn't more… shocked? Mercenaries have a lot of enemies, and V picked a lot of fights with a lot of powerful people. When things get sticky, guys like him are known to skip town. It's not the first time I've seen it, and it won't be the last."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Yeah, 'cept this wasn't the case. He had surgery to get rid of the chip and fix the damage it caused. It put him in a coma for two years."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Now that's a surprise. What's his status? Should I expect to see him here soon?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Eh, I don't know. He said his body can't handle implants no more, and to be honest, he looked pretty worse-for-wear. He said his ripper could fix him up, but I haven't heard anything."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Hm, alright. Why did he tell you this?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Kerry felt a pang of defensiveness. "You serious? V was my input two years ago."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Two surprises in one morning. You should call more often." She joked./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Yeah yeah, I prefer to keep my shit private, Rogue. That's 'prolly why you didn't know."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""When did you find out about all this?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""He called last month. We haven't spoken since."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Thanks for the information, Ker. Look after yourself." The call ended, and Kerry sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"He sat in the quiet of his hotel room, staring at his phone. Rogue's indifferent reaction wasn't surprising; he didn't know what else to expect from her, or why he even called her in the first place. They were never exactly friends with their only connection being Johnny. Maybe it was just that he wanted someone to talk to who knew the sich, hoping it would help him process everything better./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Why is this so damn hard?" He whispered to himself. The emptiness of the room swallowed his words./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"In an attempt to distract himself, Kerry grabbed his guitar and notebook. Diving into his music would help clear his mind. He strummed a few chords from the new song he was working on, and as he played, it was like a dam wall had broken and the lyrics was the water flooding out./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Lost in a world that's cold, searching for a hand to hold…" He hummed. "Ghosts of the past, they whisper lies, but your voice is my guide."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Music had always been his refuge, a way to channel his emotions when everything else failed. He didn't know what the words meant however, and he was too afraid to dig deeper to find out./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"***/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"span style="font-weight: bold;"span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;""Unplugged and Unraveled: Kerry Eurodyne's Inner Turmoil Exposed!"/span/span/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"Kenzie Winters - journalist at Poul de Paris/span/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"Kerry Eurodyne, the legendary rockstar, has once again found himself in the spotlight. The recent release of his self-titled album has been met with critical acclaim, but behind the scenes, it seems the rock icon is battling demons that threaten to overshadow his musical achievements./span/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"In an exclusive interview with Poul de Paris, Eurodyne opened up about the personal challenges he's faced over the past few years. "Life's thrown some curveballs my way," he admitted, hinting at a series of traumatic events that have left a lasting impact on his mental health./span/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"Sources close to the rocker reveal that Eurodyne's struggles are more severe than he let on. "He was in a creative slump, dealing with some heavy personal issues," says an insider. "There were times we were genuinely worried about him."/span/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"The most shocking revelation came when Eurodyne alluded to his past suicide attempt, a dark chapter in his life that he has never spoken about publicly. "It's easy to get lost in all the bullshit," he said, his voice betraying the pain behind his words./span/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"Fans have been quick to pick up on the raw, emotional nature of his latest album. One track in particular, "Visions of Your Memories," has sparked speculation about its inspiration. While Eurodyne refused to divulge details, it's clear the song is a cathartic release for a traumatic breakup, leaving listeners to wonder about the identity of the person who left such a deep wound on the rock legend's heart./span/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"Eurodyne's recent behavior has also raised eyebrows. Known for his charismatic and often abrasive personality, those close to him describe a man on the brink of insanity. "He's always been intense, but lately, it's been different." says one source close to the star. "There's a fragility there that wasn't so obvious before."/span/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"Critics suggest that Eurodyne's new album might be more than just music; it could be a desperate cry for help. The deeply personal and haunting lyrics paint a picture of a man grappling with his own psyche, trying to find solace in his art. "His music has always been a reflection of his life, but this album feels like a cry from the depths of despair," commented a renowned music critic./span/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"The question on everyone's lips is: Can Kerry Eurodyne maintain his sanity while continuing to perform under the immense pressure of fame? As his galactic tour continues, fans and critics alike will be watching closely./span/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Kerry sat on the edge of his bed in his hotel room scrolling through the article on his laptop, his face growing increasingly red with anger. The words seemed to blur together, each sentence hitting him like a punch to the gut. /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Fucking bastard. I'm going to gut that French motherfucker and strangle him with his own intestines!"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"His hotel room was filled with the usual pre-travel chaos. Suitcases were scattered across the room half-packed with clothes and personal items and empty booze bottles littered the floor. He had to leave for the next part of his tour soon, but he couldn't help himself. He was furious./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The article had painted his album as a desperate cry for help, not for the fucking creative genius it was. He needed to speak to his publicist and lawyer immediately, but he was unable to tear his eyes away from the trainwreck in front of him./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts, followed by Yuki's voice, "Kerry? We need to leave in about fifteen minutes for the Orbital airport. I've got your coffee."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Kerry stormed to the door and yanked it open, startling Yuki. She held out a takeaway coffee cup. "Here's your -"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Kerry snatched the cup from her hand, took a hasty gulp, and immediately spat it out. "Fuck, Yuki! It's hot!" He snapped./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Yuki blinked, taken aback. "I... I'm sorry, I didn't -"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""What do you think about this?" He demanded, shoving his laptop in her face./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"She squinted at the screen, trying to make sense of the headlines. "I don't know. What is this?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Kerry's eyes were wild. "What is this? This is the fucking media tearing me apart! They think I'm having a mental breakdown!"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Yuki took a cautious step back. "I... I had no idea he'd do this. I'm sorry."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Kerry laughed bitterly, a manic edge to it. "You're sorry? The media are all a pack of vultures. No - sharks! They're making a spectacle out of my life, twisting everything I say and making me out to be some kind of unstable whackjob!"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""I don't think it's span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"that /spanbad. I'll get your publicist and lawyer on the holo -" Yuki offered, her tone calm./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Kerry took his laptop back and kept scrolling. The next article made his heart sink further: span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;""Secret Romance? Kerry Eurodyne Spotted at the Louvre with Mystery Woman." /spanThe paparazzi photos showed him and Yuki, her chatting to him animatedly with excitement in her eyes. /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Well, she was actually talking about Greek mythology./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"He could feel his pulse pounding in his temples and his breath coming in short, sharp bursts. He slammed the laptop shut before Yuki had a chance to see the article./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"She was busy trying to calm him down, but Kerry was tuning her out, mind was already elsewhere plotting his next move. He needed to do something drastic. Something to regain control. /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The sleek black car sped through the streets of Paris, the city's lights flashing by in a blur. Kerry sat in the backseat, mind racing. Next to him, Yuki was on the phone with his publicist./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""I understand, but -" She tried, her voice strained but professional. "Kerry's words have been taken out of context, and we need to clarify -"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" A twisted grin spread across his face as an idea began to form. /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Yuki hung up with a growl of frustration. She massaged her temples. "There isn't much they can do - millions have read the article already and -"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Hey Yuki," he said, cutting her off. "I need you to get me the best netrunner's number in Europe."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Yuki blinked, momentarily confused. "What for?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Just do it. I've got a plan." He leaned back in his seat, his fingers drumming against his thigh. "And hurry up. We're almost at the airport."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Twenty minutes later the car pulled up to the private terminal and Kerry stepped out, his mind still buzzing. Yuki rushed to keep up with him./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Kerry, are you sure about this?" She asked, her voice filled with concern. "What you just told me - this could seriously backfire on you."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Kerry shrugged. "It's too late to back down now. Besides, it's time to remind Kenzie who he fucked with."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"They walked through the terminal, the hum of activity around them barely registering to Kerry as they reached the private lounge. Meanwhile, Yuki made some calls and pulled some strings, proud of herself for being able to get the contact information for a top-tier netrunner in such a short amount of time./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Got it." she said, digitally transferring him the details. "But seriously Kerry, think about this."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Kerry ignored her, opening his holo and dialing the number. The line connected and a disguised voice on the other end answered./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""This is Ne0nG0d. What do you need?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Kerry smirked. "I need you to crash the network of a French media outlet. Wipe their servers clean. Delete fucking everything they have. I want you to ruin them. Think you can handle that?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"A low chuckle came from the other end. "For the right price, anything's possible. What's the target?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Poul de Paris. I'll throw in some extra cash if you leave a message on Kenzie Winters' desktop that he can't get rid of. Something like… um… Oh! span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"'FUCK YOU' /spanin big letters."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Consider it done."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Kerry ended the call feeling a surge of satisfaction, wishing V was there to enjoy this victory with him./p
/div