Two days had passed since the meeting with Takemura, Oda, and Michiko. They'd told So Mi that they would contact her when it was time for her to lend them aide, but so far, there had been complete radio silence from them. Much to her dismay, all she and V could do was wait, and it was driving her crazy. She already hated sitting around idly enough on its own, but when the clock was ticking twice over with not just her own life but V's as well, it made her downright restless.

V appeared sitting on the side of the bed, watching So Mi pace back and forth across the hideout. "Gonna wear the floors down if you keep this up," she teased her host.

So Mi sighed. "I don't like sitting around like this- not when we've only got so much time before things go from bad to worse for us." She sat down next to V. "Besides- not like there's much else we can do to keep ourselves occupied."

"In that case, how about I ask you somethin'?" V replied. "I've had a lotta time to think recently, and there's been something I've been wondering for a while now: how'd you first learn who I was?"

Song looked at her, confused. "Whaddyou mean?"

"When you first called me way back when- tellin' me about Myers and Space Force 1- you had to hop onto the Relic to do it. But how'd you know the whole sich' about the Relic and how you could help anyways? I mean, not even Myers knew that I was the poor bastard who had that thing slotted in, and she's the one that gets all the classified info and shit."

So Mi paused for a moment, looking straight ahead at the wall in front of her as she pondered her answer. "Myers gets classified into, sure, but her briefs are always run through a small army of intelligence analysts- getting watered down more and more with each pass like an excruciating game of telephone," she explained. "Truth is, I was keeping tabs on the Relic Project long before you whisked it away. In fact, there was even a time when I thought it'd be a way to cure myself- or part of a way, at least."

V cracked a smirk. "Bet you're glad you didn't follow that thread to its end- that you didn't end up like… this," she said, gesturing to her less than physical form.

"Heh. Maybe a little," So Mi admitted. "Although, after Saburo died, I heard that the Relic got swiped by some merc, and that's how I first heard about you- the merc that came back from the dead. It didn't take me very long to piece together your uh… predicament. With Johnny, I mean."

V nodded along. "Right. Sooo… what made you look any farther than that? What made you decide to reach out to me?"

So Mi paused, searching her mind for the answer. No matter how hard she looked, though, she just couldn't find it. "I… I'm not sure, truth be told. I was keeping tabs on you out of curiosity, I guess- because you interested me, maybe. Then, once I'd learned about the neural matrix, you just kinda… popped into my head again. That's when I realized that the matrix would probably be able to help you, too."

V gave her a smirk as she laid down across So Mi's lap, looking up at her. "So… what I'm hearing is that you were obsessed with me at first sight."

So Mi smiled. "If that's what you wanna think, then be my guest, V." She paused for a moment, and her smile faded as she looked away. "I just wish that it could've actually helped you- helped us both. Or at least that I'd been honest with you once I knew."

"Hey… what's done is done," V assured her, reaching up and caressing So Mi's cheek. "I told you before, you don't gotta worry about it, anymore. All we can do now is move forward, and with any luck, it'll all work out for us. But you do not have to beat yourself up about it nonstop."

So Mi was about to reply when a call came in from her phone. It was Misty. She looked down towards V, who shared the same confused look she had before shrugging up at her. Sighing to herself, So Mi answered. "…Hello?"

"Hey… Song, right?" Misty began. "I know you're probably a busy woman- especially with everything you've got going on- but I've got something V might be interested in, assuming things work out for the two of you," she explained.

V and So Mi exchanged a curious glance. "What is it?" she asked hesitantly.

Misty paused as she searched for the right answer. "It's… more of a visual thing, really. I don't think I could do it justice with words."

"Alright, where am I going?"

"The Glen," Misty replied. "Look for a bar called El Coyote Cojo and head to the alley in the back. I'll be waiting by a garage."

As Misty hung up, So Mi looked toward V, hoping she would shed some light on the situation, but instead, her gaze was averted down toward the floor. There was an expression on the construct's face that So Mi didn't have the words to describe. It almost looked as if she was… scared, but of what?

"V… do you have any idea what she might be talking about?" So Mi asked gently.

She didn't respond at first, and after a good minute of silence, So Mi wasn't sure if she was deliberately not answering, or if she just didn't hear her. She was about to ask again when V finally spoke. "It uh… she… there's-" she stopped, letting out a defeated sigh as her head hung low. "Just go and see for yourself. I… I need some time to think," she said softly before abruptly disappearing.

Silence hung heavy in the air as So Mi sat there alone. Her mind mulled over what could possibly have gotten V so worked up, but ultimately, she came up with nothing. For as close of a bond as the two of them shared, it still felt, at times, like she knew almost nothing about V- about who she was behind the tough edgerunner persona that she shielded herself with.

Sighing to herself, So Mi rose to her feet and dipped out of the hideout. The walk to the metro station was short, as was the ride to the Glen, but once she stepped off, she had absolutely no idea where she was going. She tried asking V for directions, but no matter how many times she asked, the voice in her head wouldn't come out. Eventually, though, she finally caught sight of El Coyote Cojo. It was almost impossible to miss. So Mi quickly slipped around back down the alley. There was a handful of people that she walked past, but they paid her no mind and nor did she them. She was laser focused on heading over to Misty, who was standing out in front of a shuttered garage door.

"You made it. I was worried you wouldn't have time," Misty said as So Mi walked up to her.

So Mi shrugged. "I'm stuck playing the waiting game, so for now, I've got all the time in the-" she cut herself off as another wave of pain shot through her in an instant. Her hands pressed up against her temple as she dropped to her knees.

Misty immediately knelt down beside her, putting a hand on So Mi's shoulder. "Deep breaths. In, hold it, and out. It'll pass."

So Mi nodded along without saying a word, wincing in pain as she did her best to follow Misty's instructions. "Fuck, this sucks," she grunted through clenched teeth. Slowly but surely, though, the pain passed, and she sat up.

"Hey, you're doin' great," Misty assured her. "V used to get attacks like those all the time with the Relic."

"I still have no idea how the hell she put up with them for as long as she did," So Mi said between panting breaths. "It's like torture every time one comes around."

"V was one tough cookie," Misty replied with a smirk. "After everything life threw her way, she was downright unbreakable."

"So… what is this place, anyways?" So Mi asked, looked back at the closed garage door. "Why are we here?"

Misty gave her a surprised blink. "You mean she didn't tell you?"

So Mi shook her head. "She hasn't said a word since you called. She's actually starting to worry me."

"It's… tough for her to talk about. She already buried her emotions deep, but with him…" Misty trailed off as her expression darkened. "What does the name Jackie Welles mean to you?"

So Mi's mind whipped back to the moment her and V first became connected, when they shared memories. "He was a friend of V's," she answered hesitantly. "He… he died, at the Konpeki Plaza Heist."

Misty nodded. "He was a Heywood boy- born and raised. His mom's actually the one who runs this bar," she explained, nodding back toward El Coyote Cojo. "About two and a half years ago, Jackie was the one who saved V when she was cast out from Arasaka. They were the best friends that two people could be. They were always so happy whenever they were together." Her voice trailed off as she looked down toward the ground. "Y'know… now that I think about it, I don't think I ever heard her laugh after Konpeki. She was never really the same after he died. None of us were."

So Mi felt a sharp pang in her heart. All this time, V had been carrying this pain around by herself, and she didn't know. "This place… it's connected to him, somehow?" she asked, gesturing toward the garage.

"It was his garage," Misty replied as she stood up, producing a key from her pocket. "A few months before he died, he moved in here fully. I come here from time to time whenever I'm missing him… and V, too."

She reached down, twisting the key in the lock and heaving the door open. Before them was a small room with a motorcycle in the center. Posters and pictures lined the wall, and there was a door to the right. Misty led the way inside, pacing around and taking everything in.

"This motorcycle was Jackie's," she explained, looking down at it. "After he died, Mama Welles gave it to V. When V attacked Arasaka Tower, I was convinced that I'd never see it again, but about a month later, I showed up and it was just… here. For a while, it gave me hope that she was still out there, but that only lasted so long."

So Mi nodded along. 'Johnny's doing, most likely,' she speculated silently.

Misty walked over to the door and opened it. So Mi followed her inside to see all kinds of things scattered across the room- souvenirs and decorations from all over, and lots of pictures- pictures of V, of Jackie, and of both of them. Misty was right. Even from still pictures, So Mi could feel how close of a bond the two of them had, and the pain of how it felt to lose him.

"What is all this?" she asked, letting her eyes wander the room and take in every little sight.

"When V disappeared, I'd check her apartment every day to see if she came back. She never did, though. Once I saw the eviction notice on her door, I snuck in and grabbed everything I could." She paused for a moment, letting out a slight chuckle. "Took me three whole trips to get it all outta there. Then, I brought it all here- my way of honoring her. I told Mama Welles, and I guess word got around quick. Before long, people were coming by and dropping off their own mementos. I even met a few of them as they dropped came by."

So Mi looked around. She wanted to take it all in, stopping at each single thing. "Scuba gear?"

"Person who dropped that off was a Mox- tuning BDs at Lizzie's," Misty explained. "She left Night City not long after that- for Pittsburgh, I think."

"What's this?" So Mi asked, picking up what looked to be some cheap plastic headset.

"A kids game- Big Trouble in Heywood. That game was every kid's favorite growing up. It was a former NCPD officer who brought that."

She blinked in surprise. She never would have imagined that V would have known so many people from so many walks of life. In spite of that, though, nothing could have prepared her for the next memento she laid eyes on.

Her jaw dropped as she looked at Misty, pointing to it. "Is that-"

"Johnny Silverhand's guitar- hand delivered by none other than Kerry Eurodyne," Misty answered before So Mi even had a chance to get the question out. "I couldn't believe it myself. Never would have imagined her to have friends in such high places."

"She really seemed to flourish in Night City," So Mi murmured softly- mostly to herself. She couldn't help but wonder where V would be now if she didn't yank out the promise of a cure from under her feet. But those thoughts were quickly forgotten when something else caught her eye: a leather jacket with the Aldecaldos emblem on it.

"I never saw who dropped that one off, but when I found it, it was covered in tears," Misty said. "To be honest, I felt the same, putting all this stuff up." She trailed off for a moment, staring into one of the pictures on the wall. "I think… the bit that gets to me the most is that I don't think V ever realized just how many friends she really had. She was such a bright light in so many peoples' lives, and now they have to live without her."

So Mi nodded. "I couldn't phrase it better myself. She… she really did light up my life." She held back a remark putting herself down for betraying her. Misty wouldn't understand, or maybe she would, but either way, So Mi didn't feel ready to air that out. She would much rather think about how wonderful it was to have V in her life.

"I- I really hope that everything works out for you two," Misty blurted. "V's had such a hard life, and I'm sure you have, too. If any two people in this city deserve a shot at happiness, it's you."

So Mi opened her mouth to reply, but stopped when something across the room caught her eye. Taking slow, measured steps, her suspicions were all but confirmed when she made out the shape of a small, metal tube on the table. Tears welled up in her eyes as she opened it and saw moondust inside. This was the very canister that she sent to V before her operation- her last communication with V when she was still alive.

At first, Misty said nothing. She pieced together everything she needed to know on her own. Moving slowly and quietly, she walked up beside So Mi and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "You can stay in here as long as you need," she whispered. "And when the time comes, take anything you or V wants to… I'll see you around." She turned to walk away, but stopped in the doorframe as she turned around. "For the record, though, I found that on her bedside, right where she always slept." Without another word, Misty left.

So Mi lost track of how long she sat there alone, surrounded by the memories of those that held V close. It wasn't until V finally reappeared that she snapped back to reality. "So, what-" V didn't have time to finish asking her question before So Mi threw her arms around the construct. V looked down at her, confused. "Where's this coming from?"

Tears streamed down her face as she held V close. "I am… so sorry that you had to go through all of this alone. I- I just… if I had known how much pain you were in…" her voice trailed off as she squeezed tighter. "I'm sorry."

V was stunned, unsure of what to say. "So Mi… I- you couldn't have…" No matter how hard she searched for the right words, none of them came out. Eventually, she let out a defeated sigh. However, her attention quickly shifted to the room they were in- Jackie's garage- and more importantly, the things inside. "Is this…?"

"All the stuff from your apartment- courtesy of Misty," So Mi answered. "She turned it into a little memorial for you. Before long, other people began leaving their own gifts."

Digital tears began to well up in V's eyes. She recognized each and every single thing in here, and more importantly, who it was all from. Judy, River, Kerry, Panam, and so many more. "I…" Her voice wavered and faltered through her tears. "I think a lot about death, and what happens after. Hell, hard not to after I've done it twice. And… it wasn't until after I died the first time that it all made sense to me: the thing I feared most wasn't the bullets whizzing past me, or the edgerunner lifestyle, or even death itself. It was… being forgotten- dying and fading from one mind after another until I ceased to exist completely." V sat down on the floor, leaning her head against the wall. "I just wanted the world to know I was here- that I mattered," she said weakly, her voice cracking. "As the Relic killed me bit by bit, I started to think that maybe I just… didn't. But, seeing all this- all these people who knew and cared about me… I don't know what to think anymore."

So Mi sat down beside her, hugging the construct once more. "I know: you do matter, V- to me, to everyone that left something in this room, and probably a whole lot more. You're important to each and every one of us- especially to me. Our lives would be so, so much worse without you in it, V."

"Valerie." The name was soft coming from V's lips- barely a whisper. It was a miracle So Mi heard it at all.

She looked over to the construct, confused. "What?"

"My name- my real name- it's Valerie. Only people who know me real well ever get to call me by it."

So Mi leaned her head against V's shoulder, smiling up at her. "It's a beautiful name for a beautiful woman- a wonderful woman. I love you, Valerie."

V smiled. She was a moment away from replying when a call came in on So Mi's phone- from Takemura this time. Despite how aggravated they both were that there moment had been ruined, So Mi answered it without a moment's hesitation.

"Songbird? It is time."