Chapter Text
Night City might be a monstrous beast, though one couldn’t argue that it could be a breathtaking sight when viewing the metropolis from the outskirt, where the viewer couldn’t see all the imperfections that littered on every broken street, only the seemingly ethereal beauty of corruption forged in metal. It was only here, beyond the monster’s reach, that Valentine Belmont could pretend he was void of duties and long lost memories, just him and the quietness. It was peaceful and liberating.
‘Mr. Valentine,’ an artificial voice called out, drawing the young man’s attention from the fading sunlight over the sleepless city. ‘I have received order from Mr. Belmont to bring you back home for a meeting.’
‘Sure, let’s hit the road then Del,’ V responded with a nod towards the screen display, where the familiar white humanoid avatar of the AI known as Delamain was on.
‘Of course, sir,’ Delamain said as the vehicle started up and slowly rolled back onto the road. ‘I estimate we will arrive in 20 minutes with current traffic in the city.’
‘No rush, Del,’ V said as he leaned against the backseat, absentmindedly straightening his suit and adjusting the thin glasses on his nose. Freedom was always so brief and fleeting, more and more so as he grew older. The silver cage was starting to feel too small for the teenager.
‘In the meantime, may I pose an inquiry?’ the AI asked.
‘Sure, what’s on your mind, Del?’ the young man asked as he turned his attention onto the avatar.
‘As you’ve known, all Delamain vehicles are made in partnership of Villefort and Militech and are annually improved to provide excellent Passenger Protection Services to our clients, such as stronger exteriors to withstand more damage and better engines to escape dire situations,’ Delamain started as they slowly entered the city. ‘As such, consideration to update my own system has been noted over several data logs. I would like to ask if you are willing to take on this task.’
‘Del, you know that if you want to form any business contract with the Belmont Clan, you need to go through the official channels,’ the brunet reminded the AI with a bemused smile. Despite being the second son and the unofficial third owner of the Belmont Clan, his role remained mostly within the R&D department and rarely got involved in direct contact businesses.
‘That option has been taken into account, but I do not wish to form a partnership with the Belmont Clan, Mr. Valentine. I am offering this task to you personally,’ Delamain replied with a serious look. ‘I trust no one else to tamper with my system core but you.’
‘That’s a lot of faith you are putting on me, Del,’ V remarked, feeling both elevated by how trusting the AI was in him and worried about handling this peculiar responsibility. After all, in his last lifetime, he had kind of made a rough decision with Delamain’s core, merging all the split personalities that had been developed over time into the main Delamain personality, which had drove the AI to retreat beyond the Blackwall. While his action had kind of solved the problem per say, he still wondered if he could have find a better solution than cramping all the mental problems into one single digital mind.
‘Compared to other business associates, you are the only one who had... an open-mindedness that others lacked,’ Delamain replied without missing a beat.
Understandable, seeing the only reason Netwatch and NCPD hadn’t jumped onto the AI was because Delamain had made itself into an essential part of Night City, as long as he did not do anything that would affect the status quo, he was tolerated and overlooked. The digital entity had to deal with individuals who either feared him or wanted to exploit him. V was probably the only human who regarded him with the same amount of respect one held towards another person.
‘I’ll think about it, but honestly, I’m not sure what upgrades I could even provide to you,’ the brunet said honestly. Sure, his programming was considered advanced, though only because he had cheats of future knowledge and greater studies in the development process, which ensured his family’s company had better protections and advantages in terms of cyber security. In the AI’s case, his self-development had kept him secured from any hacking attempt and allowed him to create a unique system of his own design, not to mention the fact that his sub-units would eventually develop themselves to the point of utilizing different self-defence methods against possible threats.
‘Nonsense, Mr. Valentine. For someone who had a marvellous partner, you give yourself very little credit,’ Delamain remarked.
‘More like you’re giving too much,’ V retorted lightly with a small laugh as he turned his attention to the window.
‘Perhaps we’ll discuss this matter further another time,’ the AI said as the cab slowed to a stop in front of the building’s entrance. ‘Have a nice evening, Mr. Valentine.’
The brunet thanked Delamain in response as he got out, taking one short breath while schooling his features into a more neutral state before he entered the building. Holding a meeting within the Belmont household? It meant serious business, one that Joachim had no intention to have a repeat discussion on company’s grounds, and that brought a sense of unease in V, seeing everything had been quiet and peaceful... Perhaps that was the problem...
The elevator ride to their penthouse felt unusually short and Valentine was instantly greeted by the sight of his brother pacing in the hall.
‘Val, you are back,’ Sirius greeted him, looking slightly relieved with his presence.
‘Did something happen?’ the younger man asked uncertainly. Sirius rarely got nervous, seeing he was the type of guy who just took everything astride with a cocky smile.
‘No, I mean... Not yet,’ his brother replied, running one hand through his short wild hair. ‘Dad is cooking.’
‘Cooking?’ Valentine repeated with a worried look. For the record, Joachim Belmont could really cook a meal fit for a king, though the only times he would be willing to do that was when there were big announcements to be made, good and bad. ‘How many courses is he making?’
‘Twelve, last I checked,’ Sirius replied grimly.
‘Ah, the smell of ozone is getting stronger,’ V muttered sarcastically. The older brunet gave him a confused look. ‘It means a fucking giant sandstorm is coming, Siri. Come on, this is like common knowledge for the Badlands.’
‘And HOW do you know that?’ his brother asked with scepticism, crossing his arms over his chest. Understandable that he would be suspicious, seeing Valentine’s post had pretty much kept him locked within the R&D department and he had rarely done any work that required him to go beyond the city limit after the required one year of fieldwork.
‘ANY decent Nomad would know that,’ V answered with a roll of his eyes. Namely myself.
‘Val, you know that the Badlands are full of Nomads who are going to gut you up just for being on their turf,’ Sirius reminded his younger brother with an exasperated look and when he noticed the glare thrown his way, he quickly added. ‘I know, I know, Nomads are not Raffen Shivs, but you have to admit that it was mostly their territory outside the city. Dakota Smith only owned a small part out there for her clan and she only managed to keep it because she had good connections in NC, not to mention better business management than those backstabbing idiots.’
V grimaced slightly at that, knowing very well how bad the Aldecaldos near Night City were doing from his past knowledge, it still did not make it easy to hear how others talked about their current situation. How he missed the days when he could speak to fellow Nomads without any contempt thrown his way, offering any aid with his current identity would draw many unwanted attention and the Nomads would probably thrown it back to his face with spits and maybe a few bullets for good measure.
‘That aside, I don’t think the subject we are going to talk over dinner is going to be a good one,’ Valentine announced with a sigh, dragging the conversation back onto the matter at hand. He did not need his Nomad feelings here.
‘I know, though it would have been better if we actually got a decent idea WHAT we are going to discuss,’ Sirius pointed out before he let out a tired sigh. ‘I hate going in without any info. I’ll even take a hypothesis at this point.’
The younger brunet nodded in agreement before he gave his brother a worried look and asked, ‘Is J not back yet?’
His brother chuckled lightly at his concern as he answered reassuringly, ‘Don’t worry, Val. Your man came back home with dad. He’s cataloguing and analyzing the data dad brought home at the moment, so we won’t even know what conclusion he has drawn until dinner.’
‘I see...’ V intoned in slight disappointment, for his partner would have provided a clearer image to the situation they were about to walk into. At least, this meant that he would be present during dinner. Comforting, he supposed.
‘But if your man is running analysis...’ Sirius trailed off with a grim expression on his face.
‘I know. It’s probably going to be about the company’s future,’ Valentine finished with a sigh.
It wasn’t exactly a new topic per say, for they had talks here and then, either their father discussed with them privately, individually or with a third party. The basic structure of the future hadn’t changed much over the years anyway, Sirius would still be the one to take over the company when Joachim would retire and Valentine would simply continue being the unofficial second in command. The brothers were quite content with that arrangement, seeing one was capable in leading the company and the other preferred providing support on the sidelines. Nevertheless, new elements and changes occurred constantly, hence why they got so many talks over the years. They could only hope that the status quo would be maintained with no major issues at the end of it.
Both brothers marched towards the dining room, where their father was putting down different dishes on the long table. Valentine only gave Joachim a small greeting before he sat down, his brother sat on the opposite side of the table as they waited for their father finished serving up the last plate of their meal. The foods were a colourful contrast to the black-coloured table, though even their appealing presentation and salivating smell couldn’t really ease the anxiety in Valentine’s stomach.
The whole family’s meal was quiet and slow-paced, the brothers were anxiously waiting for the head of the family to drop the news on their head, but Joachim remained silent and focused only in enjoying the dishes he had cooked. Valentine shared a look with his brother as he finished the last bite of his main course, perhaps they should take the initiative now that they were near the closing courses.
‘Father,’ the younger son began, testing the water with his words. ‘Is there something you would like to discuss with us?’
Joachim didn’t even look up from his plate as he asked, ‘What subject do you believe we need discuss?’
The younger brunet stole a glance towards his brother who took the ball of the conversation with his casual smooth-talker manner. ‘Oh you know, the usual talk we get from time to time, company’s future and development. Blablabla.’
Their father simply gave a light hum in response to that prod as he finished his last bite. The three of them stood up, going on automatic in picking up the empty plates and putting them away to make space for dessert. As the brothers cleaned the table and put down new plates and utensils, Joachim came back with a small chocolate cake, a tray of coffees and a black oval device.
The device’s outer ring glowed blue once it was placed on the table before a hologram was projected from it, forming a blurry humanoid shape besides Joachim. The figure soon sharpened into a late-thirties Caucasian male in a black tailored suit, dark brown hair at medium-length and a trimmed beard. The individual could easily be mistaken to be an important Corpo, if his face wasn’t that of a dead Rockerboy.
Yes. V had created a virtual assistant in the form of a Corpo version of Johnny Silverhand, one that was composed with the program from Clouds and a host of algorithms from different fields. The system was given the codename JIN, short for Janus Intelligent Network. Appearance wise, the face was a familiar and comforting one, while the clothing was both to keep it dresscode proper in workplace and a reminder that this was not his engram partner. V was certain that the Rockerboy would be throwing the tantrum of the century if he was ever forced into an avatar like this one, though in V’s honest opinion, the overall appearance replaced the bitter old bad boy with the vibe of a hitman who would ruin your empire just for killing his pet.
‘Evening J,’ Sirius greeted the hologram figure with a two-finger salute. ‘I see they’ve cleaned you up nicely.’
‘Evening, Sirius,’ the digital entity replied politely. ‘Yes, the system updates haven’t affected my core program as much as last time and I have been given time to fully resolve the minor glitches.’
‘Everything is green in your system, JIN?’ the younger male asked out of concern. While JIN wasn’t Johnny, he was nevertheless his partner and his presence provided him with a sense of security and confidence. Not to mention, the digital entity was also a culmination of several experts’ knowledge and effort beside V’s, making him a very precious digital being.
‘Yes, Valentine,’ JIN answered, giving his creator a small reassuring smile.
Joachim cleared his throat softly, drawing everyone back to the matter at hands, everyone but JIN took a seat as the AI stretched his arm out towards the holographic device. With a wave of his arm, he displayed several documents and statistic charts for the whole family to review upon.
‘I think the news is not new to either of you, our remaining competition, the Sabre Enterprise, had been brought by Biotechnica,’ Joachim started as the hologram displayed the sharp plunge of the Sabre Enterprise’s stock and the announcement of Biotechnica’s purchase.
‘Good riddance, never could deal with those jarheads,’ Sirius said with a hint of satisfaction as he took a bite of his dessert. Understandable that his brother would be pleased by this news, seeing the Sabre had been pulling every damn trick possible to hinder their daily jobs, whether through sabotages or outright attempt of stealing their gigs. Not to mention several of their employees got harassed in private.
‘While I would like to agree with you, I am afraid this news doesn’t bode well for us either,’ the Belmont patriarch interjected seriously as JIN pulled up a holographic display that contained several grey-out company names that were once their competitions.
Usually people would consider having no competition was a good thing. Sadly, Valentine had learned very early on that it was a big ass bad sign. Why was this bad? The answers came in three: A) No competition meant no drive for further progress and led to eventual stagnation; B) Similar case to point A with the end result of an inevitable foreclosure; or C) Becoming the sole acquisition target for bigger companies. What was their current situation? The Belmont Clan was basically the last remaining small fish in a tank swimming with sharks.
‘Are we currently under any risk of being acquisitioned by any of them?’ Valentine asked before he took a sip of his cup of coffee while studying the list of potential buyers on display, all big names that they had tangled with on an on-and-off basis.
‘Not yet and the Belmont Clan’s recent operations had ensured the company would be able to continue its usual pace. Nevertheless, the possibility remains and there could be other troubles arising,’ JIN informed his creator as more graphs were displayed. All kind of potential hiccups they would encounter in the future from lack of stable resources to spying and sabotages.
‘So we are basically sitting ducks here if we keep to ourselves,’ Sirius remarked as they digested the information given to them.
‘Alone, we are vulnerable...’ Valentine started, getting an inkling of an idea what their father wanted to actually discuss.
Both brothers shared a look, wordlessly communicating their suspicion, before they glanced at the stoic figure of Joachim who simply stated, ‘Both of you understand what our next step is.’
‘There is no guarantee that they wouldn’t attempt to stomp us out while we are extending the proverbial olive branch,’ Sirius remarked, pointing at the slide that contained all the huge power players in Night City. ‘Partnering with even one of them, we would be risking whatever truce we had with the others. We could easily get destroyed from all sides with this partnership.’
‘So we need to partner ourselves with one that wouldn’t make us too much of a target or at least would make them consider twice from attacking us,’ the younger brother supplied with a glance towards JIN who immediately removed all names that did not fit either criteria and redisplayed them in two categories: low profile and high profile. Neither list contained names V wanted to associate with.
For low profile, they had Kiroshi Optics, Biotechnica and Lazarus. Kiroshi Optics had some decent security on their own, so their partnership might not be a wholly necessary one for them and they might insist in their contact that they were required to switch to their chrome for marketing and security reasons. Biotechnica would certainly require their full private military might, V did not like the idea that they might have to fight against Nomads, and beside financial support they wouldn’t get anything peculiarly useful from this partnership. Lazarus... technically a competition and that one might be a tougher nut to crack, seeing they had actually butted head on the field before and not sure respect would really pull any weight here. All their low profile choices were either lacking or a ticking time bomb.
For high profiles, they had Arasaka, Militech and Kang Tao. All names that V would rather die than get associated with, judging by the grimace on Sirius’ face, his brother shared that sentiment, even though it was for different reasons. These three were basically monsters of their own and could easily swallow them whole for one misstep. Nonetheless, they also possessed the finance and resources that they could use, if they managed to make a compelling case that wouldn’t saddle them with a leash and an unpinned grenade.
Silence fell upon the family as each member was running their own math on the matter. Valentine honestly didn’t want to make a choice as this scenario was reminding him of what had happened with the Bakkers, but if they didn’t make a choice, the same ending would occur sooner or later. A heavy lump was lodged in V’s throat as the memories of his past swelled within his mind, the trigger that had led him to leave his fractured family for good and had brought him to Night City. Was he cursed to watch history repeat itself? Was he doomed to lose his family? Always predestined to walk down the path that would lead him towards Konpeki? Was Death angered by the fact that he didn’t stay dead amongst the trashes? Grey blue eyes drifted towards his hand, recalling all the phantom shakes and blood over it. All of his struggles... and still... he was going to die...
‘Valentine,’ a stern voice called out, snapping V out of the downward spiral of his memory lane.
Usually, V would be annoyed by this militaristic habit ingrained into his entire being, though he was thankful on how effective it could be to pull him out of the cesspool that was his past. He looked up and faced his parent who was still regarding him with an impassive look.
Once the patriarch was certain that his son was not lost in his thoughts, he calmly continued, ‘I do not need an immediate answer from either of you. You may take the time to consider our options before we reach a final decision on this matter. Dismiss.’
With that, the hologram was off and the head of the family simply left his children to mull over this peculiar matter at their own pace.
‘Welp, that certainly ruined whatever appetite I had for dessert,’ Sirius announced once their father was out of sight and earshot and lightly pushed his half-eaten piece of cake away.
‘I’m pretty sure this whole talk was never meant to be tasteful to begin with,’ Valentine remarked sarcastically with a sigh. How he wished his life could keep its boring status quo. Then again, this was Night City, nothing ever stayed in zen mode, only chaos or Hell awaited them on the streets and within the buildings. Alright, he had enough of being a Belmont for the day.
‘I’m heading out now, no need to wait for me,’ Valentine announced as he got up, removing his suit jacket and tie.
‘Not so fast, runner,’ Sirius said as he got up and pulled out the chip that contained JIN, handing it to his younger brother. ‘You still need to take your bodyguard with you.’
‘I’m pretty sure he is more my mental attendant than a bodyguard, Siri,’ Valentine remarked as he slipped the chip into the slot behind his ear, sighing softly as he felt the digital being settled back into a special corner of his mind.
‘Yeah, but I trust him to be more than capable of keeping an eye on you. After all, that’s what you made him for,’ his brother said with a look that spoke volume of his knowledge of the younger Belmont’s visits into places he shouldn’t be in.
‘You mean after you guys basically turned him into a partial spyware,’ the younger brunet remarked, giving his brother a blank look.
‘Hardly, we ASKED him to give us hourly reports,’ Sirius corrected his baby brother with a smirk, causing Valentine to roll his eyes, because that was the truth. When he had first introduced his new virtual assistant to his family, the digital being did promise at the request of the two other Belmonts that he would keep a close eye on his young charge and report any problematic issues to them immediately.
‘Can’t you guys respect my privacy?’ Valentine huffed out, knowing all too well that his family wouldn’t really give him a break from their 24/7 surveillance.
‘It’s for your safety, little brother,’ Sirius insisted cheerfully as he ruffled the younger man’s hair. ‘Don’t stay out too late now.’
‘Yeah, yeah, be a good Cinderella and all that pumpkin shit,’ Valentine muttered grumpily as he pulled off the loosen hair band, letting his long black hair spill down his back and running his fingers to untangle the messy strands. ‘Don’t stay up late either, bro.’
He left Sirius to deal with the dishes and headed to change in his room, sighing as he removed the tie and suit jacket. It was always a relief for him to shed off his Corpo identity, this life chaffed him badly, and the Entropism style clothing shoved into a corner of his closet called out to him in a longing way. Ah, the simpler life of a Nomad... The wayward thought triggered the faint memory of his talk with Goro in the construction site, when the Japanese had told him of his dream to live as a Nomad. Back then, he had, perhaps cruelly, dismissed Goro’s words by stating that being Nomad did not mean solitary freedom as he would picture it, for there was commitment and duty to the family. It was only now that he truly understood the other’s words, the desire to leave behind the cage and roam the wild unknown, be free from the chains that trapped him in a cold and heartless world. As his old Nomad mother would say, you never realized what you had until it was gone. It took him a lifetime to realize the meaning behind those words.
V uncaringly dropped his three-piece suit into a basket and set his glasses aside as he put on the casual threads, wanting to just pretend for a little while that he could escape this life of his and go back to his origin. Nowadays, it was hard to even find the shadow of his former self in the mirror, no tanned skin or faint scars could be found, even shades of the Rockerboy didn’t surface. All one could find within the mirror was a rich kid trying to pretend to be one of the poor streetrats in Night City. With one last glance at the reflection of a stranger, V pulled the hood over his head, letting the shadow covered his face, and left for the streets.
***
Watson was both familiar and unfamiliar as he stepped out of the metro station near Megabuilding H10, stores and people he had known had yet to fall into place, but it was one of the few spots in the city he could still find some lingering shadows of a lost past or a future yet to be. Here, V had lived and fought to survive until he had reached the end of his wick. It was probably not healthy for him to keep chasing his past, yet he could not help but continue with this senseless search, wanting to find a connection, something to remind him that his past was... real. He had been living as a Belmont for 16 years now, but a part of him refused to settle into this identity, this life of corporation and comfort, it was agonisingly struggling for its survival and freedom in this new life.
V knew that the option to run away was always available, it was basically your typical teenage rebellion stage BS, though when he thought about running to where and what could he do, his insides turned cold as a realization sank its claws into him. He had absolutely nothing beyond this city, no family or even associates he could call in. In the end, he was all alone again... like Goro...
His depressive thoughts soon led him to an empty store front, the lack of incense and wind chimes in the air felt awfully strange as he stood before the location where Misty’s Esoterica would be in the future. In a way, this place was once a safe haven for him, where he could certainly find help for his physical or mental problems, its doors would always be opened for him. It was saddening to find that this place was still very far from becoming the sanctuary he missed. Not to mention, Vik was still in his boxing gigs (he had been keeping an eye on the old man’s boxing matches and being a few eddies richer with his betting) and Misty was probably on her way to Nepal or had already settled there for the spiritual transition part of her life.
V was about to continue his trip down the memory lane of this peculiar street when he accidentally bumped into someone, causing the person to drop their bag. An apology was halfway formed in his mouth, but it got into a traffic incident when his eyes landed on some peculiar items scattered on the dirty street, tarot cards. His gaze turned towards the person who knelt down to pick up her stuff. Shit...
‘I... I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to do that,’ the teenager lamely started as he mechanically moved to help pick up the tarot cards and other miscellaneous New Age items, eyes kept moving between them and Misty. Honestly, he was so used to the singular style Jackie’s girlfriend wore that it hit him hard when he was faced with another version of her. Misty’s current overall style was... contained? It was the best word V could think of to describe her. She hadn’t dyed her hair yet, so it showed her natural brown colour, and it was gelled to the point that it looked wet in its slick back style. Her clothes were in different shades of gray, all baggy and worn, and they covered almost every inch of her skin. No makeup of whatsoever on her, revealing some heavy black bags under her green eyes and chapped lips.
Despite the enormous differences between the woman he knew and the woman who stood before him, V could still recognize that reassuring smile the spiritualist would greet him with whenever he came to her shop for a tarot reading or spent time reminiscing about Jackie. It brought him as much relief as it did of pain.
‘It’s alright, I wasn’t really paying attention to where I was going either,’ Misty replies softly as she gathered everything that had spilled out of her bag. Green eyes spared a glance at the empty storefront. ‘This place has a nice aura, doesn’t it?’
‘Huh?’ the young man intoned dumbly. His Misty talk translator was a bit rusty.
‘This store.’ She gestured at the vacant shop with a light giggle. ‘It gives you nice feelings.’
‘I... I guess so,’ V replied hesitantly, though he couldn’t really stop the sadness spreading over his body. But without the people I know, it feels emptier. Like every other places I have visited, full ghosts and echoes of a past long gone.
‘Do you want me to give you a read?’ came the soft question.
V blinked in surprise at the familiar question as he stared into the knowing gaze of the spiritualist. She pointed at the partial deck of cards in his hand as she continued, ‘You look like you needed a bit of guidance there. The cards are not really kind to me... but I think they are willing to give you a little hint. If you want to that is.’
Oh... right... V thought morosely as he studied the cards in his hand, the design was dated and the material was worn by time, nothing like the clean and pristine deck Jackie had handpicked especially for her, one that breathed clearer futures to her. A nostalgic smile was formed as he handed the items back to her and replied, ‘Sure, why the hell not.’
Misty nodded in response as they went to sit by the door, where the space was slightly cleaner than the dirty street. V found himself holding his breath as he watched the girl shuffled the deck unhurriedly, letting whatever divine being or spiritual energy attracted to her to drop their secretive clues in.
First card: the Hanged Man, in reverse. ‘Trapped. You feel like you have no right to choose, like you are only bonded to whatever decision others made for you. Anytime you wish to take action, you are rife with uncertainty and fear, preventing you to make a clear choice.’
Second card: the Wheel of Fortune, upright. ‘Changes. A chance has appeared before you to take back the reins of your fate. Whether you could take control once more or lose it, it is all up to your own will. Remember, you have the strength to accomplish anything you set your heart into. Once you do, many paths will reveal themselves to you.’
Third card: the Moon, in reverse. ‘Illusion. Whatever your chosen path is, do be wary, for it is a journey in complete darkness. Do not always believe the light is guiding you towards your goal. Do not waver when you have made your decision. Or else you will become prey to those who linger in the dark.’
Final card...
V felt his blood froze as he stared at the cloaked skeletal figure on the card marked as Death. Shit. Didn’t his first read also ended with Death as the last card? The incomprehensible warning before shit hit the fan at Konpeki and turned his whole life into a dying battery.
‘Don’t worry,’ Misty reassured him, drawing him out of his fear spiral. ‘Despite its namesake, Death isn’t always a bad sign, especially when it is in an upright position. It simply signifies that you will sever whatever is holding you back, putting your past behind and looking towards the future once more.’
Cutting ties with his past, huh... The mere thought of it seemed impossible. Every time he closed his eyes or walked across certain streets, his memories haunted him in every corner, reminding him of what he had lost and what he would never regain.
‘Hey,’ the spiritualist called out softly as she lightly pat his arm. ‘This spread doesn’t seal your fate or anything. The cards are only here to serve as guideposts or warning signs. Whatever you are aiming to do next is completely up to you. No one can force you into anything you are not prepared to do.’
V could only nod in response while he was mentally digesting the revelation given to him. Taking a deep breath to steady himself, then he replied as calmly as he could, ‘Thanks for the read. It might not be what I was expecting, but it helps.’
Misty smiled brightly at that as she replied, ‘I’m glad that I could help. A little good deed before leaving Night City brings good karma.’
Ah, so this was the moment when Misty packed up for Nepal. V was a little saddened by this fact, partially hoping that he could seek a bit of guidance from time to time. While he knew that Misty would eventually return to Night City, how long did it take for the calling to drive her back to this monster of a city was unknown to him. Swallowing back his sadness, V put on a smile once more as he wished her a safe journey and a better life.
The spiritualist laughed softly at that as she remarked, ‘That’s very kind of you. It is nice to meet a gentle soul like you before I leave. Then I wish you luck in your future journey. I’m sure you’ll figure out where you want to go.’
With that, the two of them parted ways. The soft reassurance appeased V slightly, even though he got a pretty clear idea what troubles would be awaiting him. Over the years, he had been rethinking about all those tarot reads Misty had given, how each of them had lined up with the major events that had brought enormous changes to his life, such as the failed heist, the search for Evelyn and Hellman, the meeting with Alt and even the parade incident. This newest read was obviously pointing towards Joachim’s collaboration plan and was hinting the inevitable decision the company would have to make for their future. While the question was which one, he knew very well that the whole deal was going to be like being put right in the middle of a minefield, struggling to disarm a bunch of mines and avoiding sniper shots at the same time. (Something he had done before by the way and it was a fucking pain in the ass). Heaving another heavy sigh, the teenager headed towards the river, needing a bit of fresh air to clear his mind up.
Night City’s river offered a pretty nice view and was one of the quieter spots within the city, so his nightly walk usually ended here before heading home. Leaning against the railing, V lightly tapped his fingertips against each other as his thoughts slowly turned nostalgic and memories started to resurface in the calmer setting.
‘JIN, got a minute?’ the brunet asked softly.
‘Yes sir,’ the AI responded in his mind before blue pixels flickered by his side and the avatar of his virtual assistant materialized in his vision, sitting on the railing in a manner that mimicked Johnny perfectly. The sight easily drew a tiny smile from V despite the difference in style. For an artificial intelligence, JIN seemed to have developed a taste for sightseeing, always popping up with his gaze focused on the best view in sight. It was a human trait he had developed on his own, reminding V fondly of his own Nomad childhood, when he would always run outside to see as much of the world as possible.
‘I...’ the young man took a deep breath to steady himself before he continued with his request. ‘I need to see him...’
JIN was quiet as he dropped down from he was sitting and turned to face him fully. On the other hand, V refused to face the other, keeping his sight on the dark water while waiting for a response. After a minute, the AI responded, ‘Doing so would lower your neurotransmitter function and affect your decision-making capacity. With your current health condition, a sudden spike in hormones might cause you to experience nausea and a high percentage of syncope. Therefore, this request contradicts with my directive to ensure your health and safety. Please consider other options.’
‘JIN,’ V said the name firmly, slamming his hands on the metal railing. He felt his insides burning as he struggled to keep his temper in check. Fuck, he had been bottling up 16 years worth of frustration in him and it was getting harder and harder to keep up with the cool facade. Still, he made the effort to calm himself down, because JIN wasn’t at fault, he was just looking out for him in the manner that retained the parameters of his setting, which nevertheless made his refusal the longest “No” in history.
The AI gave him a blank look that displayed his mechanical side as he processed his request again through several more algorithms, highly complex ones that handled the complications of human behaviours and feelings, as well as a few security measures installed in him. After a few minutes, JIN closed his eyes with a soft exhale as blue pixels began clambering over his digital form. V gulped nervously as he watched the pixels swarming over the AI’s form before they dispersed in a flourish bright coding, leaving behind another familiar figure, but one that made his heart clenched painfully.
There was another reason why he had created JIN in the first place. A very simple and idiotic reason: He just wanted to see Goro again.
So V poured in everything he knew about AI programming and utilizing every coding and algorithm he had collected from different sources to recreate Takemura Goro. He thought that if he gave it everything he remembered of the ex-bodyguard and whatever information he could salvage from the Net, he might be able to get that person back. Initially, it had worked. Even in the prototype stage, JIN was able to perfectly mimic the Japanese’s mannerism and speech, looking like he had just stepped out of his memory. They had talked like old friends in a reunion. Yet... V couldn’t see Goro in the AI. He had done everything to perfect the artificial being, but something was off about him, like there was a vital piece missing. JIN spoke like Goro, JIN looked like Goro, JIN acted like Goro, but... JIN could never be Goro.
Now, V stabbed himself in the heart again as he faced the damnable secret he had buried deep under an ocean of coding and hidden behind the reconstructed face of Silverhand. JIN looked worry, probably sensing echoes of his creator’s feelings, which was an odd and rare look on Goro’s face. Goro had often held back his concern behind a stoic expression while JIN would openly broadcast it when they were alone.
‘Hey, long time no see, Goro,’ V stupidly started, looking as awkward as his AI was.
JIN looked perplexed for a moment, seeing the first and last time he had worn this face, V was... unstable, so it was understandable that JIN was slightly reluctant to follow up with this whole role-play. The digital being soon allowed some of the Clouds’ programming to take over and settle into the Takemura personality. The closed-off expression and the straightening of his posture strengthened the illusion slightly as JIN greeted back with a nod. ‘V... How are you feeling these days?’
V laughed softly, though it honestly sounded more like a choked sob in his ears, and replied, ‘Could’ve been better.’
JIN let out an acknowledging hum at his reply as he continued, ‘I suppose that is what any one of us could hope for each day.’
‘Yeah,’ the younger male agreed as they began walking down the pavement side by side. It might not be real, but the act brought a comfort that he missed terribly. In the last month of his past life, Goro would often walk around town with him and talk about future trips or works as if they had all the time of the world, letting themselves get locked up in their own little bubble and forgetting the lingering shadow of death. ‘Actually, I... I kind of need your opinion on this or just let me talk your damn auditory implants off.’
‘With you? Hmm, I suppose it is possible to talk my auditory implants off,’ JIN joked in an offhanded manner, drawing another small laugh from the brunet.
‘I’ll try my best,’ V promised teasingly, ignoring the burning feeling behind his eyes.
The human then proceeded to relay everything to his digital companion, the future of the company, his own insecurity concerning the possible choices they had, the pros and cons of each choice and the thoughts the two other Belmonts had on this matter. He then finished with, ‘Which one do you think I should pick?’
JIN had remained quiet this entire time, like Goro had always done whenever V started talking, before he answered, ‘I would suggest that you ally with Arasaka, seeing it possesses the financial backing the Belmont Clan needs and the cooperation will also bring other possible contracts that will solve the resource problems.’
‘Of course, you would suggest them,’ V muttered with a roll of his eyes. Yeah, even though he had been disgraced and exiled from the company, the Japanese had remained loyal to them to certain extend. The most frustrating thing about Goro was that ingrained loyalty of his. Misguided, sure, but admirable at the same time, in some point of views.
‘Because I know the company best, V. You do not. I might lack both knowledge and interest in the political matters of the company, though you cannot argue that it is the best choice out of all other candidates,’ JIN remarked objectively, causing V to let out a tired sigh. In a way, he should have known that by asking Goro this sort of question, the older man would still insist that he allied himself to the soulless company that had practically raised him to be a cold-blooded weapon in a fancy dress. ‘But I believe you are forgetting one vital thing in this matter.’
‘And what is that, Goro?’ V questioned with a scoff.
‘What is it that YOU want?’ JIN asked gently.
The question brought them to a screeching halt, V stood there uncertainly while the other turned to face him, looking at him with piercing silver eyes, as he awaited his answer.
What did he want? That... was a question that had never really been posed to him. Everyone just expected him to go along with what they wanted. After all, he was never meant to be the captain steering the damn ship, not even close to being the quartermaster either.
‘It doesn’t matter,’ V murmured.
‘Doesn’t it?’ JIN questioned as he stepped closer V, stern eyes shone with concern.
For a moment, V was very nervous and the desire to shout the old safe word was strong, but he remained frozen in place like his body was locked in a sleep paralysis situation, watching the phantom of his own creation haunting him. Fuck, he wasn’t sure if he preferred forever chasing after the man’s shadow over being confronted directly by him.
‘I am only providing you my opinion. An answer to your question,’ JIN continued softly. ‘They are all my words in the end, not yours.’
‘Ever thought that maybe I don’t want to choose?’ the teenager muttered back weakly.
‘...If you didn’t, you would have pulled the trigger that night,’ the AI responded.
The brunet remained silent as he forced himself to look away from the other, for it felt too much like he was being judged by Goro once more. The Japanese did gave him an earful when he had admitted that suicide did cross his mind that night after meeting Hanako at Embers, putting an end to his life instead of risking the lives of others seemed like a better ending. Just like back then, V didn’t want to make a choice that would bring severe consequences to others and attempted to smother his own right to choose. The question later became going out quietly or fighting to his last breath, with Johnny’s encouragement, he had chosen the latter. An all-or-nothing fight that would ensure the only consequence he needed to gamble was his own life. Now he couldn’t even muster the same resolution to make the difference.
‘V,’ JIN whispered as he gently wrapped his arms around the young man, having detected the downward slide of his emotions. Of course, it was all fake, just sensations that his brain was tricked into believing that a real person was embracing him, the warmth emanating from the other was from living flesh, the weight came from heavy chrome and the comforting safety provided by the familiar presence. V knew very well this wasn’t real. He still raised his arms up to return the hug...
Yet his hands couldn’t grasp the other...
That was the final straw and he finally let his tears fall.
This was all moronic. As idiotic as when he had confidently thought that he could somehow recreate his old friend through his own memories and programming skills. He was technically over his 40s by now and he didn’t seem to have learnt a thing from his past. The bigger your dream was, the faster the quicksand under your feet would be. He kept falling for it too...
‘Fuck, I’m such a gonk,’ V choked out as he proceeded to rub the offending tears off of his face and eyes, ignoring the mix signals he was getting when his limbs were phasing in and out of JIN’s digital body, almost like he was running them through all three states of matter. What hilarious sight he must be now. Standing in the middle of the street and crying like a lost child with only a digital ghost for company.
‘V,’ JIN called out firmly and caught the young man’s wrists to stop his movement, causing V to grimace slightly as he felt both the strong grip on his wrists and the heavy pressure in his brain caused by the system enforcing the triggers on his senses. ‘You are not a fool.’
V begged to differ, but his companion didn’t give him the time to argue with him. ‘No, you listen, you are not a fool. You were always a survivor. You went through losing your home, your family, your friend and then your life, but every time you had been struck down, you kept getting back up again. There were so many instances when you could have just let Death claimed you or give up your pursuit in face of dangerous obstacles, yet you didn’t. Whether you knew it or not, you had something to fight for; your life, Silverhand’s, the friends you had made in your journey and so many others.’
For a moment there, the teenager felt like he was back in Clouds’ private booth, where Angel, under the program’s control, had started to verbally paint the bigger picture he had been ignoring, shining light upon every doubt and fear that he had suppressed to focus on his hunt for a cure and urging him to face them in order to move pass them. While this conversation lacked that mystical-like atmosphere, a sense of solemnity settled over them. With JIN wearing Goro’s face, it certainly made his words more important and serious.
‘You believe that you have lost everything from your past and you are shackled by this new life, then settle your past and fight back the present for your future. You have fought an uphill battle in the past and have reached its peak as a battered warrior. You do not have to be ashamed of it. Learn from it, learn from your past and wield that knowledge to conquer the present. You don’t owe the world to be subservient, don’t let fear rule over your every action and allow yourself to be selfish,’ JIN whispered as he rested his hands on the sides of his neck and brought their forehead against one another, causing the teenager to close his eyes in response. It was a familiar gesture. The only intimate act he had ever received from Goro while struggling against the last stage of his illness. ‘You have earned the right to be selfish, V. This new life is a gift, not a penance. Please allow yourself to be happy and allow your ghosts to rest.’
V sighed, ‘There is still one ghost I can’t put to rest yet.’
‘You know where to find me. You always know where to find me,’ the artificial being whispered the very words V had been ignoring. Words he had suppressing out of fear of a known future and squashing out whatever spark of hopefulness they ignited.
‘I know, Goro, I know,’ V replied softly, accepting the path his heart had chosen in this moment.