Chapter Text
V sat with her legs crossed, her eyes scanning the room filled with familiar faces. The dull hum of muttered conversation around her only seemed to amplify the anxiety bubbling up in her chest. Her fingers absently scratched at her arm in a futile attempt to steady herself.
The past week had passed in a blur, a whirlwind of tasks that left her barely enough time to breathe. More jobs, more intel to gather, and a relentless series of meetings with people she barely knew but desperately needed.
Her most recent endeavor had been updating Rogue on the information she’d managed to get from Judy and Evelyn. She proposed a meeting, laying out her findings and a tentative plan of action. For the first time in weeks, V felt a flicker of confidence— they were finally moving forward.
Now, here she was, seated in a dimly lit room with the assembled crew, a mix of familiar faces. Jackie sat nearby, his knee bouncing with barely contained excitement and anxiety. His wide-eyed gaze darted around the room, occasionally lingering on Rogue, who sat directly across from him. She was deep in a hushed conversation with Nix.
Evelyn sat off to the side, seemingly lost in thought, though her poised posture radiated an almost defiant confidence. Her manicured fingers toyed with her nails, in a small, repetitive motion. V’s gaze shifted to Judy, seated beside Evelyn, who, to V’s surprise, chose to come along. One hand rested gently on Evelyn’s shoulder, a small but reassuring gesture that spoke volumes.
There was a tension in the air that V could almost touch. It was thick, metallic, and sharp—a scent like blood lingering at the back of her throat. It tugged at her senses, dragging her back to memories of a previous life that now felt more like a faded dream than anything real.
She exhaled slowly, trying to dispel the weight pressing down on her chest. Rolling her shoulders to loosen the stiffness that had crept in, she stood. The eyes in the room tracked her movement, silent and expectant. This was her plan — reckless, desperate, and probably suicidal — but it was all she had.
“Alright, our goal is to steal the chip,” V began, her voice steady and firm, slicing through the murmur of low conversation. For a moment, she felt a flash of familiarity, a reminder of boardroom meetings and high-stakes briefings during her days with Arasaka. She didn’t miss that life, but some habits lingered. The room fell silent, and every gaze turned toward her. Rogue leaned back in her chair, arms crossing over her chest as she smirked.
“We know it’s with Yorinobu,” V continued, her tone unwavering. “And right now, he’s in the city.” She shifted her focus to Evelyn, who met her gaze with a quiet nod of confirmation.
“He’s staying at the Konpeki Plaza,” Evelyn added, her voice calm but deliberate. Jackie let out a low whistle, the luxury of the brand known to everyone worldwide.
“Konpeki Plaza,” Jackie repeated, his voice lingering on the name like it was too grand to be real. He leaned back in his seat, brows knitting together in deep thought. His fingers tapped absently on his knee and after a moment, he looked at V;
“Isn’t that… kind of like the…?” He trailed off, gesturing vaguely with his hands, struggling to find the words. “You know, like… the ‘before time’?”
“What before time?” Judy’s voice cut through, quiet but laced with curiosity. Her head tilted slightly as she glanced between Jackie and V. The tension in the room seemed to thicken as V caught Jackie’s eye, sending him a silent warning. Jackie raised his hands in mock surrender, but Judy wasn’t about to let it slide. Her gaze narrowed as her tone sharpened.
“You’ve tried this before, haven’t you?” she accused, her words laced with disbelief. “Failed, your team died, and now you’re trying again, huh?” Her grip tightened on Evelyn’s shoulder, the motion subtle but telling. It was as if she were ready to drag the two of them out of this mess if things got too dangerous.
“No,” V replied firmly, her voice cutting through the tension like a blade. She met Judy’s eyes, her tone leaving no room for argument. “We just had a gig in a fancy hotel before. That’s it.” Her words were clipped, her intent clear — this wasn’t up for discussion. Judy muttered something under her breath, but V shifted her focus to Nix who had been quietly observing. “Evelyn recorded a braindance inside the apartment. Did you get the detes of the security?”
“Yes,” Nix replied, glancing up from the laptop perched on his knees. His fingers hovered over the keys as he gave a small, confident smirk. “Dancing with Arasaka’s security is never easy, but I think we can pull this off.” He paused, leaning back slightly. “That said, there’s still the question of how we’re getting inside.”
“We’ve found an emergency exit on the roof,” Evelyn added smoothly, her legs crossing as she spoke.
“I’m guessing it’s a standard staircase with access doors on each level,” Nix said, turning his attention to Evelyn and then to V. “Do we know if there are cameras?”
Evelyn and V exchanged a knowing look before V answered. “Evelyn wasn’t able to get inside, but cameras are definitely there. From the building plans we’ve seen, the stairwell looks narrow, so no guards stationed there, which is a small mercy. But turrets? Maybe. Arasaka doesn’t play nice.”
V leaned back in her chair, the leather creaking faintly under her weight as she continued. “We’re going to need you, Nix. We need someone who can scramble their systems.”
Nix didn’t hesitate, leaning forward slightly as he replied, “I can do it. But…” He paused, a thoughtful crease forming on his brow. “It’d be worth having someone as a backup.”
V bit her lip, her mind working through the options. “I can’t help you while I’m on the field,” she admitted, her tone tight with frustration. Jackie cleared his throat, the sound deliberate enough to cut through the conversation. All eyes turned toward him as he casually leaned back.
“I’ve got a friend — T-Bug.”
“T-Bug…” Nix echoed, nodding thoughtfully. “Yeah, I’ve heard of her. She’s solid. She’d be enough to scramble the connection if things go sideways.”
“She’ll want payment,” Rogue interjected, and her eyes flicked to Jackie, who waved a hand dismissively, his grin widening.
“Yeah, yeah, but she owes me a favor. I’ll talk to her.” Rogue seemed satisfied for now, but her expression remained sharp.
“That still leaves Yorinobu,” she said, her gaze shifting to Evelyn. “Can you make him leave the suite?”
Evelyn hesitated, her eyes flicking to the side as if searching for the answer in the shadows of her mind. V could almost see the gears turning inside her head.
“He won’t leave the Konpeki Plaza,” she said, shaking her head slightly. “But there’s a fancy restaurant on another floor. I can suggest we meet there instead.”
“Will he agree?” Jackie asked, raising an eyebrow as he studied her. Evelyn gave a quick nod, a faint smirk curling at the edges of her lips.
“I have my ways,” she replied simply.
“Alright.” V clasped her hands together, a rare wave of calm washing over her as the plan began to take shape. For the first time in days, the chaos in her mind seemed to settle. “We know what to do. Jackie, you’ll contact T-Bug. Evelyn, you propose lunch or dinner in that restaurant — make it convincing. Once the suite is empty, I’ll go in through the emergency exit from the garage. Nix and Bug will handle the security. I get the chip, and I leave the same way I came. Clean and simple.”
“Hey.” Jackie’s voice cut through her confidence, and she turned to him, frowning at the expression on his face. He looked confused, almost offended. “There’s no way I’m letting you go in there alone,” he said firmly. His tone carried a weight of determination. “You’re gonna need backup.”
V sighed, already bracing herself for the inevitable argument. “Jack, this could end up being a disaster. You could die—” Her voice faltered slightly, the word ‘ again ’ hanging unspoken but painfully clear. Jackie’s jaw tightened, his expression unreadable for a moment, before he shrugged with a disarming nonchalance.
“We’re in Night City. You can die just by taking the wrong turn at the wrong time. I’m not leaving you, chica .” he said, his voice soft but steady. The kindness in his words should have been reassuring, but instead, it only made V’s chest tighten. She felt exposed, her worry clawing at her like a shadow she couldn’t shake. V bit the inside of her cheek, frustration and worry warring inside her.
“So, we got the plan covered?” Judy’s voice cut through the tense silence as she stood, brushing her hands off as if done with the matter. V cast a quick glance at Rogue, searching for any further input from the seasoned fixer. Rogue simply gave a small nod.
Evelyn rose as well, her movements deliberate but unhurried. While Judy made her way out of the booth, Evelyn lingered for a moment, her sharp gaze flitting back to V.
“I’m meeting with Yorinobu in three days,” Evelyn said smoothly. “I’ll give you a heads-up on the exact time we’re leaving.” She offered a brief nod before turning on her heel to follow Judy out the door. The room fell quiet as the doors swung shut behind them, the soft thud marking their departure.
Rogue’s sharp eyes tracked their exit, her expression unreadable as she leaned forward slightly, breaking the silence.
“Now, the Faculty,” she said, sliding a small, black shard across the table toward V. “We’ll have to infiltrate it.”
V picked up the shard, its smooth surface cool between her fingers, and slotted it behind her ear. Her vision flickered as the shard’s contents synced with her neural interface. A detailed holographic map of the laboratory sprang to life in her view, overlaid with annotations and schematics far more detailed than anything Maja had provided.
“It’s Arasaka,” Rogue continued, her voice calm but firm. “So we can’t go in guns blazing. This needs to be as quiet as it can be done.” Her tone left no room for argument, and V nodded, her eyes scanning the map’s details. “Every entrance is guarded,” Rogue went on, gesturing toward the map as it highlighted various access points in red. “Which means sneaking in is going to be tricky.”
V let out a low, breathy chuckle, leaning back slightly. “I think I can do it,” she said, a smirk playing on her lips.
“I admire your confidence,” Rogue replied dryly, shaking her head. “But confidence doesn’t keep you alive. You’ll need a solid plan, backup, and eyes on the network.” She glanced at Nix, who was watching the exchange from his corner of the room. Rogue gave him a small nod.
“On it,” Nix said simply, his hands already hovering over the keyboard of his laptop.
As V processed Rogue’s words, the map flickered and updated once more. This time, the holographic image shifted downward, revealing the underground levels of the building.
“The part of the facility that interests us is on the minus fourth floor,” Rogue explained, her voice steady as the area was highlighted. “That’s the place that requires the most power. We think that’s where they’re keeping the body. The map inside the building may be missing some corridors. It’s slightly out of date.”
V nodded firmly as she passed the shard to Jackie. "Understood," she muttered, her voice low but determined. “Jack and I will sneak in, with the chip on us. We’ll make our way down, find the body, slot the shard in Johnny’s head, and leave with him. Quiet as we can.” Nix’s voice interrupted her, laced with a hint of concern.
“Wouldn’t it be better to get the body and slot the shard in a safe place? Waking up after a long-ass coma can be disorienting. And we don’t know how he’ll react.”
“No.” Rogue shook her head decisively. “Carrying a body through a building filled with guards is too risky. We need him on foot.”
Jackie let out a low chuckle, pulling the shard out and setting it down on the table with a clink. "Sounds half-baked," he muttered, looking around at the group. "But fuck it, let’s do it."
Three days later…
The drive was quiet, the tension thick in the air. Jackie sat at the steering wheel, his hands gripping it tightly, knuckles white. It wasn’t a Delamain, but Jackie’s familiar, worn car, filled with the lingering scent of old leather. V wasn’t dressed in a sleek suit, but in a cargo outfit — loose pants that made movement easier, something practical for the mission ahead.
Jackie, on the other hand, was dressed in his usual clothes, and his face creased in a deep frown of dissatisfaction.
“I really don’t like you going alone there,” he grumbled, breaking the silence as if the tension in the car had finally become too much to bear. “That’s a lion’s cave, V. They can eat you alive.”
V's fingers tapped rhythmically on the window as she stared at the streets. She could feel Jackie’s eyes on her, the worry radiating from him like heat from a flame. “I got this,” she said, her voice calm but with an edge of finality. “I’m not making a mistake again. You’re not going.” They’d gone through this argument for the last three days, and V was tired of it. “I saw you die, Jackie. I don’t want to see it again.” Jackie’s jaw clenched, his frustration boiling over.
“ Mierda ,” he cursed, his voice thick with emotion. “What if you die this time, huh? What the hell happens then?”
“Jack, I should’ve been dead already. Somehow, I’m still walking.” V took a steadying breath. “Let’s just… let’s get it over with.” Her eyes fluttered shut for a moment as she tried to steady the erratic beat of her heart. She couldn’t afford to be shaken now.
The car rolled past the hotel entrance, heading down toward the garage.
“Bug,” V said, her voice low but steady, tapping into the comms channel. The familiar voice of the woman on the other end was almost immediate.
“Yep, I see you. The camera at the garage entrance is down for a few minutes. And…” Bug paused briefly, her tone more casual. “The garage doors are up. You’re good to go.” The heavy metallic doors slowly began to rise, revealing the shadowy interior of the underground lot.
“There’s one security guard on this floor, but he’s napping.” Nix’s voice followed, crisp and clear. “Park near the left corner. There should be emergency doors there, tucked out of sight.” Jackie nodded, maneuvering the car into the corner that Nix had suggested. He killed the engine with a soft click, the silence of the garage now enveloping them. V grabbed the weapons she hoped she wouldn't need. Just as she finished, her screen buzzed with a message from Evelyn.
> We left the suite.
“Alright. Here goes nothing.” V opened the door, one foot out, when Jackie’s hand shot out, grabbing her arm.
“The moment something goes wrong, you tell me,” Jackie’s voice was firm and V managed a small, reassuring smile, even though the pit in her stomach tightened with the intensity of the moment.
“Of course,” she said, patting his hand that still held her arm.
Jackie wasn’t fully convinced, but he let go, his eyes watching her with an unspoken promise to be there if things fell apart. As she stepped out of the car, V heard the soft click of the door closing behind her.
The garage lights flickered overhead, casting long shadows across the cold concrete floor. V’s eyes quickly adjusted to the dimness as she scanned her surroundings. The emergency exit was just ahead, a simple metal door with a small sign gleaming brightly in the low light — an image of an escape route, clear and direct.
Her footsteps were light and deliberate as she approached, each one echoing slightly in the empty space. She stood before the door, taking a moment to steady herself, her fingers brushing the cool metal and she scanned it. It wasn’t anything she couldn’t handle — a simple override protocol was all it took, and the doors easily opened. A quiet exhale escaped her lips. Everything seemed so different, yet the same. She stepped forward but hesitated at the threshold, taking a moment to survey the hallway beyond.
“Get ready for exercise, it’s a long way up,” Jackie’s voice crackled through the comms, a nervous attempt at humor. V could hear the tension in his voice, but she didn’t comment on it. She knew he was just trying to make light of the situation.
V’s gaze shifted to a small, inconspicuous camera mounted in the corner of the ceiling. Her eyes narrowed.
“There are cameras.” She muttered under her breath and Nix immediately answered
“Scan them, I’m gonna try and connect…” Nix’s voice faltered at the end and soon the camera’s red light blinked out. “It’s off but not for long,” Nix continued. “I can see them now on every floor. T-Bug?”
“Turning off another one, we’ll go one by one,” T-Bug answered, her voice smooth and confident. “I don’t see turrets here. The path is clear.”
V gave a silent nod, though none could see it. She closed the door behind her and she made her way up. The first floors were easy. It was on the tenth floor that the exhaustion started to hit her. Her legs were already starting to burn, and her breath was coming in sharp bursts. She paused for a moment, letting her muscles protest against the relentless climb. She could feel the strain in her calves, the tightness of each step. Every floor seemed to stretch endlessly upward.
“How’s it going?” Jackie’s voice broke through the strain in her mind, his attempt to lighten her mood. “I’m inside my car, sitting, maybe I’ll turn on the radio.” V’s breath was ragged, but she couldn’t help the small, exhausted chuckle that escaped her lips.
“I hate you,” she groaned, her legs threatening to give out as she propped herself against the wall for a brief moment of rest. But there was no time to linger, she had to keep moving. One step in front of the other, no matter how heavy her legs felt.
Finally, after a few more floors, she noticed the roof doors in the ceiling, with a small ladder, she let out a relieved sigh.
“Fucking shit,” V muttered as she unlocked the mechanism that held the doors down. The doors clanged open with a satisfying sound, and V climbed up, thankful to escape the never-ending stairwell. “I’m on the roof. Security’s on?”
“It’s… off…” T-Bug answered slowly, her voice laced with caution. “It’s tough... Be quick.”
V didn’t need more encouragement. She jumped up, grasping the edge of the open doors, and pulled herself up. Every muscle in her legs screamed, but the adrenaline pushed her forward. She barely took a moment to take in the view—just a quick breath of air to fill her lungs before heading straight toward the glass doors. She moved quickly, instinctively.
V glanced around the room, her eyes scanning every corner despite already knowing what to expect. The iguana on its perch barely seemed to acknowledge her presence, its unbothered and lazy gaze a stark contrast to the urgency in her movements. She sprinted towards the bedroom area, and clicked the button. The container holding the chip slowly emerged from the floor with a quiet grind, just as she had expected.
She cast a quick glance around the place and made her way down the stairs, meeting the lazy gaze of the iguana. She shook her head and sprinted towards the bedroom area, clicked the button, and the mechanism that lifted the container with the chip emerged from the floor.
"Okay, okay..." V muttered under her breath, attempting to steady herself. She reached out and jacked into the container. Impatiently, she waited until she was able to get the case. Her foot tapped restlessly against the floor.
“V?” Nix’s voice crackled, sounding tired but alert. “How much longer?”
“Yeah, time’s ticking, chica .”
“I know,” she snarled. Two... One...” The container finally clicked open. V wasted no time, disconnecting and pulling the heavy case free from the floor. She placed it down carefully, her eyes already darting to the colorful chip inside. A small chuckle escaped her lips as she closed the case, the sound of it snapping shut almost too loud in the quiet room.
“Let’s go.”
She stood up, quickly scanning the room one last time before heading back toward the stairs. The urgency in her movements was palpable as she made her way up to the landing pad, then down toward the emergency exit.
"I'm out, going down the stairs," she said, confirming with the team, though her eyes were fixed on the path ahead.
She heard the collective, relieved sigh of both T-Bug and Nix as they worked quickly, shutting down the cameras as V made her way down. The case felt heavy in her arms, awkward in the narrow staircase, but there was an odd sense of lightness in her body.
“The car’s up and running.” she heard Jackie and with that, V picked up the pace. The journey down was far less grueling than the climb had been, and soon enough, she was back inside the garage.
Jackie’s car loomed ahead, its engine humming softly. V barely even thought before she ran to the vehicle, practically leaping inside and settling the case carefully on her knees.
"We did it. Holy shit. We got him." Her voice came out in a breathless laugh, her legs feeling like jelly. Jackie, in his usual swift manner, quickly pulled the car out of the garage. The tension that had been there just hours before was gone.
V sent Evelyn a quick message, confirming the mission’s success, and then slumped back against the leather seat, feeling the weight of everything slowly melt away as the adrenaline drained from her system.
She could feel the chip’s weight through the case, still there, hidden, and safe.
"Yeah, you did it." Jackie’s voice broke through her thoughts, his words followed by a playful slap on her arm. Without hesitation, she slapped him back.