Chapter Text
2.23pm
Thursday, late 2077,
30 days since Mikoshi
Temporary camp, a rocky plateau somewhere near San Lucy Village, Arizona
‘Shit!’ Panam yelled, looking under the Thorton for the first time since they last stopped. ‘Shit, shit, shit, shit. Fuck!’
The loud clang of a wrench being angrily whacked against the chassis soon followed.
‘Not in great shape then,’ exclaimed V, walking over towards the wheel arch that Panam was lying under.
‘You could say that,’ she replied, before pulling herself out from under the vehicle to look him in the eyes. ‘You could also say that scuppers our plans of gettin’ to Tucson within the next couple of days. I’m sorry V, I…’
‘Panam, don’t apologize, we’ll figure somethin’ out, just like we always do, remember? None of us could have known the raffens would just descend on us that quickly, or that we’d have to escape through another damn haboob…’
Indeed, only hours before, the Aldecaldos had endured one of their worst encounters with the Wraiths yet, having been vastly outnumbered and taken by surprise. Worse still, the Wraiths had managed to take the Basilisk, before pursuing the survivors more than four miles across bumpy, inhospitable desert until they lost them in a dust storm. Much of the family’s resource pool was also lost to the Raffens after being turfed out of the last camp - ammunition, food supplies, canvas - and the full throttle desert run across the Arizona no man's land had more than taken its toll on the vehicles. Panam’s Thorton now had a sheared axle, and the rest of the cars barely looked in much better shape. Now, all that she could hope - all that any of the clan could hope - would be that they’d be able to get up and running again as soon as possible, with what little welding equipment they had, and the determination to get things fixed.
'I’ll speak to Mitch,’ V continued, ‘ see what he’s got stored away, see if we can’t get the old warhorse up and running again before tomorrow.’
‘Thanks, V,’ Panam said, ‘I’m… I’m glad to know that you’re here for me.’
‘Course,’ said V, his tone growing mellow. ‘It’s the very least I can do for you after everything.’
She blushed a little. ‘One other thing, V?’
‘Yes?’
‘Do you really think I made the right call, pitching our last camp in that depression? I mean, we had cover, but we also knew that the Raffens operated in that area. I guess I just thought we’d be able to handle ourselves against them better.’
‘Panam,’ V said, looking her squarely in the eyes. ‘Sometimes, you just gotta make a call, okay? Hell, I think it’s the fact you were able to make that call in the first place that Saul picked you as leader. When things don’t work out, you just gotta live and learn, and be confident in whatever decision you make next.’
‘I guess I just can’t help but second guess myself sometimes,’ she said, looking down at the dusty ground and then back up at V. ‘Thanks for the talk. And… for everything, really.’
‘Again, glad I could help,’ he replied, before turning away to go and find Mitch.
‘V,’ Panam stopped him before he had turned around fully. ‘Just one more thing?’
‘What’s up?’
‘You’re bleeding again.’
6pm
For now, the Basilisk and the lost equipment would have to wait. All the senior Aldecaldos gathered around the two crates that had been roughly arranged as a makeshift table. Carol, Cassidy, Panam, V… Mitch was leading this briefing this time.
‘So the plan was to get to Tucson by the end of tomorrow, in order to try and catch Travis and the goons from Metacorp before they gotta leave for their biz in Oregon. As you can Imagine, though, that might be a bit tricky, what with our current predicament, but if we put our everything into getting back on the road, we might stand a chance’.
Yes, Metacorp, V thought. The nomads turned corpo. A couple of years prior, Mitch, Panam and Saul had managed to strike a deal with Travis and his Metacorp crew, wherein the clan would temporarily offer logistics and protection services to any Metacorp convoy led by Travis if the need arose, in return for resources, eddies, and favors. However, the Aldecaldos and Travis’ outfit had not encountered each other much since they first struck the deal. Nonetheless, Travis was also a skilled ripperdoc by trade, and over time, had successfully dealt with numerous cyberware malfunctions and unusual cases. He also had connections, and if he didn’t know what to do himself, he might at least know more places that V and the Aldecaldo’s could look.
‘We all know that Travis has to be in Oregon by Saturday evening, so we won’t have much time to spare. With the gear we’re packin, following him all the way up the East Coast won’t be practical anyway.’ Mitch continued. ‘What I ask of everyone is that we all pitch in to get up and running again, on the off chance that we catch him before then. ‘Myself and Cassidy will work on fixin’ any electrical equipment that was damaged by that EMP. Panam, V, Carol, I expect you’ll be workin’ on the vehicles. Besides that, we’re gonna need all the hands we can get, so anyone who wasn’t doing anything before, now’s your lucky day. That’s our plan, do we have any objections?’
In response to this, there was no reply from anyone save for the sound of the arid, desert wind. Every one of them was either too tired or too drained to argue, but at the same time, Mitch was right - now more than ever, they needed to pitch in and help each other. In fact, Panam was a little relieved that someone besides herself was calling the shots. She liked the respect she now had, but also felt the weight of responsibility. She walked back towards the hastily assembled tent that housed her Thorton, and V followed. Gathering some welding equipment and whatever tools they could, the two of them worked through the night whilst barely uttering a word, and the rest of the Aldecaldos did the same.
1.05am
Watson, Night City
24 days since Mikoshi
キツネは一人で歩き、マスターを探します
A beige van made its way through the dirty, neon lit streets of Watson. The noise, the smells, the sound of ‘walk, don’t walk’ were all there just the same, even this late at night. The Villefort Columbus V340-F did not stand out or attract any second looks. It drove East through Little China, turned left just past the Megabuilding H10, and made its way past the hospital and Towards Kabuki Market. The van then drove just beyond halfway around the central pagoda, before turning off onto a discreet, narrow back road, and after driving a short way down the cul de sac, the van pulled to a halt, and the driver got out. His disheveled appearance betrayed little to the undiscerning eye, and yet, he carried himself with both a peculiar grace and menace. Beneath the black hood that matched his equally black clothing, the man’s glistening, silver eyes scanned the area, the data from his optics feeding directly to his prefrontal cortex. The door with 24 in neon signage above. That was the door number he was to enter. It would be unlocked, unguarded. The message of where to come had been received just shy of twenty four hours beforehand, sent by someone he neither knew nor trusted, with encryption that even the most skilled netrunner would have trouble cracking. He cautiously approached the door. With his left hand, he extended his palm to touch the panel that would allow it to open. With his right, he clasped his handgun. The door slid open, and only the faint glow of neon strips illuminated the stairway that led to the dark basement below, accompanied but nothing but the sound of a faint, electrical buzz. The hooded man followed the stairs down, before continuing into a dimly lit corridor, with only one more door between him and his objective. He pulled the hood down to reveal his silvering dark hair, and a camera tagged him as he made his way through, but he did not flinch. The light on the camera turned green, and as it did so he heard the sound of the magnetic clasps on the door in front of him unleash. The door opened, and a blue eyed man waited inside to greet him.
‘So Goro,’ he said. ‘I see you’ve decided to accept my offer.’
7am
Friday morning
Temporary camp, Arizona
31 days since Mikoshi
V awoke. In truth, he felt as if he had barely slept to begin with. Whats more, he now had an ear splitting headache, and felt ready to throw up. Panam lay next to him, her arm across his chest. He knew he had to get up. The pain in his head was close to unbearable, and he also knew he wouldn’t be able to hold down his stomach contents much longer. Further still, he knew he didn’t want to wake Panam. She deserved the rest, perhaps more than anyone else. Carefully, he moved her arm from him and back to her side, and then began to haul himself up. He stood, slowly, before managing to shamble his way over to the tent flaps. Usually, he loved to watch the sunrise over the desert, back when he rode with the Bakkers. Now, though, it physically hurt him. But he was determined not to wake Panam, to allow her to worry any more. After all, now they had repaired the axle, at least temporarily, meaning they had at least some hope of getting to Tucson in time. It was clear that the combination of severe exhaustion, fatigue, dehydration, and a nervous system that was slowly destroying itself as the result of a malfunctioning biochip clearly were not doing him wonders. After getting up, he managed to exit the tent, and staggered forward a couple of steps further, until, then and there, his knees gave way beneath him. His hands reached out to stop himself, and he knelt there briefly, before he could hold back no more, and threw up on the dusty ground. He was a mess, and this was the worst he had been since he fell into Vik’s clinic that day not so long ago. In the coming weeks and months, though, he knew he would get worse still.
‘V?’ He heard Panam’s voice sound from the tent. ‘V? V! Oh my god, what’s wrong?’
Shit, he thought. Mission failed. She didn’t deserve this, not after everything. Before he could respond, she quickly roused herself and rushed over to him as he keeled over sideways. ‘Please, V, she said with a quiver in her voice, ‘tell me what’s wrong?’
‘I… I feel sick,’ he replied. ‘I didn’t wanna wake you.’
‘Dammit, V,’ she snapped, ‘stop being so goddamned noble. We’re gonna get you sorted out, okay?’ She crouched by him, and looked around to see if anyone else was up. One of the Aldecaldos nearby was just getting out of her tent to see what was going on. ‘Hey, you!’ she yelled, ‘get over here and help us!’ The young woman ran over.
‘Oh my god Panam, is he okay?’
‘Goddammit Ellie, does he look okay to you?!’ Panam shouted. ‘Run and get us some fuckin’ water!’ Ellie simply nodded, looking visibly upset from the outburst, and ran off to the Kaukaz with the supplies on board. A few seconds later, she returned, carrying two plastic bottles, and handed them to Panam. ‘V, can you sit up? I’ve got you some water, okay honey?’ She helped him sit up, and handed him one of the bottles. V grabbed the bottle, and downed the whole thing in a matter of seconds. ‘Thanks, Panam,’ he said. ‘I think I can manage.’
‘Not long now,’ she promised. ‘We’ll get you to Tucson. We’ll get you checked out. And maybe someday, we’ll get you fixed for good. Now for fucks sake get some rest, we’re gonna head out in a couple of hours, okay?’
‘Could say the same for you, couldn’t I?’
‘I’m not tired. Do you need me to help you back into the tent?’
‘Think I can manage that at least.’
‘Good, good. Well go on, lie down, take some meds, drink some more water. That’s an order.’
‘Yes ma’am,’ he sarcastically replied. Panam then stopped for a moment, turning towards the rest of the camp. She saw Ellie walking back towards her tent. ‘Wait,’ Panam called.
‘Yeah?’ replied Ellie.
‘I’m… I’m sorry I snapped at you just now, I really am. All this, the Raffens, V… it just gets to me sometimes. But I shouldn’t take it out on you, really.’
I… I understand,’ Ellie said. ‘Don’t forget, I’m here to talk if you need anything.’
‘Sure, Ellie,’ said Panam. ‘Will do.’
9.30am
‘So we all set?’ Carol asked Mitch, as they finished loading the last of the vehicles. Through collective effort, the Aldecaldos had now cleaned up and packed up, and were now ready to head out. ‘Yup,’ Carol replied, as she tightened the last cargo strap on the Kaukaz she would be driving. They had found a way they could join the I-8 Eastbound, and from there, it would be plain sailing into Tucson. Of course, only V, Panam and Mitch would actually head into Tucson proper, as an entire train of nomads would attract too much attention. The rest of the Aldecaldos were to make camp on a ridge just outside the city limits. Good visibility, defensible - Cassidy had suggested the spot, and would take charge whilst the core leadership was absent. The sound of engines revving reminded V of the morning before the raid on Arasaka. Hopefully today, at least, they wouldn’t lose anyone. V had recovered from his morning episode, mostly, and was now ready to move on. Seeing no reason to delay, he got into his own Quadra, and joined in the machine chorus. It felt good to be behind the wheel; to feel the engine pur, to smell the CHOOH2. He wouldn’t be able to enjoy it for long, of course. When they reached the ridge that would be their new camp, he would join Panam in her Thorton, Mitch would follow them as they rode into Tucson, and the rest of the clan would make camp. But now, as the tires kicked up dust and the convoy got moving, V was able to experience a rare moment with just himself, his thoughts and the open road for company.
11.15am
Somewhere along the I-8 Eastbound, Arizona
Now that the majority of the clan had pitched up, V was once again riding shotgun with Panam. Mitch was following them in the Colby, and Carol had joined him, also riding shotgun. The old Warhorse’s suspension definitely did not feel as smooth as it should, and was accompanied by frequent, unnerving creeks. Nevertheless, she had held up thus far, and only needed to make it to the next auto shop.
‘Panam,’ V piped up, breaking the silence between them that felt like forever. ‘If this guy’s gone already… or never showed in the first place…’
‘V,’ she interrupted, ‘let’s just focus on the road, okay?’
‘Right,’ he replied, before falling back into silence. About a mile later, unable to silence his thoughts, V flicked the radio on for a moment's distraction.
‘Do we have to listen to this claptrap?’ Panam sighed.
‘Just wanna see what’s goin’ on back in NC’ V said back.
‘Fine,’ she said, ‘just hope you’re not gettin’ any thoughts of going back there.’ The report began.
‘Hello, I’m Gillean Jordan, and you’re listening to N54 News. Our top story tonight - Arasaka Corporation has gone into administration. This follows a number of underlying security failings at the corporation, which were made apparent when nomads raided Arasaka Tower a little over a month ago, causing the deaths of hundreds of employees, many of them unarmed. Investigations into corporate negligence remain ongoing, and the whereabouts of the company’s CEO, Yorinobu Arasaka, is reported to have not left his Tokyo home in weeks. Also unaccounted for is the head of Arasaka security in Night City, Adam Smasher, who disappeared during the raid. What we do know is that there will be a vigil and a minute’s silence held to commem…’
Panam switched it off again. ‘Nothing we haven’t heard already,’ she said. ‘Just try to stay focused, okay, we’ll be there soon.’
Somewhere in the Badlands near Night City, North California
7.55pm
26 days since Mikoshi
キツネはマスターを追いかけて新しい獲物を見つけます
Purpose.
What purpose? He had purpose before, with the corp. He was a good soldier. He had been an exceptional operative. And finally, he was a bodyguard without peer. And yet, after all those years, he could never have foreseen this. His training simply had not prepared him for it. From the day he received his first implant, all the way up to the final moments of the Emperor himself, he imagined he would serve Arasaka to the end, and yet, here he was. In some ways, he did serve them to the end - he just thought that would mean his end, and not their end.
What purpose do I serve now, he kept asking himself as he gazed out across the flat desert back towards the city, where the vibrant neon from the corpo towers began to consume and devour the fading orange haze that was the last of the days natural light, now slipping away beneath the Pacific horizon. The offer was good, and he had little reason to turn it down. He had almost all the information needed. Almost, that was, except for the target's exact whereabouts. The target was a man he may have once considered a friend. He had helped this man before. This man was a thief, and an idiot, but also resourceful, and so many other things as well, many of which he had yet to discover. He felt conflicted, and he couldn’t shake that feeling. But right now, this man was one thing to him and one thing only - a traitor. The first message he had sent since the raid had been in anger. He thought that if only he expressed his thoughts openly, it would make things better. It did not. He had looked for ways back into Arasaka, but those hopes crumbled with the corp, turning to dust and ashes much like the first Arasaka Tower more than fifty years ago. The offer he had been made was his last hope at redemption. He did not know what to think of the man who had given him the offer. He certainly did not trust him. However, after weighing it over, he found himself unable to find a better alternative. If not for that, his Katana looked like an increasingly good option. The offer gave him three things.
The first of these was the possibility of a way back into corpo life, albeit through Militech. His honor, his dignity - would be compromised. He did not know how to feel about being taken into the fold of Arasaka’s Western rival, but at least it would offer him that lifestyle he once knew. Prestige, challenge, a sense of belonging.
The second of these was Justice. Justice against the one who ground the corporation that had given him everything to dust through recklessness. Justice for what happened to Oda. And finally, justice for deliberately ending the lives of non-combatant Arasaka personnel, including Hanako Sama herself. When he was told about that, he had decided it was the final straw, even if he could barely believe that his target would do anything like that. Yes, justice. Or was it vengeance? Either way, his mind was now made up.
The third and final thing the offer would give him was that purpose. He had a clear objective, a course of action to take, something he could do to right the wrongs caused to him. That objective had now taken him here, to a forsaken wasteland just outside the city limits, still too close to the city to avoid the chemical stench, and yet too far to benefit from any of the city’s amenities. The man he was to meet went by the name of Mack. He was a nomad - or, more specifically, one of America’s rogue nomads. The so-called Wraiths. The purpose of the meeting was to gather intel. Without this, he would have a tough job of getting any lead on his prey, and this Mack was supposedly able to help. 19:58, his clock said. He liked to use a twenty four hour clock. It reminded him of his service. Mack should nearly be here, he thought to himself. Sure enough not a minute later, he soon noticed a distant pair of headlights headed in his direction. The car proceeded down the highway - five hundred meters, four hundred, three hundred, two hundred… one hundred... fifty... He was able to judge exact distances with alarming precision. The car finally drew close enough that he could make out what it was - the modified, off road capable Thorton Galena pulled just off the road, and came near to where he was standing. Sure enough, the word Wraiths was emblazoned on the side of the vehicle. A man got out. He had a hulking frame, and enough cyberware to make a Maelstrom ganger jealous. He opened his mouth to speak. ‘You Takemura?’ he bluntly asked.
‘It is I,’ Takemura responded. ‘So then, what do you have for me?’
11.45am
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson was no longer a tiny spec in the distance, and after what felt like so long driving across empty desert, the Mackinaw was finally passing through city centre, with Mitch and Carol following close behind. Tucson wasn’t much to look at. It couldn’t have changed much over the last hundred years. Maybe the crime rate was higher now, but little else. Soon enough, the two cars reached the meeting place, and found space to pull up. They were at the site of what once was the old Arizona Stadium. Now, it was little but a monument to an America that once was, decorated by graffiti and corpo propaganda.
‘Nice place,’ V commented. ‘I’m sure the Voodoo Boys of Pacifica would feel more than at home here’.
‘Not a truer word spoken,’ Panam remarked.
‘I tried to reach Travis on the holo,’ Mitch said. ‘Couldn’t get through, unfortunately. When we last spoke, he told me this would be where he’d set up for business. Apparently the chromers queue up whenever he comes round, but I see no sign of him.
We should look around, search the area. Seems too early to give up yet.’
‘You guys go,’ said Panam. ‘I’ll drop the car off at the auto shop and then rejoin you.’
‘Garage is a few blocks away,’ Carol said, ‘want me to follow in the Colby and drive you back?’
‘Yeah, sure, thanks Carol,’ Panam replied. ‘You boys are okay to go on ahead for a bit?’ She looked towards Mitch and V.
‘Course, Panam, no problem,’ replied Mitch. ‘Promise we won’t get lost!’
The two of them set off into the dusty streets of Tucson on the off chance that they might find their ripper. As they set off, Panam got down to look at the axle again, before preparing to mount up and ride out.
‘Not holdin’ out too great,’ she said.
‘Shit,’ Carol replied. ‘How far away was that auto shop again?’
‘Mile and a half? She’ll make it that far, at least. I just can’t promise that it’ll be a quick job.’ Panam sighed for a moment, and proceeded to lean on the hood. ‘Carol,’ she then said, looking over to her. ‘What do you do when you’re scared?’
‘Whoa there girl,’ Carol said back. ‘Askin’ me the tough questions before I’ve even had my first drink of the day?’
‘You’re right, Carol, I…’
‘There’s somethin’ on your mind, and it’s troublin’ you. Not about to let you suffer in silence now, am I?’
Panam’s tone softened, and she looked at Carol, allowing a half smile to creep across her face. ‘I don’t know what I would do without this family,’ she said. ‘But I feel like I’ve only just begun to properly appreciate that. And it scares the hell outta me. I’m scared of what I could lose, that I might let the family down. I’m scared for V, of losing him. I… I just dunno what I would do…’
She trailed off. Carol looked Panam directly in the eyes, and put her hand on her shoulder.
‘Panam,’ she began, ‘I’ve known you since you were knee high, all the way back when Saul first took you in and you already wanted everything yesterday. You’ve never given up or backed down on anything, so I guess what I’m trying to say is you got this. You’re the best successor to Saul any of us could’ve asked for, know why? Cause you got stones, girl, and you won’t hesitate to make a call. Now let’s get your car dropped off and find out what kinda trouble those boys have gotten themselves into.’
4am
Sunset Motel, just outside Night City
27 days since Mikoshi
彼は狩りの準備をしている
He had everything he needed. It was not much to go on, but it was enough. Arizona. That was the direction the intelligence he had been given pointed him in. Tucson area, specifically. And he was with a family of nomads from the Aldecaldos nation. How this information had come to be obtained he could only speculate, but its reliability was assured to him. Everything was ready, and so was he. For the last time before crossing the border, Takemura inspected the contents of his van. Sniper rifle - check. Assault weapon - check. Handgun - check. Katana - check. Binoculars - Check. Supplies - check. The list went on. He knew he would be gone for some time, but there was enough space in the van to house his equipment. Finally, he checked the van over, scanning almost every area where a device or tracker could be hidden with his optics. All clear. He had attracted no attention thus far. If he had, he would know. At the border, his excuse would be that he was selling off old Arasaka equipment to nomads. They would believe him, of course, because they had no reason to argue otherwise. He was ready. Closing up the van, he looked back one last time towards the neon skyline and bid Night City a final farewell, before climbing into the driver's seat and starting the engine. Next stop, Arizona.
11.55am
Tucson
The two men made their way past the stadium grounds, along some of the dusty backroads, and ended up looping back around. Unlike the bustling streets of NC, here, there was hardly anyone about, save for a few gangoons here and there. They wouldn’t be much use. V remembered Panam’s words back in Rocky Ridge - ‘That’s how towns die - not with a bang, but with whispers and whimpers.’
Apparently that applied to cities as well.
They turned another corner, and proceeded several yards further, before V and Mitch decided to stop and lean against an old wall, taking a brief moment to shelter under a canopy from the oppressive Arizona sun.
‘Mitch,’ V said all of a sudden. ‘I need your assurance of something.’
Noticing V’s sudden candour, Mitch stopped. ‘V,’ he said in reply. ‘What is it?’
‘Somethin’ I’ve been thinkin’ about a lot, lately,’ V said. ‘What if we don’t find this Travis guy, what’s the plan then? I mean, I get that you vouch for him, and that he’s good and all, but even the fuckin’ inventor of this damn thing couldn’t help me with it. How do we know some travelling ripper will do better?’
‘V,’ Mitch replied. ‘The honest to god truth is that I don’t know he will do any better. Right now, though, the thing we need more than anything is hope. I’m just thinkin’ of the family, of Panam. You see the way she looks at you. If you give up now, it’ll break her.’
V felt his eyes start to sting all of a sudden. He didn’t know if he’d felt this way about anyone before. As a merc, people needed him. They needed work done, goods moved, people killed. But until recently, only very few truly relied on him like she had. She was prepared to do anything for him, and he knew he couldn’t let her down. ‘Mitch?’ he asked, trying to hold back the fact that his eyes were welling up more. ‘What should I do, when, you know… when it starts to get really bad?’
‘V, I…’ Mitch trailed off, seeming flustered at first, but was then able to come up with a response. ‘Never stop fighting,’ he said. ‘For all of us. Panam especially.’
‘Funny,’ V managed to reply, barely avoiding choking on the lump in his throat. ‘That was the last thing my guardian angel ever said to me.’
‘Johnny,’ said Mitch. V then let out a little chuckle.
‘Johnny, Johnny, Johnny,’ he said. ‘You and him might’ve got along, really!’
‘You think?’
‘Who knows,’ V said. He went quiet for a while, taking in the surroundings, gazing at the mountains in the far distance. V felt grateful for these rare moments of serenity. It was not to last, however, for in the distance, V and Mitch could all of a sudden hear engine noise. It was moving closer to their location. ‘D’you think…’ V remarked.
‘Nah,’ replied Mitch. ‘Unless…’
Sure enough, there and then, a large vehicle turned a corner and started down the street where the two of them had stopped. The vehicle was a heavily modified Chevillon Emperor. In addition to raised suspension, armour plating, snorkel and roof mounted autocannon, the vehicle was also decked out in white, with a red star of life symbol painted on each door. If there was ever a vehicle for a travelling nomad ripperdoc to use as a mobile clinic, this was it, and it couldn’t be missed from a mile off.
8pm
San Lucy Village, Arizona
28 days since Mikoshi
キツネは休むのをやめます
He had made good time so far. No unwanted attention, no obstructions or diversions. This is where he would stop for the day. It was small, discreet. There was also a small motel here where he could stay the night, not overly dissimilar to Sunset. After locking and making his van secure, Takemura walked up to the entrance, and entered the bar area. It was quiet, and the decor was faded. He walked over to the bar, and sat down upon one of the kitsch aluminium bar stools. The bartender turned round to face him, finishing up polishing the glasses.
‘Hey there, stranger,’ she said. She must have been around fifty-ish, and had long, greying brown hair tied back into a ponytail. ‘You come far?’
‘California,’ Takemura responded, giving little away. He paused for a moment, and looked at the 24 hour news reel that was playing on a screen the other side of the bar. Arasaka. Administration. Negligence. It was like he was constantly being bombarded with reminders of failure. He turned his head back towards the bartender. ‘You have rooms?’ he asked politely.
‘Sure do, sugar,’ she replied, ‘got room number 10 all ready for the next guest. Can I get ya anythin’ else whilst you’re here?’
‘No, fine, thank you.’
‘Not even a drink?’
‘I will just have water. Thank you.’
‘Fine then, I won’t push!’ she said. She pulled a tumbler out and filled it from the cold water tap. The glass finished filling, and she took it and set it down in front of Takemura. He nodded in response. The bartender looked at him again. ‘Say, were you,’ she said, her tone suddenly becoming hushed. ‘Were you there? When the raid happened?’
Takemura had only just twigged that she was looking at his neck implants. Although he was dressed as plainly as he could be, the implants were difficult to hide, and the Arasaka logo was still clearly visible.
‘No,’ he replied plainly. ‘I was… not on duty that day.’
‘And… dare I ask what brings you all the way out here?’
‘I am here on business,’ he plainly replied. ‘The less you know, the better.’
In response to that, she simply nodded nervously. Takemura gulped down the water, and put the glass back down on the bar.
‘I’ll get someone to show you to your room, shall I?’ said the bartender, this time with a slight quiver in her voice.
‘Yes,’ Takemura responded. ‘That sounds good.’
5.30pm
Tucson
Travis had just finished. The four Aldecaldos had managed to catch him in the nick of time, but V was to be the very last patient he would examine before his departure. He had years of expertise dealing with faulty cyberware, helping who he could. Doing what he could. But this - he had never seen anything like it. Travis jacked out, having run a full diagnostic. He had also done a full body scan to assess V’s wetware.
‘Not sure I like the look you’re given’ me right now,’ V started. He found himself reminded of his first encounter with Anders Hellman, of being told back then that there was barely any hope for him.
‘V,’ Travis said in a gruff yet serious tone. ‘I should speak frankly.’ He looked at the other three, then back to V. ‘You say you were given six months as an estimate,’ he continued. ‘That is likely your absolute maximum. V, it is your body that is dying this time. The very anatomy of your nervous system has been reconfigured by that biochip, and with your engram trying to control a body it no longer recognises… the simplest way I can put it is that it’s like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole, and the thing the hole is made in is splitting apart. Even then that doesn’t even begin to come close. Now, this could be months from now, or maybe even as little as weeks, but… your body will truly start to die. You might begin to experience memory problems, dizziness, blackouts, seizures. After a while, it’s likely you’ll fall into a vegetative state, and this could happen some time before you finally slip away…’
V gulped, and the nausea he felt that morning had returned. But by far the worst thing of all was the quiet, subdued whimper that he heard Panam make behind him, and as he looked back she had turned her head down, trying as she so often did to mask her emotions. He didn’t know exactly what a broken heart sounded or looked like, but this came pretty damn close.
‘Travis?’ he said, quiet as a whisper, turning back to face the ripperdoc. ‘Is there nothing we can do?’
‘If there was any solution, kid, I’d be the first to point it out to ya. But right now… right now you’re a medical anomaly, and the only way I think we could fix you would be to regenerate your entire nervous system. Every neuron in your body would need to be restored to how it was before the biochip. I’m afraid the only hope I can give you is that science will advance enough over the next few months for that to even be possible.’
To this, V simply nodded, his face showing nothing but dismay. Behind them, Panam was trying desperately to hold back tears, but to little avail. Mitch and Carol tried their best to comfort her, but it only did so much. V got up, and went over to exit the back of the Chevillon, his head held low.
‘Listen,’ said Travis finally, looking at Mitch, Carol and Panam. ‘I gotta delta soon, but I can see how much this guy means to you. If I ever find anything else out that will help, I’ll call you, okay? Just keep me posted, and don’t be a stranger.’
With that, Mitch, Panam and Carol followed V out of the vehicle. The four of them walked off in silence, before splitting off into pairs, with Mitch and Carol heading back to the Thorton Colby, and V and Panam heading off to the auto shop.
1am
San Lucy Motel
29 days since Mikoshi
思わず獲物の匂いを捕まえる
The bed was lumpy, and the sound of the air conditioning kept him awake. Or did it? Perhaps it was just his own thoughts doing that instead? He remembered his childhood, or at least what little he could of it. The slums, the noise. The first time he had to defend himself against a group of gangers...
He remembered when he was selected, and he remembered the first time he met the Emperor. The values that had been instilled in him all those years ago. Order, he remembered being taught, was perhaps the greatest good he could work towards. That gave him purpose, and he could achieve that through the corp. He remembered Rio de Janeiro, not all that long ago. 2074, it was. He remembered leading the special forces team that brought an end to the terror cell there. He remembered the heat of the Brazilian jungle, the reek of the favelas, and the abject squalor. He remembered the sight of the burning tree canopy, incinerated by the thrusters of his AV as his section made its final assault on the insurgent stronghold. During that operation, he was directly responsible for the termination of exactly twenty six terrorists. They had rejected order, and so he showed them the true meaning of chaos. He remembered the day of his appointment as the personal bodyguard of Saburo Arasaka himself. The pride, the duty…
And yet all of that now seemed so very long ago. He turned over, and then…
All of a sudden, he heard the sound of cars pulling into the motel car park. Probably nothing, he thought to himself. It could be nothing, or…
He found himself compelled to get up and investigate. Cautiously, he moved over to the window, and peeked through a gap in the blinds. Three cars had pulled up. He scanned each of them. Nomad vehicles, boasting typical nomad modifications. He assessed how they were decorated. They had a number of garish motifs emblazoned upon the bodywork - horse skeletons, slogans, such as fuel my fire and shoot to ride. They were Aldecaldos. He watched as they exited their vehicles. Their guard was down, had probably come here to catch a cheap drink and celebrate whatever their latest plunder was. If they were from the right family, this was the best lead he’d come across, and he’d be a fool not to chase it. This may not quite be Tucson afterall, but it was nevertheless on the way. Carefully, he packed away what little he had taken with him into the motel, and made his way towards the door. He exited the motel room, and felt the chill of the night desert air. His van was only a few meters past where they had parked, he could easily slip by unnoticed. One by one, the nomads entered the bar. Meanwhile, Takemura skirted across the back of the car park, sticking to the darkness and staying completely unnoticed. First, he needed to check that these were the correct Aldecaldos, and not just any Aldecaldo family that happened to be in Arizona at that time. He knew he couldn’t get too close to them, less suspicions were raised. Too risky. Instead, the most viable option left was to hack the motel network and use the security camera to spy on them. He had noticed one by the bar when he was there earlier, which would probably be perfect for the job. First, he had to hack the network. There was an additional security camera that overlooked the parking lot, he could do it using this. He pulled out one of his devices, scanned the camera, made sure it was in signal range, and…
There. He was through the ICE. It was not difficult, neither did he expect it to be. He cycled through the cameras on the network, eventually landing on the one in the bar. He scanned. He focused on a group of Aldecaldos in one of the booths. He sat through their idle conversation for a while, but after a while, he heard names mentioned - Saul, Panam… V...
‘Bingo,’ he quietly muttered to himself. This was them. Only thing left was to locate where they were camped. He had a plan for that as well. Continuing to move across the parking lot, he reached his van, and silently opened up the back for his equipment. He had been presented with a golden opportunity to track his prey - unattended vehicles in a dark, empty parking lot. His gear was there. He opened up one of the bags, and pulled out a small device. He closed the back of the van, and then, making sure he remained unseen, quietly approached the nomad cars. He did not need to worry about the cameras now; he had deactivated them after he hacked them, and as long as no one was looking, he could go up, finish his business and head back to his room. He scanned. He remained undetected. Advancing a couple of meters further forward, he managed to reach one of the vehicles. He got down low, and assessed the underneath of the vehicle. Underneath the front bumper? No, not enough protection. Engine bay? Chance of overheating, increased risk of detection. No. Wheel arch? Good protection, well hidden… perfect. Takemura took the device and carefully placed it inside the front wheel arch, and the built in magnets secured it in place as comfortably as he could ask for. Just then, a nearby door opened, and he heard voices spilling out the bar. They almost had visual on him. Quickly, he glanced over to his left. A couple of spaces along, there was another car, this one clearly not belonging to the nomads. Whatsmore, the suspension was just high enough to fit underneath it. It was not ideal, but he had to act now. He swiftly rolled the way over to the next space, and slid underneath the car, making an effort to conceal his whole body. As much as he tried to do it discreetly, however, he could only conceal the sudden movement so well.
‘Shit,’ he heard one of the Aldecaldos say, ‘think I saw something move!’
‘Jumpin’ at shadows again, kid,’ said one of the others.
‘Maybe,’ he replied, ‘but I just wanna check it out.’ The Aldecaldo moved close to the car that Takemura was hiding under, and he was forced to remain completely still. He held his breath, and counted the seconds. He saw the pair of feet come right up close to the car, and he had his hand on his knife. If he was threatened, he knew what he had to do.
‘Probably just the Coyotes, Joel,’ called out one of the other Aldecaldos.
‘Probably right,’ he replied. Joel went off to join the others. As they each got in their cars and started their engines, Takemura finally breathed a sigh of relief. His target was now very much in his sights.
6pm
Teddy’s Auto’s, Tucson
‘Tomorrow? Are you fucking kidding?’
‘Panam...’
V tried to console her, but so far it was not working.
‘Look,’ said Teddy, the lead mechanic, ‘we’ll get it done as soon as we can. But this ain’t a small job, so don’t be given’ me that.’
‘Fine, sorry, just get it done as soon as possible.’
V put his hand on her shoulder, and this seemed to help calm her down a bit.
‘I’ll call Mitch,’ he said, ‘tell him not to wait for us back at camp. We’ll find somewhere, maybe it’ll even be somewhere nice, I’ve got the eddies. It’s on me.’
‘Ha!’ Panam let out. ‘Somewhere nice, out here!’
‘Gotta be some spot that the locals go,’ he said back, before turning to look at the mechanic. ‘Say, Teddy, you able to recommend anywhere at all?’
‘Me, seriously?’ he replied.
‘Sure.’
‘Fine. Alright, there’s this real nice place on East Waverly. Got rooms, food, good booze, music, and great vibes, if that kinda place is your style.’
‘Panam?’ V asked. ‘May I escort you?’
‘Fine,’ she replied. ‘You may.’
The two of them left, and V made the call to Mitch, letting them know not to wait.
6.10pm
Tucson Aldecaldos Camp
EVERYTHING OKAY? Cassidy texted to V, whilst sitting on the roof of one of the Kaukaz trucks. It was a good spot they had picked. He could just see Tucson in the distance, and was able to get a clear, uninterrupted signal. He waited five minutes, but there was no reply. However, he then got a text from Carol.
MORE CAR TROUBLES ON THE PANAM FRONT, IT’LL JUST BE ME AND MITCH COMIN BACK TONIGHT. BUT DON’T SCRIMP ON MARSHMALLOW’S JUST THE SAME! :D
As he read this, he chuckled to himself. However, then another text came through.
BEING SERIOUS THOUGH, WE COULD HAVE HAD BETTER NEWS FROM TRAVIS. TELL YOU MORE WHEN WE GET BACK.
10.30am
30 days since Mikoshi
Plateau somewhere near San Lucy, Arizona
獲物はかろうじて逃げる
He had finally found the camp, and the moment he assessed the area through his binoculars, he was immediately impressed by the kit the Aldecaldos were packing. Modified cars, a good quantity of stolen Arasaka tech, advanced computer systems, and was that… a Militech Basilisk? Heavily modified as well. He remembered the news reports from several weeks ago. Militech convoy ambushed by nomads, valuable hardware plundered, etc.
To think I ever could have imagined the amount of trouble you were capable of getting yourself in, Takemura thought to himself. To think I ever underestimated you. He was in position, and the van was concealed. Proper reconnaissance would need to happen first. He continued to scan. Children were playing among the tents. Some of those who he guessed were the senior members were gathered around one of the central campfires, talking among themselves. He knew a dust storm was coming in though, and that he would have to act quickly. And then he saw his target. V…
V emerged from one of the tents, followed by a young woman wearing a red and gray rally jacket, and her hair was arranged into a messy, dreaded bun. This must be Panam, their leader. In the past, Takemura had heard V mention her once or twice. He could tell just by watching them that they were close. Personal attachment. If she was their leader, and something happened to him, he could be dealing with the entire clan if he was not careful. The storm drew closer, he could see it. He readied his rifle. The Tsunami Ashura was a reliable weapons system, perfect for the job. He loaded the weapon and brought it into his shoulder, but as he did so, he heard a noise. This was not the storm, no, although it was nonetheless close. No, this was the sound of engines. Could this just be other Aldecaldo’s returning to camp? Unlikely, no Aldecaldo vehicles were observed coming out from this way earlier. He then also remembered that there were a group of Wraiths camped out in a nearby warehouse. The Aldecaldos had underestimated them, this much Takemura could tell. He put the rifle down and pointed his binoculars Northeast, towards where the sound was coming from. There were vehicles alright - at least twenty of them. Two groups of three then split off either side of the main convoy. Pincer movement. They were moving to flank the Aldecaldos, with the main spearhead directed right at the heart of the camp. Takemura could notice that the Aldecaldos had heard this noise, but by the time they were able to see the convoy, it was too late. They scrambled to their posts in a desperate effort to defend themselves, but they were already surrounded. Takemura could not get a clear shot. The dust storm drew closer, and if he took his shot now, both sides would be looking for an enemy sniper, and they would be alert. Time to abort. Takemura grimaced, as he packed up the gear and carefully made his way back to where he had hidden the van, managing to avoid detection among the ensuing chaos. He snuck his way back to the large boulder that it was hidden behind, and pulled the camo netting up just enough for him to enter the cab, before getting in and making sure the door was firmly shut. He would wait out the storm in here. Soon enough, the wall of sand and dust descended, reducing the visibility outside the van to nothing. Well, almost nothing. Through the murk, through the haze and the dust, he thought he could just make out some red lights moving past, accompanied by engine noise. Brake lights. The Aldecaldos, it seemed, were escaping. His mission was far from over.
6.30pm
The Rifle Taphouse, Tucson
Panam followed V through the double doors and into the bar area, and the thing that struck both of them was how old the soul of the place felt. The building was not exceptionally old in itself, but as the pair of them walked up to the bar, there was something of a time long gone about the place. A time before she was born, perhaps, but a time that she nonetheless felt somehow familiar with. In a sense, it was fairly obvious why - an old jukebox in the corner, a relic in itself, played songs from long before either her or V’s time - even before the days of Samurai. The floor in there was checkered linoleum, with cozy booths flanking the outer walls where the windows were. There was a medium lull, and the customers largely matched the decor; old timers, sure, but with a real sense of life to them. As quaint as this all was, however, there was only one thing on Panam’s mind right now, and that was the fact that she had fallen hard for a ticking time bomb, and it seemed like every step forward in diffusing it was two steps back. If that was how she was feeling, she could only imagine what he was going through. She took in her surroundings with a half smile as the two of them neared the bar, still trying to hide how much of a punch in the gut the news from Travis felt like. They reached the bar, and sat down upon the retro aluminium and leather barstools. V looked to her, with a similar half smile that barely concealed what he was feeling.
‘Day’s not over, yet,’ said V to her, his tone now soft and gentle. ‘Still got time to break my heart.’
‘What?’ responded Panam, confused.
‘Don’t remember our conversation when we walked into Sunset for the first time together?’ He turned to the bartender. ‘Broseph, two of em,’ he ordered. The bartender opened up two Broseph bottles, and put one in front of V and one in front of Panam. ‘Anything else?’ he then said.
‘Yeah,’ V replied. ‘We’ll rent your nicest room. Just make sure it has a double.’
‘I see what you’re doing,’ Panam replied. ‘And I appreciate it, I really do, I just… I don’t know if I’m in the mood right now…’
‘Fine,’ V said. Care to find a seat and get some food at least?’
‘Sure,’ said Panam, ‘I could manage that.’
Some time after 7pm
Tucson Aldecaldos Camp; The Rifle Taphouse
31 days since Mikoshi
最後に、キツネが閉じます
He was nearly there. He could just about make out the vehicles and tents in the distance, illuminated by campfires and industrial lamps. Using the tracker that he deployed back in San Lucy, he had been able to follow them across Arizona thus far, whilst maintaining his distance until the right moment, which meant putting his van through both highway driving and the occasional off road stretch. All that was earlier. Now, he was nearly upon them, and his prey was so close. The ground here was largely flat, so he had needed to hide the van further away, and for much of the approach, he had been cautious enough to crawl his way there. As long as he stayed low, he was practically invisible. The ghillie suit he was wearing did that much. He edged further forward a few metres. It was nearing dusk, meaning only the sharpest of eyes would detect his movement now. He crawled forward a couple of meters further. Now, he could see human figures. He had found a position on slightly elevated ground, next to a couple of dry bushes, with a good view of the whole camp. Takemura pulled out his binoculars, and began to scan the area. The majority of the vehicles were parked around the edges of the camp. He saw the one that he remembered belonged to V - the Type 66 Quadra, modified. He must be here. Takemura kept scanning. He shifted his view over to the centre of camp, where several of the Aldecaldos were sitting round a large campfire. A number of the Aldecaldo children were there, and they were gathered round an older looking man in a stetson, one of the Aldecaldos that Takemura had observed earlier. He looked like a proper cowboy. The man was telling the children stories, that much was clear. Suddenly, Takemura was reminded of one of his only lasting memories of his biological family. His real family before Arasaka. He couldn’t have been much older than four, but he remembered his own grandmother telling him the tale of Visu the Woodsman. Alas, that was a time long since passed, and all of them were long gone now. He kept focus. The cowboy carried on with his story, but after a while, one of the Aldecaldos came up to interrupt him...
‘Can you please help me with something?’ asked the Aldecaldo.
‘Can it wait, Joel?’ Cassidy replied, looking up at him. ‘We’ve only just sat down!’ He had been telling the kids a somewhat embellished tale of how in his youth, he had fended off a group of Wraiths, hunted down their leader and turned him into the sheriff of the small township they had been plaguing, all in the same day, and he was only just getting to the good bit of the story. He glanced back at the kids, eagerly awaiting the next part of the story, and then looked back at Joel, who looked similarly eager to get help with whatever it was he needed.
‘Fine,’ he said, ‘but this better be quick. What is it you need?’
‘Thanks Cassidy!’ he replied. ‘It’s just I’ve been trying to work out what’s up with the brakes on my car, and I know you’re prolly better with a wrench than me. It won’t take a second, promise!’
Cassidy got up, and at this, the kids sighed.
‘But Uncle Cassidy, what happens next to the big goofy one with the chrome legs and the shotgun?’ asked one of them.
‘Don’t worry Shona,’ Cassidy said to her. ‘I’ll tell you all about how I rounded ‘em up and showed ‘em a bit of Old West justice, just gimme five minutes, okay? Sit tight now!’
Cassidy got up, and followed them over to his car.
Takemura had lost visual on the cowboy. He had gone behind one of the tents to where some of the cars were, evidently to help the fellow Aldecaldo with something. This did not concern him, however. He continued to scan the area, yet his main target did not appear to have emerged. He must be here somewhere. His car was there, the majority of the Aldecaldos seemed to be in camp. Unless…
He took out his pocket notebook and went over the observations he had made. At the first camp he had discovered them at, they had twenty four vehicles in total. That included eleven Kaukaz heavy haulers, eighteen cars, four motorbikes and one Militech Basilisk, plus gear and equipment. When the Wraiths chased them out, the Basilisk got taken and they lost two cars and one heavy hauler, leaving them with only twenty vehicles. If everyone was at camp, that’s how many vehicles should be there. From where he was, he was just able to make out where all the vehicles were, if not quite identify where all the people were. He scanned over the whole campsite again, counting each of them individually. He found himself counting them out loud under his breath. ‘Ichi, ni, san… ju-nana, ju-hachi...’
Eighteen, he concluded. Not everyone was there. Wait…
A set of headlights approached the camp from out of the darkness. Nineteen. This was a Thorton Colby. It pulled into the camp, and two figures exited the vehicle. Neither of them were V. For a moment, he raked his brains to think which vehicle was missing, before it suddenly came to him. That ugly Thorton Mackinaw, he thought.
Panam and V had just finished eating. The pierogies were good, and it was nice to sit indoors again. In spite of this, though, regardless of the fact that he had done everything he could to take her mind off the fact that he was dying and nothing could be done about it, he could still see the unrest, the sadness that now haunted her eyes, and he wanted nothing more than to make it go away. Panam had always been so full of life, and yet now, to see her like this, truly did break his heart. She had sat there with a half empty plate for the last five minutes now, and until now, had been blankly staring at the coasters. Then, she moved, getting up out of her seat. ‘I just need to catch some air,’ she said. V looked up as she went, but before he could respond she had walked off out the door. He really had never seen her like this. There was no way he wasn’t going after her. He got up, quickly paid for the food, and then moved his way through the patrons to the door. He walked out into the cold Arizona night air, and looking to his left, there she was, leaning over the railing and staring off into the distance. He walked over, and as he drew closer, he could see the streaks coming down from her eyes.
‘This should be a really nice evening,’ she said quietly, without taking her gaze from the fading light on the horizon. ‘It would be, at least if I knew for sure that wasn’t gonna be one of the last.’ She trailed off, and then turned to look at him. ‘I don’t know what to do, V.’ At this, she lost control, and began sobbing. ‘I knew leading this family wouldn’t be easy, I just never thought I’d have to go through anything like this! First the Basilisk and the camp, and then… then thought of losing you.’
‘Panam,’ V said, his own eyes turning red. ‘C’mere.’ He opened his arms to embrace her and she immediately stepped forward and fell into his embrace, wrapping her arms around his waist as tightly as she could, holding on like she would never let go of him again. They stood there, wrapped tightly in each other's arms for what felt like forever, and listened to the world go by around them. After a while, Panam spoke up again. ‘I’m such a gonk, aren’t I,’ she said.
‘You were, to begin with,’ V responded. ‘And then I told you that I needed to blow some scientist named Hellman out the sky, and you said, “sure, I’ll help!” without even questioning it. And then, later on, you opened up to me, and I could tell that was the first time in a while you’d done that.’ He looked her deeply in the eyes, and pressed his forehead against hers.
‘Panam, promise me one thing?’ he said, his voice becoming almost a whisper.
‘Yeah?’
‘No matter what happens, no matter if I manage to make it or not, don’t ever lose that fire.’ He paused for a moment, and then continued. ‘You know what the last thing Johnny said to me was, Panam?’
‘What was it?’ she softly asked.
‘He told me never to stop fighting... Though I feel like those words rang truer than ever today. Know why?’ He gave pause for a moment, before continuing. ‘You’ve kept me going Panam, you and the Aldecaldos. Without you, the family, who would I be? Just another merc at the afterlife? Sure, maybe I’d be good at it. Maybe I’d even make it big there. But you know what? none of that would matter, ‘cause I’d be as good as alone at the end of it. But out here? I’ve actually got something to care about. I’ve got you. I’ve got a family like nothing I ever dreamt I’d have since leavin’ the Bakkers. Promise me that you’ll never lose that fire, Panam, and I promise you I’ll never stop fighting.’
Panam didn’t need any words to respond to this. She felt the warmth of his breath, took in his scent, felt the touch of his skin, and it was intoxicating. Slowly, the gap between their lips closed, and they shared a kiss for what felt like a lifetime.
But before it could last a lifetime, V pulled back, but did not break eye contact with her for one moment. ‘Can see some of that fire comin’ back already,’ he said, with a smile now cracking across his face.
‘You know me far too well already,’ Panam said, herself now smiling properly for the first time that day. V stole a quick glance over towards the Taphouse entrance, and then back at her. He could hear the music from within, and it almost called out to the both of them.
‘Panam?’ V said gently. ‘If I don’t make it, I don’t wanna die knowing I never got the chance to dance with you.’ He held out his hand to her. ‘Will you join me?’
Panam put her palm against his, and they locked their fingers together. ‘Of course, V,’ she said. ‘I think I will always say yes to you.’
‘Cassidy, I’ll get in the driver's seat and test the brakes out. Could you get underneath and tell me if there’s anything creaking that shouldn’t be while I do that?’ Joel said.
‘You really needed me to do this?’ Cassidy replied.
‘Sorry, Cassidy, it’s just everyone else was busy, and…’
‘It’s alright, kid,’ he interrupted. He removed his Stetson and placed it on the hood, before going prone and crawling underneath where the engine block was. Joel got into the driver's seat, and made ready to test out the brakes.
‘Go on, test away,’ Cassidy called out. Joel engaged the brake pedal a few times, and Cassidy was able to hear the creaking.
‘Try once more,’ said Cassidy.
Joel put his foot down again.
‘Left,’ Cassidy then called. Sure enough, the creaking was coming from the front left wheel. Cassidy got out from underneath the car, and moved over to look inside the wheel arch. ‘Just need to lubricate your calipers more,’ he said, still looking. ‘If the problem persists, come to me, and then…’ Cassidy stopped.
‘What’s wrong? Called Joel. In response to this, Cassidy simply put his arm up. It looked as if he had seen something. At that moment, the sound of another car pulled into camp, which both of them could tell was Mitch’s car without even looking.
‘What is it?’ Joel asked again. Cassidy looked at him.
‘Joel,’ said Cassidy, 'go back to whatever you were doing. Forget the car, find whatever you were doing before, and go back to it.’
‘But… Cassidy,’ Joel protested. Cassidy got up, and looked him squarely in the eyes.
‘Joel,’ he said, his tone growing serious. ‘Go back to whatever you were doing before you started with the car, and don’t argue.’
Joel did not know how to respond to this. He simply backed away, and went off to do whatever he was doing earlier. Cassidy knew better than to tamper with the device he had found underneath the wheel arch, and instead left the car as it was, heading off to go and speak to Mitch and Carol. He walked over to where Mitch had parked up as the both of them were getting out, and addressed them quickly.
‘Mitch, Carol,’ he said. ‘I need to talk with you where there won’t be prying ears. Or eyes.’ He quickly looked around him, looking beyond the bounds of the camp into the darkness.
‘Gonna tell us what this is about at all?’ Mitch said. Don’t even wanna hear about what happened in town?’
‘That can wait,’ he replied. ‘Not here, though. Away from prying ears. Service tent, let’s go.’
Before either Mitch or Carol could object, Cassidy was leading them over to the tent. They walked into the tent, and there was no one else nearby. Cassidy then closed the flaps, and switched off any terminals that were active, before doing a quick sweep for bugs. When he had finished, he turned to the pair.
‘Jeez, never seen you this paranoid before, what’s gotten into you?’ asked Mitch.
‘Keep your voice low,’ Cassidy said. ‘Okay Mitch, you wanna know what I found earlier? Underneath Joel’s car?’
Mitch stared at him blankly.
‘A goddamn tracker,’ Cassidy said. ‘Know what that means? Means we’re being hunted.’
‘You’re sure it was a tracker, yeah?’ Carol cut in.
‘I know what one looks like,’ Cassidy said. ‘Former cop, remember?’
‘Course,’ said Mitch. But who…’
‘I dunno,’ Cassidy said, cutting him off. ‘That’s what worries me.’
‘So what do you suggest we do?’ Mitch responded.
‘I suggest we do a full sweep of the area around the camp, check there’s nothin’ hidin’ in the shadows. But I don’t want anyone to know what we’ve found, start gettin’ panicked. Let the lookouts know so they know what we’re up to, but no one else. Last thing we need is anyone blabbing what we’ve found to the wrong people.’
Perhaps V was there somewhere, in one of the tents maybe? Just because the vehicle that he recognised as belonging to Panam was gone, didn’t necessarily mean he was as well, even if they were close. He kept scanning. As he did so, he noticed the cowboy come out from behind the tent where the vehicles were, and approach the two Aldecaldos who had just got back. They had a brief exchange, and then appeared to follow the cowboy into one of the tents. They were obviously having an important conversation, but could not have been in there for much longer than five minutes. However, after they finally emerged, the thought started to dawn on Takemura. The cowboy must have gone round the back in the first place to help look at one of the vehicles. He remembered his observations. The vehicle he put the tracker on must have been round there.
‘Kuso,’ he muttered to himself.
She was a bit awkward at first. The times she got to do anything like this were indeed rare, and when she had, she had never felt this nervous. However, before long, she found herself able to move with the music - to move in time with V.
'Of all the oldies, this is one of my favorites,' V said as the next song began playing.'
'Really?' Panam replied. 'I suppose it's okay. So you got much experience with this kind of thing yourself?’
‘The occasional barn dance back when I rode with the Bakkers,’ he said, before changing the direction of his footwork. ‘Went solo too, in some of the NC nightclubs.’ The tempo of the music quickened, and he pulled her in close for a moment. ‘Never felt this good, though!’
All of a sudden she bought her face close to his. ‘Sweet talker,’ she said, before pulling away and surprising him with a pirouette.
‘Got the moves after all,’ he said in response. Both of them felt the energy increase with every step, and there in that moment, the world outside of the taphouse, along with its problems, ceased to exist.
Cassidy passed through the center of camp, his hand on his holstered revolver, prepared to take on whatever he might encounter. Carol was to take the Northwest, Mitch the East, and himself the South. As he was on his way, all of a sudden, the kids he was with earlier ran up to him.
‘Uncle Cassidy! Uncle Cassidy!’ they pleaded. ‘You were gonna finish the story!’
‘Look kids… tomorrow night. I’ll make it up to you, I promise.’ Cassidy heard them sigh and huff, and he felt bad, but he could not let that get to him, not now. They scampered off, and Cassidy continued towards the camp's outer limits.
‘Where ya off to, Cassidy?’ said one of the more portly Aldecaldos, looking up at him from his chair.
‘Don’t worry Jake, not about to run off or anything, just gotta take a leak is all.’ Cassidy’s reply was as cool and collected as anything, despite how tense he felt.
‘Chemical toilets not good enough for ya?’ Jake jokingly asked.
‘Sometimes I like to go au naturale,’ he sarcastically replied. ‘Besides, at least the open desert doesn’t stink of last night’s dinner.’
Cassidy continued past the last line of tents, and out into the darkness of the night, bringing his revolver ready as he went.
The cowboy was headed right in his direction, and he froze. He may have looked old, but despite this, Takemura could tell that he was still sharp as a flint, and any sudden movement could mean detection. Detection meant death. There was no other option for it. He did not wish to cause collateral, but in this situation he could see little alternative. The cowboy was just short of a hundred meters away, and he was getting closer with every step. The rifle was loaded and ready to fire. All Takemura had to do was disengage the safety, aim, and pull the trigger. The cowboy moved closer. Carefully, Takemura pulled the rifle into his shoulder, making sure to make no sudden sound or movements. He aimed down the smart scope, and locked onto his target. The cowboy continued advancing towards him. Seventy-five meters and counting. Takemura ran his thumb across the side of the rifle to find the safety catch, before carefully disengaging it. Seventy. Target was fully locked on. Sixty-five. He brought his hand back to the pistol grip, placed his finger on the trigger, took a deep breath, and…
Cassidy moved further into the darkness, but all of a sudden was stopped when he heard Mitch calling.
‘Cassidy!’
‘Yeah?’ he called out in response, turning back towards the direction that he heard Mitch’s voice come from.
‘Come over here,’ replied Mitch.
‘What’s up?’
‘Come see for yourself.’ Cassidy cautiously started moving in Mitch’s direction, but as he went, he found himself glancing back. He could have sworn he saw something next to those bushes…
Takemura breathed a quiet sigh of relief. He ran through everything in his head. Assessment: even if V is here, which looks increasingly unlikely, risk is too high. Time to abort. After doing one last scan to check that no one was looking for movement in his direction, Takemura packed up what little gear he had brought, and silently vacated his position before disappearing off into the night.
Cassidy caught up with Mitch. ‘What is it?’ he said.
‘Take a look,’ replied Mitch, before handing him a small piece of paper with something written on it. Cassidy unfolded the paper, and began reading;
Hey
You got the info I requested? When you’re ready, drop it off at the place I specified. Try not to keep me waiting.
Yours, Mack.
‘Shit,’ Cassidy said out loud.
‘Yep,’ Mitch replied. ‘An informant among us. As if we weren’t in enough shit already.’
Some time later
The Rifle Taphouse
After slow dancing for as long as they could manage, the evening for V and Panam was finally starting to wind down.
‘Think after everything over the past couple of days, I’m more than ready for a looong rest,’ said Panam.
‘Right there with you,’ replied V. ‘Be nice to sleep in an actual bed for once.’
‘Could not agree more,’ she said back.
‘I’ll go and get someone to show us to the room now if you like.’
‘Sure, V. I’d like that.’ With this, V walked over to the bar, and requested that the two of them be shown to their room. Within five minutes, they had been shown the room, and assured the attendant that there was no need for them to be disturbed. V dropped onto the bed, and Panam joined him as he did so. The room was hardly a corpo suite, but it definitely beat Sunset Motel. V turned his head over to Panam.
‘So here we are, you finally agreed to a double!’ V joked.
Panam chuckled. ‘You knew it was only gonna be a matter of time,’ she said. They both lay there for some time, looking up at the ceiling. They lay there, enjoying the peaceful bliss of each other's company for several minutes, until eventually Panam rolled over to face V.
‘V?’ she said, gazing at him with the same face that he remembered from the night before the raid. ‘Thank you for this. I was so worried, well, about everything, but being able to forget about that just for an evening? It was preem. I’m so glad you came to me to blow up that AV all those weeks ago. Best thing that happened to me in a long time.’
V turned his head to face her again. ‘I meant every bit of what I said earlier. You mean the world to me, really.’ Scooching over, he kissed her gently on the forehead. ‘Goodnight, Panam,’ he whispered.
‘Goodnight, V,’ she replied.