Chapter Text
"We did it, Jackie! We fuckin' made!" V shouted, adrenaline pumping through her veins as Delamain floored it away from Konpeki Plaza.
"Heh... guess we did." Jackie groaned, voice full of pain. He held his hand against his wound as best as he could, but the blood loss started to take full effect.
"My medical diagnostics indicate that Mr. Welles' condition is critical." Delamain's monotone voice disclosed, making V remember Jackie's wound.
"Take us to a ripperdoc! Now!" V grabbed Jackie's shoulder and pressed her other hand against his, doing her best to help him stem the blood loss from his bullet wound.
"Apologies, but that will not be possible." Jackie's hand drifted away from his wound and he fell back against the seat, teetering on the edge of consciousness.
"Our itinerary has been pre-arranged and paid for in advance. I am not at liberty to alter it." Del droned on as V tried to keep pressure on Jackie.
"Fuck your liberty! Do what I say!" V exclaimed desperately as Jackie turned to V, mustering up his strength to speak.
"It's OK, V... I'll hold out..." Jackie managed to force out.
"I suggest you trying to keep Mr. Welles conscious." Jackie's gaze shifted downward, gazing off into nothing.
"We'll be gettin' preem jobs left and right now... Hear me, Jack?" V stammered, trying to think of anything to tell Jackie.
"You're gonna be rich mija, I can feel it..." Jackie agonized, turning to face V once more.
"No, Jackie, WE'RE gonna be rich - you and me."
Jackie grabbed V's shoulder with the hand he used to cover his wound, "The biochip..."
"Hold on to it. For me." Jackie pulled himself closer to V and pulled out the biochip, slotting it into V.
Jackie gazed into V's eyes one last time. His hand went slack on her hand and fell. V turned to look and when she looked back to Jackie, she was met with his lifeless eyes. Jackie's head leaned over to one side and he slouched down into his seat
V sat there frozen, only able to watch her best friend's lifeless body bleed out what blood it had left. V stared, shell shocked, until her vision started to fade away.
"I, uh... I often think back to the first time me and Jack met."
"It feels like it happened a century ago. At another time, in another place. Jackie saved my life."
V was now at Jackie's ofrenda, taking part in it, standing in front Mama Welles, Misty, Vik, Padre, and a whole bunch of other people she didn't know.
"And then, years later in Night City, he saved it again. At a time when I thought I'd lost absolutely everything."
"I found my own freedom, then. But it would not have happened without him. Jackie Welles."
"The best friend you could ask for, loyal to a fault. For his loved ones, he'd sacrifice his life, without hesitation."
"But most importantly... Jackie loved life and had no fear. Heart on his sleeve, he... he didn't overthink things, he just went for it."
"Thought he was bulletproof and that he'd become legend at the Afterlife. And ultimately, he did what he set out to do - shit in the shoes of some powerful people."
"If he's watching, bet just about now he's flippin' 'em all the bird..."
V pulled out the belt Jackie kept in his garage, the one from his father and set it down on the ofrenda.
"He feared no one. And wasn't afraid. Lived life to the fullest... Rest easy, Choom."
"I would like to say a toast." Mama Welles proposed and V grabbed a glass.
"Por mi hijo."
V raised her glass and poured it into the fire. She waited the for a second, staring into the fire, watching the flames dance as they consumed the drink. She watched as they consumed it all, everything around her and... consumed her.
The next thing V knew, she was back at the No-Tell Motel, at the end of Dexter DeShawn's iron, except this time it was different. This time, it was her mirror image holding the iron, pointing it straight at her.
Two words, she said as she pulled the trigger.
"Your fault."
The pain of the bullet hit her all in one second. All of the pain of being shot, being dumped in a junk yard, almost dying on the way to Vik's, all in a second. Then, it was all black... all quiet.. until she was thrust back into her body, except now she was the one holding the gun, and Jackie was the one at the end of the barrel.
"Mija, what are you doing?" Jackie shouted as he stared down the barrel of the pistol.
V tried to do anything to move, anything to not pull the trigger, but it was as if she was not in control.
“V!” Jackie shouted, panicking as V’s finger went for the trigger.
V did everything she could to not pull the trigger. She tried to force the gun away, to drop it, point it somewhere else, anywhere else but, alas, it was futile. She could only bear witness as she pulled the trigger…
“Jackie!”
V awoke with a shout, in her bed, immediately reaching for her iron. She shot up, hyperventilating as she sat in bed, iron in hand.
“Jackie! Jackie… Jackie…” V panted, gasping for air.
V slowly calmed down, eventually enough to realize she was just in her bed.
“Just a bad dream… just a dream..” V said in a mix of relief and guilt. She reached up with hand to wipe her brow when she realized she was drenched in sweat.
“Nightmare?” Johnny asked as he materialized in front of her, standing by her bedside.
“Not now, Johnny.” V wiped the sweat off her face and threw her pistol carelessly on to the bed.
“Hey! Show my iron some respect!” Johnny said in a tone of mock contempt as his Malorian hit the bed.
His voice dropped to a serious level, “same one?”
“I said not now!” V shouted, not wanting to be pushed about.
“Same one… you’re a gonk, you know that? Wallowing in pity.”
“What do you not understand about not now!” V threw a pillow at Johnny but it passed straight through him and hit the ground behind him.
“Listen, I know it hurts, trust me I do, but you have to tell someone. Letting it eat you up inside will only make it worse” Johnny said softly.
“Alright then. Who do I go to? A fucking therapist!”
“Your chooms, dumbass. Call Panam, Judy, hell even fucking Kerry’s gonk ass would listen.”
“And tell them what? I got my best friend killed? That I think about it everyday? That I’m plagued by it in nightmares?”
“Yes, you gonk! That’s exactly what you do!”
“…”
“…”
“I… I…” V was silent, not knowing what to say to that.
“…”
“…”
“I… I don’t want to burden them… there, you happy…?”
“Oh V…”
“You can ask for help… just because you help everyone doesn’t mean you can’t need help… call one of your chooms, and if they ditch you, you’re better off without them.”
“I… I’ll think about alright…” V verbalized, unused to showing so much vulnerability.
“That’s all I ask.” Johnny said before he dematerialized.
V sat at the edge of her bed, burying all the thoughts and emotions away before checking the time.
“It’s only 5:30! Fuccccckkkk….” V sprawled herself back out onto her bed. After failing to fall asleep for a bit, she forced herself to get up and stumbled to her shower where she took a nice, long hot shower. V often found a brief moment of peace when she showers. It’s just her and the water, no gigs, no Night City, just her and the hot water. V pried herself out of her shower and got dressed, skipping past her mirror. She couldn’t stand them anymore. She couldn’t stand seeing herself, her failures, her… faults.
Once fully dried and dressed, the merc went to her kitchen, or what was supposed to be a kitchen as she only used her coffee machine and microwave. She prepared herself a cup of coffee, the synthetic kind of course. She could afford the real deal, but for the price they costed, no way. V opted to suck it and deal with the mediocre taste. She downed her cup of coffee, chose to skip breakfast, and grabbed her weapons. She grabbed Johnny’s… her Malorian off her bed, then heading to her stash room, where she kept her weapons and other shit. She grabbed Byakko, a gift from Wakako, and Widow Maker, a precision rifle that she peeled out of Nash's cold dead heads. She also took Fenrir, a gun she found when saving a monk in Northside, and Bloody Mary from Muamar. She mostly used Byakko, Widow Maker, and Bloody Mary while keeping the Malorian and Fenrir as back ups. V got asked on a regular basis why she carries so many weapons and she always says more guns equals less problems. The merc exited her stash room and headed to the elevator, which took her down to the ground floor. She exited out onto a street in the Glen. V had bought her apartment there not too long, figuring it was time she upgraded from her megabuilding apartment. She still had the apartment, the rent was dirt cheap, but she moved most of her stuff into her new one. She checked her agenda for the day, her messages, and found them empty.
“Fuck…”
Normally, V would be glad to have a empty day but today, she just wanted something to do. After a moment of thought, she called in her motorcycle. She owned a Yaiba Kusanagi CT-3X and she loved it more than life itself. She bought soon after the heist and took the best care of it since. The merc loved the sensation of speed, the wind in her hair, when the world faded away and it was just her, her motorcycle, and the road. She found tranquility in it. Of course, she couldn't go that fast in the city too often so when she had off time like this, she usually drove out to the badlands. This time though, she decided to swing by Vik's to get a scan of her chrome. V often stopped by Vik's to check on him and Misty, though mostly Vik, she couldn't bear to see Misty sometimes, couldn't bear to look her in the eyes after his death.
V started her motorcycle and took off, going way above the speed limit. She blew past lights, cars, even cops but she couldn't care less about them, she was in her own world. Eventually, she arrived at the block Misty's Esoterica is on. V got off her bike and headed to the fence door that led to Vik's clinic. She went through the small alleyway and down the steps, opening the door into the clinic.
"Hey Vik." V said as she opened the gate and walked in.
"V! Good to see ya, kid." Vik turned away from his monitor that he was watching the same old boxing videos on.
"So, what can I do for you today, V?" The ripperdoc asked as he spun in his chair to face V.
"Just a scan today Vik,” V said as she sat down on the operating chair.
"Ah, same old same old..."
Vik moved over to his monitor by the chair. He prepped his computer for a scan and handed V the link cable. V plugged it into her head slot and sat back into the chair.
“So, how’s life been treating you lately, V” Vic asked as he watched the scan.
“Oh you know, doing gigs here and there, trying to find a way to save my life from the biochip.” V answered nonchalantly.
“Good. Good. Any progress?”
“I’ve followed a few leads but they’ve all been dead ends.”
“I’m sure you’ll find a way, kid.”
There was a few seconds of a comfortable silence.
“You talk to Misty or Mama Welles yet?
“…”
“V…” Vik said in a scolding tone.
“I know, I know, I will just… not yet.”
“V, when was the last time you talked to either of them?”
“His ofrenda.”
“V! You’ve got to talk to them at some point.”
“I will. Just give me time, alright.”
Vik sighed.
“Fine, fine, but if you come back here with talking to them I’m going to send them to your apartment.”
“I will, I... I promise.”
“Sure. Anyways, scan’s done, your chrome’s in good condition, nothing out of the norm.”
When it came to V's chrome, she knew no bounds. She a had a modified Falcon Sandevistan that she and Vik had worked on and modified themselves. Her skeleton was barely organic, most of it was either endomorphic or titanium. V had Kiroshi "the Oracle" optics, alongside both a ballistic coreprocessor and smart link in her hands. For her integumentary system, she was packing a carapace, a cellular adapter, and a painducer, making her an absolute beast. She had gorilla arms in her arms and reinforced tendons in her legs. V's frontal cortex was untouched (except for a self-ICE), being that she wasn't a netrunner, but her circulatory system was packed. She had in a adrenaline booster, a biomonitor, a blood pump, and even a second heart. In her nervous system, she had an adrenaline converter and a tyrosine injector. V wasn't on Maelstrom level, she still looks like she did before chroming, but the ratio of chrome to organic was still very large.
"Thanks Vik," V said gratefully as she unplugged the cable from her head and handed it back to Vik.
"So, what's your plan for today?"
"Are you asking me out on a date, Vik?" V teased the ripperdoc.
"You know what I meant, V."
"Just having some fun, but nope, got no gigs... think I'll just ride for today."
"Well, stay safe, kid." Vik said as he shut off the computer.
"You too, Vik." V hopped out of the chair and started to leave.
"Oh, and V, remember your promise!" Vik shouted as she left.
"I will!" V shouted back as she exited.
V climbed up the stairs and left the alleyway the same way she came, avoiding Misty again. She climbed on to her bike, turning it on and speeding off for the freeway. Once on it, she really opened up the bike. 60... 70... 80.. 90... 100... The world around her started to fade. 110... 120... 130... 140... The dotted line faded into a straight line. 150... 160.. 170... V was in the badlands now, blowing past car after car. She was approaching Rocky Ridge, the abandoned town growing ever larger on the horizon. In what seemed to her a blink of the eye she was there, blowing past the bar and gas station she and Panam jumped the Raffens at, and just as fast as she got there, she was gone. V was rapidly heading for the gorge she and Mitch sent Scorpion off. The merc started to slow down, coming to a stop just in front of the ramp at the end of the road. She turned off her bike and took the moment to relax in serenity of it all. It was rare she found moments like this to relax, being the merc she is. Finding a quiet moment alone was a very rare thing in Night City. It was another reason she loved her rides out to the badlands.
“Zzz…” A part of V’s vision glitched for a split second.
“Zzzzzz…” Her optics spazzed out again.
“What the…” V said in confusion.
Her optics glitched out again for a second before a flash of red and black overtook her vision and disappeared. Then all hell broke loose. V’s optics cut out entirely as if they had been rebooted, but this change the usual blinding white light to black and red flashes. At the same time her optics shut off, a major headache appeared. It felt as if something was banging against her skull. Her vision slowly started to return, but the glitches were still present. V found herself on the ground, fallen off her motorcycle, clutching her head.
“V? Can you hear me?” A voice popped up in her head. Not Johnny’s but a woman’s… a woman that appeared to be calling V through the Relic of all things. One "Relic Packet 32" appeared in her optics.
“Who… the fuck… are you…?” V managed to say as she held her head, doing her best to speak as the headache pounded away.
“My name is So Mi, but you can call me Songbird. I know wh…” V cut he off.
“What the fuck… are you doing… to me...?” V muttered in between pained breaths.
“I’m not doing anything to yo…” Songbird’s voice trailed off.
“Oh shit!” Songbird went silent for a moment and V’s headache dissipated significantly, not fully, but enough that it wasn’t too much of a bother. V let her hands fall from her head to the ground where she lay.
“Sorry about that… I didn’t realize I put so much strain on your ICE.”
“It’s… alright, just… what the fuck?” V was utterly confused as to what the fuck was happening. A random woman hacks her through the biochip, what was she supposed to think.
“I know this is a lot. I know who you are and that you’re dying. But, I can save your life.”
“Yeah, you and Hanako Arasaka, sure… quit the shit, I’m not in the mood for empty promises.” V said bitterly as she slowly stood up, trying not to worsen the headache.
“This is anything but, V. I know you must have questions, I’ll answer them in due course, shortly. But I need you to go to the swollen appendix of Night City called Dogtown.”
“Hold on… you hack me via the Relic, claim you 'know' me and can 'save' me, then want me to go to Dogtown? Nah, I don't buy that shit, gotta give me more than that." V didn't trust Songbird, dangling a perfect deal in front of her face, no way. And her general bullshit detecting instincts were going off.
"..." There was no response from Songbird.
"Songbird? Hello, you there?"
"..."
"She... she fucking hung up..."
"Zzzz..."
V's optics glitched.
"ZZZZ..."
The red and black was back. Her whole vision was flashing and fading, shifting from blinding red to drowning black, back to her regular vision in a matter of seconds. The grinding headache returned as a massive migraine. To V, it felt as if something was trapped in her head, banging on the walls to get out. Her head felt as if it was going to explode. She collapsed to the ground, shouting in pain as the migraine only grew worse in worse. It was behind her eyes, then in her forehead, then everywhere all at once. A breached system warning popped up in her optics, but V couldn't notice it in time before her vision shifted again. For a brief second, V saw Johnny appear, standing above her before collapsing to the ground next to her, apparently in the same pain as her. V optics glitched again, going completely black for a moment before a red light appeared in the middle, shaped as an eye. The eye didn’t look human… it reminded V of the guy she saw watching her and Mr. Peralez talk, with the piercing blue eyes, except blazing red. It then shifting into a line across the middle of the darkness, then over taking her vision entire. The red disappeared, changing itself out with the red and black glitches again. V's vision returned, allowing her to see that she was now spasming on the ground with Johnny convulsing next to her. A sync in progress alert appeared, slowly going from zero to one hundred percent. As it increased, the migraine and seizing got worse. Both V and Johnny screamed in pain as it slowly approached one hundred. It kept getting worse and worse. The banging in her head, the grinding on her skull, the ringing in her ears, it was all becoming too much. Just as V thought that she wouldn't be able to physically take it anymore, the alert reached one hundred. The relief was immediate, her migraine mostly faded, but the convulsions decided to stick around. V and Johnny were still spasming on the ground when she appeared.
“V? V!”
Out of the corner of her eye, V saw a woman appear, running up to her and kneeling down next to her. She felt herself being shifted onto her back, giving her a clear view of the woman. She was… she was beautiful… She looked of asian descent, maybe Korean… V couldn’t tell.
“Help… me…” V croaked out of pure instinct.
“I am, V, I am…” The woman rested her hand on V’s shoulder and… Johnny’s?
“This may hurt, but it should be over quick.”
The woman started to do something to Johnny, which caused the mind splitting pain to return to her head. V screamed in pain and watched through her glitching optics as Johnny started to disappear.
“What… the… fuck?” Was all he managed to painfully say before he disappeared.
At the same time Johnny disappeared, V’s optics went dark and she was back looking at the red eye. It grew into the red line again, but this time the line felt familiar, as if she had saw it before, but she couldn’t place her finger on it. Her vision flashed back to the eye before shifting back to realspace. V was greeted by the same woman, who was holding her down against the ground. V noticed that the migraine melted away for a third time, leaving her with the same damn headache. She also noticed that Johnny wasn’t lying next to her and that she was not uncontrollably shaking. Rather, her body just twitching alongside her optics glitching, though both were becoming fewer.
“V? Come back to me, V.” The woman cooed softly as she pinned V down by the shoulders.
”You were shaking pretty violently and I didn’t want you to fall into the gorge behind you.” V was lying a couple feet away from the edge of the gorge.
“You’re probably wondering who I am and what just happened, so… I’m Song So-Mi or Songbird, though I think you already guessed that.” Songbird let go of V and sat down next to where V laid.
"Well... nice to meet you, Songbird..." V said slowly as she gradually sat up, cradling her head in her arms.
"Your nervous system took a big hit, broke down. Racing heart, cold sweat, it'll pass."
"Bull... shit... it feels like I just got shot in the head again..." V held her head in her hands as she sat in front of Songbird.
"I'm sorry, I truly am, I didn't know connecting to you would be that painful. As for Johnny, I had to mute him, he can hear you, just can't talk back. The both of us on the biochip protocol would trigger more shocks like the two you just experienced."
"Wait... you're a construct?" V reached out to touch Songbird and her hand passed straight through her leg. Songbird suddenly became grainy and see through.
"No, V, I'm a netrunner. Hopped on the Relic's cognitive protocol to dial in. I see and hear what you do. Just now, I'm aboard Space Force One. Sitting right across from Rosalind Myers, president of the New United States of America." While she was talking, V took a moment to observe Songbird. She had a netrunner suit on, as well as a custom jacket to match.
"The president? Fuck. I, uh... No y-you're not joking." V deadpanned.
"I wish I was... The plane's been hacked, trajectory's set for Night City. They'll bring us down in Dogtown soon. Our comms are done, most likely jammed. The Relic was my only option. Right now... You're our one contact on the ground." V thought over what had been said before responding.
“The plane got hacked, right? You’re a runner — can’t override?” Songbird rolled her eyes. They were brown, the same dark shade as V’s eyes, she noticed.
“I could. All I’d need is twenty four hours, the right set up and a bottomless pot of coffee. None of that’s available just now.”
V contemplated for a moment before asking, “tellin’ me the NUS president, Rosalind Myers, is there with you?”
“Sitting right across from me. She knows the situation, waitin’ on your yes.”
“And you’re not going to zero me as soon as I save her?”
“I told you, I’m trying to save you, V.”
“I know, I know, just makin’ sure.”
“So is that a yes?” Songbird perked up, looking hopefully at V.
“Fine, I’ll help.”
“Thank you V, truly, you’re a life saver.” A wave of relief washed over Songbird’s face.
“Don’t thank me yet. How much time we got till you crash?”
“Too little to avoid landing in Dogtown. Likely enough to minimize losses, save some folks. That's where you come in, V. The president's life, her safety, - that's your top priority. She'll survive the landing. Dogtown, not so sure... You'll need to get 'er out of the plane before anyone else does."
" 'Anyone else'? Specifically? Meanin', you expectin' company?"
"Kurt Hansen, Dogtown's commander-in-chief. Man's got a thousand-and-one reasons to want Myers as a hostage. He couldn't've netjacked the plane on his own. Meaning Washington's got a mole problem. That one'll need solvin' later."
"Kurt Hansen... should've figured it'll've be him."
"You know em' V?" Songbird asked in confusion, wondering if she missed something about V.
"Nah, never even seen em', but word gets around on the street. 'A general, leadin' an army' they said."
"Huh..." Was all Songbird said in response.
"Anyway, said you could help me. That the plain truth?" V remembered what Songbird said earlier.
"Just got a taste of my abilities, I believe. There's more..."
"You mean you trying to fry my brain? Givin' me a seizure that felt worse than when I died?"
"For the last time, I'm not tryin to kill you! In fact, I can cure you. Once and for all." V laughed sarcastically for a short second.
"I have a choom of mine claimin' the same thing. What was it he said... 'the company that's killing you can save your life...' I’d love to believe him, love to believe you, but…"
"I know, V. No reason to trust me, that's why I synced to you now, instead of later. Originally, I planned to sync to you when you were at the border of Dogtown but seeing as how you didn't trust me, I had no choice, I need you. You've also run out of options, V, you're at a dead end, no where to turn. Been there, believe me…” V took a second glance at what Songbird was wearing. Her jacket had... pins on it, of all things, and she had a custom cyberdeck on her hip.
"I have something for you, a... an advance, lets say. Again, planned to give it to you at the gate, but I need you to be fully and stay on board."
V’s optics started glitching all over the place yet again and V knew what this meant.
“Fuck not again…” V braced for the headache to explode into a migraine, but it actually dissipated slightly. In fact, whatever Songbird did actually felt good.
“What, expectin’ another seizure?” Songbird teased V. "Your Relic's crowded with clusters of corrupted data. I'm dumpin' that, makin' room for stuff that’ll actually be handy."
"Such as...?" V actually enjoyed whatever she was doing, it was kind of soothing in a way.
"Some preem Militech soft. It’s just lyin' around, gatherin' dust."
The sensation crept out of just the Relic, moving throughout her whole body. Whatever Songbird did pulsed through V's body, relieving the aches that V forgot were there. It felt like a weight V had carried for as long as she could remembered had been lifted, leaving her in the dark on what she is feeling.
“Um… thanks, I guess...” V didn’t know what else to say.
“I’m not being charitable, V. I need you at your damned best.” The tingly feeling lasted for a while longer before fading away. Luckily, the aches didn’t return.
“Now, listen. What I gave you’s a skeleton-soft. But the firmware’s fancy, it’ll learn, grow with you. It’ll improve if you feed it data. Combat analyses, logs of legendary ops, shit that’d make the NCPD piss its boots. Look around Dogtown.”
“Gotta get there first. Actually, will I even make it there in time?" V questioned Songbird, unsure if she'd have enough time to get to Dogtown, as she started to stand up.
"Well, if you go as fast as you came here, you'll make it there with time to spare." Songbird started to stand up herself.
"Wait, were you watchin' me?" V asked, confused on how Songbird got that information.
"Not watching, more like monitoring, I had to be sure you were alive before I contacted you. And I'm sure you're glad I didn't connect to you while you were doing 170." Songbird admitted with a slight smirk.
"Guess you're right, that would've been pretty bad." V feared to think what may have happened if Songbird connected to her while she was driving.
"So... Dogtown Maingate, right? By the stadium?" V mounted her motorcycle and started it.
"Yep, I'll guide you in once you're there."
"Nova."
Songbird dematerialized from where she stood and V burned rubber, launching away from the gorge. V was flying down the old road, already almost reaching 170. She was already halfway to Rocky Ridge when she was realized that Songbird never disconnected, as far as V could remember.
“Does that mean…” V thought to herself.
“Yep, still here,” Songbird said in her head.
“Holy shit!” V mentally shouted, causing her to swerve, almost going off the road. She corrected herself back onto the road and accelerated back to what she was going.
“That’s four times you’ve tried to kill me!” V could practically hear the eye roll.
“You’re impossible, you know?” Songbird said, in a tone of voice that V couldn’t determine if she was amused or annoyed. Maybe both.
"You could of told me you stayed connected!" V said in mock annoyance.
"I thought you would of known since you have a rockerboy in your head 24/7."
"You aren't… oh shit!” V swerved again, narrowly missing an oncoming car.
“Fucking hell…” The merc let out a sigh of relief.
“Maybe focus on the road… I need you alive, believe or not.” Songbird teased in an amused voice.
“That fifth time says differently.” V retorted in the same manner.
“You’re never going to stop, are you?”
“Nope.”
Songbird sighed, "Just focus on the road."
There was a period of comfortable silence between the two, in which V blew through Rocky Ridge again, and merged onto the main highway, or what was once the main highway.
"You still there Songbird?" No response.
"Songbird...?" V began to think she hung up on her for the second time.
"I'm here, just was talking with Madam President.”
“How she doin’, by the way?” V asked out of curiosity.
“Awful nice of you to ask. She’s just sittin’ there, sippin’ her gin, flickin’ through her agenda, postponin’ meets. Woman’s unshakable.”
“Good, she’ll need to be." V let the silence set in again, but it was noticeably more awkward this time.
"Soo... uh... where ya from?" V asked awkwardly as she tried to spark a conversation.
"V, what are you doing?" Songbird responded outright, not heeding the question at all.
"Tryin' to start a conversation."
"And that's how you start a conversation?" V could hear the amusement in her voice.
"Well I don't know, you try starting a conversation with someone who can quite literally read each and everyone of your thought's!" V defended.
"No need to get defensive, I'm from Brooklyn, New York City."
"Heywood, myself."
"I know." That caught V off guard.
"You know? Care to elaborate?" V questioned, getting curious on how much the runner knew about her.
"Nope."
"You were waiting to do that, weren't you?"
"Maybe. This is your turn by the way." Songbird pointed out the turn onto the highway into Arroyo.
"You're changing the subject." V said as she entered the turn.
"Am I?"
"You really like to be coy, don't you?"
"Do I?" V could hear a smile forming.
The merc chuckled a little, "Fine, you win."
"Yes, score one for Songbird." She said in a way that made V think she was punching the air.
"Didn't know we were keeping score, but I think we're tied from earlier."
"Fine, one to one, better?"
"Very." V smiled briefly, and there was yet another moment of quiet between.
"You're comin' up on the stadium. Probably should hide your bike, might be a minute till you see it again." Songbird broke the silence this time.
“How long am I goin' to be in Dogtown, Song?” The sudden comment put V at unease.
“If all goes well, shouldn’t be too long, but good to just in case.” The stadium started to get larger as V drew nearer.
"Something tells me you don't think it'll go well..." The merc picked up on an off tone of unease in the netrunner's voice.
"Not exactly, just... things like don't usually go as planned..."
"How... reassuring" V saw the turn to the stadium parking and shifted lanes.
"Don't fret V, I'll be with you the whole time, we're a team now..." That felt... oddly comforting to V, of all things.
"Hope we're enough then."
V turned off the highway, taking a left into the parking lot left of the exit. She took another left so that she was facing under the turn off and drove her motorcycle under the pass. V dismounted and picked up a tarp she found on the ground, tossing it over the bike.
Songbird materialized next to V, hands on her hips. "That's the best you can do? No one's gonna look under a bike-shaped tarp?"
"Jeez, you're starting to sound like Johnny. And I didn't see you telling me where to hide it?"
"Didn't ask for my help. And do you dislike Johnny that much? From what I heard, I thought you liked him."
"I do, I just don't think I'll be able to handle two Johnnys in my head."
Songbird dematerialized and V walked out from under the overpass, heading for the stadium entrance. She observed the defenses as she drew closer: turrets, mechs, and a whole bunch of guards. Too many guards, she couldn't handle all of them without bystanders getting caught in crossfire. A feeling of doubt crept in to her mind, but she shook it off, remembering Songbird had a way in for her. Still, in the back of her mind, she couldn't help wondering what she had gotten herself into.