I finished the last bite of the chow mein, still pensive about this whole ordeal. Part of me knows that Johnny’s right. No matter how hard I pushed them, they won’t make it. But I had to try anyway. At the very least, if we’re able to push out the guards that are already there and commit to Hiromi, we could see some results. Provided they don’t attack us in return, of course.

  But that’s the real trick here. There’s a few ways to skin this coyote. We could, for instance, walk in there and just straight-up behead the bastard and call it a day, leaving a note on his corpse that anyone who dares follow will meet the same end.

  Then there’s Maiko’s route. Threatening the boss with violence, though I’m not sure how well that’d work. Extorting Yakuza never ends well in Japan, I can’t imagine it would end well here, either. Sure, they’re pushovers by comparison. But that only makes them more dangerous – a cowering animal is more likely to lash out in self-defense. And they won’t want to give up such a lucrative firm to those they deem ‘lesser’ by comparison. Going that route is more likely to initiate a war than just simply killing them…

  Maiko reads to me like someone who has it all figured out from the get-go. Someone who likes to be in control at all times, a puppetmaster. It’s no wonder her and Judy didn’t last. Judy’s way too independent for that kind of shit…

  Wait…

  If Maiko goes for controlling the Tyger Claws… No, no, that wouldn’t work, either. They’d never in a million years let some fucking whore, in their eyes, run the firm. Moreover, she’s a good businesswoman, but she has no muscle besides us to back her. And we’ll all be gone if she tries to coup, leaving her on an island. It’ll be like walking into a company and just saying to the boss, ‘Hey, you’re cool, but I’m cooler, so I’ll take your job.’ Let’s see how well that works out when that company happens to be Yakuza. Nah, she can’t be that much of a fucking idiot to try and tame a tiger as a pet.

  Then maybe I wasn’t giving Judy her due credit. Sure, the extortion plan is a bit short-sighted of her. We’d need to make a more convincing statement than simply getting the guy to shit his pants. We’d need an audience, first of all… Then just walk in and ruthlessly chop the boss’s head off, then tell the runner-up that he works for us now… Hm. That could work… At least in the short-term. We will still need to earn their respect, and that’s a long way to climb. Though it’d be even longer if the boss was still alive.

  Okay… It’s a long shot, but we can make this work. Here we go…

  “Glad you came,” I said to the entire group – the gang was all here, minus Maiko. “We’re short one.”

  “Mm, Maiko’s meeting with Hiromi,” Judy replied, crossing her arms and leaning against the wall, “To avoid raising any suspicions.” Johnny appeared sitting next to her, remaining silent but just glaring at me with his fucking attitude.

  “You both look nervous,” I spoke plainly to Tom and Roxanne, “You okay?”

  “Yeah, good… just… nerves, is all,” Tom answered me with embarrassment, “You ever get nervous?”

  “Yeah… Yeah, I do,” I replied honestly, “It’s the worst, the first time. The nerves are good. It’s what’ll keep you alive. We’ve evolved to be nervous when expecting danger, means we’ll be alert and firing on all cylinders. Use that to your advantage.”

  “I’ll try, it’s just… I’d really rather not have to ice anyone, y’know?” Roxanne chimed in.

  “That’s not part of the plan for you. All you have to do is secure a foothold and push them out.”

  “You got it,” Tom replied cheerfully, “Thanks for all your help… Y’know, in case we don’t get another chance.”

  I fervently shook my head and looked right at him, clearly terrified but hiding it well. “You two have done this for years already. Remember what I said, about thinking of it like a doll session? You read them like you read a client. Don’t think, just trust your instincts. The chip will do its job, but it’s an amplifier. You are the source, you’re in control. Just focus on the person in front of you, read their moves like you’d read the subtle body language in a client. And your muscle memory will do the rest.”

  “We’ll try,” Roxanne said nervously, her hands shaking.

  I tried my best with them, to transfer their natural knack of reading someone’s psychological cues. They’re extremely observant, but they didn’t know how to link that observance with fighting. Hopefully they can get the hang of it quickly.

  “So, you think they’re all ready, V?” Judy asked me.

  “Ready as they’ll ever be,” I answered sincerely, “Good luck, everyone. We’ll have some pizza when this is over.”

  “Heh, deal,” they both laughed in unison, Tom giving me a pat on the back as Judy walked past.

  I slipped on my face scarf and caught up to her, checking all my equipment to make sure everything’s secure. “Our job is to go to the service level first where I can hack into the camera feeds. I’ll be able to see and record the whole meet from there. You’ll take a freight elevator to the roof once we clear the level, drop in on ‘em unannounced,” Judy said.

  “Right, so no Agent,” I thought out-loud, “Makes my job a little easier, don’t have to worry about swinging a sword with that bastard on my arm.”

  “I’ll stick behind you. Tom and Rox’ll get off at Clouds.”

  “Got it.” I’m pretty sure the guys coming off the elevator just laughed at us. I suppose we’re not all that intimidating, come to think of it… A woman with a big-ass sword and three more with varying levels of, uh, ‘armor.’

  Eh. We’ll get there.

  The elevator took us to the third floor, reserved for vital maintenance of the various electronic systems and servers. I slipped on my mask as we left, fully expecting to meet face-to-face with quite a few gangoons who might be curious as to who got off the elevator just now. “Duck behind those barrels,” I instructed Judy, “Call it out if anyone goes for my flank.”

  “Got it. Gotta jack into that panel on the other side of the room… Take ‘em out however you gotta.” Hm… I count… four Claws. Alright, simple enough… Shinden hasn’t been sharpened in about a week or so, but I’m sure I’ll manage.

  Aww, they’re using bladed weapons and submachine guns. That’s adorable.

  –

  “Who the fuck– Fuck outta here, freak,” a massive, burly man shouted at V from the left as she approached, drawing attention away from Judy and allowing the techie to sneak around the right.

  “V,” Judy whispered over a holocall, “Got Mantis user to the right. Couple of guys with submachine guns in front. Want some covering fire?”

  “もちろん [Sure],” the samurai replied quietly, drawing her weapon and leveling it at the gangoon. The fact that he was just standing there was a red flag, she thought to herself, her eyes darting around behind the mask, looking for the hidden flank attack.

  She gently pivoted her leg back, digging her left foot behind her and lowering Shinden to a Water Ridge posture with the blade side out. Her fingers danced along the ridges of the handle, silently counting the seconds down and timing her opponents to a beat in her head.

  –

  One, two, three, four, one, two, one, two…

  “FWWAAHH!” the woman on my right attacked first. Right shoulder. Riposte, spin clockwise. Her back’s exposed, three, four, one, two… Heart penetrated, twist, one, two… ichi no kamae…

  –

  Shinden moved like a blur, dazzling the massive hulk of a man as his friend fell before he even had time to register what had happened. “FAAACK!” he shouted in vain, “YOU’LL PAY FOR THAT, BITCH!”

  One of the gunners immediately opened fire and was struck down as soon as his first round hit Shinden, bouncing off and landing directly in between his eyes. A lucky, critical strike that V didn’t intend for, but she’ll take the win where she could get it. She bounced round after round of the second gunner’s magazine into the charging man, riddling him with bullets. His body slumped on the ground 5 meters in front of her, and V quickly snapped Shinden into the back of his head to make sure the job was done.

  The sole remaining gunner frantically reloaded, his heartbeat racing at over 200 BPM and causing his hands to shake uncontrollably. He fumbled the first magazine, reaching for a second one and finally managing to insert it into the gun. He fired a single round at her head, with V easily deflecting it towards the roof.

  Stunned to silence, the poor guy simply sat there as Judy popped out, leveling her revolver at him. Backed into a corner and with nowhere to go, he instead threw his gun on the floor, terrified out of his mind, and ran for dear life. V quickly smacked her sword against the side of his head as he passed, knocking him out cold.

  –

  …One, two, one, two.

  Heh, glad he took the hint, at least. I guess I’ll take the wins where I can; I didn’t exactly relish in killing helpless people like that. The guy looked to be only a teenager or thereabouts, probably just trying to make a living like the rest of us… I fucking hate gangs and what they promise to these people. What a terrific waste of a life.

  “Alright, we’re clear,” I said to Judy, holstering Shinden and removing my mask.

  “Heh, never seen someone put away a sword like that,” she chuckled, “That cause it’s on your back?”

  “What? Oh, yeah…” I slowly removed it again and demonstrated the technique, “You throw it into the air, right? Then catch the midpoint of the blade. The magnet inside of the saya does the rest. And you just do the reverse to draw it. Throw it up, grab its midpoint, then draw it and assume your guard. The saya also opens up at the neck to help out a little for those quickdraws.”

  “Looks cool,” she smiled, “Gonna have to teach me someday… Anyway, freight elevator’s over there. I’ll be here at this server.”

  “You be alright?”

  “Yeah, I should be. Unless that guy gets up and tries for round two.”

  “Well, if he’s unconscious for more than a half-hour, he probably won’t be in any state to fight anyway, so I think you’ll be okay.”

  “Alright, I’ll bear that in mind,” she muttered, now totally lost in thought as she perused the files on the computer, “I won’t be able to draw any of the guards away, but they won’t be able to call alarms. I have ‘em locked to the local net only, just lettin’ you know.”

  “That won’t be a problem,” I told her, walking over to the freight elevator and checking my body for any errant injuries. Clean as a whistle… Good first step.

  “Hey, V?”

  “Yeah?”

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  “Be safe…” she muttered as I put my mask back on.

  “Always,” I nodded back to her, hitting the button and watching her slowly disappear beneath me… Hmph. Alright, time to put your game-face on. Automated defenses and guards will be easy enough to circumvent, but I’m still worried about the joker card in play here. Maiko may have another idea, and that worries me. Well, one thing at a time…

  “Where’s Maiko?” I asked Judy as I traversed the roof.

  “She’s in the meeting room, I see her. Looks like she has a few other people in there with her, though.”

  “A few others? I thought it was just her and Hiromi?”

  “Yeah, that’s what I thought too,” Judy groaned, “Think she has other ideas, though.”

  Fucking hell, Maiko, what’ve you done…

  It’s funny, her last name, Maeda, actually belongs to one of the most famous samurai clans, Clan Maeda, rulers of Kaga. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if she descended from their lineage, given her rather cold nature. They always did make for particularly shrewd politicians.

  “How many guards am I looking at?”

  “Four,” Judy said over our phone call, “Just one outside of the door. Two downstairs, one patrolling outside.”

  “Mm…” Roof has a skylight. Could just drop in and say hello… Guard's SOR-22 was leaning on the railing, they're easy picking. Go for them first, then sweep downstairs and head outside? Sounds good - Judy's got the alarms, so I'll be fine there.

  Alright, best not overcomplicate it.

  One, two, three, four…

  –

  “Damn, V,” Judy shouted, “How the fuck do you even move like that? It's so fuckin' weird but fascinating.”

  “Just microrotors, cables, and 25 years of practice,” I said with a shrug, batting Shinden to get rid of the pieces of guard that happened to be stuck on it like a kebab. One of these guys was particularly meaty, I guess. “Let’s get this over with so we can go home.”

  I brushed the various pieces of guard aside and opened the door, revealing a scene I was absolutely not expecting. Not one, but three men, and a handful of prostitutes at their sides, all with Maiko standing prominently behind them. “Couldn’t have made a quiet approach?” she scoffed as I headed in.

  “Dolls, leave. Watch the body parts,” I ordered as I removed my mask and put my scarf down, “You have some explaining to do, Maiko.”

  Maiko turned to look at me with what I presume is a new faceplate. Probably got it just for this job; she seems to be that sort of a person, for sure.

  “Hey, V,” she grinned, “Meet Jun Azegami and Marcus Ichida. Our witnesses. Along with our target, Hiromi Sato.” Maiko glanced down at the man, completely oblivious to his surroundings as they all were.

  The room itself seemed to be artificially saturated in a sterile, white light, as if the window acted as an amplifier or something. It almost felt dreamlike, giving off this strange, uneasy quality to it. Almost like I was underneath the light at a surgical table.

  “And they’re watching…?”

  “Demo reel of Clouds’ next top doll, selected by yours truly,” she boasted, walking around the couch and tipping her cigarette into the ashtray. A modern katana rested prominently on a stand, front and center in the middle of the furnishing. Fitting decorum for someone about to get turned into a human rendition of a Zippo lighter. “Lucky girl’s gonna replace Evelyn. Hope she proves smarter.”

  Johnny remained on the far side of the room where Maiko once stood, shaking his head in vehement disapproval. “See this? This is my fuckin’ surprised face. Chick’s not only a charmer, but she’s gone and changed the plan behind everyone’s back. Fuckin’ figures.”

  “I don’t like her either. She tries too hard,” I told him before turning to Maiko, “So who are these two dead men?”

  “No no,” she waggled her finger at me like I’m some fucking kid, “These two are here to watch Hiromi die in his own piss. They’re his bosses.”

  “So that makes these assholes the main underbosses of the Tyger Claws?” I said in disbelief, “Well that makes my job easy enough, I’ll slaughter them and leave Hiromi Sato alive. Doing that would–”

  “Listen,” she stopped me mid-sentence, “I know Tyger Claws. They respect strength, ruthlessness.”

  I took a long, deep sigh and crossed my arms with frustration. “Look, you see that guy there? We’re after him. We’re after Clouds. Leaving the underbosses alive will do nothing except paint a target on our backs. They don’t respect strength, they respect honor.”

  Maiko finished her cigarette and flicked it into the ashtray, letting her fingers run along the ornamental sword. “V, these people aren’t fucking samurai, okay? Now will you please just trust me on this, I trusted you to take care of the guards outside, now let me do my fucking job.” Oh, this bitch…

  Hang on… No, she’s not after Clouds at all… I had this all wrong.

  “Maiko,” I stopped her before she jacked them out, “Wait a minute… You’re out to replace Hiromi Sato, aren’t you?”

  She dropped her tablet to her side and looked back at me, “Uh-huh.”

  “Making you the new Tyger Claws lieutenant, I’m assuming.”

  “How the fuck else do you expect me to protect Clouds from other gangs?” she hissed, completely missing the point.

  I couldn’t stand this woman and her shit. “No, this isn’t what we agreed upon.”

  “Plans change, too late to back out now. Your little doll revolution’s already underway,” she smirked at me with that smug-ass look.

  “V? What’s she talkin’ about?” Judy suddenly chimed in over the phone, apparently overhearing our conversation.

  “Or you’re just too blind to see a golden opportunity right in front of you because your end-goals are clouding your judgement,” I fired back, “Don’t pretend like this isn’t some bid for personal ambition. You couldn’t care less about any of this, right? All you want is a cushy seat stitched with real leather, all donated by Hiromi Sato. Clouds is just a bonus to you.”

  “Please. Don’t get all sentimental,” she rolled her eyes and brought the tablet back up, “I’m bringing ‘em out now. Do not fuck this up. We need the Claws' muscle. You know this is what’s best for Clouds.” Yeah, right… All this will accomplish is inviting these potentially vengeful, bloodthirsty, drunk gangbangers into our home and asking them to protect us. Great plan.

  Both of the underbosses awoke at the same time, rubbing their eyes and setting the BD wreaths down. “Well, she’s no Parker, but it’ll have to do… wait, what is this?!” the man in white, Jun, panicked.

  “Living proof that Mr. Sato’s time is up,” Maiko said cryptically, “This merc has already disturbed Clouds once. She murdered Oswald Forrest. And now, she’s invaded Mr. Sato’s private residence. As if that were not enough… here’s where Mr. Sato’s sheer incompetence has led us to.”

  “V, what the fuck?!” Judy shouted through my earpiece.

  I have no idea, either… this woman has officially gone off the deep end. And Maiko has another thing coming if she thinks she can put me in a room with two Claws underbosses and they’re walking out of it alive. That’s a fucking joke that would make even the nastiest audience roar with laughter.

  The window blinds suddenly activated, shielding all natural light and allowing her to turn on the projector behind the group. Their attention turned to a display showing Tom and Roxanne standing over a pile of Claws, some unconscious, some cowering in fear.

  “What the hell?!” Marcus yelled back at Maiko and I. Maiko just stood there, grinning like a fucking schoolkid who’d just gotten away with stealing someone else’s homework.

  “I have long looked upon Hiromi Sato’s foolish, inept endeavors,” she spoke loudly to them, “But this… this proves he has outlived his usefulness.” She set the tablet down on the table in front of her, pulling up even more footage of the pair holding handguns to a Claws member now.

  “V, what the fuck’s she doin’…” Judy's voice seethed with fury.

  “Hiromi Sato’s time is up–”

  “Wait,” I stopped her mid-sentence, really pissing her off. Good.

  “V, let me do the talking, remember?” she pleaded to deaf ears.

  I took center-stage, drawing their attention away with a sinister glare. “My colleague and I hold… different interests, let’s say,” I looked back at her as she scoffed at me.

  “V, I’ll handle it!” she shouted.

  “You cannot even handle your own mercenary,” the boss on the left, Marcus, berated her.

  “As I was saying,” I continued, “My colleague and I are in the process of a hostile takeover of Clouds. It is now firmly under Mox control, as you can see.”

  “The Mox?!” the man in white, Jun, blurted out, “What is the meaning of this?!”

  Maiko stepped forward once more. “I’m trying–”

  “Excuse me,” I interrupted her again, “You'll have to forgive my colleague, she's kind of an idiot. She thinks that by killing Hiromi Sato, you will see fit to promote her to his position like this is Lord of the Flies or something.”

  “Excuse me?!” she yelled.

  I paid exactly zero attention to her rambling. “Sadly, her delusions turn Clouds into a footnote, doomed to be recaptured by you and your crew. This I cannot permit. So I will afford you the courtesy of walking out of here with your life, on the basis that you are never to set foot in Night City again, and no Tyger Claw be allowed within these premises again. We're declaring Megabuilding H8 and everything therein as Mox territory.” I get the feeling they won't take the deal, but it's still polite to offer.

  “Hmmph…” Jun grunted, getting up off the couch, “Hiromi will answer for his insolence later. But you - you and your mercenary will answer for yours now–HYYYUK!” I figured…

  –

  V instantly drew Shinden and plunged the sword straight into Jun’s gullet, the tip piercing through the back of his skull and sending his body into a violent seizure.

  As it writhed around uncontrollably, Marcus dove to Hiromi and roused him awake, the pair of them shooting up to meet the samurai. V kicked Jun’s body off Shinden, his lifeless corpse spilling on the other side of the couch as Marcus grabbed a military katana from beneath the coffee table.

  Hiromi, stunned and confused, attempted to launch himself behind the couch to grab the hidden SMG underneath, his efforts thwarted when V chopped both of his legs and most of his arm clean off. Shinden snapped off the wooden floorboards, bouncing up to meet Marcus’s katana strike before it hit home.

  Marcus never stood a chance. He tried for multiple follow-up strikes, each one parried in-turn in a flurry of metal, sending sparks shooting between them before his luck ran out. He aimed high and V went low, ducking underneath his blade and setting him up wide-open for a coup-de-grace.

  A quick transition to an icepick grip and a backstab through the armpit and out the spinal column spelled the end for the Tyger Claws underboss, having put up a fight for exactly two seconds.

  His life left him before Hiromi’s, still writhing on the ground and bleeding out, cursing and spitting as he tried to crawl to the hidden weapon. V put him out of his misery with a single stab to the back of the head like a lobster, retrieving her weapon and cleaning the blade off as she approached a vicious Maiko.

  –

  “V, what the hell was that?” she scolded me, “First you belittle me, then you fucking kill the bosses? All of them?! Are you insane? Who’s gonna protect Clouds now?!”

  “The Mox will, as we discussed,” I repeated, “As for you, well, since you wanted Mr. Sato’s position so badly, consider yourself promoted. Either leave Megabuilding H8 now and never come back, or I’ll finish redecorating this room with a little pink.”

  “Hm… I see you got everything planned out,” she grinned, looking all conceited again, “But you forgot one thing… I also have a dollchip.”

  ………Uh…

  …………………………………Is she serious? Does she not see the bodies…?

  …

  …

  Seriously…? She’s going to…

  …

  After all of…

  Okay, fine…

  –

  Maiko raised her fists, baring her teeth like a rabid animal about to pounce on V. Her brief moment of superiority didn’t last long, however, blindly rushing the experienced samurai with all the finesse and commitment of an old man slowly backing into a “No Parking” sign.

  V rotated Shinden in her hand, presenting the flat of the blade and backhand-smashing it into the side of Maiko’s temple hard enough to send the former doll reeling to the ground, clutching her head and groaning in pain. She spat out several teeth along with the usual blood and saliva, the blow so shocking that it totally dislocated her jaw and ruptured blood vessels across the entire right-side of her face, instantly swelling it up like a balloon.

  –

  “Well, I didn’t kill her…” I muttered into the phone, searching through the bodies for any valuable evidence or items, “Though it was definitely tempting.”

  “Wouldn’t have blamed you either way,” Judy said with a groan, “Elevator’s ready, come meet me outside, okay?”

  “Sure. How’re Tom and Roxanne?”

  “Made it out safe, don’t worry,” her voice was definitely reassuring. That’s good to hear… I was worried about them.

  Man, what a massive waste of everyone’s time… I can’t believe Maiko would actually try and pull a stunt like that. The Claws will surely be back, though without their leaders, they’ll likely be fighting with a blindfold on. And Maiko got put in her place and knows better than to show what's left of her face around here. Score one point for the Mox…

  –

  2 hours since the job and all I can do was look up at Megabuilding H8 as the sun set, Judy now on her second cigarette of the evening. It’d been a taxing battle – not physically, just mentally. Still, I had devoured a can of beans all the same to recuperate some of those lost calories.

  “I just can’t believe Maiko’d do somethin’ like that….” Judy pondered out-loud, “Probably had this planned the second we walked into her office… Jesus, am I a gonk…”

  I tried my best to comfort her as she flicked the ashes onto the window looking down at the Cherry Blossom Market below us. “Don’t be so hard on yourself, Judy… There’s a difference between being a gonk and believing that there’s still some good in people. We all wanted to avenge Evelyn – Maiko just used that against us. It’s not your fault.”

  “Yeah… it’s just… what if she’s right? What if you’re right?” she sighed, “What if I’d been impulsive and put everyone’s lives in danger for nothin’, for tryin’ to make a new Lizzie’s Bar or somethin’...”

  “Do you think that’s what you did?”

  She shook her head and pushed her hair back. Raindrops started falling down, trickling on the metal railing with a soothing melody. “I dunno… I just… I just wanted Evelyn’s memory to… I dunno…”

  I took her by the hand, throwing the cigarette away and grabbing onto her myself. “Hey, Judy…” I whispered to her, “You’re a good person. You wanted to do a good thing. There’s no shame in that. We’ll figure it out, okay?”

  “Mm…” she sighed deeply, “Thanks… I know you’re a good person, too. Don’t need to believe it. I just know it…” Judy tugged my hand in, pulling me close and giving me a kiss on the cheek as thanks. “Heh, you’re blushing…”

  “I… uh… wasn’t expecting that,” I replied with an awkward laugh. I could feel the blood flowing straight to my head… Fucking hell, Judy…

  “Thank you. For the advice, for helping out, and… well, everything… I’ll think about it. See if I can get Susie Q to help out,” she smiled before letting go and walking off, “I’ll call you later, okay?”

  “Okay, Judy,” I tried to reply as normally as I could, but my leg just kept tapping on the ground. I felt like I could fly to the moon right now and nothing would stop me. She even did that little twist as she left… She knows it drives me crazy. I know she knows it…

  Alright, time to hit the road again, I suppose. It’s a week before the parade – I guess it wouldn’t hurt to try some other leads between here and there. Wonder if there’s anywhere I haven’t looked yet. I suppose I could try Kabuki again? Plenty of hackers there… Maybe Dogtown? Nah, don’t be a fucking idiot, V… Uh… maybe Japantown’s underground…?

  God, just watching her walk is giving me goosebumps…

  Yeah… I have a crush on her. Here’s hoping everything works out with Susie Q, otherwise it’ll be the shortest hostile takeover in Night City history.