"To be honest, V, I think someone must really hold a grudge against us for all the smack we've talked behind their back. Whoever's on the other end of that line is definitely messing with us on purpose."
Yogan looked at the street sign for Akagi Street and felt like breaking down. He and V had been circling around Charter Hill for ages, following the instructions from the message, only to find themselves right back near where they started.
V didn't say anything, but her expression made it obvious—she was seriously pissed off.
According to the last message V had received, their destination was this inconspicuous little motel right in front of them.
V and Yogan walked into the motel. The front desk clerk, dressed far too casually for his job, was lounging behind the counter watching a braindance. Judging by the occasional shudders he gave, it had to be a particularly... intense kind of braindance.
The lobby and hallways were decently tidy, but the area behind the front desk? Not so much.
Next to the computer he was supposed to be using for work was a mountain of bottles and cans—mostly different beer brands. Right beside that was a literal pile of cigarette butts and ashes that looked like it hadn't been cleaned in weeks.
V frowned and tried to find the service bell buried somewhere among the clutter. She accidentally knocked over some bottles while rummaging through the mess, but the noise didn't even register with the guy glued to his braindance.
Finally, she found the dust-covered bell underneath some crushed beer cans.
Ding-ling~~
Heh-heh~~
The clerk just kept grinning at his screen like an idiot.
Yogan could've sworn he saw a pulsating vein pop out on V's forehead.
Bang!
V smashed her fist down on the bell.
Thud!
That old-school mechanical bell let out the last ring of its life.
As V retired the bell with a single punch, she yelled, "Hey, buddy, get us a room!"
The guy finally snapped out of his trance, just barely lifting his braindance headset to reveal his alcohol-reddened eyes and get a look at his customers. Then, he lowered the gear again and mumbled, "Rates and keys are on the wall behind me. Pick whatever room you want and pay up. Grab the key yourself."
V laughed incredulously. "Are you serious, man? Is this how you do business?"
The clerk lifted his headset again and squinted at V's scowling face, then slowly stood up. Even standing a bit behind her, Yogan could catch the stink of cheap booze coming off him.
Leaning in, the guy sized up V from head to toe, then said, clearly and slowly, "Stay if you want. If not, get lost." Then he plopped back into his chair and pulled the headset back on. Under his breath, he muttered, "Damn, I get paid peanuts and still have to deal with drama queens."
Yogan quickly grabbed V's arm. "Cool it, girl. Not worth it. We've got a job to do—don't let this idiot get to you…"
It took all his effort to hold back V, who looked like she was about to smash the clerk's skull in. Then, Yogan went behind the counter and followed their instructions, picking up the key for Room 305. He led V, who was now silently fuming against the wall, up the stairs.
"Gotta say, this motel is weird. Didn't expect they still used physical keys."
"In Night City, weird's just Tuesday. With customer service like that, maybe they're too broke to upgrade."
Yogan chuckled awkwardly. "Relax, we're finally about to meet that hacker."
They arrived at Room 305.
Yogan unlocked the door. The room was dimly lit, with the curtains still drawn. V stepped in behind him and shut the door.
Yogan walked in further, and his eyes slowly adjusted to the gloom. That's when he saw her—standing silently in the shadows by the window was a woman in a black suit.
V noticed her too and immediately drew her gun. "Should've known. The only one capable of hacking two corpo agents... would be another corpo."
The woman in the shadows turned around, her voice cold and distant. "I suggest you calm down, Miss V. If I allowed you to bring a weapon to this meeting, it means I have the means to handle you. There's no need to turn this into a conflict. We share a common goal, don't we?"
She stepped forward into the light, directly into the path of V's gun. Only then did Yogan get a good look at her.
The woman looked very young, just over twenty. Her outfit—wine red and black—was unmistakably Arasaka style. The emblem on her collar confirmed it. Like Yogan, she showed no signs of cyberware on her body.
V kept her weapon trained on her. "What's to stop me from believing that a corpo like you won't sell us out once you get what you want?"
The woman remained unfazed, her expression icy and unreadable. "I understand your concern, Miss V. That's why I'm willing to pay you a portion of your reward upfront, as a sign of good faith."
Just then, V's comm lit up with an incoming call. She glanced at the ID—and her face instantly changed.
"You corpo bitch, if anything happens to her, I'll blow your head off right here!"
She answered the call. "Tracy? Where are you?"
A young girl's voice came through. "V, did you and Dad do something bad? Where did you get the money to pay for Trauma Team's service?"
"What?"
"A whole Trauma Team squad just showed up and said I'm a platinum member. I think they've got the wrong person, but they insist it's correct. I'm calling you from their AV right now…"
"This is… complicated."
"Where's Dad?"
V paused for a second. "We're working right now. I'll call you later, sweetheart."
"Okay… Please be safe."
V hung up.
The woman crossed her arms, tone still flat. "A one-year platinum Trauma Team membership. I hope that's enough to show my sincerity. Now it's your turn, Miss V. Shouldn't you respond in kind?"
V gritted her teeth, then finally lowered her weapon. "What do you want?"
The woman sat down on a nearby armchair, crossing her legs gracefully. "I'm glad we can cooperate, Miss V. Let me introduce myself. Qiu Shui Xue Yue, Arasaka Counter-Intel Division, Level Two Agent. Those who've worked with me call me... V."
"Valerie. The people who know me call me 'V' too."
Qiu Shui Xue Yue turned to Yogan. "And you are?"
"Yogan."
"That's just a name."
"Well, now you've got me stumped. How do I prove I'm really me?"
"Everyone leaves a trace. Birth records, medical history, education, employment—dig deep enough and you'll find something. A person isn't just an individual, but also their social connections."
She stared at Yogan like she was trying to pull every secret out of him.
"But you're different. You have no past. You're like an ink blot on a blank page."
Qiu Shui Xue Yue stood and circled Yogan, inspecting him from every angle. Then she leaned in close and whispered, "More importantly, you have no cyberware. You appeared out of nowhere, mister. So tell me—who are you really?"
Yogan smiled. "It's simple, really. We're just contractors. You pay us, we get the job done. Who I am doesn't really concern you, Miss Corpo V. No matter how deep you dig, Arasaka isn't going to be paying my pension."
Qiu Shui Xue Yue stared into his eyes. Then her lips curled into the faintest of smirks. "The body doesn't lie. Especially a body without cyberware. You're scared."
Yogan's fake smile dropped instantly.
Ignoring V's re-raised gun, Qiu Shui Xue Yue calmly returned to her chair.
"You two are braver than most."
A flash of blue light appeared in her eyes—€10,000 had just been transferred to V's account.
"What's this? We haven't even done anything yet."
"Bravery deserves reward. I know Johnson offered you that amount. But now that our middleman is... out of the picture, if you handle this well, I'll even throw in his cut. Think of this as your advance."
Qiu Shui Xue Yue clasped her hands together and stared at V as she slowly lowered the gun...
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