Victor's Clinic
It had been quite some time since Victor and Jackie last saw each other, and now they sat in the clinic, catching up like old friends.
"Not gonna lie, Vic, your clinic's lookin' real nice," Jackie said, glancing around. "Way more professional than those sketchy street-side chop shops. Haven't seen you at the club lately. Been too busy running this place?"
Victor chuckled. "That's part of it. I'm getting old, Jackie. Watching the matches is still fun, but getting back in the ring? My bones don't agree anymore. But I did stop by the club a few times and didn't see you either. What's going on? Life keeping you busy?"
"Don't even start," Jackie groaned. "The gang gave me a so-called promotion, but I'm still doing grunt work—just with more responsibility and no raise. It's a fancy title with no perks. Haven't had time to even watch a match, let alone get in one."
Victor laughed. "Sounds like you're climbing the ladder, like it or not. So what brings you here today? Didn't think you'd spare time for an old doc like me."
Jackie rubbed the back of his head, sighing. "You've heard the chatter, right? Arasaka and Militech are hiring left and right. It's like they're grabbing every gun off the street."
"Yeah, business has been booming around here because of it."
"Exactly. With so many mercs working for the corps, gang tensions cooled a bit. Makes it easier for low-tier folks like me to sneak in a break now and then."
Victor nodded, his expression thoughtful. "Still, something feels off. The corps are stocking up on manpower, but the streets are unusually quiet. Like the calm before a big storm."
"Yeah, well, that's for the top dogs to worry about."
Just then, the nearby TV caught Jackie's attention with a breaking news alert.
"Hold up, Vic. Turn up the volume!"
The screen showed chaotic footage of Crescent Street, engulfed in smoke and debris.
"This is WNS. Moments ago, a major firefight erupted on Crescent Street between Arasaka and Militech forces. The NCPD has placed the area under lockdown. Several casualties have been confirmed. As of now, neither corporation nor the NCPD has released an official statement. We now take you live to the scene—"
Jackie's eyes widened. "Shit, I knew it! Nothing good ever comes out of corp beefs."
"Easy, Jackie. V and Yogan already decided to pull out. They were only supposed to pick up their payment from the fixer. With all this chaos, the corps probably weren't even after them. Still, better safe than sorry."
Just then, Misty walked in, holding two steaming cups of coffee.
"Perfect timing, Misty. Come lend us a hand," Victor said.
Jackie headed toward the door. "I'm gonna go scout Crescent Street. Maybe I can find out what really went down—"
At that moment, V pushed open the door and stepped in with Yogan right behind her.
"Wait—Jackie, Vic—what's going on? Something happen?" V asked, noticing the tense expressions.
Jackie blinked. "Wait, what? You didn't go to Crescent Street?"
"Of course we did. We just came back from there."
"Then how come…"
Victor held up a hand. "That's enough, Jackie. They're here, and they're safe. That's what matters most. Whatever happened, we'll talk about it inside."
V and Yogan stepped into the clinic. A woman followed behind them—elegant, composed, and unfamiliar.
Victor discreetly sized her up. "And who might you be?"
The woman gave a polite nod. "Allow me to introduce myself. Qiu Shui Xue Yue. I'm the real employer of Ms. V and Mr. Yogan. May I know how to address you all?"
"Victor Vector. That's Misty back there, and the guy by the door is Jackie."
"A pleasure," she said with a slight bow.
Jackie pulled V aside, whispering, "What the hell happened, chica?"
"It's a long story…"
V quickly gave Jackie a brief summary of what happened on Crescent Street.
He stared at her, stunned. "You seriously got dragged into that mess?"
V sighed. "I didn't have a choice. She bought Trauma Team coverage for Tracie. I owed her."
Jackie shook his head. "Alright, chica. Just be careful, okay?"
"I will. But Jackie—I need a favor."
"After everything we've been through? Just say it. You don't need to ask like I'm a stranger."
"Look after Yogan and Tracie. Yogan got pulled into this because of me. If anything happens to me—"
Jackie cut her off. "You know I've got your back. I'll make sure they're safe. But you better make it back too."
On the other side of the room, Yogan placed a small package on the table. Inside was heavily damaged cyberware.
"This is all that's left of the target."
Qiu Shui Xue Yue's eyes narrowed. "I assume you've already examined it?"
"Yes. We managed to extract some residual data, but not much. Whoever took this person out did it in seconds. The target was an Arasaka agent—very heavily augmented."
She turned to Victor. "Dr. Vector, may I use your clinic's equipment? I'll compensate you, of course."
Victor waved her off. "No need for payment. Go ahead."
She connected the cyberware to the scanner, checked a few settings, then lay down in the surgical chair.
"One last favor, Dr. Vector."
"Name it."
"I need to deep dive into the data. Please monitor my vitals."
"Of course."
"Thank you."
As her consciousness slipped into the data stream, her body went limp.
Victor focused on the monitors. V leaned against the wall, arms crossed, lost in thought. Misty had gone back to her shop. The clinic's basement was filled with the soft hum of machines and a heavy silence.
Jackie nudged Yogan with his elbow. "So, man, what's next for you after all this?"
Yogan gave a sheepish shrug. "No idea. I only just got to Night City."
"You don't plan on becoming a merc?"
"Not really my thing. I'm not cut out for violence."
Jackie grinned. "Don't worry, I wasn't gonna recruit you into the Valentinos. My family runs a bar. We're short on help. You ever consider slinging drinks instead of dodging bullets?"
Yogan chuckled. "Thanks, Jackie. I'll check it out once we finish helping V."
Moments later, Qiu Shui Xue Yue opened her eyes and sat up.
"Alright, Ms. V, Mr. Yogan. I'll be taking this cyberware with me. I've just transferred the remaining payment. The job is complete. It's been a pleasure working with you."
She packed up the cyberware and walked out.
Jackie stared after her. "Wait, that's it? That's how this ends?"
Yogan let out a long breath. "Looks like it."
But Victor was still watching the door, expression unreadable.
V stepped closer. "Vic? You okay?"
He rubbed his chin slowly. "I think I know her."
"You mean Qiu Shui Xue Yue?"
"Yeah. I've seen a photo of her… when she was maybe four. Could be wrong, but..."
Victor reached under the desk and pulled out a hidden journal.
"This belonged to an old friend. He asked me to help find his daughter."
He flipped to a worn page and pulled out a real photograph—rare in the age of digital everything. It showed a woman in a kimono holding a young girl. Both had similar features to Qiu Shui Xue Yue—especially the eyes.
Victor turned the photo over. On the back was a message:
"To my beloved — Victoria and Asuna — Raphael Valleaut."
Victor tapped the picture. "She looks just like the mother. Softer, but it's her."
He looked up. "V, Yogan—when you met her, did either of you notice anything strange?"
V frowned. "She seemed cold and professional, but nothing too unusual."
Yogan hesitated, raising his hand slightly. "Maybe I imagined it… but when we first met her at the motel, she felt different. Not just in tone, but… I don't know. Like she was wearing a mask."
"What do you mean by that? Be specific."
"At first, during her call, she was very authoritative—strict, even. But at the motel, she came off more… human? Her voice softened. Like she was trying to remember how to feel something."
Victor's eyes narrowed. "I was afraid of that."
He stared back at the photo, deep in thought.