“Have a seat, Cap, be right with you,” Jenkins motioned towards the free chair in front of a desk larger than a king-size bed. He spun around in his chair so as not to be disturbed while he spoke into his headset. “Uh-huh… yeah, we’re online. Have to handle this voting issue before we lose our bases in the Sea of Clouds…” The moon…? What was he up to? I thought we were discussing Frankfurt. “They’re about to begin. What’s the situation?” he pulled up a live-feed of the European Space Council meeting.
I had a bad feeling about this… I couldn’t put a finger on it. But I trusted Jenkins implicitly. I’ve known this man for 11 years, ever since he hand-picked me for the Training Camp. Interviewed however-many candidates, and he went for the thief who placed a camera in the University dean’s office. The balls… Add onto that his record for decisions which, at the time, appear reckless, yet tactically brilliant in hindsight. It’s no wonder he shot up through the ranks this quickly. Funny because I wore the “teacher’s pet” moniker for several years when I started desk work in 2072. But that’s recently fallen by the wayside as another term resurfaced, one which he once used to describe me: “Ruthless.”
“Mmh,” he nodded, still talking on the phone before taking a seat, “Mhm, yeah, just as we thought…” The camera zoomed in on the council chambers, a squared-off table filled with the who’s who of diplomats and representatives from across Europe.
“You know what to do… start now.”
Suddenly several of them started twitching, and- wait-wait, what the fuck?! Holy shit, they’re dead!! He… he committed a cyberattack?!
“Fucking hell, Jenkins!” I shouted instinctively. He was about to retort when he immediately got another phone call, and I could guess exactly who was on the other end.
“Director Abernathy.” Of course the head of Spec Ops would call him immediately. He didn't even try and hide his handiwork...
“I watched the vote – what the Hell was that?” For once I’m on her side here.
“A deep clean. After the shit Frankfurt dumped on us. As we agreed – I got rid of the problem.” Jesus, what the fuck happened at Frankfurt?!
Okay, okay... Calm down... What the fuck just happened... Is... did we just murder the EEC?! This was extreme, even by Arasaka standards. Certainly by Counterintel. We weren't offensive, this is a dish best served by a subsidiary company, if anything... I... I really hope you know what you're doing, Jenkins...
“I told you to resolve the problem, not massacre the whole fucking European Space Council! Do you have any idea what this cleanup will cost?!”
“We would’ve lost the license, now we gained a week. That’s a win.” Oh, so that’s what this was about. The mass-driver we had on the moon, the one the ESC wasn’t privy to – someone must’ve leaked its information to information smugglers in Frankfurt. Okay, now I see why they called me in on this job.
“Path of least resistance. Always. Has you written all over it,” Abernathy critiqued, “We’re not done talking about this.” She hung up on him, likely planning some sort of shady retaliation as she normally does.
He rotated around in his chair and pounded his fist on the arm. “I hate that bitch… always have.”
“Mm, I know. Not the first time this has happened, either,” I nodded. While I shared his sentiments, he certainly made a bad case for himself today. A week isn’t nearly enough time to get our assets out of harm’s way. He needed to pull some serious heat out his ass for this one. Perhaps that’s why I’m here instead of my office.
“No, not the first time,” Jenkins lamented as he got up, “Walk with me.”
I still remember him telling me about the smear campaign she ran against him. The two of them worked for a year in Osaka while I was still wandering around the Concrete River like a young, naive idiot. She double-crossed Jenkins, nearly even had him killed. They don’t fuck around when they say it’s a cutthroat business. And there’s a reason why Abernathy was in the position she was – that’s what happens when you’re a certifiable psychopath in this industry.
“Bourbon okay? Don’t have any sake on-hand,” he kept his back to me as he poured a glass from his personal liquor cabinet – a real treat, indeed. Must be something important.
“Please.”
“Now we both know she won’t pull the trigger, despite her prejudices. You know why? Because she needs me. I do what she doesn’t have the guts to do. Use all my assets to accomplish multiple goals on multiple fronts which coalesce into one, unified vision.”
“Mm. Divide and conquer, an effective strategy since time immemorial.”
“Pff, ‘effective’...” he scoffed as he sipped his glass, “Tell me, V. What would you have done in my shoes? About Abernathy.”
“What about her, sir?”
“Hm. Say someone attacks you, your family. What do samurai do?”
"Sir...?"
"Just humor me."
“Alright, well... what all samurai do. Defend ourselves. Remind her that you’re not her personal doormat,” I asserted. While I wasn’t paid to question, I still found myself asking just what the fuck this publicity stunt was all about.
“You’re right,” he nodded, “Seems we see eye-to-eye on this issue… Say. Remind me why I gave you the name ‘V’?” He loved his redundant questions. I just learned to roll with the punches.
“Because “Valerie” has two letters not in my native language. No one expects me to be a Japanese native with such a name.”
“Precisely… clandestine, clean, and efficient. V, I have another op for you. Something… more up your old way of doing things.”
“Oh?” I raised an eyebrow as he moved to the couch, "Consider my interest piqued."
“Hah, knew that'd get your attention," he grinned, knowing full-well that I yearned for a good battle, "You specialize in gathering intelligence and executing your goals with extreme prejudice. A noble task you’ve since… expanded upon, in recent months with your freelance mercenary work.”
“Sir-”
“Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me, this isn’t about your little side-hustle,” he assured me, “No. This is far more important.”
“I’m listening.”
“Here, what I’ve collected over the past weeks,” he produced a datashard from under the coffee table, “Go on, take it.”
“Alright…” I clipped it into my neck, bringing up photographs of one Susan B. Abernathy.
“Biometrics, Trauma Team card, names of her closest associates – driver, lover, lover’s husband, you get the point.” Christ… Assassinating the Director of Special Operations… This… this is a deadly game he was playing.
“Sir, why are you giving me this?” I asked worriedly as I retrieved the shard from the port.
“I want you to use it. And make sure Abernathy won’t be a problem anymore. You said it – I have to defend myself. And while I’m no army Captain, much less samurai, you are.” Fucking hell, this was not good. I would burn for this like I was a fucking wicker man.
"Permission to speak?"
"Oh please, V, we've known each other for what, eleven, twelve years? Say your piece."
“Arthur... what you’re asking of me, it’s… If anyone finds out about this, we’ll both go down. You and me.”
“That’s true. Everyone believes you made it to where you are thanks to me, true or not.”
“Most people don’t know the whole story, sir. I prefer to keep it that way,” I shot back.
“Mm, but it’s not like people wouldn’t suspect you had a hand in it, even if you didn’t.”
“So it’s damned if you do, damned if you don’t. You’re not leaving me with much choice, sir.”
“This isn’t a request, V.” Yeah, of course it isn’t.
“With all due respect, you’re putting me in an impossible situation. You know what’ll happen if I hit the DSO. What’ll happen to you.”
“Hm. Then see to it that she has an accident before it gets to that point. Something to where only a select few people know the story. Take this, too.” He handed me a wad of 100,000 eurodollars.
“Hm. Cash, untraceable.”
“Better than whatcha got in the bank.”
“You know I have my own cash stashed away.”
“Sure, of course. Call it a consolation gift. This is out of my own pocket.” Hm. Some gift. “I trust you know what you’re doing.”
“Of course. I know the right people for the job. No corporate affiliation. Untraceable currency. Give me a week and it’ll be done.”
“Good, then I await your report. Dismissed, V.” Part of me hates that name already. “Here, take my personal AV.”
“Yes, sir.” I left his office feeling like I'd just signed my own death warrant. In all likelihood, that's exactly what I did. I appreciate the faith he has in my abilities, but it's only a matter of time before somebody here figures out that the round peg goes in the round hole. And then there will be a reckoning, with Jenkins' head on a pike - perhaps literally. I needed to think this over, give it a couple days… this was too much. Why would he do this… he wasn't normally this petty…
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
–
My assistant Carter eagerly stood outside of Jenkins’ office on the other side of the entryway. No one was allowed in without authorization, and it was a good 50-foot walk down the hall to even get to the door to the office itself. An intimidating, if isolating, position. Right now, though, I felt like I was walking out to meet the firing squad.
“Hey, I have those reports you asked for-”
“They were supposed to be ready yesterday,” I shot back, in no mood to deal with his shit.
“I-I know. But I have them now.”
“Right, whatever, fine, just drop them at my desk. Sorry, but I’m busy. Be back later.”
“Sure, uh, no problem,” he muttered as I took off towards the hangar bay.
So many thoughts raced through my head, though one in particular jumped out at me – why in all manner of living Hell would he ask me to do this. Okay – better question. I know why he selected me, because of our unique history together, with me being his most trusted advisor and my aptitude for expediting people’s tickets to the afterlife. But those days were long-gone as far as he was concerned; we were no longer at war. I got retrained and an officer's commission because we were supposed to be done with this. And here he comes, dragging me right back into the war again, this time against Arasaka itself? Is he insane?! Sure, Abernathy is a cunt, but I felt so deeply uncomfortable about this… Plus, there's the question of how long before Arasaka came to collect once the job was done. I can handle myself, but Jenkins? He's a con artist, at best. He was going down for this, whether he wanted to or not… I had to convince him otherwise…
I kept my blank affect on display to the world, yet I was so unbelievably hurt by this order. I still just couldn't process it… He knows what this means. Let’s say I succeed, then what? He takes her place? I don’t think so. Their feud was legendary; he would instantly fall under suspicion for organizing foul-play, especially if I took his office. Obviously all eyes would be on him as this loose-cannon, and me being the growling junkyard dog he kept around on a leash. That meant I’d go down too. Meanwhile, if I don’t do it, then Abernathy nails his ass to the wall and he’ll likely pay the ultimate price for it anyway, leaving me hopeless and friendless in a workplace that wanted me out. My life would turn into the world's greatest pile of shit overnight. This shard will be the death of us both. Hell, the fact that I even know about this makes me a liability. And Abernathy does like to cut her loose ends quite frequently. Wonderful.
I signed myself out and immediately called up Jackie on the holo and asked where he was. Said he was hanging out at Lizzie’s Bar – well, then Lizzie’s it is. This will mark the first time I’d ever roped him into corporate work, but I wouldn’t trust anyone else with such an important task. No – it had to be Jackie.
Funny, the news said all the ESC people were wearing Biotechnica decks. Hm, passing the buck – not bad. But not good enough. You were sloppy, Jenkins… But why… You were my friend, the one reason I came to work. You trusted me, and I trusted you in return… And this is what I get? I just couldn’t wrap my head around it…
“Scream,” I heard my mother say in the back of my mind. Part of me wanted to. So desperately.
I never thought I'd yearn to be back on the front lines again. But I'd genuinely rather be there than here. Fuck this.
Of course, on the way there, I had to deal with this fucking “spiritual guru” again. Gave me a call, said that my stress levels were way out-of-whack. Yeah, I can’t imagine why… He told me that I should just cut out all the negative energy and stresses in my life, focus on my spirtual growth instead. So I did just that and hung up on his pompous ass. One stress source down, dozens more to go.
-
The bar is Mox-controlled, typically they hate corpos. The one downside of coming here – no weapons allowed, so I had to check in my sword with the rooftop bouncer. “Mm, nice knife,” she grinned, “Don’t worry, I’ll leave it at the front desk for ya.”
“Thanks.” I headed inside and met up with Jackie, sitting on the far end at the lower floor, enjoying some good house music. Normally I’d be thrilled to see him, but right now I dreaded it worse than any other. I didn’t want to involve him in this, but I’m pretty sure I had no other choice, really.
“Don’t come here often, do yah, heheh,” he laughed as the woman walked downstairs with my sword in-tow. “Yeah, don’t worry, they’ll take good care of it. ‘S good to see ya, though… What’s the matter? Said you wouldn’t talk about it on the holo.” I still consider it one of the highights of my life when I was adopted into the Welles family. Though I do very much disdain asking for his help, I really didn't have a choice… not for this job.
“Yeah, not today. The walls have ears…”
“Mm, understood,” he nodded, “Got sparks flyin’ between the Valentinos and Maelstrom, myself. Good money, long as we don’t get flatlined.”
“Well we’re pretty used to Maelstrom by now.”
“Hah, don’t I know it. Anyway, we ain’t here to shoot the shit about me. Sorry. So what’s got your panties in a knot?”
“Yeah… well, uh…” I muttered, “Look, this has to stay between us, okay?”
“Sure, of course.”
“I’m serious, Jackie. This job… it could bury me. Literally and figuratively.”
“So could I. You forget how long we known each other? How many skeletons I know hide in your closet? Mexico, the cartels, the desert… You're my sister, I'm not goin' anywhere.”
“Yeah, I know,” I sighed, knowing deep-down that he knows exactly how much I’m not telling him as well, “Alright, here.” I handed him the datashard and he plugged it in, having a quick glance-through of the material.
“Hey, chin up,” he interrupted, “You look paler than the ghost of Christmas past.”
“Sorry… well, uh, you can see what I have ahead of me.”
“Mhm. Won’t come cheap,” he pondered, “And it’ll have to be done on the sly. No trail – hard eddies only.”
“Don’t insult my intelligence, Jackie.”
“Right, right, just thinkin’ out loud, chica, chill.”
“Sorry, um… sorry. Look, it’s been a long day, I don’t mean to lose my temper-”
“Hey, it’s okay,” he reassured me, putting his massive hand on my shoulder before throwing the shard on the table and taking a shot of what looked like tequila. “Right, full-crew job. Too big for two. We’ll need a techie… hm,” he thought, “Maybe a ‘runner… an’ a driver with wheels like hell.”
“What, don’t trust my Skyline?”
“V, no offense, but your car’s an ancient piece of shit compared to what we need for a good getaway car. ‘Sides, ain’t no way you can squeeze someone bigger than a double leg amputee in the back seat.”
“Okay, fair point…”
“Not to mention… a solo.”
“Huh. The piece I’m missing,” I grinned.
“That what you need from me? Triggerman to zero this lady?”
“Nah. Backup. I can take care of my own problems, don’t worry.”
“Hey, I know, I know. But let’s face it, you ain’t the best shot in the world, and if we’re doin’ this in a way to keep you free and clear, the last thing we need’s a big-ass fuckin’ slash right down her midsection. Pretty much a dead-giveaway who done it then.”
“Hah, alright, you win,” I conceded. It was fairly obvious, considering who the hell else would use a sword almost exclusively in combat against someone of Abernathy's caliber.
“Well, you know me, always sunshine and rainbows, but this? This ain’t my style. And it’s not yours either.”
“I know it’s not. But that’s not how Arasaka operates, Jackie. Either I do this job, or I’m dead.”
“And if you take it, they might end up killin’ you anyway. You’re military, you know how this shit works. I’m not doin’ it, and you shouldn’t either…” he called over the waitress and removed a pair of shots from the tray. “Here. Double tequila and lime. Nothin’ better to calm those nerves. C'mon, let’s raise a toast.”
I obliged him and picked up the glass. “To this,” I smiled.
“Fuck, was that a toast?" he reeled back, confused as anything, "The fuck does that mean? You raise a glass to your girl, your best friend, your mother, but not ‘this’. Doesn’t say a damn thing! …Sheesh, to this,” he reciprocated and we both downed the shot. Nice and spicy – certainly a contrasting flavor to the whiskey from before. “This job, and all the rest of that corpo bullshit, y’know what it is? Pact with the Devil. Been sayin’ it all along. You’re sellin’ your soul to these bastards, V.”
“Yeah, I know… I know.”
“Today, they getchou to zero somebody. Tomorrow, somebody gonna zero you.”
“And what, think I have a choice? I walked into that office and walked out a dead woman,” I cursed as he got up and leaned against the divider between our table and the dance floor.
“Or a free woman, dependin’ on whether you have the balls to go against ‘em finally,” he continued.
“Jackie, I-”
“Nah, V. Work for yourself. Live for yourself. Only way to be.”
“That might fly with you. But me, I’m still well within their reach.”
“You’ll always be within their re-” Who the fuck- wait. Fucking hell. They found us. I don’t know how… Fuck, the AV? Shit, so they’re onto Jenkins already… She works fast.
“Captain Valerie Tokai, I presume. Come with us,” they interjected, totally ignoring Jackie’s protests as he popped up his collar and sized himself up. I waved him off for now, not wanting him to antagonize these people who would surely have his head if he did something stupid.
“Mm, and you’re from HQ. What’s the story?”
“We’re here for you,” the leader said bluntly, “Jenkins assigned you a task today. You’re gonna share all the details with us.”
“Oh? Name and department again? Sorry, didn’t catch it the first time-a-eehh…”
The world went dizzy… fuzzy… hazy.
My arms felt heavy, I can barely breathe…
“How you feeling? Pretty sharp dive, huh,” he taunted me, “Access to company privileges is hereby revoked. In two minutes, any cyberware that is company property will cease functioning.” He leaned in close to me as I panted and dry-heaved, “Give us the data Jenkins shared with you. This will conclude termination procedures.”
I wasn’t too worried – I didn’t exactly have many implants. But Jenkins – he was loaded. And now I just involved Jackie… Fuck. FUCK! Everything’s gone… I’ve… lost control… FUCK!! Jenkins… I just knew… There’s no way he made it. No way… Jenkins… I can’t believe this. I can’t… I’ll have her head for this. I don’t care how long it takes. I'm going to spill that bitch's blood if it’s the last thing I do… Fucking… Jenkins, please… Why did you do this to me… What did I do…
“Fine… data’s on the shard,” I stuttered, glaring over at the table. Seeing as Jenkins was likely dead either way (with me not far behind) and they were gonna find it whether I wanted them to or not, probably for the best if we just got this shit over and done with…
“Smart choice,” he nodded, handing his henchman the shard who confirmed its authenticity.
“We done here…?” I managed to coax out of my wheezing lungs.
“With the formalities, yes. But I think Abernathy would gladly up our fee for ridding the world of a piece of rot like you. Stand up, you’re comin’ with us-”
“Whooa, hold up,” Jackie suddenly stepped forward, “I think you fellas had forgotten just how far from home you are.”
Jackie got right up in the face of the man with the shard still in his neck. “Don’t think this bar’s your style, let alone a healthy option… You feel me?”
“Is that a threat?” he shot back, but Jackie remained entirely unphased.
“Well, you start shootin’, someone else might join in. Don’t want anyone to die today… get the memo?”
“Hm,” he shook his head, apparently seeing it as not worth the trouble, “We have what we came for,” the leader growled in my face, “It’ll do for now.”
They walked off through the front door with Jackie standing guard. “Whoooa, dodged a bullet there, eh? Don’t worry, they’re gone,” he looked back at me, “Hey, you okay? Don’t look so good.”
“Jac…kie… I can’t… breathe…” I said through gritted teeth. “Fuck… my microrotors are shot…”
“Mm, and Vik just repaired those puppies, too. Gonna be pissed. Need help?”
“No, I’m okay… just that and, uh… I think… fuck, everything’s down… They cut off my hormone regulators, dumped the supply into my bloodstream, I’m guessing… body’s just gotta adjust… It won’t kill me, just… my body can’t deal… I can’t deal…”
“Hey, hey! Should we get you to Vik’s? Or, I guess, is Trauma Team on the way?”
“No, Jack, no Trauma Team anymore… I mean, everything’s gone, Jack. EVERYTHING. They didn’t just blacklist me, they seized my bank account! Seized!”
“Jesus, these fuckers move fast… Luckily you still got most of your cash, right?”
“It's not just that, Jackie, for fuck’s sake! My rank… implants… job… and my car… Fuck, my Porsche…”
“Yeah, you can kiss that one goodbye, sorry… Don’t worry about the Skyline, though. I’ll talk to Padre, see if he can get it safe and sound, okay?”
“You better… Fuck… Hell of a way to let you know you’re no longer needed… FUCK!” I shouted, catching the eyes of a few customers.
“Ey, ey, take it easy,” he slowly sat me up, “You're okay, you're just havin' a panic attack, it'll pass, okay? This is good news, yeah?”
“What?! Jackie, I just lost control of my entire career. My life! What the fuck am I gonna do now?! They’ll have my head for this!”
“Not while I’m around, they won’t,” he reassured me, “Besides, they got what they wanted, right? So I say, no. This is good news. You didn’t lose your life. I say you got it back.”
“Jackie… Everything I ever was, I poured into Arasaka… I busted my ass for them…”
“You couldn’t say ‘no’ to ‘em, chica. So they said it to you. This’ll be a turn for the better, you’ll see. ‘Sides, you haven’t lost everything.”
“Oh? You about to wax lyrical on me about how I still have the one true friend?”
“Hah, that, your sword, your car, a nice wad of cash from your boss, your savings, and your integrity,” he smiled, “Don’t worry, you’ll be okay. Promise. Just breathe, chica.”
“Yeah… I… I don’t know.”
“Hey, you gave me a second chance at life, lemme return the favor.”
“I just don’t… Fuck, Jackie… Arasaka… I gave over a decade of my life to these people.”
“And they threw you to the wolves. Welcome to Night City, hope you enjoy your stay,” he frowned, “Here, let’s go home.”
“Jackie, just… promise me we’ll be okay. The both of us.”
“Swear on my life.”
“Okay… okay. Okay. Fucking… Okay.”
“You good?”
“No, I’m really not… but thanks, Jack.”
“Hey, what’re brothers for,” he smiled, “Let’s get outta here, go pick up your Skyline. Got a garage behind El Coyote Cojo, we’ll put it there.”
“Then after that, onto Vik’s,” I nodded.
“And then the start of your new life. That’s right, chica. Buckle up, gonna be a wild one. No more desk jobs for you.”
“I can get behind that,” I smiled and let him help me up. I guess, in a way, I joined the 27 Club today... I didn't know what to even think... Did... Did I just get fired? After all this time... the blood I've spilled for Arasaka... How?! How could they?! Jackie's right… I needed to reassess. Think this through… One thing's for sure, though… At least I wouldn't be alone this time.
Here we go…