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elvenbeard · 8 months

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Fortune

Cyberpunk 2077 Fanfic

Summary: Some puzzle pieces are beginning to fall into place... Maybe there is a much more tangible reason for V's recent symptoms that cannot solely be attributed to what happened at Mikoshi? But who is involved, and who isn't... and how crazy of a coincidence was necessary to even get V on their tracks? (Post-Sun-Ending, mostly canon-compliant, Chapter 10/?, 7814 words, Kerry Eurodyne/V - notes at the end) >> Previous Chapter >> Read from the Beginning

V’s eyes snapped open the moment Kerry flicked the gear shift into park. The engine was still running when he opened the passenger side door and got of the car, stumbling more than walking. In his right hand he tightly clutched his mug containing Vik’s pills, but he briefly had to lean against the car’s hood at a sudden onset of dizziness.

“V!” Kerry called after him, rushed out of the car. They were parked right by the side entrance to Vik’s clinic. Too out in the open for V’s taste really, but it was the subtlest way in.

“Easy now…” Kerry carefully reached for his shoulder.

“I’m fine,” V panted, pushing himself upright again against Kerry’s gentle but firm grip.

“Yeah, clearly…”

“Can you open the door, please,” V gestured towards the metal gate leading to the alley behind Misty’s Esoterica. Kerry hesitated, looked him up and down. His face glitched out of V’s vision occasionally, accompanied by blinding pain. V tried not to let it show, but Kerry had seen him like this before, he saw right through any semblance of a façade he tried to uphold.

V had lost count of how many times he’d visited Vik’s clinic, but never before had he been so paralyzed by dread. Breathing hurt, his throat was dry and tight. Kerry stayed close by, one hand lingering near V at all times, ready to grab him. The alleyway was cold and dark, illuminated by green and pink and blue neon ads. The wide lattice door at the bottom of the narrow staircase was shut and Kerry slipped past V to open it for them.

“V, you don’t look good at all,” Kerry said with urgency and worry.

“Uncalled for!” V tried to joke, but his voice only came out strained, sounded weird to his own ears. Kerry didn’t laugh, instead his frown grew even deeper.

Not even two hours had passed since V had crushed the pill bottle, but his headache had increased exponentially. Despite taking a double dose of Fuentes’ painkillers, in addition to some over-the-counter stuff they’d still had at home, his brain was clawing against the inside of his skull like a feral animal trapped in a too-small cage.

“Vik?” V called into the dimly lit and quiet clinic. The TV on the corner desk was running as always, but muted. A slight gust of wind entering with them rustled the plastic tarps dividing the operating area from the rest of the clinic. The operating light was off, the monitors by the examination chair dark. No other clients or patients were here, and no Viktor in sight.

“Vik, we gotta talk!” V barked, and his voice hurt in his ears, optical glitches blurring his vision and he flinched.

No response still. V’s chest grew even tighter as they stepped further inside.

“V, c’mon, sit down,” Kerry urged, “Not sure I can catch ya if you pass out…”

V only half listened, the pain droning in his ears. But then finally quick footsteps, slashing through the silence. Viktor appeared from a corner in the back where he stored spare tech and meds.

“V… Kerry?” he said with a surprise that seemed earnest, wiping his hands on a clean rag looped into his belt. He looked them up and down, eyes lingering on the mug in V’s hand and then the little ziplock bag with pill crumbs Kerry was holding.

“What’s wrong kid, ya look terrible? C’mon sit down…”

V opened his mouth to respond… but the next thing he remembered was a screamed curse, hands tearing at his jacket, and then cold, all-encompassing darkness.

“… do the trick,” Vik’s voice was a distant blur, but at the same time his words lifted a weight from V’s chest. He gasped for air and opened his eyes.

“There we go,” Vik said, hand on V’s shoulder holding him down, “Easy now, V, easy. Lay low for a couple o’ minutes.”

V had to blink a few times against the bright lights above, Vik just a looming shadow. His heart was hammering against his sternum as he laid on his back on the hard cold ground. He realized someone held his legs propped up, was gently rubbing his thigh... Kerry knelt by his side. Vik got up and ejected the freshly used needles from his med applicator into the nearby trash can, then put the injector down by the examination chair before he returned.

“What happened?” V asked, weirdly out of breath, but much to his relief his headache had decreased to a distant throbbing that he’d manage to ignore.

“Ya went out like a light, but that’s all we know so far,” Vik said calmly.

“Scared the shit out of me ‘s whatcha did,” Kerry muttered through his teeth, and only now V managed to look up at him, fully registered the terror in his eyes, how pale and tense he was. He wanted to apologize, reach out and hold his hand, but his limbs were as heavy as the concrete floor he laid on.

“One thing’s for sure… good it happened here, and not out on the street or while ya were drivin’,” Viktor then nodded, “Kerry said you weren’t taking your meds. I injected you with a similar cocktail. Won’t last forever, shouldn’t even use it regularly. Much stronger concentration all at once, you’ll probably feel like you ran into a wall for the next few hours. And sure as hell I’ll bill ya for it, the meds cost a small fortune on their own already.”

The slight anger that swung with his words, born from worry, subsided. Vik patted him on the shoulder.

“But at least it brought you back for now.”

“Thanks, Vik…” V said and closed his eyes for a couple of moments, trying to recollect his thoughts, remember why they were at the clinic in the first place.

“Anyone wanna tell me why you’re not taking your pills by the way?” Vik then wondered out loud, beating V to breaching the topic, “And why you came walkin’ in here like a pair of loan sharks?”

V let out a deep breath.

“Um…” Kerry then said sheepishly, “V discovered somethin’ weird in the pills he’s gotten from you. We just wanna make sure it’s supposed to be in there. Know what it does.”

“Somethin’ weird?”

Kerry handed over the ziplock bag and now Viktor sighed.

“V, that stuff’s - …”

“Fuckin’ expensive, I know,” V interrupted and then opened his eyes again, looking up at Vik, “Didn’t crush them on purpose. But glad now I did.”

Viktor raised his eyebrows.

“Stay there a little while longer, I’ll have a look,” he ordered, “What… am I even lookin’ for?”

“Little metal scraps,” V said.

“Impurities?”

“You tell me once you see ‘em.”

Viktor nodded and got up to walk to his desk. V’s eyes wandered back to Kerry, who clung to his legs still.

“Been a while since that happened, huh?” V said in an attempt to ease his tension.

“Coulda done without it ever happenin’ again,” Kerry muttered.

In the background, the ziplock bag was rustling, and metallic tools scratching and clinking and scraping, giving V goosebumps. He finally regained enough control over his arms to reach up to his face, his nose, but found no fresh blood upon examining his fingertips. All things considered that at least was a relief.

Viktor hummed somewhere behind them, pensive and confused.

“Whatever that is,” he then said, “’s not s’pposed to be in your pills, no.”

“Fuck,” Kerry cursed, eyes growing wider, and V struggled to sit up.

“Woah, slowly, please,” Kerry urged but helped him, holding on and giving support. V was a lot less dizzy and in pain than before, but still thankful to have someone to lean against. Vik had a point about the “ran-into-a-wall” thing.

“Who’s your supplier?” V asked.

“Gal I’ve known for 15 years, she’s reliable,” Vik said promptly. He was sitting on his swivel chair and spun around to face V and Kerry now, the pill crumbs emptied onto a tray on his desk behind him.

“Everyone’s reliable until they’re paid enough by someone who doesn’t want them to be,” V said, calm and calculating, but Viktor shook his head.

“Not her, no. I don’t think so.”

“You seem awfully sure…” V said, tone biting, and Kerry dug his fingers into his shoulder to hold him back.

“V, I’d trust this girl with my life,” Viktor said, “We’ve got a history, just how you and I do. Goin’ back even further. She’s manufacturing this and similar stuff to order and she gets her due share. She’s built his biz up from scratch over a decade, has many buyers, she wouldn’t just throw it out the window for some extra cash.”

“Her name…”

“V…” Kerry urged.

Viktor sighed.

“Ava Jordan Lowe,” he said, “Goes by AJ, or 4cid. Not like you wouldn’t figure it out on your own anyway, sooner or later…”

Indeed, V would have Nix run a background check on this cook as soon as possible.

“What’s that stuff, the metal bits?” Kerry then changed the topic.

“I can’t say for sure,” Viktor shrugged, looking back at the tray, “Could be impurities, but no idea where they’d come from. At least I’ve never seen anythin’ like it, not this… consistent.”

“Nanites?” V then just uttered his own suspicion, and the room grew even quieter.

“Also crossed my mind,” Viktor said darkly, tightly intertwining his fingers, “And that’s way above my paygrade. We could do a quick scan though, just to make sure you’re up and running as normal.”

“I’m not,” V said, “And if it turns out it’s because someone’s been feeding me malware with the pills you said would help me…”

“Vince…” Kerry urged once more, and V closed his eyes and took another deep breath. His heart just wouldn’t stop racing.

“What do you mean?” Viktor then asked after a short pause, “You’re not doing well? Symptoms worsened, new symptoms?”

“Both. Everything.”

V gave Viktor a brief rundown of the last weeks, his feeling of detachedness, numbness, apathy. Kerry added in his risky behavior, mood swings, paranoia, everything they’d talked about and attributed to either the Relic and Mikoshi, or some sort of mind control brought on by Blue-Eyes. Even though they had no evidence for the latter yet. Just yet...

“How many pills do you have left of that batch?” Viktor then asked.

“I, uh…” V instinctively reached for his pocket, then remembered his favorite mug he used to get the pills here, “Oh no…”

“All good, it didn’t break,” Kerry soothed and reached for the mug sitting on the ground behind them still. He handed it to Viktor.

“You still got the original packaging?” he asked, and V pulled the broken bottle from his jacket’s inside pocket.

“Gimme a sec,” Viktor said and walked back to his desk, spilling the pills from the mug onto a separate tray. Then he looked at the bottle under his desk lamp.

“Yeah, definitely the one I gave ya,” he said after a couple of moments, “Has all the right markings and numbers. AJ’s thorough with that. Wouldn’t be the first time she’s been accused of selling somethin’ she didn’t make. Easier to trace stuff back to her lab like this.”

“A drug cook that makes sure her stuff can be traced back to her?” V frowned, and Vik chuckled.

“Oh, she’s so much more than a cook, V,” he said, “Told ya, she means serious biz. Used to work for Biotechnica, back in the day. Well, until she stepped on the wrong manager’s toes...”

He threw him a quick glance, and V suddenly was a child again, caught shoplifting by his scolding father.

“Can you help me up?” he quietly turned to Kerry, who supported him on the way back to his feet, then guided him over to Vik’s examination chair that had seen better days as well. He sat back down while Viktor had a closer look at the still intact pills.

“I sold you 50 last time, right?” Viktor said.

“Yeah,” V nodded, “One in the morning, one at night, one during the day only if the symptoms are particularly bad.”

“Been keeping that up?”

“Yeah… more or less… Might’ve missed one here or there. But I got someone who’s been paying very close attention I don’t.”

He smiled at Kerry, who raised his eyebrows, and gave him a soft nudge. Kerry’s shoulders dropped a little finally, some of his tension easing… but at the same time he seemed to be struggling to look him in the eyes. V’s heart stung when he remembered what he’d said about someone feeding him malware a couple of minutes ago…

“With only hope and the best intentions,” he added, only loud enough for Kerry to hear, and reached over to squeeze his hand. Kerry reluctantly looked up at him now, a sliver of a smile at the corners of his mouth, but not much more.

“Hm-mh,” Viktor hummed, immersed in his work, and not paying attention to them, “That checks out. Got 12 intact left here, plus the squashed ones, so that should’ve lasted you another week before you’d’ve come back for a refill anyway…”

He picked one of the pills up with a pair of tweezers, examined it closely under the light. Then he carefully set it aside, grabbed a scalpel, and cut it apart.

“Same impurities here…” he noted with a concerned sigh, “Outwardly, the pills look like the ones I gave you. Matchin’ AJ’s description, markings, everything. Whatever this stuff is though, it’s not what I ordered. But also, I know too little about AJ’s processes to be a hundred percent sure.”

Viktor got up from his chair and walked over to V and Kerry by the examination chair.

“Let’s do that scan. Lemme see how you’re holdin’ up,” he said.

“My personal link is, well…” V lifted his cast-covered left hand, “Long story.”

Viktor chuckled.

He pulled a cord from the other side of the chair so V could jack in via the socket in his neck. V groaned at the scratching and slight pressure of the plug. He’d never liked the sensation to begin with, but ever since Jackie had put the Relic in his neck slot, that entire part of his system had become even more sensitive to everything from electricity to touch. V sat back on the examination chair, grabbing the armrest tightly with his healthy hand. Viktor joined him by the side panel.

“Just checkin’ your systems for starters, see if we got any irregularities,” Viktor narrated everything he was doing to ease V’s tension, “Biomonitor is up to date? Any strange readings there?”

“No, all in the usual parameters,” V said, “Well… apart from my liver, but you said that could be a side effect of the pills.”

“Yeah,” Viktor nodded, “Not seeing anythin’ off just yet either...”

The scan completed after around two minutes.

“Looking good, systems up and running as they should,” Viktor said, but he sounded somewhat displeased, “No irregularities that could be caused by nanites or anythin’ like it…”

V’s heart sank. He’d been so sure Vik would find something…

“But that’s with my limited means here. I know you don’t wanna get involved with even more doctors after the last few times but…”

“We’re onto it,” V said flatly, and Viktor paused for a second.

“Good, good,” he was unable to suppress the surprise in his voice, “If you wanna I can do a simple preliminary brain scan. Could be bad news either way though.”

V sighed.

“Let’s get it over with, see where we’re at.”

Viktor nodded and got up to prepare the brain scan. Kerry watched everything from a little distance, arms crossed, brow furrowed. V held out his hand, and after a moment of hesitation Kerry stepped closer again and took it. Viktor lowered the actual scanning device onto V’s head and adjusted its exact position. They’d done a scan at the hospital just after his accident, with better tech than Vik’s, but V still wanted to hear his trusted Ripper’s opinion. He’d been regularly looking at his brain and implants for the better part of a decade now, he’d be more likely to notice small differences than Fuentes or anyone else.

“Alright, keep as still as possible, you know the drill,” Viktor said, and V closed his eyes as the scan began, clutching Kerry’s hand. Despite it all, he was uncertain whether he hoped the images would show something new or not.

After around five minutes the scan was complete and Viktor freed him of the device again, helped him jack out, and V eagerly slipped out of the chair. Neither him nor Kerry nor Viktor said a word as the computer still processed the scan. Kerry retreated to his corner again, arms crossed and lost in thought. V began to pace around, up and down the clinic, still slightly wobbly on his feet. He got another glimpse at the tiny metallic splinters on the tray of pill dust. If they were nanites, what where they programmed to do? He sure as hell did not get the impression they were healing his damaged, dying nervous system. But if not, what else could they be? A chemical reaction, some sort of crystals forming that just looked like metal? Just regular impurities after all, introduced by the cook on accident?

“Alright, let’s see,” Viktor announced the completion of the scan, as usual.

“Fuck…” Kerry muttered under his breath, not quite daring to approach the screen. V walked back to Viktor and looked over his shoulder.

“Here’s the old scar tissue from the bullet,” Viktor pointed out a large, dark area on the right side of the brain, “Lemme superimpose some older pics… No big changes, but also not unexpected, since we’re currently mostly trying to keep you stable.”

V swallowed and nodded.

“Other side,” Viktor flipped the 3D scan on the screen, “Huh…”

“What is it?” V asked, uncertain what he was looking at.

“Not sure… Nothing major, at least. But here, that’s your hippocampus.”

Vik pointed to the center of the scan.

“That’s where you make your decisions, your short-term memory. And here…” he pointed to a different area, “The prefrontal cortex. Self-control, emotional regulation, risk-assessment, amongst other things.”

V shivered.

“There are some subtle changes in the structure between our last and today’s scan,” Viktor said, pointing out some particularly bright and dark areas in both regions, “Nothing major, and no way to tell where they’re coming from. Could be all attributed to the Relic still, even though it’s always been destructive rather than constructive in its workings… Or could be anything else really, from tumors to natural irregularities or mutations.”

V’s eyes were glued to the screen.

The previous scans Vik had done, usually one or two a month ever since Mikoshi, had always in some shape or form supported Alt’s prediction. V would slowly wither away and die of this. Vik’s therapy seemed to slow the decay down, but it didn’t stop, let alone reverse it, so… this was new. And yet, V did not feel better, indeed he got worse and worse – definitely as if nothing had improved despite these small but visible changes highlighted right in front of his eyes.

“This is… new connections forming, instead of old ones dying off?” V made sure he was understanding correctly.

“It could be,” Viktor relativized, “Or it could be something else. But again, I’m not a neurologist. Take all of it with a grain of salt.”

“Good that we know where to find a neurologist then…” Kerry then added from the sidelines and his and V’s eyes met.

“Yeah,” V nodded slowly, “See what she has to say to this.”

“Nix, hi,” V said on the holo, back in the car again a short while later, “Run a thorough background check on one Ava Jordan Lowe, goes by AJ or 4cid. 4-c-i-d. Formerly Biotechnica, now high-profile drug cook. Has connections to a variety of Rippers all across NC… Yeah, everything you can find could be helpful.”

He paused for a moment.

“Also… Isabella Fuentes. She’s a doctor at the big med center in Little China. Neurology – … I’m dead serious. Yes, send it over later. Not sure yet if I’ll manage to swing by the next few days.”

He hung up and then noticed Kerry’s intense stare.

“What?”

“The doctor? Really?” Kerry asked, his voice amused rather than concerned.

“Wanna know who she is before I tell her what I got stuck in my head,” V said sternly, “And explain to her why her help offer is kind, but also the situation not nearly as simple as she thinks.”

“That’s fair, I guess…” Kerry nodded and leaned back in his seat, right hand loosely resting on the gear shift.

They sat in silence for a couple of moments, the noises from Little China’s backstreets only somewhat reaching them inside Kerry’s car. Once more V had been torn about using the Aerondight to get here, instead of one of his other cars. But while the Aerondight stood out, especially in this part of town, it at least offered a degree of security and privacy none of his own cars could.

V looked to the plastic bag between his feet, filled with a handful of single-use injectors Vik had given him. They were filled with the same drug cocktail that had brought him back from his attack earlier and should last him a few days, whenever his symptoms returned and became unbearable. Until then Vik could hopefully buy a fresh batch of pills. V still wasn’t so sure if he’d even want them, or if he should, just in case, cut them all open before taking them.

“What next?” Kerry asked eventually, and almost at the same time two new text messages popped up in the corner of V’s interface.

“One sec,” he said, opening the first one, “Ah… Manuel finally got his hands on my car.”

“Manuel?” Kerry asked.

“My car guy. The guy I used to work for. Pre-Arasaka.”

“Aaahhh, the Valentino garage...”

V chuckled.

“Don’t say that to his face, he might punch you.”

“Dunno… semi-legal garage in the middle of Heywood, almost exclusively locals as staff and customers, shady deals with corpos…”

“I know, I know…” V paused, “Still though, he doesn’t wanna be associated with them. Done him dirty in the past.”

“Yeah, and he never gave them any reason for it, for sure,” Kerry teased, “To Heywood, then?”

V nodded, smiling. Even though he and Manuel hadn’t parted ways completely amicably, V had reconnected with him after his exit from Arasaka. Manuel was a shady crook, but he and his people were discreet and skilled, so at least in handling his machines V trusted him fully. His V-Tech would need a lot of love and care after that accident…

Kerry sped off, and V could’ve sworn to notice the first paparazzi sneaking in, trying to snap a photo or two. It was due time they left the area. What Lee had shown them yesterday, the media frenzy around that dashcam clip of Kerry, was at the back of his mind the whole time. Sure as hell it was still affecting Kerry too. So, an update on his car was the perfect excuse to not go back home, return to their daily routines just yet. With the routines the thought spirals came back too, and neither of them needed that right now.

What they really needed was some distance from the city, at least for a couple of days. Kerry wasn’t so wrong with his idea of a belated – or early – weekend getaway. Hide at the villa and just do nothing at all… or at least nothing that had to do with their jobs. Easier said than done, especially for V, but he had made the promise to himself this morning to cherish the rare peaceful moments with Kerry more again. As long as he still could. When nothing mattered, only that they were with each other.

As they reached Watson’s outskirts, the sleek skyscrapers of Night City’s center looming ahead, V opened the second text. To his surprise, it came from Nix. Nothing extensive yet, but…

“Ah… Nix sent me AJ’s contact info,” he noted.

“That was quick…”

“If the chick’s really leaving a big paper trail people can just follow to find her, I’m not that surprised,” V said and without further pause called the cook’s holo.

It rang a couple of times… and then AJ actually answered. This was almost too easy…

AJ was a woman around Viktor’s age, a bit older maybe, short and thin, slicked back salt-and-pepper hair with a bright green streak starting at her temple. Her face was somewhat haggard and bathed in shadow as she sat on a worn-down desk chair in a relatively dark, cramped room. A couple of stripes of light falling in through half-closed shutters illuminated the scene, as well as the pale glow of a computer screen somewhere off to the right.

“Who’s this, who gave you this number?” AJ asked, paranoia loud in her otherwise hushed voice.

“I’m V. Gotta couple questions for ya, Ava Jordan Lowe.”

A heavy pause. AJ just stared.

The longer V got a chance to look at her and her abode, the more little details he noticed in the background. Lab equipment, servers. Everything seemed neatly organized and labelled, there was packaging material, bottles, books…

“That V?” AJ then asked, frozen in her chair, “The Afterlife V?”

“The one and only,” V said, “And you’re lucky we got some mutual friends, cause I sure as hell am in the mood to come kick in the door of your little lab for an in-person visit.”

“Woah, woah, woah, hold up!” AJ said, raising a hand defensively, “I got no problem with ya whatsoever, there must be a misunderstanding here!”

V would’ve expected a little more bargaining from an ex-corpo, a little more denial, a little less squirming. Usually, the “there must be a misunderstanding” bit came up way later during negotiations… and only as an intimidation tactic.

“Maybe…” V said, changing his approach, “Then maybe you can help clear it up.”

“Listen I – …” AJ stammered, “I’m a small fish in a shark tank, I know that. But I’d also like to keep it that way. I’m living a good and comfortable life in America’s shittiest city. Guys like you I want nothin’ to do with.”

“Who are your buyers?” V asked just to test the waters.

“About a dozen Ripperdocs, some black-market dealers, handful of private customers. Watson mostly, but I got connections to Westbrook and Rancho, too.”

The information spilled out of AJ like her shark tank had just burst – and that at the slightest tap. Westbrook made V perk up, but he also made a mental note to warn Viktor about how freely this woman was giving out information even if only mildly intimidated.

“Sellin’ fake designer drugs to Charter Hill’s junior managers?”

“No, no, nothing like that,” AJ shook her head, “Or well… not only. I’m a chemist, a good one. I cook up whatever my clients need, for all sorts of unique use-cases. Less, better sleep to maintain better performance, experimental treatments for cyberpsychosis, things like that. I don’t ask too many questions, and they pay me well. Listen, if you got trouble with one of them, I’d be happy to help. Don’t need them dragging Night City’s underworld bosses to my doorstep…”

V couldn’t help but chuckle at that. Kerry threw him a brief questioning glance as they left the bridge connecting Watson and Downtown behind.

“Alright, AJ, listen…” he said, “Your name was dropped to me by someone ordering meds from you. Let’s say, he wasn’t quite satisfied.”

AJ paused, seemed to think about this prospect intensely.

“What do you mean?”

“The guy relied on your good reputation, trusted you,” V said, “And you sold him some crap that almost flatlined him this morning. Mumbled something about some kinda dirt baked into your product.”

A little over-dramatic, but maybe it would work.

“Wait what? No, no that can’t be,” AJ shook her head again, demeanor slowly shifting from scared to offended, “Whoever that is, why didn’t he come to me then? My lab has a high, professional standard, it’s clean. I take great pride in my work, hell, you can trace my pills back to me!”

A thought struck V and his heart sank.

“How exactly? Putting trackers in your meds?”

“What, no!” AJ said, “No I’m… using labelling, codes, my pills are stamped, marked, some visibly, some invisibly. Every pill that leaves this lab and lands in the hands of a client, no exceptions. Been burned one too many times in the past. It’s an insurance for myself more than anything. My trademark if you will.”

V couldn’t recall having ever spoken to such a bureaucratic drug cook before.

“Alright, AJ, then help me understand,” V said, “’Cause I saw these pills, and the state my guy was in. If it wasn’t you, who sold him this crap with your name on it?”

“I, uh…” AJ stammered.

“Work with any intermediate sellers that could tamper with your stuff?”

“No, I do everything myself, from acquisition to retail. Maximum security, maximum discretion.”

V was beginning to grasp at straws.

“Could anyone be copying your formulas, any angry ex-business partners? Did someone break in and steal something recently? You ever gave out free samples of your stuff?”

Now AJ hesitated to think, and V hoped he was finally onto something useful.

“Well, no,” she said, “Not… quite. I work alone, always have. But like, back in June, July, someone contacted me out of the blue about an offer for a business partnership. They said they heard about my work, wanted to help me expand, but I got no interest in that. As I said, I’m happy with keeping a low profile and an overseeable number of clients.”

“Who exactly contacted you?” V asked, “Did they give you any names, any further deets?”

“No, was all shady as fuck. Smelled like Corp, and I’m more than done with that world. Claimed they were some sorta tech startup specializing in, uh… I don’t even remember really. The moment they couldn’t give me a name I was done with them. Fuck, do you think they’re trying to ruin my reputation now?”

V’s thoughts were racing, but he kept his expression neutral, frozen, to not give AJ any indication about just how helpful – and awful – this information was.

“Doesn’t matter what I’m thinking on this, AJ,” V said calmly, “I’m not gonna lie though, I was hoping you’d be able to give me something more substantial.”

“Argh, fuck, listen!” AJ said, “I really don’t want any trouble. I uh… fuck if I knew exactly who the client is that sent you to me, maybe that could jog my memory!”

Since the client in question was on the phone with AJ already, V decided to leave it at that. AJ either didn’t want to tell him more or couldn’t, so he’d wait for Nix’ background check before taking any further steps.

“Don’t worry about it, AJ,” he said, “I got a handful of other leads to follow, maybe you’re really not the culprit here. And if I figure out you’ve been dishonest with me… I’ll just come knocking.”

With that he hung up, lowered his phone, closed his eyes, and breathed deeply a couple of times to calm his racing heart.

“Why are you so hot when you’re scary, fuck…” Kerry then sighed, exasperatedly almost, and V looked at him and laughed.

“Wouldn’t last a minute watching you talk to clients at the Afterlife…”

“Watching you in the recording booth sure was a sight to behold too though,” V teased back, and Kerry bit his lip and threw him a quick sideways glance, squeezed his thigh… But then his expression grew darker again.

“Anything useful?” he asked, “You seem… concerned.”

“Nothing concrete, again,” V shook his head, “But… I got a feeling AJ was contacted by a certain, beyond obscure tech-startup around the same time they tried to get in touch with me.”

Kerry’s grip around the steering wheel tightened.

“Fuck…”

“Yup.”

The splendor and lights of the city center slowly faded in favor of brick and steel as Kerry drove them deeper into the heart of Heywood.

“AJ said she never dealt with them, but if they had her on their radar…” V thought out loud.

“Okay, so, but that confirms your suspicion, right?” Kerry wondered, “That metal stuff, whatever it is, could be Blue-Eyes’. How’d they get it in the pills though, if the cook’s the clean freak Vik says she is…”

“No clue,” V said, “Honestly, my guess is, someone swapped the pills. Either before they ever got to Viktor, or at Vik’s, or...”

V’s tongue was heavy, fearing he could choke on it if he said the words, the words he’d felt in his bones ever since first looking into Mr. B’s cold blue eyes at the Afterlife. Eyes that seemed to be able to stare into his soul, read his mind, know his intentions and desires before V even realized them. It felt like this first in-person encounter with him happened ages ago, not a mere week, so much did Blue-Eyes occupy his mind, follow him on every step he took… if their suspicion was correct, maybe more literally than V would’ve ever dared to imagine. His stomach turned at the thought of being watched from within his own head throughout all of this, over weeks, maybe even months…

“… or at our house,” Kerry then finished the thought burning in both their throats, voice barely loud enough to be audible over the Aerondight’s engine.

They reached their destination shortly after, but still having to digest this new information, they lingered in the car a few minutes longer.

“We better not let him wait,” V then simply decided to escape the deafening silence and unable to discuss Blue-Eyes’ again, at least right now.

Manuel’s workshop was tucked away in a Heywood back alley, the courtyard well hidden from curious eyes behind a tall, graffiti-covered wall. Kerry put on his sunglasses before he got out of the car and followed V. They walked over to a large metal gate, passing by an enormous Valentino mural. It featured their iconic golden V with roses at the center, surrounded by skulls, saints, guns, and a dozen names of fallen gang members.

“Totally not a ‘tino shop, yup,” Kerry shrugged, casually pointing at it with his thumb in passing.

“It really isn’t,” V laughed, “We’re just on their turf.”

“Mh-hm.”

Kerry put his hands in his jacket’s pockets then joined V by the entrance, stance cool and laid back. He had automatically fallen back into his public persona and demeanor, like he usually did when meeting new people from V’s world. V wondered if he’d do the same when Judy got here.

Overcome with an intense sensation of déjà vu V rang the doorbell at the intercom. Around six years ago he’d been in this exact spot with Jackie, Jackie in his place calling Manuel over to introduce them to one another.

“Hola?” a feminine, unfamiliar voice answered after a couple of seconds.

Kerry sneered, breaking character for a moment, and V nudged him with his elbow.

“It’s V. Manuel’s expecting me.”

“Oh… give me a moment, I’ll get him,” the girl responded in Spanish.

“It’s not a ‘tino shop!” V insisted at Kerry’s growing grin, and Kerry laughed.

“Keep tellin’ that to yourself, hermano,” he added, and V rolled his eyes. In the face of too much dread and uncertainty being able to joke around with each other still was an immense relief. Occasionally V missed the normalcy that had slowly faded from his life, ever since… He didn’t even remember. Probably since the day he decided to leave his easy yet boring techie-job at this workshop behind for the thrill of becoming an Arasaka agent.

Suddenly the gate started to move, creakily struggled open only far enough so they could slip into the courtyard. The entrance door to the shop swung open with more enthusiasm, and Manuel walked out to greet them, a short, stocky man, with little hair left on his head and a bold moustache. He still had the arms and probably the grip of a bear and was dressed in a worn, dirty grey coverall. A thick gold chain peeked out between dark chest hair spilling from his half-unbuttoned, yellow checkered shirt, and his tan skin glistened in the sun.

“V, good to see you, gringo,” he said, extending his hand and V shook it, “With the way your baby looks I thought you’d be gettin’ carted in here in a wheelchair.”

“Fortune favors the fools,” V shrugged, and Manuel laughed loudly.

“Your friend?” he then asked with a nod in Kerry’s direction, at the same time extending his motor-oil-covered hand. V and Kerry exchanged a quick glance and smile.

“Kerry,” Kerry introduced himself briefly, shaking Manuel’s hand without hesitation, “V doesn’t let everyone touch his cars, so you gotta be one of the best Night City has to offer.”

Manuel winked.

“V also thinks our ‘20% for family and friends’ offer is a discount, but it’s actually a markup,” he snickered.

“Oh, I’m well aware,” V defended himself, “I came up with it in the first place.”

Manuel laughed and patted him on the shoulder. V tried not to wince in pain too hard, but it did hurt.

“Ah, you’re adickhead, V, but it’s good to see you again. Come on, lemme show you your car so we can come up with a plan.”

V and Kerry followed the mechanic across the concrete courtyard to the entrance of the workshop. The reception area featured some dusty sales shelves stocked with tacky car accessories from bobblehead dolls to air fresheners, as well as a colorful arrangement of car-centric magazines. Behind the old-fashioned reception desk sat a dark-haired teenage girl wearing a high ponytail, golden loop earrings, and a blue paisley bandana. She was reading a music magazine and chewing gum, paying the visitors no mind. Manuel led them next door to the actual workshop area. The smell of oil and CHOOH2 was heavy in the air, clung to their clothes and skin the second they entered, and again V was overcome with a wave of memories. Tuning engines, adjusting control units, changing speedometers, and bypassing security mechanisms… it hadn’t been exciting or particularly challenging work, but V had been good at it.

The workshop was spacious enough to hold three cars to be worked on simultaneously. All garage doors were closed, but the area was well lit by bright neon ceiling lamps. Somewhere in the back sparks were flying where one of the mechanics was welding something on the backside of a car. Two others loudly discussing the best approach for an outstanding paintjob were obscured partially by an industrial hydraulic lift. All sorts of shelves separating the different areas of the workshop held spare parts, tires, tools, and other materials. V’s attention was immediately caught by his V-Tech though, parked in the front portion of the workshop, and his heart broke at the sight.

“Ah fuck…”

“Yeah, it’s… pretty bad,” Manuel didn’t even try to sugarcoat it.

The car was barely recognizable. V could’ve only described it as “caved in”, the hood gone, any tech installed in the front probably damaged beyond repair. The windshield and driver’s side door were missing, and the roof was scratched and dented in. The way the car sat on the ground, much lower than it was supposed to, had V assume the front axle was broken or at least severely bent from the impact.

“The good news is though, the motor is fine, and spare parts are easy to come by at the moment,” Manuel said, “But yes… It’s gonna take a while, and it’s not gonna be cheap.”

V walked over to the car wordlessly, stood next to the driver’s side, absentmindedly touching the scratch marks Trauma Team’s tools had left all around the frame when they cut him out. He still barely remembered anything of that evening.

The steering wheel sat on the seat, which had a few small bloodstains on it. The dashboard had been dismantled to assess the damages to the systems… and V couldn’t help but notice a putrid smell, like sour milk, as he peered inside. Manuel noticed the face he made.

“Oh, yeah…” he said, “The NCPD didn’t wanna release the car, as I told you. Stood in the midday sun in their compound for days before we were finally allowed to tow it. Only after your insurance threatened to sue them. Well… There was spilled coffee everywhere, and it didn’t react well to the heat. We’ll do our best to clean the interior and get rid of the smell, of course, but we might have to redo some of the upholstery. It really had time to soak in deep...”

V perked up.

“Anything else you found in there? That broke, maybe?”

Manuel’s smile turned into a grin; he knowingly raised a finger. He walked over to a shelf by the wall, pulled out an old-fashioned key, and unlocked a compartment.

“Of fucking course…” V sighed when he returned with a huge, somehow still intact jar of olives, and a vodka bottle.

“Not a good ratio for a martini, just sayin’,” Manuel joked as he tried to hand him both the bottle and the jar, but V raised his hands somewhat helplessly, noticing Kerry perk up from the corner of his eye. He’d kept himself to the background, was leaning against a shelf, casually scrolling on his phone, and patiently waiting for V and Manuel to discuss everything. But now they had his attention.

“Can give him both of those,” V said with a smile, looking at Kerry, “Was intended as a present anyway.”

“You… you really,” Kerry stammered as Manuel walked over to hand him the jar and the bottle, “I thought you were joking when you said…”

V shrugged, and Kerry stood there, so lost all of a sudden that he didn’t seem to know what to do with himself. He cleared his throat and V knew he was glad now he still wore his sunglasses.

V agreed upon a “treatment plan” for his car with Manuel, Kerry remained to the side holding on to his presents tightly as they spoke, still speechless.

Money was not the issue, V’s insurance would cover part of the costs, too, so it was more a matter of time when he’d get his V-Tech back. Once they’d reached an agreement, Manuel accompanied them both outside to the courtyard again.

“Always a pleasure doing business with you, V,” Manuel shook V’s hand, “And was nice meeting you, uh… Kenny.”

“Kerry,” V corrected him, biting back a laugh.

“Kerry, right,” Manuel nodded and briefly waved, as Kerry’s hands were still occupied, then he turned back to V, “I’ll give you a call – …”

The door to the workshop swung open once more and the girl from the reception desk poked her head out.

“Dad, you gotta come in, there’s a guy on the phone who – …” she said in Spanish, but her words slurred, and jaw slowly dropped when she recognized who was standing in front of her, by her father’s side. V chuckled, and Kerry, instantly armed with his laid-back rockstar attitude again, winked at her over the edge of his sunglasses. Manuel noticed none of this and, remaining completely oblivious, bid his farewells and quickly ushered his daughter back inside. V laughed, put his arm around Kerry’s waist, and they walked back outside.

“Let’s go, my good friend Kenny.”

“Fuck off,” Kerry chuckled.

“Can’t believe you really went out and bought the damn olives…” Kerry repeated once more as he got back behind the steering wheel, olives and vodka safely put away in the trunk. The engine was still off, and he just stared ahead, hands in his lap. V was sunken into his seat and slowly turned his head.

“And I can’t believe my vanilla latte ruined my car seats completely, while this giant glass jar stayed intact for some reason,” he shrugged with played annoyance.

Kerry took off his sunglasses and put them down into their compartment between the seats. Then, without further words, he leaned over, cupped V’s face and gently, sweetly kissed him. Then once more, and a third time. Not growing hungrier or wilder, just… Again and again, because once was not enough. He shook his head slightly and smiled, their noses briefly touching. His hands trailed down V’s neck and chest, then he slowly withdrew just far enough to look him in the eyes properly.

“I love you.”

“Love ya, too,” V smiled, heart beating in his throat.

“No, V, really, I…” Kerry struggled for words, but then he sighed and smiled sadly, “I was not in a good state of mind when I sent you those messages. You probably only wanted to go home and shower and sleep, after all that... Still went outta your way to get me my fuckin’ olives, of all things. Could’ve just moved my own ass for once. You would’ve never ended up in that accident, and – ...”

“Kerry…” V reached out now, cradling Kerry’s cheek, “Firstly, you don’t know that. I could’ve ended up in a way worse accident, or somethin’ else could’ve gone wrong. But none of it would’ve been your fault, either.”

V was suddenly struck with the strangest realization.

“Also… Had I not been in that accident… We’d really have nowhere else to go to now. Dr. Fuentes, we’d’ve never met her. I wouldn’t have this thing – “ he held up his cast – “And I wouldn’t have stomped my pills into dust.”

Kerry’s eyes grew wide, then he briefly looked away, lowered his head at the dawning realization.

“Honestly… getting you your olives was probably the best bad decision I made in the last couple of months,” V reassured him with a smile.

“This is so fucking crazy…” Kerry just breathed, leaned in to kiss him again, then pressed their foreheads together.

“Somehow always is with the two of us involved,” V nodded quietly, “Maybe I should give olives another try…”

Kerry laughed.

“I’ll mix ya the best martini you’ll ever have when we’re back home!”

“Not too strong, please. Y’know what’s gonna happen otherwise…” V frowned, and Kerry grinned as the engine sprung on.

Yes. A semblance of normalcy would do them good, however brief it was.

*****************

>> Next Chapter

*****************

Notes:

This was a long one, thank you so much for reading <3 Slightly less action, more light-hearted moments to recover from last time's angst! This was more of a "filler" chapter in the sense that I wanted to start tieing off some lose ends here and there, as the plot moves to the next arc slowly but surely: Blue-Eyes is not the answer, but instead maybe the doctor V and Kerry got into contact with by sheer stupid luck - and the power of love xD there's a reason why the working title of this fic is "love is stored in the olive jar" cause yay! the jar survived the car accident from chapter one after all! As did V and as did V and Kerry's love, despite all hardships :3

But two questions remain... who switched out the pills, if AJ and Vik are earnest, and can Dr. Fuentes really help where everyone else so far failed? And at what cost will her help come?

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