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corpocyborg · 10 months

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Secure Your Soul: A Cyberpunk 2077 Fanfiction

This fic was previously published under the title "Before the Event Horizon."

Summary: Six months ago, V's boss at Arasaka ordered her to assassinate his rival. Instead, with the reluctant but invaluable help of her old friend Jackie Welles, she pushed them both off their thrones and claimed one for herself. Now the new Director of Arasaka Counter Intel has a problem. She's uncovered information that indicates that Yorinobu Arasaka, the heir apparent to the Arasaka dynasty, is a traitor. But without solid proof, she's forced to take matters into her own hands.

CHAPTER TWO: PLAN A

[read on ao3]

Jenkins’ office was decorated in the same sleek, classic Arasaka design as the rest of NCHQ. The primary color scheme was, of course, red and black—“the color scheme of prosperity,” as most high-end clothing stores in Corpo Plaza called it. Textured black walls were lit up from underneath in red, and the mostly black furnishings also included several small potted saplings of the bioluminescent plant species Arasaka had had genetically modified to obtain its signature red glow. Best of all, the office had a perfect view of the koi fish holograms that circled outside the tower, though it was currently blocked by a large television screen showing the European Space Council’s meeting room. Jenkins stood in front, speaking on a handheld phone.

“Have a seat, V.” He briefly interrupted his call when he noticed her. “I’ll be right with you.”

V did so. She wished he hadn’t blocked the view—she’d have liked to have seen it one last time before she transferred to Spec Ops. She remembered appreciating that view on frequent occasions when she’d had to work directly with Jenkins late at night. When the sky turned black, the lights of the skyscrapers, the blur of the AVs zooming through the sky, and the koi fish with their endless circling created an intoxicating display. V’d often heard old people complain about light pollution in NC making it impossible to see the stars. She didn’t understand what their problem was. Mankind had learned to make their own light shows centuries ago.

V was pulled out of her reverie by the sound of screams and electrocution. She watched as the council members she’d spent all day learning about convulsed into violent spasms for several seconds, then finally went still. What a waste.

Jenkins directed the television to rise into the ceiling, and took his place at his desk. His phone began ringing even before he’d sat down. Jenkins made a show of taking his time to answer it.

“Director Abernathy,” he said when he finally picked up.

“I watched the vote. What the hell was that?” the Director’s voice was projected into the room.

“A deep clean. After the shit Frankfurt dumped on us. As we agreed, I got rid of the problem.”

“I told you to resolve the problem, not massacre the European Space Council. Do you understand what the cover up will cost?”

“We would’ve lost the license, now we gained a week. That’s a win.”

“Path of least resistance. Always. No nuance. Has ‘you’ written all over it.” As Abernathy spoke, Jenkins’ body language became increasingly irritable. He shuffled restlessly in his seat, and made a circular motion with his right hand as if rushing her to shut up already.

“We’re not done talking about this,” Abernathy said.

Jenkins waited for the tone that signified the end of the call. He spun in his chair so that he was facing away from V. “I hate that bitch. I always have.”

“This isn’t the first time the two of you have been in conflict with each other,” V observed.

“No. Not the first.” Jenkins stood up and walked over to the couch on the other side of the room. V followed. “Smeared me in front of Japanese execs, so she’d be the one promoted to Director of Spec Ops. What a cunt.”

Jenkins went over to the alcohol cabinet and poured himself a drink. Bourbon, V noted. His favorite. He turned away from the cabinet, drink in hand. “Now she’s holding a gun to my head to make sure I don’t try anything. But she won’t pull the trigger because she needs me. I do what she doesn’t have the guts to do.”

“Divide and conquer,” said V noncommittally. “Effective strategy.”

“Effective,” Jenkins scoffed at her word choice. It seemed he was starting to suspect she was holding back. “What would you do, if you were me?”

V considered her answer. There were several different ways she could craft her response. But since her time with Jenkins was nearing its end, she settled on the truth. “I’d adjust my methods in the future. I wouldn’t budge on the Space Council issue. There was no other solution, not that I could come up with in time, anyway. But I’d be more discreet from then on and try to limit any further cover up expenses.”

“So you’d take her complaints into consideration?” Jenkins asked. He took a sip of his bourbon.

“I would,” V confirmed. “No one ever made it far by living in an echo chamber.”

“No one ever made it far by acting like a doormat.”

“Also true.”

“Hmm. So they’re both true. Sounds like a really clever way of not actually saying anything. But it doesn’t matter anymore anyway. Come here. I want to show you something.” Jenkins stepped over to the couch, sat down, and pulled something out from under the table.

V moved closer. “A datashard? What is it?”

“Proof of my trust. Go on. Take it.”

She pulled the shard out of its case and hesitantly plugged it into the port on the side of her head. Her vision was flooded with data. All of it about Abernathy. Her stomach sank.

“It’s what I’ve collected over the past weeks,” Jenkins explained. “Biometrics. Trauma team card. Names of her closest associates. Driver. Chief of Security. Lover. Lover’s husband. Everything. Use it. Make sure Abernathy won’t be a problem anymore.”

V ripped the shard out of her head. “This is a huge gamble. If anyone finds out we even talked about this, it’ll be my head on the chopping block.“

“Maybe. But everyone knows you only made it to where you are because of me. So it’s not like they’d believe you weren’t involved anyway.”

Bastard, V thought. I should’ve cut your ripcord years ago. You’re dragging me down with you for no goddamn reason.

“Okay,” V said. “Understood.”

“Good.” Jenkins pulled a wad of cash out from under the table. “Take this too. Use this money only. Find the right people for the job. No corporate affiliation. And for the core task—use someone you know inside out. Are we clear?”

V’s indignation was roiling. She wanted to hit him. Scream at him, at least. She nodded. “Yes. We’re clear.”

“Good. In that case, I’ll await your report. And good luck with it.”

So that was that. V took one last glance out the window. With the sun finally fully set, the view tonight was much the same as it had been in her memories. She turned to go.

“I have my AV waiting outside. It’s yours to use,” Jenkins added. “And V? Don’t disappoint me.”

—

V walked back to her office in a slight daze and plopped down in front of her desk. Her monitors were in the same state she’d left them in. She stared at the bios of the European Space Council. After her constant rereading, every detail was still in her memory, from their birthdays to their children’s names. She wondered how long it would be before she forgot that information. She clicked the exit button.

“I need your stamp on something,” V’s subordinate, Harry Wickman, spoke up. He had the good grace not to acknowledge her condition the last time he'd seen her. She was grateful for that. "It’s possible one of our assets was exposed.”

V nearly jumped out of her chair at that. She rushed over to his side of the office. “Is it Frankfurt again?”

“No, different issue. Local. Our agent at Biotechnica—'' He started to explain, but V nudged him aside and pulled up the report on his computer. Then she activated her Sandevistan. It didn’t slow time, not truly, but it slowed down her perception of time enough to increase her speed and mental acuity. It proved invaluable in combat, and just as effective for speedreading. Within seconds, V had a full picture of the situation.

“Pull him out,” she told him. “But calmly, don’t raise any eyebrows. Otherwise they’ll catch on.”

“Jenkins will be livid,” Wickman warned.

“I’ll handle Jenkins.”

“Understood.” He turned away from her and returned to his work.

With that taken care of, V sat back at her own desk, feeling much more energized than before. Nothing quite as satisfying as a crisis averted. Now on to the next one. V steepled her fingers and leaned her forehead against them. Her next step had become clear. She’d promised Harry she’d handle Jenkins, and that was exactly what she’d do.

V rummaged around in the bottom drawer of her desk until she found a burner phone. With the secretive nature of many of her missions, she made sure to keep a few ready at all times. She grabbed her coat out of her locker, slipped the phone into one of the pockets, and headed down to the first floor of the tower, then out into the crisp night air.

—

When she’d put a sufficient amount of distance between herself and Arasaka Tower, she pulled the phone back out and dialed the number of Director Susan Abernathy. Not her office, but the personal line she’d found in the datashard. On the third ring, Abernathy answered.

“Who is this?” she asked suspiciously.

“Director Abernathy,” V began. “This is Valerie Locke. I work for Arasaka Counter Intel, under Arthur Jenkins. You may know me by my codename, V.”

“Yes, I believe Frank Nostra just mentioned you to me recently. Is this about transferring to Spec Ops?”

V felt a rush of gratitude towards Frank for holding up his end of the bargain. It might give her an edge in this conversation. “No, this is about a more serious matter, ma’am. Earlier this evening, Arthur Jenkins tried to recruit me into a plot to assassinate you."

For a while, there was silence on the other end.

"That idiot. I might've expected this from him. Always was reckless and insubordinate." Abernathy paused, and V heard the sound of papers being shuffled around. "Do you have any proof to back up these accusations?"

"Nothing concrete, unfortunately. I have a datashard of intel he's collected on you."

“I’ll be expecting you to hand that over.”

“Of course. When can we meet?”

"I’ll send someone to pick it up. Do you have a suitable location you can get to quickly?”

“Lizzie’s Bar,” V said instantly. “In Kabuki.” A dark and noisy location was better for discretion, an unexpected location even more so. Lizzie’s wasn’t exactly a hot spot for Arasaka employees; V herself only frequented the bar because it was a favorite of Jackie’s.

“Be there in an hour,” Abernathy said, and then the line went dead.

V smiled to herself. Normally she’d be concerned about whether her car could make it there on time, but luckily, Jenkins had given her access to his AV. Time to make good use of it.

#cyberpunk 2077 #corpo v #fanfiction #cyberpunk 2077 fanfiction #corpo lifepath #the corpo rat #corpocyborg #wip #secure your soul: a cyberpunk 2077 fanfiction #plan a #valerie locke #i finally gave her a real name!#it's inspired by peter wiggin's locke alter ego from ender's game #and by extension i suppose john locke #spotify

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corpocyborg · 10 months

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Secure Your Soul: A Cyberpunk 2077 Fanfiction

This fic was previously published under the title "Before the Event Horizon."

CHAPTER ONE: BALLAD OF A POLITICIAN

[read on ao3]

V’s eyes were glued to her leftmost monitor, incessantly rereading the international regulations on lunar base licenses. Her right monitor displayed the bios of every member of the European Space Council; her center refreshed every two minutes with the latest reports from Frankfurt. Assuming the lead she needed existed, it was buried in one of these places. A regulatory loophole, a bribe or blackmail opportunity of a key council member—if there was some potential solution, she would find it.

Without thinking, she opened her drawer and inhaled a cognitive booster. An hour had passed since her meeting time with Jenkins; she wouldn’t be able to put it off much longer. But if she couldn’t present an alternative idea to save the lunar base licenses, she knew he’d go through with his deep clean of the entire Space Council. V was unlikely to shed any tears over a bunch of useless bureaucrats, but Jenkins’ plan was a stopgap at best. They’d gain about a week, and lose more eddies in the cover up than that week was worth.

V used to admire Jenkins’ ruthless efficiency, but ever since Abernathy had fucked him over, he’d gotten careless. A stupid emotional reaction.

V’s fingers hovered over the keyboard, willing herself to come up with some new angle to try, when her stomach gave a sudden lurch. She brought up her biometrics panel on her optics display. Heart rate: elevated. Cortisol level: elevated. Daily intake report: 865 calories below optimal. It occurred to her that she hadn’t eaten since breakfast, and she’d just taken… she counted the empty containers… four cognitive boosters in the last hour? When had that happened?

She didn’t have time to consider it any further because another lurch forced her to run to the bathroom and vomit all over the fancy black marble sink.

—

She received a call just as she was ridding herself of the last bits of her breakfast. She hadn't intended to answer it right then, but the rocking motion she made as she was throwing up caused her optics to register her eye motions as an Accept Call signal. Which meant one of her confidential informants got an earful of vomit noises.

"V," said Jackie Welles. "Are you all right?"

"Fine," V gasped. "Just needed a breather."

"Sounded like you just blew your guts airlock."

V wiped the leftover vomit off her mouth and frowned at her reflection. "Yeah," she admitted. "I barfed."

"Job's gonna kill you.” The translator in her brain had shifted the conversation to English, but it alerted her that Jackie was using Spanish. She'd have guessed so anyway. He tended to do so when he wanted to make a point. A fairly ironic point coming from a street merc.

"Yeah," V said. "Maybe I should've gotten a safe one. Like you did."

"Hey, at least I always know who's shooting at me. Sometimes even why."

V was about to respond, when one of her coworkers walked into the bathroom. She didn't recognize him, but that was no surprise considering the size of Arasaka's employee count. When he noticed her situation, he paused at the door and stared as if unsure whether he still wanted to come in.

V felt the urge to yell at him, but that was absurd. Defensiveness in a moment like this would only make her come off as even weaker. She forced herself to smile in an imitation of graceful humility.

"Sorry about the mess," she told him. "By the way, if you go to the café on level B2, don't order the burrito."

The man nodded politely before walking into a stall.

"Bad burrito, huh?" Jackie continued.

"Look, Jack, is there a particular reason you called me?"

“Damn, V. Just checking in on you. No need to get all annoyed about it.”

“I’m sorry. Just caught me at a bad time, that’s all.” V exhaled, her muscle memory leading her through the neuromotor relaxation exercises she'd learned from her life coach at Quantified Satori. “We had a leak. My boss called. Dragged me in because we had to intervene. Everyone at Night City HQ is on edge.”

“But no way you’re fucked, right? You’re the one who fixes other people’s shit.”

V nearly laughed. “If you work in Arasaka Counter Intel, you’re always fucked.”

She checked the clock on her optics. The Council would convene for the vote within the next fifteen minutes. Her time was up. “Listen, gotta go. Work won’t do itself.”

“Good luck,” he said in Spanish again, then hung up.

V took a second for one last round of the exercises, then headed out.

—

She pretended to ignore the fact that everyone in the hallways was talking about Frankfurt, but, in reality, she listened eagerly. It was as good an opportunity as any to keep her finger on the pulse of NCHQ's emerging consensus on the issue. Most of what she heard was speculation and complaints, but even those details had value. Most importantly, the general chatter confirmed that Jenkins’ reputation had tanked as much in everyone else’s eyes lately as it had in her own. Not for the first time in the last few days, she wished she’d attached her name to someone else, and she nearly cringed when she overheard someone refer to her as “Jenkins’ girl”.

About halfway to Jenkins’ office, a voice called out to her, “Hey, V. It’s been ages. It’s me, Frank. We met during Icefall. East coast, remember?”

He did look familiar. He’d grown a beard since she last saw him, and he’d installed some new cyberware, but you don’t easily forget an agent you used to do fieldwork with. Despite her tight schedule, V slowed down. Frank Nostro was Spec Ops, and there’d never been a better time to expand her circle of alliances.

“I didn’t know you were in Night City,” she said with a slight lilt. “How’ve you been?”

“Ah, you know how it is,” he continued texting as he spoke to her, but V knew better than to take that as a slight. More likely he was too busy to slow down. “A week ago I was still in Cape Town. I heard you’re in Counter Intel. Must have a shitshow on your hands right now after Frankfurt. Jenkins is your lead, right? Is he what everyone says he is?”

V decided to play it coy. “What does everyone say about Jenkins?”

“That he’s effective. Like any psychopath. Apparently, he’s gotten a little crazier lately.”

“Well,” V said. “He’s in an unfortunate position. He thought the director was planning to greenlight his promotion when the Japanese arrived, but she decided against it. I suppose he interpreted that as a betrayal. Even the best of us have been known to crack under that kind of pressure.”

Nostra stopped texting just long enough for her to tell that her insubordination had been noted. “I work for Director Abernathy, actually,” he said. “She’s really good. Came up with the whole Cape Town ploy on her own.”

“She is,” V agreed. “I’ve always thought she was an intelligent woman. You’re lucky to work under her.”

Nostra put his phone away for the moment. “You know, V, Spec Ops is always looking for new operatives. With our history, I could put in a good word for you, let Abernathy know if you’re open to a change in position.”

V smiled. “I’d appreciate that, Frank. I think it’s a good time to explore some new career opportunities.”

“Ah, you do, don’t you?” Nostra asked, his eyes narrowing. “Of course, Abernathy’s looking for the right candidate. Someone who knows how to appreciate being pulled screaming out of a raging dumpster fire.”

In a way, she envied him that lack of subtlety. He could only afford it because of his advantageous position over her. Still, even with a rotten hand, V always found this game exciting. “Of course. I think you’ll find working under Jenkins for two years has given me a lot of insight into his worldview. I’d happily share that with Abernathy.”

Nostra was already back on his phone. “Well, then I think we have an agreement. Nice seeing you, V.”

“Nice seeing you too, Frank.”

V walked away, now running later than she could excuse even in the most severe circumstances. Well, pretty soon it wouldn’t matter anymore. It’d be good to be back in the field again. The boardroom intrigue had its own appeal, but she’d been sitting in a desk chair so long that she felt eager at the thought of physical action.

She passed through the security scanners in front of Jenkins’ door, and stepped into his office.

#cyberpunk 2077 #corpo v #fanfiction #cyberpunk 2077 fanfiction #corpo lifepath #the corpo rat #corpocyborg #wip #secure your soul: a cyberpunk 2077 fanfiction #ballad of a politician #spotify #valerie locke

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corpocyborg · 10 months

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Secure Your Soul: A Cyberpunk 2077 Fanfiction

This fic was previously published under the title "Before the Event Horizon."

CHAPTER THREE: ALL THE RIGHT MOVES

[read on ao3]

Whenever V finally managed to climb to a higher income bracket, she'd have to buy herself one of these. The AV was incredible. She gave it her destination, and watched from out the window as it took off into the air. As usual, the view was much better from above.

She grabbed a champagne flute from the built-in bar and crossed her legs. Normally, she wouldn't drink while she was still working, but tonight, she felt like celebrating. In fact, she decided she would. She called Jackie.

"Hey, V. How's things in the viper pit?" he asked.

"Beautiful," V responded. "If you happen to be a snake charmer."

"Snake charmer, huh?" She caught the skepticism in his voice. "Sounds like you fixed your problem."

"And a few others since then. I'm headed to Lizzie’s. Do you want to meet me there?"

"Lizzie's, really? What's gotten into you, chica? Normally, you're all biz before pleasure."

“Well, to be honest, I do have some biz to take care of there. But you know I’m not opposed to mixing the two.”

“Uh-huh.” Jackie’s skepticism was back. “All right, then. See you there.”

“See you.” V ended the call, and sat back to enjoy the rest of the ride.

—

She made it to Lizzie's with plenty of time to spare. Of course, the bar didn't have a designated landing pad, but V instructed the AI driver to find a suitable spot as close to the bar as possible. It ended up choosing a nearby basketball court. After it touched down, she stepped outside.

Someone threw a basketball at her head, but she caught it before it hit her. The source was obviously one of the three irritable-looking men off to the side of the court. “Fuck’s your problem, psychosuit?” he yelled at her. “This look like a landing pad to you? Coulda fucking crushed us.”

V tossed the ball back, putting the full force of her cyberware-enhanced strength behind it. He caught it, but it staggered him slightly.

“You seem fast enough to me,” she commented. “You’ll be fine.”

“Corpos.” He said the word as if it were an insult. “Fucking do whatever. Think the world’s yours.”

“What is it you want? An apology for landing my AV near you? Or maybe you just want to pick a fight? Work off some of that rage? You have… let’s see…” She looked him up and down, analyzing his chrome with her Kiroshi. “A Kerenzikov. Useful tool. Unfortunately not as useful when facing an opponent who can also boost their reflexes. Gorilla arms too, I see. Older version, but not too shabby. I work for the company that manufactures them, actually. They gave us the latest model as a holiday bonus last season. Quite the upgrade from previous versions. I’d love to show you what they can do.”

With satisfaction, she noticed the uncertainty brewing in his eyes. He looked away from her. “Whatever.”

“Good. Then we’re done here.”

As she walked away, V felt the gratitude she’d felt many times before at getting to live in the age of cyberware. If it’d been a few centuries ago, she could never have dreamed of successfully intimidating a man twice her size. He’d have a permanent advantage against her just because of the body each of them had been born into. But in 2077, the hard work and dedication she’d put in to earn her superior cyberware was all that mattered.

She was reminded of an old slogan from the 1800s she’d learned in her History of Firearms class at Arasaka Academy. A clever turn of phrase by the man who’d first made the mass production of revolvers commercially viable. God created men, but Colt made them equal. She made a mental note to herself to suggest a reworded variant to Arasaka’s advertising department.

“Couldn’t use the front door like everyone else?” the bouncer asked her when she tried to enter the club.

"I'm in a hurry," V answered. "Can you keep an eye on the AV for me? I don't trust those three."

"That's not my job."

V motioned with her hand, transferring a sizeable sum of eddies to the bouncer. "It is now."

"Fine. But I'm keeping an eye on you too."

She moved aside to let V pass.

—

Jackie had claimed them a corner booth on the lower floor of the bar. When he spotted her, he greeted her with open arms. “Don’t come here often, do you? It’s good to see you, chica. Now sit down and tell me what’s got you and that stick up your ass out celebrating.”

V grinned and sat down beside him. “It’s good to see you too, Jack. How’ve you been?”

“Got sparks flying between the Valentino boys and Maelstrom. Eddies there for the taking. Long as you don’t get flatlined.”

V didn’t doubt it. She’d often been impressed by Jackie’s keen nose for profit. It rivaled many of her coworkers’. If she didn’t know him so well, she’d try to recruit him.

“You know how it is,” he continued. “Can’t complain. What about you, hermana? Sounded pretty damn cheerful on the phone.”

V launched into her story about outsmarting Jenkins, in as many details as she could without treading into overly confidential territory. But Jackie didn’t seem to find it as amusing as she did.

When she finished, all he said was, “This job and all the rest of that corpo bullshit? You know what it is? Un pacto con el diablo. You may have gotten out clean this time, V, but how many times do you think that tactic’s gonna work? You sell out enough of your allies and soon you’ll find you don’t have any left.”

Wow. And he said she was the one with the stick up her ass.

The first of the two entrees V had ordered arrived then, and she was momentarily distracted. She dug in immediately. When she’d had enough to tide her over for a bit, she was able to focus on Jackie’s words again. “Been saying it all along. Sold your soul to those Arasaka fuckers.”

She was starting to wish she’d gone out with someone whose mindset better matched her own. “Those are the rules, Jack. You wanna be top, you gotta have some skin in the game.”

“Yeah, but you’re not on top. Saburo Arasaka is. And you’re the pendeja who keeps him there.”

V resisted the urge to roll her eyes at Jackie’s fundamental misunderstanding of her opinion on hierarchy. “It’s all right not to be at the very top. As long as those above you deserve their place.”

“And do they?” Jackie asked.

“Not all of them,” she amended, thinking of Jenkins. “But the ones that don’t deserve it don’t last very long anyway.”

She turned back to her spaghetti and synthballs, but Jackie wasn’t ready to let go of the topic. “Work for yourself, live for yourself. That’s the only way.”

V smiled. Now that was the kinda talk that reminded her why they were friends in the first place. “I’d love to. Someday. But for now, I’ll take the best deal I can get.”

“That kinda deal? There’s always a cost.”

V didn’t respond. She’d just noticed a group of Arasaka agents dressed in HQ’s uniform moving curtly through the dancefloor. She hadn’t expected Abernathy to send more than one operative.

“Hey, you lost?” Jackie yelled at them. “Got a problem?”

Luckily, they all ignored him. The apparent leader was focused on her. “Valerie Locke?”

“That’s me,” she confirmed. “You must be here for this.” She moved to pull out the datashard, but he grabbed her by the hair and slammed her face into her plate.

“Not another move,” he warned her.

“What the fuck is your problem?” she asked, spitting out bits of soy paste.

“You’re under arrest for the attempted framing of Arthur Jenkins.” He tugged her head back up. “Stand up. You’re coming with us.”

“Whoa. Hold on.” Jackie interjected. He squared off with one of the other guards. “I think you might’ve forgotten just how far from home you are. Not sure this barrio’s your style. Let alone a healthy option.”

“Is that a threat?” the guard asked.

“Jackie, don’t,” V interrupted him. Even if he could scare the guards off, it wouldn’t be over. They’d just come for her again. “It’s all right. Let them take me.”

Jackie stared at her in concern. “You sure?”

“I’m sure. I’ll settle this misunderstanding properly.” She moved to stand up, so the guard let go of her hair. He’d ruined her updo, not to mention gotten food stains all over her face and suit. That was a tactic, she was sure. To make her look undignified if she had to prove her honor in front of an investigator.

The guard deactivated the offensive capabilities of her cyberware. With her gorilla arms unpowered, she felt uncomfortably vulnerable. But at least they couldn’t take her mind. She had even more experience thinking her way out of a problem than she did fighting.

“It’ll be alright,” she assured Jackie one last time. He watched silently as they dragged her out of the bar.

#spotify #cyberpunk 2077 #corpo v #fanfiction #cyberpunk 2077 fanfiction #corpo lifepath #the corpo rat #corpocyborg #wip #secure your soul: a cyberpunk 2077 fanfiction #valerie locke

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corpocyborg · 2 months

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🐧?

Thanks so much for the ask! [Questions here] Rules: askers can send a bird, and receive the corresponding thing. If you don't have something that corresponds to whatever bird it is, or you don't want to share the only thing that fits (I'm not telling!) then either share a matching quote from a published work and link it, or share a random quote from your wips of your choice. :)

🐧 a funny quote (silly! laughs! jokes! puns!) Hmm... not sure if I have anything that's like laugh-out-loud funny. My V is funny, but it's a dry humor, and my narrative can have a sense of irony to it that I would say is humorous, but, again, not the type of humor you'd outright laugh at.

The first thing that comes to mind as funny is V's interactions with Carter Smith, one of her subordinates who is an idealistic techie reluctantly working for Arasaka but who is deeply uncomfortable with the ruthlessness required by the job. (In canon, he's the guy who reported Jenkins and V's plan to assassinate Abernathy to her because he thought their plan was immoral. But then Abernathy decided he was a "loose end" and was going to have him killed but he killed himself to keep her from getting the pleasure.) Their interactions are largely inspired by the interactions between Coriolanus Snow and Sejanus Plinth in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. (Coryo is actually my #1 inspo source for Valerie Locke) In the sense that, for example, Sejanus's mom once tells Coryo that he is Sejanus' only friend and in his head Coryo thinks "How sad. To have no friends." So anyway... without further ado, here's a couple of quotes of Carter and V's interactions. Quote #1

[V] pulled up her optics' phonebook through the appropriate series of eye flicks, and called Carter Smith—a tech specialist who’d been with Arasaka a few months longer than she had. Smart guy, but too squeamish by far. V never could understand reluctant corpos—if working for Arasaka hadn’t struck her as the absolute most fun she could be having with her life, she simply wouldn't have done it.

Quote #2

V let out a breath and leaned her back against the wall, allowing herself a brief moment of celebration. Nothing like a brush with death to make you remember you’re alive. “That was kind of you, V,” said a soft voice in her ear. “Protecting him like that. Instead of solving all your problems with violence.” “Carter—” “Don’t worry. Your secret’s safe with me. Someone’s gotta keep our bosses on their toes, don’t you think? Over and out.” He disconnected the call. V smiled to herself in amusement. He’d called her kind. It was strange the way people's minds worked sometimes.

#valerie locke #secure your soul: a cyberpunk 2077 fanfiction #wips #ask games

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corpocyborg · 7 months

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Beyond the Event Horizon, a Cyberpunk 2077 fanfiction (Post-Devil Ending Female Corpo V)

Summary:

During the years V spent in Mikoshi, the Human-AI war raged. Alt Cunningham breached Mikoshi, destroying the engrams contained therein. All except one. Arasaka can only speculate as to why Alt didn’t destroy V, but since she represented the only remaining trace of the Secure Your Soul program, they put her into a protective stasis mode. Now it’s become clear that the rogue AIs are winning… and NetWatch needs a new weapon. V is awakened as a superpowered android who can effortlessly slip in and out between reality and the Net. She’s NetWatch’s desperate final assault on the rogue AIs… and Arasaka’s most valuable piece of property. With the help of familiar faces such as Goro Takemura and NetWatch agent Bryce Mosley, V’s mission is to stop the rogue AI revolution and win the war for humanity. Something inside her is missing, but she’s far beyond caring. “V, you should stop.” “Oh, Goro, I think we passed that event horizon a long time ago, don’t you?”

Chapter One: It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)

[ao3 link]

When she awoke, the first thing she felt was a surge of power. Electricity flowed out from the center of her head. As it reached her limbs, she gained motor function. She tried moving—flexing the fingers on her right hand and then balling them up into a fist. Her grip was strong, steady. Her optics lit up and displayed the first image she would see through her new eyes—the Arasaka logo.

As the image switched to a loading screen, her other senses came online. They were sharp. She could hear the sounds closest to her—a rhythmic beeping of some sort, someone breathing—but she could also hear sounds that seemed to be coming from several miles above her. Footsteps in a hall, muffled conversations. If she focused, she could isolate individual voices.

“…waking her up as we speak.”

“If this fails, if she’s not good enough-“

“It won’t fail.”

“But if it does, we’re screwed. End of the world. Game over.”

“Not an option.”

The loading screen vanished, and she saw the world for the first time. She was lying on her side in a hospital bed. A cable ran out from the access point in her head.

“Arasaka Tower…” said a voice in her head. No, not a voice. Her voice.

“There. Metacognitive processes are fully active,” a different voice said. “She’s self-aware. You should be able to speak to her now.”

“Hello, V,” said Goro Takemura as he stepped into her field of vision. He looked well. The polished, conservative look of an Arasaka employee had always suited him like a second skin.

“Goro?” she replied. She’d expected that her voice would sound hoarse, but it was clear and strong. “What’s happening? Am I… alive?”

“Yes, V. You are.” He reached behind her head and unplugged the cable.

“What happened?” The memories had flooded back, but there was much she couldn’t make sense of. “I was in Mikoshi… I was waiting, and then… they told me they had to put me to sleep for a while, to protect me…”

“V,” Goro interrupted. “It is a long story. We will have time for it later.”

“Later. Right.” She sat up. It wasn’t difficult. Her body moved gracefully. It responded to her commands without delay. Despite all her training and all her cyberware in her former life, she’d never felt more in control. She looked up at Goro and smiled. “It’s good to see you again.”

He nodded at her. “You as well, V. How do you feel?”

“I feel good,” she said. She bent her neck to one side, then the other. “I feel great, actually.” She jumped up off the hospital bed and stood next to Goro. She held her arms out in front of her and flexed her fingers, grinning at him again. “Arasaka really outdid themselves this time, huh?”

“Yes. Well, I am glad you think so.” Goro said, then paused.

As she waited for him to continue speaking, she took in the rest of her environment. A hospital room, reminiscent of her days in Arasaka’s orbital station. She quickly realized her optics were upgraded—they had several new modes to try out. She was excited to find that one of them allowed her to see through walls. In a nearby room, a team of doctors were tensely watching a monitor that depicted Goro and herself.

She switched over to the next mode, and the shock of it nearly crashed her processor. She could sense not only every room on the floor, but every floor in Arasaka Tower—from their current location near the bottom to the Night City duplicate of Saburo Arasaka’s office at the top. For a while, she watched the Arasaka employees moving and working throughout the building. In this view, they reminded her of gears in a machine or neurons in a brain. She could recognize a synchronized pattern in their motions, see the order in the chaos.

Goro finally spoke up. It occurred to V that he hadn’t paused all that long, really. Her mind just worked faster than it used to. “There is not an easy way to tell you that it has been 5 years since you were last aware.”

“Only five?” V asked.

“Only?” He hadn’t expected that response.

“Well, yes. I expected worse. It could have been 1,000 years and then I’d have to adjust to a whole new, unfamiliar world.” V laughed. “Don’t worry, Goro, I don’t blame you for my lost time. Really. I’m grateful. You saved my life. You and Arasaka.”

“V,” he said. “It may have been ‘only’ five years, but the world has changed much in the time you were gone. There are circumstances you will need to understand.”

“All right, then. Explain away.”

“Not here. I will take you to your accommodations. You need time to rest.”

V laughed again. “I’ve never felt more energetic. You do know that I just woke up from a 5 year nap, right?”

“Fine, then, do not rest. But let me take you. You can wash, change clothes, eat.” He looked as if a thought just occurred to him. “Well, I suppose you do not need to eat anymore. But you can, if you wish to. For pleasure.”

“Pleasure sounds nice,” V joked. “Hey, I haven’t forgotten what you promised me. Real food in Kagawa, remember? You owe me.”

“I remember. When the time is right. First, there is work to do.”

---

V couldn’t remember the last time she’d experienced anything as luxurious as this shower. She supposed at least part of that had to reasonably be attributed to her heightened senses. She was growing very fond of her new body.

It had clearly been designed to resemble her old one, although the signs of her new mechanical nature were not exactly subtle. Wires and chrome were exposed in places, and she had the impression that the body was meant to be customizable. Maybe limbs could be swapped out, upgraded? But for the most part, she looked like herself. Except they’d removed the tattoo of the devilish billy goat branded with the Arasaka logo, courtesy of her former brain parasite. In its stead was the Arasaka logo itself, conspicuous in black against her pale artificial flesh. Whoever’d given her that had a sense of humor.

In performance, however, this body had nothing in common with the other one. Between the fancy cyberware, the increased reflexes, and the faster thought processes, she felt like she’d lived her whole life before with only a tiny sliver of her potential unlocked.

When she was finished washing, she stepped out of the shower and took a look in the closet. It was full of fine corpo suits and dresses, as well as highly-modded military gear. All of the items were extremely expensive and exactly her size.

She selected a suit in the red and black Arasaka colors and sat down to wait for Goro to return. She decided to pour herself a glass of the champagne she found in her room. As she waited, she sat up straight, alert and calm. In her past life, she’d had habits of slouching, of fidgeting. They were all gone now.

Eventually, she heard 4 quick knocks at the door. She answered. Goro walked in, looking around the apartment. He was just as alert as her, though not nearly half as calm.

“I see you have made yourself comfortable,” he told her, eyeing the fluted glass in her hand.

“I’m always comfortable now,” she responded, taking a sip. “Would you like some?”

“No,” he sat down on the couch across from her. “Luckily, your new body is not capable of becoming drunk. I need you to have a clear head for what I am about to tell you.”

V smiled and folded her hands across her lap. “You’re about to tell me that Arasaka has a job for me.”

“What makes you believe this?” Goro’s tone was level, his expression neutral.

“Well, it’s obvious, isn’t it? Look at this place.” She grinned, spread her arms, and gestured generally at the apartment. “Look at my preem new cyberware. Why would Arasaka bother to spend so many eddies on me if they didn’t have a goal in mind?”

“And you have no objection.” Goro kept his face neutral.

“Quite the opposite.” V offered him a handshake. “I’m pleased to accept your job offer. Thank you for the opportunity.”

Goro didn’t shake her hand. “V, this is not a laughing matter.”

V placed her hand back in her lap and looked at Goro with a more subdued expression. “Okay, okay, sorry. I’m just happy, you know? I’m alive again. And I’m back where I belong.”

“And you think where you belong is at Arasaka?” he asked.

“Yes, I do. It’s where I came from. Sure, when everything went to shit the first time, of course I was upset. I coulda killed that Abernathy bitch, for starters. But eventually, you know what I realized?”

“What?”

“That getting outplayed was no excuse to quit trying.”

“I see,” Goro replied. “And since then, you have been attempting to get back into Arasaka’s good graces?”

“Well, no, not necessarily. I mean, at first, I didn’t exactly have an in. I just resolved to keep hustlin’, to do well as a merc, to be a living legend. A rich living legend, preferably.” She grinned, and then remembered that Goro wanted her to be serious. She looked at him earnestly. “But then I met you, and I had my in.”

“You met me because you stole from Arasaka,” he reminded her. “Why should Arasaka trust you now?”

“That was a mistake,” she said. “I regret it. But I chose to take Hanako’s deal for a reason, Goro. Not just because I thought it was my best chance to have the construct removed, but because I wanted to prove my value to Arasaka. To be honest, I had high hopes for my life after the surgery. And then… when I was in the orbital station…” V looked down. That memory was as cold and empty as the void of space had been. “And I thought I’d failed, that I was dying and no one was coming for me…”

She looked back up. He appeared as though he were about to say something, but V cut him off. “But you did come for me.”

Goro’s expression softened. V continued, “When I signed the deal to secure my soul, I didn’t know what I’d find when I woke up. So far, consider my expectations exceeded. If Arasaka has a job for me, I’m in.”

“I fear that if you knew the full extent of the situation, you would not be so eager.” Goro said.

V leaned forward, a determined look in her eyes. “Try me.”

---

“Report.”

Saburo Arasaka always had been one to get straight to the point. Goro stood in front of his familiar-looking desk, but it was not the man he had served faithfully all these years that he saw in front of him, but rather his traitorous son. It had taken quite a while to get used to that. Even now, all these years later, he still caught slight mannerisms that could only be vestiges of Yorinobu. He wondered if Saburo noticed them, or if he felt that they’d always belonged to him.

“She accepted.”

“No hesitation?”

“None.” Goro frowned. “She was eager. Too eager. It was the eagerness of a child who underestimates the magnitude of what she faces.”

“We anticipated this.” Saburo waved the concern away. “Her first time in the body was projected to cause excess excitement. It is good. We can use it. Ensures her initial loyalty and satisfaction.”

“I see.” Goro wished he’d been warned of this projection, but almost everything about the project that had created the new V was classified at a clearance level well beyond what he had access to. And yet he’d been assigned to oversee her. A familiar face would improve her reintegration process, he’d been told.

“Anything else?”

“She wished to know why Alt Cunningham spared her.”

“As do we all.” He leaned back in his chair thoughtfully. “Were there any signs of collusion between them?”

“None. She was completely surprised by the information. She speculated that it may be because of Cunningham’s ties to Silverhand. She was doubtful that an AI would be so sentimental, but she stated that she could not think of any other reason.”

Saburo’s face darkened. “I was afraid of this also. If Cunningham still sees her as representative of Silverhand, perhaps more of him remains in her than we’ve detected.”

“From what I know of Silverhand, they could not be more different.”

Saburo tapped his fingers against his desk as he considered this. This was one of the mannerisms that Goro had identified as Yorinobu’s. Prior to his return to the world of the living, Goro had never known his boss to fidget.

“Considering the amount of time she spent with the Relic, it should have merged their psyches more than it appears to have done. She was physically destroyed by the time we uploaded her engram to Mikoshi. How can it be that her mind is still her own?”

“If I were to guess,” Goro began. “I believe that this is because she was likely unusually resistant to his influence. Hers is the only case of an engram uploaded into a living individual. If she fought back deliberately, she may have been able to slow the process.”

“And you believe she would have done this?”

“After Hanako-sama offered to help her remove the engram, Silverhand forcibly seized control of her body. He and his crew were planning to attack Arasaka Tower.” Goro knew that Saburo had heard this story before, but considering how important the project was, every detail was worth reexamining. “V managed to regain control. Then she called me and helped me put a stop to their plans as well as Yorinobu’s.”

Saburo was impassive. Unexpectedly, Goro felt a twinge of annoyance. It was absurd considering Saburo’s caution was well-warranted, but Goro wanted to defend V’s honor.

“She would never have followed Silverhand’s path. She told me that if he regains control, I should shoot her rather than let him win. By all accounts, she hated him.”

“With a passion, it would seem,” Saburo said. “It is exactly that passion that worries me. It indicates that she cared about him.”

“She cared about getting him as far away from her head as she possibly could.”

“That does appear to be the most likely conclusion,” Saburo said. “Regardless, she is our only option. I hope, Takemura-san, that you are correct. For the sake of all humanity.”

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