Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Prologue

The smashing of broken bottles, footsteps running and screams were all that could be heard. Katana wielding men storming Lizzie’s with delicate precision; this had been planned, no doubt about that.

“Where is the leader? Where is Susie Q?” The questions echoed through the now partially empty club. It wasn’t a new occurrence for the Tyger claws to dip their toes where they weren’t welcome. From time to time brawls were had, lives were lost and blood was shed. Thankfully for the Mox they had eyes and ears in locations the claws would never assume, meaning they almost always had the upper hand ... this was not one of those occasions.

“I’m here, I’m here, Jesus wha the fuck do you want” Susie appears from the doorway of her office finding the mess of destruction. She circled Nonchalantly around the claws whom had now formed together in the centre of the club. One hand slightly raised whilst the other held firm to the holster on her hip.

“You know exactly what we want bitch, it’s time we took it. You didn’t think we wouldn’t find out about your spy dolls? Bad luck they’re all dead now” the group began to laugh simultaneously.

“... and you didn’t think you could just walk in here and take what is ours without a little fight now did ya. You seem to be mistaking me for a fool boys... and I definitely ain’t no fool”. Her gaze fell on the leader of the pack, a snarl formed on her lips as she confidently walked towards him.

“I’m gonna give your gonk asses one chance to get the fuck outta this club before the only way your gettin out is in a body bag” Susie squared up to the gang slightly puffing out her chest. Lizzies was her home and the Mox were her family, she was not about to sit back and watch shithead claw members try and take it for a little cred. The gang members looked at each other before further laughter erupted.

“You stupid bitch you act like you have a choice, you either give it to us. Or we will take it” The main claw member lifted his katana holding it just in front of Susie in a threatening manner.

Keeping focus on the intruders, Susie glanced around. Various Mox members were scattered throughout, combat ready ... and pissed. The club was near silent, any trace of the nightlife disappeared along with the running footsteps of patrons as they escaped.

“The Mox don’t stand for bullshit like this. Do we girls” the club erupted with shouts and cheers from the Mox members.

“Then you will perish ...”

BANG!

A gunshot echoed through the room like a train, a shocked look shared between claws members as they glazed at their leader with a bullet between his eyes. The weight of his body felt the force of gravity and collapsed. A smirk tugged at Susies lips as she made a dash over the bar with her unholstered pistol in her hand.

Chaos ensued, sprays of machine gun ammo rained over the club as an all out turf war ensued. The Mox girls were going to give them a fight to remember. They may have been outnumbered, but they fight ... and they fight dirty.

Resident bouncer Rita had been cornered by two claws members, their gleaming expressions did nothing to calm the rage engulfing Rita. With a shriek, Rita swung her bat connecting to one of the claws, causing his jaw to completely disconnect from the rest of his face. The other claw who had witnessed this in disbelief attempted to grab Rita. The bouncer gaze went straight through the gang member as she threw her bat into the air and used her momentum to kick the claw away. With a grunt, the Tyger claw staggered backwards with the wind knocked out of him. She caught the bat mid air, spun it around, thrusting the butt of the bat into the man, his skull instantly caving in like quicksand.

“Fuck yeah! Did anyone see that! You see what I just did with my bat!” Rita exclaimed

“Not now Rita!” one of the Moxes called out.

“Oh shit yeah” Rita turned and unloaded a couple of bullets into her baseball practice targets. She was pretty sure they wouldn’t be getting up anytime soon. However, one could never be too careful.

Susie had been ducking and diving past sprays of bullets, returning fire and taking out Tyler claws as she passed. She was on a warpath, hellbent on protecting her home. She ducked for cover behind a booth in the corner and caught her breath. The smell of smoke, metal, blood and sweat invaded her senses. Lizzie’s had descended into chaos.

Susie dipped out of cover long enough to see the result. It had seemed majority of the claws were dead, the few remaining had made a run for their lives assuming defeat. However, no victory comes without sacrifice. The floor that was previously stained with alcohol and sweat, now stained a red hue. Some Mox members lay bent and broken with various injuries and others would never see the light of day again. Susie stood and exhaled heavily. The weight of the event that transpired finally caught up with her.

“We all ok?!” Susies voice cut through the tension of the room.

“Suze! ... They got Dollie” Rita shouted out. Ripples of head movements as every standing member of the Mox turned to face the bouncer before resting their gaze on the now deceased member. A flurry of sighs and sobs began to echo throughout the room.

“Oh no” she whispered to herself, exhaling whatever air was left in her lungs. Dollie was a huge part of the Mox and an even bigger icon at Lizzie’s. They were used to the death and destruction that came with Night City gangs. It never got any easier though.

... three weeks later

The members who were able to attend stood in solidarity around the Columbarium, many were still nursing their wounds from the Tyger claws attack. As they circled the small panel with their former Mox member, they linked their arms behind each other’s backs and lowered their heads.

“Dollie was one of us and she always will, we will get our own back on those no neck claws mark my words” Susie raised her head, she reached for her pocket before pulling out a large hip flask.

“To Dollie” she said raising her arm and taking swig from her flask before passing it around, the other members respond the same and pass Susie’s flask between them.

Once words were exchanged and goodbyes had been done, the group began to disperse. A few stragglers hung back to pay final respects and discuss.

“Hope you got a plan Suze, everyone is real pissed this time. Girls are this close to starting a riot” Rita spoke as she stood next to Susie.

Susie’s gaze didn’t move from Dollie’s plaque. Her body stiff, Rita assumed she had barely acknowledged the words that were spoken. The bouncer opened her mouth to speak when Susie spoke up.

“I have a plan but ... we are just gonna need a little help”

Rita looked at Susie with a perplexed look

“Help? The Moxes do things themselves, who could we possibly need to help us?”

Susie turned to face Rita. With an intense stare she uttered.

“We need a Merc.”

Chapter Text

It had been roughly 4 weeks since the Moxes had said goodbye to Dollie. The bar had pretty much recovered from their fight with the Claws, yet there was a spark missing. With each night, the bar slowly returned to its former glory. The sounds of glasses clinking, deep throbbing bass and powerful music filled the air on the average night.  Heavy strobe lighting with pink and blue hues, and the mix of performance and cigarette smoke clouded the view of anyone who entered. From an outsider’s perspective, Lizzie’s was alive and as wild as ever. However, to those who knew, everything was less than peachy.   

When everyone had eventually returned to Lizzie’s after Dollie’s funeral, the mood was low. Days had passed, and yet the grief felt was still raw. Susie rarely made an appearance out of her office. Some thought she was grieving, while others thought she was depressed and blaming herself.  Susie however had settled on anger. This emotion she could easily work with, her blood boiling from the actions of the Tyger Claws. She began to hatch a plan. Her not-so-secret plan to keep tabs on the claws had failed and as a result, handfuls of dolls had died. A stab of guilt began to seep into the Mox leader. She had to think and she had to be smart about it. It had seemed that the Claws knew how the Moxes worked and how they ticked. If they were to seek the revenge they all desperately wanted, Susie would have to think outside of the box.   

The Moxes were notoriously isolationists; if they had an issue, they would resolve it themselves without the drama and expense of an outsider. Susie’s plan to use their reputation to their advantage could actually work.  It had been years since she had even thought about contacting a fixer. She had decided to approach the Afterlife, a questionable underground club, with an even more questionable reputation. She was aware of the type of patrons that used their facilities. She picked up her holo and decided it was time to take action.   

“Susanna Quinn … how did you get this number?” Rogue answered, fine lines and wrinkles along with streaks of grey hair that shaped the elder woman’s face appeared clearly in view.    

“H-How do you know my name?” Susie stammered, thrown by the knowledge the fixer had.   

“Darling, in my line of work you have to know everything and I am very good at my job. I also know you are not usually the type of woman who requires my services so I will ask only once … why are you calling?”   

Susie momentarily regained composure; she was not one to be taken back. She knew of this fixer and was made painfully aware of how wrong this could go. Susie had to play this just right.   

“Rogue, I need a Solo, someone who isn’t afraid to get their hands dirty no questions asked. I have been informed you are the best person for the job.” Susie’s confidence returned as she eyed the woman on the holo.   

“Ha, what could the Mox possibly need a Merc for... you better not be wasting my time Quinn” Rogue’s eyes had widened, her patience wearing thin. Her time was precious enough without the endless list of people wasting her time. The thought of the Mox needing her assistance had sparked a curiosity in her, she was intrigued.   

“I do not wish to discuss specifics on the holo, if you know someone who is willing to accept this on a semi-permanent basis please let me know, I will wait for your call. Goodbye Rogue” Susie hung up; she wasn’t sure whether her abrupt approach would work in her favour. She would just have to wait and find out. She let out a large breath and reached for her glass.  

“This better fuckin work Susie.” she mumbled to herself before downing her drink.  

It was two days before Rogue contacted Susie; Lizzie’s had been buzzing with rumours and speculation about what Susie was up to, who the Merc could be and more importantly, what the plan was. Rogue had informed Susie that she had a Merc who was willing to do the job with no questions asked. To Susie’s relief, Rogue had pulled through and was strangely impressed by the ‘balls’ on the Mox leader. They had agreed for the Merc to meet Susie at Lizzie’s to discuss further and potentially agree on the contract.   

“Right girls listen up, I know some of you have been wondering what is going on. Yeah, the rumours are true, I have a plan and tonight a solo will be here to discuss a contract” Susie gazed around the room full of Mox members, the daily brief about the evenings events had become routine to the members. All those who were working that evening were there. Susie had every member’s attention to the fullest while she explained what she had up her sleeve.  

“What the hell Suze, since when do we rely on Mercs. They don’t give a shit about us they only care bout the Eddies!” Judy spoke up, she knew exactly how this was going to play out and it was going to end with the Mox suffering. Night City had a poetic way of turning even the most innocent person into a power hungry villain with a tendency to snatch whatever eddies they crossed. Mercenaries were the kid siblings to Corpos; they may have been small timers in comparison, yet they were just as villainous.  

“Judy” Susie snapped, her gaze focused on the pink and green haired Mox.   

“I know what I am doing, I’m meeting with them and we are talking logistics. If shit doesn't play out or they don’t have the vibe then they’re out” Susie rolled her shoulders and her nostrils flared. 

“Everyone knows what they’re doing tonight? Good! Have a good shift” Susie turned on her heel to leave.  

“Suze we ain’t done here” Judy cried out. There was no way Susie was about to let some dumbfuck solo make situations worse.   

“Yeah we fuckin are. Don’t you have some BDs to tune?” With a click of her heels, Susie disappeared into her office, leaving the remnants of the conversation on the Moxes lips.  

“What the fuck is goin on” Judy said whilst walking to the bar, joining Rita and Mateo.   

“It’s gonna be interesting Jude you can’t deny that, whatever plan Susie has been cooking up. It’s gonna be big” Mateo said, turning to face Judy. He placed his hands on the bar, looking intently at the girls.  

“Rumour has it she is some hot shot kid from the streets. Got into a bit of trouble a few months back and is trying to rebuild a name for herself. Here’s hoping she’s got what it takes”   

“I hope she’s hot” Rita spoke up, noticing both sets of eyes staring at her.   “ What? A sexy Merc all badass and shit, don’t tell me that doesn't sound hot to you?” Rita looked at Judy with an amused smile.  

“Think you might need to re-evaluate your type choom” Judy snorted  

“Yeah … you’re one to talk” Rita fired back.  

“Wait, what's that suppose-“   

“Come on let’s get ready to open shall we?” Rita stood from the bar stool, cutting Judy’s sentence and ushering her towards the basement.   

* 

V gazed at her reflection through the mirror in her apartment. She slightly tilted her head, tracing her fingertips over the indented scar that decorated her neck.  

The scar had begun to fade but the memories that laid on the surface were still fresh, still raw. She fucked up, boy did she fuck up. V had spent the last 4 months reliving the incident, going through every moment in her mind with a fine tooth comb figuring out what went wrong, what she could have done differently. She had recoiled into herself, lost everything she had worked so hard to achieve. Her career was tarnished, contacts disappeared. She was back to square one. Thankfully, her drunken albeit rash decision to step foot into the afterlife had proved prosperous. The notorious queen had provided the solo with minor work to regain some eddies but more importantly, a place back at the table. That was until Rogue had called offering her ‘the gig of a lifetime’. V had received very little information regarding the job, the only Intel she had been given was who it was for. This was all V needed to know. She would take it, if she was honest with herself, the Merc would take any job.  

The instructions were to meet at Lizzie’s, a well-known Braindance club in Watson. From there she will speak to her potential client on the gig and set up a contract. It sounded simple enough; she had done this hundreds of times before the incident.  Yet she was nervous. V let out a sigh before exiting her bathroom. She walked towards the small closet on the other side of the room and began looking through her clothes. 

“What the fuck do you even wear to a BD club these days” she mumbles to herself. She began pulling clothes out and placing them against herself. 

“Don’t be a gonk V, You gotta make a half decent impression” she places a pair of rave pants back into her closet.  As she was picking and choosing through the waves of outfits, the alarm on her holo chimed.  

“Shit I’ve gotta delta” V grabbed the only outfit out of her selection she deemed fairly acceptable and scrambled to get ready. She was hopping out of the door while putting a boot on. 

V had settled on a black sleeveless t-shirt dress with the Samurai logo on. Fishnet tights, over the knee boots and her signature leather jacket. As she approached the elevator, she straightened herself out and with a few breaths her calm and composed nature returned. With the flick of her holo, she summoned her Arch and the lights of Night City became a blur. When V was on her bike she felt alive. More alive than when she killed scavs or piss drunk on whisky, it was the few times she actually felt free. Free of the memories, of the pain, of the way the City she grew up in was slowly crawling under skin and killing her from the inside out. Before she had the chance to fully appreciate the ride, she had arrived at Lizzie’s.  

The bar was smaller than she had anticipated; it was clear it hadn’t opened yet as the neon signs weren’t glowing and no bouncers were at the door. Music was blasting through the club's speakers loud enough for the Merc to take notice. V jumped off her bike and pulled a cigarette from the inside pocket of her jacket. She placed it between her teeth and reached for her lighter. Smoke engulfed her lungs and the air around her; she leant back, resting onto the Arch and observed. She watched casually as girls would enter and leave the premises, she took note of windows and doors and formulated possible exit strategies. One could never be too prepared. 

With an exhale V stood and flicked her cigarette to the ground. She straightened herself out and prepared.

“Ok V here we go, don’t fuck it up”

V took several steps towards the entrance; she puffed her chest and pulled open the doors. 

*

The atmosphere within Lizzie’s had grown, members of the Mox and staff were still congregated within the main room; they were preparing themselves for the busy night ahead. Susie’s statement about a Merc arriving at Lizzie’s tonight had caused a buzz amongst everyone.

“15 minutes until showtime guys and girls, tonight is going to be a blast” Rita grinned, the excitement on her face was barely contained. Although Lizzie’s saw its fair share of drama, Rita couldn’t help but believe the arrival of the Merc would cause a stir that she could relish in. 

Rita slowly looked around the bar to the usual faces. In the corner of her eye she noticed the pink and green hues of Judy’s hair.

“Hey Judy, where are you skulking off too? Don’t you wanna be here for when our saving grace arrives?” Judy turned to Rita who could barely contain her shit eating grin. 

“First of all, she ain’t gonna be no saving grace, we can handle it. Second of all, why are you so wrapped up in this shit anyway” Judy shouted from across the room. Her tone was short and to the point, she really didn’t have the patience to deal with Rita and the events of the evening. 

“Oh come on Jude don’t be like that, I know you ain’t a people person but at least come and say hey won’t ya” Judy responded simply with a sneer and made a swift getaway to the basement. 

Before Rita had the chance to follow her, Lizzie’s resident DJ turned the music up. The bass that rattled through bones began thumping through the various speakers that were positioned throughout the club, awakening the souls of anyone in the vicinity. Catchy hooks and riffs that could get even the most hesitant of people dancing began floating through the air like lightning in an electrical storm. The house lights dimmed and the strobe lighting appeared. It was show time! 

“Places people! Let’s get this show on the ro-“ 

Rita’s words caught in her throat as the doors to the main room swung open with force. Through the smoke and pink strobe lighting the figure of a slim woman appeared. The woman strolled through the room in what seemed like slow motion, her steps and hips moved perfectly in time to the bass that pulsated through the floor. The woman came to a halt in the middle of the room and looked around. A multitude of faces with jaws slightly agape were all that welcomed the woman. Her vision zeroed in on the bar, she turned on her heels and made her way over to the vacant seat in the furthest corner. She raised her hand to signal the bartender who approached without haste. 

“I’m looking for Susanna Quinn, know where I can find her?” She raised her eyebrow and looked sternly at the bartender. Mateo swallowed hard.

“She’s out back in her office; I’ll let her know you’ve arrived. In the meantime, drink?” Mateo glanced over to the various Mox members and back at the mysterious woman.

“Centzon straight up” V looked at the bartender and glanced over at what had caught the bartender’s attention. She was met with smug smiles and dropped jaws. The Merc looked down at her newly poured drink and smirked.

Damn I still got it  she thought before sipping her drink .

*

Three Centzons and a failed pick up line later, V was observing the room around her. The bar had officially opened and the room had become alive. People of various ages in brightly coloured outfits were scattered around the club. With inhibitions lowered thanks to Mateo’s bartending skills, the dance floor was piled with bodies convulsing rhythmically to the latest music releases. The air had thickened. The toxic cocktail of smoke, sweat and alcohol invaded the atmosphere. 

Three women with brightly coloured hair were sitting on the opposite side of the bar eyeing the Merc intently. V noticed immediately, the closeness she witnessed between them meant they were more than just work colleagues, friends perhaps? They were clearly attractive but for very different reasons, not that V was looking in more than an observational way. However one stood out to V, she observed the woman intently. Wearing overalls in a club? She clearly didn’t work on the main floor, behind the scenes maybe? This captured the interest of the Merc. The woman with skin decorated with tattoos glimpsed at V and back at her friends, V received looks of disgust from the brooding woman and flirty winks from the others. V managed to maintain eye contact with the pink and green haired woman long enough to smirk, she was rewarded with an eye roll in return. 

“Who is that?” Evelyn broke the silence between the women. 

“Susie’s new pet project, a Merc no less. She looks fun” Rita replied, staring at the Merc and wiggling her fingers in the form of a wave flirtatiously.

“Interesting, I am gone for a couple of days and I miss all the excitement” Evelyn huffed. The blue haired woman turned her attention to Judy who was staring at her drink on the bar top. “Who pissed in your centzon, why are you so miserable?” Judy looked at her friend and scowled.

“I ain’t miserable, just got a bad feeling about this. I don’t like her” Judy replied.

“Well she seems to have taken a liking to you” Rita grinned darting her focus between Judy and the Merc. “Why don’t you go and introduce yourself, you’ve both got that brooding edge and look, she’s wearing that band you like” Rita was practically bouncing off her chair with excitement. Judy pinched the bridge on her nose. 

“What is with you, I aint interested in making friends with a walking talking corpse” Judy huffed; she was about done with Rita’s bullshit for the evening and was going to tell her where to stick it before Evelyn interjected.

“If you’re not interested” she paused “that leaves her open for me” Evelyn smiled sadistically whilst removing a cigarette from her case and delicately placing it between her lips. “Watch my drink” Evelyn stood, straightened herself out and began to strut towards the Merc in question.

All intentions vanished when Susie appeared in view and ushered the Merc into her office. The Mox leader glanced over her shoulder at the three women in question and stared.

“Play nice ladies” she stated before following her guest into her office.

V stood in the small office space and took in her surroundings. A few moments later Susie appeared and took a seat at her desk. She motioned for V to take a seat. 

“We finally meet Miss Quinn, Why am I here?” V spoke first, getting straight to business; there was no point in wasting time with small talk. 

“It’s Susie” she glared at the Merc before continuing “and here's what you need to know”.

Chapter Text

“Are you serious?” V blurted out. The merc stood to her feet and paced back and forth. “You realise how hard it is to take out one Claws’ leader, let alone three of ‘em?” 

V stared at Susie as the woman leant forward in her chair, resting her forearms on the large oak desk. The office was small but well maintained, decorated in a traditional manner which was a stark contrast to its modern neon owner. 

“Yes, but I see no other option. Now, are you in or are you out? I have places to be.” 

Susie leant back in her large chesterfield chair, crossing her arms she watched the woman before her halt and stroke the intricately placed scar on her neck before meeting Susie’s stare. 

V took a moment to steady herself, remembering the struggle that the last four months had been. The internal turmoil she had suffered, the slop she had to force herself to eat to keep herself from starving, her inability to leave her apartment. She couldn’t say no, she owed that much to herself. For now, and for everything that had happened  She placed both hands flat on the desk in front of her, and looked Susie in the eye. 

“Alright, I’m in,” V breathed. Realising the decision she had made she sat back down, the uncontrollable shake in her leg returning as nerves began to surge through her body. The merc’s gaze fell back onto Susie “So, where do we start?”

“BDs, that’s where we begin.” Susie uttered sternly. She was growing impatient with the questions and attitude of the woman before her, but knew that this was no easy task to be thrusting upon someone. 

“I don’t see how something that helps you flog your log will hel-“ V mused, attempting to stifle a snicker. She was unable to finish her sentence before Susie shot her a scowl and interjected.

“Not that kind of BD you ass. I have various virtus that will give you vital intel on how to get to the three main leaders of the Tyger Claws. Trust me; you will need to see them.” 

V suddenly sat upright, more interested. That was indeed something she was keen to see; she continued to listen intently while Susie explained further. 

“Our resident technician will help put them together and make sense of it. I suggest you speak with her.” The Mox placed her hands on the edge of the desk, pushed her chair back and stood. “Now, I have a bar to run. I will finalise contracts, and they will be available for you tomorrow. I don’t need to remind you this is a delicate operation that needs complete discretion, do not go running your mouth to anyone. Got it?” She began her exit before V diverted her attention.

“Susie,” Susie turned to face the merc with pinched eyebrows. “How am I supposed to know who this technician is?” The question produced a small chuckle from the Mox leader.

“Judy. You can’t miss her, she’s got a hell of a mouth on her.”

Before V could reply with any further questions, Susie vanished into the smoke and lights of the bustling bar, like a magician during a performance. 

*

V had returned to her position back at the bar, sat at a vacant stool which was tucked away nicely in the corner. This part of the bar was less crowded and almost forgotten about; the slight stickiness from spilt drinks confirmed its abandonment. It was perfect for her, somewhere the merc could observe freely without being easily spotted in return. The limited information she had on Judy made things tricky. All she knew was her residency as a technician at Lizzie’s, and her mouth. V used her skills to begin creating a profile of fitting candidates. Throughout the course of the evening and her conversation with Susie, the bar had not only opened but was heavily occupied by patrons, making it increasingly more difficult to single anyone out. The situation was made more difficult by the pulsating bass rattling her teeth, sending shockwaves through her grey matter. Even with her enhanced hearing (thanks Vik) it was difficult to make out anything other than the music that pumped through the speakers. That was until she heard Susie loudly arguing with someone. Although V could hear the exchange, she couldn’t see clearly enough through the neon-clothed bodies. Masked by the shadow of the corner, she stood quickly, observing from her new vantage point. Within seconds she spotted Susie with a shorter woman. V stepped away from the stool, leaving no trace she was ever there. Stalking forward, the merc intricately glided past flailing bodies like a swan on a lake to observe the women without being seen in the process.

"Abso-fucking-lutely not! I don't get paid enough to deal with a walking corpse with a god complex. I don’t care what it's for, I’m not doing it. Take your merc and deal with this yourself."  

The shorter woman growled, turning her back on a very frustrated Susie and walked away, Caramel brown eyes met with the merc’s confident exterior and a snarl formed on her lips. Any chances V had to dodge the oncoming feisty woman were halted when a sharp shove to her shoulder moved her out of the way. 

“Don’t get comfortable, you’re not staying.” The woman spewed the words out like venom, giving V the side-eyed glare. 

With an exasperated breath, Judy pushed through the ever-growing crowd of people and retreated down the set of stairs leading to the basement. Perplexed, V rubbed her newly formed bruised shoulder. Ouch . She glanced at the empty space the two women had previously occupied, and then the exit that the tornado of a woman had just escaped through. A smirk formed on her lips as she looked at her boots.

“So that was Judy, huh.” She said to herself.

Later that evening, Judy remained in her usual spot in the basement, fully immersed in the latest virtu she had been given to tune. She had calmed down significantly since her spat with her boss and leader, but emotions still threatened to bubble over. With her mind occupied, she hadn't noticed the uninvited guest scoping the room and snooping around in her things. From the corner of her eye, Judy noticed V glancing at the worktops, fingertips tracing over pieces of tech that were scattered across the various work surfaces, before opening the lid of a box on the table.

“Don’t touch my stuff.” Judy snapped, startling V, coaxing the box lid to slam shut. 

The merc turned and leaned against the worktop, placing both hands on her hips. She stared at Judy intensely until the techie rolled her eyes in response. She was done with this encounter before it had begun. The techie removed the wreath from her head and placed it around her neck. Glaring at the merc, she bit her tongue 

“What are you doing in here, can’t you see it’s private?” Judy spat. She stood and kicked her chair away, crossed her arms in defense and put her weight firmly on one leg. 

“Apparently you’re going to help me with this Tyger Claw problem,” V shrugged nonchalantly, “thought I would pop by and introduce myself, the name’s-“ 

Judy rolled her eyes in disinterest, the last thing the techie wanted was an introduction, she also didn’t want to waste her time entertaining the merc. Before she could continue, Judy interrupted.

“Don’t want or need to know your name, let's get this shit done and then you can go back to whatever hole you came from, okay?” Judy gave V the once over, before uncrossing her arms and  returning to her desk. The techie pulled her chair back and sat, watching as the merc’s eye twitched. “Let’s get this straight, we ain’t gonna be best pals, braiding hair and shit. Sooner it’s done the better” 

Ugh, I wish this merc would fuck off and leave me to work in peace.

“Okay, Susie said you had some footage that could help me get to them? I trust your judgement, where do we start?” V replied smugly, leaning back on the worktop. Crossing her arms, she watched as the techie’s features changed from disgust to contemplation. Gotcha.

“We have short clips, you don’t need to know how we got them so don’t even ask.” Judy glared at V, very aware of how untrustworthy mercs could be; she wasn’t about to be taken for a prick. “Can’t do shit with it until I work on it. This is gonna be delicate, it ain’t gonna be a quick fix. Don’t need you hanging around whilst I work so you can go do whatever shit you mercs do in the meantime.” Judy said harshly, visible revulsion on her face. The idea of being around the merc any longer than she had to left a sour taste in her mouth. 

“No.” V replied abruptly, much louder and certainly more authoritative than before.

Her sudden attitude caused Judy to sit upright; she couldn’t believe the audacity of the woman before her. Yet it was a strangely attractive feature, even for a merc. Thankfully, V snapped Judy out of the thoughts 

“I’m staying here, this is my job.” She paused, her stare intense. Judy swallowed. “And I take my work seriously.” 

Judy cocked her eyebrow and regarded the woman before her. She hated solos, hated everything they stood for in this city of broken dreams. The more she inspected however, the more she noticed the merc was attractive; far more attractive than she should be. She clearly had a confident streak with that irritating smirk that was constantly plastered to her face. but that scar, the one that painted her neck, the one she touched incessantly and her eyes, there was something deeper behind them. Judy refocused.

“Fine, if you’re gonna stay, make yourself useful. There’s a spare rig in that drawer.” Judy pointed to a box on the other side of the room. 

V jumped at the chance and started going through the drawer.

A few hours soon passed, while Judy began to piece together the first clip of the BD. Very few words had been exchanged between the two. Instead, Judy worked in silence while V simply watched. To entertain herself in the near deafening silence, V began to hum. 

“Hey, knock it off, can’t you see I’m trying to work he-“ Judy’s ear perked up, realisation washing over her face. What the fuck, how does she know No Surprises? Judy’s pre judgements about the woman were proving wrong and she hated it. “Is that … are you humming Radiohead?” 

V immediately stopped, the remaining notes lingering on her tongue. The merc was surprised; not many had heard of the old band Radiohead, let alone be able to tell by their songs. After a few moments, V realised she had been staring at Judy, mouth agape. She replied with the first thing that came to her head.

“Yeah, I think Thom York’s voice is harrowingly beautiful.” 

It was odd, V’s unique taste in music usually went unnoticed. She had never imagined discussing it with anyone, especially someone she had just met; it should have been strange yet it felt surprisingly natural. Judy gazed at V as if she was searching for a soul behind the merc’s icy grey eyes. 

“Hmmf.” Judy grunted, a smile forming on her lips. Before she knew it, the techie was continuing the conversation. “It’s funny … My friend says Radiohead are just ‘sad songs for fractured people’ but I think it’s only because it doesn’t have a beat she can dance to.” Judy chuckled. Realising what she had said and how she was enjoying it, she quickly composed herself, her straight and unimpressed expression returned. “Well can you keep it down” Judy quipped before she returned to editing.

“Yes ma’am” V feigned salute, a smile tugging on her lips.

The end of the night had arrived and both women found themselves at the bar, Judy at one end, V at the other. They were both exhausted after spending hours on the same material. They had been working on one specific virtu that had a tangle of background interference. Not only did it irritate the perfectionist in Judy, but was also unusable for V without Judy’s tinkering. They had finally had a breakthrough and decided to call it a night. While sitting in her usual spot, the merc caught the attention of Mateo and ordered herself one final drink. 

“Oh and one for my colleague over there.” V gave a pointed look towards the techie, causing Mateo to look over.

“Uh yeah, whatever you say.” The bartender barely contained the laugh that threatened to escape before pouring V a drink and handing it to her. He poured an additional drink for Judy and slid it across the bar to her with a smirk.

“From your colleague,” he paused with an uncharacteristically large smile, “apparently.” 

Judy looked at Mateo before her eyes rested on V sitting across the bar. The merc lifted her drink in her direction and drank. Judy’s gaze fell on her drink and she looked back at V, rolled her eyes and pushed the drink away before stepping away from the bar. Who the fuck does this merc think she is? 

*

It had been one week, one week since the pair had started working together. It had been the most awkward week of the young merc's life. There had been very little conversation, aside from small talk regarding the Tyger Claws or the BDs. Other topics had been touched on through small talk, such as music and Night City, however there was very little substance to their conversations. V began to feel increasingly less welcome in the techie’s company, so it came as a surprise to V when Judy began talking about food. 

“Ugh. I could kill for a synth burrito right about now.” Judy sighed while leaning back in her chair. 

They had been working on a specific part for over five hours, and were getting nowhere, before it occurred to Judy that they had not taken a single break nor eaten. During the silent hours that Judy worked, V sat by her side, observing intently. Every once in a while, the techie caught the merc watching her. To her irritation, Judy found herself enjoying the attention. After all, it had been a while since anyone looked at her like that. 

The loud grumble of V’s stomach confirmed they were both hungry. Judy was right, a burrito would be incredible. “Sit tight, I’ll be right back.” 

Enthusiastically, V jumped out of her chair. She left the basement and took the multitude of stairs two at a time, making her way through the main floor. It was empty, apart from a few lingering Mox members, a stark contrast to how it is during peak hours. She zeroed on the exit. Just as she arrived at the double doors that would release her to Watson, the slender fingertips of a blue haired woman caressed her shoulder. 

“My, my, Miss Merc. Aren’t we in a hurry?” Evelyn spoke just above a whisper, voice full of suggestion. 

She trailed her fingertip across the back of the merc’s shoulders, removing her hand once she had successfully walked around to stand in front of her, arms folded with very little distance between them. A seductive smile formed on her lips.

“Where are we off to in such a rush?” 

“Oh, I’m going to get some food. Judy and I worked through lunch, so I thought I’d pick something up.” V replied, trying to side step Evelyn with little result; the blue haired woman matched her and they were back to square one.

“Not just a pretty face, but sweet too.” Evelyn mused. “I hope she’s being nice to you, otherwise I’d have to punish her.” The doll winked, coaxing a smirk out of the merc. She looked at V with a devilish grin and clear intentions in every breath.

“Yeah, she’s being nice, no need to scold her.” V snickered. The thought alone caused V to giggle and her mind to wander. She had only seen this woman in passing, yet she couldn’t deny how attractive she found the forwardness.

“Good.” 

Evelyn stepped forward, entering V’s personal space. She placed her hand onto V’s chest, creeping closer, pressing her lips against V’s ear. “Well then, I’ll be seeing you, Miss Merc.”

She stepped back and began to walk onto the main floor swaying her hips, but not before turning a final time to catch V’s attention and winking at the bemused merc. 

Huh, well that could be interesting.

After what felt like the longest queue in Watson, V finally returned to Lizzie’s with a bag full of what she would describe as the best burritos in NC. She passed the empty rooms of Lizzie’s, wondering at the strange silence. As she reached the stairs to the basement, she passed Evelyn yet again. V halted as she passed, turning to face the woman.

“I know you said you’d be seeing me,” her lips curled upwards into a smile as she looked down at the woman on the step below her. She stepped onto the step towards Evelyn, leaning her arm against the wall lazily and drawing circles with her fingertips. “I didn’t think you meant so soon. Lucky me.” 

“Twice in one day, lucky you indeed. You don’t want your food to get cold, and don’t keep the lady waiting.” With a seductive smile, the blue haired woman ran her hand up V’s right arm whilst passing her before disappearing entirely. 

V let out a breath. She finally appeared in front of Judy with arms held outright, waving the bag of fresh synth burritos in front of the techie. Judy jumped out of her chair, ripped her equipment from herself and snatched the bag from V, leaving the merc trying to contain her laughter. 

“Holy fuck, this smells amazing.” Judy cried out. Unable to control her excitement she ripped open the bag, grabbed her burrito and cradled it like a newborn baby before opening the wrapper and chomping into it. “Fuck it tastes amazing, where the fuck did you get this from?” She mumbled, mouth full. 

“I know my burrito places.” V boasted. 

She finally moved from her spot near the door and sat beside Judy. The merc took the remaining burrito from the bag that was nestled in Judy’s lap and unwrapped it. The two sat together eating, thighs occasionally touching, not a sound between them apart from the occasional chewing and contented noises. Once they had both finished, they looked at one  another and smiled. V took Judy’s now empty wrappers and discarded them both before returning next to Judy. The techie looked over at V.

“Uhm, thanks for dinner. You didn’t have to.'' Judy whispered.

V wasn’t what she had initially thought, she wasn't sure how she felt about her now. The merc seemed… sweet and confident, if not a little cocky; it confused her. She still wasn’t a fan, but she was warming up to her. V certainly wasn’t the typical self-centred merc.

“Ah it’s alright,” V raised her hand to dismiss the thanks, smiling genuinely. “neither of us had eaten, seemed only right.”

The two sat in silence for a few moments, unsure what to say or where to look. V scratched the nape of her neck. A question had been lingering on her mind for days now and she needed to know the answer.

“So uhm... can I ask you something?” V asked reluctantly.

“If you have to.” Judy replied. She wasn’t sure what V wanted to know, but she was sure she didn’t want to answer it.

“What’s your problem with me? I mean I ain’t done anything to you, have I?” V blurted out before her brain could control it; she was suddenly incredibly aware of her tongue. 

Judy sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. She took a breath.

“You’re a merc, nothing good comes from having a merc around. You lot are all either kill or be killed. You don’t give a fuck about anything but eddies.” Judy’s rapid fire response stunned V.

“Bu-“ V tried to Interject, in an attempt to defend herself. Judy simply ignored her and continued.

“I don’t agree with your careless lifestyle - innocent people get hurt when mercs are involved. It seems your type thrive off the misery and chaos that Night City provides, and I don’t support it. There’s barely a difference between you and those no neck Claws, the only difference being that you’re in it solely for yourself.”

With her pride beaten and more than a little offended, the merc had decided not to justify herself. “This is bullshit?” V snapped, voice raised, the first time her temper had been exposed. “If you have such a problem with me, then why are you assisting me with this Claws problem? It can’t solely be because of Susie-“ 

“The truth is, it ain’t got a lot to do with you. I’m stressed out, My best friend Evelyn works at this fancy dollhouse, Clouds it’s called, the dumb fuck Claws run the place and it’s going to shit. Every time I see her I’m scared it will be the last and I wish there was something I could do about it.” Judy dipped her head, suddenly very interested in her shoes. She hadn’t intended to tell anyone her feelings, let alone V, but something about the situation and about her made it feel hell of a lot easier.

“Why don’t you? Do something about it, I mean.” V chimed in. 

She wasn’t about to push any further, but she could tell that it was bothering the techie. This had been the most the two had spoken in over a week and yet it felt like they had known each other for years. 

“I’ve heard of Clouds, seems the type of place the dolls should be in control of, not some wannabe gangsters.” 

Judy sat upright and stared into V’s eyes, unsure if she was hearing right. That the merc had the exact views she did was surreal.

“That’s it! I could give clouds back to the dolls.” A sudden rush of relief flooded over Judy like a cool shower on a summer's day. Why didn’t I think of that? . “How the fuck am I gonna pull that off though?” Judy murmured. Although she had many skill sets, she didn’t know the first thing about taking out gang members or infiltrating a dollhouse. Her thoughts were put to a stop when she noticed the glint in V’s eye catching the techies' attention. “What?” 

“Believe it or not, I know a thing or two about taking out gang members.” V quipped with a smirk on her face, “I can help you with Clouds.” The smirk had formed into amore genuine grin; V looked like a proud child showing off what she had brought in for show and tell.

“I won’t ask you to help me, besides you’re only here to help Suze, that’s it.” 

Judy stood. She became hyper aware of their close proximity and suddenly needed space from V. The atmosphere had grown tense, thick enough to cut through, it had become too tense for Judy to handle. V copied her actions and stood, attempting to close the space between them and finish their conversation.

“If I heard you correctly, you said Clouds is ran by the Tyger Claws, correct?” Judy nodded reluctantly, “so I’d be helping you and fulfilling part of my contract with Susie, I don’t see a problem.” 

Judy folded her arms, she couldn’t fault the merc’s logic no matter how much she wanted to.“Why? Why do you wanna help me? Is it for eddies? Cos I hate to break it to you, there ain’t gonna be any.” Judy snapped. Feelings of guilt washed over her when she caught a glimpse of the hurt on V’s face. She couldn’t understand why but she felt bad, almost apologetic.

“I’m not just about the eddies you know, I wanna help because you said you don’t know how to.” She paused, looking at the ceiling, no longer able to look at the slightly shorter woman. She rubbed the back of her neck, “and it feels like the right thing to do … Listen, I’m gonna let you think about it. I live in the big H10 building. If you want my help, pop round tomorrow and we can work out a plan. If not, I’ll catch you later.” 

Before the techie could respond or apologise, V had left Judy standing alone with only her thoughts to keep her company. 

Judy surfaced from her basement to meet Evelyn for a drink, and boy did she need it. She sat herself down at the vacant seat next to her friend and slouched forward with her arms crossed atop of the bar. 

“Everything alright?” Evelyn asked, a hint of concern in her voice. She knew her friend was under copious amounts of stress, however, she hadn't seen her like this in a while. It was worrying.

“I dunno Evie, that goddamn merc is putting ideas in my head. I’m actually considering taking Clouds from the Claws, and she has offered to help. I just dunno if I can trust her, but I don’t think I got a choice.” Judy said, defeated. She placed her head in her hands.

“I wish that merc would put something other than ideas in me.” Evelyn replied, her attention diverted elsewhere. Judy lifted her head, staring at Evelyn as she wiggled her fingers seductively at V, who was positioned across the bar. The techie’s eyes followed the direction of the wave and jolted when she noticed the merc drinking alone with a coy smile on her face. 

“Would you cut it out, I’m being serious here.” Judy demanded, the irritation in her voice now very obvious. Now certainly was not the time for Evelyn and her shit. 

“Oh honey, So am I. She seems different from the regular brain-dead gonks that inhabit the Afterlife. If she wants to help, why not use her? I know I want to.” Evelyn replied. 

Judy hated to admit it, but Evelyn was right. Even if she couldn’t trust V entirely, she could certainly use her. Before her mind could wander further, Mateo appeared with two shot glasses full of Centzon.

“From Miss Merc … apparently.” The bartender grumbled. 

The drink, mixed with the bartender's comments, caused Evelyn to squeal. She raised her glass along with the merc and knocked the shot back before seductively licking her lips. Judy however, simply raised her eyebrow in response.

“I’m leaving, I’ll call you tomorrow.” Judy snapped her fingers to get the attention of Evelyn with no response in return, the blue haired woman was too busy making eyes at V. With a huff, Judy left. 

*

The following morning Judy awoke, disgruntled and agitated. After reviewing her options with Evelyn on the holo, and the painfully detailed account of what she wanted to do to the ‘sexy as hell’ merc, she realised taking on Clouds alone would not only be difficult, it would be suicidal. With the agreed help of Evelyn, she had reluctantly concluded to take V up on her offer to help. Staring at the ceiling, she had decided to repay V for yesterday’s burritos. Judy thought she would bring breakfast to the H10 building and inform her of the plan that her and Evelyn had produced. 

She rolled over and managed to drag herself out of bed. Stumbling into the bathroom, she stripped down and stepped into the shower. As the water hit her, her mind immediately fell on the merc; no matter how much she tried to shake the feeling, the merc was growing on her. She hated it. Once she was satisfied she was clean, Judy hopped out and changed into her usual attire and headed for the door. With the roaring engine of the Sea Dragon, Judy went in search of food. 

Thirty minutes and two breakfast rolls later, Judy found herself outside the merc’s apartment. Shaking away any hesitation, Judy raised her hand to knock before she was interrupted by the sound of music flowing through the door. The incredibly loud, funky guitar sent a shockwave through Judy. She recognised the song - Ride a White Swan by T.Rex.

Judy knocked once with no response, then twice; by the third knock, Judy grew impatient. The techie tapped on the keypad and the door slid open. Seriously, V? Excellent merc skills, and you don’t even bother to lock your door. She stepped through, into the unknown apartment, and gasped. In a desperate attempt not to drop the bag full of breakfast, Judy stood and watched in disbelief at sight before her.

“Ride a white swan like the people of the Beltane

Wear your hair long, babe you can't go wrong” 

V sang into a wooden spatula. The merc was wearing nothing but an acid-washed crop top with ‘Aerosmith’ written across the chest, and black briefs, a sight the techie never knew nor wanted to admit she wanted to see. Oblivious to her company, V continued to dance around her living area barefoot, spinning like Stevie Nicks with her arms in the air, moving to the music completely carefree, before leaning down and singing to … a cat. The merc continued to sing in front of the cat, who was perched elegantly on a desk, before V threw the spatula across the room, picking up the cat and continued to spin and sway along to the music with the poor feline in her arms. As she spun, her eyes glanced across the room, noticing the very amused techie standing near the doorway. In a panic, the merc dropped the cat and froze, very aware of her clothing, or lack thereof. The cat let out a disgruntled meow before returning to the desk, curling up. V stood sheepishly, unsure what to do, her gaze never leaving Judy’s. The merc's attention shifted to the incredibly loud music blasting out of the speakers; she turned the music off and the room fell silent.

“Oh, I wasn’t expecting company.” V mumbled. Judy’s deadpan face faltered and she burst into laughter. The merc smiled, before joining her in a fit of giggles.

“Well you said to stop by.” She paused,“I brought breakfast, but I see you have that covered … is that a cat?” Judy asked, pointing towards the now asleep feline. Judy had never seen one in Night City, let alone one without fur. She must be successful at whatever the fuck she does to have an exotic pet. 

“Uh yeah, that’s Nibbles. He’s a bit of a dick but he’s cute.” V chortled. She took the short steps over to her wardrobe and grabbed a pair of oversized sweatpants. “So, I’m guessing you came here this morning to take me up on my offer.” V continued whilst putting the pants on. Judy reluctantly averted her eyes as V bent over. 

“Yeah I realised you were right, I can’t do this alone. I spoke to Evelyn this morning and she’s going to help too. Here I got you this as … repayment for the burrito yesterday.” 

The Mox handed the now dressed merc a bag. V graciously took it and signalled for both of them to sit. The two casually walked over to V’s living space, her apartment wasn’t anything special; clean, but well lived in. Littered with posters of bands from days gone by, some of which Judy recognised and others she didn’t. She was unexpectedly surprised by the shelves of novels that graced the living space, she never pegged the merc to be a reader. 

They both consumed their breakfast and spoke about the plan. With the help of Evelyn, the pair of them would sneak into Clouds. Stealthily, V would take out any of the Claws members that were lurking before heading to the penthouse suite, where they would take Clouds over and hand it to the dolls once and for all. Judy’s role was to be the eyes and ears, turning the Sea Dragon into mobile surveillance, observing live CCTV footage and guiding the pair throughout.

With their plan set, all that was left was to execute it. Judy decided it was time for her to leave and she headed for the door, giving Nibbles an appreciative fuss on the way out.

“Thanks for breakfast. V announced, standing with Judy at the doorway.

“No problem, thanks for the dance..” Judy snickered. She watched as the normally cool and composed merc blushed and burst into a fit of laughter.

“Anytime,” V managed to say between the fits of giggles. A bright smile appeared on her face and for a moment, Judy was in awe. “I’ll catch you later, Judy.” V said before Judy left.

*

The days that followed consisted of planning and recon while the trio established the cover of client and doll. V would pose as a client and Evelyn would assume her role of doll; the roles would help if any non-Claws problems arose. Evelyn had her own booth within Clouds that was to be the first point of the operation. From within the Sea Dragon, Judy would cut any CCTV from the booth to keep potential prying eyes out. Their recon missions were a success. V had scoped her possible entrances and exits along with the best routes to get to Evelyn's booth undetected. They were as ready as they would ever be. 

The night before the event, the three women were at Lizzie’s, going through any final preparations before calling it a night. V was ready to enjoy one last drink when an idea occurred to her. Every previous attempt to include Judy in a drink resulted in rejection. Every night for two weeks, V had bought Judy a drink, and every night for two weeks Judy left without drinking it. However, with Evelyn in tow she decided to buy the stubborn techie a drink anyway. She ordered the same thing she always had, and asked Mateo to slide it over to the techie. With his usual grunt, the bartender agreed. Walking over to Judy, he placed the shot of Centzon in front of her with an all-knowing smirk. 

The techie looked at V before gazing at the liquid, a smile forming on her lips. She picked it up, raising it towards V, who gleamed and lifted hers in response. With a distant toast, they knocked them back. With a smile on her face and a slight blush, Judy dipped her head. 

Well it’s a start.

Chapter Text

“Testing, can you both hear me?” 

Judy spoke over the holo, her distorted, deadpan expression hidden behind a curtain of pink and green hair. The early morning sun had begun to rise through the smog of Night City, giving the sky a glowing grey and orange hue. The trio were still shaking off the drinks from the previous night, leaving a strange tension between them that Judy couldn’t put her finger on. Maybe it was the anticipation of taking over Clouds, or maybe it was the hangover, she wasn’t sure. The techie was stationed in her van outside the megabuilding, a whole system built into a counter in the back; a mobile rig system. V and Evelyn were on the steps, casually enjoying a cigarette. The multicoloured building, built similar to the vast majority of buildings in Night City, loomed behind them with steps leading to various food vendors. V and Evelyn were only a few feet away from the Sea Dragon. However, to keep up appearances in front of potential prying eyes, they opted to switch to the holo early. 

“Oh, and V? Thanks again for breakfast. It’s a shame it didn’t come with another performance in your apartment,” Judy chuckled, imagining a blush forming on the merc’s cheeks.

“We hear you Jude … V’s apartment you say? What a shame, you beat me to it.'' Evelyn smirked at V’s flustered state. The woman stepped aside, her fingers delicately caressing V’s forearm, innocently resting on the hand rail as she ascended the stairs. “I’ll be taking my position now, see you soon Miss Merc.” 

V followed a few moments later, darting and weaving through the early risers and vendor owners, trying to force her to try whatever concoction they had created. V approached the large elevator and entered, listening to the latest from Network News 54. she stood and rolled her shoulders as the elevator grinded to a halt. The merc had arrived at the entrance to Clouds. She took a deep breath and strutted in. Glancing around the room, her eyes caught the pink neon lights that were positioned throughout the room, enhancing the promotional posters that littered the walls. The merc’s gaze landed on Evelyn perched elegantly on the end of the luminous pink reception desk, smoking a cigarette casually in front of a no smoking sign. Forever the rebel, Miss Parker. 

She strolled up to the receptionist, her blue hair and tattooed arms complimenting the neon aesthetic of the establishment. Placing both hands flat on the desk in front of her, V glanced at the receptionist. Before she could open her mouth, the receptionist spoke.

“Welcome Henrietta, I have been informed of your appointment with Miss Parker. I assure you, you have our complete confidentiality.” V looked over at Evelyn, perplexed. The blue haired woman gave her a look to play along. 

“Oh … yes, I need complete discretion.” 

V, quickly removed her hands from the desk, straightening up confidently. She annunciated her words and puffed her chest. Evelyn hopped off the desk and skulked away into the glowing light. 

“Of course. Usually we do not operate like this at Clouds, however Miss Parker has informed me that you’re a VIP member and a regular client of hers. My apologies, I am fairly new to this position. Please follow the corridor. As I am sure you’re aware, Miss Parker is in booth eleven. Thank you and enjoy your visit to Clouds.” 

V smiled and followed the instructions, swallowed by the corridor of posters and radiant light until she reached the door to booth eleven. She knocked with anticipation; within seconds, the door opened with a gun, and a half-naked Evelyn, greeting her. 

“Well, nice to see you too Evelyn. Haven't seen this much of you in a while.” V mused, eyes trailing along the curves of the woman standing before her. 

“Indeed, I believe we saw a lot more of each other last time. Are you ready?” Evelyn smirked, enjoying the attention the merc was eagerly giving her.

The pair entered the booth and locked the door behind them. The small room was definitely Evelyn’s, colour coordinated throughout, with blues matching the doll’s hair. Dimmed lights gave the room a sensual feel. The merc looked around, noticing a large, extravagant bed, satin sheets draped across it. V couldn’t help but feel on show, the room was almost a stage. Who was Evelyn? The real Evelyn. How much of this was an act?  

A disgruntled Judy appeared on the holo, taking V’s attention away from her surroundings.

“Really, Ev? You couldn’t keep your clothes on for five minutes?” 

V and Evelyn both looked at each other and back at Judy, attempting to withhold a giggle. The pair were acting like school girls, it was infuriating for the techie. 

“Fucking knock it off, this is serious. V, there are three Claws on this floor. If you want to stay undetected, I suggest you take them out without your gun. You want to get to booth two, once you’re finished here take the stairs up to the VIP area, you’ll find the booth.” Judy said flatly, her tone indicating how serious this was.

“Jesus Jude, what’s wrong with you today?” Evelyn replied.

The tone in Judy's voice concerned her; something was on her mind and Evelyn was going to find out what it was.

“Nothin’, just get it done.” Judy hastily switched back to audio.

V bent down, resting her weight on one knee. She lifted her pant leg,  removing a knife covertly strapped to her ankle. 

Undetected, right. 

As she stood, Evelyn closed the distance between them, the back of her hand stroking V’s cheek.

“They’re still watching us,” she whispered, hinting towards the flickering red light in the corner.

She kissed V’s cheek before walking around the merc. By her collar, Evelyn delicately removed her jacket. 

“You’re so tense, we both know I can help you loosen up.” The sultry tone in Evelyn's voice made the hair on V’s neck stand on end. “Now, Judy.” 

Evelyn spoke, barely loud enough for the techie to hear. Suddenly the lights dimmed and all camera footage was redirected to Judy’s network. 

It’s showtime

V twirled her knife in her hands, years of experience beginning to take over. The merc carefully ran through every part of the plan that had been at the forefront of all of their minds for days. V was to take out anyone she found, as quietly as possible, putting her skills to the test. The final test would be finding the owner and making sure Clouds was given to the dolls, once and for all. It sounded simple enough for V’s skillset, yet she had a gut feeling that warned her. Evelyn had done her part by getting V into the building undetected, and she had Judy as her eyes and ears every step of the way. This part would be down to her and her alone. She was grateful that the two women, whom she had grown fond of, were out of harm’s way for what would likely become a bloodbath. Ideally, it would be completed as stealthily as possible but with an infiltration like this, V knew it had the potential to go wrong at any given moment. She gave the knife a once over before heading for the door. 

“You’ve got approximately ten minutes before the cameras switch back, after that I won’t have access. Evelyn? Keep the staff in check. And V?”

“Yeah?”

“Be careful.” Judy expressed earnestly. 

“I always am, catch you on the other side.” V vanished down a dimly lit corridor.

*

Hugging the walls of the corridors and using darkness as camouflage, V had successfully navigated the maze of Clouds’ first floor. As she approached another cluster of booths, she could overhear two men ahead discussing the issues with the cameras. Two against one? Game on.

She deftly rolled out of cover, placing one foot silently in front of the other until she was mere inches away. With a quick step, she sliced her blade against the back of one man’s ankle, alerting both men of her existence. The man fell to his knees, cradling his heel. His whimpering was abruptly silenced when V jumped to her feet and pushed her blade into the underside of his jaw. The merc retracted her blade, sidestepped, and plunged it into the neck of the other man. They both collapsed, lifeless. 

“Two down, where’s the other one Judy? ” V murmured, wiping away the blood on her knife.

“Follow the corridor and turn left, one is guarding a booth-” 

“Impressive Miss Merc, I see you’re more than just an attractive face.” Evelyn interrupted, her voice like velvet through the link.

“You should know I’m more than that.. Once we’re done here, I could show you just how much more.” 

V stepped over the corpses and made her way onward. She followed Judy’s instructions, reaching the end of the corridor. Leaning her back against the wall, the merc turned her head just out of cover to observe. The techie was correct, one man stood idly in front of a booth. She dipped her head back; there was no way she could get close enough without being spotted. 

Think fast, V. 

The merc jumped out of cover, standing nonchalantly with one hand behind her back.

“Hey, dickhead.” The man immediately turned, staring at V in surprise. “Think fast!” 

She removed her arm from behind her back, lifting it into the air. Holding the point of her knife between her fingertips, she threw the blade, watching as it vaulted across the corridor and landed squarely between the eyes of the bewildered man. It lodged into his skull with a dull thud.

“It’s done, goin’ for the VIP lounge now.” 

V sprung into action, sprinting down the corridor where the now dead man lay. She found the staircase leading to the VIP lounge. She took the stairs two at a time and reached the door, but to her surprise it refused to open. Fuck.

“Evelyn, what’s the entry code for VIP? I’m going to manually open it.” V barked.

“Oh, I like it when you’re bossy.”

“Evelyn!”

“Ok, it’s 1234. I know, not very clever, but neither are the Claws,” 

V tapped at the keypad and the door opened. The expansive main floor greeted her. She walked in and observed her surroundings. The giant glowing spheres on the ceiling illuminated the pristinely clean floor while lavish booths scattered throughout the floor.

“You’ve got three minutes V, get in and get out.” Judy echoed over the holo. “Booth two is to your left. By the looks of things ,the owner is currently in a BD. Pull the plug, tell him Clouds belongs to the dolls and get him to pass the message on.”

Radio silence followed as V snuck towards the booth, muting her comms for what would follow. The room that usually housed dolls and clients alike now felt eerily quiet. V scanned across the large room, finding booth two. With a quick skip, she approached the door. She hacked the lock in record time and snuck in, undetected. 

Once inside, she noticed a man lying flat on a king sized bed attached to BD equipment. The merc walked over, waving her hand in front of him. Nothing. She walked over to the connected monitor, observing it and all its connecting wiring.

Hmm kicking it old school, huh?

V unplugged the man, stepping back towards the door. He bolted upright, breathing heavily. 

“Who the fuck are you?” He gasped, pulling the rig away. V leant against the wall, twisting her knife on her fingertip.

“Just a messenger.” She stopped, standing upright again, taking her knife and pointing it at the man. “Clouds belong to the dolls now.” 

“Over my dead body.” 

The man attempted to untangle himself and stand up. V sprinted the short steps towards him, collapsing the space between them. With a quick flick of her wrist, her blade was pressed into his neck.

“Oh that can be arranged … or you can be a good little boy and tell your bosses that Clouds belong to the dolls. Then I might consider sparing your life.” 

“Oh, you’re sexy when you’re mad.” Evelyn interjected over the comms. 

V looked at the ceiling with a smile, trying to keep her composure. The merc’s serious expression returned as she stared at the man with a snarl. 

“What’s it going to be then?” 

Her knife pushed further into his neck until droplets of blood emerged and dripped down onto his collar.

“Ok fine, I’ll call them. Just please don’t kill me” The man stuttered, breaking out in a cold sweat.

“Twenty seconds, V.”

V kept her grip on the knife as the man brought up his holo. She loosened it after a moment and stepped back, releasing her gun from its holster. She kept it trained on him before activating her own holo to connect to Judy. Moments later, the ghost in the shell icon was replaced by the techie’s concerned face.

“V! How’s it going? You haven’t got much time left. Are you ok?” 

V listened as the Claws’ boss calmly tried to explain that through careful decision, they had decided that Clouds was no longer financially beneficial for the gang this would be doing them a favour. He cited recent drops in clients, as well as the increase in nearby competitors who could potentially become new investments; there was no shortage of dollhouses in Night City, Clouds was not their only option. The man nervously continued stating that Clouds would belong to the dolls and he would look into further investments for the gang. 

“I thought the Claws were supposed to be dangerous, I’ve had more trouble from the old lady who runs a food stall in my apartment building.” V quipped coolly.

“Don’t get cocky V, get your ass out of there.” 

Based on the man’s expression, V could only imagine that the Claws were pissed - they were not convinced and would not be taken for fools. She could hear inaudible shouting through the holo. The man continued his broken plea until he switched his holo off. 

It was done. Against the Claws' intention, Clouds was free.

“C-can I go now?” The man asked sheepishly, his gaze unable to meet Vs 

V casually walked over to the man, visible sweat dripping from his forehead.

“Afraid not.” 

With a shrug of her shoulders and a swift slice, the blade split the man’s throat open. Blood spraying out, covering V. 

“Fuck, I got his blood all over my face.” V sighed, attempting to wipe it away..

“I know something else that should be on your face.” Evelyn purred.

“Fuck this.” Judy huffed. 

The techie stood, removing her head gear. She slid into the front seat and grabbed a drink from the glove compartment in an attempt to calm her ever growing irritation. She took a long sip and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand then placed both hands on the steering wheel. Her head followed, a grunt escaping her lips. 

“That was flirting, they were definitely flirting with each other. Don’t they know how fucking important this is? They’re too busy trying to get in each other's pants!” Judy grumbled, lightly tapping her forehead off the wheel. “What the fuck were they thinking?” 

*

Within minutes of V leaving the room spattered with blood, alarms filled the silence. The cameras had switched over and the Claws were aware of her presence. V knew at that moment that this was about to become a lot harder and the impact of their actions would send ripples for months to come. She needed to escape, and she had to do it fast. As V sprinted across the foyer of the VIP lounge, she noticed a small metal object bouncing toward her. On a closer inspection, V’s heart jumped into her throat.

FUCK! 

She overturned a table and ducked behind it, mentally counting down the seconds before the Gash Antipersonnel Grenade exploded. Three. Two. One.  The merc covered her head.

BANG!

The sharp ringing in her ears brought V back and she quickly realised that she was no longer alone in the foyer. The cuts and scrapes were manageable. The splitting headache forming, however, was not as easy to ignore. 

Shattered glass rained over V like a summer shower as she continued to cower behind the overturned table. Suddenly, she was outnumbered. 

“Judy, Judy! What the fuck is going on?” There was no reply. 

V checked her clip - five bullets. Five bullets for five people. Great.

With a quick step, V hurdled over the table and landed on the balls of her feet. A raised pistol in her hand, she shot. A bullet landed between the eyes of a Tyger Claw. One. In clear sight was a partially damaged wall, somewhere she could take cover.. Bullets flew above her, ricocheting into the walls as she slid on her knees towards shelter.

The merc's adrenaline was spiking. Through the sound of her own heartbeat, she heard footsteps smashing through shards of glass. She rotated from one knee to the other, shifting her position out of cover long enough to shoot another goon in the neck. Two . The man collapsed, blood spraying out of his neck like a fountain, decorating V and the wall in crimson Not again!  

V ducked back into cover with shallow breath. The shooting had stopped.

Behind the damaged wall was a slim corridor with various crates stacked atop of each other. V slipped out of cover and carefully made her way along the corridor. She climbed the stacked crates, observing with her enhanced optics. Three remained. A tall, slender man was approaching the corridor alone. With a quick whistle, V caught the man's attention. She leapt from the crate, landing on him and shooting him point blank. Three. 

V continued her assault. Her efforts had not gone unnoticed as the remaining two began shooting towards the corridor. The merc ducked and weaved through the onslaught of bullets, sheltering behind a large table. With a swift roll, she fell into the path of a Tyger Claw. Before they could react, the cold metal of V’s pistol was pressed firmly against their temple. A soft squeeze of the trigger and the Claw was down. Four.

V took a deep breath, her heart hammering in her chest. One target remained, standing between her and an exit. The sounds of gunfire had ceased and both V and the Claw stood facing each other. V’s trigger finger grew itchy and in one quick motion she lifted her pistol and shot.

Click.

“Well, Math was never my strong suit.” V quipped as she realised her mag was empty.

Before the man could respond, V charged. With a leg raised, she connected with his chest and used her force and kicked him backwards. The man flew like a rag doll, straight into a glass window. Glass shattered around him as he fell out of the penthouse window. 

Five.

*

The trio had agreed to regroup at Lizzies. Surprisingly, V had returned to find Judy’s basement empty. Where the fuck is everyone? She walked over to the monitors located on the right of the room, placed both hands on the counter and dipped her head. She breathed steadily, perhaps for the first time since it all began. Her eyes lost focus as she attempted to piece together how the infiltration collapsed so quickly. She began to worry whether the other two had escaped or if the claws had captured them. Her mind drifted to Judy, conflicted as to what happened. Why had she suddenly disappeared? The thoughts began to spiral and V’s jaw clenched. How the fuck could she just leave me like that? 

In her state, she hadn’t noticed another person entering the basement. 

“You look like you’re in need of some TLC.” The sultry voice snapped V out of her daze. 

She turned, finding Evelyn smirking as she leant against Judy’s desk. With a smile on her face, the merc walked casually across the small basement to the blue haired woman. She entered Evelyn’s personal space, placing her hands on the desk either side of her, slotting herself perfectly between the doll's legs. Evelyn tilted her head, withholding a smile. V leant into the other woman, pressing her body against her.

“Definitely, and I heard you know how to help me loosen up.” V gave a toothy grin, earning a controlled chuckle in response. 

“I have just the solution,” Evelyn matched the merc’s grin. “kiss me, riiiight here.” 

She lifted a finger and stroked the underside of her jaw. V’s grin widened and she dipped her head, a hair's breadth away from Evelyn’s neck, when footsteps disrupted her thoughts. Her gaze fell on the shocked techie standing in the doorway. 

“Judy!” V spluttered, jumping back and out of the vicinity of Evelyn. 

Her expression dropped, suddenly looking very somber. Unsure what to do, V stood awkwardly and crossed her arms. Evelyn looked at Judy’s pained expression and back over at V’s forced stance. Both of their expressions explained everything Evelyn needed to know. Before anything could be said, Judy turned on her heel and quickly made a getaway up the stairs. 

“Wait-” V announced, reaching out, attempting to keep the techie from running away. 

Evelyn stood, walked over to the merc. She placed a hand on Vs shoulder.

“My my, what a mess. I better see myself out. I’ll be seeing you, Miss Merc” 

With a wink and an extra sway in her hips, Evelyn left the basement. 

*

Judy stood in the parking lot, a cigarette weakly placed between her lips. Images of V and Evelyn invaded her thoughts. Her nostrils flared and her frustration escalated with every thought. The two of them together, on her desk. She knew it would have gone further, she knew what Evelyn was like, but V? She’d thought she was different. They’d been there to do a job,  the merc was meant to be the professional. Judy looked at the illuminated night sky. Her previous attempts at lighting her cigarette caused further frustration in the techie and she let out a sigh. Moments later, a hand emerged with a familiar looking lighter. 

“Do you want to talk about what just happened?” Evelyn asked, recoiling her lighter and sparking her own cigarette.

“Nothin’ to talk about.” 

Judy leant against the wall, tilting her head to the sky and exhaled smoke. Evelyn hummed as she stood in front of her, reading every facial expression and twitch. With a sigh, Judy finally met Evelyn’s stare. 

“You didn’t take it seriously, both of you. You were too busy trying to get into each other’s pants to realise how serious this was. Are you actually getting into a relationship with her? She’s no good for you. You know that, right? Someone like her can’t be trusted. She’s gonna hurt you and I’m gonna be the one to pick up the fuckin’ pieces, like always.” Judy spewed, suddenly struck with verbal diarrhoea. Evelyn continued to hold her gaze, lips slowly forming upwards into an all-knowing smile. 

“You like her.” 

Judy was caught off guard, choking on her next drag.

“No I don't, I’m just pissed off at both of you. Pissed off with how you were at Clouds and pissed off that if I didn’t walk in at that exact moment you would have fucked on my desk.” 

Evelyn’s smile grew. Judy knew that expression, she knew Evelyn. 

“Jesus, Have you already fucked?” Judy’s stare intensified.

Evelyn cocked an eyebrow.

“Well...”

*

The night before their looming mission at Clouds, the trio had decided to finalise everything with drinks. They had approached Mateo in their usual spots at the bar, participating in idle conversation. The notoriously quiet bartender refused to join, opting to take drink orders instead. Once located into a booth, their chat evolved from the troubles of their days, to the issues with Night City, to favourite sexual activities, much to the enjoyment of V and Evelyn. Finally, the conversation landed firmly on the events that were about to unfold at Clouds.

“So, I will connect us all to a comms link, that way we are able to communicate more efficiently.” Judy, the mastermind behind the entire operation, had thought of everything.

“I’m not sure efficient would be the word Jude, having V whispering in my ear may cause a distraction.” Evelyn purred, shuffingling closer to the merc. Judy gave the doll a death stare, forcing an eye roll in return. “It’ll be easy, I simply need to convince the new receptionist that V is a high-end, recurring client that pays well enough to not go through the motions of regular Clouds visits. She should be able to enter with no complications.” 

The doll finished, sipping her drink triumphantly, proving to Judy that she wasn’t the only one capable of taking this seriously.

The first hint of morning light began to filter through the very few windows of Lizzie’s. Dusk had officially left and dawn was slowly creeping in. It had been hours since they had arrived; the amount of Centzon consumed was the only record of their duration. 

Judy decided to call it a night. The bar had emptied considerably since their arrival. The few patrons remaining were Mox members, unwinding after a busy night. The music had been turned down. The previously loud (almost obnoxious) electro-dance music had been replaced with slower, more chilled house music. Throughout the night, the proximity between V and Evelyn had dissolved. At one point in the evening, Evelyn was almost sitting on V’s lap; Judy had turned a blind eye to their antics, pretending not to notice. However, enough was enough, Clouds was too important and Judy needed to rest. She gave Evelyn a hug and a wave to the merc, leaving V and Evelyn alone. V watched as the techie walked away before her attention was pulled towards the blue haired woman.

They sat beside each other in an incredibly intimate booth. The pair were so close, their thighs touched. Evelyn casually sipped on her drink, watching the merc. With a twinkle in her eye and a smile tugging on her lips, she placed her drink on the table and ran finely manicured fingers along V’s forearm.

“So, it's just the two of us.” Evelyn whispered, her words thick with suggestion.

V smirked in return. The dangerous cocktail of alcohol, Evelyn and the anticipation of Clouds had short circuited the merc, leaving her with one thing on her mind. V placed a hand on Evelyn's thigh, gently brushing fingertips up the length of it, reaching further upwards before slowly trailing them downwards again.

Evelyn hummed with a smile on her face before she leant into the other woman, placing her lips against V’s ear. “Sexy and a tease. Whatever am I going to do with you?” 

Her teeth caught Vs earlobe, giving it a less than gentle tug before pulling herself away with a grin. 

 “Oh, I could think of a few things.” V replied, fingertips drawing circles along Evelyn’s hip joint.

“So can I.” 

Evelyn delicately removed V’s hand before slipping out of the booth elegantly, an added sway in her hips. She looked over her shoulder to find a dazed V following her movements. With a light giggle, she turned her head.

“Well then Miss Merc, what are you waiting for?”

Evelyn waltzed towards the doors, V scurried behind her in an attempt to catch up. The merc brought up her holo and called Delamain. 

The drive back to V’s apartment was excruciatingly long. Sensual touches and seductive whispers lingered throughout the journey back, pushing V to her limit. Her apartment door opened and Evelyn strolled in, casually removing her coat.

“It’s not much, but make yourself at ho-“ V’s words were extinguished by Evelyn’s soft lips. They trailed down the merc’s throat, landing at her collarbone. V had truly reached her limit.

With her hands firmly placed on Evelyn’s hips, V walked her backwards. Her gaze pierced through the blue haired woman and Evelyn bit her lip as a small gasp escaped her at the sensation of the wall against her back. The merc closed the remaining distance between them, her body pressed against the doll with her knee slotting between the other woman's thighs. She dipped her head and caught Evelyn’s lips in an intense kiss.

Evelyn pulled away, breaking the kiss. She broke away from V, her hands firmly holding her back. 

“Oh no sweetie, that’s not how this is going to happen.” Evelyn walked across V’s apartment, pulling V with her. “Come.”

Chapter Text

“What the fuck Evie!”

The wide grin plastered on Evelyn’s face showed the techie just how proud she was of her recent conquest. Evelyn was known to get what she wanted. Judy hadn’t known that V was what her friend wanted, though. She took one last inhale of her cigarette before flicking it to the ground and walking back inside, after a glance at the smirking doll.

“Wait, I thought you would want to hear the details?” Evelyn boasted, following her friend back through the doors to Lizzie’s. The pair approached the bar and took the vacant stools. 

“And why the fuck would you think that?” 

The look of disgust on Judy’s face seemed to fuel Evelyn’s desire to overshare even further. Judy placed her elbow on the bar, resting her head on her hand. She was partly intrigued, but predominantly agitated, by the idea of Evelyn’s night with V. 

“Oh, I don’t know. You’re my best friend, I thought you would be interested in hearing about someone I like.” Evelyn suddenly became serious; it was the first time she had voiced her potential feelings for the merc. 

“Oh please, you say that about everyone you fuck.” Judy snapped back. 

The pair looked at each other indignantly before a pair of hands landed on both of their shoulders.

“Who did Evelyn fuck this time?” Rita queried, wedging herself into the conversation. She took a stool next to Judy at the bar.

“The merc.” Judy huffed. 

Evelyn raised an eyebrow. Judy rarely referred to V as anything other than her name. It felt … impersonal. Something out of character for her best friend.

Rita’s eyes widened. Her gaze fell on the proud doll, jaw slightly agape.

“No fucking way, what happened Ev? Tell us the deets.” Rita spilled, Judy rolled her eyes. 

“I was trying to, this sour puss was spoiling the moment.” She glanced at Judy and back at Rita “she fucks as good as she fights, very skilled hands.” 

Evelyn smirked, memories of their night together at the forefront of her mind. 

“She was sweet, tried to take control … it didn’t last long. I always get my way.” She continued smugly. 

Much to Judy’s discomfort, Evelyn continued to recall the events in painful detail. She sat with the two gossiping women for thirty minutes until she had finally had enough, and retreated to the safety of her basement. 

The techie let out an exhale and collapsed into her chair. The day had been mentally and physically exhausting and it had finally caught up with her. She placed both elbows on her desk and cradled her head in her hands, covering her face entirely. 

“I’m sorry.” A low whisper appeared from the corner of the room, frightening Judy upright.

“Fuck, V! You scared the shit outta me, what are you still doing here?” She exclaimed. 

V appeared from the shadows, walking towards Judy. She stood opposite the desk, awkwardly playing with her hands. 

“I … I didn’t wanna leave until I had apologised to you.” 

The merc’s face was laced with remorse. Although she wasn’t sure why, V felt guilty for the way Judy had caught her with Evelyn and for the way they acted during the take over of Clouds.

“Got nothin’ to apologise for.” Judy shrugged dismissively.

Despite her words, the anger began to swell within the techie. V became the focus of her frustration, the earlier conversation with Evelyn,  who over indulging her with the events and her general smugness, brought it all together in a neat little time bomb ready to explode. It bubbled up into her throat like bile, until she snapped. 

“I thought you were a professional who got shit done. After all, ain’t that why Suze hired you in the first place? Too busy gettin’ your fingers wet to give a shit ‘bout anything else.”

“Well, it wasn’t just my fingers-“ V quipped, clearly misreading the tone of the conversation.

“Shut up, V! Suze was wrong about you, I … was wrong about you.” 

The words hit V like a train. Judy could see the shock and hurt on the merc’s face, but it was too late. She couldn’t take them back, wasn’t sure she wanted to.

“You’re just like the rest of ‘em, in it for yourself. How long is it gonna be before you use her and leave? You can’t pretend you actually like her, it’s bullshit and you know it.” 

V stood upright, quick to lose her cool. She took pride in her relaxed and calm nature, it was necessary to keep a level head in her line of work. She had taught herself, after the incident of a few months ago and all that was lost as a result, to stay calm; otherwise things could implode. However, the techie was pushing her to breaking point, picking at V’s own weaknesses. 

“Why the fuck do you care so much? Why do you care who I see or who I fuck?” 

V’s stare pierced through Judy. The air grew thick with tension. Both women had things that needed to be said, but the emotions behind them were too raw for the conversation to be rational. Judy, not easily deterred, matched V’s stance and stood, stomping over to V and meeting her stare.

“I care because lives were at risk. I care because when you fuck off and leave my best friend, I’m gonna be the gonk who has to pick up the pieces. And lastly, I fucking care because I actually trusted you, trusted that you were different. I don’t even wanna look at you right now. In fact, I don’t know why you’re still here.”

Seething and breathing heavily, Judy gritted her teeth. V had gotten under her skin and Judy was willing to tell her exactly why she was wrong. 

V took a sharp inhale and stepped closer.

“I’m here because I thought you deserved an apology, but clearly I was wrong. Trust? You wanna talk about fuckin’ trust? Where the fuck did you go? I trusted you to watch out for me and what happened? I got fuckin’ ambushed and almost died! Where were you?” V snapped back.

Judy swallowed, the harsh reality hitting her like a fist to the face. V had almost died in the hands of the Claws because of her. She felt bad, yet it didn’t excuse the behaviour with Evelyn or change the way she felt. 

Judy pointed at V. “If you had done your job properly, it wouldn’t have happened. I told you how long you had left but you were too wrapped up in Evie to fuckin’ listen. You wanna blame someone? Blame yourself.” Judy yelled.

“You left me! That has nothing to do with Evelyn and I, why is it such an issue?” V demanded. She couldn’t understand the hostility Judy was throwing at her. 

“I -” Judy was lost for words, unable to express feelings she wasn’t entirely sure of herself. Neither one of them had noticed that they were now just inches apart. Their furious gazes locked, neither blinking. V took a step closer, entering Judy’s personal space, a snarl still curling the merc’s lips. She wanted answers. V opened her mouth to respond when she noticed a change in Judy.

The techie faltered. Her eyes dipped down to V’s lips automatically, and her body leant in of its own accord; her breathing grew shallow. V’s body instinctively mirrored Judy’s. Their lips were now a hair's breadth apart. V tilted her head, looking into Judy’s eyes before her gaze returned to the techie’s lips. If she had moved any closer, she would know how the techie’s lips felt against her own. Afterwhat felt like an eternity, a moment of realisation hit her. V took a tentative step back and cleared her throat.

“I … I’m gonna go.” 

Judy blinked repeatedly, bringing herself back to reality with the reminder that they had been arguing.

“Where are you goin’?” Judy asked, her voice low and confused.

“To find someone who actually wants me around.” V spat back. 

“We ain’t done here.” Judy pressed.

“You said so yourself, you don’t even wanna look at me.” V countered, throwing Judy’s earlier words back at her. 

V gazed at the techie before making her exit out of the basement, leaving Judy alone with her thoughts. 

*

V had bypassed the main floor of Lizzie’s and opted straight for the parking lot. She brought up her holo and messaged Evelyn.

Meet me outside in 5. 

She sparked a cigarette and waited.  

Ten minutes later, Evelyn appeared, strutting across the lot like a model on a catwalk, wearing a perplexed look on her face. Before she could say anything, the merc tucked an arm around her waist and guided them away from Lizzie’s.

“Let’s get out of here.” 

After a quick walk through the Watson District, they arrived at Evelyn’s apartment. With a quick swipe, the door opened to let them in. Evelyn pounced, wrapping herself around the merc and pulling her into a deep kiss. When V didn’t respond the way Evelyn anticipated, the doll pulled away enough to look at her. 

“Everything ok?” 

V looked at her, conflicted. Emotions were never a strong point for the merc, but she knew something wasn’t right. 

“I dunno, had a massive fight with Judy. She was acting weird, like she was picking a fight. Really possessive over you. I think she might have a thing for you.” She muttered, not making eye contact with the woman.

Evelyn took a step back, analysing the naive merc. With a sad smile, she placed a hand on V’s shoulder.

“Oh, sweetheart, it’s not me she has a thing for.” 

The merc cocked her head like a confused puppy, which Evelyn found distractingly adorable. She took V’s hand and led them to her spacious couch. They sat beside each other and Evelyn repositioned to face her companion, resting her arm on the back of the couch. When the confusion on V’s face hadn’t disappeared, Evelyn rolled her eyes.

“You! She has a thing for you.” 

Suddenly, everything clicked into place like a puzzle finally solved., Their argument, and the subsequent moment in the basement, was the final piece that revealed the bigger picture. Her jaw, and the figurative penny, dropped.

“That can’t be right. You didn’t see the way she was with me earlier.” V protested, laughing nervously.

“Jesus, you’re both as dense as each other. You’re a merc, I thought you were supposed to be good at this sort of thing. Judy likes you.” Evelyn rolled her eyes at having to spell this out for V.

The other woman sat forward, processing everything. She was in disbelief. Yet, in the back of her mind, she was delighted. 

“V.”A soft hand on the merc's thigh brought her out of her thoughts, she hummed. “Do you like Judy?” 

Evelyn wasn’t sure whether she actually wanted to hear the answer, but knew she had to ask. V tilted her head and faced the doll, her features troubled. She looked at her feet and swallowed.

“I-” V hesitated.

Evelyn noticed someone was trying to call her and brought up her holo.

Incoming call: Jude

“Speak of the devil.” Evelyn smiled. She ruffled her hair and pulled her top down.

“What are you doin-“ V asked before being interrupted.

“Trust me.” She replied with a wicked grin. 

*

Before Judy could think, she was bolting the Sea Dragon down the streets of Watson. She arrived outside the H10 megabuilding and slammed her brakes. She didn’t know what she was going to do or what she was going to say. All she knew was she had this overwhelming urge to fix things with V. It was a side to herself she had never seen before. 

She bypassed the stalls, and the questionable people loitering the corridors, to the 8th floor. She approached apartment 0716. With bated breath, she knocked on the door. No answer.

In haste, she called Evelyn. Again, there was no response. Fuck! 

After two further missed calls and another knock on the door, Judy retreated back to her van. In one last attempt, she called Evelyn again. 

Evelyn appeared in the corner of her screen, a shit-eating grin plastered on her face. Judy had clearly interrupted something. An embarrassed flush formed on her cheeks. 

“I’ve been trying to get hold of you, are you with V? I need to talk to her.” Judy asked apprehensively. 

“Yes she’s here, I heard about your little disagreement. She’s a little … busy at the moment, can I get her to give you a call tomorrow?” Evelyn said smugly.

“Wait … what are you doing?” V’s voice could be heard in the background, Evelyn's head fell back into laughter before returning her attention to Judy. 

“I’ve gotta go Jude, talk to you later.” The holo clicked off. 

After a hazy drive, Judy found herself back at Lizzie’s. She was torn between working from home or working at the bar. She chose Lizzie’s purely because it had alcohol -and sober was definitely something she didn’t want to be. She was completely alone at the bar; it had quietened down, with only a few customers scattered throughout the booths. Mateo was in the back, tinkering with bottles of spirits and liqueurs. He had come up with a new idea to spice things up by creating some new, themed cocktails for their menu. Every opportunity he had was spent mixing and tasting his  new concoctions. He noticed Judy and returned to the bartop, a rare smile forming on his lips.

“Judy! How would you like to be the very first person to try my latest creation, saved it especially for you.” The mixologist said eagerly. When Judy gave him a look, he rolled his eyes. “I just need a guinea pig to test them before I can serve them to customers, what do you say? It’s free booze.” 

Judy didn’t have time to respond before Mateo placed a fruity looking, with a comical umbrella and straw, in front of her. The techie eyed it up before taking a sip. Her eyes lit up.

“Fuck Mateo, that tastes incredible, keep ‘em coming.” She said between gulps. A delighted Mateo simply nodded and began to prep. 

Every drink Mateo had in his arsenal of cocktails had been decimated by the techie. Before she knew it, the bar began to sway.  All coherent thought disappeared at the bottom of every cocktail glass. Judy brought up her holo, her fingertips dancing over V’s number. The techie shook her head drunkenly. Before she had the opportunity to click off her holo, a familiar icon appeared in the corner. In a drunken haze, she answered.

“Hello, Judy.” Maiko’s face appeared on the holo.

“The fuck do you want, Maiko?” Judy snapped, beginning to regret her decision to answer the call in the first place. 

Maiko’s face scrunched, appearing hurt. 

“No need to be like that, I’m simply calling to see if you’re alright?” 

Judy looked at her suspiciously. Maiko was known to be a master manipulator, one that Judy has fallen for more times than she should.

“Why are you calling me?” Judy interrupted, trying not to fall under her bittersweet spell.

“I wanted to make sure you’re ok, I know the way things were left between us was less than appropriate. Truth is, I’ve missed you. I was going to ask you if you wanted to grab a drink but it seems you’ve already had enough for both of us.” 

Maiko analysed the techie, observing her surroundings and her features. She knew her well enough to know when she was drunk. 

Judy, meanwhile, rolled her eyes lazily. She was about to tell her ex exactly where to stick it when the image of Evelyn and V invaded her mind. She shook the thoughts away, focusing back on Maiko.

“Where are you? I’ll come and meet you.” She said, disgruntled.

“My apartment, I trust you remember where it is,” Maiko replied eagerly, before hanging up. 

Judy huffed and peeled herself off the bar stool. She noticed Mateo staring at her.

“Don’t give me that look Mateo, I know what I’m doing. Thanks for the drinks.” She struggled not to slur her words.

Once a Delamain was called, Judy swayed her way to the parking lot and leant against her van. Taking tentative breaths, she attempted to keep the mix of liquors from expelling from her stomach. 

One very uncomfortable cab ride later, she found herself outside Maiko’s apartment. 

*

With heavy lids, Judy opened her eyes. It felt like gravel had been forced into her eyelids and the midday sun scorched through the window. Her throat was like sandpaper as she tried to clear her throat. Looking around, she quickly realised that she wasn’t at home. The flashbacks from the night before flooded back to her quicker than the alcohol had flooded her system. She covered her face with her hands, splitting her fingers to peer through them. She noticed the figure of the person she was most afraid to see lying next to her. Snap shots of the night before appeared like a photo montage. Her drunken haze prevented her from piecing the parts together completely. She did, however, have brief images of kissing, undressing and a final image that burned into her mind … Maiko’s head between her legs. She internally groaned, kicking herself in anxiety ridden shame. She flicked her holo. Noticing the time, she sighed. Late for work, again. On top of that, there was a missed call from V and several messages from Evelyn. Judy felt the familiar flush of frustration, remembering what V and Evelyn were up to the night before. 

Evelyn: oh my god, I need to tell you what happened last night

Evelyn: we need to talk 

Evelyn: it’s about V.

Evelyn: Where are you? 

The anxiety subsided. Although she was annoyed that the pair had tried to contact her, no doubt to explain in painful detail about their night together. It had helped somewhat with her feelings towards her own conquest. Her sigh must have been louder than intended, as she locked eyes with a now-awake Maiko. She looked at the messages again, before returning to her ex.

“Hey, Maiko, you mind if I stay a while?” She asked hesitantly.

“Not at all.”

Chapter Text

Judy stirred from her slumber. Lying on her side, with her half naked form wrapped in covers. She had been coerced out of her dreams by a strong arm wrapped around her torso and soft lips on the back of her neck. A shiver rose from the base of her spine as a soft moan escaped her lips. The Mox lifted her arm, grasping at the nape of the woman behind her. Fingernails dragging along the soft skin, leaving red marks along her neck in their wake. Judy’s now exposed position presented a new opportunity for delicate fingertips to trail along her ribs, leading a trial towards the underside of her breast before drifting closer toward her nipple with each circular stroke.

“Don’t tease...” Judy murmured, leaning into her touch.   

The fingers that had gently teased her into consciousness suddenly had her nipple between them, a swift pinch and sharp pull elicited a gasp out of her. The techie rolled over with a wicked grin on her face.

“Oh you’re gonna pay for that.” 

Her half lidded eyes gazed over the woman’s features before settling on her eyes. A dark intensity formed as the lighthearted teasing escalated to unadulterated desire.

“I was counting on it.” V countered, grabbing Judy’s wrists, pinning them above her head. 

The merc leaned over, resting herself between Judy’s legs. Her hands firmly kept her wrists in place. Judy tilted her head upwards, allowing V’s tongue to travel the length of her collarbone up to the underside of her jaw.

A moan formed in Judy’s throat. The merc’s name was on the tip of her tongue when her eyes fluttered open. The stark realisation hit her.

“Maiko!” She shrieked.

Maiko gazed at her with a mischievous gleam.

“You always did like it when I teased, glad to see some things never change.”

Maiko continued to apply pressure to Judy’s wrists, enjoying the feeling of Judy beneath her. 

“Get off me.” Judy said, pulling her wrists away with force. A blush continued to cover her neck and cheeks.

Maiko removed herself with a huff, rolling over and reaching for the cigarettes placed on the bedside table. 

“What’s up with you?”

Maiko exhaled, eyeing Judy.

“Nothin”

“Is that right?” Maiko cocked an eyebrow, lighting her cigarette. “Because last night you were all over me and now-“

“I-I’m just not in the mood. I gotta use the bathroom”

Judy snapped as she jumped out of bed and scurried to the bathroom.

She locked the door behind her, reaching for the toilet seat lid. She lowered it and sat, her head fell into her hands. 

Four days. It had been four days since anyone had seen or heard from Judy. She had missed work, prior engagements and lastly, forgotten about her commitment to helping V.

The dream, fantasy, nightmare, whatever the fuck it was, circled her mind. She was unable to shake the feeling for the merc, in her heart and between her legs. 

She pulled up her holo, her heart sank. Three missed calls, one voicemail from V .

She pressed play on the voicemail, it sprang to life. The image of a visibly distressed V appeared in focus.

“ Pick up, pick up, Jesus, Mary and fucking Joseph. Judy!?! Where are you? I’m gettin’ worried. It’s been days since anyone has seen you. I-I miss you. I know that’s a weird thing to say. Just wanna know you’re alright. I’m taking on one of the bosses, could really use your help. Anyway, call me when you get this. Please.”

Judy’s heart fluttered momentarily; she misses me? Her finger hovered over the call button. Memories of Evelyn and V flashed across her mind. With a sharp exhale through her nose, she closed her holo, staring at her feet.

That was two days ago, she ain’t sent anything since. Shit, I hope she ain’t done anything stupid .

*

“Pick up, pick up, Jesus, Mary and fucking Joseph. Judy!?! Where are you?” 

V began rambling down the holo, she had called three times with no response. She had spoken to Evelyn, Rita and even bothered half of the employees at Lizzie’s. Nobody had seen nor heard anything from Judy. The worry had settled in the pit of her stomach. Something was wrong. Since the bust up with Judy and subsequent evening with Evelyn, the young merc had actively been avoiding all things Mox related. She distracted herself by preparing for the first step in taking over the Claws,creating the dossier for her first mark.

Name: The Doc. 

Occupation: Joint leader of the Tyger Claws.

Education: Self proclaimed doctor in fuckery.

Location: Outskirts of Night City

Speciality: Fire, flamethrowers, Molotov cocktails, MMA

An arsonist with a smart mouth, fucking preem. 

With everything in place and Judy AWOL. There was nothing left to do but find the notorious bastard and take him down, alone. 

*

Dusk had settled in over Night City. The urban skyline wrapped the area in its usual fluorescent glow. From a distance, the city looked beautiful. The skyscrapers almost reached the moon, the bright lights, the promises and dreams twinkled like stars that failed to shine. It was an illusion, nothing good came from it. V pondered on everything. She had been perched on her bike on the edge of the city for at least a few hours, scoping out the location. The twilight built up jungle of concrete and neon lights had evolved into a desolate wasteland, only connected by a long stretch of road. A house stood, visible amongst clusters of stone and rubble. The longer she sat, the more she found herself staring absentmindedly at the place she called home; the place that raised her and simultaneously took everything away. 

Her fingernails grazed over the constant reminder that was etched into her neck. Three months later, it still itches, burns. Overwhelming feeling of something crawling under her skin, anytime she touched it. She won’t fuck up again, not like that, she won’t fail herself, she won’t fail him.

Fuck it. One last try.

She pulled her holo and dialed the number she had become all too familiar with. With bated breath she waited patiently as the dial tone began. Judy’s face appeared.

“Judy! Holy fuck! What happened? Where are you? Fuck, forget that! Are you ok?” V blurted.

“Listen V, I can’t talk right now but I’m alright” 

She was in a bright white room, a bathroom. Tiles surrounding her, V’s heart jumped into her throat.

“What do you mean you can’t talk? Are you in trouble?” 

V straightened up, panic bubbling in her gut. She hopped off her bike, pacing frantically, ignoring the fact she was supposed to be scoping her target. 

“No nothin’ like that, jus’ not a good time. I do wanna talk though” 

Not a good time? The fuck she mean by that? 

V continued walking around the arch, gravel crunching underneath her feet. Making more sound than she should be. 

“Not a good time? Fuck Judy, you’ve been missing for four days? What happened?” 

Her tone and level of voice raised. She had been worried sick for days and all Judy could muster was it wasn’t a good time. V’s frustration grew.

“I promise we can talk, just not now. I didn’t wanna ignore your call but I really can’t talk here” 

Judy sighed, her eyes rapidly darting to the door she had locked behind her.

“You’ve been ignoring me for days Judy!” V roared.

Suddenly, a light in the house flickered on and V was reminded of the purpose for being in the arse end of nowhere and how loud she was becoming.

“Ok, we can talk another time. Once I’ve finished this job, can we meet?  I've been thinking a lot actually and there are some things I gotta say” 

V sat back on her arch, hushed her tone slightly. Her mind became conflicted between worry, anger and pure elation. Four days and she finally saw Judy’s face. Judy’s expression relaxed. Yet, a conflicted look appeared.

“Yeah I would … like that. Once you’re done come by my place. There are … things I wanna say too” 

“Preem” V beamed

A rare smile appeared on her face. The smile was infectious as Judy found herself following suit.

“And V … please be careful alright”

The merc nodded before hanging up.

A crash from within the house diverted her attention. It was time. She abandoned her Arch and stalked gracefully across the deserted road, clinging to the sides until the large house, a house that clearly didn’t belong on this road, was in the centre of her vision.

The house was a two storey and at least seventy years old, slanted slightly to one side. It was weathered dramatically, indicating its age. Gravel scattered around the building, producing an audiological defense. In the faint distance, charred and scorched remains of furniture, woods, metal and what looked like bodies could be seen littering the post-apocalyptic backyard. 

V with newly acquired determination dropped into a prone position, crawling over the gravel, desperately trying not to disturb the rubble beneath her. This needed to be done stealthily, she did not want to end the night looking like something you’d find at a questionable barbecue stall in Kabuki. She continued her approach, dragging her body over the loose rocks. Her foot faulted, kicking the gravel. The rocks trickled over others, making a distinct sound.

Fuck.

“What was that?” 

A man’s voice appeared from the house, footsteps drawing closer as a shadowy figure appeared in front of the window.

Double Fuck!

She jumped to her feet in a crouching position and forward rolled into the cover of the side of the house. 

“Relax, it was probably just a rat or something.” Another voice appeared, opening the window to look around.

Both shrugged and walked back into the room. V sighed in relief. It wouldn’t be a stealth mission if she was spotted within minutes. 

The merc stood with her back against the side of the house. She switched on her optics and tiptoed towards the window, one foot in front of the other, until she reached the now open window. Her optics kicked into gear, recognising two burly men in a room with a shit tonne of gasoline but no leader. 

Where the fuck are you Hairy ballsack.

Suddenly, the rushing sound of a flamethrower filled the silence. The sound was emanating from behind the house. There he is! This needed some quick thinking.

V patted the pockets of her jacket, a grin forming on her lips. The merc pulled out a cigarette and lighter. Sparking it, she took a drag, continuing to watch through her optics. She waited a moment longer before flicking the cigarette into the room, hopping back over the gravel to a safer distance. 

“What the fu-“

The bullet from V’s overwatch punctured the tank full of gasoline, creating a very noticeable trickle of liquid to pool across the floor, edging ever closer to the discarded cigarette. 

“Come on, come on, come on.” V repeated desperately.

Her eyes widened. 

The house exploded in a large inferno, spitting out flames and charred pieces of timber. V covered her face, protecting herself from the blast. She had to move, she had to get to him quickly. With her overwatch secured safely away, she sprinted towards the remains of the house. Each foot landed solidly against the ground, as she walked through the wreckage of the house. Fire surrounded her in a blanket of heat. She gracefully stepped out of the burning inferno straight into the backyard, her face covered in soot and ash. She smirked at the astonished leader picking himself up off the ground.

“The man, the myth, the legend. I sincerely apologise, I may have had a bit of an accident involving a cigarette and your safe house.” She shrugged. 

The man before her gritted his teeth, layered in crimson. A dangerous smile forming. 

“You did me a favour, gorgeous. I was thinking of redecorating anyway, it seems a bit too hot. Now who the fuck are you?” 

The man before her rolled his neck, popping and cracking into place.

“Ah, that doesn’t matter.” V stood, leaning on one leg, inspecting her nails nonchalantly.

An explosion engulfed the silence as another cylinder full of gas blew up behind her. Illuminating their faces with an orange hue. The merc took a tentative step forward, positioning herself into a defensive stance.

“You really think you’re in an old Michael Bay movie right now? All attitude, walking through an explosion of fire? Am I witnessing a certified badass? Seems more like a clusterfuck with tits.” 

He casually observed V, eyeing her from head to toe. They were no more than 10 yards from each other. Yet, they behaved like they were battling straight out of a superhero movie.

“Now now, play nice. Unfortunately, it seems you haven’t been. Hence the big dramatic entrance.” V smiled.

“You’re a merc.” 

He gritted his teeth, swallowing the distaste of those words in his mouth.

“How perceptive of you.” 

V flashed him a wicked grin, the same grin that often came with trouble. Stepping forward, V was getting dangerously close.

“So now what? Are we gonna dance the tango? Put on face masks and have a slumber party? You’re gonna help me move to a nova new pad? Or are we gonna finish this?” The Doc mused. 

“It’s a shame, I am quite the tango dancer.” V imitated the dance then stopped, staring at him intensely.

Without warning, the merc lunged at him, wrestling him to the ground. She raised her fist and punched him in the mouth, splitting his lip instantly. This only fuelled the leader further, raising his legs from under her. Mounting his feet firmly on her, he booted her off. She landed with an almighty thump, her rifle clattering to the other side of the yard. The Doc placed his hands behind him and flipped onto his feet, reaching for his blowtorch. 

“Chargrilled merc, sounds like the chef's special at a Raffen restaurant. This might sting a little.” 

With a twisted smile that was frightening enough to leave the maelstrom running for the hills, he flicked on the torch and threw himself at V, burning Vs right arm. She screamed as her skin bubbled and blistered before her left fist connected with his jaw. The resulting loud crack dazed him, knocking him backwards. V jumped up, using her momentum to land a stiff boot on the underside of his jaw.

With a vigorous shake of his head, the man rose to his feet, dazed and disoriented. They were in a stand-off. They grabbed each other’s shoulders simultaneously, attempting to trip each other to the ground. V failed, landing backwards. The man towered over her, swiftly kicking her in the head. Once, twice, three times. His foot hovered over her. With crushing force, his foot smashed into her face repeatedly. Her skull cracking and breaking with each stomp.

“I knew it would be easy, I didn’t think it would be this easy though.” The man spat as he continued to stomp on the young merc’s face, giggling like a schoolgirl in a playground.

V’s vision darkened, the edges pulsing red and black. She could only splutter blood in response.The laughter continued as he moved to sit on her, whimsically singing through every punch towards the limp woman beneath him. 

“ There once was a young merc from Night City,

Whose fighting was all too shitty,

She came to take me out,

What the fuck was that about,

And now her face aint looking too pretty ”

The Doc finished his limerick and stared at V’s almost lifeless body. With little strength she had left, the merc reached for her pistol resting on her hip. 

“You should have killed me when you had the chance, dickhead.” V spat, blood trickling down her chin. 

“Who said I’m not?” He grinned wickedly. Cracking his bloodied knuckles, preparing to take her life once and for all. Adding another merc to his killed list.

“Me.”

V raised her pistol, cold metal pressing under his chin. The man's eyes grew wide as she pulled the trigger. The Doc collapsed into a heap next to her. She let out a gurgled breath. She needed someone. Yet, there was only one person in that moment she wanted but couldn't have. She needed help. She pulled up her holo.

“Hello?” 

“H-Help me” 

“V!” 

The voice of concern was the last thing V heard before she finally allowed the darkness to consume her.

*

V’s eyes opened momentarily, the blurred outlines of the ceiling light was all she could make out. 

“Jesus kid, you scared me for a second” 

Vik noticed the young merc regaining consciousness. Swiveling in his chair, he scooted over to the bed that V occupied. 

“Y-you found me” 

V stammered, her face was broken and bruised that even whispering hurt. 

“We managed to hack your holo’s location and there aint a lot out in the outskirts. When Misty and I saw smoke and fire. I knew you wouldn’t be far away. What happened to you? I barely recognised you, your face being all messed up” 

The concern in Vik’s eyes was apparent as he gazed at her over his sunglasses. V could never tell why he wore them so often, especially in the dimly lit room. Perhaps, it was purely to match his aesthetic. 

“I-I took a job … needed to kill one of the Claw’s bosses. The fucker was a fan of MMA and pyrotechnics” V wheezed, attempting to chuckle and lifting her now bandaged arm.

“Yeah I can see that, took some pretty extensive synth skin grafts to get that arm looking human again”

The ripper doc began examining her arm again, checking for any further injury.

“How long have I been out?”

V husked, her mouth tasting like gravel. A determined look crossed her face. Vik sighed, looking at her intently.

“About twenty four hours. I know that look V, don’t get any ideas. You need to rest” 

The merc grabbed her side, taking every ounce of strength to sit up slightly. She had always hated the feeling of being helpless and weak. Three months ago, she had been lying on the same bed feeling the same way. 

“I will, I promise. I jus’ need you to get a message to someone” she grunted. 

“Evelyn? I already let her know. You had a missed call from her so I figured I’d call her back … I gotta say V, your output is a classy looking’ girl” 

V looked at him perplexed. Trying to understand what the fuck was going on. 

Why would he think that? Did she say something? 

“Evelyn? She’s not my output, and no, I need you to get a message to Judy, her deets are on my holo. Can you let her know I still wanna talk but got caught up on this job” 

V tilted her head toward the handheld device sitting on the counter beside her. Vik let out a low whistle, tilting back in his chair. 

“Yeah … sure thing V” 

He grabbed the device with his bear sized hands and pushed himself away, gliding across the floor to his desk in the corner. He flicked the tv on and opened up her holo. V found herself fighting consciousness, eyelids becoming increasingly heavier with each blink. She laid back, resting her head on the pillow. Slowly drifting off to the sounds of a boxing match from the corner of the room. 

*

V awoke to Misty’s calm smile standing beside her.

“Hey V, I'm sorry to wake you but you have a visitor on the roof” 

V forced herself to sit up, gently rubbing her eyes, willing them to adjust to the light. 

“I think she said her name was Evelyn, an interesting looking woman, an even more interesting aura” 

The merc felt deflated, she wasn’t sure why she would expect anyone else. Everyone close to her was either in the room with her … or dead. In the back of her mind however, she had hoped Judy would know how bent out of shape she was and care enough to pay her a visit.

“I sense she wasn't the person you were hoping for,” Misty continued. An understanding smile on her lips.

How did she know? How does she always fuckin know .

“Could you help me up there?”

V replied in a defeated tone, carefully swinging her legs over the edge of the bed, holding onto her charcoaled arm. 

“You’re not going anywhere without this first” 

Vik interjected walking towards them, with something in his hand. The doc administered it and watched her carefully.

“What was it?”

V asked, feeling slightly numb. Whatever it was, it was working.

“Mild stim with added pain blockers, should help you deal with whatever is going on upstairs that has got your face looking like that” Vik chuckled.

V rolled her shoulders. For the first time since her fight with the hairy ballsack, they were relatively pain free. She held her jaw, slowly rotating it.

“Thanks Vik, I seriously owe you”

He waved his hand in dismissal.

“Don’t worry about it, I’ll just add it to your ever growing tab”

V laughed, clutching at her side to somehow ease the sudden shooting sensation that appeared by her ribs. 

Ok so not totally pain free but it’s better.

“You ready?” Misty asked. 

“Yeah … why the fuck not”

Chapter Text

The rooftop was a small taste of serenity, in a city ruled by chaos. A place to sit and observe, like a fish tank full of piranha. It wasn’t much, but it was peaceful. Two plastic lawn chairs sat idle, overlooking the ledge. The lawn chairs had become a sanctuary for V and Jackie, somewhere they could sit and unwind after gigs. Enjoy beers and talk about the women in their life. This was the rooftop where V met Misty for the first time. This was where she realised for the first time, she wasn’t alone in this hollow city.

Misty opened the door. She carefully placed her arm around V’s waist, guiding her through the door. V looked around, a weak smile appearing as she took in the sights. 

“It really is a beautiful view isn’t it” Misty whispered, matching V’s awe “I haven’t been up here as much since, well you know” Misty finished sombrely.

“Misty, I’m sorry” 

V pulled away, hobbling forward a little. Unable to look at the woman. 

“It wasn’t your fault” her usual patient and understanding smile reappeared.

But it was. 

“There you are,” Evelyn said, her seductive tone cutting through the awkwardness. 

She stood by the ledge, casually smoking with one arm supporting the other. She hadn’t moved but her eyes were trained on the pair. Misty continued to help V further onto the rooftop. 

“I can take it from here” Evelyn said, turning to face them “could you give us a moment alone?” 

Evelyn directed her attention to Misty, who looked at V momentarily. V nodded.

“Thanks for the help Misty” V manged to say.

“Anytime” 

Misty walked toward the exit and descended back to her shop. Evelyn watched her with laser focus. 

“Strange woman” her attention drifted back to V “you certainly keep, unusual company” 

“She has become family, whatever you call family these days” V replied, staring vaguely into the distance.

She never had a family to speak of. Grew up on the streets with a mother that cared more about the next synthetic drug to hit the streets than she ever did about V. That was until she met Jackie and subsequently, Misty and Vik. They were dysfunctional to say the least but they were a family and that was all they needed. 

V grimaced, the months had passed, her family stretched thin, almost nonexistent anymore. V lifted her fingers up high enough to graze the ridges of the scar on her neck. She started to see the Moxes as an adopted family. She saw a family in Judy. That was the most painful part. The person she considered family, pushing her away. 

Evelyn watched her momentarily, gazing over her, her features hollower than usual, it was concerning.

“You had me worried V, I’m not one to worry. I find myself in this unusual situation” 

Evelyn flicked her cigarette over the edge, taking tentative steps towards the clearly broken woman. V didn’t engage. Instead, cradling her shoulder, she hobbled towards the ledge. Taking a deep breath, V looked out over Night City. 

“Have you ever had a moment of clarity in the strangest of situations?” 

V asked, not daring to look at Evelyn. The doll looked at V, attempting to catch her attention, it was wasted. The merc’s mind was elsewhere and her eyes fixated on the towering skyline. 

“I can’t say I have” 

Before Evelyn could continue, V let out a sigh. 

“I thought I was going to die Ev, I’ve never feared death. Not even feared the repercussions it left, I’ve almost died countless times and nothing, no fear, nor feelings. Yet, in those final moments, I was scared” 

V lowered her head as much as the aches and pains in her muscles allowed her. Hollow breaths filling the silence. 

“I realised there was the potential to leave something behind, something that could have been and the idea of not experiencing it terrified me. There was something there, something that could have been and I wanted it” 

Evelyn was a clever woman, maybe not by conventional academic standards but she had an acute understanding of emotional intelligence. Her ability to read people had helped her get to where she was in life. It made sense and she knew exactly who V was referring to. 

“Have you told her?” 

Evelyn asked, never one to sugar coat nor play ignorant. V’s head snapped towards her in shock. How did she know? How was everyone so much more aware of her feelings than she was? With a groan, she rolled her head. A small crack released from her neck.

“No, we haven’t exactly been on speaking terms lately” V snorted before clutching her side, wincing. V hadn’t seen Judy for days. She was almost killed and Judy had disappeared. Not exactly the greatest start to a potential relationship. Not to mention the arguments they have had.

Evelyn rolled her eyes. Sure, she had feelings for V but her love for Judy outweighed anything else. Judy’s happiness meant more to her than a fling and she knew that was what Judy wanted whether she admitted it or not.

“What are you waiting for V?” 

She was suddenly serious. 

“Tell her how you feel, do something about it already” 

V stared at her, mouth slightly agape. She never expected to have this conversation at all, especially not with the woman she had been sleeping with. Had it become this obvious?

“But us?” 

V managed to close her mouth and finally say something. Evelyn glanced at her, she finally joined V, resting her arms on the ledge. Shoulder to shoulder, Evelyn leaned into her. 

“It was never meant to be” Evelyn said with a smile. 

V placed her hand on top of Evelyn’s.

“I really did like you y’know” V confessed.

Evelyn laughed, playfully swatting V’s hand away. 

“I know, with tits like mine, I’d like me too” she smirked, intertwining their fingers, dipping her head closer to V.

“I liked you too” Evelyn finally whispered. 

Evelyn peered at her for a moment then kissed her on the cheek. She unlocked their fingers, trailing them along V’s arm just as she had done the weeks prior. 

“Take care of her V, she’s been through a lot” 

She said in a genuine tone. V smiled weakly. Not knowing what else to say, she subtly nodded. 

“I’ll see you around, Miss merc” Evelyn said in her trademark sultry tone before descending from the rooftop. 

V let out a sigh, when did things get so complicated? This was always intended to be just a job. To get in, do the job, to make a difference, get the Eddie’s, rebuild her reputation and get out. Somehow in the mix, she developed feelings and  heartache. V rolled her shoulder a little, the pain blockers Vik had given her were starting to wear off, her beaten body punishing her. 

The sun began to set over the skyline, twinkles of light appeared one by one as Night City began to come alive. V hobbled over to the vacant lawn chairs and sat. Allowing herself a moment of contemplation. She found her cigarettes and lighter, releasing smoke into the ever growing dusk. She stared at the vacant chair to her left. Sinking into hers further. She missed him, she missed their talks and his advice.

“I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul” she said to herself between puffs of smoke.

These words had become a mantra for the merc in recent months. Too much had been taken, too much lost. Countless times, her lack of control sent her spiralling. Whispering those words to herself, somehow soothed her anxieties. 

“Invictus?” 

Misty mused as she filled the unoccupied lawn chair, cradling a mug of earthy smelling herbal tea. A small smile printed on her face, eyes glazing over as if she were caught in a memory. 

“Yeah, it was, one of his favourites” V replied solemnly. 

They smiled at each other, quietly reflecting on a common thought. 

“I know, I haven’t heard you recite poetry in a while, this isn’t about Jackie though is it? This is about the little triangle you’ve created for yourself isn’t it?” She asked V. 

Concern in her eyes, concreted anytime Misty spoke to V. The ever knowing smile appeared, V’s whale eyed  expression bore into hers, she didn’t need to see it to know she was right. 

“You always fucking know, I will never know how is it possible” V laughed. 

Together they looked over the luminous skyline, the city that took something away from both of them and something that could possibly give something back to V. She hoped anyway.

“Yeah, I’ve really fucked things up Misty, I never really thought about it, this was just a job and somehow I ended up in a twisted love triangle like a damn BD soap opera” 

V flicked the ash from her cigarette creating a small mess by her feet. She really did need to quit. 

“You’re in quite a predicament. You’re aware, it doesn’t need to be this complicated. You could solve everything if you were honest with yourself and with her” 

She took a large sip of her tea, breathing in its aroma. V raised her eyebrow, she knew how simple it was, but executing it was another story. She finally knew what she wanted and whatever was happening with Evelyn seemed to have resolved itself. It just left the problem of Judy. 

“If only it were that simple, if you met her, you’d understand,” V laughed.

A blush rising to her cheeks. She wasn’t used to this biological response. It was infuriating. She wasn’t used to the way Judy made her feel, the butterflies and nerves whenever she saw the techie smile. The sound of her laughing. It was surreal yet, she wouldn’t change it for the world. 

“Well, whatever the problem is V, I know you’ll figure it out. Why don’t you express your feelings to her, if you really think about it, what is the worst that could happen” 

Misty placed her hand on V’s shoulder.

“You know Jackie would have said” Misty continued.

V’s head fell back into laughter, she puffed her chest, as best she could without squeaking in pain. Coughed and with a lowered voice and imitated Jackie Welles.

“Come on Chica, tell her how you feel. Open your heart and give it to her. It’s how I won Misty. Blah, blah, blah” 

They both began to laugh uncontrollably, memories of the gentle giant who wore his heart on his sleeve would often try to persuade V to be the same. Much to her disapproval.

She had lost too many people in her life, she desperately wanted to keep Judy in her life, even if it meant nothing more than a friendship. The thought of losing her terrified her. She was conflicted if she told Judy how she really felt, would Judy push her away further? Would she lose her entirely? And then V thought of Jackie. 

“Maybe this time, he is right” V said, taking a last puff of her cigarette before flicking it out. 

“I have to tell her, she needs to know” 

V jumped out of her seat enthusiastically before clutching her side hissing through her teeth. Misty jumped to her side, attempting to take some of the weight off. 

“How about we get you fixed up properly before you hurt yourself further” Misty chuckled. 

V shook her head, withdrawing from Misty’s support

“I gotta do this now, I need to let her know” 

V limped slowly towards the exit, one way or another, Judy was going to know how V felt.

*

From the moment V had called her, Judy had wanted nothing more than to be at home, alone. Maiko was doing her usual bullshit, the same shitty comments and back handed compliments, reminding the techie of why she left in the first place. She desperately tried to forget the mistakes she had made over the days prior. Opting to find a way out and fast. 

Once she had left the bathroom. She picked her clothes off the floor and put them on as quickly as her limbs would let her. Maiko, still in bed, peering at her through the smoke of her cigarette. 

“Leaving so soon, why am I not surprised” Maiko remarked, waving her hand in dismissal.

“BD’s aren’t going to edit themselves and Susie has been on my ass about them. It was a fun few days but I’ve got to get back to reality” 

That was partially true, Judy had a backlog of work that had been put aside to focus on helping V. The truth was, she wanted to be as far away from her psycho ex as possible. Judy hated lying to Maiko. Somehow, she was always able to spot when Judy was lying. 

“Oh please, you’re so predictable. You’re bailing again aren’t you. I gotta say, you lasted longer this time” 

Maiko suddenly sat up, removed the duvet and stood. Judy ignored her and continued to dress herself and simultaneously stuffing the remaining of her stuff into a duffel bag. 

“Predictable? I gotta work and there ain’t anyone else to do it. I can’t just be here all day, I gotta go” 

Judy’s words spilled out in a mild state of panic, she walked across the room, picking up the keys to her van from the counter and leaving. Maiko huffed, walking over to the bathroom and slamming the door. 

Judy opened the door to her van, through the duffel bag into the back and jumped into the drivers seat. She banged her head against the steering wheel. Whispering insults to herself in Spanish until she hit her head against the horn, scaring herself. 

“Ah, fuck” she said, rubbing her head. She felt stupid, embarrassed, a fucking idiot. How could she be so desperate to run back to Maiko, after everything the woman had put her through, she somehow thought it was a good idea. 

She drove back to her apartment. Unpacked her bag and headed straight for the shower. She felt the need to completely rid herself of Maiko. Everything smelt of her and it disgusted Judy to her core. 

Once she had dried off, she flicked on her holo and sent a message to V. She laid down, resting her eyes. She imagined every possible scenario in her head. Thoughts of V telling her to fuck off. Images of being pinned against a wall and being kissed all over. Ideas of V telling her she had feelings for her. They were spinning around in her mind like a Ferris wheel until quickly and unexpectedly she fell asleep.

Several hours had passed when Judy finally woke, the sound of a car alarm going off in the parking lot, waking her from her slumber. Adjusting her eyes, she spotted the time. She had been asleep for 4 hours. She immediately checked her messages. Nothing, specifically, nothing from V.

Judy had wasted several days in an alcohol and lust infused haze. She desperately needed to catch up on work. Thankfully, she could do all of this from the comfort of her own home. Judy sat in her chair, wrapped the wreath around her neck when suddenly a message came through from V. 

Judy opened it immediately.

Hi, this is Judy right? 

V told me to send you a message, she is in a pretty bad way. She got beat up bad.

Anyway, she will be fine and she said she hasn’t forgotten about your chat. 

She will speak to you when she’s better 

Vik

Judy had not anticipated that. Sure, she knew she was on a dangerous mission but she hadn’t thought it was life threatening. And then it hit her, even with V injured, near death. She still thought about Judy, she had still cared enough about her to reach out, even if it were through a friend. This got Judy thinking. Has she spoken to Evelyn yet? Had V put Judy ahead of Evelyn. Was this just wishful thinking? 

Judy shook her head. She was panicking again, this time for an entirely different reason. She hadn’t felt this way in very a long time. The butterflies and the nerves, it was exciting yet terrifying. The techie had decided to finish her work, it was the only known thing to distract her enough from worrying about V. 

Hours passed and Judy had finally made a small dent in the piles of BDs she had to edit. She wrapped her wreath around her neck and stretched. She walked towards her kitchen, grabbed a bottle of realwater and a protein bar, before sitting on the couch momentarily. Suddenly, a buzz on her door went. Judy shot up, the only person she had expected to see or at least hoped to see was V, they had mentioned in their call to come to Judy’s apartment. The excitement overwhelmed her, she leapt to her feet, discarding the protein bar from her hand and practically skipped to the door. She opened the door to find the exact opposite of what she had hoped for. 

“What do you want Maiko?” 

Judy said, unable to hide the disappointment in her voice.

“That is no way to greet me now is it” Maiko replied smugly.

She pushed past Judy, letting herself into the apartment with her usual cloud of smoke following her. She stared at the apartment, running a fingertip along the kitchen counter. She brought it into view to inspect.

“Were you always this messy or is this what you’ve become. Anyway, I’m here to talk, there is something between us Judy, we cannot deny it” 

Judy internally wretched, how had she been so fucking stupid. Her feet glued to the floor. The thought of being anywhere near Maiko now filled her with dread.

“I know you have had your problems, but I am willing to look past them” 

Maiko continued, barely giving Judy the opportunity to breathe, let alone speak. Whenever Judy would attempt to interject, Maiko would continue.

“Of course some things would have to change, you were always so focused on your job, you never did know what was good for you. Also, the pet mercenary you have would have to go. They always leave a bad smell and don’t get me started on your friend Evelyn” 

Maiko turned her nose up in disgust. She certainly did not want to be associated with the likes of those characters. Judy’s hands clenched into fists, she was over the entitlement and judgment that Maiko expressed. Maiko and Evelyn had never seen eye to eye, they were both dolls, both did the same things for eddie, but Maiko walked around like she was somehow superior and it infuriated her. Judy banged her fist onto the counter.

“I’m so sick of this shit Maiko, running back to you was the dumbest thing I’ve done in a long time. I want you to leave” 

She pointed towards the door, her nostrils flaring. Instead, Maiko sat on the sofa, placing a leg over the other and lighting another cigarette. 

“There’s that temper of yours, don’t you think it was time you learned to control it by yourself. It’s clear you can’t do this without me. Just look at this place”

Maiko emphasised by pointing towards the apartment. The place could use a clean, but was by no means dirty. Judy always explained it as ‘lived in’

“You cannot keep running and hiding from the truth, you need me and I am willing to forgive you for running the last time” 

Judy crossed her arms, her jaw clenched. Her temples bulged from her skull. 

“I didn’t fuckin’ run Maiko, I left because you couldn’t stop fucking your boss” Judy spat. 

Maiko simply rolled her eyes.

“You never did see the bigger picture, I did that for us, instead you see me as the villain. Fuck, Judy. Can’t you see I am doing this for you, you’ve certainly let yourself go”

Maiko looked Judy up and down, disgust covering her features. Judy was seething, she really shouldn’t have been surprised by the audacity of Maiko and yet, she shocked her every time.

“I’m not gonna ask you again Maiko, get the fuck out” 

Judy stormed to the door, padding the keypad. The door opens rapidly barely giving her the opportunity to process the person standing in front of her.

Behind the now open door, V stood, blood slowly leaking through her shirt. She leaned her hand against the frame of the door, a poor attempt to keep upright. Small beads of sweat forming on her temples, clear signs of exertion from getting to her. Judy’s jaw dropped. From what she knew, V was bandaged up at a ripper doc and now she was at her front door looking in the worst shape she has ever seen.

“Hi” V whispered, a small smile appearing. Before partially collapsing through the door. 

“What the fuck V, what are you doing here?” 

Judy didn’t know what else to say. Maiko watched as V stumbled into the apartment. The doll stood, skulked towards Judy and placed her arm around her.

“Sorry, I didn’t know you had company” V stammered 

Judy attempted to remove Maiko’s arm and step away but Maiko had boxed her in. She huffed.

“Maiko was just leaving, weren’t you” 

Judy gave her a stern look. Eyes beginning to bulge. Maiko stood, smiling at the pair. 

“Oh, not at all. I would love nothing more than to continue what we have been doing all week. Let’s go back to bed Judy”

The words dripping off her tongue like venom, she was pushing Judy for a reaction. Judy was adamant she wasn’t going to react. She turned to V who looked physically confused. Confusion soon changed to anger, V had finally realised where Judy had been. She stepped back, back into the hallway 

“Can you walk? Let’s get out of here” 

Judy ripped Maiko’s arm away from her, snarled at her and left. Judy stepped past V and she followed. They both ascended the fire escape to the roof. Judy reached the top first, offering a reluctant hand to V. The rooftop wasn’t particularly high, it did have views of mega buildings and the neon skyline. They stood for a moment, Judy’s arm around V, keeping her steady on her feet, both afraid to make the first movement. Eventually, V turned to face Judy.

“What are you doing here V? ” Judy asked. 

V became tongue tied, her words catching in her throat. She had to tell her. To tell her how she actually felt. Yet, it was difficult when Judy was standing in front of her. After finding Judy with her ex, she was hesitant to say anything at all. She swallowed in an effort to make her mouth less dry. Judy didn’t let her speak. Seeing V had unleashed the frustration she had been bottling up. She couldn’t help it, she exploded.

“Let me guess, you want tips for Evelyn or you want help deciphering more BDs, I’m not in the mood. Whatever it is, spit it out” 

V bit her tongue. She opened her mouth but Judy wasn’t finished.

“You go and almost get yourself killed, then turn up at my doorstep pouring blood all over my floor. Haven’t you got an output to do that to” 

V could barely get a word in, she grew frustrated. Why was she being berated when Judy had left her to be with her ex.

“I haven’t seen Evelyn so I guess you’ll have to find her yourself, won’t you” 

“Would you shut up” V raised her voice, stunning judy.

“I am not with Evelyn but I can see it doesn’t matter now anyway, your guest downstairs making herself real comfortable huh. That’s what you’ve been up to while I needed your help with that hairy sack of a boss, it makes sense now” 

Rage that V hadn’t realised she had was pouring out. All she wanted was to come and tell Judy how she felt. To tell her that she liked her. Instead, they were standing inches away, arguing over nothing. 

Judy took a step towards V, her finger prodding into V’s shoulder. The merc clenched her jaw, masking the pain.

“You were shacked up with my best friend. You were too busy all over each other when we were on our last job, Why the fuck do you care what I’m doing, V?”

V swatted Judy’s hand away, taking a step closer towards her. She stared right into Judy’s eyes.

“Because I can’t stop thinking about you, because I want you but you’re so stubborn that you won’t let me talk long enough to fucking tell you that and because I want nothing more than to kiss you right now, even if it’s just to shut you up, That’s why I fucking care” V blurted out.

Judy’s eyes widened. She paused, thoughts circling, like water down a drain, there was no time to overthink. She crossed what little space there was between them, reached for V’s jaw and captured her lips, kissing her with such desperation, it was likely to bruise. Judy’s fist clenched at V’s collar, wrapping the fabric around her hand in a desperate plea to become closer. V happily obliged, snaking her hands up Judy’s back, running them back down before landing firmly on her hips. V grabbed them, pulling the techie forward until they were flush against each other. Judy teased V’s lips apart, intensifying their kiss. Once they had broken apart, V watched Judy intensely, trying to figure out what she was thinking. 

“I can’t stop thinking about you too. But V, don’t ever tell me to shut up again” Judy purred, a playful tone lacing her words. 

V beamed, her whole existence crashed down before her in the best possible way. With what little strength she had, she cupped Judy’s face a brought her back in for another kiss.