From NUSA with Love

[Location Unknown]

Ky shook himself back to consciousness with a sharp inhale through his nostrils before he yelled with his exhale, his entire body trembling. Something wasn't right; something didn't feel right. As his senses acclimated, he heard a calm but annoyed voice behind him, "Welcome back, brother."

Friendly and welcome as Billy's voice was to Ky, in this moment it was a little too close for comfort. He tried to get a bearing on where they were and what was happening. As he looked around, craning his neck, he recognized a sharp metal sound; it was the chains affixing him to the cold metal chair sending sharp pains through his bare ass. He was restrained, hands and feet bound to the chair; likely, Billy was in a similar situation, their backs to one another. Ky tested the water, "You naked and chained to a chair?"

"...yep", Billy answered dryly, "You?"

Ky smirked to himself, "What do you think?"

Billy exhaled sharply through pursed lips, "I think the next time you call, I'm ignoring it."

"Yeah... promises", Ky fired back as he observed the room around them. It was like a hundred other interrogation rooms he'd seen during his time as an NUSA pilot; darky, dingy, and reeking of something entirely unnatural. Above the single door hung a torn and tattered NUSA flag. The walls were filthy, covered in dirt and grime, and likely a fair amount of blood mixed in. There were streaks and stains of some type of runoff leading to a drain beneath their chairs. Something reeked in this room, and they didn't even want to know what... they just wanted out...

--

[Some time earlier - Kennedy and Duzois, South Watson]

It was an auspicious day, or at least that's what Ky would have you believe. Billy just wanted to be home with Miz, maybe a nice dinner with Pops and Liv. However, Ky insisted, because you only ever turn 21 once, that he give Billy a proper boys' night out as a coming-of-age celebration for the younger merc. In other words, they were going to get absolutely shitfaced, and their respective outputs would have to deal with the consequences. It didn't help that they'd already spent the last hour pre-gaming at the lockup over a few games of pool.

Miz didn't mind; she found Billy cute and charming when he was drunk. Max was more reserved and tight-laced, preferring Ky didn't make a fool of himself; he stayed fairly well behaved most of the time, so a chance to cut loose was well-earned, and Max understood. She just wanted him to be safe more than anything.

Of all places, Ky just had to pick the Afterlife. It couldn't be Riot, or Lizzie's, El Coyote, or even fucking Totentanz. It had to be the same iconic bar from which their work came. Not like anyone could judge them, especially their employer. Billy knew this well enough, only a week having passed since their backroom fuckfest. He had no regrets about it, it was Miz's idea, and V certainly didn't seem to mind at the time.

So what, a pair of chooms out for a night on the town; who's going to judge? Who the fuck cares? Live and let live, right? Such cliches were not in the cards for them tonight as they approached a roadblock following their right turn onto Palm View Street, parallel to the harbor. The entire road, sidewalks included, was lined end to end with Militech vehicles, two small gaps between them for traffic in either direction; cars were already likely backed up for blocks at this point, and the medley of media crews, vans, and reporters crowding the sidewalks weren't helping.

Ky stepped ahead, a hand against Billy's chest telling him to stay, as he observed the situation. Something wasn't right... Militech was disciplined, but these operators were way too precise and regimented. Ky backed himself against a wall, Billy following suit, as they both scanned the operators for any clues as to their origins. Ky's eyes went wide as he picked up a sliver of ink creeping up one of the sergeants' necks. It was a unit emblem. Shit.

Ky pinged a call to Billy as he said, "Fuck me running, they're NUSA spec-ops."

Billy asked the pertinent question, "The fuck is the NUSA doing in Night City?!"

Ky shook his head, "Not a clue, but I know who to ask", and he tried pinging a call to add V into the mix. No answer. Not like she let it ring through, the call dropped as soon as it was sent. This only confirmed Ky's suspicions; they were sieging the Afterlife, choking the arteries. It was about to be a very bad day in the City of Dreams.

Both Billy and Ky knew there was nothing to be had here but trouble, but they also didn't want to just walk the other way and hang their chooms out to dry. Not like they could do much against an entire company of NUSA special forces, but they still couldn't just leave the Afterlife to whatever fate was in store...

Ky looked to Billy and they both agreed to move in a little closer for a better look. Best case scenario, they hear some chatter; worst case, they have to charm their way through some grizzled leathernecks and leave anyway. They carefully stepped forward, trying to appear casual as they mingled into a small crowd of people. Whatever was going on, nobody on either side was happy about it. For as violent and chaotic as Night City was, people were free to go about their lives as they saw fit. Many crimes went unreported for the simple reason that it wasn't anyone else's problem; but the cops still struggled to respond to even half of the crimes that did get reported.

With that as a backdrop, when a blockade gets in someone's way and tells them what they can or can't do, it tends to be poorly received. Not like the other side wanted to be here either. The soldiers were just as frustrated, jaded, and disinterested in anything going on, but that didn't mean they weren't vigilant. They wouldn't think twice to raise a rifle and bark at anyone who got too close to their lines.

The whole affair disgusted Ky, his face not hiding it well as he looked on and grumbled to himself. This was a world he tried desperately to leave behind. Billy gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder as he said, "Hey, you alright in there?"

Ky gave no response, his eyes affixed on the same sergeant from before. A real piece of work, this guy was. He kept his rifle at the ready, training it on the growing crowd of people as he strafed back and forth. His voice boomed over everyone else's as he asserted himself as the top dog. He kept a tapered crew cut with cyberware cutting into the right side of his head. He sported a pair of wrap-around sunglasses, superfluous as the sun was already setting behind them, and his lower face was masked by a full beard hanging several inches below his chin. He was a beefy and vascular motherfucker, but there was no immediate tell of whether or not it was 'ganic or chrome. There were no visible seams on his arms, and the rest of him was covered in Militech tac-gear.

Ky already didn't like this guy, and Billy could almost feel his blood boiling as he tried again to calm his older choom, "Hey man, look, maybe we should double ba—"

"GET THE FUCK BACK!", barked the sergeant as he raised his rifle to a young woman who made the mistake of getting too close to the blockade. She panicked and lost her footing, falling as she tried to step back and get away. The sergeant kept pressing forward, yelling and training down the sights of his rifle, the woman bursting into tears. Ky's jaw was clenched as he stepped in between them, staring down the operator.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU LOOKIN' AT, PRETTY BOY?!", barked the sergeant as he locked eyes with Ky. Billy muttered to himself, "Oh shit..."

Ky's face was blank before a smirk crept in and he said calmly, "I know you're not talkin' to me, meat-head..."

Billy facepalmed before kneeling down and tending to the woman as the crowd around them backed away, leaving them standing by themselves as the sergeant pressed his barrel into Ky's chest and continued, "You better watch your fuckin' mouth!"

God damnit, Ky, Billy thought to himself as he scanned the sergeant. Nothing too worrisome; combat stim, fortified ankles, Kiroshi Mk.3 optics, smart-targeting module, and ballistic subdermal armor. Run of the mill for a career grunt, so they didn't have much to worry about, except for the other TWENTY of these fuckers lining the street and waiting for a reason to throw down. Billy tensed up as the sergeant pressed forward again, the barrel of his rifle mere inches from Ky's face, and he said, "Not so ballsy now, are you?"

"Too close, choom", Ky spat as he grabbed the sergeant's rifle and pulled him forward, elbow meeting the operator's ribcage with a crunch. In a single move, Ky had the sergeant flipped over on his back as he proceeded to strip the rifle down to its parts right there in the street. It took the other operators a few seconds to catch on to what had just happened before they charged forward. Billy stepped up, countering the first operator and putting him flat on his ass with little effort. Ky recovered, handling another operator trying to attack Billy. Within seconds, they were swarmed and overwhelmed, over a dozen barrels pointed at their heads as they begrudgingly raised their hands. Ky already had a look of regret on his faced as his eyes cut to Billy and he shrugged. This was not how things were supposed to go. The last thing either of them felt was a burning shock from tasers followed by the impact of rifle stocks against their skulls. Then nothing at all; empty black and silence.

--

[Back to the present]

Ky swore at himself as he banged the chains against his chair, his entire body protesting their current predicament. He turned as far as his head would allow and said, "I-I'm sorry, brother."

Billy scoffed as he reassured his choom, "Man, you didn't start this shit... the fuck are you apologizin' for?"

Ky shrugged his eyebrows with a chuckle. The pup had a point. Nobody else would have stepped up for the young woman's sake, and she would likely have been shot, or worse, had they not intervened. Still, it spoke to the sad state of affairs in their beloved City of Dreams that doing the right thing often landed you deeper in the shit than just minding your own damn business and looking the other way.

There was a burning question on both of their minds, one they never did get an answer for earlier, and Billy was the first to ask, "Just what the fuck is going on at the Afterlife?!"

"Wish I knew, brother", Ky answered, wracking his own brain to figure that one out. He knew V had made no shortage of enemies on her meteoric rise to the top, particularly with her dealings in Dogtown, but he never had any idea just how high up in the chain those enemies were. For the NUSA to have a presence in Night City, supposedly a "free and autonomous entity", that had to come from the top. It was no mystery that without Arasaka to balance the scales, Militech had become the de facto corpo power-broker in the city, but they still had Night Corp to answer to for any dealings within city limits; meaning Mr. Blue Eyes had a stake, and not likely he'd let a foreign influence step out of line like this. Something wasn't adding up, but neither of them could sort out exactly what that was. The dull throbbing in their skulls didn't help matters either.

All of this was the least of Ky's worries at the moment. If the operators they encountered were really active-duty NUSA, he was in a bad way finding himself in one of their interrogation rooms. It was no secret to the crew that he had left his flying days behind him under less-than-ideal circumstances, and he still had his original NUSA-issue reflex booster implants. Try as he might to keep his old adage of, "Just fly the damn plane", in the front of his mind, he was beginning to panic ever so slightly.

With their backs to each other, Billy could feel him trembling as he said, "Hey, we'll get out of this, man. One way or another, even if I have to carry you out myself. We'll get out of here."

"One way or another...", Ky parroted Billy, his mind skirting the edge of a dark place he had tried so hard to forget. He felt ashamed, hoping... praying that nobody he loved would see him like this.

Their attention was drawn to the sound of multiple pairs of heavy boots falling from somewhere outside the room, growing louder with each step. The sounds ceased in front of the heavy metal door as the muffled sounds of two gruff voices conversing took over. Ky picked up the sergeant's voice from earlier, and he couldn't quite place the second voice, but he knew it from somewhere.

After several seconds, the metal door opened with an echoing clang, and in walked the absolute last person either Ky or Billy ever wanted to see again as they both turned with wide eyes to the distantly familiar voice, "Well, well, well. Christmas came early, eh fellas?"

SHIT!

--

[Loft Apartment, The Glen, Heywood]

Just because the boys were out having fun didn't mean the girls had to sit home alone and wait for them. Miz and Max took the opportunity for a girls' night in, not having a chance to catch up, just the two of them, since they'd moved out of H10 well over a year ago. It was a welcome change of pace, save for the fact that Max had to actually put on clothes to host someone in their relatively swanky apartment. Not that Miz would have minded in the least, but Max knew well enough to keep up appearances.

Beers and sake were the order of the night, laughs shared among both of the young mercs for the last hour already. Max had even broken out of her shell enough to share a smoke with Miz as they discussed anything and everything under the sun, including their respective inputs' sexual appetites.

Max shook her head with a giggle, "So 'im de dominant type, eh?"

Miz exhaled smoke through her nostrils as she answered with a blushing smirk, "Depends on the mood, really. Sometimes I jump him, sometimes he jumps me... but he's not afraid to take control, to take what he wants."

"Is a good balance, fo' sure", Max said before taking a swig of her beer as she continued, "An' to t'ink, at one point 'im was just a nervous li'l pup wit' shakin' hands..."

Miz covered her face as she laughed. Everyone liked to remind her what a nervous wreck Billy was the first time they met him, juxtaposed against the stone-cold bad-ass he'd grown into since then. It was a wild ride, for sure, but one she was happy to have taken the chance on. Max could see the twinkle in her eyes as she said confidently, "Ti chen been good fo' you, and you fo'im."

Miz smiled as she repaid the kindness, "Same with you and Ky. You're a good fit for each other."

Max nodded her head as she took a light drag, "I's a balance. 'Im remind me no' to be so rigid all de time, and I give 'im reason to no' go off de deep end."

Miz grabbed Max's hand gently as she said, "He's come a long way since you... from how he used to be, that's for damn sure."

There was a warm smile on Max's face before Miz broke into another laughing fit, the sake hitting full force as she continued, "A-a-ah, man... should've seen the look on his face when I pieced it together that you two were an item..."

Max was curiously amused, Miz filling in the details despite nobody asking, "He just would not stop ribbin' me about Billy, and finally...", she made a wave with both hands like a bomb going off, causing Max to flash her teeth as she started laughing herself. Miz kept going, "He was actually nervous how Pops would respond to it all, y'know? But right then, I could tell, he was over the moon for ya."

They both sipped their beers again, sharing the warmth of the moment before something on the TV caught Max's attention. Her eyes flashed blue to turn up the volume as she nodded to Miz, "Oye."

Miz spun around on the stool, nearly losing her balance before she just barely caught herself against the counter and focused her eyes on the large panel screen.

"...and in a new development, trouble along Palm View Street in South Watson today... a surprise roadblock has traffic backed up all the way to the Ring Road interchanges... a heavy Militech presence standing guard... while no one has confirmed the details as of yet, it appears the focus of their efforts are blocking off traffic to and from the Afterlife... the iconic and exclusive club for the elite of Night City's underworld enterprises..."

Their eyes both widened as an overhead drone cam zoomed in on two familiar faces near and dear to their hearts as Gillean Jordan's voice continued:

"...a brief skirmish broke out between Militech operatives and two bystanders in the crowd... a young woman crawling to get away... the bystanders appeared to face off with the Militech force, dispatching several of them before they themselves were surrounded and subdued in an impressive show of force... no one yet has surmised what has become of the two males taken into custody..."

Miz's jaw clenched as she watched the drone footage of Billy tazed and struck from behind before the Militech operators dragged his limp body out of the frame. Max's eyes were flashing orange, a look of worry on her face before she said, "I can'na raise Ky on holo..."

You could almost see the steam fuming from Miz's ears as she stepped off the stool and marched toward one of the full length windows and said confidently, "Ky wouldn't let Billy out of his sight. If they took one of them, they took both of them..."

She tried to confirm this as she pinged a holocall to V, surprised that it dropped as soon as the request was sent... what the FUCK is going on?!

Max tried a call herself, finding the same results as she said, "No' even a ring. Dey is jammed."

Miz sighed with relief as a call pinged directly to her from Pops, and she answered, "Guess you saw it too?"

Pops wasn't in a laughing mood as he fired back, "I'm ten minutes from the lockup, haul ass and meet over there. Can't raise V or Rogue on holo."

"Yeah, Max says they're being jammed", Miz assured him, "We're on the way."

The call dropped, and she turned to Max as she press-checked her Unity and said, "Pops is already on his way to the lockup. Let's go."

The netrunner nodded with a dry and steely resolve as she said familiar words usually intended for Pops, "Wi, bosmang."

--

[Location still unknown]

It wasn't long before their mystery host was revealed, joined by two operatives in the dingy interrogation room. Ky's and Billy's eyes were wide open as they stared at Lieutenant Colonel Michael Farris standing before them, a devilish smile on his face. The last they had seen of him, he was face down on the carpet of a seedy Badlands motel with his pants around his ankles, left to answer for a dozen corpses in the parking lot. They never expected to see him back on this side of the border.

Ky was the first to regain his composure as he nodded and said, "I guess you've graduated from rapin' kids? I hate to tell ya, but you're not my ty—"

CRACK!

A solid cross landed against his jaw, sending him reeling against the chains with a pained grunt. He recovered, looking up to see the same meat-head he'd dispatched earlier. He smiled wide, blood filling his mouth as he said, "So nice of you to come visit. I'd offer you some tea, but..."

He rattled the chains with his hands, the operative releasing a low chuckle as he readied himself to strike again. Farris waved him off, switching places as he stood squarely in front of Ky and looked down. They locked eyes as several seconds of silence passed before Farris spoke again, "First Lieutenant Kyle Lavey."

FUCK, Ky thought as his eyes widened and Farris continued, "Your file says you were killed in action. Shot down over Ridgecrest in late 2069... and after you disobeyed a direct order to open fire... first I've ever heard of someone rising from the dead."

Ky stretched his jaw, trying to wear off the sting of Meat-Head's punch before he spat blood onto the soiled floor. He cut back to Farris, "Yeah... well, there was this guy... once... long time ago..."

Farris laughed to himself, admiring Ky's brass before he signaled to Meat-Head to resume. The operative happily obliged, swapping places again before planting another fist against Ky's jaw. He tried to internalize a pained yell as his breathing became ragged. The wind was knocked out of him altogether as his new best friend followed up with a punch to his gut.

Ky protested and strained, the chains rattling against the chairs. Billy thought they might actually end up sideways, were the chairs not bolted into the concrete floor. There were a series of strained grunts and labored breathing as Ky tried to collect himself. Meat-Head and Farris both stepped back, making room for the third man to step in as Ky said weakly, "What?! You hit like a girl, too?"

The third man scoffed as he leaned down to Ky's eye level, his own eyes flashing blue as he scanned up and down. It wasn't difficult for Ky to make out a tattoo of Cyrillic characters rising above the collar of his jacket. Fuckin' scavs...

The scav stopped scanning as he said in a thick Eastern European accent, "He's had some work done, but still got his reflex boosters, Militech-made with a NUSAF stamp."

"Hmm, insubordination, desertion and possession of stolen military property...", Farris mused, "That's quite the jacket, wouldn't you say?"

Ky winced as he felt the internal bruises forming, "Ah fuck, man. I'm dead. You said it yourself."

Farris leaned down by Ky's side, staring a hole through him as he fired back, "And yet, here you sit, having once again interfered in my business."

Ky felt a large hand grab his face, Farris tightening his grip as a fire burned in his eyes and he growled, "It WILL be the last time."

--

[Thirty minutes later - Ellison and Duzois, South Watson]

The remaining three edgerunners all elected to forgo the usual pleasantries at the lockup, deciding instead to find some way to get into the Afterlife. It was likely V was cut off from the outside world at the moment, but if anyone knew what was going on, she was as good a starting point as any.

Max had managed to get an overhead look with a drone, mapping out the entire area for a few square blocks. There were 3 separate choke points barring access from both ground level entrances to the Afterlife's parking lot, and security had only worsened on account of the boys' earlier run-in with the Militech forces.

Thankfully, nobody was smart enough, or cared enough, to check alleyways and the various construction sites dotting the area, and Miz was just sober enough to be confident in her ability to navigate overhead. She had already cleared a fire escape up the side of a decrepit tenement building, and was leaning over a concrete ledge to survey the area and plan her route, forcing her eyes to focus as they tried to lazily drift off in every direction. She wasn't fully sober yet. The only screw in the tire of her plan was that she had no visibility of the rooftop entrance to the Afterlife hotel. There was an AV landing pad with an exterior-facing elevator that led all the way down into the underground bar, but as far as she knew, there could also be ten jarheads guarding it.

Cross that bridge when we come to, Pops would say, or as Ky would say, Figure that out later, just fly the damn plane.

Miz chuckled to herself, a nostalgic concern sweeping her thoughts. She was genuinely worried for both of them. Not that Ky and Billy couldn't handle their own, but she just... no time for that. Focus!

Miz shook her head and made her call as she stepped onto the ledge. Adjacent to her position was a brand new erected steel frame, likely for another highrise tower being built. The area had exploded since the crew had left H10, with most of the old buildings either retrofitted or outright demolished in favor of new construction. Bully for Miz, as it was a veritable jungle gym for her to play around in. Even only six stories up, there was a light breeze catching her hair, blowing open the folds of her jacket as she took a few deep breaths to try and sober herself further before her kamikaze stunt; nothing could kill a buzz quite like staring down a fifty-foot dead drop into a shit-filled dumpster between buildings. Or Pops in her head, "Ya sure you're up for this, Em?"

She scoffed as she answered, "You have another option, you let me know..."

There was a gruff chuckle from the other end of the call followed by silent affirmation. Enough time had passed, it was now or never. Miz walked carefully along the ledge, approaching a nearby crossbeam as she readied herself with a count. One, two, three!

She jumped up, grabbing hold of the beam with both arms before pulling herself up. She straddled the crossbeam as she debated where to go next. There were no floors in the frame of the structure, only beams and crossbeams as far as the eye could see. Her eyes flashed red as she scanned around, considering her options and checking for bad guys, before she carefully pushed up to her feet. She planted each foot carefully, bit by bit, as she traversed further into the building's frame. The wind was whistling, the frame howling, creaking, and echoing. As she held onto the diagonal support beams x-marking each section, she could almost feel the frame swaying back and forth with the crosswinds. In this moment, she realized she would need to get several floors higher. She could make out the hotel's landing pad across the way, but she needed to get to at least that height or above in order to make the trip.

It was a small miracle that she wasn't wearing her tac-gear for this stunt. The boots would never give her the grip or the feel she could get with her sneakers, and she wasn't going to take it for granted. She'd be perfectly content if she never had to wear those boots ever again, but she knew with the jobs they were getting, that wasn't likely.

She brought herself back on task as she reached for the upper arms of the crossed diagonal beams, pulling herself up and planting a foot in the corner. No sense in risking the jump if she could just monkey-climb her way up. Grip, pull, plant; rinse and repeat. She took no chances, counting off six times of performing the same stunt before she looked across the chasm again and smiled. She was above the landing pad, and she had a clear vantage point of the entry. There was nobody there, not a soul in sight. She decided now was as good a time as any to check in, "I've got eyes on the landing pad. Looks to be clear. I'm crossing over."

She could hear the relief in Pops' voice as he answered, "Copy, stay sharp and step carefully."

She rolled her eyes but said anyway, "Thanks, Pops. If their jamming is worth anything, I'll lose you and Max pretty soon here."

Max broke her silence, "We be waitin'... na gon'ya anywha' til we hear back."

"Right, see you someplace else", Miz said as she stepped over to another crossbeam and started her trek in the direction of the hotel. There's no way it was this easy, but Miz wasn't going to turn her nose up at anything at this point. Famous last words, as Miz's next step very nearly became her last. Her foot slipped as she changed directions, stepping to a perpendicular crossbeam, and she lost her balance as she fell forward. She reached out as far as her arms could go, barely grabbing the beam before her body flew forward. She banked on the momentum, allowing her free arm to swing around and up to grab the overhead beam from the other side. Her arms burned in this position, and she could feel her grip slipping. She gave one last push as she flexed her core and swing her legs forward and up, managing to wrap them around the beam and lock in place. She carefully let her hands fall free as she hung upside down for a few seconds and collected herself. The wind was still blowing through the frame, her body swaying with it as her legs flexed to keep her stable.

As the burn in her arms and shoulders subsided, she flexed her core again as she swung her torso up and wrapped around the beam. Delicately and deliberately, she inched herself over to one side as she pulled herself up and over to straddle the beam. She was starting to perspire as she gave a deep sigh of relief. She planted her hands against the beam and leaned forward, stretching her back and shoulders with several loud pops as she craned her neck side to side, producing more pops and cracks.

Finally, she pushed herself back to her feet as she stepped, carefully, and continued her trek. She only had two more rows to cross before meeting the solid concrete roof of an adjacent building. She couldn't fuck it up now. She wouldn't fuck it up now. She took each step with conviction, planting her feet and making sure she was stable before taking the next step. It was slow and painful, but she wasn't about to make the same mistake again.

Finally!, Miz thought as she pushed off the last beam, landing and rolling forward onto the stable roof. As she stood up, she turned to the empty steel frame and spat at it. Bad idea, maybe, as she'd likely have to traverse it again on the way back. Karma and bad vibes and all that bullshit, she couldn't be bothered right now; her mind was elsewhere. She did know she'd likely never take a solid floor for granted ever again as she casually walked the length of the roof over to the next building. She giggled to herself as it was literally a single pace from ledge to ledge between buildings. Her next obstacle was clearing a ten-foot chain-link fence adorning the landing pad on either side. Charge jump can make short work of tha— OH SHIT!

Miz dove behind a loosely stacked pile of crates and pallets as the jetwash from aerodyne thrusters zoomed overhead, landing lights affixed to the undercarriage of the fuselage splashing the entire area in a blinding off-white. The descent warnings rang out, the sheer decibels shaking everything not tied down. Miz did her best to stay as flat and as small as possible as she peeked around the corner. It wasn't a Militech AV; color her surprised, it was actually Delamain.

As loud as the descent warnings were, they were dwarfed by a loud speaker and a homing alert from the ground, a gruff voice yelling for the AV to vacate the airspace immediately. Someone was painting the AV with a LIDAR missile-lock, ready to blow it out of the sky. As quickly as the AV had appeared overhead, it lurched upward and disappeared into the night, the sounds of its thrusters trailing off as the roof was blanketed once again in darkness.

Miz almost had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing at the notion that someone who could afford the city's premier concierge transportation service didn't have the wherewithal to watch N54 News and figure out the Afterlife was under siege. Sometimes she had to wonder if the city's rich and famous were actually just that stupid, or completely oblivious to the goings-on of everything else below fifty floors above ground level... it was neither here nor there, as she'd likely never have the chance to find out.

Miz shook her head and ruffled her hair, trying to rid herself of any dust or debris before she stood up again, carefully brushing her shoulders and the folds of her jacket. Given this most recent outburst, she had to believe the occupation forces would get boots and bullets up here as soon as possible, so she wasted no time in scaling the fence with a single jump. She perched herself on top of the fence for several seconds, maintaining her balance as the fragile metals creeked and swayed under her. She made one last scan of the area, ensuring there were no unpleasant surprises before she dropped down. She landed light as a cat before peaking over the edge of the pad out of curiosity. The parking lot was full of beefed up wannabe action heroes, still on edge from the AV flyover. She had to wonder if they couldn't spot her glowing red irises from the ground as she scanned and tagged each one of them. Though she already knew the answer, she checked her HUD anyway, confirming that she'd dropped from the holocall with Pops and Max. The jamming net had full coverage, but she was only on her own for a little while longer.

Her curiosity sated, she leaned back from the edge as she stood up and walked toward the elevator doors, praying her biometric access token was still good. She held her hand out cautiously over the access pad, counting each split-second that the terminal whirred and processed with a spinning circle of doom... ding ding.

Bingo. The pad lit up green, and the elevator doors open, revealing a familiar worn interior. Miz took a deep breath and stepped in, hitting the button for the sub-level as the doors closed behind her. She stood squarely in the middle and faced the doors as the carriage descended. The faint smell of the inside brought back a fond memory, and Miz smiled, flashing back to Billy cupping her cheek with his new arm, nearly begging her to still love him now that he was the Bionic Man. She bit her bottom lip as a blush set in, but not before her mind flashed again with worry. No, stop that!

She shook loose anything rattling around in her skull that wasn't a solid affirmation that she was doing the right thing. She'd be among friends again soon enough as the elevator slowed its descent before lurching to a stop as the doors dinged and slid open. She could hear a racking slide from around the corner as she called out, "Put it away Emmerick, or I'll make you eat it..."

She took a chance, reaching her right arm out of the elevator to show her dermal imprint, eliciting a sigh of relief as the former Animal called out to her, "Nearly gave me a fuckin' heart attack, kid. How'd you get in here?"

Miz sauntered out as she looked cool, calm, and collected, "Wouldn't believe me if I told you..."

"Yeah-yeah-yeah, whatever", Emmerick dismissed her as he waved open the door and cleared a path, "Boss'll be happy to see ya, that's for damn sure."

She passed by, reaching up for a heavy pat to his shoulder as she said, "Thanks, hoss."

As she entered, the doors closing behind, everyone was on edge to see someone walking in through the front door. She couldn't reason why, Militech would've just blasted their way through Emmerick and breached the doors without a second thought, but she wasn't going to fault anyone. Tensions were high enough already. Claire's eyes lit up as she called out, "How in the fu— ...heya Miz!"

Rogue turned to look from her corner stool, eyebrows raised. V's head shot around from her booth, her eyes wide as she nearly jumped up. She cleared the distance in no time at all as she barreled into Miz, wrapping her up in a hug as she said, "How the hell did you get in here?!"

Miz reciprocated the hug with a smile and a hint of a blush, Claire staring holes through them both, as she said, "I uh... long story. Turns out your new best friends aren't interested in looking up."

They pulled apart, both hesitant at first to let go, but both also trying not to give anyone anything to talk about. So far, Claire was the only one who knew, and they wanted to keep it that way. V put on her best business face as she said casually, "It's good to see you, what's up?"

Miz nodded back in the direction of the doors, "Uh... you tell me, boss."

V scoffed as she turned toward her booth, Mr. Blue Eyes sitting casually in view of the rest of the bar, "It's a long story..."

As Miz caught sight of their benefactor, her eyes narrowed and her jaw clenched before she turned back to V, "You've seen the news?"

V nodded, a look of guilt on her face as Miz continued, "Let's start there."

"We're already working on a plan for that", V assured her favorite shinobi, motioning her to follow as they walked towards the booth, "I would have called, but—"

Miz cut her off, "But anything not on a hard line is jammed. Yeah... we're in the dark here. I get it."

Mr. Blue Eyes took his chance to scoot over on the couch, making room for Miz. She stayed on the outskirts for a moment, hesitant. V reassured her, "He's on our side... even if it doesn't always feel like it."

"Whose side is that?", Miz fired back with crossed arms.

Blue broke his silence for the first time in front of Miz, "Night City's side, of course."

His voice was calm, albeit condescending. Miz wasn't a child in need of chiding, and she resented the notion. V could read the room like an open book as she placed a gentle hand on the younger merc's shoulder, "Miz... please. He's our best shot at getting Ky and Billy out of this."

Miz didn't like it, but she took her seat on the couch anyway, careful to keep her distance as Blue spoke again, "I understand my methods may put us at odds from an ethical perspective, but I assure you that I only have the City's best interests at heart. The Afterlife is a crucial part of protecting those interests."

"That include takin' out your trash?", Miz took her last shot before V nearly snapped. Blue raised a dismissive hand towards V, indicating he'd handle it as he said, "I apologize for the duress with which Kazuo Shimada's execution burdened you and your crew. Sincerely."

Miz could almost see a bit of humanity and regret in Blue's face, and she loosened up a bit as she shook her head, "I-I'm sorry for all of this. I'm glad he's at peace, but it's a lot to process that it was by my hands..."

"I understand completely", Blue assured her, "I find no pleasure in asking these things of you, and of our gracious host... but there is a delicate balance that must be maintained."

Her eyes clouded over, and she closed them for a second before she shook her head with raised eyebrows and asked, "Can we get back to what the fuck is going on outside?"

V chuckled to herself before she leaned forward, "Turns out our little romp in the Badlands may have ruffled some feathers way above any of our pay grades..."

There was a hint of a smirk on Blue's face and Miz narrowed her eyes as she leaned in for more as he took over, "It appears that Lieutenant Colonel Michael Farris, for all of his faults, has the ear of his former CEO, who now commands a much more prestigious position within the NUSA..."

Miz's eyes widened as she looked to V, then back to Blue, and said, "You're talking about Rosalind Myers..."

Blue continued with a subtle nod, "How much do you know about our host's endeavors in Dogtown?"

Miz shook her head. V lit a cigarette and leaned back, taking a drag as she relayed the story of an NUSA netrunner known as Songbird contacting her out of the blue, offering a cure for the relic in exchange for rescuing President Myers from the Space Force One crash site within Dogtown's borders.

During the rescue, V lost communication with Songbird. Myers recommended reaching out to the netrunner's mentor, a presumed-dead FIA agent named Solomon Reed who had been living undercover in Night City for the last seven years. With Reed's help, they were able to determine that Songbird had been captured by Kurt Hansen, a former NUSA Colonel and current leader of the BARGHEST faction ruling over "Dogtown".

Through their combined efforts, Reed and V tracked down Songbird to the Black Sapphire during a party hosted by Hansen to entertain Night City's elite. In their brief rendezvous, it was revealed to V that Songbird was planning to betray the NUSA as Myers had forced her to illegally breach the Blackwall multiple times for personal gain, taking a tremendous toll on the netrunner's health and wellbeing.

Songbird also informed V of the "neural matrix", an AI-powered technology that could undo the damage caused by the Relic. Hansen had found the neural matrix in the underground Cynosure facility below Night City, enlisting the elite netrunner's help to activate it. Reed found her out, hatching a scheme to infiltrate BARGHEST under the guise of twin netrunners from Europe looking to purchase the neural matrix, and recapture Songbird with V's help.

They were successful in their endeavor, and in eliminating Kurt Hansen at the same time, but V made a judgment call at the last minute, betraying Reed to help Songbird escape from Dogtown with the neural matrix. This naturally earned her the ire of both Reed and Myers, leading to a manhunt for both of them across Night City.

V was able to meet up with Songbird later, finding her near death and on the verge of total shutdown from the damage caused by the Blackwall. The netrunner had a plan to get to Morro Rock, where she had secured passage to the moon with a contact who could save them both using the neural matrix. They managed to reach the NCX Spaceport, but were ambushed by an NUSA assault team, causing an all-out firefight in which civilians were caught in the middle. Of course, it was later billed as a terrorist attack.

Against all odds, V and Songbird were able to break through the assault and reach the launch pad, but not before Songbird confessed that the neural matrix could only be used once. She had used V to get this far, and because of the havoc wreaked in their wake, she put her life in the merc's hands. V recognized her sacrifices, having been used as a tool by Myers for so long, and forgave her, committing to see it through to end.

As they approached the rocket, Reed confronted both of them, demanding justice and that Songbird be returned. V made her choice then and there, killing Reed and fulfilling her promise to save Songbird's life.

As before when V had told the story of how she managed to survive the damage from the Relic, this latest story left Miz completely floored and with wide eyes. Blue leaned in to fill in the blanks between then and now, "As you can imagine, these actions earned V a top spot on Myers' expansive list of enemies..."

"Yeah, no shit!", Miz spat, still staring with wonder at the Living Legend. After another drag, she flashed her teeth and said, "We left Farris in a pretty pickle, handcuffed and half naked in a motel room with a parking lot full of Feral corpses. That's the kind of thing that generates some bad publicity."

Miz laughed, remembering she was unconscious for that part of it, as V continued, "The fact that he was taken into custody in NUSA territory may just have been his saving grace, but that still didn't stop him from getting a slap on the wrist when he got back. Blue's had his people digging through the data you all recovered for the last couple of months. My understanding is there was a lot to unpack."

Blue took over again without missing a beat, almost as if they'd rehearsed this exact conversation, "What we have discovered is that, alongside Farris'... extracurricular activities... the purpose of his frequent visits to Los Angeles were to oversee a top secret project for which he reported directly to President Myers. The sensitivity of this assignment of course afforded him the liberties of doing as he pleased with no supervision."

"Like a kid in a candy shop", V picked up with a chuckle, "Unfortunately, he's been in a bit of hot water since then, as his corpo masters are still demanding answers. So he cries home to Mommy, which leads us to our current predicament..."

Miz had a perturbed look on her face, "So... all of this...?"

V nodded, "Just a little love tap from Myers to let me know she hasn't forgotten about me. Unfortunately, it's likely that Ky's big mouth and Boy Scout mentality got him and your input right in the middle of it."

Miz smirked as she leaned back and lit her own smoke, "I'll kill 'im when I see 'im."

They were all slightly amused for a brief moment before Blue took the reigns once again, "We have also uncovered some interesting information regarding the rogue faction currently waging war on BARGHEST."

V could see Miz's patience wearing thin as she signaled to Blue and took over, "The quick version is scavs. No surprise there... but scavs backed by Militech? That's a recipe for unpleasantness."

Miz scoffed as she rolled her eyes, "And let me guess, that's on the NUSA's list of dirty little secrets too?"

She was starting to feel like she was getting tag-teamed, the whiplash setting in as Blue answered, "All of BARGHEST's leadership is former Militech from the Unification War, so them biting the hand that feeds is likely a thorn in the NUSA's paws."

V's eyes flashed blue, bringing up a large overhead map of Pacifica, including Dogtown, with a highlighted path in red as she said, "This is an old underground tunnel that runs from the Longshore Stacks in Dogtown to an abandoned Boatwerks on the beach in West Wind Estate. BARGHEST used it in 2077 to smuggle weapons, supplies, people, anything really, in and out of the Combat Zone. It's since been taken over, serving the same purpose for Militech to supply the rogue elements."

"Waging war in their own backyard?", Miz interjected, "Tha-a-at sounds like Militech."

"Throw the baby out with the bathwater, right?", V fired back with a smirk, "The tunnel is expansive. Perfect place to set up and dig your heels in for a guerilla war..."

Miz could see where V was going, a spark of fire in her eyes as she said, "...y-you think that's where they took Billy and Ky...?"

V shrugged, "It's as likely an option as any. Dragging a couple of headbags through City Center would be too high profile. Best to stash them somewhere nobody knows about."

They shared a smile between them as Miz asked, "So what's our play?"

"Probably best to lay it all out with the crew, don't ya think?", V chided with a wink, "We can't have all the fun to ourselves."

Miz blushed... hard... as she took another long drag to try and cool herself off before she conceded, "Probably not a bad idea. Be good to have you along..."

Blue could sense the air between them, and gave a subtly raised eyebrow as Miz continued, "But uh, how do you plan on getting out of here? Streets are locked down, and pretty sure they've got eyes on the roof by now."

A devious smile broke on V's face, "Well, it's a good thing you're so adept at navigating the bowels of the city, right?"

Miz nearly dry-heaved at the notion. Oh no... not again.

V caught the look and tried to reassure her with a chuckle, "No sewers this time, I promise. Just some old utility tunnels that run from here over to the underpass by H10."

A sigh of relief, and Miz stood as she said, "Then let's delta."

As they both turned to leave, Blue took an opportunity and stretched his hand out, "It's a pleasure to finally meet you. Rocky beginnings, perhaps, but I'm sure we can find a way past that?"

Miz narrowed her eyes as she considered her options. She knew it was likely Blue's intel giving them the chance to save Billy and Ky, but she was still hesitant. After several seconds, she threw caution to the wind as she took his hand firmly in her own.

--

[Thirty minutes later - H10 Underpass]

A locked utility door flew outward and open with a heavy crash, the imprint of a shoe denting the hollow metal as it reverberated through the enclosed space. V quickly cleared both sides with her Malorian at the ready before motioning Miz forward. They both stepped out to the recessed platform, careful to close the door behind them. These platforms were dime-a-dozen across Night City's numerous underpasses, offering access to the utility tunnels running beneath the city. They were invaluable to edgerunners for providing a fast way to traverse the city unseen, provided one didn't get lost in the sprawling passages.

There was the usual amount of traffic passing each way on the road and sidewalks, nobody paying attention per usual. The sounds of people coming and going, either by foot or by vehicle, echoed through the space. The remaining twilight had subsided, only overhead lights bending and piercing the fog of pollution and steam. Miz holstered her Unity after one last check. She started to step off the platform before V called to her. As she turned, the older merc had a sincere smile and said, "I sure as hell wasn't going to have this conversation in front of Blue or anyone else..."

Miz had a confused look on her face as V continued, "...thanks for the other night. It was... exactly what I needed..."

"...bu-u-ut?", Miz asked, knowing there was a follow up. Sure enough, V wrinkled her nose with a look of regret, "It probably shouldn't happen again..."

She hated actually saying the words, but her position as one of the top fixers in Night City more or less mandated it. Miz knew the topic would come up sooner or later, and she smiled and said, "I get it, boss. For what it's worth, it was only ever going to be a one-time thing. Just us doing you a solid so you could get your head back in the game."

V spat her tongue out and said, "Oh yeah, jus' cold hard logic, huh?"

Miz caught her off guard with a hug, "Doesn't mean we didn't enjoy it, babe."

They could both feel the heat radiating off each other, and they pulled apart before giggling awkwardly, neither able to look the other in the eye. Thankfully, nothing more needed to be said, as Pops arrived seconds later in their truck, Max in the passenger seat. They both gave heavy sighs of relief for the same reason as they climbed into the back of the truck and sat opposite each other on the benches.

Pops broke the silence first as he turned his head, not taking his eyes off the road, "So where to?"

Miz deferred to V, who answered with her usual cool and calm demeanor, "West Wind Estate, Pacifica. We're looking for two stilted bungalows on the beach next to the old mall."

"Can do...", replied Pops as he made the necessary turns, one-handing the wheel for a moment to bring his lit cigarette back to his mouth. Miz and Max locked eyes for a moment before the former said, "You sober yet, babe?"

Max laughed with a hint of blush, eliciting a confused look from V as Miz filled her in, "Girls' night in. Ky was bringing Billy to the Afterlife to celebrate his 21st birthday, so we stayed in and had our own fun."

V's head dropped with a low groan. She had no reason to, and yet some part of her felt responsible for all of it. She wouldn't feel right looking them in the eyes until Ky and Billy were both back safe and sound.

The brief silence was untenable, at least until Pops spoke again, "So what are we lookin' for when we get there?"

V leaned forward, "There's an abandoned Boatwerks that was converted to an underground tunnel. It leads straight to Dogtown."

Pops interjected, "Smells like a smugglin' route..."

"It was. BARGHEST used it to smuggle in and out of the combat zone", V continued, "Now it's used by Militech to supply the scavs fighting against BARGHEST."

"So that's what all the hubbub's about...", Pops mused, a look of amusement on everyone's faces as he followed up, "Likely as ever that's where they'd be holdin' our boys. 'S off the radar, hidden, and likely guarded all to hell."

V flashed a smile, looking at two duffle bags packed full of iron and ammo, "This is what we do best, isn't it?"

Miz smiled as their eyes met for a brief moment, and she couldn't help but think, Glad she's on our side...

--

[Dogtown Tunnels(?)]

One could argue the fun was just beginning. Billy had been moved to another room, and Ky was now hanging, hands bound above his head, nearly a foot off the foor. Running down one of his arms was an IV, a vein expertly tapped, feeding him full of something. He couldn't yet figure out what it was, but he already didn't like it, a nauseous pit forming in his gut as he stared down Farris and the scav. Running down his other arm was a cable plugged directly into his neural interface port. He didn't need to guess, he already knew, and he dared not test any of his cyberware.

He could hear faint blows landing from the other room, followed by pained grunts and swearing from Billy, followed by yet more blows. His heart sank for the kid; he didn't deserve any of this. The guilt was written all over Ky's face, eliciting amused looks from his two hosts.

Finally, they turned their full attention to him and approached as his entire body tensed up. The bruises from the first round of pleasantries were already formed and set, a light trickle of blood running from his nose and the corners of his mouth. Farris reached out, his fingers rubbing against the side of Ky's face. His entire body recoiled away, but there was nowhere to go. Farris chuckled to himself as he pulled his fingers away, the tips painted over in fresh blood as he brought it to his mouth and tasted it. He turned his head and spat before his hand curled into a fist.

CRUNCH

A well-placed strike to Ky's ribs sent him doubling over and coughing as he fought with his entire body to catch his breath. He heaved and choked on a fresh pool of blood forming in his mouth before he spat a wad of it onto the ground. Farris' booming voice called out, "I'll tell you what I told your little twink back in the desert... I'm going to get mine. You've interfered in our affairs for the last time."

Ky raised his head just far enough to meet Farris' eyes as he smiled through the pain, "Just... doin' what I do best, choom."

CRACK

Another strike to his other side; he could feel his chest almost caving in, the burn surging throughout his body. Whatever they had running through his veins was starting to take effect as Farris' face contorted before his very eyes. The voice took on a truly diabolical timbre, "You should have stayed dead, boy. Instead you had to come to Night City and make a name for yourself..."

Farris followed with a combo of strikes against Ky's body, the last strike cutting across his jaw as he cried out in pain causing his captor to laugh out loud as he said, "That's it, boy! Scream for me! Scream for all the women and children that died by your hands! Scream for all of your brothers that you left for dead when you lost your backbone!"

As the barrage continued, Ky's eyes clouded over with visions of blazing fires and his ears rang with gunshots, explosions, and screams and cries for help. It was too much to bear, and he just wanted it all to end as tears rolled down his cheeks. He gritted his teeth and tried to resist each hit as his mind sank deeper into that dark pit. Through the empty black and the carnage assaulting his senses, he could still hear the booming laughter piercing him, until at last he looked up, seeing Farris' head entirely replaced by some nightmarish horned demon. It had snakes for hair, smoke rising from its flared nostrils, fire in its eyes, and a putrid bile running down its tusks. Ky tried his best to look away, but his face was pulled back by a grotesque hand gripping his jaw to the point he could feel the bones cracking. Finally, the hand gripped him around the throat, slowly crushing his windpipe as he fought to breathe. Everything became a blur, and before he succumbed entirely, he looked above the beast to see the tattered flag engulfed in flames. Then nothing at all; a haunting silence.

--

[Thirty minutes later, Beachfront, Pacifica]

As it turns out, there's a lot of stilted bungalows dotting the trash-filled shores of Pacifica's West Wind Estate, but it didn't take long once they pulled off the main roads to find what they were looking for. Carefully nestled in between the Grand Imperial Mall and the West Wind apartment complex were two small bungalows, one with a junked RV sitting outside. And sure enough, built into the concrete barricades, was their abandoned Boatwerks. The hanging neon signs were clinging to life, but barely; and yet, in the dark of night, it shone brilliantly like a beacon of light at the end of a dark tunnel. Nobody was coming to this shop for boat repairs, despite what the glowing "OPEN" sign might indicate otherwise. They all had to laugh amongst themselves, while trying at the same time not to retch on account of the smells rising from the polluted waters crashing against the shore. It was almost too quiet, the calm only disturbed by the waves and the wind whistling and creaking through the rusted tracks of the abandoned roller coaster next door.

Miz couldn't help but be skeptical as she asked, "You're sure this is the place?"

"Blue has aerial drone footage of Militech and scavs coming and going from here as recently as two days ago", V answered with a smirk.

Miz's eyes flashed red as she scanned, finding a hole through which she could just barely fit as she adjusted her wardrobe to make sure everything was tight and secure, "Looks like the roof is caved in. Can probably slip in that way, clear a path and get the doors open?"

Pops lit a cigarette, followed by a few words that surprised even V, "Your show, boss."

Since when is THAT a thing?!, V thought to herself as she cut back to Miz, admiring how cool and calmly the younger merc handled it. Max noted the look of surprise on V's face, stepping up and giving her a gentle elbow with a chuckle. Miz didn't waste any time as she looked back and winked at all of them, "See you on the other side."

Like that, she was off, sprinting up the sandy shore before breaking away. Her steps were light and near-silent, but deliberate. As she approached the side wall jutting out from the barricade, she stopped, taking a moment to secure a suppressor to the barrel of her Unity before checking it. It was now or never, and she hopped up, using a small pile of rubble to give her the boost she needed to reach the roof before she pulled herself up and over. She carefully rested near the caved-in hole, eyes attentive and scanning from side to side as she tagged three bodies in the immediate area. Likely there were more bad guys not too far away, so the garage door was out. It would create too much racket.

Miz hung over the rough ledge through the hole, catching her feet on a heavy piece of concrete as she took aim. The blood ran quickly to her head, the pressure making it hard to focus. Thankfully her targets were already tagged, so all she had to do was point and fire. From outside, the crew saw several muffled flashes through the small window before Miz's legs released and she disappeared inside. It was only a few seconds before a crew-wide holocall rang between them as she called out, "Any old time, sweethearts..."

The smaller sliding door adjacent to the garage opened, Miz standing in the doorway with glowing red irises as she waved them forward. Max stepped forward first, followed by Pops. V's eyes were flashing orange; there were calls to make, plans to arrange. Though she followed behind, she kept a few paces back as she rang the first of several calls, a deep and aged masculine voice answering, "As I live and breathe... hello Miss V."

"Hands... been a while", replied V, "In a pinch, could use your diplomatic insight."

There was a brief chuckle from the other end, "And what could I possibly do for the Living Legend?"

V smirked, the annoyance apparent in her voice, "You been watchin' the news?"

"I have", Hands answered dryly, "It appears that Militech has taken issue with you..."

"It's not Militech", V fired back, "It's NUSA spec-ops masquerading as corpo security."

Hands appeared genuinely suprised, "These are interesting times indeed... seems Rosalind Myers hasn't forgotten about you."

"God, I wish she would...", V chuckled, "I'm rattling the cages for any huscle I have on the outside, but could use some extra hands if you have any to spare. Need a show of force."

"I see your silver tongue hasn't dulled any...", Hands laughed before continuing, "I still have hands in a few pockets on the outside. I'll make the calls. Keep your head down out there. We'll be in touch..."

The call dropped, and V ushered forward to catch up with the rest of the crew. As the door slid shut behind her, she stepped into the distantly familiar garange space, the expanse of the tunnel staring right back at her. Miz knocked her out of her trance with a gentle punch to her shoulder, "You fixing things up out there?"

V smirked, "Just making sure I have an answer for those cocksuckers sieging my home..."

Miz had to admit she was actually intimidated by the look on V's face as she said, "Remind me to stay the fuck out of your way when you have that look on your face, babe."

They all shared a chuckle as Pops brought them back on track, "Right, so I reckon there's only one way forward, and it's a turkey shoot?"

V nodded, "The main passage is a straight shot into the Longshore Stacks of Dogtown. It's a giant slum of shipping containers and unfinished buildings all piled on top of each other, but it's relatively safe compared to the rest of the combat zone... or at least it used to be."

Their eyes all widened as V continued, "Anyway, there's multiple smaller passages shooting off the whole way down, and any one of them is a preem opportunity for an ambush."

Pops and Miz looked to each other and spoke in tandem, "Corners and doors", as V flashed a smile. They had an answer for everything. The crew readied their iron and dropped down to a recessed area of unfinished concrete mixed with gravel and dirt. Max's eyes flashed blue as she scanned around them. A smirk crept on her face as she said, "Dey na' harden de subnet here... can see all cameras and access points."

V scoffed, "Likely nothing ever got changed out when Scavs and Militech moved in. Well, lead the way."

Max smiled as she pinged the info to all of them, each of their HUDs showing multiple camera POVs and a high-resolution thermal scan of the tunnel's entire length. They could clearly see anything connected to the net, and any bodies that weren't mostly chrome. Miz couldn't help herself as she playfully nudged Max, "God, I love it when you do your netrunner shit."

"Like I tol' ya on de H10 job", Max fired back, "Ky na gon'ya give us a menage, so cu' de shit."

V's eyes went wide as a blush set in; it was a small miracle that all around them was pitch black, but a simple scan would easily pick up the heat from her cheeks. Miz was equally blushed, but hid it better as she took point with her Unity at the ready and gestured to everyone to follow.

They all stepped gingerly, careful to avoid any loose debris or unstable surfaces; for once they actually had the advantage of surprise, and they weren't about to let a clumsy step ruin it. For this particular job, Miz almost hated having to sneak around. A recent just-because surprise from Billy, he had upgraded her Unity with a combination flashlight and laser-sight attachment beneath the barrel, integrating the switch for it in the grip. She wanted like hell to try it out, but stealth was the order of the day. Maybe next time, she thought, her mind flashing briefly with concern, hoping there was a next time... No! Bad!

She shook the very thought from her head, putting all doubts in the back of her mind as she pressed forward, the others following closely behind. Approaching the first corner, Miz cleared a path to flatten herself against the wall as she inched closer. The map showed a single body coming down a side hall in their direction. The rest of the crew followed suit, finding cover to duck behind or otherwise pressing against the wall to stay out of sight.

Miz counted off in her head as she holstered her iron, and like clockwork, the scav in sheep's clothing rounded the corner, turning away from them. She stepped in carefully behind him before making a kissing noise. As quickly as he turned, she just as quickly grabbed his head in her Gorilla hand, slamming it against the wall with a splattering crunch as she plunged her extended scratchers into his chest below the ribcage. The majority of his head painted the wall as what little remained slid from her hand and the body crumpled to the floor. Miz shook her hand clean of the excess gore, her face threading solid red as she looked back to the rest of the crew. No doubt about it, she was switched-on now.

V took point on the next leg, moving just as carefully as before. There was a faint sound of voices trailing from up ahead, casual conversation in something resembling Russian. Greywater and dirt were occasionally peppering the crew from damaged pipes and the unstable ceiling above. Likely not a lot of care was taken when the tunnel was excavated, so they had to take extra care to not cough or sneeze in the dank and dusty environment. As they continued, the voices grew louder; it quickly became clear, and their map confirmed, two scavs were conversing across the tunnel from halls opposite one another. There was no clear vantage point to take both of them down with any relative ease, putting the crew slightly on edge as they halted their approach. Max's eyes flashed blue for a moment as she scanned the subnet, cycling between cameras interspersed throughout the enclosed spaces. Her face was blank, but she craned her neck up to look at a mounted camera in a patch of bare concrete above them. Her HUD could detect the infrared beams creating a field of vision, and both guards were in clear view. She smiled as her HUD pulled up a fullscreen view of the camera, and she tagged both scavs before her eyes pulsed red twice. Within a few seconds, both of them scratched an itch at the base of their necks before arcs of electric energy shot out from their interface ports.

V and Miz were ahead of the curve, stepping up to grab each scav from behind to muffle their screams as their bodies went limp. They both set their respective dead weight down gracefully, trying to avoid the crash and clatter of equipment from echoing and alerting anyone else further down the path. Miz could feel the heat radiating from the body, smoke rising from its ears. As she cradled the head, it felt like she was holding a slab of freshly seared syn-beef. There were burn marks tracking away from the interface port, signaling the scav's brains were likely cooked inside his skull. Diabolical, she thought to herself, praying she never gave Max a reason to quickhack her.

They moved forward, Max taking point this time. Even though the map hadn't lied to them yet, they were all surprised that the tunnels were as empty as they had seen so far. Most of the heat signatures were conentrated at the mouth of the tunnel opening into Dogtown; it made sense, as that was the most likely point for a BARGHEST assault. Any damage done by stray gunfire this deep in the tunnel looked to be a few years old at least, and Miz could only wonder in amusement that V likely caused most of it in her own way back in the day.

Before they could catch themselves, they all almost crashed right into the back of Max; she was frozen in place, her eyes wide and clouding over as a look of horror crept on her face. It was a few seconds before the rest of the crew picked it up, but there it was. They could hear screams ringing out from at least a hundred meters ahead. Pained screams and cries of anguish; it was Ky's voice calling out. Miz saw the writing on the wall, barely catching Max around the arm as the netrunner surged forward. She turned to face Miz, the pain in her eyes quickly turning to anger as her jaw clenched.

Miz pulled her close into a hug and whispered, "We move together... it's their only chance."

Max gripped at Miz's jacket, her hands tightening into fists as she trembled. She wanted to fight it, but she knew her choom was right. The only chance to get both of them out alive was to keep calm and move as a team. Headstrong emotion would do them no favors here and now, and for Miz of all people to recognize that... suffice to say that V understood now why Pops was deferring to her to lead the crew.

That didn't mean the old man didn't have their backs, as he stepped up and placed a gentle hand on Max's shoulder. He didn't need to say anything. They already knew; with all of them together, nothing was impossible. V had to admire the warmth and resilience of her favorite crew. They really were a family at the end of it all.

After far too long, Max sniffed up, letting go of them as she nodded and pulled herself together. Miz had her own worries, but she had to push them to the back of her mind to focus. She walked a razor's edge between allowing her emotions to consume her, and feeling absolutely nothing at all. Neither option helped anyone, but finding the balance was still a struggle at times like these.

Finally, V stepped up, feeling out of place, but not left out, as she silently nodded to take point and guide them. She readied her Malorian and moved forward, the rest turning to follow.

With every step, they could hear each of Ky's screams louder and clearer, sending a shiver down their spines. Max winced each time at hearing her lover's voice cry out in pain, but she managed to keep it together for his sake; she had to, now more than ever as they broke away from the enclosed spaces into a wider open area. There were disorganized stacks of crates and shelves lining the walls and open floor space, giving them ample cover to move as they dispersed. Max naturally took a path drawing her closer to the sounds of Ky's voice, V moving in behind to cover her. Miz and Pops took the other path. Their eyes cut every which way, try to cover the floor in front of them and the catwalks above.

With no time to spare, V pinged everyone in the call, "Get down!"

They all obliged at once, finding cover as a group of three guards, not scavs, crossed the overhead path. They were conversing in plain English with no accents. Just everyone's luck, they stepped into a modular container with a window overlooking the entire room; what's worse, the hallways at opposite ends were only reachable from the catwalks and mezzanine. The volume of Ky's screams all but confirmed he was in one of the upstairs rooms; likely Billy was at the opposite end. Quickhacks were their only choice. Miz spoke up in the holocall, "You good Max? We're counting on you..."

Max said nothing, moving quickly and carefully to get a vantage point on all three guards. Her eyes lit up red, peeking over a crate, before they pulsed three times in rapid succession. As before, two of the guards reached up before their heads nearly popped like balloons, sparks flying and smoke rising; the third guard appeared entirely unaffected as his eyes cut directly to Max's location and she nearly shouted in the holocall, "Mèd! He go' ICE! Miz, take you' shot!"

Miz jumped out from cover, finding the tagged target as she fired a silent double-tap. Both projectiles were dead-on, but splashed against the glass with little effect.

"Of course it's fucking bulletproof!", she called out. V made a judgment call, standing upright as she aimed her Malorian with a sneer and fired a single shot that likely rang all the way back to the beach in Pacifica. The bullet punched through, shattering the entire pane and vaporizing the third guard's head into a mess against the wall behind him. She didn't even wait to see that her shot had found the mark, bounding up the stairs as she called out, "Pops, watch our rear! Miz, get your tight ass up here!"

Miz didn't have time to be embarrassed, sprinting up the other side and clearing the corner. She pushed through, finding a single rusted metal door. She fired a single shot against the handle before kicking the door open. It impacted against... something... with a thud and a pained grunt before Miz barreled through, finding a guard flat on his back and trying to recover; he never had a chance, Miz putting two rounds through his skull. Her eyes cut to a body hanging by his hands in the middle of the room before she nearly shouted in relief. Although covered in bruises with a trickle of blood running from his mouth, Billy stilled smiled and quipped, "We have to stop meetin' like this, babe."

Miz choked on her laughter as she holstered her Unity and ran square into his chest and hugged him tight, causing him to groan in pain, "Later. Get me down from here, Ky's in bad shape."

Miz didn't want to let go, but she obliged, reaching behind and pulling loose the inhibitor cord from his interface socket. Her ears perked up to something behind her, and in a flash, she had the shorter of her two blades unsheathed as she turned and lunged forward. There was a sickening crunch of bone mixed with plastic and a splash of sinew, her blade finding its target as it pierced another guard's mask and broke out the back of his helmet. She pulled back quickly, the blade sliding out as the body fell before she turned back to Billy and readied a sideways slash above his head. There was a ringing echo as metal met metal and the chains were shorn clean. Billy landed upright on his feet, loosening the chains around his wrists as he took his turn and leaned down to catch Miz with a quick but loving kiss. She reached up and held his head against hers as she looked in his eyes. He kissed her again with a smile as he said, "Love you too. Come on!"

Miz fired back, "Tiger, you're naked!"

He smirked as he slung a rifle over his shoulder and said, "Ain't nothing you haven't seen before, babe! Come on!"

What.

Miz shook her head with a scoff as she readied her iron and followed him out. Bruises on his torso aside, he didn't seem to be any worse for wear, but he was also entirely focused on getting to Ky as soon as possible. V had already beat all of them to the punch as she blasted the lock off the door and kicked her way in. She could see Ky hanging by his hands, still screaming and doubling over like he was trying to crawl into a fetal position. His entire torso was covered in bruises and open wounds, blood trickling down his entire body and pooling on the floor. Her heart broke for him, her mind running wild to figure out what they'd done to arguably the most upbeat member of the crew. Her sadness was short-lived as the door swung back, crashing full force and knocking her against a wall. Farris appeared from around the door, his breathing uneven as he growled at V with a Liberty trained at her head, "What... the FUCK... is it with you scop-sucking COCKROACHES?!"

His finger pulled lightly on the trigger before his arm went completely haywire before his eyes, sparks flying from the threaded seams as the panels articulated on their own. He screamed out in pain, catching sight of Max standing in the doorway, her eyes solid red and a look of pure hate painted all over her face. He tried to quickly train the projectile launcher concealed in his other arm at her head before it too glitched out. His eyes shuttered between blue and red as the burn surged through his entire body. V took advantage of the opportunity as she grabbed for her Malorian and took aim. Her hands were shaky, everything a little whoozy, but she managed to squeeze off two shots back to back, blowing out both of Farris' kneecaps.

His entire body was convulsing, a foamy spit dribbling from his mouth as he fell with a crash and landed face first against the bare concrete. V managed to scrape her way back to her feet, unable to find her balance at first before noticing a few drops of blood spattering on the floor. She brought her fingers up, wincing as they found the source along the shaved side of her head. She knew her head took most of the impact when she crashed into the wall, which probably explained what she had to assume at this point was a mild concussion. She felt the blood on the tips of her fingers and held them up in front of her eyes as she gave a diaffected, "Huh."

Max left V to her own devices as she ran to Ky. She didn't know what they'd done, and she didn't care. She wrapped herself around and tried to calm him as she cried quietly into his bare chest. Were he at all coherent, he would have appreciated her efforts, but as it was, his screaming sobs continued and he fought against her with all of his might. Billy cleared the door, naked as the day he was born, eliciting a scoff from V as she was still leaning against the wall. He preempted her with a smirk, "Not a word, boss."

She raised her hands dismissively before pushing away from the wall as Max let Ky go. They all formed a semicircle around him, figuring out what to do next as V asked, "Where's Miz?"

Billy's eyes were focused on Ky as he answered, "Downstairs with Pops, doing what they do best."

Before anyone could say anything else, a low groan emanated from Farris as he tried to push himself off the floor. V turned to him before delivering a swift kick against the side of his head, sending a spew of blood and a few teeth flying to the other side of the room as she said, "Down, boy."

Billy's eyes cut to the hulking mass laying prostrate on the floor, then to V as he asked, "What do we do about him?"

V flashed her teeth, "Oh, I got plans for this motherfucker..."

"God help 'im", Billy fired back as he focused on Ky, "Oh brother, what the fuck did they do to you?"

He sized up the situation quickly and went to work, first removing the IV from Ky's arm, then the inhibitor cord from his interface port. He reached up above Ky's head, grabbing at the chains as he turned to Max, "He needs a bounce-back, fast."

Max collected herself and pulled a canister from her belt, popping off the cap and shaking vigorusly. Billy moved to the side, exposing Ky's chest as Max hesitated. There wasn't a good spot to jab him, but she had to do it. She clenched her jaw, raising her hand as she jammed the canister into his chest over his heart and said, "Mwen dezole, cheri..."

While Ky had all but exhausted himself into a near-coma, the bounce-back caused him to gasp for air as his eyes shot wide open. At the very same moment, Billy managed to free the chains, careful to catch his choom before they both crashed against the floor. In an instant, Ky found his strength as he pushed Billy against the wall, jumping to him as he went straight for the throat and screamed, "WHERE THE FUCK AM I?!"

Billy didn't want to fight his brother-in-arms, but he knew that Ky wasn't himself. Whatever shit they'd pumped in his veins had him somewhere else entirely, far away from here. He struggled against the hands around his throat, choking and gasping for air. Max tried to pull him off, but Ky swung one of his arms back with a yell, sending her flying across the room. It was enough of an opening, and Billy was able to break the hold as he quickly shifted to Ky's rear and grabbed him in a half-nelson. He tightened his grip carefully as he whispered, "I'm sorry, brother... I'm so sorry..."

Ky's arms flailed as he fought, but eventually gave in before his entire body went limp. Billy fell to the floor, holding the unconscious Ky close for a moment before he cut to Max, "Y-you okay?"

She pulled herself to her feet and brushed off some dirt and dust before she answered, "Wi, 'im not 'imself, ya did wha' ya had to..."

Billy gave a half-hearted smile before V cut in, "Man, get you guys oiled up and we could've had ourselves a real gladiator show."

Max didn't want to laugh, nor did Billy, but both of them fought it as their cheeks burned red and the smiles crept in. V egged them on as she picked up Farris by his belt with one hand and hoisted the massive motherfucker over her shoulder, "Yep, still got it. Now let's get the fuck out of here!"

Billy had to admit he was impressed at what he had just witnessed, as Farris was easily twice V's body weight, and solid muscle and chrome at that. Max stepped up, urging V to lean down as she slotted a shard behind Farris' ear. V cocked her head with a confused look as the netrunner said casually, "Inhibitor chip... don' wan' 'im hulkin' out in de truck, eh?"

They smiled to one another and cleared the room, Billy covering behind them with his unconscious choom over his shoulder.

Downstairs, Pops and Miz were exchanging fire with a wave of scavs and Militech security trying to rush from the Dogtown side of the tunnel. The old man had already dropped ten all by himself, with Miz quickly catching up. Pops noticed the others behind them briefly as he signaled to Miz, tossing her a grenade and holding up five fingers. Miz nodded, pulling the pin as she counted off in her head. On five, she released the charging handle and tossed the grenade into the tunnel before ducking down. The resulting explosion was enough to rattle the teeth from her head, but the real kicker was the dispersed gel igniting and burning like a wildfire. Miz saw her chance and broke away from cover to join the rest of the crew before freezing in place. She could feel a rumble beneath her feet, and she turned again. Looking back down the tunnel towards Dogtown, she could see dirt and bits of cement caving in from beyond the flames, quickly moving her way as she muttered, "Oh fuck..."

She sprinted as fast as she could, calling out to the crew ahead to move their asses as she broke past them. Pops looked back from the way they came, his eyes wide and the cigarette dropping from his mouth as the cave-in was fast approaching. He knew Miz was going for the garage door, so he stayed behind to help usher the rest of them forward. Billy was careful to watch his step, having nothing to protect his feet from the unfinished ground of the tunnels, and there was hardly any time now to stop and strip a dead body, or else he'd end up as one.

Strong as V was, it wasn't easy to maneuver with 250 pounds of dead weight across her shoulders, and she was struggling to keep up before Pops stepped in. With seemingly little effort, he matched her speed, picking the body up with one arm and throwing it over his shoulder as his paced quickened. She almost had to laugh at the audacity, but she'd take any luck she could get right now as the tunnel shook around them, the collapse getting closer aand closer. It was getting harder to stay upright as the vibrations were throwing them violently from side to side. They could all hear Miz yelling ahead as the garage door was drawn up, chains wrapped tight around her arm. They were almost there; just a little more.

Pops was the first to cross the threshold, throwing Farris' unconscious body face-down in the sand as he rushed back to help the others. V and Max were next, jumping clear of the garage and landing next to Farris; V kept watch over him to make sure he didn't wake up suddenly. Max's eyes were locked on the garage, waiting for Billy and Ky to appear from the darkness as she prayed and pleaded. Pops stood inside at the edge of the drop-down. He could hear the collapse fast approaching before Billy appeared. He stretched out his hand as Billy jumped up and grabbed hold. Pops pulled him up and nearly threw both of their bodies clear of the door before he ran to follow. Miz counted off in her head before releasing the chains as she jumped under the closing door and leapt away, crashing into Billy's chest as the collapse hit. The garage door blew completely off the rails, flying over the crew's heads as it crashed into one of the bungalows.

Dust, dirt, and debris of all types blew out from the carnage, blanketing the entire area in a low-hanging cloud with little to no visibility. It was several seconds before the crew stirred, coughing and choking amid the airborne rubble. V called out to test the waters, "A-anyone dead out there?"

Billy was first to answer, "F-fuck you, man."

They all shared a laugh as the air began to clear, everyone trying to catch a breath as they sat up in the sand and surveyed the damage. The tunnel was a total loss, the entire Boatwerks interior having blown out onto the beach. The entire storefront was sealed off from the resulting piles of dirt, stone, and concrete.

Miz held onto Billy for dear life, curled into his chest, as Max cradled Ky's head in her arms. Before long, Pops was on his feet, helping everyone else up and checking to make sure they weren't injured. V took advantage of the situation and pinged another call to Hands. After a ring, he answered, "I don't know whether I should be relieved or worried that you're calling me..."

V scoffed, "Who did you favor in the current unpleasantness?"

A moment passed before Hands gave a very diplomatic answer, "Well, both sides were good for business, but BARGHEST was easily the more manageable entity."

"Well, then you're welcome, I guess", V quipped nonchalantly, "The Longshore Stacks tunnel is caved in. The rogue faction is cut off from the outside, so Bennett's boys should be able to make short work of them in due time."

That was twice today that V had surprised Hands, "Very impressive, V. I forgot how effective you can be when caution is thrown to the wind. We'll be in touch..."

The call dropped, and V jumped to her feet as she stepped a few paces away to make another, her eyes locked on Farris. Pops pulled Billy to his feet with a smirk and said, "How ya doin', pup?"

Billy looked down before looking all around him, "All things considered, could be worse."

Pops couldn't help himself, his eyes drifting down, "Hmmm... so that's why Miz keeps ya around..."

There was a low chuckle shared between them as Billy punched Pops' arm. He turned to Max and Ky and said, "I suppose we need to get to Vik pretty soon. I can't say for sure what they did, but I could hear him..."

He stopped himself, his eyes clouding over. Miz returned, having pulled two blankets from the truck. She held one out to Max, who smiled and accepted. She brought the other to Billy, throwing it around him and pulling him close. He wrapped the folds around himself and her as they held each other.

V returned, having made the necessary arrangements as she called out with a cheeky smirk, "Don't s'pose I could get a ride back to the Afterlife?"

It took a second before it clicked in everyone's minds; V was currently holding a high-ranking Militech officer hostage, and if that weren't enough, this particular officer had ties directly back to the NUSA, meaning he had the ear of President Myers herself. Who better to deliver a message or use as a bargaining chip? Pops returned the smirk and nodded his head, "Mount up. Let's mosey."

--

[Palm View and Ellison, South Watson]

It was an impressive show of force that V was able to wrangle in a short amount of time. She had thirty operators of her own to counter the far roadblocks as she took on the one closest to the Afterlife by herself. Max and Billy stayed in the truck to watch over Ky while Pops and Miz backed up their favorite living legend. It was a stand-off, no doubt about it, as V stared down the barricade of jarheads. In one hand, she had her Malorian at the ready, and in the other hand, she had the stiff and starched collar of a very awake and very angry Lieutenant Colonel Michael Farris with a gun to his head. She had already given them the ultimatum: they either withdraw here and now, or Myers gets a head in a box and every dark and dirty little secret leaked to the highest bidder, including their proxy war inside of Dogtown.

It had been five minutes, prompting V to call out, "Time's up... what's it goin' to be, boys?"

There was a shared grumbling and dissent as the 'Militech' operators called to each other over radios and backed away slowly, working quickly to tear down their barricades. V's hired help by Clarendon Street and Ellison Street both confirmed the same with their respective roadblocks. With everything winding down, she cut Pops and the crew loose as another Afterlife crew showed up to provide cover and ensure a smooth transition. They had more important places to be right now, and V promised to stop by once the current clusterfuck was sorted.

--

[Vik's Clinic, Urmland Street, South Watson]

Ky was strapped down in the reclined exam chair in the basement clinic, an IV running to his arm. In between getting him out of the truck and trying to get him down the stairs to see Vik, he'd regained consciousness and nearly tore Pops' arms off. Vik didn't like having to strap his patients down, finding it inhumane, but he also couldn't do his work if said patient was trying to strangle him in a fit of psychotic rage.

Despite Vik's insistence, the crew made it clear they weren't leaving until they knew what had happened to their beloved class clown. Billy tried, but couldn't really answer too many questions as they were separated for the worst of it. The IV he removed was a solid clue, prompting Vik to run a drug screen. As he waited for the results, he wasted no time and went to work dressing the open wounds all over Ky's body. He didn't need to explain this part; it was apparent Farris had used Ky as a personal punching bag, and likely for nothing more than his own twisted amusement.

Finally, one of the display panels dinged, and Vik reached a stopping point before scooting his stool over to look at the results. He gave his usual perturbed grumble when reading results like these, and Max stepped up to ask, "Wha' been done ta 'im? Wha' it say?"

Vik removed his sunglasses, placing them down on the metal tray table before rubbing his brow in exasperation. It didn't exactly inspire confidence, but he cut all of them a break as he opened with, "He will be fine. Just have to flush his system, hence the IV."

Though he didn't answer their question, they all collectively sighed with relief before he continued, "This Farris is one sick fuck... he pumped our boy here full of synthetic psychoactive stimulants and hallucinogens. Looks like psychological torture to match the physical torture. I can only guess, but the reason for Ky's behavior is probably because he has no idea where he is right now. He's back in a far away time and place, probably somewhere he's tried like hell to forget about..."

Billy furrowed his brow, recalling an earlier comment, "Farris said Ky's record shows he was shot down over Ridgecrest during the Unification War."

Vik exhaled sharply and shook his head, "Nasty fuckin' business, that was. That might explain it. Drugs like these make the mind very susceptible to outside influence. If Farris triggered the right memories, it's very possible Ky thought he was back in the War."

There was nothing to say, but Max sniffed up, wiping a few tears from her face. She held Ky's hand close, sitting across from Vik. He stroked Ky's hair gently before he turned to them all and said, "The good thing is, this is all temporary. His ribs are all mashed up, and he's got a lot of internal bruising, but he'll heal. Once the drugs are flushed out of his system, he'll be okay. I can't say what effect it'll have on his short-term mental health, but he'll back mostly to the Ky you all know and love to be annoyed with in no time at all."

Nobody wanted to laugh, least of all right now, but there was a warm smile on everyone's faces. Even Max found comfort in Vik's words, but she sure as hell wasn't letting go of Ky's hand. Vik gave his last words to the crew for the evening as he said, "Look, I have to finish dressing him. Max, you can stay for obvious reasons... the rest of you need to clear out. Nothing you can do, and I don't like an audience. Billy, you need a checkup?"

Billy shook his head as he turned to leave, "Nah, I'm okay. They didn't tune me up as bad as him... I can heal on my own."

"If you say so...", Vik quipped, "And hey... happy birthday, kid..."

Yeah right.

--