No Coming Back

CLICK!

The hammer dropped, the empty sound echoing off, lost in the wind blowing across the desert. But there were no other sounds; no blast of gunpowder, no metallic scraping of the bullet leaving the barrel or the slide cycling and ejecting the empty casing, and certainly no sounds of bone breaking or blood spewing onto the sand. In its place, there was only a hollow ringing; emptiness, and nothing more. All at once, the breath Miz held as she pulled the trigger poured out of her with a crying gasp, the tears falling once more as she fell to her knees in the sand and released all of her pain with one spine-rattling scream as she threw the gun nowhere in particular.

In only a second, Billy was right there in front of her, on his knees, arms wrapped tightly around her as she buried herself in his chest and wept openly, loudly. Amid the gasping sobs, she tried to muscle out how sorry she was, for everything, but Billy just held her close with his eyes shut, his own tears soaking the crown of her head. Her shoulders sagged as she hunched over, gritting her teeth and aching for a release from all of it. She was tired of hurting, tired of the pain, and yet that cold and practical part of her cropped up as she remembered she obviously wasn't the only one suffering in all of this. Billy needed her as much as she need him, and she brought her arms up around, rubbing his back as she held him close.

They sat like this for several minutes until Liv of all people found them, taking her place as she opened her arms, slinging the over-sized blanket given to her by Cass around both of them as they folded her into their warm embrace. No matter the pain, the suffering, or anything else, they still had each other. And now, that mattered more than ever.

Unbeknownst to them, off in the distance, a weathered and weary hand scooped up Miz's iron...

--

[Some time later]

The sun had disappeared behind the city, but also over the horizon. The night was fully set, and yet it wasn't as dark as one might expect thanks to the stars shining brightly overhead. Anything the large bonfire didn't consume in its radiant oranges seemed to glow an almost pale blue against the illuminated sand.

Similar to the night before the job, there wasn't much sleep to be had, except this time around it wasn't just the crew; everyone was hurting in their own way, but at least they were kind enough to give time and space where it was needed. The crew had already resolved to being out of the Aldecaldos' hair by sunrise, but Panam dismissed the notion altogether. They were her chooms, and welcome to stay as long as they needed.

By now the crew themselves had all settled in to their own tents. Nobody could blame them for wanting to be alone, or at least wanting to not be around others, even if they were together. Billy and Miz occupied a cot together in their tent, just holding each other; were it not for her small size compared to his, they probably wouldn't have fit. They hadn't said much outside of Miz trying to apologizing for earlier, and Billy dismissing it altogether. It wasn't likely things would be back to normal any time soon, if ever at all; the thought of them not being together scared Miz to hell and back, but it was one possibility she couldn't discount after all that had transpired over the last several days. For now, they had each other, and that was enough.

There was a light rap against the closed tent flap, followed by the last voice anyone wanted to hear as Saul spoke, "M-May I come in?"

Billy sighed as he answered indignantly, "It's your camp..."

Saul scoffed as he poked his head through before the rest of him followed. He was holding Miz's Unity in his weathered and weary hands as he said, "Mind if I... speak to her... alone?"

After a few seconds of careful contemplation, Miz looked back to Billy and nodded. They both shifted, sitting upright. Billy dismissed himself as he crossed Saul and said softly, "Take your time, I'll check on Mom..."

Saul shook his head as he took a seat facing Miz and asked, "He's not ever going to let it go, is he?"

Miz sucked her teeth as she scratched at the side of her head, "Hardly the time, choom. It's... been a day, okay? Say what you came to say."

He pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes with a sigh as he cycled the slide on Miz's iron, allowing the single round still in the chamber to fall into his hand before setting the weapon down. He took his time, fumbling with the round before he carefully held it up for Miz to see as he made his point, "Dented primer... hell of a thing."

To his point, the center-fire primer cap in the base of the round was noticeably impacted inward. Such a defect would prevent the firing pin in the gun from impacting against the round and igniting the powder to discharge the bullet. He gauged her somewhat dismissive reaction as he continued, "Maybe it doesn't mean much of anything to you now, but the odds of this happening are about one in a quarter-million. Something your old man and I had in common, we didn't believe in coincidences..."

Miz's eyes cut to his as they narrowed. Saul could already feel her biting words in his head urging him to get to the point, and so he did, "Odds like these, and in Night City?! Tells me you're meant for something greater... something legendary..."

He let a few seconds pass before he picked back up, "We didn't always see eye to eye, but I always respected him for sticking to his guns. He did the right thing all those years ago."

She considered her words carefully, "He... never told me what happened that night..."

Saul smiled, almost relieved at hearing that, "He made a judgment call, and he was right to do what he did. I got greedy and ambitious, and it cost the lives of some good men. And I get to live with that for the rest of my days..."

It was almost too easy to take a jab, but Miz restrained herself for the sake of the olive branch as she stuck to the pertinent question, "So, confessing to me accomplishes what, exactly?"

"Your father was a good man, Miz...", Saul chided her, "He looked out for his people, to the very end. Had I been less of a shit-heel... I think we could have been good friends. That's all... I-I'm sorry for your loss."

He got up to leave, his composure breaking fast before Miz accepted the olive branch as she smiled, "Thank you, Saul... that means a lot."

He nodded and exited the tent, the sniffles audible and obvious, as Miz was left with her own thoughts, Something legendary... no... could it be?

She was pulled out of her own mind by Billy's voice trailing in as he confronted someone outside of their tent. She could see their figures dancing against the flames through the flaps as Billy asked the unknown figure, "W-Woah, what are you doing?"

The voice answered with a southern drawl, distant and familiar, but also unbothered, "I'm here for the girl..."

"Yeah, and just who the fu—", Billy tried to ask before a solid uppercut to his stomach put him on his knees, gasping for air. Miz was on her feet in a split second, ready to barrel into the assailant before the last aged mustached face she ever expected to see appeared as he threw open the tent flap and said, "Good golly, miss molly... ya sure know how to pick 'em..."

Miz cried with a gasp as she crashed into the man, "...Falco!"

Circumstances aside, he couldn't help but smile having the kid back in his arms just like old times. He missed Pops dearly, had missed him for the last six years, but now it was a permanent absence, and he felt a piece of himself missing as a result of it. Miz finally pulled away from him as she looked confused and asked, "H-How the fu—"

Falco cut her off with a gentle laugh, "Si'down, let's catch up..."

Billy called into the tent from his knees, holding onto his stomach, "Nah, don't worry about me, I'm fine!"

Shut up, ya cute gonk.

--

It was hard for the camp to not notice a friendly face they hadn't seen in over half a decade, so try as he might to keep a low profile, Falco was overwhelmed with friends, both old and new, dropping by to say hello. That didn't stop him from sticking close to Miz as they talked and recounted all the time lost. It appeared the time away from Night City had been good for Falco's health; his face was only a little older than Miz remembered, a few more distinguished lines here and there. His shoulder-length hair still parted in the middle, and his glorious mustache, had taken on more gray in their time apart, nearly matching the silver chrome soul patch adorning his chin. He still dressed like an old cowboy with a simple brown vest and trousers holding a tucked white button-down shirt. But all in all, he was still the same gentleman gunslinger she always remembered, only wishing now that Pops was here to enjoy his company. Still, he hadn't answered the question yet of exactly how he came to find the crew, and Miz pressed him, "It's... fuck, it's really good to see you, Falco... but how in the hell did you find us? How did you know?!"

That familiar smile crept in with a twinkle in his eye, "Turns out your lady fixer friend has eyes far an' wide..."

"W-Wait, what?!", Miz spat with surprise, "V tracked you down?!"

"Mhm, figure 'bout a week ago, now...", he answered casually with a drag of his cigarette, as if he'd always been just a holocall away, "Said the old man needed to pass along a message."

Miz couldn't even believe what she was hearing, much less what she was seeing, and Falco stifled a chuckle as he continued, "Glad to see he can still surprise ya, kid... I've missed ya."

"So, did V know...?", Miz kept them on track, probing to find out just how out of the loop she was about everything.

Falco shook his head firmly, "Nah, Phoenix wouldn't read her in... said it wasn't right to shoulder her with everythin' when nobody else knew. Hell, I'm surprised he even told me 'bout all of it before any of you. But he knew I wouldn't bite otherwise..."

He couldn't make out if she was angry or just in shock, but he could hear the gears churning in her brain as his eyes flashed blue, "Day 'fore yesterday, he sent me this... said if anythin' happened to him, I was s'posed to find ya and get ya out of here... your input and his mama too. Speakin' of..."

He turned to Billy as he offered his condolences, "I'm sorry for all o' this, kid... and for the sucker punch."

Billy smiled and shook his head, indicating no bad blood. It wasn't the first time he'd been knocked around for saying the wrong thing, and it wasn't likely to the be the last either. Miz's eyes flashed blue in response as a written message popped up in her HUD, and her eyes immediately clouded over.

My darling daughter,

I should have known you'd piece it together eventually that something was wrong with me. I couldn't ever hide anything from you. Well, except maybe that I'd managed to find our old friend from what feels like a lifetime ago...

A death sentence isn't an easy thing to live with, and I wish like hell it didn't have to be this way. We've all suffered so much sadness in our time, and I can't bear to be another reason for anyone to hurt. So I've made my choice. I won't waste away to be forgotten to the sands of time. I will use what life I have left to make sure the ones I love are safe. I've entrusted Falco to deliver this message to you, and to get you out of Night City, whatever the circumstances.

There's nothing more I can teach. You have to forge your own path from here, and I'm proud to see the strong and beautiful woman you've become. Your mother would have been proud too, and there's not a day goes by that I don't wish she were here to see it with her own eyes. I wish for all of you long and happy lives away from the muck and the mire that this City has kept us in for far too long. I know you'll find the way, and you have a loving partner that will help you any way he can.

I love you Mizuki, to the moon and back... and I'm sorry.

Miz felt a hand reaching across her back and rubbing gently as she met Falco's kind eyes and smile. It took her several seconds to notice the tears running down her cheeks as she sniffed up, trying to catch her breath as Falco said, "He loved you more than life itself... I know you know that."

She nodded, shutting her eyes to try and stop the tears, but there was no reprieve. Her mind was flooded with everything said to her since getting back to the camp, but Saul's words rang truer than all the rest, Something legendary...

Forge your own path..., kept repeating over and over, and Miz felt a fire building in her chest. She felt like she was once again staring into the empty black, and all it took was one step to go right over the edge, but she wasn't afraid anymore. In place of fear, she felt an overpowering resolve and determination, like the answer had been there all along... Burn. It. Down.

Her eyes opened, flashing solid red as her hands clenched into fists and she stood up. Billy was on alert, standing up next to her as he tried to figure out what was going on in her head. He'd learned to read her face pretty well over the last two years, but even now he was stumped. He chanced placing a hand on her shoulder as he asked, "Em... what is it...?"

She was rigid, yet still. She wasn't trembling, and he couldn't feel any of the usual signs; but there was a raw power emanating from her as she stared into the fire and spoke with a calm yet biting tone, "We're going to the Afterlife..."

--

[Early morning - Afterlife, South Watson]

The sun hadn't yet broken over Japantown's high-rise towers, much less over the horizon of North Oak's hills, but there was an eery glow peeking through the steel, glass, and concrete jungle. The streets were quieter than usual with little vehicle traffic, and only the most ardent of night owls prowling the sidewalks beneath the neon pall of the undercity.

Two vehicles pulled away from Palm View into the parking lot of the Afterlife; one being the crew's signature Chevillon, the other being a nondescript and somewhat beat-up Thorton Mackinaw pickup truck. For a once-wanted Edgerunner wheelman of the nomad persuasion, it was the most perfect and unassuming vehicle Falco could have chosen for his latest venture into the City he left behind.

As he parked the vehicle and killed the engine, he leaned against the panel of his door and peeked at the glowing sign with a deep sigh and a whistle, "Lot o' memories, comin' back here... glad to see nothin's changed."

Even though he'd nearly made Billy puke his guts out earlier with a solid punch from a solid chromed fist, the younger merc couldn't help but find the old nomad charming in his own way. Quick tongue, quicker hands; it was painfully obvious why Pops liked him. He'd made no effort to keep quiet on the drive in, regaling all three of his passengers with on-the-job stories of their favorite cowboy in his younger days. It was enough to raise Billy's and Liv's spirits, although Miz had maintained her altered state since they left the camp. She was planning, putting together all the pieces of the puzzle.

She bounced out of the back seat of the truck as she lit a fresh cigarette and marched straight for the opened front doors, not waiting even one second for everyone to catch up. The falling of her boot steps echoed through the narrow hallways as she appeared, alone, in front of Emmerick. The morose look on his face held no secrets, but he stood strong nonetheless as his duty compelled him. As Miz approached the doors, he looked down at her and said softly, "Hey, I'm sorry, kid. He was a good man..."

Miz took a drag of her smoke, exhaling through her nose as the ash flickered into the air, and she looked up to meet his eyes, "...she in?"

"Yeah, of course...", Emmerick answered as he stepped out of the way, "You know the way."

The doors slid open with none of the usual pomp and circumstance. As before when meeting Farris, there was no music playing, and no other patrons in sight. All that the Afterlife held inside in this moment was a singular fixer, slumped over the bar with a half-empty bottle of Centzon and a smoldering cigarette in a nearby ashtray. Miz approached cautiously, not exactly sure what to expect.

V spun around on the stool to face her favorite shinobi, her face painted with the running remains of her black eyeliner. To Miz's surprise, she didn't appear drunk, only confirmed by a row of shot glasses filled to the brim, but otherwise untouched; she was expecting them. She stepped off the stool, looking despondent as ever as she met Miz halfway, and they embraced one another with arms wrapped tight. After several seconds, V whispered weakly, her voice breaking, "I-I'm... I'm so sorry, Miz... I-I can't eve—"

Miz fought another wave welling up inside as she pressed her face into V's collarbone and allowed herself to melt into the women's arms. She let it all go, crying quietly as her hands clenched, crushing the cigarette between her fingers. She didn't even register the burn of the lit end against her skin as it fell to the floor.

Before long, they were joined by the rest of the crew, plus Falco and Liv, watching and waiting, not wanting to ruin the moment. They slowly pulled apart, looking in each other's eyes as V asked, "W-What can I d-do? W-What do you need...?"

Miz shook her head with a sniffle, unsure in this moment how to answer the question. She knew what she wanted, but how to get it was another matter altogether. V gave a slight smiled as she cupped her hand on Miz's cheek. All in time, things would fall into place. For now, it was time to honor a fallen friend, and she moved past to greet each of the crew with a warm hug and her condolences.

They would never take for granted what it felt like to have a fixer that actually cared for their wellbeing; and V was that and more. She was a friend. From the first time Pops and his crew had darkened the doors of the Afterlife together, she knew there was something special about them. And so she directed all of them to the bar as she shook hands with Falco, "Pleasure to finally meet the guardian angel behind the scenes..."

Falco returned the firm handshake with a smile as he looked up, seeing the jackets hanging over her private booth, "You do people right, it seems... knew it was a good call leavin' David's jacket in your care."

"Legends deserve to be remembered...", V answered, reaching over to the shot glasses as she handed them around, "Especially in times like these."

All the crew formed a circle as she took the center and held up her shot while trying to keep her composure, "T-To a true Night City legend, a friend, and a g-gentleman to the very end... t-to Phoenix Gray!"

Everyone raised their glasses in agreement, but nobody was rushing to knock the shot back. Instead, each of them took their time, reflecting on their individual memories of a dearly departed choom. One by one, warm smiles crept on everyone's faces as they toasted to Pops' memory and drank. The tequila burnt a little more than usual this time around, carrying with it the pain of knowing they'd never again see the old man's mustache flare with his cheeky smile or his trademark grumbling chuckle. He really was gone.

V placed her glass on the counter with a clinking sound, everyone following suit, and she turned to Miz, "You know what needs to be done, so just come right out and say it..."

Miz found her strength in the tone of V's words, and her face hardened, "I want Farris... I want him dead."

"I know that look...", V scoffed, flipping her hair out of her face as Miz narrowed her eyes, "I've seen it before, a long time ago... you don't just want Farris. You want to burn it all down."

"Can you blame her?", Billy cut in as he stepped forward, "He's taken something from every single one of us... and never been made to answer for any of it."

Now wasn't the time for sarcasm, and V knew it, but she had to rein them in somehow. It wasn't just one or two of them. Now that Miz had actually said it, all the crew, and Falco and Liv, had a hungry look on their faces. They wanted blood, and badly. And she as much as anyone wanted to give it to them, but not without words of warning, "He's an NUSA lapdog... he's highly connected, and the only way you get to him is by storming into Militech HQ right here in Night City."

Ky took his chance at getting a word in, "Tell us something we don't know, boss?"

Fuck... that's it!, V thought to herself as she snapped, "It's an act of fuckin' terrorism, you gonk!"

"HOW IS THAT ANY DIFFERENT THAN ARASAKA?!", Miz snapped back through gritted teeth. A tense and heavy silence fell over the room as V pulled herself together, her fists clenched as her whole body started to tremble. She didn't need that thrown back in her face, but she also couldn't justify 'not having a choice' to this crew, of all people. Instead, she took several deep breaths before her eyes opened and she tried to speak calmly, "It's a declaration of war on the NUSA... the—"

Her voice faltered as the tears in her eyes gave her away, "...t-there's no coming back from that... they will hunt you down for the rest of your days..."

Miz's demeanor softened at seeing her choomba breaking up over the thought of losing another one of the crew, and she stepped up, hugging V tight as she said softly, but just loud enough for the crew to hear, "What makes you think... any of us are coming back from this...?"

Despite the warm body pressed against her own, V felt an ice-cold shiver running down her spine as she looked over Miz's shoulder to the rest of the crew. All of them stood their ground as Miz pulled herself away and looked in V's eyes, "This is the end of the line for us, choomba... there's no other way."

Those words alone broke V's heart in two, but even worse was knowing there was no way she could stop them. If it wasn't her backing them up, they'd just find someone else at this point. They were already over the edge, and she knew better than anyone what that felt like. She felt all alone just like she did on Misty's rooftop five years ago, and she'd die all over again before she would let this crew experience that for themselves. The best thing, the only thing, that she could do now was to help them; to make sure they succeed. She softly shook herself back to the present as she sniffed up, placing her hands on Miz's shoulders as she locked eyes and said, "Okay... whatever you need."

Miz smiled as she nodded and gave a sincere, "Thank you..."

"I-I'll n-need to make some calls...", V stuttered as she pulled away, "Job like this, we need bodies, and we need Blue's eyes..."

Billy shifted on his feet to follow as Miz walked past him, and he said not-so-sincerely, "You know where to find us."

"Yeah... I do...", V turned away from them, once again all alone in her empty throne room. She could hear Rogue's words echoing in the back of her mind, Not easy being queen, V... don't you ever forget that.

As the doors slid shut, she confessed to no one in particular, "Really wish I could..."

--

[Thirty minutes later - Crew Lockup, Kennedy & Duzois]

As if he owned the joint, Falco took in the once familiar space, walking a straight over to the small refrigerator, kicking it open and grabbing a beer before turning to Miz, "And pray-tell jus' what the hell was that?!"

Miz stared back with hardened eyes, not giving an inch, "You know what that was."

"Now, I made a promise to your old man, Miz...", the nomad chided her as he banged the lip of the bottle against the edge of the pool table to free the cap, "Whatever the hell you're playin' at... it's got to stop."

Miz pushed off the pool table with a disgusted sigh, trying to work through everything swirling around in her head before she turned to face him again, "I'm doing this... with or without any of you. This is my path now..."

None of the crew said a word, just waiting for this standoff to subside. Falco's steely resolve broke as he tried to make his point as gently as possible, "...Miz... the only reason I'm here is because your old man wants all of you out of this life... but you most of all."

"This is the only life I know...", Miz confessed as she looked down at her own two feet, "I tried to end it myself when we got back to camp..."

She fished around in her pockets for the single faulty round, holding it up for all to see, "One chance in a quarter million... that's what Saul said."

Everyone's eyes widened as the realization set in and she continued, "The only thing I have left is all of you, and as long as that motherfucker is alive... none of you are safe."

Falco didn't like it, but sure as shit he understood it, and he eased off as he lit a cigarette and kept to himself. Max stepped forward, leaning against the table as she said, in her own way, what everyone was thinking, "We na' gonya anywha' choomba... we seein' dis thwu ta de end wit' ya. Ya know better."

Ky followed up as he put his arm around Miz's shoulder, "Sorry to say, kid, but you're stuck with us until it's done..."

She choked on a laugh as she took in the warmth of the moment, fleeting as it may have been; she looked to Billy who only gave a slight smile hiding a sadness in his eyes. He was actually there for it. He watched it happen, and they hadn't said a word to each other about it since then.

Miz subtly nodded her head over towards the garage as she turned, lighting a cigarette and keeping up appearances as she said, "I need some air..."

Billy waited a few seconds before following, but his intent was painfully obvious to everyone present; not that they thought anything of it. The last 24 hours and then some had been a trying time to say the least. And before they headed right back into the fire, now was as good a time as any to say anything that needed saying.

He carefully stepped into the garage, finding the cigarette sitting in an ashtray as Miz had huddled herself in a small corner. Her entire attitude had changed from only a few moments ago; she was broken in two, fighting to keep it together as she kept looking at the dented round in her hand as she muscled out, "I-I'm so fucking ashamed of myself..."

There wasn't anything Billy could say to that, and so he kept quiet as Miz pressed him, "W-Why aren't you mad?! I made you watch! What the fuck are you even still doing her—"

She lost her voice, collapsing to her knees again just like she had in the desert; and just like in the desert, Billy knelt down in front of her as he carefully held her hands and sniffed up, "We both said a long time ago that what we have, this feeling, it's never going away..."

He carefully tilted her head up by the chin as he looked in her eyes, "You once told me you never had the strength to actually do it... I see that strength in you now, and... it... terrifies me."

She didn't know how to feel about that, but Billy pressed on, "You and Mom are all I have now, and I'll go to hell and back to protect that... and with you at my side, babe, I like my chances."

Miz cracked a smile through the tears as Billy pulled her close, "You said you'd go anywhere with me. I go where you go... and that's never going to change."

"I love you, Billy...", Miz spat as she wrapped herself around him, "...more than life itself."

He closed his arms around her as he pecked the side of her head, "I love you, Miz... to the moon and back..."

They held one another in silence for almost a minute before Falco called out gently from the doorway, "I know you well enough to know I can't steer you away from this, kid... too much of the old man in ya. Hell, I s'pose the leas' I can do is make myself useful... give you a shot at gettin' out alive an' me a shot at makin' good on my word."

Miz looked up to Falco as she smiled and nodded, "Thank you..."

"One thing I do know, though...", Falco continued, "If they got to Phoenix in Rancho, ain't nowhere safe for you to bunk where you've already bunked before... this place included."

Ky stumbled into the garage, effectively ruining the moment as he asked, "So what's our play, then?"

Falco pursed his lips and stroked his mustache as he mused, "I have a place not unlike this, over in South Kabuki, 'bout a step and a hop down from Miller's old joint... should do what we need for the time bein'."

Billy and Miz stood up together as they pulled away, Miz wiping the tears from her face as she composed herself, "Falco's right, we need to ditch this place, but before we do... I need a favor."

Falco perked up as Miz locked eyes with him, "I need to stop by Lizzie's..."

--

[Several hours later - South Kabuki]

There were worse places to stash an edgerunner's hideout in Night City, but the cramped and utterly claustrophobic stacks of South Kabuki's own walled city wouldn't be any sane person's first choice. That argument, however, relied on the presumption that a lone merc in Night City were actually truly sane by any clinical criteria.

Still, Falco's choice of a spot to lay low remained just about perfect for hiding in plain sight; nobody was coming looking for them, especially not with the scads of homeless junkies living in their own filth in every nook and cranny, and Tyger Claws wheeling and dealing on every corner.

Falco himself was actually impressed that the place hadn't been ransacked in all the time he'd been away, but he wasn't going to complain. It wasn't as spacious as the Kennedy lockup, but it was enough. It gave them all somewhere to recuperate and hash out the plan of what was to come.

The stale air didn't do anyone any favors, even with the ventilation system kicking on. It only pushed out the years' worth of stagnant cruft, clouding the entire space in a stench of old. Falco tried to counter this by leaving the garage door up, but the stench of the city wasn't much improvement.

Max took the liberty of commandeering a desk full of old terminals and towers, amused to find they still worked, even if they were horribly outdated, and she went to work bringing them up to speed while trying to ignore the gaggle of cables and cords. Not everyone could appreciate cable management like she could, and that was her own problem to sort out, but it didn't keep her from swearing under her breath, but just loud enough for their nomad host to hear.

Ky and Billy took inventory of weapons and tech, combining them with whatever they could carry from the old lockup. They had a veritable arsenal to choose from, but most of the incumbent gear hadn't been serviced in a long time, for obvious reasons. They had their work cut out for them.

Liv, try as she might, wasn't suited to either task, so she did the only thing she knew how, which was try and make their temporary home a little more livable. There was no end of cleaning to be done, and where Ky could spare his younger choom, she at least had Billy to help her out.

Falco had elected to pick up from scop from a local noodle joint down the street; he couldn't remember the last time, if at all, he'd seen the crew eat anything. He also insisted Miz needed to get some fresh air and clear her head, which means he had something he wanted to say, and she dreaded whatever wisdom he was about to impart on her. Instead, he asked a simple question, "Ya sure Lizzie's was the right call?"

She rolled her eyes as she took a drag of her smoke, "I trust him, Falco... I've known him my whole life."

"Fair 'nough...", he took a drag of his own smoke, exhaling through his nose, "So... what is your plan anyhow?"

Miz shrugged her shoulders, "I uh... I haven't gotten that far yet... how'd you and David do it with 'Saka way back when?"

"Shi-i-it... not an experience I'd like to repeat", Falco laughed as he choked on his cigarette, "Started as a mad-dash suicide run from the Badlands straight to Corpo Plaza with Arasaka operators and MAXTAC in pursuit... didn't hurt that the kid was already two feet over the edge..."

Her eyes cut to Falco in curiosity as he pre-empted the question, "Kid was already fightin' cyberpsychosis 'fore that, losin' himself an' fast... but chippin' in that exoskeleton was what finally did him in."

"H-He was... gone... after that?", she asked, to which Falco replied, "He was lucid 'nough with the 'blockers he was on to watch our backs, but even if he'd survived all that, there was no comin' back, and he knew it..."

Miz's head sunk as she looked down at the sidewalk. That wasn't the answer she'd hoped for, and it left her grinding her own gears to figure out exactly how they were going to storm a literal fortress in arguably the most guarded sector of the entire City. She took a brief moment to look up, inhaling deep as she admired the orange tint of the twilight. Falco noticed as he joked, "Y'know, more 'an a couple times now, I've seen ya staring into the great beyond..."

"I just...", Miz fought to find the right words, "It just all feels so small... everything we do, it feels like nothing matters when I look up and see how big everything else is around us."

"And yet I reckon there's at least one fella back at the hideout that'd argue you're his entire world", Falco chuckled to himself, "Tellin' me that's jus' small?"

Miz scoffed and shoved her old choom as he pressed her, "How'd y'all meet anyway?"

"Oh, man...", she laughed out loud, "That's a Night City love story for the ages."

"Well, we got time...", Falco egged her on before her eyes lit up orange. Saved by the bell, Miz sighed with relief as she answered, "Heya choomba..."

"Hey kid", V shot back, seemingly more upbeat than the last time they'd spoken earlier that day, "Got some good news... can you meet in a few hours?"

Miz checked the time in her HUD, reading 17:28, "Yeah, we're getting some food now... can't remember the last time any of us ate. 20:00 good?"

"It's a date. See ya soon", V confirmed, and the call dropped as Miz thought to herself, Good news... hopefully she has a plan.

Falco pulled her out of her own head as he gently nudged her with his elbow, "Got time now?"

Fu-u-uck. You.

--

[20:00 - Afterlife]

It was business as usual in Night City, it seemed. The Afterlife was back to its usual hustle and bustle, people coming and going. The crew really couldn't fault V or Rogue for that; it was a business after all. And they were here on business. And if they were really being honest, it was a little too eery for their liking, the legendary bar not blaring music as the who's-who of the underworld shared drinks and conversation.

Falco had elected to sit this meeting out for the sake of someone keeping an eye on Liv; for all her efforts to put on a strong face, even a slack-jawed gonk could tell she was still shaken up from everything, and likely would be for a while. So while the crew saw to their business and what was coming over the horizon, Falco took it a little easier for a bit to comfort a friend.

V was in surprisingly much better spirits than earlier, as she bounced on her feet to meet them, "What, no wheelman?"

They could all see Ky's jaw hit the floor as he fired back, "And just what the hell am I?!"

"A question for the ages...", V smirked with a wink as she turned toward her booth. They all knew the way, and she didn't have to tell them a damn thing. They each passed the bar as Claire handed them freshly opened beers, offering a kind smile and a nod. For as outgoing as she was, even she knew when to use her words sparingly. There was nothing she could say in that moment they likely hadn't heard a dozen or more times already.

The opaque glass door slid shut as V and the crew situated themselves. The left side of the booth felt strangely empty with only four of them occupying it. They all took a moment to reflect as V offered her own thoughts on the matter, "Times like these... shit, it feels like only yesterday that you all walked in here for the first time... and we all thought Max might actually kill me, and Miz might actually have a heart attack."

Max choked on a swig of her beer as the carbonated rush coming up her nose left her eyes wide and full of tears. Miz blushed with a wrinkle of her nose as she admired V handling the situation with her usual cool; she was the Living Legend for a reason. Billy chimed in, channeling more of Ky than he'd like to admit, "And we all thought Rogue might mount Pops on the bar..."

Miz smacked Billy's arm as she stifled a laugh. V narrowed her eyes, Billy locking in his icy stare as the corners of her mouth curled up, "It's been a wild ride with all of you, but one I'm glad to have been a part of..."

She nearly tripped over her own walk down memory lane before clearing her throat as she brought them back on track, "Right... so, we're in a bit of a jam with what it is you intend to do."

Miz took her shot, "Y-You said you had good news."

"And I do", the fixer answered, "But good in the context of your self-imposed suicide mission."

All the crew tensed up as V let the bite of her words settle in before she continued, "Blue of course can't offer his services in any official capacity... you understand, I'm sure, it's bad for business."

Suddenly Miz felt like she was in a principal's office being scolded for trying to do the right thing... until a holographic display popped up and V flashed her teeth, "But who says a blueprint of Militech HQ can't find its way into the hands of a little ol' fixer like me?"

Miz released the breath she was holding as she nearly screamed, scrambling to find her softpack as V enjoyed the moment, and the looks on all their faces. She let them peruse the readout for several seconds as she lit her own cigarette and took a drag with a smug sense of satisfaction. It felt good to know she could still surprise them. After a little too much silence had passed, she proceeded, "All-out assault's just... it's out of the question. Fly-boy here can probably attest as well as anyone, Militech is just NUSA brass in suits and ties, and they guard their corpo assets as well as they guard their bases. From top down, or from bottom up, there's no way you blast in there and make it more than two floors in either direction."

Ky smirked, leaning forward as he took his turn, "So we're back to lurking in the shadows?"

"Belly of the beast", V pointed with a click of her tongue, "What you all do best, right?"

"What's our entry point?", Billy asked as he manipulated the display with his finger tips, "There has to be utilidors of some kind for what you're implying..."

V waved her hand, assuming control of the display as she narrowed down to a sprawling network of old sewers and subway tunnels. In short, they were looking at the remains of the old Arasaka Towers' underground maintenance facilities. All of the crew leaned forward as Ky exclaimed, "Holy shit! That's... that's hallowed ground..."

"And yet it's a straight shot to intersect here...", V pointed as she leaned in further, "Main grid feeding power to the entire HQ building."

Miz chimed in this time as she exhaled smoke, "Couple of big booms, we can take out the power... won't they have generators? Backup systems?"

V smiled, as if she hadn't thought of that already, "From what we're told, the backup power systems are mission-critical only. All but the topmost floors will go dark... and from there, you can navigate upward through the maintenance and elevator shafts."

"An' dis way, no ot'ers be at risk for what we t'ere to do, wi?", Max asked with a genuine concern in her eyes. V nodded, "The four of you should be all that's needed, but of course we'll give you escorts to the insertion point. You can access the old tunnel networks from the port authority by Union Street. Arasaka used to dock there, and they never got rid of those entrance hatches... figured nobody was gonk enough to break into a guarded Arasaka installment..."

"Except you...", Billy fired back with a smile, "I know what you did for Reyes... and all of Santo."

She blushed as she tried to shake off a sudden case of the feel-goods and stay focused, "Uh... anyway, we have demolition charges, escorts, and vehicles ready to go... all's I need from you is a when."

Miz looked to her crew; it still felt weird referring to them as such, even if they'd said a thousand times they were with her no matter what. They all nodded in agreement, it was her call. She thought for several seconds, almost too long to bear, before she looked to V with a smile, "Tomorrow... dawn..."

V smiled back, "So be it.

--