Come on… move… Move, V…
Shinden… I’m sorry…
500 years… God knows how many generations have wielded this very weapon. The stories it must’ve had, the battles it must’ve seen… And it all came crashing down with me. Sadly, though, I lacked the convenience to mull over it. I had to get out of here.
“Takemura…” I moaned, “S-status…”
“Approaching Hanako-sama now,” he replied quietly, “No sign of Adam Smasher.”
“Make it quick…” I muttered, “I’ll be waiting at my car.”
Fuck… My hands… I can’t feel them… No… No, that’s because my gloves are… Fuck… Alright, come on, elevator… “AAHGH!” I grunted as I pressed the button, a nerve ending shooting up into my arm like a lightning bolt… Okay, so it’s adrenaline alone…
Gloves… I need to remove my… “Mmmph…” Come on, V… You can do this… You’ve been through worse… “NnggghhGGGAAHHH!!” FUCK!! God…
–
V desperately tried to peel the gloves off her hands, only to find that the fabric had quite literally melted directly into the fresh dermal layer that the nanosurgeons were building. Her world turned a hazy, darkened red color as she tunnel-visioned, getting out of the elevator while wincing in pain. Resorting to using the remains of Shinden to carve sections of gloves out of her hands, she finally gave up and let them rest as they were, electing to see Vik after all was said and done if the nanosurgeons weren’t up to the task.
“Are we good?” a news anchor called out from the scene, “Alright, we’re going live in… Fuck me, what the fuck…”
Gillean Jordan wasn’t easily startled, but the sight of the broken woman with the broken sword shambling down the plaza instantly gave her pause. “んんん [Mmmh]...” the woman groaned, trailing blood from somewhere beneath her black skirt. Despite clearly being heavily injured, she looked as if she was about to burst into flames at the drop of a hat. Her eyes darted around the courtyard, her teeth gnashed together, her posture heavy and deliberate. She looked like a woman who was simply traveling from one battlefield to another.
“Hey! Hey! Are you rolling?” Gillean Jordan asked her camera crew, the man simply nodding in reply and rotating the drone over to this incredibly bizarre sight. “Hey, Gillean Jordan, N54 News. Can I get a quick moment of your time? What happened up there?”
“黙れ [Shut up]…” the woman muttered back, stunning the news anchor as she passed without so much as a glance over to the camera. Her whole body appeared to be shaking uncontrollably, as if she was running on nothing but sheer will. Both the reporter and cameraman were left speechless as she disappeared into the night, heading down the sidewalk with everyone quickly darting away from her. It looked like a school of fish bending out of the way to avoid a dangerous predator, nobody so much as daring to go near her or follow her footsteps.
–
“V,” Takemura called me, “I’m making contact now. I will stream you the recording.” Takemura… Just do your fucking job… I don’t need this crap… Not now…
“Alright…” Fuck it, he’s gonna get all pissy if I d–”GGGAHHH!” Okay… okay… Holding up the phone is not gonna happen… “Yeah, y-you’ll have to describe it…”
“What’s the matter?” Takemura asked through a whispered voice.
“Well… your li-little pal, Oda… He used h-his thermal blades… My sword caught fire… Bur-burned my hands… I c-can't feel anything…”
“What?!” Judy shouted over the other line, “Did you say your sword caught FIRE?!”
“Mmrrrgh…” I stumbled around the block, catching sight of Miyoko… Finally… Just a little more…
“Jesus Mary fuck, V!” Judy cried out, “A-Are you okay? What can I do?!”
“I see,” Takemura inadvertently cut her off, “I will feed you the audio. The scene in front of me… Hanako-sama speaking with Yorinobu over a computer monitor… She appears distressed…”
“U-understood,” I stuttered, heading over to my trunk, “Mmhhffh… Come on… Just open…”
“V, where are you?!” Judy shouted again, her voice colored with genuine concern, “I’ll help, just tell me where you are!”
“N-no…” I muttered back to her, “I’ll be fine… I promise… I need– need you… to… try and lay low for a while. Okay?”
“Fuck that! V, I’m comin’ down there, fuck ‘em!”
“Judy… You’re o-out of the Mox. I’d… I’d never forgive m-myself if something– something happened… Please. I’ll be okay, I p-promise…”
“Swear to me, V,” she said sternly, “Swear to me, or I’ll come down there and fuckin’ kill you myself.”
“You h-have my word…” I told her through a shaking jaw, “I’ll come by where we last met when it’s better. I promise.”
I had no choice but to hang up… I knew damn well she would’ve come in two seconds. But there wasn’t a chance in Hell that I’d let that happen. Alright… open the trunk… come on… just do it… Get it over with… “NNNGGHUGGH!!” FUCK!… Okay… Okay, Shinden… I know you’re still sharp enough to cut open some paper bags…
I had never before eaten food so tasty as these lukewarm, expired emergency rations. Unable to physically hold the food, I laid the packages out on the ground, gnawing at their contents like a wild animal, desperately getting every morsel into me and covering my bloodied face and forearms with scop. “Don’t stare…” a woman whispered to her child as she walked past the horrid scene I was making, but I felt the nanosurgeons finally kicking back in and starting their work on my reddened, bloated hands.
“Okay… Okay, Takemura… I’m here…” I said between bites as I shoveled the food down my gullet as fast as I possibly could, my body so utterly drained on calories that my muscles felt like they were about to explode. I buried my hands into my face, trying desperately not to scream and draw even more attention to myself… Fuck… Shinden… I wanted to scream… I wanted so desperately to scream…
“Mmh…” he muttered in return, holding the phone up…
“Why did you stop?” asked Yorinobu over the computer screen. Hanako’s feet tapped restlessly on the ground as she sat there, her face dulled and anxious in the webcam’s mirror image.
“I was alerted of a threat,” she hastily explained, “Oda is not responding. Something’s wrong.”
“And if we cancel the celebrations, it will be taken as a sign of weakness,” Yorinobu quickly interrupted.
“Weakness? Whose, yours?” she got up and whiffed her arm at the screen.
“Ours,” he replied bluntly.
“Ours? I only agreed to this to honor the memory of Father,” she lashed back at him, angrily stomping around the room, “But now I’m starting to feel like your puppet.” I hate this inter-familiar drama bullshit, just get on with it… FUCK! My hands feel like they're about to explode…
Yorinobu breathed out and sighed, distorting the microphone slightly. “Everyone has their role to play in this spectacle, Michiko has no problem with that. But I understand – one word from you and we can end this, it’ll all be over. The most important thing to me is your safety.” I don’t buy that for a second.
Hanako paced around some more before finally sitting back down, staring with a deep introspection, as if she was looking off into space for a second. “Yorinobu…” she said with her chin rested on her hand, “We must finish it. For Father.”
“Thank you, Hanako,” Yorinobu said with renewed constitution, “It would’ve been a shame not to finish such heartwarming a ceremony.”
T-Takemura?! What the fuck’s he doing? He just… jumped down into the room-
“Fuck’s the mad bastard up to now?” Johnny suddenly appeared, “Love what you did with your hair, by the way. Got that new Mental Breakdown Special style.” Real funny, Johnny…
“Hanako-sama!” Takemura called out.
“You…” she immediately stopped what she was doing, backing up into the corner of the room.
“Forgive me, Hanako-sama – I ask only that you listen to me!” he spoke urgently, palming something behind him, “Your father–”
“How dare you speak of him!” Hanako shot back.
“This is the last thing I can do for him – to reveal the truth of his death!” Hanako seemed to be making a play to the stairs… Testing Takemura, not a good idea… “Please, do not make me do this, Hanako-sama…”
Suddenly, Takemura snapped into action, whipping out a taser from the small of his back and shocking Hanako, the woman collapsing into his arms. “What the fuck?! He shot her?!” Johnny blurted out as Takemura turned his face to the phone camera.
“V, run!!” he yelled as he threw Hanako over his shoulder.
Fuck– FUCK! What the FUCK! “Fuck this!” I gritted my teeth and threw everything into the trunk, collecting the remains of the fourth emergency ration and tossing it into the passenger seat. I frantically climbed in, setting what remained of Shinden down in the back and biting through the searing pain of trying to start my car. The ignition fought back against me, forcing me to turn the key with my teeth to finally get Miyoko to fire up.
God– FUCK! "AAGGH!” I screamed as I slam-shifted into first gear and took off like a rocket. I could barely keep Miyoko on the road, trying to shift gears by using both of my wrists like a pair of clamps to move the shift knob, grinding every gear on my way to fourth. I must’ve had at least three near-accidents in the span of as many city blocks, racing through the streets to make distance – as much as I could from this goddamn shit-show. “FUCK THIS. I don’t know what the FUCK is going on, why in God’s name did he fucking shoot her!” I bellowed at Johnny as I furiously threw my car around.
“Fuck knows. Told ya he couldn’t be trusted,” Johnny said awfully calmly, “Let the dog off the leash for five minutes, suddenly your sword catches fire and you’re rackin’ up reckless driving charges like it’s fuckin’ Christmas.”
“GOD! GAAH!” I gnawed down on my tongue to try and desperately curtail the pain in my hands as I picked up the phone – Takemura was calling again. Nope, your ass is going on speaker-phone… “WHAT!”
“V?! Are you secure?!”
“I’ll let you know in… GGNNFFF…” I grunted as I shifted back down to second to keep Miyoko from stalling after I rounded the next corner, “In about five minutes… What the fuck did you do?! Are you out of your MIND?!”
“There is no time to explain – we must meet! I have her with me,” he said hurriedly, “Vine Street apartment block, room 303. Knock four times!”
“Do you even realize how hard it is for me to knock once?!” I retorted, “Fuck… Fine…” The phone slipped off my left thigh and onto the center console before I had a chance to hang up… Fuck! Why’d he have to do this shit… Now, of all times…
I threw Miyoko around corner after corner, foregoing shifting gears in favor of just keeping it in third and riding the rev limiter. I’ll fix the goddamn engine later, I don’t care, I needed all the energy I can muster for the fight. And there will be a fight…
“What’re you thinkin’, V?” Johnny asked, appearing on my left as I veered onto Vine Street, keeping the engine running. My hands couldn't grasp the door handle - I ended up having to repeatedly kick the goddamn thing until the handle finally actuated and I could get out.
“I think this is a massive pile of crap,” I told him honestly, standing up and shaking more blood and dead flesh from my hands, “I think Takemura’s an impulsive tryhard. I think this whole fucking city should burn to the ground for all the shit it’s put me through over the past however-many years. Am I done relying on him? Yes.”
“Mmh, sensin’ a ‘but’ in there.”
“But…” I muttered while retrieving that bloated-ass pistol from Konpeki that rested in the back seat, “One way or another, we're going in the shit. Into what will likely be one of the most prolific hostage negotiations in known history… For that, you bet your ass that I am going to be well-prepared.” Opening the trunk and slipping the vest on was borderline agonizing. Thankfully I bought a reloading tool to help me with this massive fucking magazine, otherwise I’d be so screwed.
“No sword, though?” Johnny noted.
“No sword…” I muttered back to him, “Shinden’s done. It’s earned its rest.”
Pity that I didn’t have time to properly mourn because this fucking asshole decides it’s a good idea to kidnap the most powerful woman on the planet. But I guess we can’t all be the brightest bulb in the package.
I do wonder if this is some sort of deliberate ploy, though. Hanako is the closest person to the Emperor in terms of her mannerisms, her general demeanor, her power… Perhaps he sees this as something of a way to make it up, to validate himself.
It’s as if it hadn’t even occurred to him that a life without Arasaka is possible, that the end-all-be-all of his existence revolves totally and utterly around this megacorp. It’s so incredibly sad, too, because he has every reason to believe they have his best interests at heart. If his story’s true, then they took him in, gave him tools, an education, a life with meaning, and put him straight to work. And look at where all that hard work and effort has led him – some shitty, abandoned apartment building on the outskirts of Japantown, holding who is ostensibly his boss hostage. What a fucking Greek tragedy if I’d ever seen one.
“And what the fuck is that gun, anyway?” Johnny scoffed as I slammed the trunk and walked past him, pocketing another airhypo just in case.
“That’s an excellent question,” I told him bluntly, “Some bizarre novelty I picked up in Yorinobu’s penthouse. It’s a modified AR-15 of some sort, but it had this 100-round drum magazine and it’s remarkably controllable. And… well, it saved my life.”
“Yeah, I know that, I saw you shootin’ the shit when you were walkin’ back-to-back with Jackie,” he continued, “But what is it?”
“Something I only use when things get totally fucked, apparently,” I grimaced behind my Kevlar scarf, “Alright, let’s get to work. We don’t have much time.”
The building was completely dark on the inside. After giving myself a few seconds for my eyes to adjust, I began to see why – this place was falling apart. Rubble, old needles, and all manner of bodily detritus littered the floor. Every wall had massive structural holes in it. I’m frankly astonished it was still standing. But it will give me excellent cover when all Hell breaks loose. Plenty of breaks in sight lines, single-file only door frames and holes in the walls - this would be a nightmare to try and besiege, at least from this level. Nobody could flank, which is perfect for one or two combatants. I couldn't ask for better working conditions.
“Mmmh, fuck,” Johnny mumbled as I headed towards the staircase, “Pretty sure all that ‘Saka’s gotta do to level this dump is send in a guy with a sledgehammer and a case of beer. Fuckin’ thing looks like it’d already been through two wars by now.”
“No shit,” I replied in agreement as I headed up, weapon at the ready, “Not the worst place I’ve stayed in… But all the same, I don’t think it’s a good idea for us to tarry.”
How would I tackle this place to rescue a hostage… Probably wouldn’t risk something as dangerous as a breach and clear, not with all this crap everywhere. I’d be more likely to pop some EMP grenades in the room to disable everyone’s optics, then rush in and ice them all. Could also go the gas route, but Takemura probably has filters for that… Also his unique optics might not be affected by EMP blasts. Maybe percussive grenades, then.
Hm… Room 301 is littered with blood and feces all over the walls spelling out repetitive statements. Par for the course in this part of town. But no strike team waiting. I guess I really did get here first. That’s actually kind of surprising. Back in my Arasaka days, we may not have taken our jobs too seriously but we were always on time for shit like this…
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Alright, here we are, room 303. “Heh, 303…” Johnny mumbled to himself.
“Something you wanna share with the class there, Johnny?”
“Nah, just reminded me of a dream I had once. Headed into a place just like this, right down to the room number. Opened up the door and some fuckin’ suit blasted me in the chest with a Desert Eagle.”
“Fuck…” I sighed, “Well let’s hope that’s not an omen.” Okay… Knock four times. Game-face on, V. God knows what’s behind this door.
“V,” Takemura said as the door slowly opened. He checked behind and around me, as if I hadn’t a million times so far. “Okay, come inside. This is an old safehouse of mine, it has no bugs.” Looks like a full-size studio. Plenty of room to maneuver when we get blitzed, but also plenty of room to be flanked. I'd much rather us have a place with more angles in it, places for grenades to get snagged on before they made it to the center and fucked everyone inside. Hell, if I had a choice, I'd not be in this fucking city at all. Give me an abandoned structure in the Badlands any day. But beggars can't be choosers.
I noted a certain someone sat facing away from us, all the way on the other side of the room. Though I held no particular fondness for the Arasaka family anymore, I had to admit that she certainly held an aura about her. It almost looked like a glimpse into another dimension. Or, perhaps, like she was transported here from outer space. Either way, it was immediately obvious that she had no business being locked in this room. Not the least of which because Takemura dragged her ass out of there against her will. There is no way she doesn’t have a subdermal tracker. We had maybe three minutes, if we were lucky.
“Alright, so would you like to explain to me exactly why you felt compelled to kidnap this woman?” I sneered at him.
Takemura glanced over behind me, drawing my attention to her. “I used a sedative… she was about to activate her tracker. I had no choice.”
“Like fuck you didn’t! You could’ve just sat her down and – know what, nevermind,” I rolled my eyes, “Fine. Look, we have maybe two minutes, so let’s get down to business.”
“Mm,” he nodded, “I made her some tea. But she respectfully declined.”
“Tea…? Now?! Wow, I can’t imagine why she'd decline…” I scoffed before heading over. We had to make this fast. Damn fast. This room was the opposite of secured. Third floor, so they could breach from below us. Could go in through the windows, roof… anywhere. Fucking hell.
The woman sat motionless in an utterly gorgeous dress, her eyes staring off her left shoulder condescendingly, neither giving myself nor Takemura the courtesy of her full attention. I couldn’t say I blamed her. But regardless of how she felt about the present situation, I really couldn’t give a damn about her comfort. She’ll be back at home sipping her fucking tea by the end of the night no matter what happens.
“Good evening,” I told her, “My name is V. Former Arasaka counterintelligence. Let me preface by apologizing for Takemura’s actions. We only wish to talk.”
“Hmmh,” she grunted dismissively, “That is the second time I have heard that today.”
“Then let me cut right to the chase and tell you something you likely have never heard before,” I said as I took a seat across from her, “Your brother strangled the Emperor. And I am one of the crime’s witnesses.”
“Pff…” she brushed me away dismissively, “You must think me mad to believe such nonsense.”
“Hanako-sama. With all due respect, you must think me mad for showing up to this death-trap and putting everything I’ve worked for on the line for a single conversation,” I fired back at her, “I just been through Hell, and I take my job very seriously - I am not in the mood to debate. I am here to make you an offer.”
“What, you? Make me an offer?” she hissed at me.
“Let me show you something…” I peeled back my bangs, exposing my forehead, “You see that? That’s a bullet wound. I would be dead right now, if not for the Relic. More specifically, the Relic your brother stole from Arasaka-sama and was planning to sell to NetWatch. If you help me extract it, I will provide you with my testimonial. Consider this conversation an appetizer. Take it or leave it.”
“Hanako-sama,” Takemura interjected, “V is living proof of Yorinobu’s crimes! If we help her, we can confirm everything–”
“Shut up!” I shouted, suddenly standing up, “Takemura… Cover.”
“What is it?” he asked me, Hanako eyeballing the wall on the other side of the room. She knew exactly what was coming…
“They’re here…” I scowled. The room went dead-silent. Everything except the rustling of an empty soda can outside… “Takemura…”
Takemura wordlessly looked over to me, retrieving his weapon and checking to see if it's loaded.
I shook my head at him, signaling a ‘no…’ Two fingers to my eyes, then directed towards the wall. Number zero, five, hand gesture low, finger up and spinning around into two fingers pointed to the door. Five soldiers, at least, moving in a unit outside the wall, headed to the door. Clapping motion into a fist towards the door. Stun grenade breach imminent. I slipped my scarf back over my face and took front and center, placing myself in between Hanako and their most likely avenue of approach. Right eye point, then Takemura. Cover the right flank, they may be outside the windows.
Takemura nodded in understanding, focusing outside and propping his weapon in a windowsill. He looked back at me and I knew exactly what he was going to sign before he signed it – an AV was approaching. They had multiple trucks outside. Enough for several assault teams… We’re surrounded. Alright… Game-face on, V– Wait… No, no, they're coming… Fuck, not from that angle… Don't breach there-
–
“行け [GO]!!–” V tried to shout before she was interrupted by the sudden, terrifying onslaught of a simultaneous push from both sides. Stun grenades rolled in from the doorway and the windows alike, a hail of gunfire opening up on the three of them and easily penetrating through walls. In an instant, the room turned to an incredible warzone, the armor-piercing projectiles shredding all forms of cover in seconds as all three of them impulsively ducked down to protect their heads from shrapnel.
Takemura covered Hanako with his body, grabbing his weapon off the floor and returning fire. V’s hands, still barely functioning, went into overdrive once again and grasped at her pistol, leveling it with the guards outside. She swept the hallway with armor-piercing rounds of her own, striking home and hitting two breachers in the chest before the rest of the crew blasted in.
The AV blew a hole clean through the side of the building, a squad of four guards rushing out and forcing Takemura to the corner as they secured Hanako. V, still partially stunned from the grenade, could still see due to her natural eyes being unaffected by the EMP blast that accompanied it. But she held her fire, knowing she was thoroughly and utterly outmatched, instead waiting for an opportune moment to perhaps strike a grenade or take a guard as a human shield. That is, until she saw the occupant of the AV itself.
Adam Smasher, in the flesh (or metal, as it were), personally grabbed Hanako and held her stunned body in his massive arms, carrying her back on-board. V instinctively leveled her weapon, but his sheer weight coupled with the extensive damage and heat from the AV took a catastrophic toll on the building’s structural integrity.
The ground shuttered and collapsed beneath everyone’s feet, plunging V through two stories’ worth as the guards and her all broke through the concrete below them with ease. V’s broken, battered hands were unable to hold on to her weapon, the sawn-off AR-15 tumbling beside her and discharging upon smashing the floor, nearly hitting her in the process.
The wind was instantly knocked out of the samurai, forcing her to retrieve the second airhypo and inject it. Her heart immediately fired back up to 180 BPM and she gasped for breath on the concrete rubble, frantically searching around until she found her weapon.
“V, come on!!” Johnny appeared before her, “Last chance to get the fuck outta here!”
“竹… 竹村 [Ta… Takemura]…” she muttered out-loud, glancing back up into the moonlit sky above her. Most of the building was completely destroyed, with whole floors collapsing around them.
“Forget him! Guy’s toast!” Johnny shouted in return, “And we will be soon unless you get your fuckin’ ass in gear and back to Miyoko, now move!”
Despite everything he put her through, however, Takemura did not deserve to die tonight. No, Johnny, no more screaming, she thought to herself, checking her weapon’s chamber and steeling herself to climb the gauntlet. V counted her lucky stars to be wearing solid plate body armor, the same model she was given in the War. The hardened blend of composite ceramic plates was typically provided to siege units just like these ones, meaning she had to be precise with her shots. While Shinden could’ve made quick work of these goons in close-quarters, she couldn’t risk her usual tactics without any measure of solid defense.
V moved quickly yet deliberately, the agonizing pain in her hands now numbed thanks to the airhypo coupled with the adrenaline pumping through her veins. Without her sword, her nanosurgeons had plenty of spare calories to repair the remains of her wrists and the various other burns, leaving her with near-full mobility aside from her broken bones and several severely compromised muscle strands.
Modifying her stance to suit her injuries proved easy enough, though she wasn’t terribly used to the notion of ‘cover,’ a point which Johnny immediately criticized as soon as she opened fire on the hallway outside of the room she was in. Red signal flares illuminated every corner of the first floor, painting the various rooms in harsh shades and offering her a convenient smoke and thermal barrier, disrupting the enemy's targeting capabilities. Evidently they didn't think they would need such software in the confines of a building - it would prove a fatal mistake to many.
She memorized Arasaka's clearing patterns intimately from her time in Benkei. Always move in teams between three and six. Small confines like this, probably three or four. Two soldiers with flashlights on, two without, helping funnel fire to the most heavily-armed men while the others flanked around the sides. It wasn’t a perfect arrangement – there were cracks. Smoke, for instance, blinded the flashlights. They use flares to disrupt cybereyes, with V’s being unaffected, though it ruined her night vision as a result. Thankfully they were kind enough to put flares in every room. Night vision be damned. Apparently they didn't update their files to include her organic eyes - it was likely a one-time get out of jail free card for V. They weren't liable to repeat such an egregious oversight.
The staircase was on the opposite side of the building, with V having no fewer than four assault teams on the first floor alone, numbering a total of 15 shock troopers and a netrunner as backup. Carving them up proved remarkably easy, however, as she darted between cover, the black skirt acting to break up her silhouette as she crouched down. Soldiers seemed to fall at random as she popped out of odd bits of disused furniture, relying heavily on her training in asymmetrical guerrilla warfare to win the day. It's a process she was well-versed in - she had conducted dozens of gigs in buildings just like this one. The only differences are her weapons and the enemy having more armor.
As soon as she finished up on the first few teams, the runner tried to get a bead on her cyberware but came up completely empty, thinking that maybe the EMP grenade from earlier still hadn't run its course through her aging deck. But he stood no chance once the largely organic V found him in the next room, unloading several rounds to the back of his head and mercilessly dropping him like a lump of coal. She quickly produced her reloading tool, a stripper clip-type mechanism that could load 30 rounds in one shot, dumping its contents into the magazine and getting ready for more.
Despite not having a sword, V was by no means defenseless; her extraordinary reflexes granted her near-peerless levels of dexterity. She instantly switched between targets directly in front of her thanks to her speedware, granting her just enough mobility to suppress multiple combatants at once. Her hands trembled and shook with the vibration of the weapon, threatening to lose their grip as she bit down and clutched onto it as hard as she possibly could. She resorted to gripping one hand with the other and tucking the buffer tube into her shoulder to help keep a solid hold of her gun, ruining her accuracy – not that it mattered in such tight confines, however.
The firefight spilled out into the hallway leading up to the staircase, with soldiers pouring in from outside to try and capture her. They must want me alive, she thought to herself, noting their tendency to go for flanks and stun grenades – all the better for her, since she was in no shape to sustain multiple bullet wounds. Nevertheless, they got a few lucky shots off, bouncing harmlessly off her vest as she ducked down to preserve her vulnerable head and limbs. With every helmet these days featuring a cybereye-compatible visor, there was no feasible way for her to use any of these without blinding herself in the process. Instead, the best she could do was awkwardly brace herself on any cover she could find, shooting around corners with precision through sheer volume of fire.
–
“I don’t care!” I screamed at Johnny as I headed up the stairs, “They do not get their pound of flesh from him–GAAHHH!!!” Another one down… I could feel my gun threatening to run out of ammunition again. Just like old times, eh, Jackie… Heh… Luckily this bastard has plenty of .223 on him. Could probably get Takemura to reload me once I get up there…
“And why the fuck not?! He’d leave us in a heartbeat and you know it!” he shouted back at me.
“No, you know that, Johnny,” I dismissively shook my head, loading a couple of magazines of this idiot’s ammunition into my reloading tool, “And you know what? That’s one more reason why we’re not alike.”
“Please, you can’t be that naive, V. There must be another dozen soldiers up there!”
“Then it’s a good thing this guy has ammo,” I sneered, “And besides, last time I checked, Rogue didn’t leave you behind even though you fucking cheated on her ass. So I rest my case.”
I quickly threw my hair back over my head, the clip having been long-since lost in the scuffle. Hair kept getting in my face and eyes… Fucking stupid problem to have. This is why I should’ve just gotten the fucking thing crew cut, but no…
Whatever. Regardless of anything else, I am going to get Takemura. And I will not die trying.
I’ve been lucky so far, but this floor has no signal flares on it. They can target me just fine… Fuck…
“Startin’ to reconsider, eh?” Johnny criticized, appearing in the middle of the hallway. “Can’t say I blame ya.”
“Johnny… Not now…” I glared at him, “In case you haven’t noticed, I have more important things on my mind.” Four sentries stood watch in the hallway in case Takemura got any bright ideas, I imagine. I could hear shooting and screaming inside… He was still alive. But barely.
No… No, I had no time for this shit.
Just do it, V. You’ll get hit. But you’ll take it.
–
V screamed her way down the hall, unloading half of her 100-round drum directly at the sentries that immediately returned fire. Bullets criss-crossed throughout the battleground, the zig-zagging architecture reminiscent of a Great War trench and cutting off two of the soldiers’ lines of fire. Nevertheless, V mushed onwards, charging hard into the assault without letting up, her weapon’s barrel glowing red-hot and spewing sparks with every shot.
The return fire was accurate and unrelenting, scoring no less than ten hits on V’s torso armor, shattering most of the plates lining it and knocking the wind out of her. She fell to a prone position and kept firing, a stray round glancing off the side of her head and bouncing off her back, ringing her head like a bell. She screamed out in pain, blood pouring from the back-right side of her skull, nevertheless still firing her weapon until every last soldier was dead.
–
Gah… Fuck me… I could feel it… The blood in my hair. On my neck… Airhypo or not, I can’t take much more of this… But once I met up with Takemura, maybe I won’t have to…
“BAAAHHH!!” he shouted from inside the room, followed by more gunfire… Must have gone through five magazines by now. I’m shocked he was still alive… They must want to capture him as well… Fuck… Come on, V… We have to move… You got this. Come on, you got this…
Take the pain.
Take the pain…
You’ve been through worse. Now shut up and go do your fucking job.
Breach in. Nobody’s looking at me. Good.
Put a shot directly in the back of this man’s skull. Five shots remaining, by my count. Drop the weapon, take his. Use the slumped body for cover.
Unload on second. Flashlight next. Ten rounds remaining.
“FREEZE, MOTHERFUCKER!” I screamed at the top of my lungs, getting the last one’s attention… Perfect, give me a shot, give me a shot…
There, underside of the visor.
“Takemura!” I shouted as I collected my weapon off the ground, “Clear!”
“Mmhh…” Takemura groaned as he came out from behind a kitchen counter – Fuck me…
“T-Takemura?” I stuttered, “Are you okay?!” His face was gushing blood from his forehead. He’d been shot, no question.
“Mmh, a glancing blow,” he said sternly, “I am okay. What are you doing here? You should not have come back for me, we’ll never make it!”
“Try… me…” I snarled through locked teeth. “I may not have my sword, but I can still fight. Now help me reload my weapon.”
“Sure,” he said, his mouth spitting blood with every word, “Cover the door for me.”
I grabbed his weapon and ducked behind the kitchen counter, eyeballing the door while I assumed he was listening to the hallway. Takemura may have been impulsive, but he’s an expert fighter. Regardless of my personal feelings towards him right now, we could get through this if we stuck together. “V, the tracker!” Johnny suddenly interrupted my train of thought. Fuck, that’s right… I completely forgot I had it on me. No wonder they found us so soon if Hanako didn’t activate hers…
“How many did you get?” I asked Takemura, glancing around the room at the bodies.
‘Three or four,” he stated, “One fell down.”
“That’s one assault team down, then,” I muttered to myself, checking his magazine. Halfway used… Right, I can make that work for two. “How’s it looking, Takemura?”
“Almost done…” he said frustratedly, “We have to split up when we leave here.”
“Agreed,” I nodded, checking the windows. “Four SUVs outside. Means we’re likely to run into at least one more team.” Fuck… Well at least these assholes were armed to the teeth. Means I’m not likely to run low anytime soon.
“Ready,” Takemura said, exchanging my weapon for his. I pumped the charging handle and checked the chamber – ready to go. “And V, thank you for coming back. I owe you my life.”
“My pleasure,” I nodded, “I hope you don’t mind us taking the express way down.”
“What?”
“First floor is mostly cleared. We take the stairs, it’s suicide,” I told him bluntly, “Now get down that hole.”
“Mmh, right,” he mumbled, “My van is parked around the back.”
“I have Miyoko parked out front,” I replied, “We’ll go from there.”
“Mm.”
–
V and Takemura both jumped down each story in-turn, backing each other up with covering fire from above as the final team pushed in through the door. “準備はいいよ [Ready to go],” V muttered to Takemura as she dropped down to the first story behind him, eyeballing the hallway in front. The pair had to step over several bodies on their way through each room, riddled with bullets from her weapon.
Takemura was thoroughly impressed at the samurai’s fervor, being able to operate effectively despite her extensive injuries. Nevertheless, he could tell she was running on fumes, heaving and panting with every step and struggling to grip her weapon properly. She would be dead if she didn’t have him around – likely the reason why she collected him. Going on the run solo was a death sentence where Arasaka was concerned, and he knew it. Though he couldn’t help but notice that the beacon he fixed to her shoulder several months ago reported her position as still in the room. Had she located it? He needed a new plan.
One last assault team stormed their position, forcing Takemura to collect someone else’s weapon after his ran dry. They covered one another in formation, a practice V hadn’t conducted in over seven years but was still just as proficient.
Tightening confines in each of the rooms provided a boon for the pair, with the team being unable to flank either of them effectively in the red, shrouded smoke. Takemura’s advanced cybereyes easily overpowered the debilitating effects of the flares – to him, this was nothing more than a casual hunting excursion. Neither himself nor V sustained any further damage, the teams crippled by their own tactics and battleground they chose. V sawed through them one at a time, the rooms not allowing any more than a single-file procession through, making the cleanup trivial by comparison to Konpeki’s wide-open lobbies.
The sole remaining soldier stood guard by the door leading out to her car, but V was having none of it. She had already lost one precious item that night. Two would simply be too much. The sight of the soldier in between V and her car sent the samurai into a blind, furious state, dumping the entire contents of her magazine straight into his chest and back as he spun around and slumped on the door. The poor soldier’s body violently twitched and gyrated into unnatural positions, his bones shattering beneath the overwhelming firepower of her weapon.
Takemura watched on as V’s gun ran dry, breathing smoke and fire from the barrel as she sneered and shook with fury and rage. Her blood pressure must have been high enough to blast the paint off her car. V’s knuckles oozed blood that leaked through the fabric of her gloves, drenching her hands in deep crimsons and blacks. Yet she still held on to her weapon as if her life depended on it.
–
“Okay… nnngh… Go!” I shouted to Takemura, clearing my car’s immediate surroundings. I had no doubt these people would chase us to the ends of the Earth of they saw us. “Get in!”
“No,” Takemura quickly replied as he ran out after me, “We will have a better chance of dividing their forces if we went separately!”
“Takemura! Don’t be a fucking idiot!” I yelled at him, “Get in the fucking car!!”
“Good luck, V!” Takemura scampered away to the right of the apartment… What the fuck was he doing?! Whatever, I don’t have time – he wants to get killed, that’s his own goddamn business at this point.
I threw my weapon in the back seat and hammered the throttle, driving in the opposite direction to Takemura in a desperate effort to make as much ground as possible. “Fuck, what the fuck’s that asshole’s problem,” Johnny hissed from the passenger seat, “Ungrateful prick. You save his life, and he goes right back into Daddy ‘Saka’s arms.”
“Fuck him,” I shouted, dropping Miyoko into fifth gear and getting on the highway, “We’ll need to ditch my car for now. Miyoko’s too noticeable.”
“Mm,” Johnny nodded in agreement, “Get us to that motel you were at with Panam. Place had a garage, we’ll store it there.”
“Right,” I replied, sawing through traffic with a feverish fury. I felt like I could barely remember anything… It was all just a blur, yet it only happened about five minutes ago. Oda, Takemura, Hanako, Shinden… It was too much…
Don’t think. Stop, V. Stop. Stop thinking about it.
Just get out.
Get out…
