Making It in Night City - Chapter 25

+NEW JOB

DOLL IN HIDING

Seeing the new job pop up made me wonder how the mission system worked. Are these preset missions given to me once I meet some criteria? Or are they generated on the spot when the system deems I have begun something substantive? It also makes me wonder if there are any penalties for failing to complete a mission. The only thing I screwed up so far was an optional objective, which didn't seem to adversely affect me. As I was wondering about the mechanics of my system I saw V make a turn and walk past some Moxs. I cleared the thoughts from my head and focused back on the task at hand.

I followed V as she walked past the dressing room and into Judy's BD editing bay. The Moxs on guard only lightly questioned V but let her pass since they'd seen her here before. The room was a mess of netrunning chairs, monitors, and electronics. The low whine of servers was only accompanied by the punk rock on the radio. That was until someone from behind the desk screamed in frustration.

"These funkin' gonks keep bringin' me worthless shit! Susie needa stop buying from any loser on the street."

A woman then stood up from behind some screens and reached her arms above her head while leaning back. Once she finished stretching, she relaxed and saw me and V in her room. Aqua hair with pink tips, tattoos all over her body, and the weird pairing of black leather overalls and a crop top; yup, it's Judy. Seeing V stunned her for a second, but she recovered and sat back down, trying to seem casual.

"Look what the cat dragged in. You never quit, do you? I told you on the phone already. I don't know where Ev is."

My spy footage says otherwise. I patted V's shoulder and walked past her. Dragging a chair from a different desk to the one Judy was at and sat down across from her. I looked at Judy through a gap between her monitors and introduced myself.

"Hello, Judy. Name's Basil. Can you just make this easy for everyone and just bring Evelyn here? I promise we have her best interest in mind."

Judy rolled her eyes exaggeratedly and crossed her arms.

"What are you, deaf? Like I told your friend over there, I don't know where she is."

"*Tsk tsk tsk* You shouldn't lie, Judy. You're friends in danger, and instead of welcoming help, you're pushing us away?"

My tone was incredibly condescending, like how a parent would chastise their children when they caught them lying.

"The only person in danger is you if you don't leave now."

As much as I like Judy and want Evelyn to avoid her undeserved fate, I also don't want to waste time. She needs to be made aware of just how fucked her friend is.

"Evelyn fucked with Yorinobu and is linked with Saburo's death. That's bad enough, but do you know who hired her to do the job? She was hired by the Voodoo Boys, and they are not happy right now."

I let my words sink in. I can see the tension grow in Judy's body. Her shoulders stiffened, her jaws clenching together, and her hands gripped her crossed arms. I feel she's teetering on the edge of calling in security to kick us out. Still, her curiosity is currently getting the better of her.

"That BD chip? That was supposed to be for the Voodoo Boys, and now they know Evelyn tried to screw them. She's also the only one connecting them to the job at Arasaka."

I scootched my chair closer and bent slightly forward, leaning my arms on my thigh.

"Yorinobu knows that the only person who could have gotten the information out about his penthouse is Evelyn. The Voodoo Boys think she's a loose end that knows too much. Your girl doesn't stand a chance without us."

Judy still thinks things will blow over, or Evelyn can just leave Night City to resolve this problem. That couldn't be further from the truth. She wasn't even aware of the cause and the lengths the forces involved were willing to go to cover their tracks. And I could see the hesitation in her eyes as she finally noticed the metaphorical noose tightening around her friend's neck.

"No... We're safe. The Mox will protect us."

"You, maybe. Evelyn? No, not a snowball's chance in hell. She's a doll, not a Mox. And she's too much baggage. Q would never take such a risk when she's already stretched so thin."

Judy was now stressed, or maybe the stress was always there, and she was only now showing it. Her legs bounced as her mind raced for options to keep her friends safe. That was Judy's problem. She thinks everyone is out for her, so she tries to solve her problems independently. But she's also clever and realizes that her choices are dwindling.

"I want to repeat this, we are here to help. You don't have the resources and even fewer friends, but we're here to offer an out."

I stood and looked down at Judy to give her my offer for Evelyn.

"What I am asking for is simple. I can get the Voodoo boys off her back if she promises to stay low and help me with Arasaka when I ask. Once everything is safe, I can give her a new face and identity, so she can finally chase that dream of hers to become an actor." 

I could hear the rhythmic stomping caused by her bouncing feet as her shoes hit the ground. She was looking down and biting her lips, considering what I had just said. After a bit of deliberation, she looked back up at me.

"It's not my decision to make. I have to ask Evie first."

I shrugged. That's true. This isn't a unilateral decision Judy could make for her friend.

"I'm not going to follow you. I'm not going to try to track Evelyn down. You have my promise that V and I will not attempt to harm Evelyn. But make it clear to her that the second she steps out of hiding, the Voodoo boys and Arasaka will be after her. The clocks ticking, so I'll need a response within forty-eight hours."

I turned around once I said my piece and made my offer, walking out of Judy's room with V in tow. Despite telling V to let me handle all the talking, I was still surprised by how quiet V was throughout the conversation. Then again, I told him the information on the Voodoo Boys prior, which is all she wanted from Evelyn anyway. While on our way out of Lizzies, I gave V the meeting point for the Hellman job two days from now.

The doors to the entrance opened and showed that it was currently raining. V stopped before stepping out, pulling a cigarette out of her jacket and lighting it where it won't be snuffed out. The faint orange glow grew into an intense ember when she took a long drag. I didn't have anything to block the downpour, so walking to my car was going to be annoying and wet. I took off my jacket and looked over at V.

"One last thing, wait to tell Takemura about Hellman or our plans until I say so."

V removed the cigarette from her mouth and blew a large plume of grey smoke. She looked at me, gave a slight nod, and then raised her cigarette again. Takemura wants Yorinobu dead, but I don't know how he will react to information about Saburo still being 'alive'. Before I can let him in, I need to see where his loyalty lies. In the best-case scenario, he only cares about the truly alive heirs and helps Hanako ascend to the throne. In the worst-case scenario, he actively works to restore Saburo to the physical world.

I unlocked my van and raised my jacket over my head, using it as a makeshift umbrella. Sprinting out of the bar, I heard water splashing every time one of my feet landed on the ground. I rushed inside the van and quickly closed the door behind me to gain separation from the elements. I listened to the pitter-patter of raindrops as they hit the windshield and the tiny thumps as the water hit the metal bodywork. 

I stopped by a gun shop to pick up a Militech Crusher, a bunch of mags, new armor, a ballistic helmet, and some new armor. Out of curiosity, I asked if they had any weapon schematics, and surprisingly they did. Sometimes weapon manufacturers will designate stores as a certified repair shops. This store I was at held several Tsunami Defense System blueprints for repairing the Nue pistol. I asked if I could buy it from the clerk, but she wanted a ridiculous 21000 Eddies. I guess it was expensive because it was technically corpo IP, and she wasn't supposed to sell it. I kindly declined her offer since there was no reason for me to buy such a thing, and left the store.

Militech Crusher

Once I was back home, I opened my crafting system and made an unholy amount of frag grenades and bounce backs. I wanted to craft better guns but needed better components and schematics first. Since I didn't have Eddies burning a hole through my wallet, I'll have to hope to find the specs and parts out in the wild. The other option was to raise my crafting level high enough to unlock some basic specs. At crafting levels nine, thirteen, and fourteen, rare, epic, and iconic specs are opened, respectively. After all the ammo, explosives, and medical supply I crafted, I was only at level six, so it would take some severe grinding.

After sorting my gear and getting everything ready, I hopped into bed and thought about what I had to do for the next few days. I still needed to inspect and pick up the upgraded cyberware I wanted, so the majority of tomorrow will be spent hitting up the shops on the list I made with Vic and purchasing chrome. The day after that will be spent dry running our plans for getting Hellman. Panam called me earlier today and said Saul wasn't willing to participate, but she rounded up a team ready to take the risk. She didn't tell me who they were, but I bet it was the same group that raided the Basilisk convoy.

Remembering the veterans brought back fresh memories of how many of them died. Scorpion, Bob, Teddy, and even Saul. I was sad at their sacrifices in the game but I quickly overcame it. It's just a video game, after all. But now they were real people, some of which considered my friends. My hands balled into a fist, and I promised myself that things would be different this time. This time things will be better.

Author's Note

The reason why I made the poll was to see how many people played the game is because I wanted to see how detailed I should get with the story telling. I thought that most if not all of you would have had some experience playing the game, so I didn't want to bog the story down with exposition explaining things. But it seems a surprising amount of you haven't touched it yet so I'll continue with what I've been doing.

Later

+NEW JOB DOLL IN HIDING Convince Evelyn and Judy to accept your plans Seeing the new job pop up made me wonder how the mission system worked. Are these preset missions given to me once I meet some criteria? Or are they generated on the spot when the system deems I have begun something substantive? It also makes me wonder if there are any penalties for failing to complete a mission. The only thing I screwed up so far was an optional objective, which didn't seem to adversely affect me. As I was wondering about the mechanics of my system I saw V make a turn and walk past some Moxs. I cleared the thoughts from my head and focused back on the task at hand. I followed V as she walked past the dressing room and into Judy's BD editing bay. The Moxs on guard only lightly questioned V but let her pass since they'd seen her here before. The room was a mess of netrunning chairs, monitors, and electronics. The low whine of servers was only accompanied by the punk rock on the radio. That was until someone from behind the desk screamed in frustration. Spoiler collapse "These funkin' gonks keep bringin' me worthless shit! Susie needa stop buying from any loser on the street." A woman then stood up from behind some screens and reached her arms above her head while leaning back. Once she finished stretching, she relaxed and saw me and V in her room. Aqua hair with pink tips, tattoos all over her body, and the weird pairing of black leather overalls and a crop top; yup, it's Judy. Seeing V stunned her for a second, but she recovered and sat back down, trying to seem casual. Spoiler collapse "Look what the cat dragged in. You never quit, do you? I told you on the phone already. I don't know where Ev is." My spy footage says otherwise. I patted V's shoulder and walked past her. Dragging a chair from a different desk to the one Judy was at and sat down across from her. I looked at Judy through a gap between her monitors and introduced myself. "Hello, Judy. Name's Basil. Can you just make this easy for everyone and just bring Evelyn here? I promise we have her best interest in mind." Judy rolled her eyes exaggeratedly and crossed her arms. "What are you, deaf? Like I told your friend over there, I don't know where she is." "*Tsk tsk tsk*You shouldn't lie, Judy. You're friends in danger, and instead of welcoming help, you're pushing us away?" My tone was incredibly condescending, like how a parent would chastise their children when they caught them lying. "The only person in danger is you if you don't leave now." As much as I like Judy and want Evelyn to avoid her undeserved fate, I also don't want to waste time. She needs to be made aware of just how fucked her friend is. "Evelyn fucked with Yorinobu and is linked with Saburo's death. That's bad enough, but do you know who hired her to do the job? She was hired by the Voodoo Boys, and they are not happy right now." I let my words sink in. I can see the tension grow in Judy's body. Her shoulders stiffened, her jaws clenching together, and her hands gripped her crossed arms. I feel she's teetering on the edge of calling in security to kick us out. Still, her curiosity is currently getting the better of her. "That BD chip? That was supposed to be for the Voodoo Boys, and now they know Evelyn tried to screw them. She's also the only one connecting them to the job at Arasaka." I scootched my chair closer and bent slightly forward, leaning my arms on my thigh. "Yorinobu knows that the only person who could have gotten the information out about his penthouse is Evelyn. The Voodoo Boys think she's a loose end that knows too much. Your girl doesn't stand a chance without us." Judy still thinks things will blow over, or Evelyn can just leave Night City to resolve this problem. That couldn't be further from the truth. She wasn't even aware of the cause and the lengths the forces involved were willing to go to cover their tracks. And I could see the hesitation in her eyes as she finally noticed the metaphorical noose tightening around her friend's neck. "No... We're safe. The Mox will protect us." "You, maybe. Evelyn? No, not a snowball's chance in hell. She's a doll, not a Mox. And she's too much baggage. Q would never take such a risk when she's already stretched so thin." Judy was now stressed, or maybe the stress was always there, and she was only now showing it. Her legs bounced as her mind raced for options to keep her friends safe. That was Judy's problem. She thinks everyone is out for her, so she tries to solve her problems independently. But she's also clever and realizes that her choices are dwindling. "I want to repeat this, we are here to help. You don't have the resources and even fewer friends, but we're here to offer an out." I stood and looked down at Judy to give her my offer for Evelyn. "What I am asking for is simple. I can get the Voodoo boys off her back if she promises to stay low and help me with Arasaka when I ask. Once everything is safe, I can give her a new face and identity, so she can finally chase that dream of hers to become an actor." I could hear the rhythmic stomping caused by her bouncing feet as her shoes hit the ground. She was looking down and biting her lips, considering what I had just said. After a bit of deliberation, she looked back up at me. "It's not my decision to make. I have to ask Evie first." I shrugged. That's true. This isn't a unilateral decision Judy could make for her friend. "I'm not going to follow you. I'm not going to try to track Evelyn down. You have my promise that V and I will not attempt to harm Evelyn. But make it clear to her that the second she steps out of hiding, the Voodoo boys and Arasaka will be after her. The clocks ticking, so I'll need a response within forty-eight hours." I turned around once I said my piece and made my offer, walking out of Judy's room with V in tow. Despite telling V to let me handle all the talking, I was still surprised by how quiet V was throughout the conversation. Then again, I told him the information on the Voodoo Boys prior, which is all she wanted from Evelyn anyway. While on our way out of Lizzies, I gave V the meeting point for the Hellman job two days from now. The doors to the entrance opened and showed that it was currently raining. V stopped before stepping out, pulling a cigarette out of her jacket and lighting it where it won't be snuffed out. The faint orange glow grew into an intense ember when she took a long drag. I didn't have anything to block the downpour, so walking to my car was going to be annoying and wet. I took off my jacket and looked over at V. "One last thing, wait to tell Takemura about Hellman or our plans until I say so." V removed the cigarette from her mouth and blew a large plume of grey smoke. She looked at me, gave a slight nod, and then raised her cigarette again. Takemura wants Yorinobu dead, but I don't know how he will react to information about Saburo still being 'alive'. Before I can let him in, I need to see where his loyalty lies. In the best-case scenario, he only cares about the truly alive heirs and helps Hanako ascend to the throne. In the worst-case scenario, he actively works to restore Saburo to the physical world. I unlocked my van and raised my jacket over my head, using it as a makeshift umbrella. Sprinting out of the bar, I heard water splashing every time one of my feet landed on the ground. I rushed inside the van and quickly closed the door behind me to gain separation from the elements. I listened to the pitter-patter of raindrops as they hit the windshield and the tiny thumps as the water hit the metal bodywork. I stopped by a gun shop to pick up a Militech Crusher, a bunch of mags, new armor, a ballistic helmet, and some new armor. Out of curiosity, I asked if they had any weapon schematics, and surprisingly they did. Sometimes weapon manufacturers will designate stores as a certified repair shops. This store I was at held several Tsunami Defense System blueprints for repairing the Nue pistol. I asked if I could buy it from the clerk, but she wanted a ridiculous 21000 Eddies. I guess it was expensive because it was technically corpo IP, and she wasn't supposed to sell it. I kindly declined her offer since there was no reason for me to buy such a thing, and left the store. Spoiler Militech Crusher collapse Once I was back home, I opened my crafting system and made an unholy amount of frag grenades and bounce backs. I wanted to craft better guns but needed better components and schematics first. Since I didn't have Eddies burning a hole through my wallet, I'll have to hope to find the specs and parts out in the wild. The other option was to raise my crafting level high enough to unlock some basic specs. At crafting levels nine, thirteen, and fourteen, rare, epic, and iconic specs are opened, respectively. After all the ammo, explosives, and medical supply I crafted, I was only at level six, so it would take some severe grinding. After sorting my gear and getting everything ready, I hopped into bed and thought about what I had to do for the next few days. I still needed to inspect and pick up the upgraded cyberware I wanted, so the majority of tomorrow will be spent hitting up the shops on the list I made with Vic and purchasing chrome. The day after that will be spent dry running our plans for getting Hellman. Panam called me earlier today and said Saul wasn't willing to participate, but she rounded up a team ready to take the risk. She didn't tell me who they were, but I bet it was the same group that raided the Basilisk convoy. Remembering the veterans brought back fresh memories of how many of them died. Scorpion, Bob, Teddy, and even Saul. I was sad at their sacrifices in the game but I quickly overcame it. It's just a video game, after all. But now they were real people, some of which considered my friends. My hands balled into a fist, and I promised myself that things would be different this time. This time things will be better. Author's Note Spoiler The reason why I made the poll was to see how many people played the game is because I wanted to see how detailed I should get with the story telling. I thought that most if not all of you would have had some experience playing the game, so I didn't want to bog the story down with exposition explaining things. But it seems a surprising amount of you haven't touched it yet so I'll continue with what I've been doing. Later collapse