Gritting her teeth, V closed her eyes and forced her mind back into focus.
Her life was already in someone else's hands. All she could do now was swallow her humiliation, gather as much information as possible, and pass it all on to Arthur—buying herself a better chance to survive.
She checked the single network node still functioning in her mind, and a faint sense of relief washed over her.
It was a lifeline—and she was drowning.
Dragged down into Arasaka's parking level, she was brought before a jet-black Rayfield, the Caliburn.
"Damn it, wasn't I supposed to see Abernathy?"
Mustering her strength, V glared ahead.
An AV. Where were they taking her—Japan?
The thought rattled her. At that speed, no ordinary weapon could touch it.
Sure, a missile could blow it out of the sky—but she'd be inside.
And short of missiles, there was no stopping it. If they got her to Japan, she'd be nothing but meat on the block.
Things had already spiraled far beyond what she expected.
She knew the company would eventually come after her, but she thought the fallout would never extend past Night City. Did they really need to go this far to deal with a mid-level exec like her?
"Abernathy will be here... very soon."
The man escorting her didn't seem surprised she still had the strength to speak. He explained flatly:
"We're leaving at once—no room for accidents."
As he said it, he shot her a look, a silent warning not to try anything stupid.
And then Abernathy appeared.
Her attire matched V's—an elegant, perfectly fitted women's suit. But age showed in the faint wrinkles at the corners of her eyes, subtle yet undeniable marks of time.
"This one says she wants a word with you."
The man who just moments ago had strutted with arrogance now bowed deeply, deferential as Abernathy approached.
Arasaka's Japanese HQ was the public face of the corporation's power, and in truth, its staff did carry themselves as if a step above every other branch.
But Abernathy was already halfway into Arasaka's true upper echelon—and how many people could a company really allow that high up the ladder?
"Then I'll have a word with her."
Abernathy didn't wait for permission. She took hold of V and guided her straight into the AV.
The Caliburn looked brand-new. Its door split open down the middle like a seamless black wall, revealing an interior dripping with extravagance.
Translucent gems studded the plush red leather seats, each indentation curving into a shape pleasing to the eye.
Overhead, a crystal chandelier glowed softly—bright but not blinding, intricate enough to draw the eye without strain.
A line of wall lamps lit the space further, mounted behind two facing rows of seats to ensure the cabin shone evenly.
With effortless ease, Abernathy set V down beside her, then casually lifted a bottle from the table and poured herself a glass.
She spoke as if to herself.
"V, I've offered you an olive branch more times than I can count. But alas..."
The regret in her tone sounded genuine. Still, no part of V felt regret in return. She just sat there, listening in silence.
"I really did like you."
Abernathy adjusted V, propping her upright, and studied her face—sharp with a hint of masculine strength, yet far too delicate to ignore.
"Given how beautiful you are, we can talk. So—what do you want to ask?"
V ignored the hand brushing lightly against her cheek. She forced herself to focus, her voice steady:
"Where are we going?
Or rather... why Japan?"
Abernathy's expression showed no surprise.
Yes, she was aging. But she still carried an air of intelligence—maybe even something stronger: the unshakable confidence of someone used to power.
"I knew you'd ask that. But truth be told, perhaps you're the one who understands this best.
It all began with you, after all."
She adjusted her posture, idly swirling the wine in her glass.
"Remember what you smuggled out of Biotechnica? That was quite the coup. But do you know what it really was?"
A smile tugged at her lips as she posed—and answered—her own question.
"Biotechnica. Arasaka. Both have shifted their research focus recently to something extraordinary—"
Her smile faded into gravity. She paused, drawing out the moment, then delivered it like a blade.
"Preservation and transfer of human consciousness."
The words struck like a shockwave. V's eyes flew wide. Her hands clenched tight. Every hair on her arms stood on end.
This... this was fear. Pure fear.
V hadn't felt it in years. Not even death itself had clawed this deep into her spine.
She had never even heard the term before, but the meaning was crystal clear.
"Two companies, two different methods. But the goal is the same: to graft one person's mind onto another.
Arasaka created the Relic. Biotechnica developed a serum called Venus.
Relic stores memory and thought data on a chip. Biotechnica's serum reshapes a human brain so it can interface with a baseline computer."
Her words poured out as if unburdening a secret long kept—or maybe, for those at the very top, it wasn't a secret at all.
"And what you brought back was Biotechnica's partial data on that serum.
With it, Arasaka finally broke through a bottleneck that had stalled them for years.
And you... you became the first victim."
How tragic. How absurd.
She had risked her life, only to bring back the very blade that would kill her.
And truthfully—V had known it from the moment she first heard that cursed name.
...
(70 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser