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As the group chatted idly in the clinic, a sudden comm signal cut in.
It hit like a truck slamming into his skull. Arthur, who had been leaning against a table, staggered and nearly collapsed.
It was immediately clear this communication wasn't normal.
"Arthur, I've been captured. I'm on an AV..."
The words, buried in static, crashed into Arthur's mind. The distortion was so harsh it was impossible to even tell the speaker's gender.
But that hardly mattered—Arthur already knew who it was.
"You'd better be more specific. And... I don't exactly have wings."
Arthur's sharp reply drew every eye in the clinic at once.
Vik and Lucy both looked grave. David, still lying on the bed and not understanding what was going on, simply watched in silence.
"Not much time... Night City's aerial checkpoint.
If you can make it, you'll have maybe a minute right after the checkpoint—before the AV gains altitude—to bring this damn thing down."
The frantic voice broke in and out, shredded by static.
Straining to piece it together, Arthur fired back with urgency.
"So many AVs out there—how the hell am I supposed to know which one you're on?"
"Rayfield... Caliburn... Dammit... not important...
...Red... Net... World... watch for red..."
With those fragmented, garbled words, the line went dead.
It felt like a storm had torn through Arthur's head—only for the "window" to slam shut.
Settling his hat back on his head, Arthur strode deeper into the clinic. He had to reach that checkpoint as fast as possible, without wasting a single second.
When he reemerged, both hands carried metal cases.
The one in his left was fairly standard in size. But the one in his right stretched nearly two meters long—large enough to fit a person inside.
This rifle, called the Giant, had fired only once since it had been restored. Regrettably, the tungsten Armor-Piercing Round it launched that day had killed a hero.
Now, it would have to fire again.
During the downtime, Arthur had been keeping an eye out for ammunition suited to the Giant.
Well—truthfully, it had been Vik who did the searching, since such ammo was strictly restricted.
Barely ten days ago, they finally acquired it—
four multi-stage magnetic Armor-Piercing Rounds. The cost: thirty thousand eddies. Nearly one-third of what Arthur had originally paid for the rifle itself.
Sure, part of that was black market markup, and Arthur had gotten the rifle for a bargain—but still, the numbers spoke volumes.
"What's the situation?"
Vik looked over with deep concern. He hadn't spent much time with V, but he genuinely respected her spirit.
To throw herself into such danger for the sake of a merc she once worked with—it was admirable.
Of course, other reasons factored in. But that was beside the point. If not for helping David, she wouldn't be in danger now.
"Not much time left..."
Arthur muttered under his breath, almost to himself. Then, suddenly, he lifted his head toward Vik.
Say I use this to bring down a Rayfield Caliburn—ideally keeping the people inside alive. Any advice?
Caught off guard by the abrupt question, Vik froze for a beat before snapping back to focus.
"The AV's engines are roughly where the wheels would be on a regular car.
I've looked into the Caliburn—it uses an advanced gravity engine, mounted on the front left.
That engine only generates vertical lift. Its forward thrust comes entirely from the two engines in the rear.
So, if you disable the two rear engines and the front one, you can force it down.
The remaining gravity engine will at least soften the landing."
Vik rattled off everything he knew in a single breath.
Arthur nodded.
While Vik explained, Arthur flipped open the long gun case and inspected the massive sniper rifle piece by piece, making sure everything was in order.
Satisfied, he shut the lid and headed for the exit.
But as his hurried footsteps echoed, another, quieter voice followed.
Turning back, he found Lucy, who had stayed silent until now.
"I can help.
V only ended up like this because she tried to help us..."
"Not happening. This isn't up for debate.
They left in an AV—there shouldn't be too many people with her."
Arthur jerked his chin toward David, who was struggling to crawl off the bed.
"You two... just take care of yourselves."
"I won't let a woman die for me!"
David clung to the bedside, his eyes bloodshot, chest heaving with rage. Veins bulged at his neck as he roared.
"What a...
Keep him in line. I'll handle this."
Arthur shot the boy a withering glare, then shifted his gaze to Lucy.
He didn't have time to waste. Without another word, he headed for the small iron door of the clinic.
Lucy stayed quiet, far calmer than David. She watched as the door swung shut, cutting off Arthur's silhouette. For a few seconds she stood frozen—then turned back.
...
Inside Misty's Esoterica, Jackie, Rebecca, and the others were waiting.
"What's going on?"
Jackie, already tense, stepped forward as soon as he saw what Arthur was carrying.
V was his best friend. With her fate uncertain, worry gnawed at him.
"We need to get under Night City's aerial checkpoint. Fast."
Arthur lifted the gun case slightly.
"Take down an AV."
Jackie didn't hesitate. He headed straight for the door.
"Use my ride—it'll get us there in time.
Jessica will send you the intel—navigation data and everything."
The big man was already charging out as he spoke.
Behind him, Misty watched silently. Once he crossed the threshold, she closed her eyes and prayed quietly—
for him, and for everyone leaving now.
Outside, Jackie's red Nazare sat gleaming at the curb, polished to a shine, catching the sunlight like fire.
...
(70 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser