Cyberpunk 2077: V

Chapter 4 - Refelection

"Can't stop diggin' Night City," Jackie suddenly said with an appreciative sigh. 

Almost as if on cue, the rain started, like a switch had been thrown. V glanced at Jackie and shrugged.

"City like any other, just bigger", she said matter-of-factly. Jackie gave her a side glance.

"Uh huh. And how many other cities have you been to?"

V responded by sticking out her tongue at him, earning her a laugh. 

"Nahhh chica, not just any other city." His hand rose, fingers coming up as if to count.

"Morgan Blackhand, Andrew Weyland, Adam Smasher, David Martinez-legends are born here!"

V felt her mood shift. Jackie had been talking about legends a lot lately. About Night City. About names and being remembered. It was starting to worry her, but she wasn't sure why. It almost felt like a...cold, buzzing, trembling along her spinal nerves whenever he talked about it. It was so subtle, however, she couldn't be sure if it was her sixth sense.

She didn't respond. Instead V turned and looked out the window, noting how much the traffic had thinned out with the rain and rush hour movement to the main highway versus the side streets. The city lights, advert boards, and holograms shone through the rain, the water moving through the air almost making it look like the cityscape was glitching. 

Even over the music and the rain, she heard the sound of a stomach growling. V looked over at Jackie with a raised eyebrow. He smiled and patted his stomach.

"Man I'm starvin'! Let's grab a tight bite, whaddya say?"

V couldn't help but smile at Jackie's insatiable appetite. She shook her head.

"Jackie-they're lockin' down Watson, Remember? Gotta get ya back to see Misty. You can take her out to get a bite. 'Sides, I wanna hit the hay."

Jackie pouted and gripped the steering wheel. 

"Ah shit, you're right...it's just that usually we go get some grub after a gig. My stomach remembers."

V chuckled; then ice water shot through her spine, through her veins, to her palms. Without conscious thought her hand snapped to her revolver by her ribcage. Just as her fingers closed around the grip, Jackie's voice trailed off. 

"Huh?" he muttered, eyes narrowing as he looked into the rear view mirror. Then his jaw set. "Augh, fuckin' knew they wouldn't let us off easy! Van on our ass, haulin' it!"

Scavvers, V thought, immediately pulling out her revolver and rolling down her window.

"Chingado! I don't like this, V. I don't like this one bit."

V had been aware of the dingy, dirty off-white van that had pulled behind them a few blocks back. But she couldn't tell if her subtle warning was from the van, Jackie's legend talk, or her illness. It had been cut off by a hauler truck, and when it didn't reappear V hadn't given it much thought. Now the rackety thing was roaring up the asphalt. It swerved to avoid nearly hitting a Thorton truck before surging ahead of them. The back doors exploded open, literally, followed by a hail of gunfire.

"IT'S SCAVVERS!" Jackie shouted. "HIJOS DE PUTA!"

V snarled as bullets pinged off the hood of her car. Like most Nomads, V liked to tinker with her vehicles; and one of the first things she did was armor plate her new ride. The ballistic glass and metal had sapped almost every one of her eddies, but it had saved them many times. It was saving them now too.

Jackie's foot slammed on the accelerator, shoving them closer to the van, giving V bigger targets. She slipped out of her open window, hooking her legs under the dash and the titanium bar she'd installed next to the center console just for this purpose. In expert fashion, V emptied her cylinder, taking out the Scavvers in the back of the van in the blink of an eye. The gonks were close together, almost making it too easy. A couple of their bodies fell out the back, and the Hela rolled over top of them, the upgraded suspension barely throwing off V's aim.