Cyberpunk 2077: V

Chapter 23: Too Much

"Plan's simple - do nothing weird. Don't get creative. You go in, snatch the cash, get out, and we sell the BD to those psychofreaks from the studio."

V's heart pounded so hard she could feel her pulse in her legs. Suddenly she was standing in a dirty alleyway, watching as some muscled punk wearing a fanged mask and goggles messed around with a power box. She could smell her own sweat and the hot trash cooking in the shattered dumpster behind the other thug. Hands came up - her hands? Male hands covered with grease and cuts. They had on fingerless gloves. She flexed them, feeling the muscle and sinew contract.

I'm - no - he - not me - he - we -

The edges of her vision began to glitch. The scene before her stalled and stuttered, like it was corrupted. Waves of pixels flickered across her eyes and the scene paused, sharpened, reset; and suddenly V felt better. She could still feel the gonk who's head she was in, but it wasn't as intense. The scene replayed.

"Plan's simple - do nothing weird. Don't get creative. You go in, snatch the cash, get out, and we sell the BD to those psychofreaks from the studio."

V looked down at her hands, flexing them.

"Got it, got it..." came a low man's voice. Came from her. V turned and faced the street, adrenaline pumping, breath tight - and suddenly felt the firm grip of her buddy on her arm.

"And remember-" he hissed. "Everything on full blast. They'll spot us extra for a wicked adrenaline high! Now hold on..."

V danced between the alley in the street. Her breathing grew heavier, more excited; but there was a cold fear in her chest, squeezing her heart. After a couple of seconds her buddy finished rerouting power, then tore out one of the cables.

"All right, alarm's cut," he said, turning to V. He reached behind him and pulled out an older model pistol, barely held together by tact-tape. "Ok, on ya go!"

Her buddy handed her the pistol. At the weight of it in her hand V felt another spike of adrenaline followed by a lead weight pulling at her shoulders. This was real, she was doing this. V racked the slide, then turned and stumbled out onto the sidewalk, heartbeat in her ears. The double doors of the convenience store they cut the alarm to was right there, and in a beat they opened up to her. Garish orange and blue lights flashed at her, painful and amplified with the drug high. Sounds felt too loud and echoey.

There were people in the small store. Not many. Only three. 

V felt bile push up in her throat, nervousness nearly choking her.

"D-down, everybody! On the ground! Wanna see you kissin' the flooring!" V shouted, stumbling over her words at first before the pounding adrenaline took over.

A young woman standing next to a vending machine screamed and leapt back, falling on her ass. At the counter a man whirled around, eyes wide with fear. The cashier stared at V, mouth open, frozen in place. V tramped forward, bashing the man at the counter and tossing him to the side. She could feel the gun connect with flesh and bone. Then she held the weapon to the cashier's face, gesturing threateningly with it.

"Money! NOW! Or I will fuckin' DROP you, I swear to God!" she yelled, her voice coming out as a desperate man's instead of her own. The employee cringed and cowered, fear making his hands and voice shake.

"Woah! Yeah! Hey! I'm-I'm-!"

V glanced down at the woman on the floor, making sure she was staying there. Then she slammed a hand down on the counter and pushed herself up, sticking the barrel of the gun closer to the cashier's face.

"NOW!! Before I blow your FUCKIN' head off!!"

The cashier let out a high-pitched whimper before scrambling to open his register. An old school ding! of a bell sounded and the drawer popped open. Shaking, the cashier grabbed all of the eddies inside and stacked them on the counter. V grabbed the loose bills and shoved them quickly into her pocket before grabbing a large bundle of them still sealed with the bank wrap. The instant her hands closed around it, a jolt of pure elation shot through her, shivering down her nerves. She leapt back, breathing heavily, gun waving at the three in the shop. All of them cowered.