Cyberpunk 2077: V

Chapter 27: The Badge

By the time V recalled the Hela, dropped Jackie off at Misty's, and turned onto the street to drive the couple of blocks down to her place, she was ready to pass out. It had been a long day, and her arms were a little sore from all the "boa constricting" as Jackie put it. 

Just as V had pulled up to their special parking spot in front of Misty's shop though, she and Jackie had gotten a text from T-Bug.

You meet with Maelstrom at All Foods tomorrow at 5 p.m. If you need me, holler. Cleared my schedule.

Jackie texted back, Cleared your schedule for us?? Now T-Bug, don't go making'us all sentimental.

T-Bug's response: >:{

She did love them after all. 

Jackie practically pranced into Misty's front door, excited that they were moving closer and closer to the Big Gig. They agreed to meet at All Foods at 4:30 pm the next day, giving them time to "get ready" - and give Jackie some time to spend with Misty. V agreed to the time, waved goodbye, and began her drive home. She was NOT looking forward to marching right into the chrome-dome's master den, especially after a violent change of leadership - even WITH a formal invitation to do biz. One wrong move or word and Jackie and V could find themselves getting mashed up with the meat paste. Both of them would have to be on their best behavior. Neither of them had any love for Maelstrom, but in order to get that bot they would have to try and at least be cordial.

V drove home on mental autopilot, thinking about the loadout she was going to bring with her to the meeting when an alert popped up on her HUD.

An NCPD alert.

For a brief moment V considered ignoring it; she was tired. But almost as soon as the thought crossed her mind she snarled at herself. She was tired? That was cute, considering someone might be fighting for their life right now. Her thoughts flickered to the hospital dock worker from a few days back, and her jaw set.  

V accepted the alert, hit the map ping, then floored it. The Hela's upgraded engine let out a roar and they shot forward.

A few minutes later V found herself rumbling through a small industrial park, her body on full alert as she approached the little red dot on her map HUD. Windows down and music off, she listened intently for any sounds other than the purring of her Hela. Nothing. V elected to park her car and go it on foot to make it easier to sneak in and take stock of whatever situation was going on. She slid her Hela behind a stack of shipping containers, then lightly jogged towards the ping on her map.

Just as she reached the edge of the shipping container row that marked the final turn before she was at the ping's location, she heard something that set her teeth on edge.

"It's just a matter of time motherfucker!"

A distorted computerized voice. A Maelstrom voice.

Of course, V thought darkly. Teeth gritting, she crouched low and slunk up to the last container to peer around the corner.

The stacks of shipping containers opened up to a large concrete pad that was part loading dock and part huge driveway. The drive itself was at a slope, dipping down towards an open gate to V's left. There were a couple of haphazardly parked Kaukaz trucks sitting there, with the widening concrete pad towards V's right dotted with various other vehicles that were little more than wrecks. But there was one car in particular sitting there that shocked V.

A police cruiser.

Oh shit, V thought. Was the alert sent out by a badge?

"I say we rip his fingernails off and feed'em to'im first!" a garbled female voice hissed.