Cyberpunk 2077: V

Chapter 57: Dirty Biz

"V. Got a gig for you... one I'd rather not have..."

Regina Jones didn't look like her usual staunch, iron, smirky self. There was a darkness about her; a defeat. Her arms were crossed as usual but now they just looked tight, like she was hugging herself. Hunched shoulders and a pale face told V that something was up.

"Reg?" V asked, concern wriggling through the chaos in her skull. "You don't look so good. What's goin' on?"

Regina stared at V for a moment, then let out a heavy sigh.

"Bryce Stone - that preacher on TV?"

She paused. Swallowed.

"His son was brutally murdered."

V felt her own heart drop into her stomach. She'd heard of Bryce Stone, had seen his show on the scrollers around the city before, caught clips and bits of interviews on shows in elevators and small bars. She knew he had a son - a young son. And that last week, that son had been kidnapped. Everyone assumed that it had been for ransom...

"He wants the person responsible found; and the only way to catch this child killer is to get your hands on the original BD that recorded the whole thing."

A dark, cold ice chunk shot through V's chest, and she sat ramrod straight.

"Wait - what?!"

"Yeah, you heard that right," Regina growled bitterly through clenched teeth. "The bastard who did it scrolled it. He-"

Regina's voice waivered and she snapped her mouth shut. V realized then that Regina was getting emotional over this. This wasn't just a gig she was passing on. She knew the preacher. Knew his son. Regina shook her head and tightened her grip on her own arms.

"Bryce Stone contacted me directly. Good friend of mine, don't ask how, it's complicated. He's a wreck right now, with what happened. Even worse, the NCPD dropped the case due to lack of evidence. Bryce decided to take matters into his own hands, and after some digging found the BD scroll of his son's murder. Problem is, the virtu's heavily edited, meaning there aren't a lot of clues to go on. If you could get your hands on the raw cut, there's a chance we could identify the murderer."

V swallowed. The strange ringing was back in her ears, faint and buzzing. For a moment she almost thought she heard a... scream.

"He found a BD of his own kid's murder?" V whispered. "That's..."

"Yeah." Regina said curtly.

There was a pause, then Regina continued with, "Found out that the virtu was put out by two XBD tuners in Northside. Gottfrid and Fredrik. They're mid-level tuners, known for their craft on the XBD market. They love what they do, and they keep their raws around, so I'm betting that they have the original we're looking for somewhere in their den."

She held up a finger.

"And just so you know, they aren't the scrollers that just sit in a basement plugged in all day. They're the type of scrollers that sit in a basement plugged in all day with some serious iron standing outside their doors to make sure they aren't disturbed. Got word that they've got Maelstrom guardin'em. Makes sense... chrome-domes only go after the weird and the disgusting, and Gottfrid and Fredrik deal in that every day."

"Slime hangs out with slime..." V muttered.

She met Regina's eye with earnest, lifting her chin.

"Send me the ping. I'll take care of it."

Regina watched her a moment, her head tilting.

"I know you will. That's why I came to you, V. This... this isn't just a gig. It is, don't get me wrong, you'll get your eddies... but this is personal too. I knew that kid. He was special. Real special. The only bit of light in this godforsaken hellhole. And some bastard took him away and I want him found. You've shown what you're capable of. Proven your talent. Proved I can trust you. So I'm trusting you with this gig because I know you'll take care of it."