Cyberpunk 2077: V

Chapter 74: The Nomad Ninja

The door opened. As it did, the red glow of emergency lights spilled over them, making the black marble floor gleam like a pool of fresh blood. V stood there a moment, running her eyes over the scene. They were back in the hotel proper now. Huge glass windows, rain lashing at the panes. See-through glass railings directly in front of them blocked off an opening into a lower level. Across, on the continued upper level, chaise lounges surrounded a long lap pool. 

V crouched slightly, turned, and looked at Jackie.

"Follow me. Stay back, hidden, until I tell you to move up. Do not shoot unless I tell you too."

Jackie stared at her with that strange expression, gave one single nod, then followed her out the door as they quietly stalked into the hotel proper. They'd just turned to the right to behold the massive skylight, waterfall wall, and bonsais when the Konpeki AI's voice suddenly sounded.

"ATTENTION! CODE RED HAS BEEN INITIATED THROUGHOUT KONPEKI PLAZA! PLEASE REMAIN IN YOUR ROOMS AND FOLLOW ALL INSTRUCTIONS PROVIDED BY STAFF!"

V heard something. Something over the roar of the rain on the glass roof. Her ears pricked. 

A shuffle of feet. Shoes. Business shoes, not boots. A voice.

She scanned the room. No cameras. She moved up to the glass railing that peeked down into the level below, tilting her head to listen.

Voices. Two men.

"Security, top level, all clear!" a gruff voice called out, official and sharp. There was a pause, then he finished with, "Understood, over and out."

"All clear up here too," another male voice muttered. "Damn, what the hell is going on tonight, huh? Did you hear? They're literally sendin' up 'Saka special forces!"

"Special forces?!" the first man gasped.

"Yep, they'll be here in a few. And when they do, they're gonna sweep the building - every single floor."

V heard enough. She backed away from the railing, gave Jackie a jerk of her chin to indicate he should follow her, then settled down into a low crouch. As she moved forward, she considered their situation.

Arasaka Special Forces were on the way. Between that and Jackie's injury, they did NOT have a lot of time. The clock was ticking; literally.

She flitted forward, darting and weaving around the bonsai displays next to the towering black and gold waterfall wall. The air smelled of chlorine and expensive alcohol. Drinks were left full on small tables, towels scattered and abandoned; people must have run out of there fast. As V continued on, she saw some stairs at the far end of the open area, just to the right of the pool. Her bare feet padded silently across the marble, her ears strained for any indication the men she heard earlier were making their way up the steps. 

Nothing. 

She reached the top and looked down, seeing that the stairs went down a half flight, then cut to the left where she couldn't see. Creeping down carefully, she peered around the corner and into the lower level. Just in front of her, white and gold pillar tables piled with food and drink reflected the emergency lights. The hotel AI gave its repeated announcement again as V and Jackie slipped into a smaller area that seemed to be a spa bar. Trailing along the back edge of a long marble island, V paused to peek around the corner further into the lower level.

Suddenly, towards the back of the room, down another small smattering of steps, a figure emerged. Hotel security, by the looks of it; and he was holding a weapon. Another security staff member appeared, and the two men stood close, both scanning the room. V quickly took stock of the area herself.