Cyberpunk 2077: V

Chapter 76: Almost There

The doors silently slid open to reveal the dark lobby, lit only by red emergency lights and the backglow of art and biodisplays. V immediately crouched, tense and alert, one hand held out as if to shield Jackie and the other flickering forward to keep the doors from closing on them.

Nothing. No movement, no alarm.

V took a moment to assess the area.

Mentally she replayed the path they had taken before, remembering off to the left of where they had walked originally had been a direct elevator to the parking garage under the hotel. That was their goal. Now just to get there.

Just outside the elevator was a small seating area with a couch and coffee table. There was a purse laying haphazardly on the sleek cushions, some crystal glasses, an askew datapad. Continuing on was a hallway that went under a decorative archway, towards the front desk and security area. The hall flipped sharply to the right, where the rest of the room was hidden behind a large pillar.

V turned back to Jackie.

"Stay here, hide. I'll come get you when it's clear," she said quietly.

"Sure, chica," Jackie rasped, trying to keep some positivity in his voice.

V swallowed, then took a deep breath. Focused.

Moving forward, she flitted up to the right corner, licking her lips as she did so.

Metal, ballistic weave fabric.

She listened closely. 

Creak of synth leather. Slight rattle of a weapon in a sling. The hum of machinery.

V peered around the corner to see an Arasaka soldier standing in a concierge hub, parked in front of a computer, looking down at a datapad in his hand while the screen in front of him cycled through digital chatter, security feeds, and radio scramblers.

No one else around that she could see. One camera on the far wall. Easy to take out.

Scan the whole area. Biodisplays with bamboo and fresh water. The smell of sand from the zen walkways. Far off in the distance, the squeak of boots.

All in all though it was... quieter, than V expected. The main bulk of the force, as she'd heard the soldier describe earlier, must already be systematically moving its way through the hotel.

The concierge area was huge for just containing a slab of a desk with a glass window and two chairs. It suited V just fine; gave her room to maneuver around the 'Saka soldier. He had no idea she was there.

As she popped up, she raised her arms as high as she could, then with a flash dropped them in and down, hard. She was able to get inside the anti-garrotte armor and take the guy down easily. He didn't even fight, not like the Arasaka captain from before. V felt a weird pang of disappointment as the man went limp in her arms like a wet radiator hose and sank to the floor.

When V stood, she'd gotten a good look into the lower part of the lobby. Now she swung low under the desk and listened.

Still no others visible for the moment. She could hear them somewhere out there though. Smell them.

V looped around to the right of the desk, peering into the open area before silently shifting forward, looking to her right to see tall glass windows. No one was in there.

To her left was the large open area of the lobby, with the zen walkways and trees and sand. There was lots of good cover here. They could easily flit from place to place, stay out of sight.

She continued on to hunch behind a small decorative slat in the wall, and scanned the lobby.

Several cameras. Easy to hack. RAM was low now though, had to watch that.