Cyberpunk 2077: V

Chapter 81: Bardo

The pain was excruciating, a single red fiery note; then it mercifully began to fade, growing duller and duller until all that was left was a faint sensation of warmth.

 At first, V thought that the sensation was the remnant of burned flesh. But as her addled brain slipped more into focus, she realized that the feeling was... pleasant. It clicked then that the warmth was good and comfortable, and the smell was the far off scent of burning wood, not blood.

She became aware of her body lying on something soft and cushy. Then her hearing registered a faint breath of wind, a hiss of dry sand. And then slowly, groggily, her eyes fluttered open.

It was dark, but it was the deep blue dark of night. V blinked a couple of times, trying to make sense of where she was. 

She was lying on the ground, in a desert. The area was lit by the full moon, the flat white light casting strange, glowing shadows over everything. She was prostrate in the sand, her head and shoulders lightly propped on something softer than the gravel and rocks. V blinked a few more times, trying to make sense of it all.

I was at the No-Tell Motel, with Dex. And then he betrayed me and...

V moved her hands. No pain, no shaking. She gently reached out and laid her fingers on the sand, digging into the grains. It felt real.

Where am I?

V pushed herself up cautiously, wary after what happened and expecting to be overwhelmed with pain. Instead, she felt... fine. Sitting up fully, she hesitantly reached a hand up to her head and carefully set her fingers on the spot where Dex's pistol had aimed; where she'd felt the rush of heat and air.

"You don't need to worry about that here," a voice suddenly called out from behind her.

V froze. She recognized that voice. It was a voice she hadn't heard since-

Immediately V leapt to her feet, stumbling as she whirled around toward the speaker. When she saw who was there, standing just a few feet away from her, tears leapt into her eyes.

It was Jake.

He was wearing his MiliTech uniform, but it looked clean and whole, not covered with blood and patchwork Nomad sewing. His eyes were clear, his face unmarked, and he stood fully and easily with no sign of pain. He looked healthy. Whole.

Alive.

V's chin wobbled. Her hands came up to clasp over her chest half in a mixture of hope and disbelief.

"J... Jake?" she whispered softly as a tear trickled down her cheek.

He smiled at her; and V's heart felt like it would burst at the sight of it. The smile she missed, the smile of the man she'd loved. With a sob, V rushed forward, arms held open wide as she slammed into him and pressed her face into his chest. She held onto him tightly, clutching at him, her weeping muffled by his uniform.

Two strong arms wrapped around her, pulling her closer, holding her tenderly as her sobs grew louder.

It all felt so real; his warmth, his scent, his heartbeat dully thudding against her cheek. 

V couldn't believe it. Jake, her Jake, was here! Alive!

Something flickered in her chest, a thread picked at by the reluctant logic working in her brain. Oh how desperately she wanted to believe this was all real, that Jake was actually there; but deep in her heart she knew that it couldn't be...

Reluctantly, V pulled back and looked up at Jake, analyzing his face. The face she knew from BEFORE what had happened that night so long ago... the night that her clan had found out about Jake, about her.