Chapter 88: The Wildcat Named V
"I have no authority?"
Arthur Jenkins's face twitched with rage. He pointed a shaking finger at the woman standing calmly before him.
She was tall, with legs that went on for days, her uniform straining against her chest. Her tiger ears twitched in the wind.
Don't mistake those ears for simple cosplay. That was high-end, custom bioware. You couldn't just buy a pair like that off the shelf, even with a few hundred thousand eddies. They were exclusive, reserved only for those favored by her.
Otherwise, what was the point? Just to look cute?
"That criminal killed Tanaka in front of millions of people and slandered the Arasaka name," Jenkins hissed, struggling to keep his voice level. "Do you have any idea what this will do to our stock price?"
He wanted to scream, to order his men to open fire. But he couldn't. He didn't have the nerve.
"So? What's that got to do with me?" Tigress looked at him with utter indifference, her vertical slit pupils devoid of emotion.
She knew who he was. Arthur Jenkins, Director of Counter-Intelligence for Arasaka's North American operations. His whole job was fucking with Militech. He was a big shot within the corp.
But... a regional intel director? In front of her boss? He was nothing.
And Arasaka's reputation? Not her problem. She worked for the Dangerous Girls, not Arasaka.
Seeing her indifference, Jenkins trembled with fury.
Kamimura and Saian were his men. Tanaka might have been a high-ranking exec, but he didn't have the authority to deploy senior combat agents. That's why he'd gone to the roof alone.
Jenkins knew how good those two were. They were among the best in his division. And they had been killed by a single man with minimal chrome.
This Rhys... he had secrets.
If Jenkins could crack those secrets, hand them over to the board... his career would skyrocket.
That was why he'd mobilized immediately. Why he was here in the Badlands in an AV.
But... why was she here?
Tigress raised her hand.
Behind her, the Dangerous Girls nodded. The military AV-9 roared, descending towards the ground.
"Tigress! You're going to cause trouble for Miss Michiko!" Jenkins yelled.
"You talk too much," Tigress said, looking down at him with a sneer. Her beautiful face was twisted in contempt.
"These are my boss's orders. You got a problem? Take it up with her. File a complaint. Report her. Go ahead, try it."
She signaled the pilot to continue the landing.
Is he joking?
North American Director of Counter-Intel? Sounds impressive. Like he runs the continent.
But in reality?
Arasaka's presence in North America was limited.
Why was Night City special? Because it was one of the few Free States left, not yet swallowed by the NUSA. Lucius Rhyne had invited Arasaka back in 2069 to counter NUSA aggression. Jenkins's position had only existed for a few years.
Five years. And in that time, Arasaka hadn't exactly conquered the continent.
Why? Militech.
So honestly, compared to Michiko Arasaka... Jenkins was dogshit.
If killing him without cause wouldn't create a headache for her boss, Tigress would have zeroed him already.
Comparing a civilian AV to a military gunship? She could ram him out of the sky without firing a shot.
But if he kept yapping...
"Miss Michiko has no right to int—"
BANG!
A bullet grazed Jenkins's cheek, sparking off the hull of his AV.
Confusion, then fear, then rage washed over his face. He looked down. Tigress was squinting up at him. "My boss said if anyone talks too much or doesn't listen... kill them."
"You want to die? Say one more word." Tigress raised her weapon—a heavy, gold-plated machine gun that she held as easily as a rifle.
"Want to test my aim?"
"..." Jenkins glared at her, took a deep breath, and lowered his hand.
He had no choice. Michiko was disliked by Saburo, yes, but her status was real. With his connections, he couldn't even get a meeting with her, let alone challenge her.
A regional director versus the third most powerful person in the Arasaka empire?
It was suicide. He wanted Rhys, yes. But he wanted to live more.
And he had an excuse now. Michiko Arasaka's Jaguar Squad had intervened. What was he supposed to do?
The hatch of the military AV closed. A moment later, the four commercial Arasaka AVs fired their thrusters, turned, and sped back towards Night City.
"Fuck, Rhys... I feel like we just stepped into something even bigger. That woman is... terrifying," Maine whispered, leaning close to Rhys, his body tense.
Maine was a soldier. He recognized the scent of a killer on Tigress. She was far more dangerous than the suit who'd been yelling.
The military AV touched down in front of them. Tigress waved a hand, and three beautiful girls hopped out behind her.
Cute cat ears, stylish outfits... one was even wearing a plaid skirt like a schoolgirl.
But the weapons in their hands... An Arasaka Nekomata tech sniper rifle. Massive, heavy, deadly. Owning one on the street wasn't just illegal; it was a death sentence if you got caught.
Anyone who underestimated them because of their looks was going to end up dead.
"Rhys, Maine, Dorio, Rebecca, Pilar, Kiwi... and who are you?" Tigress ticked off the names, pausing at Lucy.
"Is she with you?" Tigress asked.
Maine hesitated. He wanted to say no, to give Lucy a chance to leave.
But Lucy spoke up. "I am."
Rhys glanced at her. Her face was calm, but her hand was gripping her pants leg tight enough to turn her knuckles white. She wasn't as calm as she looked.
Rhys was baffled. Why? Lucy wasn't the type to take unnecessary risks. Sure, in the anime she was secretly passionate, willing to sacrifice herself for David... but who here was worth that to her?
Kiwi? Unlikely.
"Fine. Everyone's here," Tigress shrugged. Her orders were to bring them in. She didn't care about the +1.
She nodded at Rhys, her expression softening into a warm smile, completely different from the one she'd given Jenkins. "Don't worry. Come with me. You'll be fine."
"You're lucky. My boss likes talent. And you... all of you... you qualify. So she sent me to save your asses."
Maine's eyes narrowed.
Tigress noticed. She yawned. "Don't think about trying anything. That military Sandevistan you've got is nice, but any Arasaka agent can get one. Look at this."
She triggered her cyberware. In an instant, her body seemed to split apart—arms, legs, torso, even the cat ears.
Layers of incredibly expensive, high-end chrome revealed themselves.
"..." Maine went silent.
Holy shit...
She was packed with millions of eddies worth of hardware. And she wasn't cyberpsycho?
This woman was a walking, talking luxury AV.
"And you," she looked at Rhys. "You're strong. I might not be able to beat you. But I don't think you want to fight me."
"What do you want?" Rhys asked.
"Not me. My boss."
"Let's go. You'll understand when you meet her."
Tigress turned and walked back to the AV.
"Don't try to run. My boss wants to make a deal. Or did you really plan on leaving Night City?"
The crew exchanged glances. Rhys took the lead, walking towards the ramp.
The two battered cars were left behind in the dust as the military transport lifted off, heading away from Night City.
Somewhere in North America. Badlands Outpost.
A yellow school bus had been converted into a makeshift bar. Tents were scattered around it. An old generator hummed, powered by car batteries.
It was quiet, peaceful.
Until a car roared up the hill, shattering the silence.
The driver was a woman.
Short black hair, tips dusted with sand, messy and wild. She wore a gray biker jacket, blue jeans that didn't quite fit, and boots with the leather peeling off.
She got out and looked up.
She was beautiful.
Oval face, huge turquoise eyes, a beauty mark under one eye. Her nose was sharp and elegant. But as she panted with rage, her chapped lips parted, and her nostrils flared, ruining the image slightly.
She was filthy, covered in grease and dust. But even so... she was stunning. And completely organic.
SLAM!
She slammed the car door so hard the frame rattled. The noise startled the men drinking by the fire. One stood up to yell, but froze when he saw who it was. Fear flickered in his eyes.
The woman stormed forward, rolling up her sleeves, silent fury radiating from her.
"Wait! Valerie!"
"I can explain! Calm down! I didn't mean to—"
His buddies stood up, reaching for weapons.
A balding man pointed a gun at her. "Stay back, Valerie! You left the clan, remember?!"
Her silence enraged him, but it terrified him more.
The clan was the Bakkers. Recently, under their leader DeLuc's orders, they had joined the Snake Nation. The decision had split the family. Many veterans had left.
This woman was one of them.
But unlike the others, who were respected elders... she was just... incredibly dangerous.
She was the best fighter the Bakkers had.
His hand shook. As she got closer, he panicked and pulled the trigger.
BANG!
A bullet whizzed past her cheek, singeing her hair and leaving a bloody scratch. She wiped the blood away with the back of her hand, narrowed her eyes, and then...
She exploded.
She slapped his gun hand aside and slammed a fist into his face, sending him flying.
The others rushed her. One grabbed her from behind in a chokehold.
"Got her! Get her!"
Valerie opened her mouth and bit down hard on the arm around her neck.
"AAAAH!"
The grip loosened. She drove an elbow back into his gut, spun, and delivered a vicious headbutt.
CRACK!
His jaw shattered.
"You motherfuckers! You set me up! And you shot at me?! I was just gonna beat him up, but now? I changed my mind."
"You're all getting a beating!"
"Gonks!"
She threw off her jacket and dove into the fray.
Minutes later, five men lay groaning on the ground.
Valerie stood amidst them, bruised and bleeding from a knife wound on her arm. She walked over to a cooler, grabbed a bottle of tequila, bit the cap off, poured some on her wound, and downed a huge swig.
SMASH!
She threw the bottle aside and walked back to her car, kicking one of the men in the head as she passed.
"Valerie... I told you... it wasn't our fault..." one groaned.
"Not your fault?" She flipped him off.
Not your fault I almost got grabbed by the Raffen Shiv?
You gave me the directions!
I followed your map!
Am I a navigator? No!
"If you wanted to screw me over, just try it! Don't be sneaky about it! And Barry! Just because I wouldn't sleep with you? Seriously?"
"You broke my arm!" Barry wailed.
"Because you tried to drug me, you piece of shit! You deserved it!" Valerie spat on the ground.
"What about us?" another man whined.
Valerie was famous in the clan. Beautiful, wild, and single. Plenty of guys had tried their luck. All of them ended up bitten or beaten. She was a wildcat no one could tame.
Barry had tried to slip something in her drink. It was enough to drop a buffalo, but it just made Valerie woozy. She'd chased him out of the camp and broken his arm in front of everyone. If an elder hadn't stepped in, she would have killed him.
"You deserve it too! I came for Barry! Why did you idiots jump in?"
"You charged in without saying a word! How were we supposed to know?!"
Valerie blinked.
Oh. Yeah. She'd been so mad she just started swinging. Maybe she hadn't mentioned she was only after Barry?
Whatever. They're already beaten up. Too late to apologize.
She got back in her car and drove off.
A few minutes later, she reversed back up the hill.
The men tensed up.
Valerie leaned out the window, holding a map, looking confused. "Hey. Which way is Night City? This map is bullshit. It doesn't make sense."
"?"
"That way." One man pointed.
She looked at the map, then the direction. "See? Map's wrong."
"Try... try turning it 45 degrees?"
Valerie turned the map. Paused.
"Oh. It works now? Weird."
She tried to start the car. It sputtered and died. She slammed the steering wheel in frustration, tried again. It started.
"Valerie... can we contact you later?"
"Contact me? Nah. I'm not using that name anymore."
"?"
"Why not? No one knows you out there."
"I'm just not using it! Shut up! Want another beating?" she snapped.
"Then what do we call you? Barry's business is his own. We... we grew up together. We want to know if you're alive."
"V."
"From now on, I'm just V."
She threw the map in the back seat and drove off.
The men looked at each other.
Barry was still moaning. V had hit him the hardest. He was going to be a cripple without expensive medical care he couldn't afford. His life was effectively over.
Wait... did she pretend to be lost just to come back and kick Barry again?
Could anyone really be that bad with directions?
Evening. Sunset over the Badlands. V drove towards Night City.
It was a long way. She'd need supplies, rest. Maybe pick up some odd jobs on the way.
Looks like she wouldn't arrive until 2076.
She felt a flicker of anticipation. Night City.
The little wildcat who had spent her life wandering the wastes... was finally going to the city.
City of Dreams... let's see if the bastards were lying.
She took one hand off the wheel and pressed her nose.
Crack.
"Fuck..."
She reset her broken nose. Pain brought tears to her eyes, and snot ran down her face.
For a moment, the fierce warrior looked like a pitiful, lost girl.