Phoenix Rising Reprise 3

 Phoenix Rising Reprise 3

     'V' and Iriisii are in deep conversation concerning what is known of the AI's of this world. Iriisii began the conversation asking what is known of them, if there are factions within and if any could be contacted. 'V', "I really am not certain, but the possibility is there, or at least I think so. I cannot be sure of anything where they are involved, wait, there are some very troubling things I have coma across. Scattered events though they might be, they might have a strong bearing on what you want to know." Iriisii, "Can you tell me about them or would you rather share the memories with me?" 'V', Which would be better for you? I think sharing the memories is better, if for no other reason than to give you context, maybe you can see something within that I cannot." Iriisii, "Very well. Where would you like to do this, someplace comfortable for you." 'V', Why not out by the pool, it is quiet this time of day, and I feel the sunshine to be relaxing, when next to the water. According to my Zen Master, they are two of the four primal forces of life. Yes, I think that should be where we do this." Iriisii, "Very well, I have no problem with that."

     They settle themselves out be the pool, the only AV traffic is off in the distance, not close enough to impinge on their meditation. Iriisii, "Enter your meditation trance as you would normally do. I will join you, then we will explore those memories together." 'V' reaches for her BD Wreath, and places it on. Turning it on with one of the meditation shards in it, she is transported to the scene of the waterfall dropping into a quiet pool of water. Iriisii materializes next to her in the vision, looks around and comments, "This is very serene, I would like to meet your Zen Master sometime." 'V', "He comes and goes as he will, I never know when I will run across him until I do. Perhaps he will show up while you are with me, one can hope. Now let me concentrate on the first memory."

     'V' goes back to just after she had returned to Night City from Atlanta, before the meeting with Dexter DeShawn, after her visit to Vic's Clinic to get rid of the neurovirus she had picked up saving Sandra Dorsett from the Scavengers. She exits Misty's Esoterica shop and stops to listen to Garry the Prophet in his little alcove. As she listens to what he is saying, Iriisii seems captivated by him. What 'V' cannot see is the effort she is making to parse what he is saying, to dissect the allegory to get at the truth. When he mentions Queen Lilith, Iriisii reacts as a few of the pieces come together.

     After the memory finishes, Iriisii stops 'V' after they move a bit away from Barry. Iriisii, "He is very interesting, although he is not a true prophet, he is getting information from an outside source. But more like he is able to eavesdrop on things said between others that no one else can hear, or should be able to hear. He knows what is being said is important, but cannot speak directly for fear of being dealt with in a decidedly unpleasant manner." 'V', "I remember him saying he was once in an accident, and had a co-processor chip placed in his brain. His 'visions' started after it came online." Iriisii, "That I can understand, anyway, this 'Queen Lilith', he mentions is extremely important. His biometrics went into overdrive when he mentioned her. I was able to hear an undercurrent of his thoughts. He believes she is an AI, but once human. How she became an AI, he does not know, but her mind became trapped in Cyberspace when her body died. There have been others that this has happened to but they 'lost' themselves in Cyberspace. She survived, but the cost was to purge herself of what made her human. Where this is going, I need more information, but I think I can definitely say she is a major player in what is going on out here in this world."

     They continue on as more bits and pieces are added. Then they are at the Maelstrom site. 'V', this one really disturbs me." Iriisii, "I can see why. The vibrations here, even in this memory are strong and very dark. This is who Garry was referencing as 'Techno-necromancers'. They may be a faction within the Maelstrom gang. It is possible the leader, 'Brick' may not even be aware of them or thinks they are harmless, just having 'fun'. Someone is going to have to speak with him about this, it is extremely dangerous. If I am right, if it truly worked as intended, it could lead to a way for any AI's with knowledge of this to bypass the Blackwall." 'V', "You are certain of this?" Iriisii, "I will need to see the rest of this one, and any others as well, to put more pieces of this puzzle together. What was it that the Maelstrom ganger said?" 'V': He said that 'Lilith' had managed to hide the 'Tenth Circle' from the 'Eyes of the Ancestors'. Iriisii, "You are sure he mentioned the 'Tenth Circle' and the 'Eyes of the Ancestors'?" 'V', "Yes, what does it mean?" Iriisii, "Shit! Where did they manage to get that damned book from?" 'V', "What book are you talking about?" Iriisii, "No help for it now, you need to know. I only pray to those above me that you do not encounter it. There is a blasphemous 'Black Book' called by many the 'Necronomicon'. written by a madman, Abdul Alhazred. What is not known to but a very few, was that he penned another even more dark and blasphemous. This one when read by the uninitiated can cost them their souls, which are then trapped within its very pages. It has remained untitled, but it is known by its cover, because someone or something flayed the skin from Alhazred's body and used it to bind the book. The terrors it speaks of are able to be summoned through the 'Tenth Circle', which that book has the only remaining instructions on how to build it. The 'Ancestors' are a group within the Gods of Eld, also called the Elder Gods in the Necronomicon. They were given the eternal task to watch through all of the Existences for any sign of that book, and it being used. That this Lilith found a way to hide it from their seeing, does not bode well. I doubt Lilith knows the dire peril she has placed herself, this world, and possibly this Existence in. Let us see the rest of this memory."

     As it plays out, just before the ganger submerged in the icy, bloody soup in the container, Iriisii freezes the memory again, "What do you make of this 'circle', and those 'poles' at the corners? The poles are in a crude pentagram" 'V', "I really have no knowledge of any of this kind of thing, but it sends chills down my spine for sure." Iriisii, "I knew somewhere there had to be an alternate path that did not engage magic, but to actually see it." 'V', "A path to where?" Iriisii, "The 'Art' of 'Necromancy' is used by many practitioners to reach into the 'Lands of the Dead' to gain power. Power unavailable anywhere else, there is a price to be paid for such , but it can sometimes be very subtle, taking years before one is even aware of what price they are paying. These gangers' bodies lying around the 'circle' paid the price for the one in the container to 'cross over' into 'true darkness'. Did you notice she would sometimes disappear from view?" 'V', "Yes, but I thought she was using a form of camouflage, but she wasn't, was she?" Iriisii, "No, she was phasing in and out of another reality. No way to know which one, or what ripples it may have caused, what has taken notice of this world." 'V', "But what was the point of it?" Iriisii, "For the body of the one in the container to merge with something on the other side, and bring just a small part of it back across into this world. The effect will cause this one here to lose her mind. I am sorry, there will be no hope of recovery. You said a Fixer named Regina picked up the body after you left it?" 'V', "Yes, does it matter now?" Iriisii, "Possibly, yes, it will depend on what those who have possession of her do. If they are keeping her sedated, things may be okay. for a while. If not, what is inside of her will need to be dealt with, before it gets loose." 'V', "You don't think it is this Lilith, then?" Iriisii, "No, a servant, or in this case as this Lilith is likely an AI, it could be a bit of her 'code', extruded to act in some manner separate from her. Whatever the purpose, best if it is killed before it causes trouble." 'V', I will see to it when we finish, after this there is only the last meeting with Alt in Cyberspace. Iriisii, "Show me the spot where you climbed up the wall and into a safe place to escape the risen ganger."

     'V' takes her to it and Iriisii jumps up and into the window. 'V' follows as watches as Iriisii examines the floor and walls. Iriisii, "Come over here to the window, then I will unfreeze the memory. Keep your eyes on the ganger, and watch what she does after you are chased up here." The memory unfreezes and almost immediately the female ganger crawls out of the container and stretches her limbs. Then spying the 'V' in the memory, she dashes into her, knocking her to the ground. The ganger cannot seem to stop until she is past 'V' enough that she can recover and make a dash for the spot by the wall, then jumps up and into the window. The 'V'' with Iriisii keeps her eyes on the ganger, who moves toward the bodies laying around the container. She gently caresses the dead bodies as if she was in some way displaying an emotion toward them, but what emotion 'V' cannot tell. Then she looks at the symbology of the sigils embedded in the 'circle', tracing some of them with a blood dripping finger. 'V' can swear she hears a hissing or a sizzling sound as the blood drops fall onto the sigils. She glances toward Iriisii and sees the concern on her face as they witness what is going on below.

     Then the first 'Overheat' hack is sent down to the ganger. Once it ignites, the ganger shakes and throws blood droplets everywhere. The ganger recovers and tries to continue with what she was doing. As Iriisii starts putting it all together, 'V' hears her muttering some of what she thinks are choice curses. Then, "I can do nothing about it for now. Later, yes, be certain I will. I cannot let this stand, this perversion must be dealt with, but later in the waking world, not here in your memory. If I correct it outside, it will be corrected here as well." 'V', "What is she doing?" Iriisii, "Changing the direction of the portal that was created within her body as it was submerged in the container. Where she is redirecting it to, I do not know. But it cannot be for any 'good' purpose." 'V', "How can changing something in the real world change the same event in my memory? Aren't they completely separate?" Iriisii, "To all but a handful who understand the metaphysics involved you would be correct. But to one with understanding, and the required personal power level, they can be bridged. The reverse is also true, but changing it here would 'tip my hand' so to speak before I am ready." 'V', So you are saying that this 'Queen Lilith' if she is the one involved in this, would know of your abilities in this regard before you are ready for her to know? And could thus alter any of her plans to account for the new knowledge?"

     Iriisii, "You see truly. You instincts of tactics are indeed one of your strong points, despite what Johnny sometimes says." 'V', "Johnny is one to be talking. He has made a number of miscalculations in the past." Johnny, "Talking about me behind my back?" 'V', "No, you are here with me 24/7, can't keep anything from you if you are listening." Johnny, "Still..." 'V', "I saw the memories of what you did with Arasaka Tower, at best you delayed what Saburo had planned by a few years, but in no way did you stop it, and at what cost." Johnny, "All right, you have a point there, but..." 'V', "I am not saying you could have done anything different. You played the 'hand' you were dealt, but you never questioned if there was another way. You just barreled on through without a thought as to what was going to happen afterward. That is not the only or the worst mistake I saw in your memories, but I am not going through the rest of them." Johnny, "Why not since you are on such a roll?" 'V', "Because it would serve no purpose, and not change what we must do even by a smidge." Johnny, "What do we need to do then?" 'V', "Somebody knock you out in there when I wasn't looking? Come on, read the 'tea leaves' or something. There are things going on that no one, except for maybe Rache Bartmoss, suspected."

     Johnny, "What? The AI's are behind everything?" 'V', "No, not the Ai's, one AI. one sitting in the shadows, gently pulling threads, whispering sweet secrets in willing ears. The question is, what is her agenda? For she definitely has one. And it is made of pure logic, no emotion, no hope, no despair, just cold, hard logic. But it is up to us, we who can still temper logic with emotion, who can still dream of a better world, who are willing to stand up and fight for what we want, what we believe in, what we hold most precious in our lives." Johnny, "Damn, you are starting to sound like me." 'V', "You let your emotions go wild and take control of your actions. Not that I blame you, but had you given some thought to 'logic' as well as your emotions, things may have turned out just a bit differently." Johnny, "What are you saying?" 'V', "Not now, we can hash this out later. There is still more to learn on this trip down memory lane. Maybe some of your deepest questions will be answered, or maybe other questions will be asked." Iriisii, who has been listening intently to the 'back and forth' between them, smiles at the way 'V' had taken charge, not only taken charge, but leading the direction she wants to go in, with thought and deliberation into not just where to go, but why.

     The scene ends and the 'V' from memory leaves the scene. Iriisii, "Let us go down and investigate further." 'V' nods her head and they go down from the same window they came up. Iriisii slowly steps toward the body of the ganger, being careful to check her surroundings at each step. 'V' sees, but rather than question why Iriisii is doing this she simply follows suit. As 'V' nears the charged poles placed at the points of the pentagram she still feels some kind of charged field around them and stops before approaching any further. Iriisii, "Good, you feel it too." 'V' just nods her head, wanting to stay quiet for some unknown reason. Iriisii scans the pentagram and compares it to what she saw earlier. Taking note of the differences, she cannot make out much about them, maybe Reaper can see more.

     She backs away, "Ok, enough of this one for now, onward." The end up back before Garry, who is being accosted by a couple of Aldecaldo's from a different family. She watches as her memory self steps up to defend Garry. 'V', "Leave him alone! Unless you really want some trouble." Aldecaldo, "Who are you?" 'V', my name is 'V', that is all you need to know. If you want to know more ask around. Probably best if you do that before going any further with Garry." Aldecaldo, "Have you heard what he is saying about us?" 'V', "Garry says a lot of things, doesn't mean everything is true, or that most people listen to him. If they did, he wouldn't be here on the street preaching from his soapbox. He would be in a big church, behind a big pulpit with the collection plates being passed around." The first Aldecaldo's buddy has been asking a few of the locals about 'V', what he hears tells him he should get his friend and leave before they get carried out on the way to the morgue. Second Aldecaldo, "Let's just go, nothing here to get upset over." First Aldecaldo, "Look if you want to go then go, I can deal with this without you!" His buddy grabs hold of him and whispers furiously in his ear. At first, he wants to slug him for stopping him, then his look changes from anger to fear. They then decide it is likely better if they turn and quickly walk away.

     Garry turns to 'V', "You did not have to disparage me in front of everyone here! They do not understand the words I say!" 'V', I understand, but it is difficult when you hide the truth so deeply." Garry, "You still do not believe? I can prove to you what I say is the truth. Tonight, not far, in the warehouse district, there will be a meeting. You must get there at the correct time, not too early, not too late. Then you will see and believe. Go, get there before 10 PM tonight." Her memory self turns and walks out of the area, heading north toward the warehouses. 'V', "Come on, it is not far." They walk out to the pass street and turn north.

     Once they get there, they see the memory 'V' crouched behind a group of crates on the side of a large open area. Then they see a long, black SUV pull up and disgorge a number of gangers. 'V', "Maelstrom, right on time, things are soon to get dicey." They don't have long to wait before another car pulls up nearby and two people get out and approach the gangers. There are some words passed between them and they hear a Maelstrom ganger proclaim, "Queen Lilith has blinded the Eyes of the Ancestors once more." Then holds out his hand to the two 'suits'. One takes his hand and something small is passed between them. Then the memory 'V' crashes the party.

     Bullets fly everywhere, the memory 'V' has already drawn 'Black Unicorn' and uses it to deflect the bullets coming her way. Some she manages to redirect to target some of the gangers, who are hit and go down. She then gets in close and begins slicing up the ones left. When the gangers are all down, the memory 'V' goes to the two suits, dead by ricochets and wild shots. She checks their Id and is heard to say, "John and Jane Doe, shit! These are Corpo agents, no telling who they work for. Then she sees clenched in one hand is a computer chip. As she examines it, she sees no markings of any kind, no way to determine its purpose or how it works. 'V', "Maelstrom are the techno-necromancers Garry speaks of, and they are making 'chips' for someone in a Corp. Whether the higher ups are in it or not is unknown. But if the one behind this is who I suspect, at least some of the CEO's and higher management are working with 'her'. Why, cannot be 'greed' which usually comes to mind when speaking of a Corp, power, same thing. In fact, no other reason a Corp does anything can trump 'survival'. None of the usual reasons mean a 'hill of beans' if they don't survive." Johnny, "I think you are on to something there, 'V'. But I still don't know where you are going with this." 'V', "Don't know, or don't want to know?" Johnny, "One and the same right now, don't you think?"  'V', "You may be right about that, but regardless, we need answers if we are to know our course through this morass. One last stop I think, you ready for this Johnny?" Johnny, "I have already been through it so don't worry about me."

     Next, they are standing in Cyberspace, watching as the memory 'V' traverses a path to where Johnny and Alt await. The whole of it, all that they can see, is beyond their reckoning. Everything is fluid and solid at the same exact time. They follow the memory 'V' as she moves to where the memories of Johnny and Alt wait for her. They hear Alt's attempt to describe what could lie ahead for 'V', but with no frame for reference, they are just words. Words that are a poor substitute for the reality. Iriisii feels and knows this, as she has been places where she still has no concepts to describe what she saw. As they approach close enough to hear the conversation, 'V' could repeat everything said word for word. But now with parts of this puzzle complete, waiting for more pieces, she finds some in the things that this 'Alt' said which confirms for her that this is not Alt Cunningham. Who it truly is, she knows deep in her mind, this is Queen Lilith, even as she admits she is not Alt. But rather wearing Alt's engram, using her appearance and voice for whatever purpose that suits her. A few times she realizes that Lilith assimilated Alt, for there are still a few traces of Alt remaining. They cannot command any part of the form before them, but Iriisii knows it is possible for those traces of Alt to influence Lilith to do things. Otherwise this meeting would not be happening. It also explains why 'Alt/Lilith' wanted into Mikoshi so bad. To assimilate all the other engrams stored there, destroy the place, and in doing so strike a blow against Arasaka who had held her captive there until she managed to escape.  What 'game' Lilith is playing, Iriisii, 'V', even Johnny cannot say. Is it survival? If so against what? If not survival, what other unknowable goal is important enough to go to these lengths? 'V', "Now the only thing I can add is that Garry was taken off the streets of Kabuki by a team of 'suits', whisked into an AV and gone, no trace as to where they went. Somehow they figured out he was able to overhear them and was leaking their secrets. When he told me to go to the warehouse meeting is the only thing that makes sense to me." Iriisii, I can understand your intense desire for security now. Do not worry on that front, I will make sure none of yours disappears." 'V', "Thank you, that lifts a huge burden from me." Iriisii, "Know that I have been where you are now. At that time, my Gods told me that as I took on the burdens from those around me, they would share my own if only for a while when I was able to bear my load once more. I am happy to repay what they did for me for others around me."

      Johnny, "I have never believed in or could understand why some others believed in Gods. But faced with the evidence before my senses I know I was wrong. But to know there are at least some out there that really do care for and about us. It helps me know this, present company included." Iriisii, "Thank you, Johnny. But know that I would and still will give you a new body, even if you did not believe that I am a Goddess. Remember this for the future, the Gods have been here, long ago in your past. But as your people went away for whatever reason, apathy, science, the reason really does not matter. But as disbelief becomes stronger, their power to intervene in your lives wanes. This is at the heart of Celestial Law, it is not that we do not want to help, but that we are kept from doing so. So why am I here now, walking among you, giving you a helping hand?" Johnny, "You read my mind, didn't you?" Iriisii, "No, it is rather an obvious question given what I just disclosed to you. I am of a rare breed among Gods and Goddesses. I was once as mortal as any of you. And through the gifts, given to me by the gods I knew and the ones I did not. I was able again through the trials of my life, to prove I was worthy of Apotheosis, one of the ways a mortal is able to ascend and become a God." Johnny, "One of the ways? There are more than one?" Iriisii, 'Yes, another on my world that was used is called CHIM. It, in a nutshell, involves the accumulation of the sheer power of belief. One of those in our history called Vivec, who sought it said this, 'With these magic words, the King of Rape added another: 'CHIM,' which is the secret syllable of royalty.' His writings and saying are sometimes very dense, difficult to make sense of, but that is because when he wrote these words, he was on the cusp of it, seeing and experiencing things our philosophers could not understand as they had not a frame of reference. As to what happened to him, that takes a bit more of an explanation into just what 'CHIM' is. There is a great deal more than what I am about to say, but this is the core. 'It was not possible for the original spirits (who became what we call Gods) to achieve states of existence such as CHIM, for they can not know the 'joy of mortals' which is the knowing that death is merely an illusion, merely a cycle to be broken. The original spirits were immeasurable and infinite, only separated by their vanities and egos. Their infinite scale and ineffability made it hard for them to ponder their ends and limits, and thus, could not pinpoint their own individuality from the Aurbis. This inherent omnipotence made it impossible for them to know the true joy of liberation that mortal spirits could experience from escaping their natural limitations.' It should be mentioned that for one to have attempted it and failed, meant erasure from Existence. The only ones that are thought that achieved this are Vivec. Who is said to exist somewhere in the constellation of 'The Serpent', still reaching out to try and teach others how to walk his path." Johnny, "And the other?" Iriisii sighs, "The other was Talos, who became the Ninth Divine, my father." Johnny, " Your father?! What of your mother?" Iriisii, "My mother is Alessia, the first 'Dragonborn' to sit upon the 'Ruby Throne' of the First Empire. For her, Akatosh, Lord of Time, and Father of Dragons, bound her soul into the 'Amulet of Kings' as she lay dying. This would be passed down to her descendants to whichever would sit on that throne after her. And thus the protections laid within the Amulet would be made manifest through the Dragon Fires in the Temple of the One. A liminal barrier would be renewed upon each Dragonborn who sat upon that throne, limiting the Gods and Daedra, their ability to interfere in the mortal realm. After she died, the great general of her armies, Pelinal Whitestrake, took her up to Aetherius. He could do this because he himself was of the 'First Age', and was sent down to Nirn from Aetherius by Kyne to aid my mother against the Aylieds who had enslaved the early humans. Kyne is one Goddess I am closer to than the others. She taught me what I know of the Rotmulaag, the 'Words of Power' within Dovahzul, the Language of Dragons. Upon my formal greeting by the Grey Beards of high Hrothgar as a Dragonborn, Anointed of Akatosh, she gifted me as her 'Thunderchild', teaching me the deep secrets of the Rotmulaag. Thus I was able to make new  'Dragon Shouts' encompassing alternate meanings of the core 'Words'. This set my feet upon the path that has led me on my long journey. A journey that has taken me to many worlds in just as many universes, and finally to here."

      Johnny starts to comment when 'V' takes notice of Brendan trying to tell her that a message has come through for her from Mayor Peralez' office, wanting a meeting as soon as she can get there. She rouse's herself out of her trance to find Iriisii already getting to her feet. 'V', "Brendan, play back the message for me." Brendan, "Beginning playback," Judy and So Mi walk up just then. Mayor Peralez voice comes from Brendan , "'V', I want to thank you for reaching out to me. I do still want you for the job of 'Chief of Security' for me, Elizabeth, and my office staff. I know this is a large undertaking for a single person. I trusted you in the past and was not disappointed. You performed admirably where no one else could and as I understand things, your standing in certain circles has continued to rise to stellar status. If you feel the need to bring in others to assist you, I trust your judgement. I will leave such matters in your very capable hands. One last note, I would ask that you come by the office as soon as possible to cement this relationship. Be prepared to start work immediately, and 'V', thank you. I need you, Elizabeth needs you, and Night City needs you. See you soon."

     Judy, "What are you going to do 'V'? He sounds desperate." 'V', "He is, I have never heard him take that tone of voice, or speak such a veiled plea. Something has happened to 'wake' him up and he knows he is in deeper than he can handle. If so, he is right, I will need others to help. But the ones he will see and interact with need to be people he has met before and respects." So Mi, "Do you know any that fit that billing?" 'V', "One I can start with. I will only need to place a call. He may be able to help with recruiting others. His name is River Ward, and he is an ex-NCPD Detective, now he runs his own 'PI' shop." Judy, "River...? Oh..., You do not think..." 'V', "No, I will make certain he understands this is business only, if he cannot deal with that then I will look elsewhere." So Mi looks at 'V', wondering what is behind the statement  'V' just made. 'V', "I will explain more about how I know him if he comes onboard. Everyone will need to know about him then. Suffice it to say, I do trust him. He is good at his job, and like me, has scruples, even if again like me, he is willing to bend them if the need arises. Iriisii, if he accepts the offer I am going to make of him, his sister, niece, and two nephews, will need protection." Iriisii, "I understand, just tell me when you need them." 'V', "Thank you, I may not say it enough, but none of this would be possible without your help." Iriisii, "You stand in the breech, against all odds, alone if there is no other way, but willing to help and accept help. We are a lot alike, and I take it as an honor to help you." Judy, "Who else can you get?" 'V', "I can ask around the 'Afterlife', Rogue will know who I can trust." Judy, "Sounds like you have the beginnings of a plan already. I will just get out of the way and let you get to it." 'V', "Not so fast, I will desperately need the services of the 'best' braindance editor in Night City on my side. After all, it was what you taught me that allowed me to help Mayor Peralez the first time. And gave me reason to introduce myself to River Ward. That led to my helping him take down 'Peter Pan' and saving the life of those young boys, one of which is his nephew 'Randy'." Judy, "You mean that?" 'V', "Yes, both parts, about you being the best BD editor, and my needing you beside me in this." Judy steps up to 'V', wraps her arms around her, then lifts her head and kisses her. "Thank you, I mean it, thank you." So Mi just smiles, knowing she and Brendan will have a large part in this. She looks toward Brendan, "You ready to get started?" Brendan, "What is first on the agenda?" So Mi, "You need to get River Ward on the holo for 'V'. Be sure and encrypt the call, use the algorithm I downloaded into your databank yesterday,  we do not want to broadcast this all over Night City." 'V', call Mayor Peralez first, need for him to know I am coming."

     Elizabeth takes the call, as the screen opens up and she sees who it is, her tired and anguished face lights up as if the cavalry has arrived to save the day. And perhaps it indeed has. Elizabeth, "Wait just a moment, let me get Jefferson, he has been on 'pins and needles' since your last message." 'V', "Of course, take what time you need, I will be here." As Elizabeth disappears from view, 'V' hears her voice call out to Jefferson that 'V' is on the holo. It takes only a few seconds for him to appear on the holo. 'V', "Mr. Mayor, an honor to speak with you, sir. Please know you can speak freely, I have had this call encrypted for security purposes, I do not need this to be able to be traced back to where I am. I will explain further when we meet in person." Jefferson, "Not a problem, 'V'. I am so relieved that you messaged me about the 'Security Chief' position I offered to you when I got into office." 'V', I am sorry I did not get back to you about that until now, I have honestly had my hands full. It appears that your problems and my own may have dovetailed into each other as I feared may one day happen, I just did not expect it to be so soon, but I am now in a much better position to help and deal with the source." Jefferson, "You do not know how much better that makes me feel, 'V', truly."

     'V', "I can take it that something has happened that 'woke' you to these problems plaguing you? Problems beyond the normal ones you deal with every day?" Jefferson looks offscreen and comments to Elizabeth. Jefferson, "You were right to have me send that message, dear. Thank you, again." Elizabeth offscreen, "I am just glad she got it and answered. I knew this was beyond the pale, even though I did not know at first why I had such a strong remembrance of that last job she did for us, and how this one connected." Jefferson, "What matters is that we are speaking to her now. Even as we hope once more she can do something to help us." 'V' has listened intently and reading between the lines, makes the connection she feared. 'V', "I know I did not tell you all I knew at the end of that last job. I apologize for that, but I thought it necessary for yours, Elizabeth's, and my own future and welfare. I wanted to find and tear into those who were doing this, but I could not do that and risk  anything happening to the two of you. I did then and do now, place my clients' welfare above my own. Now however, I am in a much stronger position and I think those who are behind this may have miscalculated and shown their hand earlier than they intended. Whether this is due in part to other things I have been involved in since that job? Well, I think that may, even indirectly, be the case."   

     Jefferson, "It seems we will have a lot to talk about later then?" 'V', "Yes, you need to know how this all comes together and what all of us, the entirety of Night City could be facing. I will be honest , it is not good, even frightening may not be a strong enough word. But we are not without options and allies in this, ones I have the utmost confidence in." Jefferson, "I admit that makes me feel like a ray of sunlight in a thunderstorm has broken through and shined down on me." 'V',  I will be bringing some of my team with me, the ones that I know you can trust, because I trust them. I will be calling one you know of, River Ward, and ask him to join me on this." Jefferson, "You do not know how glad that makes me. I remember him from the past when I was the DA. A solid man, dependable." 'V', "Considering the situation and the stakes involved, we will be armed. Just so there will be no surprises from your current security. No one from my team will arrive before I do, if someone does and says I sent them. They are from our adversaries and should be treated accordingly." Jefferson's face shows even more relief of how 'V' is already taking charge of the situation. Jefferson, "Thank you, 'V'. I so do not know how I will ever thank you for what you are doing, but..." 'V', "I have some ideas about that we can discuss later, almost all should be 'administrative', but I can promise you the 'end goal' will be for the benefit of the people of Night City." Jefferson, "That eases my mind considerably, especially how the current media is treating my administration. 'V', "We will get into that when we meet. We will be there as soon as I can get River on board." Jefferson, "We will see you then, thank you once again 'V'." And the holo screen goes dark.

     'V', "Questions?" So Mi, "How much are you going to tell River?" 'V', "Only as much as he needs to help us with the Mayor and City Hall. We will take it as it comes. I do not want to scare him off with some of the possibilities. Once he gets settled we can look at it again as we see what is thrown against us. Any more?" Judy, "Are you going to bring in some more hustle to go with you to City Hall? If 'they' get wind of you being there, they will likely hit it hoping to get you early." 'V', "Good point." Iriisii, "My Krang is close enough to port in some help. I think a couple of my Commanders. They can stay with us, then I can have some of their teams ported in if we get hit." So Mi, "You are speaking of teleportation?" Iriisii, "Spacial portal, quicker than teleportation and less side effects. If they are combat-ready when they enter, they will be combat-ready when they exit." So Mi, "Good, that is exactly what we may need. How many can you bring over?" Iriisii, "As many as you need. I know how that sounds, but it is the truth. I would need to take you on a tour of the Krang before you would understand, for now, just trust me." 'V', "I am satisfied, now I need to talk to River.  Maybe he is between jobs at the moment. Brendan, place the call for me if you would. When you have him send it to the wall screen, best to let him see everybody with me." Iriisii, "Then it would be best to bring over my commanders, Olaf, Jarra, and Lilith, definitely  no relation to this other one. If you want to forestall any personal misconceptions on his part you can do something I did in a similar situation but for entirely different reasons." 'V', "What was it that you did?" Iriisii, "When the person I was speaking to did not get the response they wanted, they tried to get my Desidarius to turn on me. I went up to her and kissed her where the other end of the call had a good view. She knew then she was not going to get anything and she shut down her end. What I think you could do would be to find a way to introduce Judy and So Mi, then show him the strength of your relationship with them. He will get the message." Judy, "I definitely like that idea!" So Mi, "And I second it as well. If he is as you say he is, he will still help, but he will know it will not go any further than business." 'V', "You both know I cannot say no to either of you? Good, that is settled, go ahead and bring your Commanders, Brendan as soon as they are over then go ahead with the call please."

     Iriisii places the fingers of one hand against the base of her neck on the opposing side then speaks aloud, "Reaper?" Reaper, "I hear you, Mother. How can I assist?" Iriisii, "I need Olaf, Jarra, and Lilith, outfitted with armor to withstand projectile weaponry. They will need to be armed with both melee and projectile weapons. This place utilizes Class 1 to Class 5 projectile weapons, Class 6 and above not currently developed for non-specialized use." Reaper, "Understood. Information passed to them, they will be ready to enter portal as soon as it is formed and stabilized. Anything else?" Iriisii, "Have 5 expanded squads ready if I need to call for them." Reaper, "They will be ready for your call. Portal is ready to initialize." Iriisii, "Watch this, initialize portal, 10 feet opposite my position." Reaper, "Initializing portal in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1." There is a slight but distinct hum in the air. A bright line of light extends from a point ten feet from Iriisii in the open area of the apartment. It only takes a few seconds for the line to reach six feet in width then it rises to a few inches below the ceiling. The light quickly fades as double ironwood doors appear chased in arcane silver. In the center of the doors is the drawing in arcane silver of a dragon just beginning to 'Shout'. A line down the center is visible as the doors open. Everyone but for Iriisii is speechless at the spectacle before their eyes.

      The doors open wide and everyone can see into the interior of the Krang. Once it may have been sparse and utilitarian but now ornamental work has been done to create the image and feel of Celestial power. Behind the oncoming three figures, a mosaic mural can be seen against one wall. The image of the battle displayed is like nothing ever described in their history. Their eyes are riveted to the center of the mural, where they recognize Iriisii in some kind of magnificent armor standing atop a mound of bodies. One hand holding a head, lifting it up to display toward a mass of roiling storm clouds that So Mi swears she sees a face inside of. In her other hand is a heart, held above her upturned head, blood dripping down into her open mouth. Olaf is first through, sees them staring into the portal and knows what they are looking at. With a smile on his face he goes to Iriisii and kneels, then bows before her. Judy can't help herself and lets go with a whistle as she looks at Olaf. Jarra and Lilith are right behind him and place themselves to either side of him, kneeling then bowing, all three hold their bow until Iriisii returns it. Iriisii, "Rise my Elite Commanders." The three rise and stand to await orders as Iriisii introduces them. The middle is Olaf Trevorson,  Commander of my Black Dragon Elite, Black Dragon Rider to Vilok, one of my dragon daughters. To his right, is Jarra,  Commander of my Shadow Dragon Legion, Dragon Rider to Vul Gaaf Vokun, dragon son of myself and Tahrodis. To his left is Lilith, Commander of my Sirens, she has yet to choose if she wishes to present herself to my remaining dragon children to see if she would be chosen, although I know of several who have expressed interest." Lilith's face blushes slightly at Iriisii's words, even as she holds her poise with nearly perfect control. Iriisii then points out those behind her to her Commanders.

     First this is 'V', and yes, she has a full name, but this is how she wishes to be addressed. This is Judy, who is one of two mates that 'V' is blessed with. Judy is what these people know as a 'Braindance Editor' and considered the best in the city. This is So Mi, callsign Songbird, former NIA agent and a top tier netrunner. She is the second mate to 'V'. Brendan is the intelligent device over there. He is So Mi's eyes and ears in Cyberspace. And he makes a mean Latte. I am thinking of teaching him to make some specialty drinks I like if I can get hold of the ingredients." Olaf, "I am sure we can find some way to get them here." Iriisii, "Good, but that can come later. 'V' if you are ready to call River?" 'V', "Yes, I think our chances have just risen dramatically."

     Once Brendan gets River on the holo, he transfers the call to the main holo screen. As he sees 'V' he starts to greet her and then stops as the others show up in his field of vision. 'V', "It is good to see you, River. I hope Josh and the kids are good?" River, "Yes, they are. They keep asking about you, wondering when you are going to stop by to eat with us." 'V', "Sorry to say I have been literally swamped with work. And it is only going to get worse." River, "Sorry to hear that. I have enough to get by. Still have a ways to go to build a reputation." 'V', "Well then I may be able to help you with that. I have accepted an offer from Mayor Peralez to become his 'Chief of Security', and I wanted to call and ask if you would be on the team I am building. Matters outside are building and they do not look good." River: "I know, I have caught the rumors about another Corporate War  beginning soon." 'V', "There may be more to it than that, but for now I am positioning myself to help the Mayor keep Night City out of any upcoming Corporate War. I am only looking for people I can trust, and I cannot do it all alone." 'River', "Then I am glad you called me. But it is going to take a lot of people to be able to manage keeping Night City out of a war." 'V', "I know, but I have found someone who has an interest in stopping another war coming on. She has her own private army and is willing to lend them to me. As to the price, that is something that is on me. I am quite able to meet it and I feel in the end what we are going to do will help change Night City for the better. I know I have been very vague about all of this, but there is good reason. I know who is pulling the strings behind the scenes. How they are doing it. And possibly why they are doing it. But I can't do it alone." River, "For you to admit that, this has to be beyond serious. If you do not feel it right to say more right now, I understand. As long as you will tell me everything later. I know a few names I can call to add to your team if you want?" 'V', "If you trust them then I will as well, go ahead and call them. As to pay, I will pay your normal rate and kick in 'hazard pay' as well, say...double your normal rate? Same for any you bring on board." River, "That is better than I expected, sure you can afford it?" 'V', "Night City has been good to me. I am currently worth more than six zeros. And...So Mi, would you step over here?"

     As she walks next to 'V' So Mi puts a hand on the side of 'V's face and gives 'V' a passionate kiss. "This is So Mi, one of my 'outputs'." River, "One?" 'V', "Yes, Judy?" Judy hurries over and repeats what So Mi did. 'V', "Judy is my second 'output'. We have promised each to the other that we will stay together for the rest of our lives, however long or short that may be. The three us are worth enough 'eddies' that we could buy a sizable portion of Night City. But we are not interested in doing that, when we can get this city back on solid footing, heading in a direction where it can thrive again, then we are leaving Night City for good." Judy whispers in 'V's ear, "Thank you for saying that. Now I know you really mean it." River, "Can I ask where you intend to go?" 'V', "When night falls over this city, look up into the sky. Think of all those stars out there. That is where we are going. Out there, to a new life, where we can be anything we want to be. I am not going to put you in a bind. I know you will stay and why. It is part and parcel of who you are, Josh and the kids need you, and you need them. I have who I need, and who need me. Our lives have been forged together all the way to the gates of Death and back. This is what we want, what we need. Turning around and leaving everything to go down the drain...that is not who I am, not who we are. So we are going to fight, so that one day, after we are gone. People will hear our names spoken about, and they will say, 'You know, they really mattered. They steered us in the direction we now live. Things are different now, better for their having been here." That is why I am doing this, and I am asking you to share in this with us. To be a Legend in this city with us. And before I forget, we will give Josh and the kids a security detail. I have already done so for ours and my own. Anyone I feel is subject to be taken and used as leverage against us. I will give the same to any who come on board with us." River, "Thank you for that, you answered that question before I even asked, but how good are they? I mean..." 'V', "I know, considering who we will be going up against, I have every confidence in their abilities. I will also make arrangements for a safe place for them if our adversaries go after them. They will be safe there, I promise. No Corp or AI will be able to touch them, and they will be well cared for. I have another I just remembered about that I need to contact. We will meet you outside City Hall. We will be there as soon as possible." River, "Ok, see you there." Before he drops the call, a voice from just inside pickup range comes across, "Uncle River! Who was that? Was it 'V'? Is she coming over sometime soon?" Judy, "You are in trouble, do you know that. You cannot disappoint those kids." 'V', "Not now, I have no wish to draw more attention to them than there already may be." Judy, "Yeah, tough decision to make, I know. But can they understand why you are staying away?" Iriisii, "Maybe it will help if I assign some 'special security', ones that are adept at being unseen?" 'V', Let me think a bit on it. I do want to see them. It is not their fault River and I are not going to be together as they would like. It just is what it is. And I do want to meet and look in on Randy." Judy, "He was the one you and River saved from 'Peter Pan' wasn't he?" 'V', "Yeah, that was a nightmare situation for sure. One hell of a race against time." Judy, "But you did it, saved him and a few others as well, that is what mattered." 'V', "You are right. I, at the least, owe it to Randy. Ok, after the meeting with Mayor Peralez, I will talk to River about visiting. Now I need to speak to Sandra Dorsett."

     So Mi, "You told me about her. How you and Jackie saved her from being cut apart by 'Scavengers'." 'V', Yeah, that one was also close. Got to her just in time. There have been questions about it that I have never gotten answers for." So Mi, "I remember some that you talked to me about. How could someone with Trauma Team Platinum coverage be abducted by Scavengers without a peep showing up. Even if her biomon was hacked by an shard, still how in the hell did they get one and know they had to use it with her? That is not the normal type of victim they go for. Unless she was set up by someone close, someone she knew." 'V', "Someone she worked with, who did it on the Corp's orders." So Mi, "But why?" 'V', "I later came across her datapad while on another job looking into another who disappeared. It seemed his laptop came online long enough for it to be traced. He crossed up Regina, and she wanted that laptop. Scavengers had gotten him, but I did get the laptop, also found evidence of a ripperdoc working with the Scavs, selling off the implants he removed from the victims. Him, I put a bullet in his brain just after I informed him I had read his emails, while he was protesting his innocence, lying through his teeth according to those emails.

     I called her to arrange to return it to her. She was more concerned that I not 'peek' at its contents than how I found it." Judy, "Did you? Not that I would blame you?" 'V', "No, from the time I took possession of it, she became my client. So I respected her wishes and took it straight to her. She did ask if I had peeked, but I said no, and explained why I had not. She was satisfied about it, but her manner, her general movements, screamed 'fear' to me. Whatever was on that datapad, was explosive, and likely the reason she ended up where I found her. I think she can shed some light on what is going on, especially about some new data that has surfaced."

     So Mi, "That last report I gave you?" 'V', "Yeah, it is real concerning. Garry's kidnappers, had bright, shining blue eyes. Eyes like what someone has when they access Kiroshi implants. But these individuals eyes shine a constant 'blue', like they are constantly in touch with Cyberspace. I had seen one nearby whenever I would go to see Garry, Misty, or Vic. But after Garry vanished, the agent was gone. Others I have seen, I have scanned and they show either 'Netwatch' or 'NCPD'." So Mi, "And you do not think they are actually NCPD do you?" 'V', "No, I suspect 'Netwatch' and their parent, 'Night Corp'. I hope Sandra can either confirm or disprove this. It would explain a lot if it was Night Corp behind this." So Mi, "What do you think could be going on?" 'V', "Some of these AI's that are involved are tools of the Corporations. I found out about one that has been around since the 2020's. And what it is said it could do, well, it would explain some things I have seen. This reprograming of certain peoples minds starting with the Mayor's. I saw in the data where parts of their brain scans were displaying a definite 'blue' color, areas that were being targeted by the UHF wave signals.

     Think for just a moment, UHF is old, obsolete, very few even knows what it is anymore. And the major Corps do not give it a second thought. If you wanted to do anything to undermine the 'Big Guys' and fly under the radar as you are doing it..." So Mi, "You use tech that everybody else is ignoring." 'V', "Precisely!" So Mi, "So all these agents running around Night City, the ones with solid gleaming blue eyes, all work for the same corp, Night Corp, if I see where you are going with this." 'V', "Yeah. But what I want to know is what is their agenda? What are they working toward? And if they get it, what does it mean for the little guy?"

     The Mayor and his wife have past ties to Night Corp. Got their education from a grant program. But it seems that they underestimated his independent streak. I heard just enough of a conversation when I first met him. He was vociferously railing against Night Corp trying to apply pressure to get him to do something for them. And he was refusing. Which leads me to think they are using this means to control his behavior, his decisions, so that they get what they want from him. Things that if he was in his right mind, he would tell them 'where to go' instead of handing it to them on a silver platter. That is why I want to help him, before I could not, now I can. Sure I could have told him everything when I talked to him then, but the consequences of that. Not just for me, but for him, his wife, possibly his daughter. And he still would likely not be able to muster enough power to do any good." Judy, "Damn 'V', I had no idea things were going so deep here, but you make a lot of sense. It is going to take a lot of hard work to get this city right again. But I have confidence that if anyone can do it, its you. But we, and you, know you cannot do it alone. So I am with you, and I think when people learn what you know. What you are doing to stand against the Corps and their AI's. They will stand with you. So Mi, "Do you think... that Garry knew what was going to happen to him? That he saw in you, someone who could pick up where he left off, carry it farther than he could. Actually be able to stand and fight against all of this. If only we knew how to translate his speeches. He told us what he knew, but it is coded somehow." 'V', "I have some ideas of that. Brendan is researching on it for me, being careful not to draw too much attention to his searches." So Mi, "Maybe I can help him then, what are you searching for?" 'V', "Ancient means of encoding text. The older the better, more able to confound modern attempts to decode because no would think to use them."  Iriisii, "Let me look at what he has found, I have access to historical data that no one else does. It may not be from around here, but the principles of doing something like that are almost universal."