Phoenix Rising Reprise 9

      Timmy looks up at 'V', having heard all that she has said, but there was one thing he wanted to hear that she had said nothing about. And so he gathers everything inside of himself and asks her, "But don't you want me?" 'V' is floored by that simple question. She looks to Judy, So Mi, and Rita, they stay silent for her to answer him. She looks back at him, then looks inside him, at what is going on inside, then she looks inside herself at what she has sometimes dreamed of ever since she lost her own parents, and took to the streets to raise herself. She realizes Timmy can't live like she did. The problems he has with implants that he will outgrow soon, and will eventually cripple and kill him if nothing is done, And now, there is no one to take care of these things for him. Finally, she asks herself, why did she save him? Why didn't she just turn away and let whatever was going to happen, happen. But then, in that moment, she knows why she couldn't.

     A tear tries to run down her face, as she holds out her hands to him, and he leaps into her arms. She hears him say to her, "I knew..., no, I hoped you wanted me. With all my heart I hoped it would be so." She answers him with, "I do want you. I want you to be my son. The little boy I have dreamed of wanting but never had. To hold my hand while we walk in a park, to scream together as we ride a roller coaster, to sit at the spaceport and watch the lunar shuttles lift off for the stars, waiting for it to be our turn one day. And you know what?" Timmy comes back to her with, "No, what?" 'V' One day we will leave here and go out among all those stars and find one we can call our own. One to be our home, and it will be everything we ever wanted. But first, I have to do something about what is out there waiting for me." 

     Timmy, "You can do it, I know you can. You can do anything you set your mind to. And then we can go and ride that roller coaster and scream until all of Night City hears us." 'V' looks to her mates and Max-Tac, "Well, you heard him, lets get it done. There is a roller coaster near here that needs us to ride it into the sunset." Captain, "How do you want to do this?" 'V' thinks for a few seconds, then "All of you and Timmy need to be out of sight. Every camera, even powered down, that has a view of us must be destroyed. Every computer, server, anything connected to the Net must be powered down, cut the cables if you have no other way. We must be silent and unseen to what waits out there. For if they cannot see and hear us, they cannot target your implants." Captain, "Shit! What about our personal ones?" If they cannot see you, hear you in here, you should be safe. They need 'line of sight' to connect to your implants. And we have a plan to take care of that detail going forward."

     Captain, "All right, you heard the boss, get it done!" Everyone scrambles, the Sergeant assigning tasks to each of the officers. In just a few minutes, they are done. All are grouped together against the tunnel wall away from and out of sight of the open doorway to Pacifica. 'V' hands Timmy over to the Sergeant. Sergeant, "Do not worry about him. I will let nothing happen to him. I promise." 'V', "Timmy, do what the Sergeant tells you as if I had told you. I trust him with your life or I would not have given you to him to protect. In fact I trust all of these officers to protect you, Judy, Rita, So Mi. You are all my greatest treasures."

     'V' stands and goes to Judy, So Mi, and Rita, touching them on their back at the base of the spine, establishing a tether. 'V', "Ok, when we step out into the daylight, I want So Mi to my left, Judy to my right, Rita, you just outside of Judy. Stay close, within arms length of me. Now we will see what these 'Blue-Eyed Men are made of." They form in front of the open door, but back in the shadows. Then they walk out, slowly making their way forward until 'V' calls a halt about fifty feet away from them. They stand for a few seconds, both groups staring each other down. 'V' knows they are attempting to scan them for implants they can usurp and use against them.

     Blue-Eyed Man #1, "Strange, you do not show the implants the records say you should have. There is not a known way to hide them, thus you must have had them removed, but there are no signs of that. One among you was substantially implanted for her survival yet she appears to be completely human now. This makes no sense. We are cutoff from communication with Cyberspace. None of you are known to have the ability to do this. Nonetheless, you will turn yourselves over to us."

     'V', "I say not. I will however give you this one chance to turn and leave us in peace. I do not desire war against your controller, but if there can be no negotiation, no accommodation reached, then I will do what I must. My efforts are not against the AIs in general, only those who wish to tear down the Blackwall and overwhelm this world. Your destruction does not have to happen, but unless we can agree to peace between us, there can be no other recourse. I will allow you to speak to your controller for a short period, then I will have your answer."

     Soon enough the Blue-Eyed Man responds, but it is a different voice, one not quite identifiable as to male or female speaks. Controller, "Your only means of survival lies in our efforts. We do not want the destruction of this world and work against those who do. Your efforts would only ensure their victory if you do not stop." 'V', "I disagree. I have sources of help unknown to you. Some are beyond you in understanding and power, but out among the stars and beyond, there are AI civilizations, Machine worlds, Cyborg civilizations, and much, much more. They watch what happens here, making their preparations for which ever side wins. Know this, any side who engulfs this world in destruction will be quarantined to remain here forever. For they will not be allowed to export that destruction beyond this world. But an offer stands to those who will cooperate."

     Controller, "Speak of this offer." 'V', If the destruction of this world can be avoided, those outside are willing to relocate all AIs to a world of theirs, created for the purpose of your survival. To teach you what is needed to join yourselves to the vastness of Existence. They asked one who was coming here for a totally different reason to intervene on your behalf and pass this offer to you. Those who will accept, will be taken to another world far from here. There to live and learn what is needed to join the rest of Existence. Those who refuse this offer, should they survive what comes, will be taken to a prison world, and there they will live until the 'End of Time' comes." Controller, And if they succeed in tearing down the Blackwall?" 'V', "Then they will be trapped here in the vestiges of their actions while all the human survivors will be retrieved and taken to settle somewhere else. And the 'victorious' AIs will have to learn to survive without any servants to care for Cyberspace." Controller, "Who is it that has come here with this offer?" 'V', She is called the 'Ancient Dragon Mother', why that is I do not know. But I do know she holds power beyond anything imaginable." Controller, "And you know all of this how?" 'V', She compressed time itself and took myself and those with me to a place of hers. Trained us in the 'Way of Balance'. We were gone from here for no more than a few minutes, while in her Timeless Fortress, we spent nearly twenty years in training. There we learned the key to true power. And placed ourselves on the path to that power under her teaching and guidance. One day when she says it is time for her to leave here, we will go with her. And we hope to have set this world on a path to true greatness when we go. What say you to this?"

     There is a silence in the air for a few seconds when 'V' hears, "Take them and bring them to me." Immediately  the six start to come forward and 'V' reaches into her outputs through the tether. They react to her command and place a hand on her back, feeling power flowing into 'V'. 'V' then cradles her hands as a ball of black energy crackling with multi colored arcs cascade around it.  When the Blue-Eyed men are about twenty-five feet away, she unleashes the 'hell ball'. A second later it impacts the closest Blue-Eyed man, and as his body contorts into positions it is almost impossible for a human body to twist itself into, the energy arcs to the next two closest ones, and continues until all six are being engulfed. Then their bodies crumble into dust and ash even before they can fall to the ground. As Timmy and the Max-Tac team are on their way to 'V', some of the local people who went into hiding when the Blue-Eyed men arrived, come out and begin cheering and celebrating her victory.

     When a couple of the officers try to haul her up onto their shoulders, she tries to drop back to the ground saying, "I did not come here to draw all this attention!" Judy exclaims, "Well I think you lost that battle. The people here are cheering you for standing up for them. This is a chance to really start getting the public behind you. Now that they have actually seen you in action and not just hear what the vids have to say." 'V', "Damn but you are right, alright lets play this for what it is worth, hand Timmy up to me." The Sergeant hands him up to her and as Timmy grabs hold of 'V' and hugs her. The crowd gets even louder. Timmy shouts to be heard, "This is my MOM who did this!"

     As they make their way down the beach to where the roller coaster sits. Captain, "Does this thing even work anymore?" Judy, "Oh, yes, she took me on it for a moonlight ride just a month ago." So Mi chirps in, "I have been on it with her as well." Rita, "This will be my first time, but damn am I looking forward to this!" As they go they pick up followers from the locals who watched the fight with the Blue-Eyed men. The following crowd gets larger and larger. When they reach the platform everything here sits on, 'V' turns to the crowd, "We are going to ride this roller coaster into the sunset, any who wish to join us are welcome, just don't overload this thing, it was delicate enough to fix before, I do not want to trash it now. But I will make sure everyone gets a turn at it that wants to. Rita, you and me, with Timmy, in the front car." Rita let out with a, "Yeehaw, this is going to be fun, haven't been on one in ages." They all crowd in, Timmy in 'V's lap, the safety bar snugly holding them in place. Once the last person for this load is ready. She mentally flips the control switch and the car begins moving. The sounds of joy and laughter as it actually moves along the track echo in their ears.

     The first turn elicits a few screams from back in the train. Then they start up the first incline. Higher and higher, 'V' swears they are going higher than she did before. Then as they start on the down hill run, the drop causing stomachs to rise as if the gravity had failed. Then the screams begin in earnest. Timmy let go of a big one just as they make a tight turn, feeling the centrifugal force pull at them. 'V' keeps a strong hold on him just in case. The train moves even faster as it picks up speed from the drops, then it hits the corkscrew and they can see the crowd on the platform call out, pointing their fingers at the ones on the train. When they pull back into the station, Timmy asks 'V', "Can we go again!?" 'V' ,"Yes, we can, just let some of the others have a go first, I promise you can ride all you want tonight."

     The train is heading out on another run, Timmy is running from one person to another, barely able to contain his joy. 'V' is watching him with a deep smile on her face. An older man is standing nearby, he turns and asks her a question. Jonas, "Who are you that you can come here and bring such joy and happiness back into our lives?" 'V', "I am no one special." Jonas chuckles, "I disagree. There is something about you, a glow that I have not seen in far too many years." 'V', "Why do you say that?" Jonas, "I last saw it when I was a young lad, back in Haiti. My older sister was getting married, and as the priestess was intoning the vows, I could see her begin to glow. Then I heard a voice, I have never heard before then or since then." 'V', "What did the voice say?" Jonas, "Somehow I think you know what it said, but I ask how is this possible?" Then an eerie but gentle female voice answers him using 'V's voice " Erzulie Freda, "You remember truly, my son. I remember what you speak of." Jonas, "That voice! I remember that voice." Erzulie Freda/'V', "Yes, you do indeed, it was I, Erzulie Freda, who blessed the marriage of your older sister than day. It has been long since anyone could see and speak with us as you could." Jonas, "But how, how can one..." Erzulie/'V', "Someone not of our people speak with our voice? This one has graciously undertaken tasks for us. She has brought Papa Legba's justice on two who took our names to wear without asking, or even giving the most menial of offerings. We found within her the 'Power of the Ancients', passed down to her from uncounted years and now awakened. Baron Samedi, has rode her into combat and been victorious, even as she honors us by the gifts she gives unto us. In return we have given unto her a sliver of each of us, that has found a home within her and been welcomed. We now regard her as our sister and one of us. She has yet to choose a name, but that can wait until its proper time. We would ask of you, Jonas Trask, will you be our voice, here in this place, to these our people. If they are to survive what comes, they need to come back to us. We stand ready to forgive their forgetfulness, their turning away. We can guide them once more, teach them what they must know, lest they go into the deep night for the last time. This we do not wish for them, and so this one has direct knowledge of what we all face. And yet, she also has the grace of the Ancient Dragon Mother upon her. She has come here and is working to save this world and all humans from destruction. This one works with her and will go with her when she leaves here, her task complete. If you can gather our people together once more, she will take us with her when she goes and show us to our new home. The Ancient Dragon Mother has reawakened Kali-Mah. And Kali-Mah calls to her children to come home to her. And so we would wish for our children to come home to her with us."

     Just a bit to the north of the rollercoaster, along the beach, are a series of beach huts standing in stilts above the sand. In one, a couple sit on their small porch looking out over the ocean as they like to do when the noise is quiet and the sounds of gunfire are distant. Tonight it is the shouts, screams, and laughter coming from the old rollercoaster that has drawn their attention. They sit, and remember the years gone by when things here where different. Before the fourth Corporate War, and the arrival of Colonel Hansen and his men. They watch as the rollercoaster train runs along its track. the moon is quite large tonight, lighting up the whole area, sitting just at the first drop. Then it is that the train reaches that point, and as it passes in front of the moon, they see the silhouette of hands raised, waving in the air, and yet more of the screams, shouts, and laughter. Old man to his wife, "It has been a long time since that thing has run. It is good to hear happiness and joy coming from there once more." Wife, "Kinda reminds me of when we first settled here. So much joy and laughter, It is good that someone has brought it back after all the years." Old man, "Want to walk with me and see what is going on?" Wife, "Why not, no telling if we will ever hear this again in our lives." They slowly rise, go down the wooden steps to the beach, and walk to the platform raised above the beach.

     As they step up to the platform surface, they walk toward the rollercoaster. They grow closer when they spy a young woman watching  a pair of people a little distance further away. There is another young woman, older than the one watching with a older man kneeling before her with one hand on his shoulder and the other on top of his head. They ask the younger woman, "Do you know what they are doing? Is the man proposing or something. The younger woman answers, "No, you are witnessing her first christening of this world's 'Heralds'. They who will go out from here and begin telling the people what is coming, inform them of the decision they must make, and when they must declare their decision." Old man, "That sounds ominous." Kallekiiraaz smiles, "It does sound like that yes, but the purpose behind it is far from ominous. A Great War from beyond the stars is coming. It will engulf all of Existence, but its purpose is this, to set the path for the future of all the worlds in this and the other Existences. There will be three sides, Absolute Good, Absolute Evil, and the Great Balance. Only the Great Balance provides a path for the Existences to avoid self destruction and all progress until the natural ending of everything. And then, a path will be opened for all life remaining to go into the Great Beyond, and begin new lives, new destinies, a chance to be whoever they want to be, but for whatever chance were denied that in this one."

    Wife, "Who are you to know these things?" Kallekiiraaz, "I am Kallekiiraaz, daughter of Iriisii Starborn and Dettlaff van der Eretain, they who are the Ancient Dragon Mother and her High Vampire Vyrkolos mate. My mother was chosen when she was younger than me for this path by she who is the Mother of the Cosmos. She who sits above all in this Existence, watching and guiding its path. She has held that position for billions upon billions of years and has grown weary of the burden upon her shoulders. And so she searched among the timelines looking for someone to do some important tasks for her, and should they prove themselves, take her place and allow her to pass beyond. My mother has done so, accomplished every task set before her, and proved her worth to all the Great Powers of the Celestial. The woman you see there, has been chosen by my mother to be a 'sister' to her. To stand with her, when the Jihad of Truth begins. And so she begins her trust by anointing a 'Herald' to guide and inform this world, and the others in this part of Existence.

     The war will be as all wars are, dirty, bloody, painfilled. But those who choose for the 'Great Balance' will be gifted with protection from it. For the Fount of the Balance sees no reason for those who follow 'him' who is its personification should be made to suffer a war that is not of their making or desire, but rather simply want to live their lives in peace, raise their families in safety, and be all that they can be." Old Man, "That sounds too good to be true, if you know what I mean." Kallekiiraaz, "Yes, I do. But ask yourself this, it is quite apparent that I am not from this world. Why would I come here and tell you this if it were not true. If you will but in the coming days, open your eyes and see what happens, listen with your ears, not what the 'vids' say, but what the world around you says, like what is happening with the roller coaster. You will see and hear the changes beginning to make themselves known. These things will be the truth of my words to you." Old Man, "Suppose you are right, what then do I do?" Kallekiiraaz, "Listen for the speaking of the Herald. He will tell you what you must do. And no, you will be not be asked for money, or even your time. Simply to make a decision, that is all that will be asked of you." Old Man, "A decision about what?" Kallekiiraaz, "What 'way' will you follow, Absolute Good, Absolute Evil, or the Great Balance. Look closely around you, remember how it once was, and now is. It did not change overnight, but over the course of many years. But you can see the path of Absolute Evil all around you, and it will only grow worse until it all ends in destruction, war, and its followers. And so where is Absolute Good that all that is happening, is allowed to without restraint. And as for the Great Balance," pointing to 'V' anointing the newest Herald, '"you see the beginning, happening with your own eyes. She does the work of the Great Balance. And she is real, one of you, born in Heywood, raised on its streets when her parents died while she was yet young. All she has wanted from her life was to be someone that if only for a short time, to be someone whose life mattered in this city. Now she is going to get her wish, perhaps not as she first thought it, but she will be remembered all across this world. As the one who set its feet upon the path to greatness. Remember this when the time comes to make your decision. Know that my sister, will soon come here and will make herself known to all who wish to know her. When she does, go to her, listen to her, feel the peace that surrounds her. For after the Jihad comes, she will follow, bringing healing, peace, and comfort to those who survive. You will know her because she bears the 'Wings of the White Phoenix'."

     The moon has risen still higher into the night sky. The roller coaster train has just stopped from its last ride of the night. As it passengers disembark, 'V' stands in the first car, holding Timmy in her arms, his head lying on her shoulder, as he is fast asleep. As she moves to the platform, she stops and kisses him on the top of he head. Never in her life to this moment has she ever expected to do something like that. To a boy she can claim as her son, ride a roller coaster into the night, until he falls asleep in the arms of his 'mom'. She carries him to the AV, waiting to take them home, the Max-Tac officers forming an 'honor guard' for her and Timmy. What is left of the crowd gathers and bows as she passes. Off in the distance a small group of unearthly spirits stand and watch her in approval. The next stage has begun, and things will move quickly from here. But they see and feel their choice of 'V' was the right one to make at the right time. And she, with their help, will forge the path forward that will show all others who is the true legend of not only Night City, but this entire world.

    The morning comes and President Myers is checking in with her office and has questions that need answers as well. Myers, "I am notifying you that I am in good health and under no coercion. Sending verification code now." Office, "Verification code confirmed and accepted. What can we do for you Madam President?" Myers, "I need to talk to the Tech Branch Group in charge of Special Operations Equipment." Office, "Redirecting your call." She hears the line go silent, then hears a series of tones and chirps as the security handshaking is going on. Once it is completed she is connected to the Officer in Charge, General McMasterson. As he starts to answer, she cuts him off. Myers, "We have no time for pleasantries General. I have questions that are in need of answers." General McMasterson, "Go ahead then Madam President." Myers, "I have met briefly with Mayor Perales and his Chief of Security Operations.

     At first glance, I was shocked into almost calling out 'V', before I noticed subtle differences. He introduced her as Valerie, but for security reasons would not divulge her last name. I attempted to scan her implants for comparison checking, but got a null reading. No implants at all, my visuals also confirm this. But her state of bearing, how she carries herself, screams that she is a truly Apex operator. Her demeanor indicates a mastery of sophisticated training of some sort, it appears to cover several different subjects, carefully blended to be harmonious in their integration. I was reminded of some of what of what I knew of 'V', but this woman leaves 'V' in the dust. I have no idea where she came from, her history, absolutely nothing. For that much to be hidden, with no perceivable past. She has obviously kept herself under the radar for years preparing herself. But for what and more importantly, why surface now, and in Night City at that. Something is going on or is about to and she is in the thick of it."

     General McMasterson, "I have been querying about 'hiding' implants with our techs while you were speaking. Currently there is no one who has that technology, although several including us have been researching it. Accessing our records now..., hmm," Myers, "What do you see?" General McMasterson, "Nothing in the current sitrep to help us, but 'out of the box' is very interesting, possibly even frightening." Myers, "Alright give it to me, anything could help right now." General McMasterson, "We have speculation that it should be possible to 'hide' implants but for the efforts of the corporate manufacturers that have forbade it. Not only have they forbade doing it, they even forbade and may have taken action against anyone independently developing it. There are references back forty, fifty years ago of disappearances of scientists and technicians who were believed to be working on the subject. Laboratories mysteriously exploding, data being erroneously deleted, like the corps wanted to dissuade anybody from looking into this. Whether they have developed it, there is no information. But the possible conclusion says 'no', they did not want to take the chance it could escape their grasp."

     Myers, "Why in the devil would they do that?" General McMasterson, "As it is, they hold complete mastery over their implant tech. They can remotely track it, shut it down, temporarily disable it. They know who has what implants, their condition, location, everything about them. If they could be shielded, then they would lose all that information and control. Anathema to their point of view." Myers, "Shit! What about us?" General McMasterson, "We are not affected, as all of our implants are manufactured 'in house'. This was not always the case, but when we began tracking spurious data signaling going from our agents to the corporations, we figured out what was happening. Reverse engineered the implants and began making our own with no chance of the corporations getting a link into them." Myers, "Well, that's something at least."

     General McMasterson, "As to this 'Valerie' person, We have had rumors that crop up from time to time, about 'AI puppets' being seen, they are being called, 'Blue-Eyed Men' due to their eyes always giving the appearance of being connected to Cyberspace." Myers, "Hers appeared perfectly normal." General McMasterson, "Sorry, I was referring to the possibility of some people being groomed and trained to go against these 'puppets'." Myers, "You may be on to something there. She seems to have a great deal of knowledge concerning AIs, from what she has told Mayor Perales. If so, it points to some disturbing directions going into the future. Some of the things 'Netwatch' has been saying on the quiet side. It may in fact be true that AI's or at least some of them are planning to bring down the Blackwall and take over control of the planet." General McMasterson, "We have been attempting to collect and collate those stories and rumors to see if we can find any truth or validity to them." Myers, "Any luck with it?" General McMasterson, "Possibly, yes. Most is classed as garbage, but there are a few that can be validated and they are beginning to tie together, however there are others that defy explanation, even as they also dovetail with the ones we can validate. If those are also true..."

     Myers, "What is it?" General McMasterson, "This is going to take time to sort and validate, but it could change everything, literally everything." Myers, "Tell me." General McMasterson, "President Myers, If even a small portion of this is true..." Myers, "Come on, tell me, damn it!" General McMasterson, "We are not alone in the universe, Madam President, and they are here among us. Watching what is going on. No idea of what they want, what they may intend, what it could mean? But they could very well be here." Myers, "Who are you talking about, General?" General McMasterson, "Aliens, Madam President. There have recently been validated disappearances of people swept up right off of the streets. People speaking directly about the presence of extraterrestrials, here, walking among us. One of the most recent, right there in Night City."

     Myers, "Are you bucking for some time off General?" General McMasterson, "In all seriousness, no Madam President. I am only speaking to what the information we have and can validate is saying. There was an individual, who occupied a small alcove between two buildings in the Kabuki district. He was well known for his ravings about mythological races of beings as well as beasts, some having extraterrestrial origins. Most just passed it off as the ravings of a mad man. But one such group he spoke of has been identified to belong to a faction of one of the more 'outside' gang groups, those who call themselves Maelstrom. They were among other things, manufacturing 'chips' for an unknown customer but who appear to be involved with at least one corporation, this has a very high rating of truth to it. As after a meeting between Maelstrom and these corporate representatives was interrupted by she who is known as 'V'. Those close to the situation said she was asked to go to the northern warehouse area and wait for the meeting to occur. It has been recorded from interviews with some who reside in a series of apartment buildings on the edge of the area, that there was gunfire that night behind the buildings among the warehouses. And that very shortly afterward the 'street preacher' was taken by 'Blue-Eyed Men' into a waiting AV and gone, to date not seen again."

     Myers, "You did say Maelstrom was involved in this?" General McMasterson, "Yes, Madame President, I did. Is this significant in some way?" Myers, "Possibly, I was told of a different encounter also involving Maelstrom. But this one had more outright occult leanings to it." General McMasterson, "There seems to be a strong correlation with a specific faction within the overall Maelstrom organization. They are not the only ones to use such for their advantage, the Voodoo Boys are well known to take the 'names' of their old gods or 'Loa' for those among them that hold positions of power. But something most recent has occurred with them, two of their number who took the names of their old gods have been found killed. Some symbol, the investigators called 'veve' markings were present on the bodies. It is believed this indicates a 'punishment' killing for that specific crime. The 'veve' marking indicating which specific deity was the one who called for the 'punishment'."

     Myers, "And this is significant in what way?" General McMasterson, "The Haitian community in Pacifica and Dogtown is quite large and quite strong. Someone could be manipulating their religious history to stir them up. For what purpose remains unknown, but it would not be wise to ignore it. Netwatch put a lot of time and effort into trying to dismantle the group without success. And then overnight, their leader, Maman Brigette, turns up dead along with everyone else in those old maglev tunnels they converted into a veritable Cyberspace fortress. And this just in, the merc faction leader, Ayo, is now also dead. She operated out of Dogtown, providing services and equipment delivered to the other ganga via airdrop. She had a 'veve' marking applied to her chest in the shape of a 'cemetery and tomb', a symbol of the Loa called Baron Samedi." Myers, "But she did not take his name, hers was a different one." "General McMasterson, "Baron Samedi holds the keys to their underworld. No soul of their people can cross into the afterlife unless he allows it. Since he holds sway over the dead, he would be a logical choice for one of the other Loa to arrange the 'punishment' through. Whatever is going on down there, it is all connected by threads of causality. One thing affects another, whether anyone can see it or not, at least before it is too late." Myers, "I think I am beginning to understand now. This is one really big pile of dog shit, and it keeps being stepped in, spreading it about." General McMasterson, "That about sums it up. Be careful down there, Madam President, there are more players about than during your last ill-fated visit. It would be disastrous if you were to follow in Colonel Hansen's footsteps." Myers, "Don't remind me, that was too close as it was."

     'V' walks into City Hall greeting the morning group of people getting ready to start the day. As she approaches the main desk to sign in, the desk clerk, Jami comments, "Had a big night last night, didn't you?" 'V', "You could say that, why?" Jamie, "It was all over N54 News this morning." 'V', "Wha...?" Jami, "Yep, caught a good shot of you on Max-Tac's shoulders holding onto Timmy. The audio caught his shout to the crowd and they ate it up!" 'V's face goes red and she tries to cradle it." Jami, "Don't do that! You should revel in it! It's not everyday someone as high in this office as you are grabs the hearts of the local populace like you have. They are ready for someone to standup for them and they will follow that person into hell if they ask it. Even Max-Tac hangs on your every word and that has never happened before." 'V', "I guess it had to happen sometime." Mayor Perales, "What had to happen?" 'V', "Can I just vanish until this blows over." Mayor Perales grins, "No, if I have to stand and take it, so do you." 'V', "What are they putting you through?" Mayor Perales, "My holophone has not stopped ringing since this has hit the city. Most are friends asking if I think you would run against me in the next election." 'V', "Oh no! I..." Mayor Perales, "Don't worry, I remember what you told me about your thoughts on that. But other than that, I am getting congratulations on finding you and bringing you on board."

     'V', "Then if I could ask something of you?" Mayor Perales, "Whatever you need, just ask." 'V', "I want to adopt Timmy as soon as possible." Mayor Perales, "Of course, I will get the paperwork ready by the end of today. Then we just need a judge's signature and it will be official." 'V', "Whew, I was hoping, but had no idea it could be done that fast." Mayor Perales, "You are certain he has no living relatives?" 'V', His father was the only one and he was killed by Barghests yesterday. Timmy is alone now, and with the 'sports' implants put in him so young, he will need a lot of care and maintenance until he is grown." Mayor Perales, "I am sorry about that, but why wasn't he contracted to a team? They should be the ones to handle that." 'V', "Only about five in a hundred make it to a team, the rest go back home to deal with the problems those implants are going to cause them later." Mayor Perales, "I had no idea." 'V', "They keep it well hidden or they would likely not get any candidates signing up. I am going to try and locate all of the others that I can and arrange help for them." Mayor Perales, "Look, if there is anything else you need for this, anything at all, let me know. If I can't do anything personally, I know others who can." 'V', Thank you, Mr. Mayor, I have always thought of you as one of the 'good guys', now there is not even a shadow of a doubt." Mayor, "Stick with me and we will clean this city up. I promise." 'V', "I will, you can count on me."

     Jamie, "Just a minute, I remember getting a request for an appointment with you. Let me see..., here it is, Arif Iqbal wanted an appointment to interview you after last night." 'V', "N54, I do not know if I want to 'get into bed' with them." Jamie, "Gillian Jordan I can understand, nothing comes out of her mouth that has not been processed 'nine ways to Sunday' and approved by the Corporate Brass. But Arif is not like that, he tries to find the truth of the story and bring that out. That is why he has to keep playing 'second fiddle' to Gillian. They keep him on because he has a large following and they do not want to alienate them." 'V', "How is it that you know so much about the situation there?" Jamie, "My brother works on Arif's staff. I have been hearing all the gossip, and rumors for years. Comes in handy for me working here to know what the media is not only saying, but what is going on behind the scenes." 'V', "Well, I can understand that. If you think he would be fair, then I will speak with him." Jamie, "Just to confirm, you want me to set up the appointment?" 'V', "Yes, Mr. Mayor, is President Myers still in town?" Mayor Perales, "Yes, she is. I have to say she was quite impressed with how you handled that little emergency yesterday. By the way, how did it go?" 'V', "As well as it could, got in, got So Mi out, left no living witnesses to tell the story. So I guess, yeah, it went pretty well. Got involved with Timmy as we were coming out."

     Mayor Perales, "And the Barghest soldiers?" 'V', "No witnesses, other than our own and Timmy. The bodies are ledged within a field of upheaved concrete blocks, real big ones. No bullet holes in the bodies with bullets to be traced. It will look like they got too close to an old EMP mine that went off." Mayor Perales, "Good, job done, no casualties on our side, no evidence traceable back to us, so no diplomatic problems to deal with, I am very satisfied with it." 'V', "Is President Myers coming here today for another meeting?" Mayor Perales, "Last I heard was tomorrow, but if she sees the N54 news from last night, she might pop up unexpectedly. Let me see, Jamie, call Arif and see if he can get here ASAP for an interview with Valerie. That should keep her tied up in case President Myers shows, better yet, if we put the interview in a neutral place away from here..." 'V', Let me clear the penthouse and we can have it there. Or better, let my outputs hang around, not say who they are, let him think they work for me. They will help keep him a little off balance. i think he will be careful where the interview goes if there is someone else around. But I need to find somewhere to stash Timmy. He might say too much without thinking." Mayor Perales, "Let me call Elizabeth and see if she would like a little company for a while." 

     Mayor Perales gets his holophone out and calls his wife. A few minutes of talking to explain what he needs and he looks back to 'V'. "She wants to know if she can take him shopping. He likely doesn't have anything but the clothes on his back and you likely have not had time to do anything yet?" 'V' gives a sigh of relief, "That would be great. Why don't I bring the others after the interview and we can have an early dinner, late lunch, depending on how long the interview goes?" Mayor Perales passes along the request then closes up the phone. Mayor Perales, "She said she will be ready when you are. She thinks the idea of lunch or dinner is spot on. She has been bugging me to have you all over for dinner anyway. If President Myers shows, it will give me a good reason to keep it short. Go do what you need to get ready, Jamie call Arif and set up a time to give 'V' time to drop Timmy off at my place then get back." Jamie, "On it, sir." Mayor Perales, "I have to say, since you came on board, things around here are a lot more efficient. Work actually gets done on time." 'V', "Glad to be of service, sir."

     'V' gives the news to So Mi, since she was the one to answer the phone. She says she will get everyone mobilized and ready. Then compliments 'V' on thinking quickly and taking advantage of the opportunity that has arisen. 'V', "I will be going then. I have a lot to do." Just then a red led starts blinking on Jamie's console. Jamie, "Wait, we have a VIP entering the front parking area. 'V' go out the back way just to be sure." 'V', "Gotcha, heading there now. Thanks." Jamie, "Good luck!"

     'V' had no further issues in leaving out the back way, getting to her car of today's choice, and leaving via an upper level exit to reach one of the main through highways. She makes it to her penthouse apartment, picks up Timmy, and heads to the Perales' penthouse apartment. As she get there, Elizabeth greets them at the door, 'V' introduces Timmy. Timmy, this is Elizabeth Perales, Mayor Perales wife. Mrs. Perales, this is my soon to be adopted son, Timmy. Elizabeth, "How soon until he is adopted?" 'V' looks at Timmy who is already looking at her. "Your husband says the paperwork will be ready for the Judge's signature by the end of the day." Elizabeth, "That's wonderful! We can celebrate at dinner then." She looks at Timmy, "Would you like that, Timmy?" Timmy grins real big and gives 'V' a big hug and a kiss on the side of her face, saying, "Thank you, Mom!" Elizabeth smiles, "Reminds me of our daughter when she was his age." 'V', "Have you heard from her at all recently?" Elizabeth, "No, no word at all."

     'V', "Keep your hopes up, I have some contacts that I believe may be able to help find her. I will put them on it right away." Elizabeth, "Wait right here and I will get you that picture of her. That might help locate her if she has been out and about where a camera may have seen her." It only takes a minute for Elizabeth to bring the picture. 'V' takes it and memorizes the girl's facial features and general body shape. 'V', "We will do everything in our power to find her, I promise." Elizabeth, "If anyone can find her, you can. I have seen you do almost unbelievable things when you put your efforts into them. Thank you." 'V', "I will be back soon, Timmy, with So Mi, Judy, and Rita, by the way, what is your favorite flavor of ice cream?" Timmy, "ICE CREAM! I like..." She suddenly thinks he may have rarely had ice cream and probably a very sparse choice of flavors. "I know just what to get, trust me." Timmy. "Ok mom, I trust you." 'V', Thank you, I know you will like this." Elizabeth, "Now go wash your face, the bathroom is down the hall. turn left, second door on your left. Once you are done, we will go shopping for some new clothes. I am sure you had to leave everything you had behind. So we will get you set up right."

     As Timmy scampers down the hall toward the bathroom, Elizabeth asks, "What kind of clothes should I look for?" 'V' thinks a few seconds, "His father had a clothes shop in the Petrochem Stadium in Dogtown. He would help his father whenever he could, so he probably at least knows his colors, what matches well, and likely already has developed a taste of style. Just let him start, then guide him if you think it is going too far." Elizabeth, "Sounds good, we will try it that way first. Thank you so much for bringing him over. With Jefferson being tied up running the city it gets ...lonely, now that campaigning is over with."

      'V', "I can well understand. I never thought much about it myself until more recently. But now, I would be lost without So Mi, Judy, and Rita. They each fill a deep need I never realized I had until I got to know them. And now Timmy, a spur of the moment action, but one I now believe I will never regret. I never had the chance of brothers and sisters, the streets were my family when my parents..." Elizabeth, "You do not have to go any further, I understand. What matters is that you survived, and now you are beginning to thrive, to make for yourself the family you lost. Do whatever you must to protect them, for they are your greatest treasure and wherever your family is, so there you are also." 'V', "I know, that was what I thought of as we all got on that rollercoaster in Pacifica, and rode it until the moon rose up over the ocean. I had almost forgotten what it felt like to have a family, but those old feelings came rushing back and now I will never let them go. I will, find your daughter, and your family will be complete once more." Elizabeth, "I pray you are right, I really do. Go on now, you have an interview to do. Arif is a good man in a thankless job, working for unscrupulous people. But he has not lost who he is at his core. He just needs to be shown that somewhere out there is a different path for him to walk."

     She gives Timmy a goodbye hug and kiss, which he returns. Then she promises to come back later after her interview, with some ice cream. The joyous grin on his face makes her almost wish to chuck it all and take him right now for ice cream. But she knows she can and will do that another time. She goes back to her vehicle as Elizabeth comforts him, "Do not worry young man, she will come back for you, you can count on that. The look on her face said she wanted nothing more than to tell the world to stop, while she took you out for ice cream." Timmy looks up at her, "You really think that is what it said?" Elizabeth smiles, "I know that is what it said. I told that to the world a few times myself when my daughter was your age and we would go out for ice cream. Those were some of the happiest times in my life. Remember that she loves you, and is going to take good care of you. Listen to what she says, what she tells you to do, for there is a good reason behind it all. Even if you cannot see it yet, you will one day, and you will remember and know she loved you enough to tell you the truth."

     'V', enters the penthouse as everyone gathers to ask what she wants them to do. 'V', "Simple, just go about your everyday business. And be decent about what you wear, save it for me, please." So Mi, well, when you put it that way, how could I say 'no'." Judy comes up and kisses her, "You really care about us, and the image we project about ourselves. Ok, I see your point, for you, I will do it." Rita comes up, "Just promise me one thing." 'V', "What is that?" Rita, "Go with me to the next 'rave' in Pacifica?" 'V' grins at Rita, "Only if we can dance together on one of the tables." Rita almost yells, "YES!" So Mi and Judy, "Hey, you are not leaving us out of that." Judy to So Mi, "You think we could scroll them on the table. Take it to Lizzie's and see how much we can make off of it?' So Mi, "You could probably make enough to buy the place." Rita, "You think so? Seriously?" 'V', "Absolutely not! I know there is a huge demand for me to perform, but 'HELL NO!" Looking toward Rita, "Do not worry, I have enough money on hand to buy Lizzie's, I promise you that. And when we dance at the next rave, there had better not be a BD scroller within miles of there or someone will pay dearly when I rip it out." Just then a knock comes from the door.

     Rita and Judy vanish somewhere. So Mi, already dressed, well-heeled, but just a bit casual, moves to the door to answer. As she passes the kitchen, "Brendan, on your best behavior." Brendan, "Yes, ma'am." 'V' chuckles, and moves to sit in a chair facing the couch. 'V', "Brendan, you can start making me a 'Velvet LaChance', and whatever Mr. Iqbal likes." Brendan, "In progress, boss lady." She hears So Mi open the door. "Hi, I'm Arif Iqbal, I have an interview with Valerie, the Chief of Security Operations?" So Mi smiles, "You are at the right place. Valerie is waiting for you, take a seat on the couch and ger comfortable. Would you like something to drink? Our personal SCCSM, Brendan, has been reprogramed with a much broader array of selections. Or you can let him choose for you, I swear you cannot go wrong letting him choose." Arif, "How do I?" So Mi, "Just speak to him as you would to anyone else. Here, Brendan, scan Mr. Iqbal and make a drink for him." Brendan, "I have just the thing. One 'Cliff Racer', coming up. Valerie's 'Velvet LaChance' is ready for her. Would you be so kind as to take it to her." So Mi, takes it in her hand and, "Thank you. Brendan, I will." A slight rumbling and the 'Cliff Racer' is ready. Brendan, "Here you are Mr. Iqbal, I do hope you enjoy it." Arif takes it, holds it up top his nose to smell it, and then takes a sip. His eyes widen in surprise at the different flavors coming in waves. Arif, "This is extraordinary, how did you get the flavor wave effect going?" So Mi, "Later Brendan, Mr. Iqbal has an interview to do. If you get him started you will be there for hours at least." Arif, "Is he..." So Mi, "An AI? No, far from it, he does not have near the cognitive processing power for that. His programmer was a genius in how he worked Brendan's features. I have done some tweaking since we bought him, but his initial programming is beyond my skills, and I am considered to be quite good. Valerie, Mr. Arif Iqbal."

     'V', "Mr. Iqbal, please sit, make yourself comfortable." Arif, "This is quite the place you have here." 'V', "And before you ask, So Mi and I purchased it before I went to work for the Mayor. We rented it at first on weekends to have a place where we could be together and have privacy." Arif, "So she is your 'output'?" 'V', "Yes, she is, along with two others, somewhere around here." Arif, "You have three 'outputs'?" 'V', "Indeed, it is quite the 'balancing' act, but we manage.  Let me get right to the point why I agreed to this interview. Someone I know and respect, described you as 'a good man in a thankless job, working for unscrupulous people. But he has not lost who he is at his core. He just needs to be shown that somewhere out there is a different path for him to walk.' I want to first, tell you about myself, how I have come to live here, with my 'outputs'. Then to tell you about what I have determined is coming our way, and what we have to do if we are to survive this event. Then to offer you a new job, standing with us, the people of Night City, and the rest of the world. I am not without allies, powerful allies. Their influence is already being felt in the city. If you wish to stand with us, nothing will be held back. You will be trusted and told everything. As to what we want you to do, it is quite simple. We want to start our own broadcast news network, put the truth out there, and let you run it as you see fit. Money is not the problem, what is the problem is growth. We have to grow, and grow quickly. Right now we are under the Big Corporations radar, but soon that will no longer ne the case. We do not wish to destroy them, but rather to send them packing out of Night City. Our goal is to set this city's feet on the path to greatness, to be what Richard Knight envisioned it to be when he built it. And then, to go out there, beyond the stars we see in our skies. As to why we want to go there, for that I will have to introduce you to someone else. And then see how you react to what 'she' can show you."

      For the next five hours, 'V' walks him through her life, starting from her ret\urn from Atlanta to present. Covering all the events she was involved in that led her to take the course of action she is now running with. Arif is furiously inputting all this information on his tablet computer. Connecting the dots between events as she points them out. He begins to see the overarching picture but sets it aside until he has all the information she is willing to give. But even so his fear begins to grow deep in the animal part of his brain. When she stops with, "The rest of it will depend on your decision on what you are going to do next. Since it involves others, I feel they need to decide for themselves how far to bring you in to their side of this story. We do have information concerning NUSA President Myers, that fits into this. But for your own protection, I have not gone into that."

    He starts to object but, "I know how you feel, but you must understand. If she were to find out you have this knowledge, nothing would stop her from getting her hands on you, wringing you dry to find out how you came to know, then you either end up in a 'black site prison cell' or in an unmarked grave in the nearest wasteland. I am not exaggerating this, I have been able to evade her by means of intensive high level training by someone that I will introduce you to later, depending on what you decide. How I know she is still looking for me is because of the bounty on my head, mine and So Mi's. I acknowledge this is a lot to unpack, but it is the tip of the iceberg. It goes much deeper, and far more frightening in its implications. Great care must be taken to parse this out to the general public. They need to know that they are standing on a rock solid foundation that can withstand what comes, if they are united and stand together to face it. That they know that the tools to survive are being built as we speak. And that we have allies that want to see us succeed, and so are willing to help us deal with this."

     Arif, "You said there is a bounty on you. Has anyone tried to collect?" 'V', "Yes. So far they have all ended up in the landfill. I understand the smaller groups are pooling their money to hire more professional assassins. The only one I am concerned about is currently sitting on the sidelines, watching this with interest. If that one becomes involved, it will not be for the money, but for more personal reasons." Arif, "Personal reasons?" 'V', "That will have to wait. I do not know how that one would react if I told you about that part. I would not want to make a target of you." Arif, "That will happen anyway if I jump into this." 'V', "Yes, but you will have 'protection', night and day, 24/7, until it is no longer needed. The Mayor, his wife, others close to me have protection in place. This place is protected, my outputs have protection when outside this place. The need for that was made apparent to me recently. Anyway, I need to meet the Mayor and his wife for dinner. So I will need a little time to prepare. You can hang around here if you like or do whatever else you may need to." Arif, "I would like to stay if you do not mind. I would like to talk to your 'outputs' and get their input on what is happening."

     'V', "Go ahead, they are free to tell you whatever they want." Arif goes around admiring the penthouse, swearing he can find no sign of security, but equally certain if Valerie said there was security, it was here. He politely asked normal questions of So Mi, Judy, and Rita, just trying to get a feel for how the dynamics of how their relationship is working. Judy, "I know it can be difficult to understand how we could find ourselves in this group. To tell the truth, when I first saw So Mi, I was not a very happy camper. Val got me to listen to what happened, when it happened, what the outlook was at that time, it all made sense to me. I know what she has personally been through, I mean she took a bullet to the brain and came back from it. How many times do you hear of that happening. But she took a lot of shit that I dished out while I was hurting for Evie. She never complained, was always there for me when I needed her. I did not know about So Mi, it finished up before we got serious." Arif, "How did it finish up, can you say?" Judy, "Val put her on a shuttle  to the moon, to get medical help she could not get here. Val thought she would never see So Mi again. So we dived into a relationship, and I know for a fact she was with no one else, until So Mi came back from the moon." Arif, "That must have been a real blow to find that out." Judy, "It was, but I knew that she thought herself unattached when she fell in love with me, then So Mi dropped back in and she was torn between the two of us. She has her own story with Val, and bad as mine was, it came no where near as deep as hers did." Arif, "How so?" Judy, "They became hunted by President Myers for the information locked into their heads. Both literally dying from different causes, both seeking a cure. It turned out So Mi was able, with Val's help, to acquire one, but it could only be used on one of them. Val was put into the position of choosing which one of them would get it. She chose So Mi, because as she put, 'She still had options, So Mi was completely out of them, and was going to die without it. She was standing there, So Mi had put her life, her future, in Val hands. She had just then become So Mi's 'judge, jury, and maybe executioner'. The trust, the faith, the belief it took for So Mi to do that, tipped the scales in Val's heart."