Sitting on the sofa, V's vision slowly came back into focus. Watching Arthur pace nearby, she called out with irritation, "Hey! Aren't you gonna sit down for a bit?"
"I'm the bodyguard, remember?" Arthur came closer and asked, "So, all done? Nothing that'll fall apart on us?"
"Probably. Bug's got it handled, right?" V's words were aimed at Arthur, but they sounded just as much like a check-in with the netrunner on the other end of the comms.
...
"Hello? You still there? Nothing went wrong, did it?" Getting no reply, V pressed again.
"Mm... yeah, I'm here." T-Bug's voice carried a dazed edge, like she'd just snapped back to attention. After a few absentminded hums, she explained, "Konpeki's subnet is thicker than I thought... I'll need hours to burn through its ICE.
But don't worry, we've got plenty of time. We don't move until tonight anyway... You can wander around, or get some rest."
With that, she went silent again, clearly focused on her work.
"Guess things worked out on your end..." No sooner had the hacker's voice faded than Jackie's booming voice cut in: "Smooth sailing! We're about to be rich, chooms."
Arthur answered instead: "Where are you now?"
"Hey! We're already inside... kicking back in the lobby bar downstairs." Jackie's excitement was impossible to hide. "Gotta hand it to 'em, this place is classy—way above the dives on the street.
When I get paid, I'm bringing Misty here for a night to remember!"
"Just don't stir up trouble," Arthur replied, half in small talk.
"Relax. Folks here mind their own business. Nobody's watching anyone else." Jackie suddenly remembered something and added, "Word is... Yorinobu Arasaka drops by here every night for a drink. Plenty of people hanging around hoping to climb the Crown Prince's ladder."
He couldn't help but laugh.
"Plenty of time to make a few runs back and forth...
Heh! We're not here to kiss the Crown Prince's shiny ass; we're here to loot his nest."
...
Time slipped by quickly. With the comms linked and casual chatter flowing, boredom never set in.
Night had fallen, and once again, Night City blazed in neon haze. Beneath their feet, Konpeki Plaza remained as hushed as ever.
Two sharply dressed figures stepped out of a suite—a man and a woman—heading straight for the elevator.
"Damn... still a little nervous." As the doors closed, the lift began to move automatically.
Ordinary guests didn't have clearance to Yorinobu's suite, but T-Bug was already inside the hotel's mainframe.
"Nervous... maybe. But walking in unarmed feels like being stripped bare." Arthur rolled his shoulders, clearly uncomfortable in the formal suit.
"Yeah, feels exactly like that." V leaned against the wall, eyes fixed on the glowing floor numbers.
The high-speed elevator thrummed softly, the faint hum pressing against the silence. It wasn't loud, but it gnawed at the nerves.
It felt like someone far away was trying to shout something, but too afraid to raise their voice—like a muffled scream caught in the throat.
"I thought... you knew this place inside out. I kept worrying we'd bump into one of your coworkers." Arthur's voice cut through the oppressive air.
Thank god. At least her heart hadn't floated off with this damn elevator.
"Well, guess I should act like I'm on shift, huh?" V cracked a joke, relieved to break the tension. She liked to think she'd seen it all, so why the hell was she nervous?
"Haha..." Jackie's loud voice came over the comms, carefree as ever. "You two, chill out. Yorinobu's sitting just a few tables away from me. Drinks like a real man, I'll give him that."
"Exactly." T-Bug's voice followed. "No reason to be nervous. Less than ten minutes, and it's done."
"Right, right!" Jackie's tone was anything but serious. Even through the static, they could practically picture his grin stretching ear to ear. "Lemme tell you a joke!"
"Yes—" Before he could even start, the elevator doors slid open in front of V and Arthur.
"Whew—" V exhaled hard and stepped out without hesitation. "Save the jokes for the victory party."
Before them sprawled a vast mansion. Towering black glass walls rose high, holding up the ceiling and making the place feel almost cavernous.
"So this is the Arasaka prince's palace? Looks like nobody's home." The room around them was pitch dark.
"No time for sightseeing!" T-Bug's voice snapped, urgency rising. "The balcony—check under the floorboards."
V was already moving fast, eyes streaming with data as she scanned the spot her Braindance had marked.
Her optics picked up an anomaly almost instantly—and pinpointed the switch.
"Quick! The switch is by Yorinobu's bed. Get it open!" V urged Arthur.
This was no time for strolling. Arthur hurried into the adjoining room. Almost instantly, he spotted the button by the bed... and... a gun.
Without hesitation, he pressed the switch.
"Got it! Something's coming up!" V shouted from the other room.
With the mechanism triggered, Arthur didn't rush back. Instead, he rifled through the nightstands for ammo. A box and a half—perfect. At least he wasn't stuck with just throwing knives.
Finding nothing else useful, he rejoined V just as the platform rose into place.
A locked safe. What a pain.
"Patch me into the terminal—I'll crack it." T-Bug's voice was sharp, still urgent.
This damn place... one elevator, one way in or out. They had to buy time.
If that lift failed—or anything went wrong—the only way out was down.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser