"Clatter!"
While Arthur was still spinning, the sound of shattering glass rang out from below...
He couldn't tell if it came from V or that damned box.
A sudden chill spread through his arm, and Arthur's consciousness was swallowed by darkness... It didn't last long. When he opened his eyes, dazed and groggy, the blinding red light all around made his body shiver...
It felt like... blood had poured into his eyes... Only when he staggered to his feet did he realize it was just the lights.
He flexed his limbs with practiced familiarity, checking his condition while scanning his surroundings.
V... V was lying nearby, still and helpless.
Breathing heavily, Arthur stumbled toward her. In the red glow, blood was barely noticeable...
Only when he dropped to his knees beside her did he see the shard of glass driven deep into her shoulder.
In that instant—less than a heartbeat—his breath locked in his chest, snapping him fully awake.
Panicked, he bent down and pressed trembling fingers to V's neck... Only when he felt the faint pulse did he let out that frozen breath in a long sigh.
Coming back to himself, Arthur propped V up and leaned her against his chest... His eyes swept over her, only relaxing when he was sure there were no other wounds.
The shoulder injury was serious, but not fatal... He gently shook her, and when he saw her eyelids twitch, he let her rest against the wall.
There was still a stretch of road ahead. They had no choice but to keep going.
"Cough... cough..." V woke with a fit of coughing. The stabbing pain in her shoulder drew her gaze instantly. "Damn it, talk about rotten luck."
She spat the curse viciously. After a weak attempt, she gave up trying to move that arm... for now, it was useless. "How about you?"
Her eyes landed on Arthur as she asked.
"My luck's been decent..." he answered, though his gaze was fixed on the box at his feet. "But! This thing doesn't seem so lucky."
His eyes locked on the box's built-in screen, where a number was ticking steadily downward... neither fast nor slow.
"Shit!" V cursed, leaning in. She saw the number too, and the absurdity of the day made her want to laugh.
"Damn it..." she muttered, crouching down and flinging the box open to reveal the glow of purple light inside...
Neatly arranged circuits lined its interior. Strange white vapor seeped out from somewhere, and that eerie chip lay silently within.
"Serves me right. Ridiculous..." she growled, pinching the chip and feeling for the slot at the back of her head...
"Wait... you! You're putting that thing in your head?" Arthur stared in disbelief, his outstretched hand frozen midair.
"Huff— It's fine, it's fine... at least for now. I'm the one injured. If anything happens, it's only my problem." She grabbed his stiff hand and pushed herself upright again. "I can die! But I won't live a life that makes me laugh at myself... Failure... what a joke."
"You're completely insane!" Arthur snapped, his voice harsher now. "I used to listen to reason, damn it, but it was all bullshit! Any reason you can't understand is bullshit! Hmph! You..."
...
Arthur snorted hard, but the rest of his words stuck in his throat. Finally, he added, "You'd better not screw this up. If something goes wrong, I'll kill that fat black pig myself."
"Drop it. We're just unlucky." V smirked faintly, glancing at her shoulder wound. "Help me pull this damn glass out."
"You'll bleed out!" Arthur glared at her.
"Don't worry... Remember the Cyberware I installed back in Dogtown? It strengthens my muscles, but it also forces them to contract and seal—stops the bleeding.
Damn it, never thought I'd end up using the bonus function first.
Pull it out. I can still move."
...
Arthur frowned, his hand already gripping the shard jutting from her shoulder. "You sure about this? I don't want... you gushing blood while I scramble to hold it down."
"Damn it, of course..." V's words cut off as Arthur suddenly yanked the glass free. For an instant, he could see the pale gleam of bone deep inside the wound...
V gasped sharply, teeth gritted as she watched Arthur fling the bloodied shard to the floor. Her brow stayed furrowed for a long moment before slowly easing.
"You really are..." Her lips had gone pale. "Not bad."
The two pushed on toward the edge of the passage, still bathed in crimson light.
...
Elsewhere, the sudden surge of red light sent the once-quiet lobby into chaos... The extra security stationed there shouted to maintain order, some already drawing their weapons.
Jackie and Rebecca had been at the bar when the commotion erupted around them.
Rubbing his palms nervously, Jackie's small eyes darted everywhere, his sweat-slicked hands clenched tight.
"Damn it, things are going south..." His usually booming voice had shrunk to a wary mutter. Hearing the broadcast over the red lights announce the hotel lockdown, Jackie let the crowd push him toward the exit.
Rebecca kept tucked behind Jackie's massive frame, shielded somewhat from the crush.
"What do we do now?" Over comms, Arthur and V had checked in briefly before going dark, but at least it sounded like they were safe for the moment.
"We need to get to the garage..." Jackie's eyes caught sight of three assault mechs stationed ahead, and he froze on the spot.
His instincts screamed that Arasaka didn't play around... They'd have to find another way.
The big man stood like a nail in the crowd's flow, forcing people to grudgingly squeeze around him. Even when he turned and pushed against the stream, no one could stop him.
It wasn't truly crowded, after all—this was a top-tier hotel, not Little China's market square...
Before long, the two stood before the elevator. From here, they could leave... But there was no way Arasaka's cobalt-blue lockdown would forget its own elevators.