B-Team...

"Tell me, Christy, why should I trust you now?"

...

She scowls, glancing at the hand on her shoulder that was steadily squeezing with more force. "Because I've proven I'm not like that. Did you actually think I liked working as a glorified prostitute?" she spits, "I made myself. Arasaka doesn't know about me. I have money, I have goals. I don't need to fuck you over to get what I want."

...

He keeps his glare for almost ten seconds before relaxing, "Alright. I believe you... But-"

"You'll kill me if I betray you, yeah, I know." she grouchily retorts.

"Good that you understand. Leave the city, far as I'm concerned, we're done. Your account has enough money to live comfortably in Seattle for your next three lifetimes. Don't make me regret trusting you, Christy." he says, taking one of the laptops on the bed and leaving.

When the door closes Christy lets out a cold breath, holding a hand to her chest as her heart beats furiously, "Ass hole."

------------------------

"Are we going ahead with the plan or what?" Johnny asks, legs up on the table as he addresses V.

V gives a tired sigh, "Die a legend? Who wouldn't want that..."

...

"I see you're havin' second thoughts. S'much as I wanna see them crash and burn, it ain't just about what I want anymore. If you want, you can spend what time you got left with friends, family. I won't blame you for not wantin' to go out that way, but if you want it to mean somethin'..." he trails off.

"It'll mean everything. I'm doing it, if I can't live then I'll pull the guys who did this down to hell with me."

"Strong words. But can you keep it up? I've seen too many people lose their nerve at the last second. If you're gonna do it, be certain about it. Never wanna change your mind when it's too late to turn back."

V nods, "I've made my peace... Should we get Zombie involved in this? He'd be going to war without us anyway."

Silverhand shrugs, "Him bein' there would take the wind outta your sails, people still think Blackhand did most of the work." he snorts, "It'd be nice to have that guy back us up though, like a big talking meat shield that shoots back." he chuckles.

"Didn't answer my question."

...

"V, I'm having enough trouble accepting that you're turning into me. This is for you to decide, doesn't matter what I'd do, it's your life."

...

"Alright."

--------------------

"No." Ori bluntly states after he enters the meeting place.

This was where Rogue had gathered the mercs who were willing to work with him, well, not with him. Any mention of his name would be like kicking the Arasaka hornet nest. No, she did exactly what she said she'd do, ask around for people willing to do a suicide run.

The lineup was never going to be the best, but he hadn't expected... This.

Around ten people were present, and aside from V who was standing in the corner, they looked like miserable wretches. Half of them were drug-addled losers with nothing to lose, itching, scratching open wounds, sores, and injection marks.

The other half were chromed-up half-Cyberpsychos who'd lost any sense of self-preservation and the ability to evaluate risk. They'd be good thrown at a target, but anything complicated would fry what's left of their brains.

Thankfully, there was one person who looked like they had their shit together, standing not far from V. He was wearing a grey ballistic jacket, black padded trousers, short-cut blond hair, a short build, and a specced-up burya on his hip.

"Whaddya mean 'no'?" one of the druggies asks, scratching a puss-coated rash on his face.

"I mean, you, you, you, you," he points at all the junkies, "Can piss off outta here. I'd rather go alone than have you fuckin' retards near me."

One of the chrome-jocks gives a low chuckle at that, causing the junkie to face him, "You wanna go big guy? All that chrome, I bet I could still take you-"

*Thunk!*

The junkie can't even finish his threat when the borg punches him, knocking him clean out and causing his head to bounce off of the concrete floor, a pool of blood steadily growing beneath him.

Ori turns to the other junkies, "Any of you wanna join him? Cuz' if you stick around that's what's gonna happen."

With that, they took off in a sprint. Honestly, where did Rogue find these guys?

"What's your name?" Ori questions, looking to the only 'not incompetent' merc aside from V present.

"Call me Jason."

"Like the slasher?"

"Sure."

Ori nods, "Before I do or tell you anything, I'll let you know the deets. thirty thousand eds each, and a crack at Arasaka. Even if you don't live through it," he glances at V, "You'll go down a legend."

"Like Silverhand?" the borg from earlier asks.

Ori quirks a grin, "Yeah."

"Just thirty? Barely enough to get another mod..." a guy with all cybernetic limbs remarks.

"If you don't want it, leave. This shit's time-sensitive, so decide now."

Only two men end up leaving, deciding that twenty thousand wasn't worth dying over. The rest followed Ori to a rented warehouse he'd bought off the books in Sekaiheiwa's heyday. Course, all the good stuff's buried under the concrete ground.

Ori turns to them and lifts his hood, taking some satisfaction in the way they pause at his appearance, "I'm 'Zombie', and we're going to fuck Arasaka. Since you've already accepted, there's no backing out now. You want the plan? There isn't one. We're gonna scale that fuckin' tower and rip Hanako a new asshole. Any problems?"

V looks like she wants to speak up, but decides otherwise, presumably at the behest of Johnny.

"Good. Now, those of you with gorilla fists, start pounding at that section of the ground, those of you who do the work, get the best pick of the armoury under it." he says, causing the mercs' eyes to light up.