Chapter 10: Bushido.rlf

The giant helicopter stands in front of Eric, swallowing him with its big ominous shadow. Suddenly big metal shields rapidly cover the window, sucking all the light from the room, hiding the helicopter away. A big red light starts emitting from the lights on the walls.

Speaker: Attention please. The emergency lockdown has been put in place. The automated security system will be activated for the safety of personnel. Please wear your badge and remove any glasses to ensure the correct identification process. Please walk calmly to the designated exits of the building for the evacuation procedures.

Faith(Holo): GET THE FUCK OUT OF THERE!

V waves his left arm in Panam's direction, still leaning on the ground.

V: Eric…get…her…

Eric grabs Panam between his arms, lifting her from the ground.

Johnny: V…

V: Johnny… Can't see shit.

Johnny: Think this is it, V. You almost fuckin' killed us with that.

V: Can't take control…Don't you?!

Johnny: Doubt It will help.

V: So this is it, uhm?

Johnny: So? You managed to save Pan…can close your eyes happily.

V: What about you and all the others?

Johnny: You made your choice, V.

V grabs with his right hand the desk and slowly starts getting up.

Johnny: You're starting to have a superhero complex.

V smiles.

V: Nah, doing it for me.

V and Eric get out of the room. V opens the holo on his interface and selects Mitch's number.

Mitch(Holo): V! Where is Panam? 

V: Got her…She's alive. 

Mitch(Holo): DID YOU HEAR IT GUYS?! PANAM IS ALIVE!

V hears chanting and screams of joy coming from Mitch's end.

Mitch(Holo): We are coming! Where are you?

V: The old Softsys building. In the old Nix's business district.

Mitch: Incoming!

V: Mitch, hear me out! Arasaka…Found us. We're trapped. Probably already surrounded.

Mitch: FUCK! Ok, ok let me elaborate a plan with others. I'll call you in a minute.

Mitch hangs the call, V turn to Eric

V: Called reinforcements.

Eric: Good, 'cause we're going to need them.

V and Eric proceed to run through the corridor once lighted by the large windows toward the door leading to the stairs, V helps himself leaning his right arm on the wall.

V: C'mon we have to go down.

Suddenly V and Eric heard footsteps coming from down the stairs.

Eric: Thought they were all dead…

V: They aren't Santiago's goons.

V leans from the stair's handrail and sees a squad of Arasaka elite soldiers running toward them.

V: Fuck.

V and Eric suddenly hear gunshots coming down from the stairs.

Eric: This must be Faith welcoming them.

V suddenly changes expression from slight pain to deep fear.

V(Holo): FAITH! Do you copy?! You must unplug from the NET! RIGHT NOW!

Eric: Wait, what?! Why?!

V: Eric you don't understand… they got this program…The Soul Killer! That's how they trapped Johnny and the others inside the Mikoshi!

Eric widens his eyes in deep fear and quickly hands Panam to V.

Eric(Holo): FAITH! DO YOU COPY?! DO WHAT V TOLD YOU, NOW!

V and Eric hear gunshots and Faith's screaming over their interface.

Eric: FAITHHHHHH!!!

Johnny: Fuck. They got her.

Eric closes his eyes and starts crying, leaning on the wall.

Eric: FAITHHHHHH!!! NOOOOOOO!!

V: C'mon Eric we have to go! We have to the get the fuck out of here!

V brings both Panam and Eric in the elevator and presses the roof button.

V: Eric… Hear me out… She's going to be fine. I know it

Eric pushes V away and presses the ground floor button.

V: Eric…No. You have to stick to the plan.

Eric: FUCK YOU, V! AND FUCK THE PLAN TOO!

V: ERIC! LISTEN TO ME! What are you going to do?! The building is probably already surrounded…Assuming you somehow manage to defeat 'em all, how do you plan to get back home?

Eric looks at V, straight into his eyes.

Eric: They aren't at home. Faith took the van. They are in the underground parking lot.

V: ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDIN' ME?! WHY?! 

Eric: BECAUSE IT WAS SAFER! THAT'S WHY! You wanted me to leave Max and Faith in a tiny apartment all by themself, while I was going around killing the city's deadliest criminals?! Does it sound like a good plan to you?

V looks away from Eric.

V: Look Eric… I promise you…

Suddenly Eric grabs V by his dirty shirt.

Eric: I'm the one making promises here. If something happens to Max, I'm going to wait for Panam to wake up and then I'll slice her throat. I swear to God.

Eric leaves V and looks away. After an unnerving wait, the elevator doors open, revealing a giant roof with an old helipad. It's almost night, big smokes and fires coming out from the buildings near them.

Johnny: Fuck V, look.

V walks to the edge of the helipad, still holding Panam in his arms and leans watching down on the plaza below. Arasaka vehicles completely surround the building, while the police, along with some cars standing before them, monitoring the situation.

V: We're completely fucked, Johnny.

Eric: V!

V walks back to Eric who is standing near an old service elevator, still holding Panam between his arms.

Eric: I can repair it, then we can get the hell out of here. Keep trying to reach Faith.

V(Holo): Faith, can you hear me?!

Suddenly V hears a loud noise. The Arasaka helicopter appears from below them and starts approaching. Eric stops working at the elevator, they both start backing down while V hands back Panam to Eric. The big helicopter shifts to the side, revealing a big sliding door that opens. 

A japanese man, with his hair tied behind his head, wearing a long layered white coat and holding a katana, jumps out of the helicopter.

Johnny: No fuckin' way.

The man starts walking slowly toward V, looking at him.

Takemura: Veeee.

Eric suddenly turns to V, looking at him in disbelief.

Eric: You know that maniac?!

Takemura takes out his katana and starts talking to V in a thick Japanese accent.

Takemura: You betrayed my trust along with everybody else's. You changed your appearance, like a thief…To escape justice. You let your woman fight your battles like the coward you are…But it ends tonight, V.

V: I'm not even trying to convince you anymore, Takemura. You are too far gone.

Takemura: It's you that needs help and I will provide it. You will come with me, where justice will be served and that friend of yours will be put back where he belongs. Nobody has to die V, I will help you and Panam. I swear on my honor.

Johnny: Fuck him. That won't happen.

V draws his Malorian. Eric stands behind him holding Panam.

Takemura: This is futile, V. Soon my men will arrive on the roof. SURRENDER, NOW!

Johnny: You can't fight him. You're too weak.

V turns to Eric.

Eric: C'mon Eric, move with that elevator!

Eric leans Panam inside the elevator and starts tinkering with the control panel.

V: I'm sorry.

V empties an entire magazine on Takemura that quickly deflects all the bullets with his katana, he starts running toward V, then he swings his sword at him, cutting V's white shirt and painting it with blood. V looks at him stunned.

Johnny: Fuck, you're out of bullets, RUN! NOW!

Eric starts looking back and forth between V and the control panel. With his last forces, he gets Faith's knife with his right hand and swings it at Takemura, cutting his right shoulder. Takemura does the same, swinging his katana, cutting V's robotic arm clean off, along with the knife and finally kicking V, right in the chest.

V falls on the ground, dazed by the lights of his Interface displaying a stack of errors messages.

Takemura: You made your choice, V.

Takemura lifts his katana into the air, holding it with both hands. V stops looking at his hair, slightly moved by the wind generated by the helicopter, then at his face, covered in a mix of rage and sorrow, he then closes his eyes.

Suddenly he hears a loud noise and opens his eyes back, Takemura quickly turns his head, still holding his katana in the air and sees the helicopter waving around, losing control.

V, still laying on the ground, turns his head and sees Faith, standing behind him, with his right arm straight up in front of her, screaming from the top of her lungs. Her eyes flashes brightly red, along with her cyberware interface.

The large helicopter begins to lose control, landing on Takemura, crushing him to the ground. His katana flies off and pierces the ground. Faith's eyes begin to flicker and she passes out from exhaustion.

Johnny: Fuck… Are you ok, V?!

V: What… What do you think?!

Johnny: Need a hand?

V: I seriously had enough of you, Johnny.

V raises his torso, leaning on his severed arm and sees Takemura still moving under the damaged helicopter, then turns back at Faith. 

Faith slowly starts crawling then gets up limping, slowly walking to V and Takemura, extracting her knife from V's severed hand. 

Faith gets near Takemura, looking at him with the knife in hand, ready to kill him. V quickly grabs her by the ankle. Faith loses balance and falls to the ground.

Eric starts running toward V and Faith, she turns back to V with anger, kicking him in the face and quickly getting up. Eric manages to stop her just in time, grabbing her arms.

Eric: C'mon Faith! WE MUST GO!

Eric and Faith start running back toward the service elevator. V slowly gets up and looks at Takemura, then at the pilot inside the helicopter: his head reclined on the window with smoke coming out from the helmet.

Johnny: Faith did her job, the bastard is toasted.

Takemura looks up at V, still stuck under the helicopter.

Takemura: This… Isn't…Over, V…

V: You've learned nothing, Takemura.

V turns around and looks at him one last time.

V: Whatever they promised you, it's just a lie.

V starts limping toward the service elevator. Suddenly a group of Arasaka soldiers appear from the other elevators and start shooting at him. Eric activates the control panel of the elevator that starts falling rapidly, V manages to throw himself inside it, just in time.