Chapter 69

"So, what are your next plans?"

Vee grinned sadly.

"And you don't believe that I just want to live out my remaining days?"

"You?"

I gave the girl a questioning look and snorted and shook my head.

"Not for a second."

"And you're willing to help me?"

I shrugged.

"Within reason..."

"Reasonable? What do you consider reasonable?"

"You tell me what you need, and I'll tell you if I'll take it or not. Although, uh. I'll warn you in advance. no hitting on corporations like Arasaki, Militeh and Kantao. and a few other corporations like that."

"I see..."

V covered her eyes.

"So, are you two gonna have your own conversations?"

"Well..."

Vee shrugged embarrassedly.

"Let's get out of here. I have to clean up after you."

I shrugged and headed for the exit, noticing Misty slipping quietly into the clinic.

"I told you."

Vic couldn't finish, as he realized who exactly had come to him.

"I'll help..."

I didn't hear what happened next. We went outside with V., who was limping slowly.

"I need information..."

"And what kind of information?"

"The chip... who made it? How do I get it out and do it without dying?"

I sighed.

"I take it the easiest option is ruled out?"

"Simple?"

"Well. that jacket that's no longer a jacket but is true to his jacket past... give him the footage from your optics and, uh."

"So you believe I didn't kill that old man?"

I shrugged.

"You're not stupid. you wouldn't take such an order... at least not against Arasaki. You know too well what that corporation is capable of."

"Hoh... thank you for your faith... and yes, I gave the data to that Goro... but do you want to know the truth?"

"Well?"

"I don't believe him."

I grinned.

"...Yeah, yeah, you can laugh, the ex-corporatrix doesn't believe the ex-corporatrix. Except, uh. I talked to Vic. there's no such thing as a personal bodyguard in a corporation with chrome not standard issue. He'd have been written off as a bodyguard a long time ago.

I looked at Vee carefully.

"Anyway, that Goro guy's a bit of a mystery. Already at the level I was at... having left chrome was not exactly frowned upon, but reasonable people with such chrome were considered less trustworthy, and my boss... he had no right to have chrome installed outside the regulations."

"So this Chinese guy, who's Japanese..."

"Yes. He was specifically targeted. all I can count on... is Hanako's kindness, and she really is famous for her kindness..."

"Her kindness?"

"Yeah. that she'll take me off the firing squad when she gets word that her father was killed by her own brother. But that's only from Arasaki's publicly available lists, and the liquidation exchanges on behalf of the corporation. But her brother... He's probably using his personal assets to incapacitate me. to incapacitate me. After all, I broke his game."

I sighed.

"I see... So the info..."

"Yeah... all about those chips."

I covered my eyes and quickly composed a request for Bestia and Regina sending them messages then opened my eyes again and looked at Vee.

"Well, I've sent out the requests. I think it'll take my fixers a couple days to figure out if they can dig up anything on this information at all..."

"Regina and Bestia, huh?"

"Hmm? I didn't tell you about Bestia..."

"DeShawn told me about it... when we were sitting in Postmortem discussing the order. He gave T-Bag a good run-down on T-Bag. saying he couldn't find the info. screwed up.

I nodded understandingly.

"And you're a dark horse."

"There's no way in our profession without it..."

"That's what you say right... she smiled sadly. - Okay, well, I've called myself a cab... I'm gonna get some sleep, and I'm gonna do some data mining. and I'm gonna start with this Parker girl. do you know where I can find her, by the way?

I shrugged.

"From where? I don't talk to her. and Judy. it's been so long since she's had a normal conversation with her."

"I see... it's a shame."

V and I stood around for a while and when a cab pulled up she got in.

"Okay, uh. thanks for your help and, uh."

She grinned.

"If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have gotten revenge for DeShawna for betraying me..."

I raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"The first shot from his revolver wasn't very successful, ricocheting off the blubbery armor, and I managed to activate the claws on my hands and snatch his dick... asshole was standing too close..."

She laughed, but soon it turned into a painful cough. But soon she calmed down and looked at me.

"I was really whacked after that, and the second shot in the head..."

She pulled out the bullet pendant Misty had given her when she left Vic's clinic.

"...was more successful... But in the end, I'm kind of alive. And he's dead."

I shrugged.

"You take care of yourself."

"Uh-huh...

The cab door slammed shut and soon V was no longer beside us.

"David..."

As soon as the cab with Vee was out of our sight Judy was immediately at my side and grabbed my hand.

I inhaled slowly and after a long exhale I looked at my girl.

"You're worried about her..."

"Yeah..."

"And you want to check and make sure your ex is okay?"

"Yeah..."

"So call her."

"I... I thought you'd be against it."

"Judy, I can't say I'm thrilled that you're worried about your ex-wife, with whom you had a bad relationship when I was there. But I'm not gonna stop you from finding out what's wrong with her. And if I have to, I can even help you.

Judy kissed me gratefully on the cheek before pulling away and her eyes lit up...

A couple minutes passed in which the girls and I made it to the car.

"She's not answering..."

"Doesn't want to talk to you?"

"No, uh. I don't know. I'll call a couple other people I know."

Meanwhile, Panam started the car and we set off towards the apartment...

"Panam halt!"

Panam reacted to Judy's words, but since we were in the middle of the road, it took her a little while to stop as she had to pull to the side of the road.

"Is something wrong?"

"Yeah... I talked to a couple of dolls from Clouds... but they didn't want to talk about what happened, but they told me that she was beaten up by a customer yesterday... at least that's what they said."

"Okay, so into the clouds?"

"You don't mind, do you?"

Judy looked at me with apprehension and excitement.

"Let's just say I'd mind if I had to go there as a client, but as a Tycho..."

I shrugged.

"I'll get in, I'll give you access, you'll find out, and, uh."

I shrugged.

"...then we'll decide what we're gonna do."

"All right, uh. that's what we'll do."

I sighed.

"Yeah, but first, uh, eat first."

"А?"

"Judy, you may not have noticed, but we're all very hungry. So we could all use a snack. And we don't have to go anywhere. I mean, we always have some of my prepared food in the car."

"Well..."

We all turned toward Becky in sync.

"Don't tell me you ate it all and we have to choke on store-bought food?

The girls were synchronized in their emotions of disbelief and growing righteous indignation.

"Of course not! Just kidding!"

Everyone exhaled a sigh of relief, including myself. Still, we're all used to eating well and the dangers of eating from a street food tray... Well, for us, it's comparable to eating out of an animal tray. Becca, on the other hand, while we snickered at her joke, moved into Judy's lap, folded her seat and quickly climbed into the trunk... where she pulled out food containers and handed each of us a container.

"So?"

We glanced over after we ate and Becca hid the containers again unfolded her seat and sat on it.

"Clouds?"

"Yeah..."

I nodded at Judy's question.

"...give Panam the address, have him drive us to the point. And yes, you all stay in the car and I'll get in."

"Just be careful, the Clouds are under the Tiger Claws, and they kind of have ties to Arasaka."

"Uh-huh...

I sighed.

"...don't worry, Judy, they won't even know I was there... unless I come across something extraordinary. But anyway, if I do, I'll go out and work for somebody else... or just find another way."

"Okay..."

Judy nodded and I leaned back in my chair.

"And yet Judy's too kind..."

"We're not all villains, even you Becca..."

"А?"

Becca looked at me in surprise.

"Uh. you think we don't know you're helping your brother?"

"Are you following me?!"

"Not at all..."

I shrugged.

"...just a city despite its size. It's small. so I've instructed the girls to keep an eye on everyone you care about. To intervene if you need to. Me and Panam have no one in this town, Judy, she's got no one in Knight City either, and now she's got some kind of attachment."

"Hey! It's not an attachment. It's just, uh."

"Just?"

Panam cast a sly glance at her friend.

"Maybe we have the same place."

"No! You're not freeing up anything! It's just that I remember that she was different once. and I want to honor that memory by helping Evelyn, if she needs it."

"So, uh."

I, grinning, continued the topic.

"Kiwi has no family in town, and neither does Lucy... That leaves you, Becca, who has a brother in town. Although as far as I know, Lucy and Kiwi are still looking out for Mayne and Dorio..."

"We're looking after... it's not that complicated, they all three work together, only if Dorio and Mayne live a very cramped life, Pilar... he's a bit more free-spending, so he has other income.

"Yeah, I send that asshole some money. and a few meals from the diner to keep him alive. the only close relative in this town."

"Now, even you, Becca, are not a villain. so calling Judy too good for us is wrong."

"All right, all right! She's not too kind! Happy?!"

"Yeah..."

A ragged chorus of voices echoed back to our gun maniac, and fifteen minutes later we did pull into the parking lot of the megatower that housed Clouds... 

I'm just kidding.