Chapter Text
Pain.
Excruciating pain.
A groan wanted to leave your lips but it was of no use. Your body was too exhausted, even for an expression of pain. That weakness had taken over you the second you had been infused with the sedative – a sedative that could take out even the strongest man and the Scavs were well known for.
Scavs!
Fucking Scavs!
Your memory came rushing back, and with that, panic rose from the deepest pits of your stomach, poisoning your brain and urging you to move, but again, you couldn´t. Instead, the sedative reacted with the rush of adrenaline traveling through your veins, kicking in stronger once more, numbing down your body. Your anxiety died down before it could even begin to stir up your insides properly. Whatever the Scavs used for their methods of pacification, it worked. Your head fell down to your chest, your eyelids fluttering.
And there you were: Mind fading in and out of consciousness, blood trickling down your nose and wetting your lips. You tasted metal. You must´ve received a nasty blow to the face before you ended up here – even though your body had been numbed down, the pain had not. The bridge of your nose was throbbing.
Your fuzzy mind wouldn´t allow you to remember how those Scavs managed to get you. How they had waited for you to exit your appartment and how they most likely gave you more than just a few cuts and bruises. Solely because you were the family member of one of Night Cities most influential politicians which meant your implants were crafted more carefully and also working smoother than those of others. Simply because you could afford it.
‚So this is how it ends‘, your numb mind spat out in a last attempt to function properly. ‚Being raided by Scavengers and my rotting corpse dumped into the brackish water of the river. Or the next junkyard.’
When the door to the little coop you sat in opened the next time you couldn´t say how much time had passed. And you didn´t care either. The sedative had spread through your entire body by the time the head of the Scav gang stepped inside the room with you – and even if there were no sedative, getting up and running wasn´t an option. They had neatly tied you up, and the synth-rope cut your flesh. The smell of metal was omnipresent, making you gag once you started to focus on it too much.
„What a pretty little capture we made“, he snarled, his evil smirk prominent in his voice even though you didn´t see his face. You were too weak to lift your head, and Scavengers were known for wearing holographic masks that concealed their identities further. „Your tech will make me rich. You have no idea how long it took us to track you down…“
He had come closer to you with every word he spoke, only to kneel down in front of you resting his hand on one of his knees.
„Such a shame you´re actually pretty.“
Without warning, he grabbed a fist of your hair and yanked your head up with a sudden pull. You whimpered, not able to express your pain fully in your current condition.
„Had I known what type of gal I had selected to… lend a few implants from…“ There it was again, that evil, sinister smirk, in his voice. And something else, that gave you goosebumps. „I would´ve taken my sweet time in having a little bit of fun with you. Can´t defend yourself anyways with all the sedative in your system. … Although it´s more fun when they try to defend themselves...“
Had you been in a better condition you would´ve spit in his face. Kicked him where it hurt. Scream. Cry. Anything. But now you were forced to feel his stinky breath on your face while he examined your features, turning your head left and right whilst he still had your hair in his firm grip.
You weren´t prepared for the moment he let go of you though, and your head fell forward the second he stood up again. “We´re almost done with our preparations anyways. Don´t worry. We´ll come and get you once the real fun starts.”
The laugh he let out was full of malice, and just a second later, you heard the smooth sound that indicated the door had slid shut once more.
Your eyes closed, conscience fading once more.
There wasn´t much you could do anyways.
- * -
You didn´t know how long you had sat there in your dazed state.
There were voices just outside the room they had locked you in, mutters nibbling on the edges of your conciousness. It was only once you believed you cold make out the words cargo shipment and junkyard.
So this really would be how you ended. Your implants being shipped somewhere else to get sold on the black market and your body rotting on a junkyard.
You slowly raised your head. The sedative had worn off a little bit and you started to feel your body again. It was the first time you actually realized the extend of the situation you were in. Dirty wasn´t even enough to describe the room they had put you in.
Dark spots from which you hoped weren’t dried blood stained the tiled walls and the ground, and you spotted puddles of undefined liquid across the entire floor. You would´ve gagged if you were strong enough to. The entire room seemed to be... wet.
And then, the door slid open.
“It´s time”, one of the two Scavengers that entered grinned. Again, you didn´t know if he actually grinned because of his mask, but judging from the sound of his voice, he did. “You waited long enough, poor thing.”
“Fuck… Off”, you spat out with all your might, but the Scav just laughed, only to get hit in the ribs by the other Scav the next second.
“She´s already talking again which means the sedative has worn off. If you hadn´t taken so long to prepare everything…”
“So what? Since when do we show mercy and give them another dose? It´s much more fun anyways watching them regain their consciousness during…”
Their bickering was interrupted by gunshots. Screams.
“What the…”
The two Scavs looked at each other and then, you.
“Don´t fuckin’ tell me she called reinforcements. Shit, we should´ve known she was able to--”
More gunshots.
“I didn’t ...call anyone…” The worlds left your lips with great difficulty, getting pressed out between your teeth. Your tongue lay heavy in your mouth, unwilling to move the right way.
“Shit, shit, shit.”
Before you knew what was happening, the Scav pair already pulled their guns and stormed out of the room. The door slid shut once more. There was a moment of anticipation before you heard it:
Screams.
Shots.
Grunts.
Thuds indicating bodies collapsing.
Curses in every language imaginable.
Multiple weapons were being fired right outside your ‘prison’, and every shot that got fired made your body jolt as hot panic rushed through your veins once more. And since the sedative wore off, it hit you with full force now.
You squeezed your eyes shut, praying nobody would think you were a threat to eliminate as well. You weren´t ready to leave this world yet.
Ragged breathing outside the door made you listen up.
“We… won´t let you get away with… this… You bitch...”
With every breath the Scav took, there also was a horrible gurgling sound coming from his throat – he was drowning in his own blood.
“Oh, I think that´s already happenin’.”
You jolted once more when the gunshot rang through your ears – terribly close, and almost busting your eardrums. The gurgling noises died down.
Silence.
The only thing you heard was your heart pounding against your rib cage, seemingly wanting to escape its prison of bone and flesh.
And then, after what felt like an eternity, the door slid open.
“Target´s alive but wounded. … No, Scavs didn´t cut her open yet. Seems like I was just in time. … Alright. Yeah, Trauma Team´s informed.”
A woman stepped over one of the Scavengers’ cadavers to make way into your prison cell, holstering a gun. Her eyes glowed an eerie blue, indicating she had just talked to someone on the holo – but just a second later, her eyes returned to their normal state.
You could do nothing but stare up to her, scanning her features. She had a few wounds herself, but those didn´t seem to bother her – unlike the strand of stubborn magenta hair that had fallen into her face. She pushed it behind her ear before making eye contact with you.
“Not here to harm you”, she addressed you, showing you her empty hands before kneeling down just in front of your body. “Been sent to get you out of this… situation.”
She carefully reached out to untie the synth-rope that still held your limbs in place. And you let her, hissing when you realized how much they had really cut into your flesh. The burning wounds almost took you out, and you sucked in your lips not to make another sound.
“Who…”, you whispered, voice hoarse, but talking further was close to impossible. Your tongue still refused to work properly which made speaking out loud tiring and difficult. Luckily, you didn´t have to say more.
The woman looked up, her silver irises meeting your gaze. One of her mouth corners tugged up.
“Your family sent me. Or rather the fixer they hired. … Can you stand up?”
You tried to nod weakly, although you weren’t so sure if you really were able to use your legs at the moment. But there was no more time to change your opinion – the woman had you untied completely just a few moments later. She stood, throwing the synth-rope elsewhere before extending her hand to help you stand.
“Name’s V, by the way. Had to go through a lot of trouble to get you out of here”, she casually mentioned while pulling you up. She was slender – but you didn´t let her looks fool you. She just took out a whole Scavenger camp by herself and walked out with just a few cuts framing her face and arms.
“I´m…”
“I know your name already. Got prepared for the job thoroughly”, she quickly replied, checking her gun.
“You´re a mercenary?” Your voice was still cracking as you came to stand on your wobbly legs. The room spun slightly. The sedative still was in your system, although weakening.
“Yeah. First I didn´t really want to do this but on second thought, those Scavengers don´t deserve mercy either. Hurt enough people.”
Her accent was broad, that, you could tell. Either she used to be a Nomad or lived her life on the streets of Night City. “Alright then. Let´s get you out of this shithole.”
She walked ahead quickly, and you tried to follow suit, but it was no use. The moment you tried to take a single step forward, your legs gave in. With a thud and a groan, you found yourself on the blood-dyed ground again. The mercenary – V – spun around.
“Alright, so no walking out”, she sighed and knelt down again. “Look, Trauma Team´s on its way. We only have to get out of this hideout.”
“Sorry”, was all you could muster up to say, but V shut you up.
“It´s alright.”
Without another word she slipped her hands underneath your back and legs and lifted you up effortlessly. She really was strong.
And warm.
“I´ll carry you out. Don´t want to be responsible for you breakin’ a leg.”
You felt too weak to respond and just accepted the circumstances. This wasn´t the worst way of transportation you´ve witnessed yet.
V was swift, and the two of you were out of the building in no time. While V carried your limp body, the extend of her rampage grew visible. There were a lot of bodies. Puddles of blood and piss convered the floors while the walls got sprayed crimson as well. But you couldn´t help to feel grim happiness rise in the pits of your stomach. The Scavs didn´t deserve it any other way.
“Didn´t know there… were so many of them.” You still had trouble speaking, but it slowly got easier to move your lips and tongue again. With every passing minute, the sedative wore off more.
“Yeah. Too many in this godforsaken city.”
You nodded softly, resting against her shoulder and closing your eyes. But just a second later, you got set down on the ground.
“Hey. No fallin´ unconscious here. Stay with me, ´kay?”
V hit your cheeks ever so slightly, her fingers warm and firm on your skin.
“Sorry… the sedative…” Your voice slurred.
“Yeah I know. Scavs always use the hard stuff. But it would be better for both of us if you were awake when Trauma Team arrives.”
V´s voice was close now as she sat down on the ground next to you. You could barely hold yourself up, so you were glad she offered a little bit of support with pressing her body weight against yours. Before you knew it you rested your heavy head onto her shoulder once more. The scent of her leather jacket and perfume entered your nostrils, and you sighed softly. A welcomed change of smell after she had carried you through that shithole of a Scavenger hideout.
V didn´t seem to mind – although you thought you felt her stiffen up a bit.
“Why´s that?”, you asked her, getting embarrassed of how long it took you to form a sentence with your nebulous mind.
“Don´t want them to think you fallin’ unconscious was my fault. Those guys take every chance they get to assert their dominance.”
“… Then just assert your dominance back.”
That comment of yours must´ve caught her off guard because she let out a low chuckle. Be it your current state but her laugh was like music to your ears.
“Alright, I´ll try next time they threaten to shoot me because I stood too close to their patient.”
“I´d like to see that.”
“But you pay the bill for my Ripperdoc to fix me up after they made canned food out of me.”
“That´s... gross.”
“Yeah, but I´m keepin’ you awake with being gross.”
You hesitated.
“Fair point.”
Seconds later, a single Trauma Team AV came into plain sight and landed a few metres from your position. V still did her best to support your mostly limb body, and, as you noticed when you took a glimpse of her features, the furrow of her brows told of her concentration. Just when the three members of Trauma Team exited the AV, and V rose to her feet to help you up again, they harshly told her to back off . You thought you heard her scoff when she did take a few steps back, and one of the Trauma Team members helped you lay down on the stretcher they brought.
Before they could transport you to the next med center though, you held them back.
“Wait. Before we go…” You signed one of the members to move out of the way so you could give V one last smile. “Thank you, V.” Your gaze met hers once more. “If it weren’t for you, I´d be dead. I… owe you.”
The mercenary seemed taken aback by your hesitantly spoken words, but there was a hint of a smile tugging on her serious expression as well.
“It´s just what I do. … Take care.”
You watched out the window when the AV took off, catching V staring after the aircraft with an undefined expression.
- * -
A few days later V didn´t think much more about her last gig – even though the colour of your eyes had weirdly enough burned itself in the back of her mind, appearing ever so often when she closed her eyes at night. After she had saved you from being scavengered she had gotten paid handsomly by her Fixer and the woman´s family, so she closed the case and went to take care of different business.
Still, it was a great surprise to find someone standing in front of her apartment door after returning from meeting her Fixer in the Afterlife.
“Think you got the wrong door, bud.”
The man, dressed in a simple black tuxedo, turned around to face her.
“You´re Miss V, are you not?”, he asked, and his accent told of his upbringing. He did definitely not belong in this part of the city.
“Yeah?” V drew closer, arching an eyebrow.
“I was tasked to bring you this.”
All he did was hold up a bouquet of fresh flowers that had a little card stuck inside.
“Nah, I think you´re talking about a different V. I don’t--”, she started, but the man wouldn´t let her finish. “You´re fitting to the description I got. Magenta dyed hair, sidecut, silver eyes. These are unmistakably for you.”
“And from… who?” V still didn´t believe someone would send her flowers. She didn´t even know people that had access to fresh flowers in Night City.
“The information you seek is written in this card. I was just asked to deliver this to you. … Have a nice day.”
He handed the flower bouquet and left, leaving a very flabbergasted V behind.
“What the hell man…”, she muttered before sighing and pulling out the card, opening it.
Dear V,
Thank you once more for saving my life. Since you already got your pay this is the best I can currently do as I´m still being hospitalized. The Scavs got me good, unfortunately. But perhaps you´d like to continue the conversation you struck up while we waited for Trauma Team to arrive?
There was a number underneath the neatly written text.
Signed with your name.
V caught herself smiling slightly as she put the card down.
And then she dialed your number.