Chapter 45: The Sandevistan

A/N: Here's the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!

V gets a new toy to play with~

-x-X-x-

V whistles his appreciation when Vik pulls out the choicest piece of cyberware he'd managed to get for him.

"I assume you recognize this then, V?"

Chuckling, V shrugs.

"Well, it was on the list, Vik."

Viktor Vektor just shakes his head, the ripperdoc grinning in wry amusement.

"That's never a guarantee with customers; V. I get lists all the time from mercenaries who just heard that something was 'preem' or thought it sounded good and wanted me to get my hands on it without even knowing what it did or what it looked like. Glad to see you're different."

V nods, even as he steps forward to run his hands over the cyberware that Viktor has managed to procure for him.

"The "Falcon". Militech's pride and joy, this baby is the best damn Sandevistan on the market. I know exactly what I sent you after, Vik."

Even as the ripperdoc just nods, getting things ready for the installation, V finds himself staring down at the Militech "Falcon" in silence for a few moments. It was… a very solid piece of chrome to be fair. He hadn't gotten his hands on one until a while later, over a month from now when… well, that was in the future, wasn't it?

But he wouldn't be waiting that long this time around. He'd be breaking in this bad boy tonight. That said… it technically wasn't the best Sandevistan around. It was definitely the best Sandevistan on the market, V hadn't been wrong about that. And that's why V had sent Vik after it… he didn't want the ripperdoc endangering himself trying to get his hands on the "Apogee".

As far as the world was concerned, the Militech "Apogee" didn't exist, at least officially. Unlike the "Falcon", which had originally been for the most elite Militech soldiers before it was turned into a mass produced model that anyone could buy if they had enough eddies, the "Apogee" was covert cyberware tech.

V hadn't found out it even existed until after he'd sent Johnny beyond the Black Wall and taken over Rogue's job as King of the Afterlife the first time around. He'd managed to get his hands on one and Vik had installed it for him, but he'd only gotten to make use of the beautiful piece for a few months before… well, before he wound up back here.

Needless to say, a part of him had felt a little naked without a Sandevistan since coming back in time. But it had also been a nice little breather and a good way for V to make sure his skills weren't hobbled by over-reliance on the extremely powerful piece of chrome. At the end of the day, he would have been an idiot to jack in a Sandevistan of any kind right after the Konpeki Heist went down. But now? Now was the perfect time for an… upgrade.

"You ready, V?"

Glancing over, V sees that Vik has everything ready to go. Grinning, he raises an eyebrow.

"Not going to charge me first, Vik? How much do I owe you?"

Shrugging, the ripperdoc sends over a digital invoice.

"I know you're good for it eventually, V. Don't feel like you have to-!"

V cuts him off by sending payment in full right back, causing Vik to go quiet for a second. V gets it… the "Falcon" is worth more than all of the other cyberware he's had Vik install so far, combined. A lot more. So Vik's surprise and even concern is understandable.

"V…"

Chuckling, V just shakes his head and moves over to the chair.

"I've been busy, Vik. Not just taking care of that group who were looking into you two either. I'm a mercenary. Gigs for eddies is kind of what I do."

Vik probably wants to say something more, but in the end he holds his tongue and they get down to business. V isn't too worried about going under for the installation of the "Falcon" after dealing with Puma Squad. Besides, no matter what, he'll always have Alt on overwatch.

-x-X-x-

Alt watches from on high as Viktor installs the Sandevistan. In the end… it really was the best option for him. From talking to V and experiencing his memories during downtime, Alt was well aware that he'd tried every option in the future they'd come back from.

One of the flimsy silver linings that came from Johnny slowly overwriting his mind was that V didn't have the same risk of Cyberpsychosis that most did. If anything, he was in danger of an entirely different form of madness. But that different madness also protected him from being overloaded by chrome, be it swapping it out or just installing too much.

After Mikoshi, that protection remained thanks to V being little more than an engram uploaded back into his own body. Even back then when her Greater Self had 'saved' him for a time, it hadn't really been the original V anymore.

The result of this was that he could and had tried every combo available to him. Berserks, Cyberdecks, and Sandevistans… V had been a man on a deadline and one without much to lose. He'd effectively taken every path you could take as an edgerunner, exploring them to their absolute limits for the fun of it.

Even if Alt were to somehow be erased tomorrow for instance, V could easily fill the role she played as one of the best Netrunners this world had no idea existed. Or if he wanted to take the fighting circuit by storm, he could go hand to hand with the most suped up boxers around, beating them down with just his fists.

But… out of all of the options in front of him, they'd both eventually agreed that the best one V had available had to be the Sandevistan. He didn't need to be able to fully utilize his immense skills as a Netrunner so long as Alt was around, and as he'd proven when he'd singlehandedly dominated Meredith Stout, he was more than capable of utilizing enough of those skills without a proper cyberdeck for it not to be a worry.

As for Berserk, while it would certainly make V nigh unkillable… he simply didn't need it. Most of his gigs ended without a single bullet being fired in his direction, if at all.

No, the Sandevistan was the best option bar none in this case. And Alt definitely wasn't biased, no sir. She certainly wasn't threatened by the idea of V with a high-end cyberdeck making her entirely obsolete and useless or anything like that!

… Hm, maybe she should see about getting her and Sasha's bodies sooner rather than later. While it was fun watching V dominate his women, Alt couldn't deny that there was a certain thrill at the thought of him finally being able to touch her for real. How his hands would feel on her Gemini Body, she didn't know, but she could certainly fantasize about it. On her breasts, between her legs… wrapped around her neck.

Doing the digital equivalent of a shiver, the AI continues to watch over Viktor's little clinic. Nobody tries to approach while he's busy with V. Nobody makes a move. In the end… the procedure goes off without a hitch and the Sandevistan is soon installed.

Alt watches as V wakes up and takes the MaxDoc handed to him by Viktor. Breathing in the healing contents of the Inhaler under Vik's direction, V slowly begins to move around, stretching and twisting this way and that. Finally, Vik allows him to test the Sandevistan out.

Only Alt's faster-than-a-human processing speeds allow her to watch as V activates the "Falcon" Sandevistan and blurs from one end of the clinic to the other. Viktor certainly can't keep track from the way he jolts and his head twists, trying to follow along.

They go through a few more tests, Vik checks V's vitals… and then finally, it's over. V finishes up and heads on out, at which point Alt appears beside him.

"How's it feel V? Does it complete you?"

V chuckles at her teasing, even as he shakes his head while walking down the street. No Panam this time. No ride, no girls. Just the two of them. They'd both known they would want to be alone after this upgrade. After all, V needed to really put it through its paces. Not that sterile testing Vik had done, but something… real.

"It definitely feels good. But ask me again after I've cleared out the nearest Scav Den. Speaking of which…?"

Alt hums and sends him over the information. Without missing a beat, V turns and starts walking in that direction. Night City's Scav problem wasn't the kind of thing you could crank out in an afternoon… in fact, it wasn't the kind of thing you could ever fully solve.

They weren't a unified gang like the Tyger Claws or the Valentinos, which made it a little less risky since you could hunt down entire groups without having to fear retaliation from the whole… but at the same time, it also meant there was no leadership and no end to them either.

Kill one group of Scavs, another would spring up elsewhere within the day… hell, sometimes within the hour. They were like rats or cockroaches. Exterminating them completely was all but impossible.

That didn't mean a little bit of pest control here and there wasn't amiss. And it certainly didn't mean you let any groups who had personally shat in your neck of the woods continue existing on ad nauseum either. In the end, clearing out the Scavs near Vik and Misty's places as well as near their own residences had become something of a routine for V and Alt since traveling back in time. On top of everything else they were doing. Fortunately, Alt didn't need to sleep and V barely needed it at this point.

Soon enough, V steps into a run down building. Alt sends out a Ping for him, target locking every single Scav inside of the complex, and then watches with glee as he gets to work. Her V is so very professional… and in the end, the Scavs don't even know what hit them.

His new Sandevistan gets quite the workout as V exclusively uses a knife for this purge. Most of his kills never even know he's there, and those scant few Scavs who do happen to see him die a moment later with a blade buried in their throats.

It's a one-sided massacre as V singlehandedly clears out a good thirty Scavs in less than half an hour. By the time he's done, their blood paints the floor, walls, and ceiling of the rundown building and Alt has helped out both by providing Netrunner support AND by claiming the bounties on each of V's kills for him via the NCPD database.

To be fair, they're not worth much. The biggest bounty in the entire building is a little over a hundred and fifty eddies, with the rest being somewhere between forty and seventy. Pest control doesn't pay well, but it still needs doing all the same.

And hey, a couple thousand eddies for doing their civic duty is nice enough as well.

"Next location."

But of course, V isn't happy just clearing out one Scav Den. Why stop at just one when he has the time for more? Alt wordlessly sends him to the next on the list and V heads off to really put his Sandevistan through its paces.

Alas, the first was definitely the biggest concentration of Scavs in the area. The rest range from a handful of people to barely over double digits. V clears them out all the same sticking to nothing but the knife and Alt continues to claim NCPD bounties on his behalf.

Finally though, he slows to a stop. No point in pushing too hard and getting himself in trouble for a handful more Scavs, after all. But even then, Alt can tell that V is positively brimming with energy. Not the killing kind anymore maybe, but at the same time… well, if she just lets him go off on his own, then he's liable to go find one of his women for a celebratory fuck, despite the fact that he just did so with Rebecca.

Hmph, as tempting as it is to just let him go have fun with one of the women he's already in a relationship with, there are other options that Alt could bring up as well. Options that V might have a lot of fun with… if he approaches them the right way.

There were plenty of, heh, loose ends that she and V had left dangling, after all…

-x-X-x-

The Vote:

[ ] Alt suggests Beatrice is ready for V (8ug8ear) - 24%[ ] Alt suggests V 'strengthen his ties' with Meredith Stout (Militech Corpo) - 25%[X] Alt suggests they try ensnaring Tigress (Puma Squad) - 45%[ ] Alt doesn't speak up (V fucks someone else off-screen, story moves on) - 6%

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