Chapter 58: The Festival

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!

The festival arrives at long last~

-x-X-x-

In the end, Rogue was best left waiting a little while longer. There was something to be said about letting her simmer some more. A watched pot never boils and all that, and Rogue was clearly stewing at the moment. Why end that so soon? Especially when they had a constant 'in' with her in the form of this new business relationship they'd established.

And so they leave Rogue alone for the time being and focus on getting Alt and Sasha acclimated to their new Gemini Frames. There's more than enough going on in Night City without clearing out every Fixer's backlog of gigs in a day, after all. Everything from putting themselves in the middle of shootouts between the NCPD and the gangs, to taking down Cyberpsychos for Regina Jones.

Eventually though, the day of the Aratama-Matsuri Festival arrives and its time to get serious. This meeting would be about the highest possible stakes there could be, all things considered… so despite everything V has changed and done, he finds himself defaulting to old habits all the same.

Alt abandons her Gemini for the time being and goes back to piggybacking off of V… and the two of them go in solo. This isn't solely out of some fear for the rest of the group or anything like that, to be fair. In the end, it's driven by pragmatism and logic just as much as it's driven by feeling and emotion.

After all, this meeting with Hanako was in no way sanctioned and despite NOT being in the heart of Arasaka Tower, that didn't mean it wasn't still in the heart of Arasaka's Power… or at least as close as they could get to it. There would be dozens of Arasaka Snipers all lining the path of the parade, and while V was confident in getting himself through them without being detected, bringing anyone else along would diminish that confidence by a great deal.

And so, despite the protests and grumbling, it's just V and Alt who approach the Aratama-Matsuri Festival, and it's only V who's actually there in the flesh. Just like last time around, really.

Except… not quite the same as last time around. After all, the last time V had done this, he'd had Goro Takemura working with him. As well, he HADN'T had Hanako Arasaka's explicit approval to come speak with her.

Making his way past Arasaka's best and brightest, disabling but not outright killing out of respect for the woman he was planning to meet today, V eventually reaches the insertion point that will take him onto Hanako's particular platform, and specifically behind the curtain so to speak so that their conversation would be outside of the public eye.

This time around, he's the one who aims to speak with Hanako… and this time around, rather than fighting Sandayu Oda, V finds Hanako's personal bodyguard standing there waiting for him alongside Goro Takemura. The latter doesn't look surprised to see V, but the former definitely narrows his eyes at V's appearance.

"… We haven't received a single report of an intruder…"

V chuckles and shakes his head.

"No, you haven't. You gonna step aside, or are we going to have a problem?"

The Japanese man stiffens at that, but Takemura places a hand on his arm, restraining him.

"Arasaka-sama is finishing her eulogy now, V. At which point, you will be free to enter her platform as it passes by and speak with her until the parade comes to an end. You will have to figure out your own exit, however."

Nodding, V isn't worried. He'd gotten here, hadn't he? With Alt's help, there would be no issues this time around.

Silence falls when he doesn't give a verbal reply. He can tell that the other two men are uncomfortable in his presence, though they do their best not to show it. Finally, just a few minutes later, Hanako Arasaka's voice stops ringing through the area, her speech done as she retreats into the privacy of the back of her parade float.

V moves forward and neither Goro nor Sandayu tries to stop him as he crouches… and leaps. Quick as a flash, he's off of the scaffolding and onto Hanako's platform, slipping in through an access hatch under some of the decoration and frills that cover the damn thing.

Its honestly a lot less of a parade float back here and more of a technologically advanced bunker. V hears the access hatch seal shut and senses along with Alt as its locked down behind them. Even if he wanted to turn around at this moment and try to leave, he wouldn't be able to do so without making a mess of things. Only way through this cleanly was forward.

Moving on, V doesn't take long to come to the room where Hanako awaits him. The eighty year old woman doesn't look a day over thirty, even as she sits with one leg crossed over the other and a glass of champagne held between her golden fingers. She looks at him as he approaches, clearly assessing him carefully… but there's something else in her eyes. Something… trapped.

"You're V then. Come. Have a seat."

Alt runs a scan of the plush armchair that Hanako gestures to, as well as their surroundings. While there are a number of defense systems in the walls, floor, and ceiling that could be deployed in the event of an assault on Hanako's person, the chair is precisely what it seems to be… a chair.

Really, as V sits down in it and affects an air of casualness, he finds his true focus drawn to the monitor on the far wall. It's hidden away right now, but the screen feels primed to turn on… and both he and Alt can sense a presence lurking within the compartment, a presence beyond Hanako Arasaka.

A frown begins to form on V's face as he gets an idea of what's happening here. Still, he does his best to forge onwards all the same, even maintaining a respectful tone with the Arasaka Princess.

"Thank you for agreeing to this meeting. I know that Takemura showed you the recording I took inside of your brother's penthouse. You know your brother killed your father. And I'm sure you've also figured out that he's planning to destroy Arasaka as well if he gets the chance."

In the face of Hanako's silence, V shrugs.

"I'm going to kill Yorinobu Arasaka for my own reasons either way, but I would be interested in working together all the same."

He doesn't bring up Mikoshi for the time being. Even though he and Alt fully intend to destroy it again. That can wait until later, maybe even until after Yorinobu is dead and dealt with. Though if he DOES kill Yorinobu in Arasaka Tower rather than somewhere else, V doesn't see any reason why he shouldn't pop downstairs to Mikoshi and deal with that too on his way out.

Still… Hanako hesitates. Not the hesitation of a woman who is afraid to kill her brother, but rather… the hesitation of someone who is not in charge here. V tenses up a bit more, even as Hanako smiles thinly.

"My brother's machinations are unimportant. I did not agree to this meeting to help you kill him. I agreed to this meeting… to help you, V."

… Seriously? V lets out a sigh, leaning back in the chair for a moment before replying.

"Oh? Help me how?"

Hanako's thin smile becomes something knowing as her eyes narrow into slits and glance towards his port.

"We both know what happened that day at Konpeki Plaza, V. Not just my father's murder… but the theft of a very valuable piece of Arasaka Technology. You have the Relic. Not just tucked away… you have the Relic on you right now."

She sounds confident. Sure of herself. And yet, V and Alt were both pretty sure that Hanako had not known what was done with the Relic back when she hired Michiko and Danger Gal to spy on them. So what had changed? Unfortunately, V could only think of one thing and it pertained to what Alt had told him a while back… about Saburo Arasaka.

Leaning forward, V steeples his fingers together and frowns at Hanako, more than a little disappointed in her right now.

"Hanako Arasaka. Your brother murdered your father and now seeks to dismantle the Arasaka Megacorporation from the top to the bottom. And you're more worried about a prototype piece of junk than you are about seeing him brought to justice and stopped before he can do too much damage to everything your family has built."

Stiffening at the chastisement, Hanako scowls. The Princess of Arasaka opens her mouth to speak… but doesn't actually get a chance to respond. Before she can do so, the presence that V and Alt had sensed before decides to finally make itself properly known. Or rather… himself.

The far wall folds out, revealing the screen within. It turns on a moment later and the ancient, decrepit face of Saburo Arasaka fills it. The Emperor Reborn.

"Neither the crimes nor the plans of my son are any of your concern, mercenary. He will be dealt with in time and his machinations will be laid to rest. What rests within you now is far more important and if you wish to avoid being completely replaced by the remnants of Johnny Silverhand, you will work with us to remove the Relic and any traces of his influence from your system."

And there it was. This was earlier than he and Alt had posited it happening in the previous timeline. Back then, they assumed that the engram of Saburo Arasaka hadn't contacted Hanako until after he and Goro kidnapped her.

But then, they'd changed things hadn't they? Helping Goro stay within Arasaka, using him as their clandestine agent, reaching out to Hanako earlier and via less desperate methods. In the end, while they had still wound up meeting her at the festival parade, it had been Hanako's idea this time instead of theirs.

At some point after that and before now, Saburo Arasaka had clearly decided to inject himself back into things and taken back control of his daughter. From the way she sat with her shoulders tightly pressed inward and her head bowed, Hanako didn't know how to be anything but the dutiful, diligent daughter in her father's presence. His mere return had been enough to send her right back into her shell. How… sad.

V processes this all in less than half a second, while Alt does what she does best. Reacting at what would seem like a perfectly normal speed to Saburo and Hanako, he tilts his head to the side in confusion and taps one of Johnny's boots on the floor even as he plants his hands on Johnny's pants.

"Sorry… Johnny who?"

There's a flicker of confusion on Saburo's projected features, meaning that V has even managed to baffle the engram for a moment. Hanako certainly looks shocked by V's seeming lack of knowledge. Of course, a moment later and the Emperor sneers.

"Do not play games, mercenary. The Relic housed the remnants of Johnny Silverhand. All of Arasaka's top scientists say the same thing… he is replacing your mind even now. Slowly but surely, he will turn your brain into a copy of his own."

The Emperor pauses and frowns before continuing on.

"… Perhaps it is more insidious and subtle than I thought. Perhaps you do not even realize that you're becoming more and more like him with every passing day. Think though. Think about your actions, about your new skill level. Think about everything you've done and ask yourself if this is truly you… or if it is your passenger influencing your mind."

V tilts his head to the side, considering continuing the ruse for a little while longer. But when Alt assures him that she's ready, he decides there's no point. Playing games with Rogue was fun. But Saburo Arasaka? Fuck him. If not for his visit to Yorinobu's Suite happening at just the wrong time, V and Jackie would have gotten away clean.

"Fuck off."

Hanako's head snaps up and her eyes go wide as V disrespects her father. Even Saburo looks taken aback, his projection rearing back as if struck.

"Excuse me?! I am offering you salvation, ronin! You-!"

"Fuck you and the horse you rode in on. Speaking of which… you really shouldn't have connected Hanako's platform back to Mikoshi just for the purposes of this little chat. You reeeeally shouldn't have done that."

V grins, even as Saburo scowls and opens his mouth… only for nothing to come out. The projection of the Emperor's face begins to go on the fritz as he tries and fails to talk. Sparks fly from the screen before it shuts off entirely. Meanwhile, Alt is having the time of her life… using the 'secure' connection they'd so foolishly created to do as much damage to Mikoshi as she possibly can from this far away.

Hanako, for her part, is shocked for only a moment before she slaps her hand down on the arm of her chair… to no effect. Unlike V's own armchair, Hanako's is very much more than a normal chair. She should be able to control the defenses in the walls all around them from it, in fact. Unfortunately for her… Alt disabled those first.

The next thing Hanako tries to do is lash out with her considerable Quickhacking skills, her eyes glowing for a moment before her head rocks back and she cries out, a hand going to her face from the migraine she's just given herself. Finally… she actually tries talking.

"You… what have you done?"

V just smirks and sits back like a King upon his throne. Alt, meanwhile, appears on the arm of his chair, kicking her feet up in the air a bit as she giggles. Her mere appearance shocks Hanako to her core.

"It's not about what V did. It's about what I did, Princess. And what I did… is free you. Again. Saburo Arasaka is dead and Mikoshi is gone. Tell me… does that change your priorities at all?"

Even as Alt lies to Hanako, she's making sure V is aware of the truth, of course. Saburo Arasaka was shut down for the time being, though his engram wasn't fully destroyed… and neither was Mikoshi. If they really wanted to destroy Mikoshi, they were going to have to go to the physical data fortress beneath Arasaka Tower, just like last time.

Still, Hanako doesn't know that right now. It will likely take months for Arasaka's engineers to bring Mikoshi back online and neither V nor Alt are going to let that much time pass before they finish the job.

All that's really left… is to decide how to approach this situation. Wait… was Hanako… blushing?

-x-X-x-

The Vote:

[ ] Take control of the situation, try to lean on Hanako's natural submissiveness - 46%[X] Try to draw out the fighter in Hanako so she takes charge of her own destiny finally - 54%

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