Chapter 71: Control
A/N: Here's the new Chapter! Which also means the next FIVE chapters are up on my for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!
Rosalind totally has this all under control.
-x-X-x-
Rosalind Myers wakes up to the sun on her face and a soreness pervasive through her entire body. She wakes up to the smell of bacon and eggs wafting through the air of all things, her nose twitching before her nostrils flare as she inhales the scents.
Finally, she opens her eyes to see the man she'd spent the night with cooking on a small portable grill he'd apparently found somewhere while she was unconscious. His resourcefulness truly seemed to know no bounds.
… V had fucked her like an animal last night. Or no… that wasn't quite right was it? There was most definitely an intelligence to his actions. The way he'd used her, the way he'd treated her. Everything he'd done had a purpose. Every move he'd made was part of a game that Rosalind hadn't really realized they were playing until much, much too late.
She thought that she was taking the initiative, especially when she'd caught the faintest hints of surprise from V the moment she'd stepped out of the bathroom in nothing but socks and shoes. However, whatever initiative she might have had, she'd lost it far too quickly somewhere along the way… and she'd never gotten it back.
No, V hadn't fucked her like an animal… he'd fucked her like a mercenary. Aggressive, methodical, and punching way above his weight class the entire damn time. He'd used her like she was just some cheap joytoy and made her enjoy it far too much at the same time. And now he was cooking her breakfast like nothing had fucking happened.
Hell, he'd even put clothes on her during the night. As she sits up, Rosalind only just then realizes it, that she's completely dressed. Underwear and bra, pants and shirt. It makes her flush just a little bit… why the hell had he gone out of his way to do that after using her so thoroughly?
No, she knew why. Because she was still his mission and leaving her naked and exposed to the elements all night long might have caused complications. Even in the moments of seeming softness, it was obvious what truly drove V. That was fine though. Rosalind could hopefully make use of this…
"V. We need to discuss our next steps and how we're going to get me out of Dogtown as well as Night City in general."
He doesn't have to look up from the grill; he's been staring at her since she woke up. Still, V does tilt his head to the side for a moment, even as he folds some eggs into an omelet.
"It's already taken care of. I have a route for you to safety; you don't need to worry. Come and eat."
What? How had he… Rosalind's lips thin out even as she rises from the filthy looking mattress and hesitantly makes her way over. He hands her a plate with food already on it, making it clear that what he's cooking now is for himself. Rosalind takes it as well as the plastic fork and gets a few bites in her.
It's pretty low quality fare, but then… after the day she had, it's honestly some of the best food she's ever eaten. It tastes like survival. If only it could taste like victory as well but seeing as she's still missing her Songbird and now V is proving to be uncooperative, there was no point in pretending on that front.
"What route, exactly? I would feel more comfortable if we activated some of the NUSA assets I have in Night City and used them instead."
V just shakes his head.
"That won't be necessary. Everything is under control."
Rosalind's eyes narrow and she grits her teeth before calmly setting her fork down for a moment.
"… I think you're forgetting that you work for me, V."
She makes sure to put every ounce of authority and confidence in her voice that she can muster. Sure, she might not look very much like the Third President of NUSA right now or have any of the resources she should have at her disposal, but she'll be damned if she can't browbeat a single fucking mercenary into submission.
Unfortunately, V just looks right back at her, thoroughly unmoved.
"No, I don't."
What?! Rosalind doesn't sputter outwardly, she has more composure than that, but it's a near thing all the same.
"Excuse me?"
"I work for Songbird, Myers. Not you."
That was… an unsettling distinction. Again, she makes sure not to let it get to her.
"And Songbird works for me."
"Yes she does."
Okay…
"So by definition, if Songbird works for me and you work for Songbird, that means you work for me, V."
"Nope."
Her frayed self-control very nearly snaps right then and there. Only for her to realize… V is messing with her. He's not smiling, but the barest hints of a smile are there in the corners of his mouth. He's fucking with her on purpose, pissing her off for his own amusement.
This motherfucker really had absolutely zero self-preservation instincts, didn't he? Then again, from what her Songbird had told Rosalind, V was on his way out regardless. What, did he not even want NUSA to save his life? If that was the case… then he really had nothing left to lose. And that made him extremely dangerous.
For a moment, Rosalind goes quiet, continuing to eat her breakfast. V serves himself right off the grill and silently starts eating as well. Silence reigns for a couple minutes with the sounds of them eating and plastic scraping against paper plates filling the rundown space. Finally though…
"… I would like to extend an offer to join the Federal Intelligence Agency to you, V. As an FIA agent, you would have access to resources you couldn't otherwise call upon."
V looks downright amused by that and Rosalind very carefully controls her reactions. Because yes, she'd been holding this offer in her back pocket since her Songbird first mentioned him. And yes, it did feel a little strange to be offering it now when he'd just made it abundantly clear he didn't believe there was a chain of command between the two of them.
… But she's admittedly getting a little desperate here. Even if she knows what his answer will be even before he says it.
"No, thank you. I'm good."
Rosalind bristles, she can't help it. She's not used to having orders OR offers just… refused out of hand. Especially not by a simple mercenary like V. On the other hand… she already knew he was far from a simple mercenary, didn't she? Everything her Songbird had told her about V had been partially incorrect or just plain wrong so far. Shit, was he even dying?
The thought sends a shiver of ice down her spine… but to be fair, she'd already come to the conclusion that she had little leverage over the mercenary at this point. Why was he even helping her? He had to know that everything her Songbird promised him would come through Myers herself if it came at all.
V should have been trying to get on her good side… and no, fucking her senseless to the point of falling unconscious did NOT count.
"Come on. Our ride will be waiting for us."
Abruptly, the mercenary stands up. Rosalind does the same purely on instinct, her paper plate long emptied by now. But she doesn't follow V as he starts to leave. Instead, she calls out.
"Wait. I want to hire you myself."
V stops and looks back at her, tilting his head to the side again.
"Oh?"
Narrowing her eyes, Rosalind crosses her arms over her chest.
"Songbird hired you to get me back to NUSA, presumably."
V nods easily in agreement.
"She did."
Rosalind believes that. Which means…
"I want to hire you to get Songbird back for me. To get her safely home."
There. No more manipulation, no more subterfuge. The outright truth. Full honesty. V had skills that Rosalind needed and she was willing to pay for them if it meant getting her Songbird back to her.
"… How much are you offering, exactly?"
She's becoming more and more sure by the second that V isn't dying. He doesn't ask 'what' she's offering, but rather for a monetary amount. He cares more about eddies than the 'fact' that his mind is supposedly being overwritten by Johnny Silverhand as they speak. Which means… it probably isn't. Her Songbird had definitely fucked up somewhere along the way.
Fortunately for So Mi, Rosalind cares about her people… especially the most valuable of them. She doesn't spend lives frivolously, only when there's a great need for it. And her Songbird is not a life she intends to spend here, not if she can help it.
"I can pay you two million eddies for Songbird's safe return. One million 'upfront' as soon as you get me back to NUSA and another million when she's returned as well. On top of that, even if you do not wish to be given FIA Agent status, I can offer you preferential treatment by my government for as long as I remain in office. You would be awarded the highest honors I could give you and you would have a place of safety within the New United States of America for as long as I could offer it."
It's a good offer. And again, Rosalind is careful to be completely honest with it. She can't exactly promise that her successor, whenever she ultimately either has to step down or is successfully assassinated, will honor her deal. But she can promise to keep V comfortable for as long as she's able, especially if he can return her Songbird to her.
"… Deal."
And there it is. Rosalind lets a satisfied smile spread across her face. Hook, line, and sinker. She just had to make the right offer, in the end.
"Very good. Then first things first-!"
"With one caveat."
She stops, eyes narrowing in disbelief at this damn mercenary still trying to dictate terms to her!
"I'll let you hire me, but you aren't going to micromanage me, Myers. I'm a mercenary, not one of your agents. I know what I'm doing and I will get Songbird back... but MY way."
That was... frustratingly fair given that he held all the cards. Tch.
"I would strongly advise you nevertheless to take all of the assistance I can offer, V. There are NUSA assets here in Night City who will be imperative to your mission if you are going to retrieve Songbird alive and unharmed."
The look V gives her is deeply unimpressed. The next words out of his mouth on the other hand…
"Assets like Solomon Reed?"
His dry, sarcastic tone does nothing to keep Rosalind from freezing up entirely. How the hell does he know that name?! How does he even know Reed is alive? Arasaka didn't know Reed had survived! Even her Songbird had been kept in the dark about his survival at first, though Rosalind had always assumed So Mi found out eventually like she always did.
Still, for V to know… was ridiculous.
"You really think calling him in for this is a good idea, Myers? After how you burned him? After how Songbird set him up to die?"
Rosalind narrows her eyes, her crossed arms crossing harder.
"Agent Reed is still loyal to NUSA and has been waiting for our call for seven long years. He will do his duty if it's asked of him."
But V just shakes his head.
"Will he? I can believe he's loyal to NUSA, sure. But to you? To Songbird? Any other mission in Night City, maybe he would answer your call. But this one… no, he's too much of a wild card in this situation. I'm not going to risk the gig because you want to throw dynamite into an already blazing bonfire."
That… that wasn't Reed at all. Surely V was wrong, there was just no way that Solomon Reed would ever turn on them like that. Only… the more she stands there and thinks about it, the more she starts to wonder. What if he's right? What if Reed does hold a grudge? Against her, maybe not… after all, the NUSA Agents who had saved him from the train and gotten him his new papers in Night City had been sent by her.
But So Mi… well, Reed might have a grudge against her Songbird. And if he couldn't be trusted to give one hundred and ten percent to the mission, than keeping him undeployed might be for the best after all.
"… There's another NUSA asset you could call upon. A deep cover FIA Agent placed in Dogtown who would be of great assistance to you, even if we don't call upon Agent Reed."
V smiles knowingly at that and for a second Rosalind half-expects him to call out the agent's name just like he did Reed's. But in the end, he just shrugs.
"Sure. Give me her information and I'll consider bringing her in. But I don't work with people I don't trust, Myers. I'm very good at what I do and I don't fail. But that's because I don't allow for unintended variables to disrupt my work."
Tch.
"Now let's get going. So long as you follow my instructions, you'll be back in the States by the end of the day, that much I can guarantee. And once you're safe, I can put my full focus on my new gig of rescuing Songbird. That way everyone can be happy."
This time, Rosalind follows V out of the room and to the elevator, lips pursed as he leads her out of the building and towards supposed salvation. She… isn't sure if she trusts him. On the one hand, she doesn't think he's going to necessarily betray her. He really will get her back home, Rosalind believes that.
On the other hand, she's not sure if she's able to just relinquish total control of her Songbird's rescue to a mercenary, no matter how competent they are. It's too important for her to let V fuck it up.
And Reed… sure, Reed might not be happy with her or So Mi given what had happened, but Rosalind fully believed the decorated FIA Agent was still on their side. If she called, he would come. The only question was… if V wasn't willing to place that call for her, was Rosalind willing to go behind his back to bring Solomon Reed out of retirement through the use of someone else?
-x-X-x-
The Vote:
[ ] Myers decides to leave things in V's seemingly capable hands - 50%[ ] Myers decides to go behind V's back and activate Reed anyways - 50%
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