"Brandy, apple brandy, grenadine, lemon juice — then a touch of strawberry. Name's V."
"Jackie Welles, V." Claire jotted it down with a quick flourish, "Alright. Got it."
"V, you're a real one, choom!"
What Jackie liked most about Vash was his loyalty. No preaching, no posturing — cold-blooded when he had to be, a person of few words, the kind who'd have your back when it counted.
"Miss, make us one with our recipe." Vash said.
Jackie's eyes lit up, "Damn, that's a preem idea!"
Claire immediately started mixing.
Right then, one of Dexter's people drifted over, "DeShawn's finished. You can go in now."
Vash didn't even look up, "He may be finished, but we're not. We've still got a drink to finish here."
"A drink?" The man frowned, "VIP room's stocked with every kind of booze. You won't miss this."
"Not the same." Jackie said, dead serious, "This one's ours. Go tell DeShawn: there's a saying — sharpen the axe, and the work goes faster. One drink won't hurt."
Vash nodded in approval and smiled, "Jackie Welles, the wandering philosopher — pretty cool."
DeShawn's guy got ignored like background noise.
Jackie glanced back over his shoulder, "My brother — want me to buy you one, mano?"
The man said nothing and walked off.
A moment later, Claire set two glasses down, "So you're working for Dexter DeShawn. He's a decent fixer. If you're running jobs for him, you're probably decent too. These are on me."
"Way too generous, miss." Jackie said — then, without thinking, grabbed Vash's drink and downed it, "Ah — chingada. Wrong one."
By the time he realized, it was already gone.
A depth charge didn't taste like much going in, but the second it hit his stomach it lived up to the name — like a grenade went off inside.
Vash said casually, "No big deal. Swapping sips isn't the worst idea."
He lifted "The Jackie Welles" and took a long drink. The flavor was damn near perfect.
❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖
After they finished their drinks, Vash and Jackie finally left the bar and headed for Dexter's private room.
The moment they stepped inside, they saw the fixer's massive frame planted on the sofa, cigar in hand, smoke curling lazily around him. Sitting beside him was a short black woman — T-Bug.
"Yo, Mr. V. Welcome — what an honor." Dexter said, the words polite and the tone anything but.
He'd been working Night City a long time. This was the first time someone had seized the initiative right out from under him.
Even at Afterlife, he'd tried to claw back a little face by making them wait at the entrance. Who knew a single drink would flip the script on him again.
Vash couldn't care less. He sat down opposite Dexter like he owned the place, "Had a bit to drink. Head's a little fuzzy. Took us longer than planned. Sorry."
"No problem." Dexter said smoothly, "Mr. V is a professional, after all."
Jackie dropped into a seat and tapped the pitch-black wall panel, half-joking, "This place soundproof, or what?"
T-Bug folded her arms, irritation plain on her face, "Can we get to the point?"
For a netrunner, staying exposed out in the open for too long was never a good feeling.
"Bug, Jackie's got a point. We're talking sensitive shit." Dexter said, gesturing for her to cool it, "We're here to walk through the full op — how we klep the Relic."
He slid two shards across the table. Vash slotted one in, more for show than anything.
The job brief flared to life in front of them.
"You'll get into Konpeki Plaza under two fake identities — Militech arms dealers here to negotiate. Flathead's your 'merch'. Speaking of that… where's the Flathead?"
Vash set the case on the table. It clicked open, and the Flathead crawled out like a chrome spider.
"Good." Dexter said, "Bug'll crack Konpeki's subnet. That buys you time to reach the penthouse suite — Yorinobu Arasaka's room — and lift the Relic."
T-Bug added, "When the time comes, the Flathead will crawl into Konpeki's NetWatch systems and flatline Arasaka's netrunner. Then you move. This run'll be as easy as a stroll through a mall."
"After we've got the Relic, where do we meet?" Vash asked.
Dexter said, "Two rendezvous points. If everything's smooth, we meet back here. If not, a motel. But it won't go wrong."
Jackie cut in, "Got a question. How we get there — and how we get out?"
"Delamain handles transport." Dexter said, "Best cab company in Night City."
"Maybe it's early to ask…" Jackie went on, "But when do we get paid, choom?"
"Depends on our client." Dexter said, "My guess? A week. Two weeks, max."
Vash sneered. In three days, Arasaka would be hunting them like animals — what money was this clown even talking about?
"Mr. V, any other questions?" Compared to Jackie — who only really spoke the language of blades and bullets — Dexter cared a lot more about Vash's read.
Vash shook his head, "No."
Coming here was just going through the motions. Even if Dexter handed them two kitchen knives and told them to storm Arasaka Tower, Vash wouldn't blink.
"Good. Then I'll be waiting for your good news." Dexter said, pushing to his feet and heading for the door, "Your ride's waiting at the entrance."
"I've got prep to do too." T-Bug said, following right after him.
❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖
Only after they were gone did Jackie finally lower his voice — and drop the act.
"V… now that we've heard the plan, what do we do next, huh?"
"Jackie, call a new Delamain." Vash said.
The car Dexter arranged would only take them to Afterlife or the motel, and any private settings on that route were things only that big, fat bastard would know.
Vash wasn't getting into that ride.
"Okay." Jackie called immediately, "Delamain? Need a ride at Afterlife." Then he looked over, "V — he's asking what package."
Delamain's service tiers were priced in packages.
"Excelsior." Vash said, "I'll cover it."
Hearing he wouldn't be paying, Jackie visibly relaxed. It wasn't that he was stingy — Delamain's top-tier package was absurd, a fucking €$1,000 for one trip, and his wallet wasn't ready for that yet.
{T/N: Although in the game the trip is paid individually, the Excelsior Package is actually a one-time payment that is valid for life.}
"Jackie — change the pickup point. Then stay out of Dexter's line of sight and slip out through the back."
❖❖❖❖❖
T/N: Comment, give me Power Stones, like and favorite, it all supports me and makes me go foward with this. Appreciate my other stories as well, I guarantee the good work!
If you want 20 chapters ahead, smut chapters or spicy images of this novel for just $5, or enjoy a large catalog of good novels with excellent translations (free or starting at $1.5): MrBlackWing (you know where to search)
Take a look at the new book I'm translating on my profile, Umamusume Pretty Derb: I'm Just a Trainer! Its also on my website for $5 too!
That's it and happy reading! (-‿◦)