"Maman Brigitte... leader of the Voodoo Boys, head of the Haitian community. My advice is to stay far away from those lunatics. If you poke that hornet's nest, you'll end up covered in stings." Evelyn spoke bluntly, eager for the two to leave and keep their distance from her.
Seeing V lost in thought, Evelyn quickly sat up. "The Voodoo Boys are known across Night City. Always sneaky, never a word to outsiders... I'm just a small-time player. They pay me, I get the chip—that's it. Beyond that, I know nothing."
V nodded, showing no intention of pushing her further. "Don't worry. We're just gathering intel, not looking for trouble.
But... you should watch yourself lately. You know what I mean. Like you said, anyone tied to the Voodoo Boys needs to be careful.
Oh, and that Braindance Editor wants you to contact her.
Out on the streets, it was still afternoon in Night City. Westbrook's streets stood in clear contrast to Watson District.
From hairstyles to clothing, the people here looked far more eccentric...
Still, if you ignored the scattered groups of Tiger Claws hanging around, this place was far more pleasant than Watson.
Clean... bustling... Though not openly admitted, this area was under Arasaka's protection, making it much better than Watson's lawless sprawl.
"Looks like... we'll have to stir up some trouble with the Voodoo Boys." Leaning against a roadside guardrail, V stretched and looked at Arthur across from her.
Arthur was sitting on a bare flowerbed, flicking his lighter shut, a freshly lit cigarette clenched between his teeth.
Lifting his head, whether from the sunlight or the smoke curling upward, his eyes crinkled. "We've dealt with those guys before. They're not exactly easy to talk to..."
As they spoke, another figure appeared abruptly. After a flicker of pixels, it was Johnny Silverhand. He dropped down beside Arthur, took a deep drag—but the smoke drifted harmlessly into the air, ignoring the fact he was just a "ghost."
"Your friend's a normal guy..." Johnny Silverhand's voice... was like the electric guitar he always carried, with a hint of smoke in it.
Sitting there looking pleased with himself, he lectured V: "Not smoking... you're really wasting your life. I lived for this hit. That stuff, right down your windpipe... nothing beats it."
"Can't you see I'm talking business here?" V shot him an annoyed glance, unwilling to waste words on the terrorist living in her head.
Turning to Arthur, she frowned. "Maybe... we could see Mr. Hands. He's well-connected in Pacifica. He might be able to help."
"Sure... If Mr. Hands doesn't want to get involved, we'll go in ourselves. The Voodoo Boys..." Arthur replied.
He also glanced at the flickering red silhouette beside him, but judging by V's face, the ghost seemed to have quieted down.
"Alright... that's settled. I'll contact him. Tomorrow, we move." With the decision made, V straightened up... As they walked off, the bystanders who had been sneaking glances quickly hurried away.
A woman like her never went unnoticed.
...
That night, in the atrium of a megabuilding, they reached out not only to Mr. Hands but also to Yorinobu Arasaka.
As collaborators and creators of that cursed chip, they finally came to their senses and sought information from him.
"I regret to inform you both that the chief designer of the Relic project, Anders Hellman... has defected from us. He is now under Kang Tao's protection." On the comms, his peculiar tone hadn't changed. He still seemed to be speaking from that same suite...
V frowned. It was a memory she would rather forget. Still, she asked, "Can you help me with my condition?"
"I would very much like to... but at present, Arasaka Corporation is internally unstable. Certain departments still strongly oppose my position as heir, forcing me to spend my energy on such trivial matters."
Yorinobu Arasaka clasped his hands together and added, "However, once certain adjustments are made—particularly within the Relic Laboratory—I believe... I can absolutely provide support for your treatment."
His tone carried the same unconvincing sincerity... But V didn't resort to threatening him with the recordings.
A real partnership was far more valuable than anything gained through coercion. That card would be saved for last. For now... she couldn't press too hard.
"I hope... our cooperation will be more pleasant. For the sake of my treatment, I believe we can also offer you some modest assistance." With that, V ended the call.
Both sides deliberately avoided mentioning what had happened that day.
Now, she had another lead. Perhaps... finding the chief designer of the chip could change her situation for the better.
"Trust me... you don't want to know what happens when you work with the company." Johnny's sudden voice didn't even faze V this time.
She glanced around in annoyance before spotting him perched on the windowsill.
"If it weren't for you, I'd never have to deal with Arasaka again." V's voice was full of resentment.
"I told you... with my connections, I can help you." Johnny Silverhand's arrogance never wavered. Even his death, when he spoke of it... sounded like nothing more than shedding a bit of skin.
"Your old buddies are dead! The old ones... the dead ones... This isn't your era anymore, Johnny." V said it outright.
Even Arthur, sitting on the sofa, glanced her way.
"Ahem. Ahem." Johnny cleared his throat before continuing, "Don't say that. My old buddies—the ones who survived—haven't they all made something of themselves?"
"But... I'm not exactly alone. I'm nowhere near the point of needing your old buddies." V dismissed him flatly, turning instead to Arthur.
"Mr. Hands said... the Voodoo Boys in Pacifica keep a very low profile. They mostly operate online or go looking for trouble with the Animals gorillas.
He can only try to make contact..."
Thinking back to the call, V wasn't holding out much hope. Luckily... with this team at her back, she had the guts to show up armed.