...
Silence hung over them. After all, the father and son had only stolen a few bottles of medicine—they hadn't killed Saburo Arasaka.
Maybe spilling everything had only left emptiness behind. Riel kept quiet, staggering as he shuffled outside.
Only once they had walked some distance did Arthur spot his motorcycle parked far off...
"Looking at your condition... you don't seem to need immunosuppressants. Why come looking for this stuff?" Arthur asked casually, the uneasy air of painful memories already fading away.
"There are plenty like us... a bunch of unlucky bastards marked by Arasaka," Riel explained. Clearly, the medicine was meant for his companions.
Sending a one-legged man out to scavenge meds—Arthur could only imagine how desperate their situation must have been.
He shook his head helplessly and swung a leg over the bike. Arthur sometimes helped others, but only within his limits.
Maybe they'd cross paths again someday...
...
Almost a week slipped by. V had made a trip to Arasaka—sneaking in.
The news from Yorinobu Arasaka was grim: fixing V's condition might cause irreversible damage to her nervous system.
In simple terms, she might end up brain-damaged. As for an alternative treatment, after some careful probing, Yorinobu gave a blunt answer.
He made it clear: Mikoshi wasn't off-limits—he could lend access. But... it would be a transaction. He still had too many burdens on his plate and needed support beyond Arasaka. That was the reality.
Yorinobu Arasaka seemed to be adjusting quickly to his new position, already carrying himself with the weight of authority. At least he was still willing to talk—that alone was as good as it got.
But the problem remained... even this method, according to Arasaka's own technicians, couldn't fully solve V's issue.
Consciousness imprints were tied to physical matter, and the Relic had already rewritten V's brain at that level. As for Alt's plan... she could never directly affect the material world.
What they needed was technology capable of editing the brain at its physical foundation... and once again, they were left lost in uncertainty.
...
"Ugh... ah..." At the hideout, V clutched her head in agony, collapsing onto the table. Lately, these violent attacks had been coming more often.
It felt like someone was stirring her brain with a knife, a burning sensation spreading through her skull. At the same time, every sense screamed pain, pushing her to the edge of blackout.
Arthur caught her before she hit the floor.
"Stay with me, girl." His voice had lost all its humor. He rubbed her back gently, hoping it would ease the pain.
"I'm okay... uh... just a moment, it'll pass..." She shut her eyes, the sensory cut-off dulling the pain. At least Arthur was there to hold her up, sparing her from complete collapse.
"This afternoon, Yorinobu will meet us to discuss the plan." The pain ebbed, and V forced herself upright again. "What do you think?"
Arthur turned his head away, frowning, then nodded. "You've got to decide. I mean... staying alive is the only way to keep hope alive."
"Yorinobu said... if I use Alt's construct, my mind stays intact. I'd only lose about thirty percent of motor function."
V forced a crooked grin and patted Arthur's shoulder instead. "Honestly, I don't think it's worth it... Yorinobu's business is never simple. Throwing more lives away for a half-dead wreck like me? That's fucking not worth it."
"Go talk to him..." Arthur's hoarse voice dropped even lower. Sunlight cut into his eyes, tightening the muscles around his face. He nodded again. "Go talk to him..."
They both fell silent.
...
V didn't know if she feared death... maybe not. But what she did fear was causing worse fallout for others because of her.
More than once she'd thought: if only she hadn't taken that job. Or better yet, if she'd just died that night.
...
The bar was discreet and high-end—members only. Led by a suited staffer, Arthur and V were brought in to meet Yorinobu Arasaka again.
This time, compared to their first meeting, Yorinobu carried himself with the aura of a corporate executive. Hard to imagine a co-head of a megacorp choosing to meet with outlaws like Arthur and his crew—alone, no less.
"Good... both of you..." Yorinobu gestured to the seats opposite. "Since you've come, it means our cooperation can move forward."
His tone was strange, not to mention his sentence structure—off-kilter, unnatural.
"Go on... we're willing to cooperate." Surprisingly, Arthur spoke first. His words were blunt. He had no patience for bowing to so-called elites—and no interest in pretending.
"Very well... I hope we can see eye to eye." Yorinobu, wearing sunglasses, lowered his head slightly, rubbing his fingers together.
"Arasaka's internal problems run deep... Night City is unstable, let alone Japan..." He raised his head again, as if choosing his words carefully.
"This will be a long-term partnership. Believe me, it's not just about paying for treatment. We'll all get something out of it.
But if you want to work with me... your current influence isn't enough. That's why I want you to look here..."
A shimmer passed over the coffee table. A hologram flared up, showing a 3D map of Night City. Yorinobu pointed to a spot they both knew well—the massive circular zone, unmistakable even on the map.
"Dogtown. A special place, born out of the Calvin Treaty's geopolitical carve-up," Yorinobu explained, fixing his gaze back on them.
"Its value lies in its political status—a balance unbreakable without war. And even if war comes, its potential is enormous. The last war proved as much.
Its unique politics made it a haven for arms trade. Every major military contractor in Night City has ties to it. The profits involved are staggering."