Roqi turned toward the voice—it was Judy.
Judy Alvarez: a ridiculously talented braindance editor and tech expert. If she wanted, she could've landed a high-paying gig in any entertainment division of a major corp.
But she valued her independence way too much to ever be owned. She turned them all down.
Her biggest flaw? A justice complex the size of a megatower. Never knew when to shut up, always landed herself in trouble.
And yet, for some, that was her best trait.
A true cool-girl.
Roqi looked at her—those sharp gradient bangs, those bold tattoos. Familiar, yet distant.
This was the first time he'd met Judy in the flesh.
She'd clearly been waiting a while, tapping her foot impatiently at a locked door.
A nearby doll—dressed like an RNG-generated mess—snapped at her.
"Hey!! There's a line! Sit down and wait like everyone else!"
V just shrugged and walked over to Judy, pulling her aside for a quick chat.
"You know this Fingers guy?"
"Ugh. Heard stuff," Judy muttered, arms crossed.
"Like what?"
"He's sloppy. No precision. People say he's got shaky hands."
So, a crap-tier ripperdoc.
"Nice to finally run into someone I actually know," V sighed.
But Judy didn't relax. Her voice was tight, full of anxiety.
"I'm really, really worried about her, V. I don't know what could've happened."
"We'll find her. No doubt," V assured. "She stayed with the Moxes for a while after the job, right?"
"She did."
"Then why the hell did she go back to Clouds?"
No one had an answer. Roqi, Mower, Jackie—they all had the same frown.
Hiding from Arasaka in Night City wasn't exactly feasible. Even Takemura said no one escapes their reach here.
Sure, maybe he exaggerated. But he wasn't wrong.
And if it wasn't Arasaka behind Evelyn's disappearance, but the hackers who had tried to fry her chip—some other unknown faction—then what protection could she possibly find in a Tyger Claw-owned sex club?
"Maybe she thought it was safer. Who knows what the hell was going through her head." Judy waved it off, but her tone betrayed deeper worry. "I tried to talk her out of it. She wouldn't listen."
"You seen Fingers yet? He inside?"
Roqi had to cut in. Time wasn't on their side. Enough dancing around.
After chasing leads all over Night City, he was ready to carve up whoever had turned the relic gig into a goddamn joke.
"I wish. Seeing him is harder than seeing the city's top ripperdocs."
Judy looked downright sick of the waiting room noise.
"Waiting around won't solve shit. Maybe we can talk to those girls—see if they'll let us cut in line."
She motioned to the dolls slouched on a nearby couch.
"Why me?" V asked.
"You've got the face for it. Just try. If they tell you to fuck off, we'll think of something else."
Judy clearly wasn't going to sweet-talk anybody herself. Her focus was on saving Evelyn, not swapping pleasantries with strangers.
With a sigh—and a nudge from Roqi and Jackie—V forced on a polite smile and headed over.
Meanwhile, Roqi greeted Judy.
"I'm Lucky. That's Jackie, and she's Mower. Friends of V."
He noticed the caution in her eyes and added with a calm smile:
"We bled together. That gig? Yeah, we were there."
Judy studied him for a moment, then nodded slowly.
"You think Evelyn's here?"
"Part of me hopes she is—so we can find her. The other part hopes to hell she's not. No telling what that creep might've done."
Worry hung on Judy's face like storm clouds. Her eyes drifted to the floor, words soft, almost muttered to herself.
A moment later, V stood and gave them a thumbs up. Deal done.
"You care about her, don't you?" Roqi asked quietly.
"Huh? What makes you say that?" Judy stiffened.
"You dropped everything the second you heard she was missing."
"She gets under your skin, you know?" Judy said softly. "You get close, and... you just don't wanna let go."
"You worked at Clouds?"
"Not as a doll. I handled BDs—editing. That's where I met Ev, Tom, the others…"
Her voice turned warm, nostalgic without realizing it.
Places like Clouds were scum—at least they were honest about it.
Was the Mox really where she belonged?
The door creaked open, and a woman swayed out.
Inside, an emaciated old man in a tank top had his back to them, fiddling with something.
Judy didn't hesitate—she walked straight in.
"Hellooo~ Anything I can help you with~?"
Fingers' greasy voice oozed through the dim, gaudy room like moldy syrup.
"I'm looking for a girl named Evelyn Parker. She came to your… 'clinic.'"
V fought to connect this dump with the word "medical."
Vik's basement might've been underground, but it had a sense of order. Of ethics.
Fingers? Roqi was already imagining ten different ways to kill him.
"Ahh~ That's what this is about~"
"Where is she?" V asked coldly.
"Well, that's a long story…" Fingers turned, squinting at them. "You Tyger Claws? I paid protection."
"No. We're with the Mox."
Judy's arms crossed, her stare frosty.
"Moxes? Well, why didn't you say so?" Fingers hobbled closer on his bony legs, eyes gleaming with perversion. "So what brings you here?"
"Heard you patch up the girls," V said flatly.
"When toys break, kids stop playing. Skin tears, tits sag, implants glitch—I fix 'em. Consumerism 101: you pay cheap, you get cheap. Pay big, get big."
"Bullshit," Judy snapped. "Even junkyard parts are better than what you sell."
"Do they know you're using garbage?" V asked.
"Let's say… this is the best I can get. Not exactly top-shelf supply lines."
"What do they give you in return?" Judy's voice was sharp.
"Whatever I want. They always got something to offer, hehehehehe…"
The room felt like it reeked more with every word he spoke.
"Fuck, you're disgusting," Judy growled.
He just kept smiling. Sickly. Slimy.
"You're here for a friend, huh~? Hehehe…"
"Her name's Evelyn Parker. Where is she?" Jackie's hands were already on his pistols.
"Let's talk in my office." Fingers shuffled toward the back. "I've seen a lotta girls. Everyone wants my premium, custom service. I don't just swap limbs—I know what people want."
"They want praise~ flattery~ comfort~"
"To feel like they deserve it."
"Of course~ I can't remember everyone~"
The "office" stank of mildew, sweat, and something worse. Dirty sheets, wet floors, and old bodily fluids.
Calling it a clinic was an insult to the word.
"You twitched when I said her name. Don't bullshit me—you remember her."
"That's a nerve problem! Honest! I'd help if I knew her, I swear!"
He was a terrible liar.
"Felisster. Sound familiar?" V asked, sitting across from him.
"Nope." He instantly looked away.
"They called him Woodman. He worked at Clouds."
"You… saw him?"
"He pissed me off. Now he's dead. You're pissing me off too. Choose your words carefully."
The cold voice behind him made Fingers flinch. He looked back at Roqi—expression like a corpse.
"I wanted to help her… I really did. But this place—it's not equipped."
"You couldn't help her? Be specific."
"Her chip's instruction register got fried. I tried replacing it. Didn't work."
"A hacker's malware torched it," V said.
"Yeah… sounds about right."
"Where is she?"
Jackie cut in again.
Fingers looked at his polished red nails like he was admiring tree bark dipped in blood.
"Oh, right… Well, I don't know where she is."
"Bullshit! What did you do to her, freak!?" Judy snapped, nearly unrecognizable in her fury.
Fingers sneered.
"Either gag that wildcat or knock her out. Can't talk with that beast hissing behind me—"
BANG!
A bullet zipped past his scalp, tearing a bloody line across his bald spot.
Mower raised her smoking gun.
WHAM.
She kicked him, chair and all, to the floor.
BANG! BANG!
Two more shots cracked into the floor, inches from his head.
"Talk." Mower stood over him, her eyes ice-cold steel.
This man wasn't evil in the classic sense. Just pathetic, greedy, disgusting filth. Hell had a seat saved for him.
"Two big guys from some BD studio took her! I don't know who!"
His voice broke. Panic leaking through every word.
"Details!"
BANG! A shot split the tile an inch from his crotch.
"They said something about a brain dance! Something with a skull moth! Said she was perfect for it!"
That was all he had.
"I need air," Judy choked out. Her voice trembled. She turned and stormed out, unable to hold it in anymore.
Fingers sat there like a goblin who'd been cornered. His sunken eyes were filled with terror.
Mower's pistol never wavered from his skull.
She looked to Roqi.
The bastard's life was his to decide.
"You better pray I never come back here," Roqi said coldly.
Mower flicked the safety on and followed him out.
"Pft. Asqueroso." Jackie spat on the floor.
The line between trash and monster was thin. Fingers danced right on it.
Jackie stormed out after them.
Fingers was left alone, collapsed and wheezing, stewing in his own filth.
.
.
.
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