Abernathy had never been this miserable before. Blood covered her face, she looked back in horror and screamed, scrambling upward as fast as she could.
Faster! Just a little faster! If she could get there—just reach that place—she might…
A loud pop. One of her cyber-eyes exploded, spraying a mix of blood and lubricant. Abernathy screamed in agony.
"No, no, no—don't kill me! Deputy Director V, V—please! I was wrong, I really know I was wrong! Don't kill me!"
What answered her was a pair of blue eyes floating in the darkness.
Another crack. Her left arm detonated, her expensive high-grade cyberware scattering like trash.
"AAAHHHHH!!!" Abernathy shrieked. She no longer dared hope. Clutching her severed stump, she crawled upward.
V followed silently and emotionlessly.
With each floor they ascended, V blew off another piece of Abernathy's cyberware. By the time they reached the 100th floor, Abernathy was barely alive—just scraps of flesh held together by pain and fear.
"H-help me…" Abernathy croaked on the floor, crawling like a rotting corpse. "Ms. Michiko… save me…"
"That's your trump card? Pathetic."
V stepped on her back. "Haven't you realized yet? Since Ms. Michiko didn't stop me from the beginning, it means she permitted my actions. Abernathy, you've had it too easy. You forgot the rule every Arasaka employee lives by: all achievements are built on obedience. And you've learned to act on your own."
Abernathy froze. "I… overstepped?"
"Give it up. Ms. Michiko won't save you."
V drew her Arasaka Kenshin and aimed at Abernathy's skull—
A cold voice interrupted.
"Stop."
V looked up in surprise. Abernathy looked up in joy.
A cat-eared anime-styled girl stepped into the room as if descending from the realm of gods—sailor uniform, boots, and an overwhelming aura of command despite the 2D look.
This was Arasaka Michiko, the supreme leader of Arasaka's North America division.
"Ms. Michiko, save me! I'll give you everything—anything—please save me!" Abernathy begged desperately.
"V. That's enough."
Michiko's voice was brief, decisive. "Your grudge with Abernathy ends here."
Reason?
She didn't need a reason.
Being Arasaka Michikowas the reason.
Her name alone represented absolute authority.
She could allow V to slaughter her way up Arasaka Tower.
She could also save Abernathy on a whim.
If she wished, she could make the whole city prosper.
If bored, she could kill half the city for entertainment.
Law meant nothing before her.
Morality bent to her will.
When she said "stop," everything stopped.
When she said a grudge was settled, it was settled.
"Ms. Michiko…" V tried to argue.
"You intend to overstep as well?"
"I…"
Before she could finish, a violent explosion blasted open the window. David and the Goliath cyber-gorilla crashed inside. A tall, rugged man followed through the broken frame, dragging the half-destroyed body of Adam Smasher.
"You bastard!" David got up and tried to charge him—
but V stopped him.
"Deputy Director V?"
"You can't beat him."
The man in sunglasses glanced at V, then dismissed her.
He dropped Smasher's body like garbage.
"Trash is always trash. Losing to a damn kid—Adam Smasher, you really are regressing. Ms. Michiko asked me to save your life out of old sentiment. Remember—there won't be a second time."
Smasher's red optics flickered. No one knew what he felt.
"V," Michiko said again, "release Abernathy."
"No!" David shouted before V could answer. "Abernathy did so many horrible things—she got Maine killed, she destroyed so many lives—you can't let her go!"
The man in sunglasses looked at David.
"Kid, do you want me to beat you again?"
A chill went through David's blood. His breath stuck in his lungs like prey caught by a python.
V took a step forward, blocking the man's line of sight.
David finally felt relief.
"Very well, V," Michiko said. "I'm pleased. From today on, you report directly to me."
V bowed. "Thank you for your trust."
"Ken'ichi, see them out."
The man—Saburo Ken'ichi—extended an arm.
"This way."
V turned without hesitation.
David followed reluctantly.
Abernathy staggered after them. She wore a harmless expression, but whispered venomously:
"Don't think this is over, V. I will kill you. I swear it—I will!"
David glared at her.
V, however, smiled strangely.
Abernathy froze. "Why are you smiling?"
V didn't answer.
Dead people didn't need answers.
A knife flashed.
It pierced Abernathy's throat like a viper strike.
Blood sprayed like a fountain.
"Wh… why…" Abernathy wheezed, staring at the man behind her—Ken'ichi.
He gave no explanation.
There was none needed.
If Michiko could order V to end her hatred without cause, she could just as easily kill Abernathy without cause.
In 2076, life was the cheapest resource.
To Arasaka, a high-ranking executive was the same as a beggar—killable at any moment.
Ken'ichi twisted the blade, slicing off Abernathy's head.
"Congratulations on your promotion. Consider this a gift."
David shuddered.
V accepted calmly. "Thank you."
"No need. Just fix that for me."
Ken'ichi tossed Smasher's body into the elevator.
Inside the descending elevator, David whispered:
"Who is that guy?"
Smasher answered:
"Saburo Ken'ichi. Michiko Arasaka's personal bodyguard. Before I fully abandoned my flesh, I once had… feelings for Ms. Michiko. He came and warned me—leave Night City or become scrap metal. I fled that very night."
David was stunned. "You agreed?"
"Not just agreed—I ran away terrified."
Smasher spoke of his own shame with complete calm, as if abandoning his humanity meant abandoning embarrassment as well.
"Ken'ichi Saburo is the only man who can fight Morgan Blackhand head-on without losing. With Morgan missing… Ken'ichi is, without exaggeration, the strongest solo in the world."
Smasher looked at V.
"Got a chance?"
V folded her arms.
"I might be able to knock his sunglasses off."
100th Floor.
Michiko Arasaka lounged on a cat-paw-shaped sofa, holding an antique controller, playing an ancient video game on an ancient CRT with an ancient console.
After all—she herself was an antique.
Ken'ichi returned. "They're gone."
"Mhm."
"Ms. Michiko, I don't understand. Arasaka suffered major losses. Other corps may seize the chance to strike. Aren't you worried?"
"They won't dare."
"Why?"
"Because Arasaka has V. If she can kill her way up Arasaka Tower, she can do the same to Militech, Biotechnica, or Kang Tao."
"Will she obey orders?"
"V is an Arasaka employee. She didn't refuse when I told her to spare Abernathy. That means Arasaka is still useful to her."
"You mean she's pretending to obey to use Arasaka?"
"What else? She could've killed Abernathy instantly, yet she dragged her from the 66th to the 100th floor. Someone who can throw Night City into chaos single-handedly does not act out of petty emotion. She wanted to force me to appear."
Ken'ichi's face hardened. "She intends to kill you?"
"Not exactly. Killing me would prevent her from using Arasaka. She likely planned to confine me and issue orders in my name. Seeing you made her change plans."
"I'll kill her now."
"No."
"Why?"
"Because she needs Arasaka. And Arasaka needs her."
"But—"
"Ken'ichi, you're the strongest solo alive. But can you run a corporation?"
"I…"
"You can't. Neither can I."
"Ms. Michiko, you underestimate yourself."
"I'm stating facts."
Michiko spoke plainly.
"When my father, Arasaka Kei, committed seppuku, I created the Danger Gal Detective Agency to survive. It looked successful, but that was my limit. When I returned to Arasaka, I achieved nothing substantial. That's why Kang Tao rose so quickly. Even Militech is suppressing us now. Anyone can see Arasaka is declining. This is the result of my incompetence. Now that someone like V has appeared, of course I must hold onto her."
Ken'ichi bowed deeply. "Ms. Michiko, you're too humble. Because of you, Arasaka regained footing in North America."
"I won't deny my efforts, but I won't ignore my shortcomings. Ken'ichi—humans are social creatures. No one is perfect. Even my grandfather was just an ordinary Air Force pilot. He wasn't smarter than Arasaka's researchers or stronger than our elite soldiers. He succeeded only because he knew how to use talented people."
"We stand above others, yes—but we also know that our position is built on the shoulders of countless gifted individuals. In an age when life is cheap and everything has changed, one truth remains: talent is everything. Many have forgotten this. I haven't. Humanity advanced through cooperation. It will reach the future the same way."
Setting down the controller, Michiko looked at the moon outside.
"People call us gods, but gods know they are still human. The moon is Earth's moon, and Earth is also the moon's moon. Humanity rose from savagery through collaboration—and must rely on collaboration to go farther."
This was her philosophy.
This was why Michiko Arasaka was a dove.
Ken'ichi bowed. "I will remember your words. If V ever develops rebellious intentions…"
Michiko picked up the controller again and started a new game.
"That is when you—the strongest solo—will act."
V walked out of the elevator and was greeted by thunderous cheers.
Company employees cheered—because the mountain crushing them, Abernathy, was gone.
Fixers, gangs, and mercs cheered—because they'd just flipped off the system, flipped off a megacorp.
But was the mountain really gone?
Was the system really overturned?
The answer depended on who asked.
David exhaled deeply. This day felt impossibly long—like an entire century.
"David!"
A crisp voice called. David turned and saw a girl with pale-blue hair.
"Lucy!"
He exclaimed her name—even though they'd only known each other for three days.
Lucy brightened, began to run to him, then stopped.
David looked puzzled—until Lucy stepped aside, revealing a woman in a yellow jacket, head wrapped in bandages.
David's eyes widened.
"I heard from Viktor—all that treatment money…" Gloria rubbed her hair with an embarrassed laugh. "Guess our washing machine bill is overdue again."
"Mom…"
David collapsed into her arms, crying like a child.
Gloria looked at his shattered body and cold, brutal cyberware. Tears filled her eyes.
"You've worked so hard, David."
V watched from afar. The nausea in her gut finally eased a little.
A good ending. One she forced into existence herself.
Just as she thought that, Arasaka medics pushed out Maine and the others.
…Okay, maybe not that good.
"How do you feel?"
Maine was awake enough to hear her. He squirmed like a helpless grub.
"I can't feel my arms or legs."
"Pft."
V couldn't help laughing.
"Don't just laugh, boss! You'd better reimburse us for new cyberware!"
"Fine, fine, I'll pay. I promise!"
"Hell yeah!"
Maine, Dorio, and Rebecca cheered, as if their near-death ordeal didn't matter.
A merc's life is cheap—
but only life is cheap.
Their spirits burned brighter than most suits.
Maine grinned. "Now we gotta think about how to capitalize on this."
"Take your time. Message me when you figure it out."
V turned to the last one—pink-eared catgirl Sasha.
"Idiot," V said helplessly.
Sasha pouted. "You're the idiot!"
"Alright, sorry for making you worry." V stood straight. "What do you want as compensation?"
"Anything?"
"Anything."
"Then I'll say it."
"Say it."
Sasha took a deep breath—
and shouted:
"V, I wanna sleep with you! Like, really, REALLY want to!"
V: …
And so, in laughter and chaos,
the third day of the three-day storm
finally came to an end.