Chapter 47

"Afterlife"—the place where legends rest, and where new ones are born.

We were now standing in that supposedly prestigious location.

Little Boss had been utterly perplexed by Takemura’s request, but still gave us the green light. As a bonus, we also got the intel that Hellman was one of the developers behind the Relic.

…Where the hell did she even get that kind of classified information?

Well, whatever.

Jack and I headed out to the Afterlife full of excitement, while Vanny and Sasha stayed behind in the car, completely uninterested.

Vally, apparently, was getting aftercare over at Judy’s place and had told us she’d be out of commission for a while.

"Still, man, who would’ve thought we’d end up becoming the kind of punks who get to walk into the Afterlife?"

"All thanks to Little Boss. No way we’d have made it on our reputation alone."

"Heh, yeah, no doubt. That’s why, you and me—we're gonna claw our way to the top. The start of a new legend, y’know?"

"…Hah. So you already forgot the long-ass lecture Little Boss gave us about the legends that already exist?"

It’s not like you can just say “sure thing, I’ll go die a flashy death” when someone’s staring at you with that dead-serious face that screams "please don’t do this," full of pity and despair.

"No, no, of course I didn’t forget. But I said a new legend, didn’t I? We’re gonna become legends while we’re still breathing. Only we can pull that off, right, broder?"

"Yeah… yeah, you’re right. I can feel the wind’s at our backs right now."

『Hey now, don’t you lump me in with some half-baked legend. Honestly, like sixty percent of that was Militech scapegoating anyway. Just ’cause I’m dead doesn’t mean it’s okay to hook up an external speaker to me. Shit… it’s all coming back way too clearly now.』

"How about we grab a drink for luck before we go? Tequila Old Fashioned, splash of beer, and a Johnny Silverhand with chili on the rim."

『…You gotta be shitting me. My cocktail? And a splash of beer? Tequila’s meant to be drunk neat. What’s next, you gonna piss on my grave and set it on fire? Man, whoever came up with that drink must’ve really hated me.』

Johnny dramatically threw himself down the stairs into the Afterlife and sulked in a corner.

Can’t say I blame him… that description actually made too much sense.

And seriously, don’t call beer "piss." It’s good stuff.

『…Shitty dive bar beer tastes like piss because it practically is piss. Same difference in the end. Think about the era, Vincent. You think beer from back then was anything like it is now? Drugged-up water to stretch it out, river water filtered through someone’s waste—hell, some places used industrial runoff. That’s the kind of edgy world outlaws lived in. …So yeah, if you want actual booze, distilled spirits like tequila are the safest bet. Tastes better too.』

Man, what a messed-up era.

It was during the Third Corporate War, after all. Nukes and Bartmoss made life barely livable—guess that explains it.

Yeah… I could see where Johnny was coming from.

(Let’s go get some good beer next time.)

『Hell yeah. Especially if you’re paying.』

Now that Johnny had calmed down, I caught up with Jack, who just shrugged.

A giant of a man stood guard at the entrance of the Afterlife, blocking the way like a proper bouncer. Jack grinned at the sight.

…Yeah, Jack’s a musclehead. Guy works out. Probably felt some kind of kinship.

"No walk-ins."

"I’m here on Takemura’s behalf. I’ve been asked to exchange the payment and information with Rogue. She should’ve been contacted already. Name’s Vincent."

"…Wait here. Go grab a drink."

After a quick call, the big guy stepped aside.

Jack gave him a "nice muscles," and the giant shot one right back. And somehow, I ended up walking through their weird little muscle arch handshake thing.

Feeling a bit drained, we stepped inside—and were immediately hit with that signature cyberpunk bar atmosphere.

Looking toward the back, I spotted Rogue’s meeting spot. We’d checked out her appearance ahead of time, just in case.

Jack and I took a seat at the counter, where a female bartender approached—wait, female?

…Well, in Night City, gender reassignment’s as casual as getting a new haircut.

Not really surprising to see someone like that here, but… at the Afterlife?

…Then again, if you think about it in terms of handling trouble, it’s kind of practical.

Attractive, shapely, and ripped.

Looking closer, the skeletal frame was definitely male. Probably went through hormone therapy, breast implants, and had some surgery down below, judging by the ring—likely post-op too.

I remember someone I hooked up with had a detachable setup and swapped out high-end implants daily. Said they were modeled after a famous BD actress, made everything feel realer. Not that I had any way to compare.

"Welcome. What’ll it be?"

"Heh, tequila with a splash of beer. Chili on the rim, please."

"Oho, looks like you did your homework, newbie. And you?"

"I’ll take… the best-tasting beer you’ve got."

"What the hell, Vitt? Let’s drink together. Two more, miss."

"Oh, stop it. I’m not that young anymore. Alright—one Johnny Silverhand and a Sapporo, coming up."

"Alright, let’s get pumped up, Vitt. To our legend!"

"…Sheesh. Fine, then. To our legend."

Jack knocked his drink back in one go, so I followed suit.

Kaahh, that chili really hits the throat—brutally dry.

Johnny, seated next to me, mimicked the motion, grabbing an invisible glass with his left hand and knocking it back.

『Harsh and bitter. So you add beer to a tequila-brained idiot like me to get the perfect level of sharpness? Whoever came up with this drink's got good instincts. Definitely Rogue. …Reminds me of when she smashed a beer bottle over my head for two-timing her. Then tried to set me on fire.』

No doubt that was the entire concept.

Turning shared memories into drink recipes… classy, in a way.

As Jack and I passed the Sapporo back and forth, bartender Claire told us to head to the back.

There, at a center table, sat a woman whose age couldn’t hide her beauty. She gave us a sly grin.

She was none other than the mistress of the Afterlife, the legendary fixer, the living myth herself—Rogue Amendiares.

A different kind of pressure from Little Boss, but intense all the same. I braced myself so I wouldn’t get swallowed whole.

"Heh, so you two are that girl’s little pets, huh? She’s got a good eye. I like that. Sit."

"It’s an honor to meet you, Fixer Rogue. I’m Vincent, here on Takemura’s behalf. We’ve been told to trade this chip for information on Anders Hellman."

"I’ve been briefed. Here’s what you’re after. Check the contents."

Rogue slid the info chip across the table, arms folded and confident. Trusting her, I slotted it in.

The data projected via my optical implants into my retinas: a plan to sneak Hellman out hidden inside a Kang Tao transport AV bound for a warehouse in the mainland.

The op was scheduled for a week out—part of a large-scale transport, which meant some lowly scientist couldn’t just bump it up on a whim.

The AV had been used for similar operations before, and there was one still in Night City expected to be used again.

"I see. You’ve got some solid people. Here’s the credit chip Takemura provided. Please confirm it."

"Arasaka chip payments—typical. But this one’s pretty damn old…"

Rogue handed the chip to what looked like one of her subordinates, who scanned and verified it.

Once the nod came, the deal was done without a hitch.

Just as I turned to leave, Rogue grabbed my left shoulder and leaned in to meet my eyes.

"…How’d you like to make a little side cash? If you play it smart, you might just score a way to bring down that Kang Tao AV."

"I… could you take it up with Little Boss instead? I don’t have the authority to decide that."

"Hah. You’re surprisingly well-behaved. But this job’s too small to bother with a middleman. I just want you to recover some stolen goods from a dumb little brat."

Rogue, her face distant, loosened the pressure on my right shoulder and whispered into my ear.

Kang Tao’s transport AV route cut straight through the Badlands. If they escaped after the first strike, the risk would be immense.

However, if they could get a Nomad with no fixed home in the Badlands involved, the pursuit would be far easier.

“That girl’s part of the Aldecaldos, a Nomad clan of decent size. Should keep any unnecessary hyenas away.”

“…I see. So you want some grease for smoother jobs down the line. Got it. I’ll pitch it to Little Boss, make it sound positive.”

“Good. I’ll be waiting for a nice reply. Oh, and one more thing—I’d like you to pass along a message to that girl.”

With that, Rogue stopped whispering and leaned back into the sofa.

『Afterlife is always open to her.』 “Seems like that young lady’s under the impression she needs connections like Faraday’s to even step in here. Set her straight. I’d like to meet her face-to-face sometime.”

“A-Ah, got it. I’ll let her know.”

“Good. Here’s the location of the stolen goods and the girl’s contact info. Once she gives the okay, you can take a look inside. It’s set up so we’ll know if you open it. If you don’t trust it, just hand it off to her.”

With that, Rogue handed me a datachip.

I took it, slipped it into a chip case, and tucked it into my coat.

I stood, but this time, Rogue didn’t stop me. She just stayed seated.

I gave Jack a nod, and we finally left.

Outside the Afterlife, we wiped the cold sweat from our foreheads and exhaled.

So that’s the infamous top fixer, Rogue.

Without thinking, I pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and took a drag.

Fuuuh… Felt like all the stress was drifting away with the smoke.

“Honestly, we’d have been screwed if we tried this on our own. Good call taking the job, yeah?”

“Yeah, if I were you, I’d have done the same. Damn, that pressure was intense. Makes you realize just how soft Jug is on us.”

“No kidding… Alright, time to contact Little Boss.”

“I’m counting on you.”

With a sigh, slipping into a routine that’d become all too familiar, I started a holocall to Little Boss.

The call tone rang twice, three times, then connected on the fifth.

Maybe the timing was bad?

『…What, Vitt? Yaaawn Don’t call during my three o’clock break—I was napping.』

“S-Sorry! I’ll be more careful from now on!”

『Yeah, yeah. So what’s up? If it’s something dumb, I’ll use you for clinical trials…』

Oh crap. She’s actually mad this time.

And what even happens in those “clinical trials” of hers? I don’t wanna find out. Terrifying.

Swallowing my fear, I carefully explained the situation.

“Uh, so… as per Takemura’s request, we finished negotiations with Rogue. Apparently Anders Hellman’s arranging to defect to Kang Tao, scheduled for next week. Rogue proposed a job that might give us an in with a Nomad clan.”

『Ahh… got it. Okay, go ahead and accept. Use their help and shoot down that transport AV—just don’t use an EMP by overloading the power plant. That’ll mess up the chip in your neck bad. I’ll have a weaponized AV ready for you on the day. That’s all. The reward’s yours to keep—just pocket change anyway.』

And with that, she hung up, still clearly in a bad mood.

The clock read 15:22. Yeah, calling during her nap at 15:00… can’t really blame her for snapping.

When I filled Jack in, he just gave me a look and asked if I even checked the clinic’s consultation hours.

…Come to think of it, I’ve never actually gone there as a patient.

Got a decent stash of eddies now. Might be time to consider swapping out some implants.

—Ah, crap. Forgot to pass along Rogue’s message.

If I call back now, I’ll be on the express train to the clinical trial course. Guess I’ll have to wait for another day…