Dialogue: Down on the Street

V

Goro? All systems jammed. It's now or never.

Takemura

V, run!

Hurry, V!

V, it will be too late soon!

V

Hanako's inside.

Takemura

What is she doing?

V

Tryna call someone, I think.

Takemura

Try to listen.

Do not forget to disarm the alarms. I must be able to enter.

Victim

You have no right to keep us here!

Arasaka Soldier

On the ground! Everyone!

Victim

Go fuck yourself! This is a violation of our civil rights!

Arasaka Soldier

Halt!

Does anyone else have anything to say about civil rights?! You can join him!

V

Shit! Shit! Shit!

Johnny

He shot her?!

V

Whatever he did, now we're really fucked!

Johnny

Knew we couldn't trust him! What happened to keepin' him on his leash?!

We'd best delta the fuck outta here.

Injured Man

I almost got trampled... Broken ribs, I think…

Injured Woman

We need to get out of here!

Gillean Jordan

I look OK to you? We're about to go live.

Three, two, one...

This is Gillean Jordan of N54 News coming to you live from Japantown, where a commemorative parade in honor of Saburo Arasaka descended into chaos today.

Eyewitnesses we've spoken to described a shootout on one of the celebratory floats. The float in question is said to have been transporting Hanako Arasaka.

Unfortunately, I have no further details to report at this time.

We are still awaiting an official statement from the Arasaka Corporation regarding these events.

As the situation continues to be brought under control, we urge everyone to avoid Kanzaki Street.

Hey! Stay out of the shot!

Ugh, dammit... Let's do it again!

Thank you! People're working here!

Hanako

Thsp…

Takemura holo

V? Are you secure?

V

Yeah... for now!

Lost your fuckin' mind?!

Takemura holo

There is no time to explain. We must meet.

V

Where are you?

Takemura holo

An abandoned apartment block on Vine Street. Second floor, number three-zero-three.

Knock four times!

Hurry!

Takemura

1COK. Come inside, quick.

1CI feared they had caught you.

V

1CNow're you gonna tell me what the fuck you were thinkin'?!

Takemura

1CI used a sedative.

1CShe tried to enable her tracker.

1CI had no choice.

1CI offered her some tea...

V

1CYou kidnap Hanako Arasaka and offer her a cup of fuckin' tea?!

Takemura

1CYes... She respectfully declined.

1CTell her the truth about Yorinobu, no embellishment. And state your terms clearly.

1CPerhaps to you she will listen.

V

4AI was there that night at Konpeki Plaza. I saw Saburo Arasaka die.

4AHe wasn't poisoned. That's a lie your brother made up and spread.

4AYorinobu is the murderer.

4BYorinobu's the murderer.

4BHe strangled your father. I saw it with my own eyes.

4CI'm sorry that we have to speak under such... circumstances.

Hanako

4CThat is the second time today I have heard that.

1CYou must be mad to think I will listen to such nonsense.

V

5AThing is, I'm damned determined and got nothin' to lose.

5AGot your prototype Relic jammed in my head.

5ABy freak coincidence it stopped, then helped me survive, a bullet. Now it's slowly killin' me.

5AOne of your personality engrams is overwriting itself onto my psyche, and if I don't find a way to stop it... well, it won't end well for me.

5B"Mad?" Got no idea, lady.

5BSee, I got a voice in my head. An engram, one of your personality constructs.

Hanako

5BEngram?

V

5BYeah. I stole the Relic Yorinobu tried to peddle off on NetWatch.

5BWhile I was makin' my escape, got a bullet to the brain... Relic saved me.

5BNow the damn thing's killin' me. And I gotta stop it.

5CLook, I know it's a lot to take in, let alone believe.

5CAlso know you're an honorable person, worthy of trust. And that's why I wanna make you an offer.

Hanako

5CYou? Make me an offer?

V

5CThe Relic your brother tried to hawk off to NetWatch is in my head. Right now.

5CTook a bullet to the brain, but the tech on the chip saved me. Now it's slowly killin' me.

5COne of your personality constructs, engrams... it's overwriting my psyche.

5CGotta stop the process before it's too late. Know you got the means to help me.

5DWhy? My word mean shit to you?

Takemura

5DHanako-sama, I apologize on her behalf...

V

5DOh, shut up, Goro! Was s'posed to be honest. Well, that's what I'm bein'!

5DFine, maybe I am just a two-bit thief... but I'm the two-bit thief that stole that fuckin' Relic off you.

5DSlotted it in, took a bullet to the brain, died…

Hanako

5DYou... died?

V

5DOh yeah. And now I'm stuck with Johnny fuckin' Silverhand in there, and I'll do anything to get him out!

5DSo I got exactly nothin' to lose. But you got lots.

Takemura

1CHanako-sama! V is living proof of the terrible crime your brother committed!

1CWe can confirm every word she speaks if only you will help her with the Relic.

1CHanako-sama?

1CDid you hear that?

1CGo and check.

Takemura

1CWell?

1CGo.

1CArgh... Not now!

1CArasaka – they have found us!

1CRuuuuun!

Johnny

1CLast chance to get the fuck outta here!

V

1CTakemura! Can't leave him back there!

Johnny

1CForget him, guy's toast! 'Less you wanna wind up like him!

1CKeep low and eyes three-sixty! They're in the hallway!

1CThe fuck you doin'? You lost it?! He's beyond any sort of help!

V

1COh shit...

Takemura

1CBe careful!

1CWe must go different ways! Alone we have a better chance!

V

1CReally?! Think so?!

Takemura

1CThen go! Now!

V

1CUgh... What the...

Johnny

1CDon't you fuckin' dare float off! Not now!

1CC'mon! Gotta get the fuck outta the city!

Takemura

1CYou should not have returned! You will die here with me!

V

1CThank me later! Need to find a way out now – fast!

Takemura

1CThere are empty rooms to the right! It's our only chance!

Arasaka

1COn the ground, cunt! Don't move!

V

8ADammit!

1CGot a bad feeling about this…

Takemura

1CAre you mad? Wait!

V

1CRight about now, Hanako's the most famous missing person in the world…

Takemura

1CI am aware.

V

1CSo every Arasaka soldier is on our trail.

Takemura

1CYou are right. Let us not waste any time.

V

Oh shit...

Takemura

Be careful!

V, stay with me!

Arasaka

Secure the room!

Arasaka

Yes, sir!

Arasaka

Sector's clear!

Arasaka

The hell it is! Sweep it again!

Takemura

Come.

Johnny

Think they make these motels especially for royal fuck-ups like us?

AC's busted, dirty needles under the mattress, shitter's clogged…

No, for real – who fuckin' comes here to sleep?

We're a couple miles outside Night City…

Someone leavin' town just keeps drivin'. Somebody goin' there sleeps in the damn city!

What good's a motel in the middle of nowhere?

I'll tell you who sleeps here.

Fuckin' losers, that's who. Fuck!

V

1AJohnny?

Johnny

1AYeah?

V

1AShut your gonk mouth. Please.

1ASayin' random shit ain't gonna help anyone.

Johnny

1AHow the tables have turned...

V

1AJohnny, for cryin' out--

Johnny

1ANow we're the ones sittin' around, waitin' for 'Saka assault squads to storm in.

V

1BYep, just two fuckin' losers.

1BAnd I thought we were screwed when Goro kidnapped Hanako.

Johnny

1BMhm. See? Decide to cross a corp, this is what happens.

1BYou think you just stepped in shit. Actually, you fell headfirst into a cesspit.

Anyone knocks, blast the fuckin' door. No warning.

Not keen on us endin' up like Takemura.

Hear that?

V

Car.

Johnny

At this hour? In this place?

Fuck!

Just one?

Finger on the trig, V.

Not a word.

V

2AWho's there?!

2AI said, who's there!

Doll

2AWant the whole motel to hear, or you will you let me in?

V

3AAll right. Gonna let you in.

Johnny

3AWhat's our move?

Doll

3AMy time doesn't come cheap.

V

3BI'm armed. Don't try anything.

Doll

2AWill you open it or not?

2AYou're costing time and money!

Finally...

Ugh...

That on the wall... is that blood?

V

Yeah. Knocked the last star off this dump.

So? You were saying? Got a message?

Doll

Sittin' right here.

It'll start soon.

V

4AWhat'll start?

Johnny

4AIt's a doll.

V

4AOr a proxy.

Doll

4AAhem.

4AI must make one thing clear. I still think you are mad, but…

V

4AHanako…? That you?

Doll

4ABut I can fool myself no longer. I believe you.

V

5AOK, so now that you know, and believe – what's next?

Doll

5AYorinobu planted a tanto in the corporation's very heart.

5AI must act while the wound is fresh.

5AAnd you will help me. You are living proof of his crime and treason.

V

6ADecided already, is that it? You're in no position to set conditions.

Doll

6AAnd what if I... obliged you to cooperate?

V

6AHave to send a swarm of proxies to do that.

6AThis here, talkin', is because you're alone. You don't have anyone else you can turn to.

Doll

6AThis is true.

6ASo what are your terms?

V

6BYou're gonna help me first.

Doll

6BPerhaps I did not speak clearly – we must act quickly.

V

6BWell I'm pretty tight on time, too. Dyin', in fact.

6BMy dead body'd make for a pretty lame-ass witness.

Doll

6BI understand.

V

5AWanna know everything you know about Mikoshi.

Doll

5AMikoshi... One of my father's flagship projects.

5AA data fortress with servers situated on orbital stations all around Earth.

5AThink of it as an archive of personality constructs, digitized psyches.

V

5ATry a prison?

Doll

5AA matter of perspective.

5AIn any case, that is not where you will find salvation.

5ANot without extensive knowledge of the Relic and the construct creation procedure.

V

7ATracked down your runaway. Hellman was hidin' under Kang Tao's wing.

7AWe chatted. Thinks sooner or later the engram'll completely consume me. Process can't be stopped.

Doll

7AA surprisingly deterministic conclusion for a man of science.

V

7AAt the very least, got my hands on the Relic's schematics. Got detailed information about its inner workings, project tech documentation…

Doll

7AAll useful... Even more so given that Hellman is still alive.

7AI will contact him and explain that one does not leave Arasaka by the back door.

V

7BManaged to make contact with Alt Cunningham.

Doll

7BThe Cunningham?

V

7BVery same who invented Soulkiller. Using her own modified version now.

Doll

7BThat should be more than useful.

V

7CAll I know about constructs is that one of them's out to kill me.

7CI got no idea how it wound up on the Relic... or how to remove it.

Doll

7CThere is only one possibility – Soulkiller. Or rather its newer, more powerful version.

7CYou must acquire it.

V

7CMe? That's Arasaka tech.

Doll

7CTechnology my brother does not allow even his closest associates to touch.

7CMy hands are tied in this matter.

V

5AThat's about the extent of what we got.

5AWhat now?

Doll

5ALet us meet in person.

5AAt Embers, in the city center. It is discreet.

5AJust remember one thing.

5AFrom now on we both must exercise extreme caution.

5AMmh...

5AWell, that's my job done.

Johnny

5AKnow what?

V

5AWhat?

Johnny

5AThink I'd've rather had a wave of 'Saka 'lites barge in here.

V

8AGot what we wanted. Don't tell me that proxy got to you?

Johnny

8AFuck you.

V

8AC'mon, think about it.

8AYesterday Hanako was living in a world that was completely safe for her.

8A'N' what's she got on her hands now? A foreign city, a homicidal brother and a fuckin' thief.

8AIt's why she sent a proxy. She's alone. And she's shittin' herself more than we are.

Johnny

8AUh-huh.

8AClink.

V

8AWhat? Did you say "clink"?

Johnny

8AMhm. Sound of her attaching her leash.

V

8BRight. 'Cause at least we've dealt with 'Saka henchmen before.

8BBut this?

8BIt's somethin' new.

Johnny

8BGlad to see you get it.

8BWe've just landed on very thin ice. Crash landed.

Doll

5AI am sending you my private line.

5AContact me if you acquire more information about Soulkiller. And only then.

5AFrom this moment onward, we both must exercise extreme caution.

5AI have been at all unclear?

5AWill you sit silent, just so?

V

5BI'm sorry. Know this must be difficult for you, painful.

Doll

5BSo much so that I could not look the truth in the eye.

V

5BWhat happens now?

5CDamn shame you didn't believe me earlier.

5CGoro might've still been alive had you.

Doll

5CIf you invoke his name, remember he did everything for this conversation to happen.

5CThat demands respect.

V

5CFine.

5DAny word from Goro? We split up when we went on the run.

Doll

5DTakemura is in a secure location. That is all you need to know at this time.

V

5EHow'd you find me?

Doll

5EDid you really think it would be enough to leave the city...?

5ETakemura mentioned he had placed a tracker on you.

5EYet even had he not... when Arasaka wishes to find someone, it finds them.

Johnny

5EPorcelain bitch.

Doll

I have a message for V.

I know you're in there!

Are you asleep? Time to wake up!

I have a message for V.

Johnny

10ADon't touch that door.

V

And if it's Goro?

Johnny

Who're you kiddin'? Been twenty-four hours since we split up. Complete radio silence.

Rest in peace, bastard.

V

11AHe's a big boy, I'm sure he'll pull through.

Johnny

11AWith a pack of Arasaka hounds at his heels?

V

11BYou'd like that, wouldn't you?

Johnny

11BHe was nothin' more than a means to an end. Even he knew that.

V

11CSaw him yourself. Even 'thout his implants, he was a good fighter.

11CHe'll pull through.

Johnny

11CDoesn't matter how good you are in Night City. On your own, you're fucked.

Fuck!

Doll

Please wait. I must think a moment…

Johnny

Hear that?

V

Car.

Johnny

At this hour? In this place?

Just one?

Finger on the trig, V.

V

Who from?