Dialogue: I Fought the Law

Elizabeth

Hello, we haven't met. I'm Elizabeth.

My husband and I, we need a somewhat delicate matter... handled. We think you could help.

V

1AWhy call me of all people? Any particular reason?

Elizabeth

1AYou came recommended.

V

1AYeah, who by?

Elizabeth

1AI'd rather not say, not over the phone. Is there any way we could meet, discuss some details?

V

2ASure. Let's do that.

Elizabeth

2AI'll send you the address. See you.

V

2BCan't commit just now. Busy like I've never been. It'd be unwise.

Elizabeth

2BI see... Well, I shouldn't discount the urgency, but I guess we could wait a couple more days. We'd really rather work with you.

2BTry to squeeze us in and give me a call.

V

1BWhat's so delicate about the matter?

Elizabeth

1BI'd rather discuss that in person, if you don't mind.

1BCan we meet?

V

1CMind my askin' who your husband is? Actually... who're you?

Elizabeth

1CI'd rather not discuss details over the phone. Please, meet with us. We'll explain everything.

1CAs I said, it's a rather delicate matter.

River

This is Ward. Who'm I talkin' to?

V

Name's V. Lookin' into the death of one Lucius Rhyne.

River

Wonder why… You're not a cop.

V

3AJefferson and Elizabeth Peralez hired me to do it.

River

3APresumptive mayor sniffing around his predecessor's untimely death? Interesting.

V

3ADone some digging, got more intel. Also interesting.

3BI'm conductin' a private investigation into this... matter.

River

3BGood luck with that. And do me a favor – lose this number. I like PIs about as much as I like the scop at Caliente.

V

4AI'm no private eye.

River

4ASo what are you?

V

4BThought private-Is worked with cops all the time. And vice versa.

River

4BWell, they do, all the time. In New Hollywood.

4BSo, since you're not a dick – who are you?

V

3BMeet me. You'll find out.

3CListen, I know you tried to warn Rhyne about the cyberpsycho.

River

3CWhat else do you know?

V

3CThat you'd best meet with me.

River

All right. I'm headed to Chubby Buffalo's.

V

Be there stat.

So, about Rhyne – got a pretty good idea what happened.

Elizabeth

Great. Come by, please. It's a sensitive matter, I'd rather discuss it face to face.

We'll be waiting.

V. I'm glad you called back.

I really hoped you'd see the sense of it. I assume you're ready now to meet, talk about the job?

Driver

Are you V?

Please, step in the vehicle.

Please, step in the vehicle.

Jefferson

1AHello, V. I'm Jefferson Peralez.

1AYou've already spoken with Elizabeth, my wife.

V

2ASo – whaddaya got for me?

Elizabeth

2ACarter, let's go.

Jefferson

2AElizabeth?

Elizabeth

2AWell, as you're probably aware, Mayor Lucius Rhyne recently passed.

Jefferson

2AWe want to know how, why, whatever else is pertinent.

V

3AFar as I know, case is closed already.

Elizabeth

3AIt is. Of course the police wrote it off as natural causes. Rhyne passed at home due to a "cardioimplant malfunction."

Jefferson

3ABut we're left wondering about the cyberpsycho attack at City Hall a few days earlier.

Elizabeth

3AThe police say it was completely unrelated.

V

4AWhat makes you think the cops got it wrong? Got any evidence?

Elizabeth

4AShortly before Rhyne passed, he made cuts in the NCPD budget. Perhaps got on someone's bad side that way.

Jefferson

4AIn any case, we have the cyberpsycho attack on a BD.

Elizabeth

4AOur chief of security scanned it but didn't find anything out of the ordinary, so to speak... We need a braindance editor, a real one. It's raw footage.

Jefferson

4AThe braindance – it has to be back where it belongs today. Or a lot of people will be in a lot of trouble.

4AIf you agree to help, you can see it right now.

V

5AAll right. See what I can do.

Jefferson

5AExcellent. We'd be happy with any find that would clarify things, alleviate lingering doubts.

V

5BWhere'd you get the scroll?

Jefferson

5BRhyne was making a public appearance. BD scrolling's standard procedure for events like that.

5BFollowing the attack, the NCPD impounded the footage as evidence.

Elizabeth

5BWe had to pull many strings to extract it.

V

4BThese suspicions of yours… wouldn't have anything to do with the upcoming election, would they?

Jefferson

4B'Course they would. If Lucius Rhyne was murdered, we want to know, need to know.

V

3BFar as I remember, someone tried to zero Rhyne a few days before his death.

Elizabeth

3BThe NCPD sees no link. They're saying it was a random cyberpsycho attack.

V

3BAnd claimin' the mayor died of natural causes…

Elizabeth

3BCauses unrelated to the attack. It's in the official reports. Rhyne died at home due to a "cardioimplant malfunction."

V

3CIt was all over the news.

Elizabeth

3CPf, of course it was. Media feasted for weeks. Pieces like that are their lifeblood.

V

3CRight. Think they missed somethin'?

Elizabeth

3CWe have reason to believe they did, yes.

Jefferson

2AStraight to the matter at hand, huh? Hmhm…

V

6AI mean, guess we could chat about the weather or debate where they serve the best ramen…

6AAll the same to me, but…

Jefferson

6AHahahahaha... Fair enough. To business it is.

V

6BMy time's pretty valuable. Pretty sure yours is too.

Jefferson

6BTrue.

V

2BNice to meet you, Mr. Peralez.

2BMrs. Peralez.

Jefferson

2BHm, right again, Liz.

2BYou see, my wife is a great judge of character. Said this would work.

2BNow I see why.

V

2CPeralez? The one running for mayor of Night City?

Elizabeth

2CThe one.

V

2CSo the one who was DA until recently but just vaulted into a seat on the city council.

Jefferson

2CI gather you now understand why discretion is of the utmost importance.

V

1AOK…

V

Lemme look at it now, then.

Lemme look at it now, then.

V

Red Queen's Race? Cause any inter-synapse zaps?

Johnny

Sure, buncha old Britfarts in powdered wigs, shouting "Off with their heads!"

V

Y'know, you're allowed to say you don't have a clue.

Lucas

And this time, don't go scrolling every ass you see. Eyes on the mayor.

Stuff belongs to City Hall. Let's make it PG.

Holt

Second conference in three days. No idea what this blitz is for.

Lucius Rhyne

That's why I'm mayor and you're not. Now's when we need the visibility.

Holt

You're spreading yourself too thin.

Lucius Rhyne

I'll rest tonight. My room at the Red Queen's Race is ready?

Holt

Yes, of course.

Lucius Rhyne

Good. Now go. Gotta practice.

Gate Security

Hold it! Stop right there.

Lark

Slow your roll.

River Ward

River Ward, NCPD.

Lark

Police. Let 'im in?

Lucas

Let 'im wait.

River Ward

It's important. Gotta speak to the mayor's chief of security.

Lark

Preem. Do it after the conference.

Cyberpsycho

Hmmm-hmmm-hmmmm...

Johnny

Well, whadda we got here?

V

Question is, what're you doing here?

Johnny

My brain too, isn't it?

V

Cop wanted to tell security somethin'.

Johnny

Prolly that he was standin' by to lick Rhyne's butthole.

V

Coulda chromed half the city with what he was packin'.

Johnny

Prolly what happened. Body disappeared from the morgue, sight unseen.

And then some pig got himself a new set of wheels and an ugly-ass suit.

V

Know that or just talkin' out your ass again?

Johnny

Once you've seen all I've seen, don't need to "know" things to know 'em. People're the same everywhere.

V

OK, it's comin' out your ass.

Who's the Holt guy?

Johnny

No idea. Those assclowns are all the same.

V

Terminal crashed right as he went through the gate. Glitch was no accident.

Johnny

Meh. Seen stranger coincidences.

V

Like?

Johnny

Like when you bang some chick and then her sister – later, same night... And it turns out they're both sisters of God.

V

That really happen to you?

Johnny

Nah. But it could've.

V

The tune... don't recognize it.

Johnny

Tune?

V

What he's humming.

Johnny

Wouldn't call that a tune.

V

He's really into it.

They left literally seconds before the attack.

Looks planned, like it was done on purpose…

Johnny

That or the psycho saw his chance and took it. Don't get paranoid on me.

Cyberpsycho

...

River Ward

...

Johnny

Well, whadda we got here?

Jefferson

So, any thoughts?

Did you, uh, see anything suspicious, anything at all? Or are we paranoid?

V

1ARather not jump to any conclusions. That's not much to go on. Still too early to say.

Jefferson

1ASure, sure.

V

1BWhole thing stinks worse than Coronado Bay in July.

Jefferson

1BHuh… So suspicions confirmed.

V

1CLike a choom of mine says, I've seen stranger coincidences.

Elizabeth

1CHmm... Interesting. We felt differently, and strongly so.

Jefferson

1CWell, first impressions can at times be tricky.

Any questions at this point?

V

2ACop who saved Rhyne – know anything about 'im?

Jefferson

2ADetective River Ward. Good guy. We worked a few cases together.

2AYou wanna talk to 'im, I'll put you in touch.

V

3ASheesh. Ward had great timing.

3AEither has crazy good luck or had a source, got good info. I'm gonna need some of each.

Elizabeth

3AWell said.

Jefferson

3ASending you his detes.

3AIf you need anything else, let us know, we'll help.

V

3BMayor's huscle – they NCPD?

Jefferson

3BNo. All hand-picked by Holt and on a corp's payroll.

3BBut there are ex-cops among them.

V

3CAnyone else besides Rhyne's detail have access to the terminal?

Jefferson

3CHmm… NCPD. That's it.

V

2BRed Queen's Race – what is it?

Jefferson

2BGot me. Never heard of it, sorry.

V

2CWho's Holt?

Jefferson

2CRhyne's deputy. And his bulldog, so to speak. Running in Rhyne's place now.

V

2DThe conference, why was it held?

Jefferson

2DFor no particular reason. Rhyne liked the sound of his voice and seeing himself on TV… Hehehe… Yeah, that sort of thing.

2DAs far as I recall, the drop in Night City's violent crime rate was the excuse for this one. Rhyne came out to tout it.

V

2DSorry – drop?

Jefferson

2DRhyne reclassified Pacifica an "independent district." Stats for that part of town stopped counting.

V

2DHuh. Clever.

Det Yu

Someone here to see you, looks like.

River

Hm. Wonder what about…

V

2AYou River Ward?

River

2AIn the flesh. V, right?

2AMy partner, Detective Han.

V

2BWanted to talk. You got a minute?

River

2BYou must be V.

2BMy partner, Detective Han.

V

3AOK. Thanks for agreeing to meet.

3BMind if we step off to the side?

River

3BHan and me, we're like one mind. Got no secrets.

Det Yu

You really intend to work with a merc?

River

Don't know what I intend just yet. For now, gonna see if I hear anything new about Rhyne's death.

Det Yu

You back on that? Boss already told you to drop it. Don't make him say it again. You know he hates to say things twice.

And if you couldn't give a rat's fat ass about any of that, heed my advice, as your friend's. Just let the case go.

River

See me doin' anything? Just sittin' here, sippin' coffee, listenin' to gossip.

Det Yu

Fine. Do what you want. I'm not about to be part of this. Gotta go get my little girl anyway.

And you two at least find a quieter corner. Wouldn't wanna be overheard.

River

OK, talk.

V

4ASee Detective Han's not a fan of edgerunners.

River

4ADon't take it personally. Detective Han's not a fan of anybody. 'Cept his daughter.

4AYou wanted to talk?

V

4ABefore the attack, you wanted to talk to Rhyne's huscle, get some info to 'em.

4AWhat was it?

River

4AKnow what... Han was right. Acoustics are a little too good in here.

4AGot my car outside.

V

5AOK, sure.

River

5ASome of the boys from the precinct saw Horváth around Arroyo, shooting up dumpsters, hollering how he's got a meet with the mayor. Brought 'im in.

V

5ABrought who in?

River

5APéter Horváth. Cyberpsycho who attacked the mayor later. They took him downtown, but then he got "lost" before they could get his statement.

V

6ASaid he "got lost." How's that happen, what's it mean?

River

6AIt means someone didn't want him counting roaches in a cell that day.

6AAnd before you ask me, no... I got no idea who.

6AMy turn. Why's Peralez looking at this now? Why's he want it done unofficial, on the hush-hush?

V

7ARed Queen's Race – heard anything about it? Know what it is?

River

7AMaybe I have, maybe I do. It got anything to do with Rhyne?

V

7AGuy was headed there the day he died.

River

7APssh... fine. We're gonna see my CI.

7AAll I've heard, it's some fancy-ass club. No idea where to even look for it. CI might know.

7AThen we'll go talk to the woman Horváth worked for.

7AOr actually... we could see her first. Up to you.

V

8ALet's go see his boss first. Guy who can afford all the chrome he was decked out in should have the scratch for psychomuting meds too.

8AWe'd better check it out.

River

8AOK.

V

8BLet's go see your informer. Club's a better lead.

River

8BFine with me.

V

8CSorry – "we"?

River

8CCan't shake this case. Something's up. Just look at how quickly it was closed.

8CThis way, you can get your job done while I find evidence that gets my chief to re-open the case.

8CWin-win. So, where to first?

V

7BAs I see it, Peralez is out to smear Holt.

River

7BSo he thinks Holt's involved?

V

7BDunno. But even if he's not, a murdered mayor isn't great optics for his deputy.

7CPeralez could just be scared.

River

7CDoesn't want the job of a guy who just got carried out feet first?

V

7CHeh, who would?

6BSo you saw him as a potential threat, decided to warn the mayor?

6BJust like that, 'cause… ya got a good heart?

River

6BMake it sound like that's somethin' to be ashamed of.

V

6BAshamed – no. Just not somethin' you see every day.

River

5AWell? Come on.

River

4ALet me ask you a question first. Why do you got your nose in this? Who hired you?

V

10ALiz Peralez hired me. And her husband, Jefferson.

River

10AThe presumed future mayor? Haha... Guess I could've seen that comin'…

V

10BSorry, never give up the names of my clients.

River

10BWell then, I'm sure you've got plenty of other leads besides me. I mean, I sure hope so, 'cause I'm not telling you a thing.

10BAnd I'm not bein' mean, or nosy, nor is it personal. Just coverin' my own ass, my own safety's at stake too.

10BSo... before I open my mouth, I need to know whose ears are listenin'.

River

You wanted to talk?

Det Yu

Got a quiet one here.

River

Well? Come on.

You must be V.

My partner, Detective Han.

River

My guy works here.

You go talk to him. I'll wait outside.

Tell him Igor says hi. He'll know what it's about.

V

1AAll right. Wait here, then.

1BHe's your CI. Doesn't know me.

River

1BWell, uh... last we met, it didn't go so well. For him.

1BPeople he ratted out got wind of it.

1BI think you got a better chance of gettin' him to talk without me. At least, voluntarily.

V

1CWho is this guy?

River

1CThe proud proprietor. He's got all sorts of clients and he's nosy as hell. So he knows all about everyone.

1CPlus, he's a coward. Perfect combo.

Shop Owner

You lookin' for, uh, general inspiration, or somethin' specific?

'Cause I can help with both.

V

2AIgor says hi.

Shop Owner

2AFuck, no! Said I was done, I was out!

2AFuuuuuck…

River

2AHeeey, Neil.

Shop Owner

2APiss off.

River

2ARelax. Just got one question to ask you.

2ANothin' to see here, sir.

2AC'mon, ghost, I said!

Shop Owner

2ALemme alone, got it? Can't make me do a damn thing.

V

3ARest assured. Nobody'll find out you talked to us.

3AAnd this'll truly be the last time Detective Ward'll visit you.

3AIsn't that right, Detective?

River

3ARight – an' I swear it on the spirits of my ancestors. All we want is the coords for Red Queen's Race.

Shop Owner

3AAll right... but this is the last time, for real.

V

3BWe can, actually. And we will.

River

3BJust tell us where to find Red Queen's Race.

Shop Owner

3BI dunno!

V

4ASo fuckin' remember.

4AAnd make it quick.

Shop Owner

4AAll right! Jeeeesus. Chill, OK?

V

4BYou're lyin'. When I asked inside, you knew exactly what I was talking about.

Shop Owner

4BOK, OK, I'll tell you. But come here again and I'll fuckin' lodge an official complaint.

4BThis's some goddamn harassment right here.

V

4CYou work retail, right? So you should be able to count to two.

4CTwo of us, one of you.

4CTell us what we wanna know, you won't need to learn what it feels like not to have the upper hand. Least not the hard way.

Shop Owner

4CAll right, fine. Chill.

V

3CRed Queen's Race. Give us the address, we're gone.

Shop Owner

3CHeard that already last time. Then those motherfuckers showed, broke all my fingers.

V

5AWasn't here then. Now I am. I'll make sure nothing happens to you.

River

5AAnyone asks, we'll say we got the address off a body we fished out of the bay.

Shop Owner

5AUghhh... Fine.

V

5BFingers? I'll break limbs that'll make you forget all about those fingers.

5BStart with your shins. Any idea how much that hurts?

Shop Owner

2AIt's outside city limits, near the river. Bonita Street area.

River

2AYou been there?

Shop Owner

2ANot telling you another fucking thing.

2AKiss my ass, both of you.

2AMade some deliveries – goods, sometimes peeps. But got no idea why you wanna go pokin' around there.

2AClub's empty. They shut it all down.

River

2AShut it down? Before or after Mayor Rhyne died?

Shop Owner

2AUhhh... Soon after, I guess.

River

2AThanks, Neil.

Shop Owner

2AShit, shit, shit!

2AGoddammit!

2ALeave me the fuck alone – all of you!

V

2BLookin' for a club. Red Queen's Race?

Shop Owner

2BIf I was you, I'd try somewhere a little more... welcoming. Lizzie's over in Kabuki is a good start. Or Clouds in Japantown.

V

2BWant an address.

Shop Owner

2BLook, club's invitation-only, right? You don't know the address, means you're not welcome.

River

Well, well. That's what I call a breakthrough.

I'm headed straight for Bonita Street.

Comin' with?

V

6ASure. Thanks.

6BBetter meet there.

River

6BFine with me.

Seems promising. But I'd still hit that market.

V

Market?

River

Horváth's employer, one I mentioned before. I just wouldn't let that lead drop.

V

7AOK. Let's go see this market of yours.

River

7AWe gonna take my car?

V

8ASure. Thanks.

8BBetter meet there.

River

8BFine with me.

V

7BEh, let's head to the club. Seems a stronger lead to me.

River

7BAll right... Guess I'll go with your gut.

River

All right... Guess I'll go with your gut.

Shop Owner

Leave me the fuck alone – all of you!

V

1AYou Christine Markov? We have some questions.

Vendor

1AYou badges?

V

2ANCPD. This is Detective Ward.

Vendor

2AWhaddaya want?

V

2APéter Horváth – know he worked here.

2BNo, not cops. Just lookin' for some intel.

Vendor

2BEveryone's always lookin' for somethin'. Least I know where I stand with the cops.

2BOther people? Open your mouth one day, corpo muscle or gangoons show up on your doorstep the next…

River

2BPéter Horváth. Worked for you, right?

V

2CLookin' for data on Péter Horváth.

2CWorked here, apparently.

Vendor

1AYeah, he did. Then he stopped workin', started makin' fuckin' speeches all the time.

V

3AThese speeches – what'd he have to say?

Vendor

3A"Rhyne – corps got him by the balls and cock, but he still managed to fuck me." His motto.

V

3AWhy'd he have it in for the mayor?

Vendor

3AHah, lookin' for reason in that whackjob? Prolly thought Rhyne was talkin' to him through the TV, promisin' all sorts of shit, then ceasin' to give a fuck.

3ALook, I told you what I think. In Horváth's world, everybody was out to get him. Lucius Rhyne was out to fuck him, then get him.

V

4AHad no other connection, those two? Think hard.

Vendor

4AEasy money – that's what Horváth was after. Didn't do time for nothin'.

4AWorked for normals, not so normals. Gah, maybe he and Rhyne had some mutual friends?

V

4BSo as Horváth saw it, who else had it in for him?

Vendor

4B'Sides Rhyne? Uh, Madame President, mostly.

4BThen Arasaka, the geezer, and when he died it was his son's turn.

3AWill that be all, detectives? You're spookin' my clientele.

V

3BHorváth make good scratch here? Coulda bought this whole market with the chrome he was packin'.

Vendor

3BAh-haha! Oh yeah, made scads on scads here, ahaha. Motherfuckin' millionaire, like we all are.

River

3BSo where'd he get the eddies? Know anything?

Vendor

3BLook, if I knew, I wouldn't be here sellin' scop to tower trash. I'd get myself an AV, fly my fuckin' slim ass outta here.

3BPéter showed up one day with all that. Extra worked up too. Whacked enough that I asked him where he got it. He said somebody'd finally seen what he was worth.

3BThen he launched right into one of his tirades.

V

3CWhen'd the weird behavior actually start?

Vendor

3CLook, when you're talkin' about Péter, "weird" doesn't mean what it means for everybody else. Horváth never was completely normal.

3CBut the post-jail Horváth versus the pre-jail Horváth? Gonks both, but completely different gonks.

V

5ASo, who're we supposed to talk to?

5ACyberpsycho's boss, you said?

River

5AChristine Markov, forty-two. File has her as Horváth's sole employer.

5ASole contact, too, actually.

River

"Somebody'd finally seen what he was worth." Horváth had sponsors.

V

We mighta guessed as much.

River

Might seem like we didn't get a lot out of that.

But sometimes intel makes sense once you got some context.

Say, for instance, somebody says they got a headache.

Minor detail, means nothing, right? Usually, sure.

But then the guy waltzes straight into oncoming traffic. The neighbor remembers someone had worked on the air conditioner in the guy's unit, guy whose head always hurt.

Accident? Coincidence? Or maybe air-dispersed poison. A deliberate hit.

V

You actually caught a case like that?

River

No. Made it up. Still proves my point.

Oh, great. Lemme handle this, V.

Step aside, Lugg. Your boyfriend got sent up for years. Doubt you want the same.

Tyger

Pig wagon.

Hehehe... Think my piss'll do the job all right?

V

8ACome on, election's around the corner. NCPD had to up its stats.

8AArrest was for show. They'll let 'im out soon.

Tyger

8AAnd wash your fucking wheels, pig.

V

8BGentlemen, gentlemen. Chill, please.

Tyger

8BHeh. Jump, clown! Jump!

V

8CFuck off, kitty claws.

River

8CV…

V

8CFuck off!

River

Right. You did lose your only associate who could string two sentences together. Too bad he also liked diddling little kids.

Here's my offer – get the fuck outta here, and I won't arrest you as accessories in the murder of Mayor Rhyne.

V

Don't think we learned much of anything new.

River

So Horváth had a personal beef with Rhyne.

A good ninety percent of any detective's job is talking.

How about we change tacks this time? Ask questions first, then level threats?

V

9BAnd the other ten percent? What's it consist of?

River

9BWriting reports.

But you know that already. Must say, you're kinda a natural.

V

11AWalkin' the streets with you – downright unsafe. Got a beef with all gangs or just the Tygers?

River

11AI'm a cop. Whaddaya think?

11AUgh... Gotta report this.

11AOK, Red Queen's Race now.

11AFirst, I gotta clean up the mess you made.

11AWe'll meet there.

11AGonna ride with me?

V

11AMeet you there.

River

11AFine by me.

V

11ASure, I'll ride with you.

River

11AI'll talk to my CI about your club – Red Queen's Race.

11AAssuming you're still on board.

V

11AYou kiddin'?

River

11AFirst, I gotta clean up the mess you made.

11AWe'll meet there.

11AGonna ride with me?

V

11AMeet you there.

River

11AFine by me.

V

11ASure, I'll ride with you.

River

11AGood thing nobody got killed.

11ALittle less paperwork.

Goddammit, V. Told you I'd handle it.

No idea who we're looking for. Gonna have to ask around.

I'll start from the left, you take the right.

V

14AYou Christine Markov?

Random Vendor

14ANo. But I know who she is. Stand with the tech, over on the other side.

V

15AChristine Markov – know her? Has a stall here.

Random Vendor

15ADon't know any Christine. This isn't BD Heads Anonymous.

River

Christine Markov. Where'll I find her?

Random Vendor

I don't know her. You buying somethin'? If not, get out.

River

You Christine Markov?

Random Vendor

Me? No. She's over there. Stall with the tech.

River

Thanks.

Know which one. Let's go.

Voice

Fuck off.

Nothin' to see here.

V

1ALookin for a club – Red Queen's Race.

Voice

1AClosed. Not openin' anytime soon, either.

V

1ASo it's fine if I have a look around inside.

Voice

1ANo, it ain't. No lookin'. Just delta the fuck outta here.

1AGhost now or I'll help you out… with my foot.

1AWhat's with the starin', gonk?

V

1BI'm police.

Voice

1BWarrant.

V

1BNo warrant. Just wanna take a look around.

Voice

1BNo warrant – shove your head up your ass, take a look around there.

V

1CYou fuck off.

Voice

1CSay again, punk?

V

1CYou. Fuck. Off.

1CCan spell it if you want me to.

Voice

1CSmartass little cunt!

V

1DJust wanna go inside. Don't want any bad blood with Animals.

Voice

1DWell that's a fuckin' relief.

1D'Cause if you did, I'd have to fuck you up myself. An' I ain't in the mood.

V

1DSo we can go in?

Voice

1DYou can delta the fuck off!

V

2AThis's Animal turf.

River

2AI can see that…

V

2ALock up any of theirs recently?

River

2ANot lately, no. But they're not big fans of "pigs," either.

2AI can't go in without a warrant. But you…

V

2AUh-huh. All right... Be in touch.

2BAnimals' turf. Any sly cop rules for talkin' to 'em?

River

2BScratch their tummies, don't expose your throat…

V

2BHa-fucking-ha.

River

2BWe're short a warrant, so you're on your own.

You find anything, tell me.

River

Neil doesn't tend to lie. Too scared.

So the club's around here somewhere. In the garage, is my guess. Or under it.

V

Pretty tight security for an ordinary container, huh?

River

Yep...

Look at that...

V

Real huscle out front, but all clear 'round the side.

Animals aren't as sharp these days.

Voice

Shit... Choom, think I need a new look.

Animal Ganger Male

Hell you talkin' about?

Voice

No, I mean it. Had enough of this shit. Everyone lookin' at me like I'm a tickin' time bomb.

Animal Ganger Male

That's the whole point, choomba.

Voice

Yeah, but come on. At that market yesterday, knocked over a vase, fuckin' Kang-era or somethin'. Accident, right?

This girl runs outta the stall and there I am, all humane, tryin' to explain, sayin' "I'm sorry," offerin' to pay for the piece of shit.

But she's comin' at me, cleaver in hand.

Animal Ganger Male

So you pay 'er?

Voice

Yeah, but not her. Her I knocked on her ass.

I mean, what the fuck? Comin' at me with a chopper?

Voice

Ghost now or I'll help you out… with my foot.

What's with the starin', gonk?