Outside, Judy leaned alone against a rusted railing, overwhelmed with regret.
"I was the one who told her to go back to Clouds. If I'd known this would happen... I should've stopped her."
"Don't worry. We'll find her. I can feel it."
V stood beside her, leaning on the railing.
"Find what? Her body after she's been used and tossed aside?"
Judy lifted her tired, hollow eyes—they were filled with remorse. She buried her head in her arms, staring blankly at the ground.
"Hey! Pull yourself together! You giving up already?"
V raised his voice.
Jackie, looming by the nearby door, turned and shrugged at Roqi.
"No," Judy muttered, still lucid. "That black BD is the only lead we have. But what the hell are we supposed to do with it?"
"We know it's connected to something called the Skull Moth. That's at least something to go on."
"Not as optimistic as you. That thing barely qualifies as a clue."
Judy turned away, arms crossed, brow furrowed, her mind a whirlwind of static—like a swarm of flies buzzing in her skull.
"You ever heard of this 'Skull Moth'? Anything at all. Big or small."
Chasing leads was all they could do now. They'd made it this far. No matter how faint the trail, they had to follow it.
"In this line of work... the market's full of weird kinks and stranger crap. It's like the Pit in the Badlands—deep, dark, and bottomless. But black market BDs? Their packaging always changes. Makes 'em harder to track, harder to catch."
As a top-tier braindance editor, Judy knew the biz inside out.
Braindance—BD for short—was the hottest form of entertainment in this era.
Since the late 21st century, TV and games had evolved to digitize not just visuals and sound, but physical sensations and emotions, fed straight into your nervous system.
Its magic wasn't just the sights or sounds—but that you felt what someone else felt: emotions, thoughts, memories, muscle tension, all of it.
Inside a BD, you became someone else.
For many in Night City, poverty and homelessness were everyday hells. But even then, folks still yearned for the glamorous lives of media stars and corporate elites.
BDs made the impossible tangible. Gave people a taste of what they could never afford.
Some BDs were pre-scripted experiences, fake memories carefully acted and designed. Others were just daily recordings from celebs. Some were low-brow trash. And some were...
Like black BDs—twisted, illicit experiences brewed in the city's darkest corners.
For a moment, you could be rich. Powerful. Untouchable. An escape from a world that crushed you.
But addiction followed. BD addiction was a rising epidemic among Night City's poor.
Simply put, BDs were hyper-real VR. And with all the same issues as traditional media—only worse.
Evelyn had been taken by someone to record one of those black BDs.
Imagine this: you take part in an illegal, immoral act—feel every second of it, but suffer none of the consequences. No criminal record. No jail. Just a fantasy with no strings.
Scripted indulgence.
And that's why black BDs were in such high demand.
"But we have to find out where that moth BD was recorded. It's the one solid lead we've got," Roqi said, leaning on the doorframe, ticking off fingers. "Could be a basement, abandoned factory, half-built tower... whatever. We're on the clock."
"Yeah... someplace quiet. Isolated," Judy sighed. She glanced at Roqi, then back at the roach-crawling tiles. "Still, I wouldn't bet on it. Only an idiot would leave behind a clue."
"There's always a trace. Unless it never happened."
Mower's voice drifted in, emotionless.
And when it came to hunting people, Mower wasn't some amateur.
"We're lucky. We've got Night City's top BD expert right here. An extra pair of expert eyes makes a difference."
V grinned, giving Judy a morale-boosting pat on the back.
Surprisingly, she didn't brush it off. Her tone softened.
"Alright... your BD expert does have a few tricks." She stepped forward, scanning the grime-smeared stairwell. "Try this site—Love Night City. It's on both the surface and deep net."
She motioned them forward.
"It's a complete mess, but maybe we'll dig up something."
"Hm... I might have an idea," Roqi said, drawing attention.
"I saw a guy earlier. Down under a bridge—or more like a sunken alley. Looked like a black BD dealer. Long coat, black shades, total cloak-and-dagger vibes."
He crossed his arms, chin in hand.
"Maybe he's got what we need. Or knows where to find it."
"Alright. Jackie and I will scan the net," V nodded.
"I'll check the NCPD network, see if anything pings," Judy added. "Let's meet back at my van outside Jig-Jig Street."
Roqi and Mower locked eyes, then split from V and Jackie.
Back in the chaos of Jig-Jig Street, Roqi hit a snag.
Where had he seen that guy?
This place was a maze—illegal builds, makeshift walls of trash, every kind of crook lurking around. Unless a corp brought in an army, searching here was like chasing rats through sewers.
"Bridge, bridge... where the hell's the bridge?"
He scanned the landscape, trying to match memory with reality.
But there were no rivers. No tunnels. What bridge?
Was his memory shot?
"That one?" Mower nudged his shoulder, nodding at something.
A multilevel stairwell, a shadowed alley between floors. Yeah. Like a bridge underpass.
"Bingo."
Roqi grinned, gave her a thumbs-up.
"Nice."
It was the underbelly of Jig-Jig—roll-up shutters, sewer grates, spray-painted graffiti in every language.
A guy in a coat and orange tie stood there, tapping his foot.
Nearby, a sleazy couple flirted in the shadows.
"What've you got?" Roqi asked quietly, stepping up.
"BDs. What else?"
The seller rocked on his heels, cocky.
"Got anything... special?" Roqi hinted.
"Man, pros don't ask rookie shit like that."
The guy shook his head, pegging Roqi as a greenhorn.
"I want something extra. Restricted. Hell, maybe even banned."
Roqi smiled, unbothered.
Now the dealer raised a brow. "You a cop?"
"You ever see a cop dressed like this?"
The guy looked him over. White ronin robe, blood-splattered. Three swords. And the girl? Straight-up murder machine.
No way this was a sting.
"I want the best. Skull. Moth. Got it?"
Roqi enunciated each word, locking eyes with him.
"Well, damn. Didn't expect a connoisseur. Skull Moth ain't cheap, you know..."
The dealer adjusted his shades, pulled out a card loaded with BD chips in flashy packaging.
"Where'd you get these?" Roqi asked casually, browsing.
"Creators? Hah. They love privacy. I don't ask questions. Maybe that's why I'm still alive."
The guy smirked.
"Cut me a deal for a first-time buyer? I'll take these three."
Roqi held up three chips, Skull Moth among them.
The dealer scoffed. "Deals are for regulars. No eddies? Then scram."
He'd seen too many types here. No freebies.
Roqi shrugged and returned two chips. He kept Fried Skull Moth.
Snap.
A silenced revolver echoed from below.
"Got it, V."
Walking through the street, Roqi flipped the chip in his fingers.
"Fried Skull Moth secured. Name's nasty enough."
"Good. Meet us at Judy's van. We'll check it there."
V's voice crackled in his ear.
Smash those black BDs in the street and the scavs will dive on 'em like vultures.
Johnny's gravelly voice piped up.
Roqi slipped the chip into Mower's coat.
No trade, no slaughter. You get it?
So where next, oh righteous knight? Johnny sneered.
Night City has no law, Roqi said, straightening her jacket.
And?
I shoot whoever I damn well please.
Heh... crazier than I ever was. Johnny's tone dropped. Even the innocent?
Side by side in neon alleys, Roqi answered:
In 2023, thousands died in the blast. Tens of thousands from radiation. You regret that?
He stared at the city's cheap glitz, a faint smile on his lips.
Regret? Impossible. But to say I don't... would be a lie.
Johnny sighed, like a man who missed his smokes.
Then we're square. Roqi continued. *Instead of asking if scum deserve to die, look at the ones suffering.
Justice is a hollow slogan. Corps are masters of lies and misdirection.*
Isn't there a saying? 'Full granaries make people civil. A full belly brings honor.'
Night City? Just a shiny trash heap. People here aren't living. So why chase ideals?
What a joke.
Silence. Only the murmur of crowds.
You know... I'm starting to like you, Johnny said with a smirk.
Roqi shivered. Don't. I don't swing that way.
Fuck off.
At the edge of Jig-Jig Street, Judy's van waited. V sat up front, Jackie filled the back.
"Get in," V waved.
Roqi and Mower climbed in, exchanging a nod with Jackie.
"You got it?" V asked.
"Here." Roqi handed him the roughly labeled chip.
"Alright. Let me gear up," Judy said, confirming the moth title. "We'll scan and edit on the fly. Just like old times."
V strapped on the BD headset. "Whenever you're ready."
"I'll need you to narrate what you see. Might catch something I miss."
They were diving into it right in the van.
The others could rest.
Mower curled up, resting her head on Roqi's lap. Her face flushed like a teapot ready to whistle. Body trembling slightly, uncertain.
"Damn... that's sweet," Jackie said, a little jealous.
His mind drifted to Misty. Her kindness. The way she was at the Esoterica shop.
.
.
.
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