Chapter 19: Black Braindance
"This is the method you mentioned?" V asked, looking curiously at the Braindance chip in his hand.
"Hmm~" Judy nodded, her fingers flying across the keyboard. "I hacked into Forrest's network and found raw Braindance footage. Evelyn was taken to a warehouse."
"What for?" V asked, his brows furrowing.
"To record a Black Braindance." Judy gritted her teeth.
Braindance—Night City's most addictive form of entertainment. Cheap, immersive, and emotionally real. The more polished and fluid, the more it felt like starring in your own blockbuster movie.
But that same realism also gave rise to the grotesque.
For every person seeking beauty and truth, there were those obsessed with depravity. Sadism. Humiliation. Suffering. Black Braindance—BDs that documented horrific scenes of violence and exploitation for the amusement of twisted minds—became their poison of choice.
And Evelyn was caught in it.
...
V clenched his jaw. "Let's start. We're going to save her."
Judy, wiping her eyes, nodded and steadied her trembling fingers over the controls.
Raw BD footage was different from the market version. It preserved every sensor and sound feed, allowing them to scrub through for clues.
Through signs, takeout labels, and fragments of dialogue, they triangulated Evelyn's location.
They raced to a rundown warehouse. Inside, blood stains and buzzing flies greeted them. The cell was empty.
"Are we too late?" Judy whispered, devastated.
"Wait." V scanned the room. "No… someone rescued her."
"Rescued?"
V nodded, pulling a BD chip from the discarded clothes. "She left us a clue."
Judy took the chip. "Let's go analyze it!"
They were halfway out when a group of Maelstrom gang members cornered them. The yellow-haired leader grinned, assault rifle resting on his shoulder.
"Since you're here… leave something behind!"
...
Three hours later.
"Viktor, what did you say?!" V's voice cracked with disbelief.
Viktor, arms crossed, stood firm. "You heard me. Evelyn was rescued by that Arasaka operative. She's being kept in a research lab in Charter Hill."
Cautious as ever, Viktor had Misty check his memory. Something felt off. Sure enough—there was a missing fragment. Somehow, Ash had erased it.
Even Misty, a skilled spiritualist, took all day helping Viktor piece together what happened.
Just one look from Ash—that's all it took to seal away memories.
If Viktor hadn't run into Misty and chatted out of habit, he might have never noticed.
"Ash and Sandayu Oda…" V committed the names to memory. He needed a hacker—fast. Someone who could extract data from Arasaka's black vaults.
"Evelyn's not ready to be rescued," Viktor continued. "She's traumatized. Let her recover. What you need to deal with is Dexter. He's going to kill you."
V nodded grimly. He had already been thinking about that.
"You been following the news?" Viktor asked.
"Takemura Goro's defection?" V responded.
Viktor nodded. "Find him. Tell him the truth—on one condition: help you take out Dexter."
V frowned. Kill to survive? The idea made him pause. He still believed people could talk things through.
Viktor sighed. "I know you want peace. But this isn't a fairytale. Jack's counting on you."
He added, "Why do you think Dexter chose you? You're off the grid. Disposable. If something went wrong, he had his scapegoat."
V looked down, silent. He thought of Jack, and his face hardened.
"I'm going to see Jack."
"Hmm~ Go."
...
Cherry Blossom Market Shrine.
Arasaka Michiko and her loyal bodyguard, Kenta Mori, knelt respectfully before Arasaka Hanako, who sat in silent meditation.
"Michiko, Kenta—do you need something?" Hanako asked softly.
"Aunt, I want to know how my grandfather really died." Michiko's voice was firm.
"You were told. It was illness."
"Then why did Takemura Goro defect? Why wasn't I allowed to see the body or the medical report? Are we still part of the Arasaka family?"
"Watch your tone, Michiko!" Hanako snapped, eyes opening.
"That was my grandfather!" Michiko shouted back. Her presence matched Hanako's, fierce despite her youth. Kenta Mori, loyal but cautious, remained silent.
Hanako tried to soften. "You're still too young—there are things you don't yet understand."
Michiko stood abruptly. "I don't care what secrets there are. I will find the truth, and I will make the killer pay!"
She stormed out without waiting for Hanako's reply.
Kenta bowed. "Miss Hanako, please forgive her. I'll speak to her."
Hanako's gaze cooled. "Do as you see fit."
...
In the AV.
Michiko fumed. "Why is she so calm? Grandpa is dead!"
Despite living in the U.S., she still felt the blood bond. She clenched her fists.
"Kenta, we must find out the truth. For Grandpa's peace!"
Kenta remained silent, glancing discreetly at the overhead camera.
Ash had taught him many things. In a corpo's world, someone's always listening.
Michiko noticed his silence and pouted. "Why aren't you answering?"
He shook his head subtly. She kicked him lightly. "Tch! You're so annoying."
But deep down, she understood. This was a performance.
...
Back home, after dismissing the servants, Michiko whispered, "Can we talk now?"
Kenta smiled. "Safe now."
Michiko sighed with relief. "That was close."
"You remember what Hanako said? 'There are things you can't handle yet.'"
"Shut up!" she rolled her eyes.
They had grown up together. Despite their roles, they were close.
Kenta's tone grew serious. "Do you really want the truth?"
"Yes."
"This path is dangerous. Possibly deadly. Are you ready?"
Michiko didn't hesitate. "Even if I die a hundred times—I won't stop until I learn the truth."