Cyberpunk 2077 - The Ballad of Lost Souls

V slowly crawls up on the top of the Basilisk and looks at Mitch, who is sitting inside the van. Mitch nods to him as V raises his right metal fist, high above him, casting lights on the other cars thanks to the Sun reflections.

The cars salute him back with the screaming sound of their engines, engulfing the convoy in a cloud of sand. V then crawls inside the Basilisk.

Johnny: Know what, V? Sometimes it's just good to see you do the right thing.

V: Look who's back.

V sits in the small cockpit of the Basilisk on the left seat, near Panam. She looks at him briefly, then she spots the jacket and looks at him longer. Finally she turns back to the dashboard.

Johnny: You know, it's almost romantic in here. It's the right place to patch things up with Panam.

V: The fuck you just said?!

Johnny: What?

V: YOU SON OF A BITCH!

Johnny: V, I really don't know what you are talking about.

V: YOU DO KNOW DAMN WELL, FUCK! I WAS SLEEPING WHEN YOU WENT WITH ROGUE!

Johnny laughs.

Johnny: No V, not all of you.

V: Johnny, one more word… Just one and I'm going to start smashing my head against THE FUCKING WINDOW!

Johnny: Go ahead. Try to explain that to Pan too.

V: Know, what?! Can't wait to see again so I can choke you, once and for all. 

Johnny: It'll happen real soon, V.

V: Good. Now crawl back into the darkness, you miserable asshole.

Panam switches the radio on.

Panam: Everybody ready?!

Mitch(Radio): Yeah!

Cassidy(Radio): Kid, I was ready way before you were even born.

Carol(Radio): We'll show 'em.

Panam presses a button on the big dashboard of the Basilisk. The tank starts hovering over the desert sand, along with the convoy, heading north, lighted by the early lights of the morning. V looks at Panam.

V: Panam?

Panam: …

V: Guess I'm gonna do a monologue then. Look, I wanted to tell you…

Panam: The radio is on.

V: Can you please like…Turn it off for a second?

Panam: Can't. I have to coordinate the others.

V takes out a cigarette from the pocket while she looks at him, annoyed.

Panam: Seriously?!

V throws the cigarette on the floor and looks away from Panam.

V: What?! Wouldn't be the first time we go outside the designed procedures inside this thing.

Panam: Don't worry, from now on I'll strictly follow the rules.

V turns back at Panam, then he violently presses a button on the dashboard, shutting down the tank as the whole cockpit suddenly goes dark.

Panam: THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!

V looks back at Panam, right in the eyes.

V: Panam… Is this really the way we want to go out?!

Panam looks back at him.

Panam: Already told you. If you have problems with me you can leave, I don't have time for this.

V: I'm not leaving Panam. You didn't give me this jacket, Saul did. I'm part of the family even if I'm not with you.

V gets closer to Panam, looking at her, sad.

V: I could understand If you don't love me anymore, If you hate me…But, fuck, not even saying my name… Like if I'm some kind of a stranger, a nobody…

Panam starts back the Basilisk.

Mitch(Radio): Panam! Is everything alright?

Panam(Radio): Yeah, sorry Mitch. We are having some troubles here. I have to turn off the radio for a moment. If somebody has a problem, holo me.

Panam turns off the radio, she then turns back to him.

Panam: Wanna know why?! The V I know wouldn't just surrender like you did. You are already dead, even before getting inside that facility.

V: BECAUSE I FUCKING AM, PANAM! Do you think it was easy for me to live with the weight of all those deaths?! They all died for… for what?! Fucking nothing. But I…accepted that, I even accepted death. Wanna know why?! Because I thought I would go, having you near me, AS YOU PROMISED! Then you could… go on, living your life with a family that loves you.

Panam shakes her head then she closes her eye in pain while smiling slightly.

Panam: Yeah, go on livin'…

V: All I wanted, all I ever cared for is you and no other…Even that turned out in a complete tragedy. I woke up in this hell, I had to see you…

V looks away from her.

V: All of It could be avoided If you had let go, but no! You always have to do your own thing, don't you?!

Panam grabs V by the jacket. He gasps, turning around.

Panam: Look at me, LOOK! Tell me one more time is my fuckin' fault.

Panam leaves V and looks away from him.

Panam: You're not the one who has to forgive me.

V looks back at her, angry.

V: Who are you talkin' about, Pan?! God?! I've got some news for you... There is no God, no paradise, no garden of eden, no nothing, ok?! There is only darkness. 

Panam looks at him straight into the eyes.

Panam: GOOD! But if that's true I've got a question for you: Is this the way you want to go out with, uhm?!

V looks at her stunned, speechless. She looks back at the cockpit windshield, turning the radio back on.

Panam(Radio): Guys I'm back. Get ready, we're approaching the valley. We should see the facility in no time.

Meredith(Radio): Hello everybody! Finally I have a chance to meet you all.

Both V and Panam look at the dashboard, concerned.

Meredith(Radio): V, you said…Very touching things. I just can't get over the fact you seemed to forget about me. I didn't though.

V(Radio): FUCK YOU, MEREDITH! WHAT THE FUCK YOU WANT?!

Meredith(Radio): I was trying to tell you last time, V… Before Panam tried to shoot me. I just want the Aldecaldos and the Basilisk, then it will be all over. Like nothing ever happened… Just a courtesy for you to remember the good old days.

V(Radio): Fuck you. Why don't you come over here and try by yourself?!

Meredith(Radio): V, I'm tired you know?! The last two days have been… dreadful. I don't want to waste anymore time with this. So why don't you like, stop the engines and surrender? I promise I won't do anything bad to her. At least nothing that Santiago didn't already do.

V gets closer to the dashboard, holding the radio screen tightly with his right arm.

V(Radio): Do you want to know something Meredith?! Want to know what happened to that son of a bitch?! I ripped his fucking heart out of his chest while he was still alive. I would like you to do the same to you… Just to see what remains of it.

V and Panam stare in a wait that seems interminable, listening only to a static noise.

Meredith(Radio): Hold on, V. I got a friend that wants to talk with you.

Goodwill(Radio): Veee….

V opens his eyes wide, in pure shock. Panam looks away from the dashboard and closes her eyes, in pain.

V(Radio): YOU FUCKING BITCH! WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?!

Meredith(Radio): I introduced him to my colleagues. Look V, I will give you a simple choice: either you give me the Aldecaldos or he dies. You have ten seconds. Last time was more than enough for you.

V turns the radio off and looks at Panam.

V: Panam! Turn off this goddamn thing.

Panam looks at him with an expression full of pain.

V: Panam!

V grabs Panam's arm, she keeps looking at him.

V: PANAM! STOP THIS FUCKING TANK!

V starts shaking her, panicking.

V: PANAAAAAMMMM!

Meredith(Radio): Time's up.

Goodwill(Radio): V… Remember what I…

A loud gunshot can be heard over the radio, it freezes both Panam and V in place. She closes her eyes and bows her head.

Meredith(Radio): What a shame V. You forgot that at the end of the day, I always get what I want.

V grabs the radio with both his hands, so hard that he cracks the monitor.

V: THE ONLY THING YOU ARE GOING TO GET IT'S A SLOW AND PAINFUL DEATH, YOU FUCKING SLUT! CAN YOU HEAR ME?! 

V leaves the radio and leans on the Basilisk seat, sobbing.

Panam: V…We are going to…

V turns to Panam, looking at her in a mix of sorrow and rage.

V: DO WHAT?! KILL HER?! What is going to solve?! He had nothing to do with this… HE HAD A FAMILY, FUCK!

V starts punching the Basilisk's windshield so hard, that he slightly cracks it. Then he leans back on the seat, laying his arms on his legs.

Panam: She's fucking around with you… She probably already knew our position.

V: Yeah… Keep telling that to yourself. Say it to his wife too.

V opens up his holo interface and selects Meredith's contact from the list.

Panam: What are you doing?!

V: I'm going to give her what she wants.

V phones Meredith, the phone rings a few times, nobody answers.

V: I swear I will break her into pieces.

Panam slowly grabs V's hand. He looks at her amazed, then she turns the radio on, one last time.

Panam: Listen up everybody, we are going to have company real soon, take your irons out.

Suddenly bullets can be heard flying against the Basilisk's armored body.

Panam: Damn, these people waste no time, don't they?!

Johnny: V, this is it. Are you ready?

V: Yeah, thanks. Now go back jerking off.

Panam: I will stay behind the wheel, you take the turret, destroy those bastards!

V connects himself to the Basilisk's interface and sees two Militech drones flying above him. From the sides, he spots two trucks cornering the Aldecados' convoy.

Mitch(Radio): V...need some help here!

V uses the turret and starts shooting at the drones. After a small stream of bullets, the two drones fall down on the ground, exploding into pieces, Mitch's van starts turning left and right, dodging the explosions. The other vehicles pass right through them.

V: Panam, we need to do something about those armored vehicles!

Panam: Let me handle that.

Panam violently turns the Basilisk on the right. V loses his balance, almost falling on her, while the Basilisk passes through the armored truck, like paper, exploding into a million pieces.

V: Fuck.

Johnny: Gotta say, the girl hasn't lost her magic touch.

The convoy moves through the valley. The vehicles raise a high blanket of sand, as if they were gliding on water. Suddenly a smaller Militech jeep starts tailing the Basilisk, shooting at it from behind.

V: I'm gonna handle this.

Panam: No, we need the missiles for later. 

Panam looks straight in front of her, at the cockpit window, smiling.

Panam: Let me do it.

Panam lowers the Basilisk altitude, almost touching the ground, creating a large wall of sand behind it. The jeep starts swaying left and right, trying to get out of it. Panam pushes the tank to full speed heading toward a big rock formation.

V: Uhm…Panam?!

Panam: Don't worry, it's a classic.

V: PANAM?!

Panam: Not yet…

V: FUCK, PANAM! THIS IS NO BUSHIDO!

Panam quickly steers the Basilisk on the right, nearly avoiding the rocks. The jeep behind them goes straight into it, exploding.

V: Damn, those rocks must have been there for centuries.

Panam: Well, not anymore.

The last armored vehicle tries to squash the Basilisk into a rock wall, cornering it from the right. The Basilisk violently hits the wall, while both Panam and V hear loud metal noises inside the cockpit.

Panam: Fuck! Mitch is going to kill me!

The Basilisk's screens starts to light up in red, prompting some warning messages.

V: I can't do shit with the turret, it's armored!

A black Type66 appears behind the Basilisk and the armored Militech vehicle then it quickly speeds up, going between the two.

Panam (Radio): Cassidy! The hell do you think you're doing?!

Cassidy (Radio): Saving your life, kiddo.

Cassidy gets out from the Type66 driver's window, holding two revolvers, one in each hand.

V: He's fuckin' crazy! He can't possibly do something with those!

Cassidy aims at the vehicle driver's window for a moment, almost leaning his back on the Basilisk. He shoots a quick stream of bullets to the driver's windows, that explodes in a mash of glass and blood. The Militech vehicle finally slows down and stops behind them.

V: Fuck. Grandpa got a big pair of balls.

Cassidy(Radio): Grandpa my ass! I was already doing this shit when you were still swimming in your father's underwear.

Panam: Thanks, Cass! Is everybody ok?!

Everyone shouts with joy and laughs at the radio.

Panam: Good! Let's regroup!

The vehicles arrange themself in a triangle formation with the Basilisk on the front, protecting the others. Mitch's van follows them from behind. Panam turns to V, smiling.

Panam: What about your friend? Will she ever show up?!

V: Fuckin' hope so.

Suddenly the Basilisk cockpit gets shaded as if as if it had suddenly become night, V and Panam look up in pure disbelief with their eyes wide open.

Panam: What…What the fuck is that?!

A giant armored articulated lorry, almost tall as a building, passes the Aldecaldos convoy on the right.

V: Jesus It has like… Eighteen wheels!

Mitch(Radio): That's a land vehicle carrier. It's used to carry around troops and assault mechs. Last time I saw it was in Mexico. They usually send it when they go all out on total war.

V(Radio): When you say troops carrier… How many of them exactly?!

Mitch(Radio): Enough to erase Mexico City from the face of the earth. That's how many.

V leans on his seat, defeated, then looks at Panam.

Panam: Well, you said yourself. No paradise, no nothing. Better be memorable.

V smiles while a loud noise can be heard from the radio, followed by a screeching tires sound. Panam looks at the radio, concerned.

Mitch(Radio): AAAAAHHHHH!!

Panam(Radio): MITCHHHH!!!

Dakota(Radio): One of those assholes' trucks rammed into Mitch!

Panam: NO! NO! NOOOO! MITCH!

Panam starts pushing some buttons, frantically.

Panam: Mitch… Mitch…

Mitch(Radio): Guys… I'm… I'm ok…

Panam leans back on the tank seat, relieved.

Panam(Radio): MITCH! Thank God!

Mitch(Radio): Yeah, just a few scratches. I'm afraid the van is fucked, though.

Panam(Radio): Guys, scatter yourself! Someone go back and help Mitch!

Mitch(Radio): NO! YOU MUST PROCEED! We'll meet back at the facility!

Meredith(Radio): Missed me?! By the way, you should change your frequency.

A Militech jeep reaches the Basilisk on the right. Both Panam and V look at it with anger.

Panam: V, you remember what I said about the missiles?

Panam turns at V, looking him into the eyes, angry.

Panam: Fuck it.

V connects himself back into the turret interface.

Meredith(Radio): Hi, V!

V(Radio): Bye.

V shoots a missile right at the jeep, that explodes in a ball of flames. A black figure emerges from it, flying toward the Basilisk, landing on the cockpit windshield and crashing it.

Meredith knees on the cracked window, looking at V, smiling. He quickly draws out his gun and shoots several bullets at her. Meredith manages to dodge all of them, moving left and right. Both V and Panam look at her in disbelief.

Meredith charges a punch through the metal and the window, that shutters in a million pieces inside the cockpit. She grabs V's gun in her right hand, forcing it to his head, while smiling at him.

Panam: VINCENT!

Panam grabs V, away from Meredith, putting him on top of her. Meredith pushes herself inside the cockpit through the crack of the window and looks at both of them, with her optics lighted in a deep red.

Meredith: You know… Both of you are…So fucking cute. Can't really decide who kill first.

Panam: Well… KEEP ON THINKING!

Panam violently pushes a red button on the dashboard.

Basilisk: Emergency ejection sequence initiated, please stand by.

The Basilisk left portion of the cockpit opens up. Meredith flies off, along with the left passenger seat. What remains of the window closes it back.

Panam: You know what? I'm disappointed. 

V leans on Panam, with his head on her chest. He turns his head, looking at her in the eyes.

V: She has always been… disappointing.

V starts caressing Panam's cheek and gets closer, almost kissing her.

V: I thought you… forgot me.

Panam puts her left hand on V's check, looking at him while smiling.

Panam: How could I, Vincent?!

V starts kissing Panam on the neck. She gasps and closes her eyes, holding V's left hand with her right one and hugging him with the left arm.

Panam: V… Maybe we should…

V gets up and sees Panam with her eyes closed, crying. She slowly opens her eye back up and looks at him while he starts caressing her, again.

V: Yeah.

V moves away from her and falls on the Basilisk floor.

V: Damn!

Panam washes her tears away and looks at him laughing.

Panam: Are you comfortable down there?!

Cassidy(Radio): Guys what did you throw away exactly?!

Panam(Radio): Garbage.

Carol(Radio): Well I don't know what it was, but I passed right over it.

The giant Militech vehicle steers on the right, away from the convoy.

Panam: Wait… Why is it going away?!

Faith(Radio): Because you are all approaching the facility defense zone, that's why.

The Arasaka helicopters fly over the convoy, greeting them.

Eric(Radio): It was about time, where have you been guys?!

Panam: SHIT, V! CAN YOU SEE IT?!

V: Ehm, barely Pan…

V tries to get up, holding onto the Basilisk dashboard. A large white building shaped like three cylinders appears in the distance, like a mirage in the desert.

Panam: We did it, V!

V looks at Panam's face, lighted by the desert sun and smiles.

V: Yeah.

Suddenly an explosion almost hit the Basilisk, Panam steers the tank left and right.

Panam: V! C'mon I need you for this!

Panam connects a wire coming out from the Basilisk interior to a jack on her neck. V is about to do the same.

Johnny: NO, V! DON'T DO IT!

V suddenly stops.

V: What's now?!

Johnny: You are going to feel her pain.

V plugs the cable into his neck.

Johnny: And she will feel yours too.

Panam suddenly leans forward, holding her chest and opening wide both her eyes and mouth, almost as if she was hit by something. She then turns to V and looks at him with pure terror.

V looks back at her, shocked, then he starts crying.

V: Panam… No…

Panam tries to hold back tears, but she gets overwhelmed. V tries to reach her, but she starts panicking and screaming.

Panam: NOOOOO!…NOOOOO!… PLEASEEE!

V quickly turns off the radio and grabs her by the arm, bringing her down to the floor, along with him, then he starts hugging her. Panam starts crying and screaming uncontrollably from the top of her lungs.

Panam: PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! STOP! NOOOOOOO!

The time seems to slow down as Panam's screams start echoing inside V's head while unspeakable images flashes in front of his eyes. She starts holding his jacket as if it was a shield, curled up on his chest.

Johnny: Bastards. 

V continues crying, watching into the void emotionlessly, hearing Santiago's laugh echoing inside his mind and showering Panam's head with tears. The tears quickly become blood and start to come out from his eyes and nose.

V: Panam… It's over. It's all over now. I'm here. He can't do anything to you, anymore.

Johnny: V, please. Stop this.

The Basilisk gets hit by some missiles coming from the facility. The cockpit gets lighted by the fire of the explosions while an alarm starts playing from the dashboard.

V: No.

Panam suddenly stops crying and looks up at V, seeing him covered in blood, She opens her mouth amazed, revealing her shaking teeth. Her expression suddenly changes from fear to pure rage. She throws him away, jumping back to her seat, then she quickly presses two buttons, pushing the Basilisk to its maximum speed.

V: PANAM?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!

V tries to hold somewhere inside the cockpit. Panam starts screaming from the top of her lungs, shooting missiles back toward the facility. The helicopter flies over the Basilisk doing the same with its machine guns.

Cassidy(Radio): PANAM! Get back here!

The Basilisk dashes into the desert covering the distance between the convoy and the building in a matter of seconds.

V: PANAAAMMM!

The Basilisk crashes into the building walls. All the cabin lights go out, enveloping them in darkness as a muffled alarm is the last thing V hears, before passing out.