====== CHAPTER 17 — Assessment ====== The Afterlife hadn’t changed. ---- That was the first thing Ace confirmed. ---- Same entrance. Same lighting. Same pressure in the air— ---- not physical— ---- intentional. ---- ---- Inside— ---- nothing had shifted. ---- ---- That mattered more than anything. ---- ---- They stepped in. ---- No pause. ---- No announcement. ---- ---- Movement adjusted around them. ---- Subtle. ---- Precise. ---- ---- Recognition— ---- not of who they were— ---- but of what they represented now. ---- ---- V didn’t say anything. ---- They didn’t need to. ---- ---- The room already knew: ---- something had been tested— ---- and had not broken. ---- ---- That was enough. ---- ---- They reached the bar. ---- ---- This time— ---- Rogue looked up immediately. ---- ---- Rogue Amendiares didn’t speak. ---- ---- She watched them approach— ---- and this time— ---- she didn’t measure. ---- ---- She evaluated. ---- ---- A few seconds passed. ---- ---- Then— ---- “…You’re still standing.” ---- ---- Flat. ---- ---- Ace stopped at the counter. ---- ---- “So are you.” ---- ---- A fraction of a smile. ---- ---- Rogue’s gaze flicked between them. ---- ---- No injuries. ---- No visible strain. ---- ---- That told her more than words would. ---- ---- “Padre’s place is still there,” she said. ---- ---- Not a question. ---- ---- Mai nodded once. ---- ---- “Yes.” ---- ---- Rogue leaned back slightly. ---- ---- “…And?” ---- ---- Mai didn’t elaborate. ---- ---- “It remains unresolved.” ---- ---- Silence. ---- ---- That answer— ---- was not what most people would have given. ---- ---- Rogue understood it anyway. ---- ---- “…Good,” she said. ---- ---- V blinked. ---- ---- “…Good?” ---- ---- Rogue didn’t look at them. ---- ---- “If it was gone,” she said, ---- “…I’d be asking what you replaced it with.” ---- ---- That landed. ---- ---- Ace didn’t react. ---- ---- “Paid,” she said. ---- ---- Direct. ---- ---- Rogue’s eyes shifted to her. ---- ---- “Yeah,” she said. ---- “…you are.” ---- ---- She reached under the counter. ---- No rush. ---- No drama. ---- ---- A small device slid across the surface. ---- ---- Mai picked it up. ---- ---- The interface responded immediately. ---- ---- Numbers. ---- ---- High. ---- ---- Confirmed. ---- ---- “Transfer received,” she said. ---- ---- Rogue nodded once. ---- ---- “That’s the easy part.” ---- ---- That got Ace’s attention. ---- ---- “Next.” ---- ---- Rogue’s gaze shifted— ---- not to the object— ---- but to Mai’s hand. ---- ---- “…You kept it,” she said. ---- ---- Not surprised. ---- ---- Just— ---- noting. ---- ---- Mai didn’t answer. ---- ---- She didn’t need to. ---- ---- Rogue exhaled quietly. ---- ---- “Yeah,” she said. ---- “…figured you would.” ---- ---- A beat. ---- ---- “That thing’s still wrong.” ---- ---- Shammy tilted her head slightly. ---- ---- The air around the bar— ---- held. ---- ---- But thinner. ---- ---- “It stopped pushing,” she said. ---- ---- Rogue’s eyes flicked to her. ---- ---- “…For now.” ---- ---- That was the correct answer. ---- ---- Mai spoke. ---- ---- “It will attempt resolution again.” ---- ---- Rogue nodded slowly. ---- ---- “Yeah.” ---- ---- A pause. ---- ---- “Which means it’s worth more now.” ---- ---- V let out a quiet breath. ---- ---- “…You’re kidding.” ---- ---- Rogue didn’t smile. ---- ---- “People don’t pay for problems that are finished,” she said. ---- ---- A beat. ---- ---- “They pay for ones they think they can control.” ---- ---- That tracked. ---- ---- Ace crossed her arms. ---- ---- “Then who.” ---- ---- Rogue didn’t answer immediately. ---- ---- Because the answer mattered. ---- ---- Her gaze moved across the room— ---- not looking— ---- checking. ---- ---- Then back to them. ---- ---- “…I’ve got a few options,” she said. ---- ---- A beat. ---- ---- “None of them clean.” ---- ---- Mai nodded. ---- ---- “Expected.” ---- ---- Rogue leaned forward slightly. ---- ---- “But here’s the thing,” she said. ---- ---- This time— ---- her voice shifted. ---- ---- Not louder. ---- ---- Sharper. ---- ---- “You don’t move that through normal channels.” ---- ---- Silence. ---- ---- Ace didn’t react. ---- ---- “Then we don’t.” ---- ---- Rogue held her gaze. ---- ---- A second longer than before. ---- ---- “…Good,” she said. ---- ---- That was the test. ---- ---- Passed. ---- ---- She leaned back again. ---- ---- Relaxed. ---- ---- For the first time— ---- slightly. ---- ---- “You’re not mercs,” she said. ---- ---- Not a question. ---- ---- A statement. ---- ---- Mai answered. ---- ---- “No.” ---- ---- Rogue nodded. ---- ---- “Yeah,” she said. ---- “…I figured.” ---- ---- A pause. ---- ---- Then: ---- “…That makes this interesting.” ---- ---- V shifted slightly. ---- ---- “…That’s not always a good thing here.” ---- ---- Rogue ignored them. ---- ---- She was already thinking ahead. ---- ---- “Padre was step one,” she said. ---- ---- A beat. ---- ---- “You want to stay ahead of whatever that thing turns into—” ---- Her eyes flicked briefly to the object. ---- ---- “—you don’t wait for it to come back.” ---- ---- Mai processed that instantly. ---- ---- “Then we move first.” ---- ---- Rogue nodded. ---- ---- “There it is.” ---- ---- Ace didn’t need more. ---- ---- “Target.” ---- ---- Rogue’s expression didn’t change. ---- ---- “…Working on it.” ---- ---- A small pause. ---- ---- Then: ---- “…But if I were you?” ---- ---- That got their attention. ---- ---- “I’d assume that wasn’t the only one.” ---- ---- Silence. ---- ---- Heavy this time. ---- ---- Because that— ---- changed the scale. ---- ---- Shammy exhaled slowly. ---- ---- The air held. ---- ---- But not comfortably. ---- ---- Mai’s grip tightened slightly— ---- not on the object— ---- on the implication. ---- ---- Ace didn’t react. ---- ---- “Good,” she said. ---- ---- Rogue raised an eyebrow. ---- ---- “…Good?” ---- ---- Ace met her gaze. ---- ---- “Then we’re not chasing.” ---- ---- A beat. ---- ---- “They are.” ---- ---- Rogue smiled. ---- ---- This time— ---- genuinely. ---- ---- “…Yeah,” she said. ---- ---- “…you’re going to do just fine here.” ---- ---- And for the first time since they had entered Night City— ---- they weren’t just surviving it. ---- ---- They were becoming something the city would have to account for.