# 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.