To sit in the manager's chair at a joint like Clouds, Woodman lived by two things: ironclad rules and ruthless enforcement. Big problems, small problems — any "incident" involving the girls — ended up on his desk, and he made sure everyone remembered it.
Over the years, his methods became infamous, his name carried weight, and almost nobody dared to stir up trouble.
So when Vash kicked in the door and demanded Evelyn's whereabouts, Woodman didn't even bother to look up — at least not until the shot rang out and the huge surveillance display went dead.
He rose, turned… and the moment he saw Vash's face, his expression stiffened.
"So it's you." Woodman forced his voice steady, "No wonder you got past Clouds' weapon check with iron."
He already knew exactly who he was dealing with.
Woodman might count as "somebody" in Japantown, but compared to Arasaka — or Adam Smasher — he was dust. And Vash was the person who'd made Arasaka bleed, sent Smasher packing, and still walked away in one piece.
Woodman didn't dare gamble.
For the first time, Vash really felt what a reputation could buy.
Outside, hurried footsteps and muffled shouting spilled down the corridor — the gunshot had pulled security.
Woodman casually snatched up the intercom and said, "Stand down. False alarm. I was handling my piece and it discharged by accident."
One line, and the commotion faded.
Vash tilted his head, amused, "You're not completely brain-dead. You know what? You just prevented a firefight in a place like this."
He hadn't come here to wipe out Clouds — but once guns started barking, bullets didn't care who was guilty.
"Because it's pointless." Woodman said, voice tight, "Against someone who iced Saburo Arasaka and drove off Adam Smasher… resistance is meaningless."
It wasn't kindness. It was simple math. Calling people in wouldn't change the outcome.
Vash almost laughed.
Reality really was different from a game. In a game, no matter your level, your gear, or what you did in the last quest, the next scene still forced you into the same fight.
But this wasn't a game. This 2077 was real. Every decision had to start from what was actually in front of you.
Once Vash and Jackie became legends, their names spread through streets and back alleys, through bars and fixer circles. People had heard the stories — some had even met them — and everyone reacted in their own way.
Woodman was one of those reactions.
Vash asked again, without raising his voice, "So I'll ask one last time. Where is Evelyn Parker?"
"I don't know." Woodman said, "At least — she's not here."
Vash raised Skippy and leveled it at the big man's forehead. The smartgun's interface slid into headshot logic, cold and patient.
"This gun fires on its own." Vash said, "It decides when a headshot is necessary. So think carefully — do you really want to stick with 'I don't know'?"
Woodman's mouth twisted, bitter and trapped.
"If a Doll has problems at Clouds — minor ones — I handle them. Major ones… we let them deal with it, or we ship them to Fingers." His eyes flickered, "But Evelyn Parker was different. She played too big — she actually set her sights on Arasaka. Keeping her here was like holding a burning coal. So after the incident, I sent her to Fingers immediately."
He swallowed, then continued in a rush.
"Less than two hours after she got there, he called me. Said Evelyn was purchased by a mysterious buyer. After that, he even cut me in for a piece of the sale." Woodman spread his hands, "That's all I know."
"Oh?" Vash's interest sharpened.
Had the butterfly effect shifted the timeline again?
In the original chain of events, after the Voodoo Boys fried Evelyn (the ones who'd used her to chase the Relic), Woodman tried to patch her up — then, when she was too far gone, he dumped her on Fingers after she'd been raped while in comatose.
The bitch ass ripperdoc also couldn't fix her. So he sold her cheap — through Wakako — to Scavengers, the kind of trash that recorded twisted black-market snuff braindances.
Evelyn shattered completely. In the end, she'd died in a bathtub at Judy's place…
But now Woodman was saying that within two hours of arriving at Fingers, Evelyn had been bought?
"Even if she was top-tier…" Vash said slowly, "A broken Doll shouldn't be worth a damn…"
The muzzle dipped. Only then did Woodman finally breathe again.
"Since I cooperated…" Woodman licked his lips, "Can you spare my life?"
Vash didn't answer. He turned and walked toward the door.
The instant Vash's back was to him, Woodman yanked a dagger from a drawer and lunged like a street thug.
But just as the blade was about to bite, Woodman's eyes went unfocused. His neural port and cyberdeck interface spasmed, then began running backward — like the system was unspooling.
When cyberware runs in reverse, the brain shorts out. In 2077, people called it "overheating".
Woodman's body convulsed. His face contorted as he collapsed to the floor, hands clawing at nothing.
Vash didn't even turn around, "Even if you gave me a lead, I never planned to let you live. You've hurt who-knows-how-many girls. For someone like you, death is mercy."
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After leaving Woodman's office, Vash headed for Jackie's booth and hit the doorbell.
A moment later, Jackie opened up.
"V — anything, choom?"
Vash nodded, "Yeah. We talk outside."
They walked straight out through Clouds' front entrance, unhurried, like they belonged there.
In the elevator down, Jackie glanced over, "So? You find a lead on Evelyn?"
"Things got messy." Vash said, "But first, we need to leave Clouds — right now."
Jackie frowned, "Why?"
"Because I flatlined Woodman." Vash replied.
Jackie let out a low whistle, then cursed, "Damn, V. That's you, alright. But that bastard deserved it."
Once they were outside Megabuilding H8, they vanished into the river of bodies moving through Japantown.
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Vash sent Jackie back first.
Then he found a quiet corner, out of sight of cameras, and called Judy.
"V…" Judy's voice was tight with fear, "How was it? Any news about Ev?"
"I went to Clouds and pulled a lead." Vash said, "But it's more complicated than I thought. I figured you should know immediately."
"Thanks." A shaky exhale, "Where are you right now?"
Vash pinged her his location and waited by the roadside.
Judy arrived a short while later on the Mox bike.
"V — what did you find?" She asked as she swung off, eyes searching his face.
"Evelyn's been at Clouds this whole time." Vash said, "One day, while servicing a client, she got hit with a powerful virus. It ruined her. After that, Woodman handed her to Fingers — but less than two hours later, Evelyn was bought by someone unknown. If we want answers, we go to Fingers."
Judy's hands clenched, "Fuck! Woodman had no humanity. Just tossed Ev away like garbage. Trash."
Vash kept his voice steady, "Judy, breathe. I zeroed Woodman on the way out. Next we go see Fingers. Whatever we find, don't be afraid. If something needs to be handled… I can handle it."
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T/N: Comment, give me Power Stones, like and favorite, it all supports me and makes me go foward with this. Appreciate my other stories as well, I guarantee the good work!
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