Su Ming settled everyone into the booth, then introduced Songbird to Jack and V under the flickering lights. Of course, he only gave them her codename and said she was the hacker supporting their operation tonight.
That was how this era worked. Digital networks permeated every aspect of life, and having hacker support always made things easier when you wanted to get something done.
Opening doors and picking locks, disabling cameras, shutting down enemy combat mechs, overloading enemy cyberware—those were all a hacker's specialties.
But a hacker's skill level mattered greatly. One hacker might need only a second to overload someone's cyberware, while another needed ten. On a battlefield, that could very well be the difference between life and death.
Fortunately, neither Jack nor V had any doubts about Songbird's abilities. Johnny Silverhand had brought her in, and a legend's judgment was surely far better than that of two street punks like them. They both understood that.
Rogue arrived quickly. Before everyone had even finished a bottle of liquor, the woman strode in with her bodyguards. She froze for a moment when she saw Johnny Silverhand, then quickly walked over.
Rogue had been a wild punk girl in her youth, but now she was old. Her hair had turned white, and her face had gained quite a few wrinkles.
Still, thanks to having a decent amount of money, she looked only in her forties despite being over eighty now. At least, her face did.
Wearing a bright yellow biker jacket, high-heeled boots, and holding a cigarette between her fingers, she entered the private room and reached out to press a hand against Johnny's shoulder. Then she looked at everyone present and said:
"I don't know who you are, but get out first. I need to talk to Johnny alone."
Her