“Thanks for the ride.”
I smirked and held out my fist.
Panam bumped it with hers.
“Hey, listen.
Sorry about that scene at the clan camp.
I can be a little hot-headed.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
I waved it off.
“I’m not upset.
So stop moping and cheer up.
I liked Panam, the one ready to tear me apart, a lot more than Panam who thinks she’s guilty of something.”
“Tch.
Asshole.”
“You like me too.”
I got out of the car and gently closed the door.
Then I walked up to the entrance of Misty’s Esoterica shop.
The bell above the door jingled as I entered, and behind me, I heard the squeal of tires as the “Thunder” roared off.
“Hello…”
“Hey there.
Can you tell me where I can find Viktor Vektor’s clinic?”
I glanced around, a little lost.
The woman who greeted me was…
unique.
Not ugly, exactly, but her style wasn’t really my thing.
She had this gothic, slightly homeless vibe going on.
“Viktor?”
“Yeah.”
“Through that door.
When you get outside, there’s a staircase leading down to the basement.
That’s his clinic.”
“Is he free?”
She shrugged.
“Yeah.”
“Thanks, beautiful.”
She smirked.
“Save the flattery.”
I shrugged.
“It’s not flattery.
You’re genuinely pretty.
The style isn’t my thing, but you’re definitely attractive.”
“Hah.
Thanks.”
I walked past her, stepped outside into the small courtyard, and headed down to the basement entrance.
From inside, I could hear a boxing match playing on a TV.
“Excuse me.”
I stepped into the clinic, catching the ripperdoc’s attention.
“Are you Viktor Vektor?”
“Yeah.”
He gave me an appraising look.
“My name’s David.
I used to live in Arroyo.
There’s only one ripperdoc there.
People call him the Doc.”
I grimaced.
“I had an implant installed by him.
I found it in my apartment and wanted to get it checked out.
I have some concerns…”
“Alright.
Show me what you’ve got.”
I took off my jacket, then my shirt, and turned around.
“Damn.”
He sighed and fiddled with his chair, turning it into an examination table.
“Lie down face-first.”
I smirked, lay down, and felt a series of injections hit my back.
Soon, I drifted into a light daze.
When I came to, Viktor was already finishing up.
“Well…”
He grimaced.
“The Sandevistan wasn’t installed perfectly, but it wasn’t terrible.
I fixed a few things.
I’m also prescribing you a course of meds.
Take them from the dispenser I’ll give you.”
“Got it.
How much do I owe you?
Just so I know if I can afford anything else today.”
“I didn’t do anything major.
Five hundred for the exam, two hundred for the meds.”
I nodded.
“What kind of optics do you have?”
He shrugged.
“Anything with infrared?”
“The Kiroshi Mk.
2 already has that.
But since you’re a solo…”
He paused.
“I recommend the Mk.
3.
It’s more expensive, but the protection is better.”
I nodded.
“Great.
I’ll take the optics upgrade and a newer cyberdeck.
What do you have?”
“Nothing professional for netrunners, unfortunately.”
I waved it off.
“I’m not a runner.
I just need solid hardware.”
“Alright.
Stand up.
I’ll adjust the chair, and we’ll get started.”
Minutes later, I was back in a light daze.
Viktor removed my old chrome and installed the new gear.
When it was over, he handed me a small dispenser.
“Here.
Take this once a day, before bed.”
“Got it.
Thanks.”
“Yeah.
And kid…”
He gave me a serious look.
“Don’t rush into more chrome.
Let your body adjust.
Otherwise, you’ll fry your circuits.”
“I wasn’t planning on it.”
I shrugged.
“I like my meat body just fine.
I’m not looking to add anything major.”
“Good.”
Viktor nodded.
I stood up and headed for the door.
“Kid, come back at least once a month.
Let me check on your chrome.”
“Will do, Viktor Vektor.”
“You can just call me Vik.”
I smiled, nodded, and left his clinic.
Misty’s shop was already closed, so I cut through the courtyard, slipped out a side gate, and caught a ride home.
Once I was back in my apartment, I took a shower and crashed.
The next morning brought a new feeling.
Lightness.
I’d never felt that in this body before.
I sighed, got out of bed, and stretched.
It was clear that even though the previous chrome had been installed almost correctly, the difference was night and day.
“So…
what do I do today?”
I’d already messaged Regina yesterday, telling her I was taking a medical day off per my ripperdoc’s advice.
I stood under the morning shower, then headed to my workshop.
I pulled one of the Scavs’ assault rifles out of my bag and started disassembling it.
Minutes later, the gun was in pieces.
I sighed and pulled out another one.
Then another.
I was halfway through the pile when I heard a knock at the door.
Sighing, I stood up, checked the peephole, and opened it.
“What do you want?”
“To talk.”
A big guy was standing there, staring at me through mirrored sunglasses.
“Talk.”
“Can I come in?”
“No.”
He took a step forward.
My pistol pressed into his crotch.
“I said no.
Say what you came to say.”
“Your mother sold me an item.
For thirty grand.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“You have any paperwork?
A receipt?”
“So let me get this straight…”
I studied him carefully.
“You came to me claiming my mother sold you something.
You either want the item back, or you never received it.”
“Second one.
Your mother disappeared the day before she was supposed to deliver.”
I nodded.
Inhale…
“Wait here.”
I shut the door in his face, leaned against it, and used my deck to access Gloria’s financial records.
There it was: a strange outgoing payment.
Exactly thirty grand, listed as tuition.
I could have argued.
Could have played hardball.
Instead, I opened the door.
“What’s your account?”
He gave me the details, stunned.
I transferred the thirty grand back to him.
“Done.”
“Look, I’d rather have the item.”
“I don’t know what she was trying to sell.
Nothing unusual turned up in her apartment.”
“Kid, don’t lie to me.”
“You got your money back.”
I shrugged.
“Now get lost.”
He stared at me for a moment, then walked away.
I closed the door and got back to work.
I finished cleaning the parts, inspected everything, and realized I could only assemble two functional rifles.
The rest I put in a separate bag.
I might be able to use them later.
If it weren’t for that goon, I’d probably buy myself a good 3D printer, one that could melt scrap into filament.
Now I’d have to wait.
I set aside the two good rifles and started working on the pistols.
The day flew by.
Productive.
Relaxing.
I enjoyed messing with the hardware.
Honestly, I even considered switching from field solo to tech solo, just maintaining weapons for other mercs.
But that thought faded as quickly as it came.
The money was better in the field.
Not that I’m greedy.
It’s just that in this world, you need a lot of cash.
And if I want to keep a certain few women safe…
Wait.
How long have I been here?
A few days?
And I’ve already fallen for two women?
I snorted.
In fairness, the world lined up perfectly.
I met them both right when the opportunity was there.
And if one of them is a bit…
ambiguous about romance, given that she’s canonically more into women, well, the other one…
I smirked, imagining Panam moaning beneath me.
Not that I’d complain about Judy’s sounds either.
Or their combined performance.
But for that, I’d need to maintain relationships and build a solid reputation in the city.
Out of habit, I took a shower, then turned on the TV and flipped through channels.
“Shootout between Maelstrom and Animals at the intersection of 33rd and…”
“Nicola!
Life full of flavor and…”
“Julio, this chrome belonged to my grandfather.
I can’t just…”
“Kiroshi optical cyberimplants!
Kiroshi is quality and reliable…”
I switched a few more channels.
Instead of news or ads, I landed on a music station.
“…Fuck me on the rooftops of Night City.”
“…Oh, how I wish I’d find a fucker…”
“And now, a song from one of Russia’s past singers, who still remains forever young, Yellow Sand!”
I smirked, watching a singer in a gaudy outfit who was clearly a copy of a past-life pop icon.
Sighing, I turned off the TV.
Nothing decent on.
I’d have to build my own media library myself.
But that was a problem for tomorrow.
Tonight, sleep.