Chapter Text
“Kage,” I answered, keeping my voice flat.
“Coordinates incoming. You extract the cargo, my crew handles the orbital haul back to Night City. You deliver the Blank Slate 2.0 when it’s done. No loose ends.”
Incoming intel poured into my Kiroshi. The top-down overview pulsed on my HUD: an industrial sub-level complex buried under layers of corporate zoning on the eastern sprawl edge. Arasaka glyphs flickered across the overlay, the same logo that had once owned my life.
“Understood,” I said. “You’ll get your Relic.”
Kage’s chuckle came dry and sharp. “Pray you live long enough to hand it over. Arasaka doesn’t forgive grave robbers.”
The line died.
I let the smoke from my cigarette curl up toward the stained ceiling of the capsule. The walls felt tighter now, pressing in. Three hours. Not even time to pretend I could rest.
That was it. No more half-measures. We walk into Saburo’s personal meat locker and steal back what the old bastard took from Johnny.
A year of sharing this skull with the loudest, most stubborn ghost in Night City history. A year of his rants bleeding into my memories, my failures mixing with his until sometimes I couldn’t tell whose rage was whose.
Nights where his grief over Alt hit me like my own. We’d become… something. Closer than family. Two broken people rotting in the same grave, still fighting to claw one of us out.
“Showtime,” Johnny said, his voice cutting through the noise in my head. There was that familiar cocky drawl, but underneath it I could feel the tension coiled tight. “You good, V? Or finally letting yourself admit this is a suicide run?”
“Been thinking ‘bout that since Mr. Blue Eyes dropped the coords. Doesn’t change shit.” I pulled the Malorian out, the cool metal grounding me. And if it’s me who doesn’t wake up? At least Johnny gets his encore, right? The legend, reborn in his own skin.
Me… I’ve already burned most of my second chances. Corpo turned merc turned walking corpse. Maybe this is the cleanest exit I’ll ever get.
“Yeah… about those dice back in Night City,” Johnny said, quieter now. “You still sure, choom?”
I paused, thumb resting on the firing pin. In the cracked mirror across the tiny pod, my reflection stared back — scarred face, subdermal plating catching the dim neon leaking through the vent, eyes that had seen too much.
Was never one to put in effort in my looks. I ran my calloused fingers over the wrinkles forming on my forehead and around the eyes. I looked weathered, rough. At twenty three I looked like I was chewed and spat out by Night City itself. I promised myself I’d quit smoking once this was all over.
“We’ve been over this plenty. You deserve the chance to at least die in your own body, not shared with me.”
A long beat of silence in my skull.
“You know, you’re a real asshole for making me like you, V,” he blurted out, shifting his body with a level of discomfort I never saw before. “Never had anyone I could actually count on before —this. Not really. And here you are, ready to roll the dice on your own life so the ghost in your head gets a second act. Feels… weird. Good-weird. But still completely fucked.”
He’s scared too, I realized. Not just for himself—for me. I shrugged back into my jacket, feeling the familiar weight of leather.
After all the screaming matches, the betrayals, the shared nightmares… son of a bitch grew on me.
I holstered the Malorian at my hip and started slotting the rest of the gear: drone case, ammo rig, grenades, mantis blades folded tight against my arms.
“And if it’s you who wakes up… live loud for both of us, yeah?” he muttered.
“Deal.”
My grip strength tightened on the handles, speeding across the slick highway with the wind in my ears. One last run. One last time crawling through the guts of Arasaka’s empire.
The rain droplets struck my skin, immediately sliding off in rivulets of grey. I could see the water purity levels in my HUD peripherals.
Found myself wondering how different the rain was in Night City. Probably more polluted.
I looked out into the distance. Neotokyo’s skyline was a multilayer mesh of megastructures and ancient Japanese history. What was outside this urban sprawl? Did it ever end? Did Neotokyo also have its own ‘Badlands’?
Thought back to my own visits to the outskirts.
Panam. I still thought of her. Last talked when she suggested leaving that wretched city together. Haven’t called her back since. Just couldn’t bring myself to.
And Johnny to this day reminded me of how I made the wrong choice, smearing salt on the wound that just wouldn’t heal.
I zoned out the rest of the ride. The coordinates led me to a compromised Arasaka building, the neon tubing cracked, no longer illuminating the designated entry point. It looked abandoned, but the generators hummed like they were brand new. Parked my bike discretely, easy enough to reach in case something backfired.
An unknown caller on holo. Goro’s face showed up.
“I’m here,” I said. “We good?”
“Everything is ready,” he nodded.
“Security system test is set to proceed as planned. Won’t have long though once it’s down.”
“You’re right, lets not waste any time.”
My Kiroshi outlined the available routes. “Ok, found the gate to the utility shaft. Send the override.”
Takemura sent over the access card, gate opening without the need for brute force.
“There should be a ladder on your left, it leads to a hatch. Quickly, V.”
I looked up, an unprotected rusted yellow ladder, going up high enough I couldn’t tell where it ended.
“Shit…” I started climbing, skipping two, even three steps at a time. Made sure the steel toe of my boots didn’t clang against the ladder.
“Cameras are disabled. You don’t have much time.”
“I’m tryin’,” I huffed, hauling myself over the last bar onto a grate walk. I crouched, prying open a shuttered window with my bare hands and slid my way inside. The corridor was lit by a green exit sign above the double doors. “I’m in. Must be all down hill from here, right?”
“Hm… Is that what you said before entering Konpeki Plaza?”
I scoffed. “Point taken.”
I made my way through the service corridor, Malorian ready at my hip.
“Their security is comprehensive, think before you step,” Takemura hissed.
“Just so happens I got a little help in that department,” I pulled out the foldable drone from my pack, switching it on, watching it whirr to life. “Got our drone sending out a signal that scrambles comms and cams.”
“Precautions, I see.”
The drone entered the control room undetected. Two Arasaka pawns lazed in leather chairs, watching over an array of screens. “I’ll take out these two in the control room. Quick and quiet.”
The drone moved upstairs. “Got one more in the surveillance room. There’s a duct, just behind this door. Leads right to cold storage. Should be able to fly right in, get what I need and get out.”
“I cannot help with this.”
“I know. Clepping another damn Relic wasn’t part of my plan either.”
“You agreed just like that? The risks are immense, V.”
“Well, good henchmen don’t come cheap,” I navigated the drone safely back to me. “Alright, standby. I’m going in.”
I killed the drone’s lights and sent it humming back into the vent like a metal wasp. The thing slipped through the ductwork smoothly. My Kiroshi feed flickered with its camera: two more Arasaka, bored out of their minds, rifles slung loose. One was scrolling a BD. The other was picking at his teeth with a combat knife.
“Two tangos,” I whispered, already moving low along the service corridor. “Quiet as I can.”
“Maintain stealth as long as possible,” Takemura replied, voice calm steel over holo. “The moment the alarm sounds, every rapid-response squad in a three-kilometer radius will converge.”
Johnny chuckled darkly in my skull. “No pressure, choom. Just another Tuesday in paradise.”
The drone dropped a micro-needle from the ceiling vent. First guard twitched once, then slumped. Second one barely had time to glance at me before I took him out from the back. Clean. Almost disappointing.
I kept low, Malorian holstered for now, and moved to the surveillance room door. The drone was already ahead of me, slipping through a wall vent. Synced with its feed—grainy green night vision cutting through the dim blue emergency lighting.
“Surveillance room’s just ahead,” I whispered. “One more guard.”
“Disable him quietly,” Takemura advised. “Then you can use their own cameras against them for a short window. But do not linger. Their systems are layered.”
The drone hovered above the lone tech, a thin filament extending from its underbelly. A soft thwip and the guard’s head jerked forward onto his console. Out cold, drooling on the keyboard.
“Into the ducts you go,” I guided the drone deeper. I could see a red glimmer from one of the routes where the vents intersected, followed the light.
A small reinforced room with barely any light, whirring generators upkeeping rows upon rows of blank slate Relics.
“Bingo. Come to daddy,” my eyes focused on the terminal, of one of the generators, waiting for the alarm to be disabled. The drone feed glitched, a loud sound ringing in my ears, then turned to black. “God dammit.”
“V?”
“Got the Relic, but something nuked my drone. Gonna have to get up there and grab it.”
I rushed through the corridor, looking for possible routes. Found a way up a ladder and into a hatch, leading to cold storage. There was an audible hum, reverberating through my bones as I made my way through the rows until I spotted my drone.
“There you are,” I crouched. “Got the Relic. Drone seems in tact.”
Silverhand materialized, a gleeful expression on his face.
“Fuck yeah. C’mon, V, lets grab my frozen ass and get the fuck outta here.”
“Patience is a virtue,” I smirked up at the hologram, making sure the drone is up and running again, screwing on the blade that spun off the bolts.
A loud blaring noise rose from nowhere, accompanied with the flash of red.
“Oh fuck.”
“What was that?” Takemura spoke up, voice worried.
“Tripped some alarm. Must be separate from the main system. No turning back,” I grasped the handgun tight, leading the drone back into the vent and making my way out the corridor.
“Finish this. Now, V!”
I dashed back through the control room into the main hall. Tall black glass wall panels, tinted red with LED lights, along with the whooping alarm sound made the area even more ominous.
Footsteps. Growing louder, voices.
“Oh shit, is that what I think it is?”
“Arasaka’s rapid response units.”
“Didn’t think it would be that easy, did ya?” Johnny asked tauntingly, leaning across the railing.
“You know, for a second there, I kinda did,” I looked up at him, cracking my neck as my mantis blades edged out of my skin.
White suits with matching masks surrounded me, arms on the ready.
“Contact!” one of them barked, voice modulated through the mask.
“Fuck me,” I growled.
Johnny whooped in my head. “Now we’re talking! Let’s dance, choom!”
Turn—shoot. The Malorian roared in my grip, the first round punching straight through the lead suit’s visor. He dropped, blood and sparks spraying across the black glass walls. I dove behind a crate as the rest opened up, smart-rifle fire chewing chunks out of the glass walls around me.
Bullets zipped past my head, close enough to feel the heat. I rolled out low, mantis blades flashing.
Slice—one blade caught a suit across the knee joint, dropping him screaming. The second blade went up under his chin. Hot arterial spray painted my jacket bright red.
“V, they are flanking from the east corridor!” Takemura’s voice cut through the chaos, calm but urgent. “Two more squads incoming.”
“Copy that, samurai.” I slapped a fresh mag into the Malorian and vaulted over the next pod row.
Slide—shoot. Another white suit spun into a console, shattering glass and spewing vapor. The alarm kept screaming, red lights strobing like a bad trip.
A netrunner tried to jack my systems from the catwalk above. Johnny laughed and slammed the intrusion flat. “Nice try, asshole.”
One of the suits tossed a grenade. I kicked it back mid-air with my boot right into their formation. The blast sent two of them flying into a wall, a rain of black glass shards cascading onto the floor.
I was breathing hard, shoulder burning from a graze, but the rage felt good. Deserved.
I charged through the smoke, blades retracted, Malorian recoiling twice more. One suit got lucky—his burst caught me in the side, punching through subdermal plating.
Pain flared hot and bright. I staggered but kept moving, slamming my chromed fist into his masked face hard enough to cave it in.
I made my way deeper through the corridors, checking the path with the map on my HUD.
“V. Status?” Takemura demanded.
“Still vertical. Barely.” I huffed. “Guess they didn’t know who they were messin’ with.”
“Good words to hear. There should be nothing standing in your way now.”
“Lets hope so,” I held the pistol close.
“Well, color me impressed, V. Just when I thought we’re royally fucked, you still managed to surprise me.”
“What can I say. You know that’s what I live for.”
“Shall we continue?” Takemura coughed.
“Yes, I’m here. So the cryo-storage facility, its not shown on the building specs. Must be on a cloaked network. I’m really hoping you were able to break through that ice.”
“I’m linking you in, now, this way,” he said, opening way to a biometrically accessible elevator. The anticipation as it descended made cold sweat bead on my upper brow.
“Secret floor, huh? Guess that makes sense to store your human popsicle collection,” I joked, stepping out the elevator. “Ok, Goro, the main system’s gonna be up any second. Need a lil’ more time to get my guys in to get the tank.”
“When you finish, I’ll make the system sink.”
“Perfect. Should get me enough time to get the hell outta here.”
“You must be vigilant in this area.”
“Something tells me Saburo really didn’t want us finding this place. I’ll be careful,” I reassured, disabling tripwires on my way. “Fuck, its cold. Must be gettin’ close.”
“Are you ready?”
“Signalling my guys now,” I navigated the holo, pinging the coords to Kage’s men. “Ready.”
The locked chamber door slid open with Takemura’s help. My heart pounded in my ears. The teal glow of a dozen cryo-tanks lit the otherwise pitch black room. Men and women, most of which I did not recognize floated serenely in their designated pods.
“Can’t believe it… I mean, some part of me thought this was some kinda urban legend.”
“Indeed.”
I walked up to the suspended bodies, their faces fixed for eternity with an expression of pure agony.
“Why would he do this?”
“’Cus when you live that long and have that much money, your empathy for humanity is gonna go to shit,” Johnny glitched in next to a tank. “A collection of his frozen enemies is probably the least fucked up thing he’s hidin’.”
“Wasn’t enough for him to steal their souls. Sick fuckin’ bastard had to look ‘em in the eye while he’d jerk off. Prove he won. Over and over.”
My eyes desperately looked for the familiar face, until I found him.
“Johnny…”
I stopped in front of his tank.
“Fuck. I don’t believe it, V,” he looked at me solemnly. “Is that…”
“It’s… really you.”
I stood next to him, looking at the suspended double of the rockerboy.
The body inside looked… peaceful, in a fucked-up way. Bullet holes, burn scars from the nuke that ended his first run. The same pale blemished skin, chrome arm still attached, and that same stubborn jaw I’d seen snarling in my head for over a year.
“Didn’t lie about having an impressive cock,” I snorted, trying to make light of the situation.
Johnny’s hologram flickered with a shit-eating grin, arms crossed over his bulletproof vest. “Flattery will get you everywhere, V. Quit staring at my frozen dick.”
“It… looks just like you,” I muttered.
“Yeah, well, they didn’t exactly improve the model,” Johnny replied, his projection leaning against the glass. For once, the sarcasm was thin. I could feel the weight in his voice, the raw ache of seeing his own corpse in ice. “Saburo kept me as a trophy. Bastard probably came down here on bad days just to gloat.”
“Not anymore, getting you back home. I promise.”
Kage’s crew got in as instructed with cold-cut precision. No words wasted. They mag-clamped Johnny’s cryo-tank and started the haul toward the emergency extraction shaft.
“Package secured,” their leader grunted to me. “Orbital window is tight. You deliver the Relic when we land in Night City.”
“Vik’s clinic. No fuck-ups.”
They vanished with Johnny’s body, silent as death itself. I took one last look at the chamber of frozen nightmares, Saburo’s sick monument to grudges older than most cities.
“When you live that long and have that much money…” I echoed Johnny’s words under my breath.
“Empathy goes to shit,” he finished, voice low. “Let’s not end up like him, yeah?”
Getting out of the vault was much easier than the descent. Takemura congratulated me for pulling it off, even opened up that he wasn’t sure I’d make it. I just fit into the three hour window by a hair.
My bike revved as I dropped down from the ladder from remote start, waiting for me.
“You really did it,” Johnny said after a long silence, something like gratitude bleeding through the usual swagger. “Stole my sorry ass back from the old man’s freezer. You crazy motherfucker.”
“Told you we’d get you the encore.” I wiped my face with a bloody sleeve, grinning through the pain. “Now shut up and enjoy the ride. We’re going home.”
The orbital shuttle punched back into Night City’s filthy atmosphere. Brutal g-forces slamming me into the seat, the kind that made my teeth ache. Johnny stayed mostly quiet during the burn-down.
For once, the rockerboy didn’t have a quip ready. I could feel him processing it all—the fact that his original body was in a black-market cryo-tank somewhere in the cargo hold of another shuttle, climbing the same orbital path a few minutes behind me.
I stared out the tiny reinforced window as the sprawl came into view: the familiar cancer known as Night City, Watson’s megablocks bleeding into the Badlands haze, the endless rain streaking sideways across the glass. Home. Or whatever passed for it.
“Almost there, choom,” I muttered under my breath.
“Yeah,” Johnny replied, voice rough. “Feels fucking weird. Like I’m about to get evicted from the only home I’ve had for a year.”
The shuttle touched down hard at the orbital terminal in Watson.
I moved fast, new Relic prototype secured in a reinforced case under my jacket.
Kage’s middleman was waiting in a dimly lit service corridor behind a noodle stall.
“Hey, name’s V. You got a package for me?”
“You got the payment?” the rugged man said, looking around.
“Yeah… Here. Remember, no refunds, if it— you know, fries some gonk’s brain.”
I passed him the Blank Slate 2.0. He scanned it once, nodded.
“And the delivery, where do you want it?”
“Pinging you the coords,” he started walking away as soon as the details wetn through. “Hey, wait how do I contact you if—”
“You don’t.”
“Whatever happened to customer service, am I right?” Johnny scoffed.
The first few days back were a blur of lying low, letting Vik patch the worst of the wounds, and trying to feel less like a wanted man. By the third night the itch got too loud. I dragged myself back to Japantown per Johnny’s request, try some good scop.
I found a quiet stall owned by an old Japanese man off the main drag, the kind that yearned for the old times and used somewhat palatable ingredients instead of All Foods sludge. Okonomiyaki — thick, loaded with cabbage, shrimp, and actual pork. I grabbed a portion and a cold Asahi, then leaned against the rain-slicked railing overlooking the lower streets.
Johnny flickered into existence beside me, arms crossed, leaning on the same railing with that trademark smug tilt to his head.
“Gotta hand it to these gonks,” he said, eyeing the plastic takeout box. “They still know how to make something that doesn’t taste like recycled plastic.”
I cut into the okonomiyaki. The top was crispy, bonito flakes still twitching from the heat. First bite hit exactly right, making me want to moan from delight.
“Shit,” I muttered. “Crispy on the outside, cabbage still got some crunch in the middle. Shrimp’s sweet, pork fat melts right through the sauce. That mayo and the savory kick at the end… yeah, this is worth the walk.”
Johnny watched me chew, one eyebrow raised. “Don’t spare the details. I’ve been stuck tasting your sad protein bars and black coffee for a year. ”
I laughed and took another bite, slower. “It’s like— heavy but not dead. Warm all the way down. Sauce is sweet at first, then salty. Beer’s cold and clean — cuts through the grease, just perf.”
Johnny let out a short, rough laugh. “At least you’re not drinking that piss-water you usually go for.” He shook his head. “Keep eating. At least one of us should enjoy it.”
I washed it down with the Asahi and smirked. “Jealous?”
“Extremely. When I get my body back, first thing I’m doing is eating every decent street stall in this city until I puke. You’re coming with me.”
I grinned. “No promises.”
Johnny’s projection straightened a bit as my agent pinged. “What’s that?”
I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and opened the encrypted message.
Package delivered clean to Viktor’s clinic coordinates. Cryo-tank is there. No complications.
I read it out quietly.
Johnny’s smirk faded.
Holo call from Vik.
“V, hey. Your uh— package has arrived safely. Contents appear to be in tact.”
“Glad to hear, Vik. Last of my nerves are shredded from waitin’.”
“Well before you relax too much, better get down here and see what we’re workin’ with.”
I looked at Johnny. “I know I keep asking you to perform miracles, but you know somethin’? Haven’t let me down yet.”
He chuckled. “Don’t you know flatterin’ an old man like that can go right to his head.”
“Sure do. Got confidence in you, doc. I’m on my way now.”
The ripperdoc hung up. Johnny stared off toward the direction of the clinic, the usual bravado slipping for a second.
“So… he’s here,” he said, voice lower. “My old meat, sitting in Vik’s basement waiting to thaw.”
“Yeah.” I crushed the empty can. “You ready for this next part?”
Johnny exhaled. “Ready as I’ll ever be. Let’s go see how fucked my corpse looks after fifty years on ice.”
I tossed the rest of the food and pushed off the railing. The banter died down, replaced by that heavier silence we both knew too well. The real work was about to start.
Viktor’s clinic smelled like home, antiseptic, old leather and the sweat of a hard-working man. I didn’t see anyone in the main part of the clinic.
“Vik? Misty? You here?”
“V, we’re in the back.” I made my way towards the voice.
They had set up the body on an extra surgical table, linked up to a monitor, beeping steadily. He was there. Right there. The body of a well known terrorist, yet also the closest person I had.
“Hey, V. Good to see you,” Misty smiled.
“You too,” I turned to Vik. “So… How’s he holdin’ up?”
“Well, considered I’ve never thawed and reanimated a frozen terrorist before… I’d say not to shabby.”
“Huh. Meaning what, exactly?”
“The science is sound. I’d read about it being done, but not with one this old. Now, mind you, all I’ve done so far is defibrillate his heart and implant a biomonitor and a blood pump.”
I walked around, opposite Viktor, looking down at Johnny’s face. I still couldn’t grasp the situation. It all felt too surreal.
“Cells do show signs of regen and blood is circulating, but he’s a long drag from what we’d call ‘alive’.”
“Thank you, Vik…Considering the fact we pulled this off, I’ll consider this as a small victory.”
“Don’t go celebrating just yet. V, I need you to manage expectations. Even if I can get his core systems up and running again, I can’t guarantee much more. Plus I still don’t get why you’re doin’ all this. Or if I’m even ok with it.”
Misty sat beside the table, eyes soft and luminous.
“Don’t worry, V. I’ll explain it to Vik later. I saw it all over your face, when I drew the cards. Whether you like it or not… you’re soulmates, V. For life. You two have been bound across death and chrome. This separation… it’s written.”
“Wasn’t really sure I believe in all that… But, now I believe in a lot of things I didn’t used to,” turning my head towards the engram, then the table. “Listen Vik, anything you want — it’s yours. Eddies are no issue these days.”
“What I need is a hell of a lot more knowledge in disentangling psyches. And I’d say that’s a tall order outside Arasaka. Now, if we somehow got that far without flatlining you both… Installing Silverhand’s engram should be pretty much plug and play.”
“Just so happens I got the brain tangled techie for the job.”
The metro ride from the terminal to Viktor’s was packed with joytoys coming off shift and gangers nursing fresh chrome. I leaned against a pole, ignoring the way the train rattled my healing wounds. Blood had dried on my jacket in dark patches, but nobody looked twice. Just another merc in Night City.
I pulled up Judy’s contact on holo. Her face flickered into view. Sharp eyes, fresh neural tattoos glowing faintly along her temple, that half-smile she wore when she was equal parts curious and exhausted.
“If it isn’t V. Mr. Arasaka’s most wanted himself. Really didn’t think you’d get out of that one. You back already?”
“Yeah. Neotokyo delivered. Literally.” I kept my voice low as the metro car swayed. “Got the tank. Johnny’s original body is at Vik’s right now. Thawing as we speak.”
Judy choked on her drink, sputtering. “Holy shit. You actually pulled it off. How’s the engram holding up in your head?”
Johnny snorted. “Still charming as ever, tell her.”
I smirked despite the ache in my side. “He’s fine. Loud. Same old Johnny. Listen, Jude… I need to ask you something big. You’ve been getting better with the neural interface tech, right? Isolating tracks, separating sensations?”
“Yeah. I’ve been deep in the weeds with it. Splicing BD layers, even managed to isolate specific memory threads on some old smut BDs without frying the whole stack. Why?”
I exhaled slowly, watching the city blur past the metro windows—flashing ads for new chrome, Arasaka recruitment, cheap therapy.
“We’re gonna try something at Vik’s. Can’t safely yank the old Relic out of my skull. But we’ve got another cleaner Blank Slate 2.0.”
Judy went quiet for a long beat, processing. The metro announcement droned in the background about the next stop.
“V… that’s not just isolating a few sensations. It’s so much more complex. Carving out a whole lifetime of memories, personality engrams. I scroll smut BDs for a living. This is next-level brain surgery shit. Could fuck you both up permanently.”
“I know. Back in Mikoshi Alt separated our psyches, but now I need Johnny’s engram extracted from mine. I mean, as much as I’ve grown fond of my own little tapeworm… It’s time he gets his own place,” I said, voice steady. “It’s a coin toss whether I even wake up after. But it’s our best shot. One of us walks away breathing instead of both flatlining slow. You in?”
She rubbed her face, then met my eyes through the holo.
“Fuck. Yeah… I’m in. I’ll run some preliminary reversal trials tonight, see how the new Relic architecture plays with isolation protocols. No promises, but I’ll be there.”
“I don’t deserve you, Judy… And I know asking you to comeback to NC is asking a lot.”
“You dont’ and it is, but I know you’d do the same for me in a heartbeat.”
“’Course I would, Jude. And thank you. Come to Vik’s. Bring your rig. We’ll need all the help we can get.”
“See you soon, V. And… tell Johnny not to be a prick. If I’m digging around in both your heads, I don’t need extra attitude.”
Johnny laughed in my skull. “Too late for that, sweetheart.”
“Somebody call for a personality transplant?” Judy smiled, standing outside the clinic.
“And they say customer service is dead. Step right through, Ms. Alvarez,” I bowed, showing her deeper into the tiled walls. “Vik, Misty. This is Judy. Best BD scroller in NC, and probably far beyond too. If there’s anyone that can make this happen its probably her.”
“Hey, hey now. Let’s not get too cocky, all I can promise is… a theory. Can’t say I ever tested it.”
“Glad to have you, Judy. Too heads are better than one,” Vik nodded, crossing his arms. “Uh— Sorry, V. You know what I mean.”
I chuckled. “All too well.”
“Let’s overview what we have,” Vik gestured towards the couch. “We can’t just remove the chip from V’s head. Nothing we can change there. Best shot is copying Silverhand’s engram to a fresh Relic 2.0. And uh— V, you didn’t forget, did ya?”
“C’mon, you think I’m that big of a gonk? Had to pay my debt in Tokyo with one. Made sure to clep another,” I handed it to him.
“Alright kid, you scared me for a sec.”
“Soo… hard part’s over then? What we need now is Silverhand’s engram disentangled enough to be copied to a new chip,” Judy said.
“Yeah. And by the look of it, he was frozen shortly following braindeath, which left the brain very well preserved. This should allow the engram to root itself easily and take over the body. All theoretical and experimental, of course,” Viktor rubbed his temples.
“So whaddya say, Jude? Wanna make scientific history?”
“I wish I shared your enthusiasm, V. But here’s the deal. Based on the few tests I ran, pretty sure I can identify certain markers that differentiate your constructs. Neural pathways that became a mix of both of you. ‘Course many fall into a gray area.”
“Yea, no kidding. Can’t deny we picked up a few of each other’s finer traits.”
“One last catch. A big one. As doc said, we can’t just cut the Relic out, your brain relies on it to keep kickin’.”
“And after your stint in Mikoshi, leaving his construct active seemed to have extend your life expectancy significantly. But it’s also likely strengthened his engram and weakened yours.”
“Exactly what I’m gettin’ at. The only option is to permanently mute your Silverhand and implant his copy into the body. And V… For all I know he might still be aware, just not seen or heard. Least until you know how to remove that chip.”
“So, please tell me there’s also good news…”
“Not quite. If I shut him down, I can’t say for sure there’s enough you to wake up to. A coin toss. And to be honest? I’m scared to risk it. I couldn’t take it, to be the cause of you flatlining.”
“Jude… I believe in you. I’m sure we’ll get through this.”
“Hey, need to talk. Right now,” Johnny glitched in.
“You guys talk it over for a sec, gonna get some air,” I said, heading for the exit from underground.
“Alright, Johnny. Let’s hear it.”
“Your chooms don’t sound to sure on this. And they sure as shit ain’t instilling confidence in me either. Know better than anyone what you went through to get us here. But you dying is a price I won’t pay.”
“Well, fuck. Nothing’s changed, I’m still dyin’. At least this way one of us can get out. Plus, if you really wanna save me, like you promised, you’ll raise a lot more hell livin’ outside my head and in your own body. One thing is eating at me, though. Muting you. This version of you. I can’t do it without your blessing. No way I’m putting you into another empty void for God knows how long.”
“With the rate you’re goin’ it won’t be another fifty years, that’s for sure This choice is yours, V. What you’re already doing is a gift I don’t deserve.”
“Well, god willing, you’ll have plenty of time to prove you do. Gotta go now, Johnny.”
I went back down the steps, feeling like I was going to my own execution.
“Hope you come with confidence, for our sake,” Judy said.
“Somethin’ like that.”
“If it’s of comfort, to any of you here,” Misty cleared her throat, hands pursed against her chest. “I did a clarity spread on the matter and the cards were favorable. In particular, the Death card made an appearance.”
“I thought you said favorable.”
“V, the Death card upright is a symbol of rebirth, new beginnings,” she lovingly squeezed my forearm. “One phase ends. This change is nothing to fear.”
“Cards haven’t failed me yet. I’m inclined to trust you, Misty,” I turned to the others, raking a hand through my hair. “Ok, mind’s made up. Let’s do this.”
“Okay you crazy kid. Hop up on the table and try to relax. Judy and I will get prepped,” Vik rose with a grunt.
I hauled myself on, positioning myself, trying to steady my breath.
“Take some deep breaths. Gonna feel the meds soon,” the doc said, adjusting a dial. “I still don’t get why you’re risking everything for this, V. Most people would’ve flatlined the engram and called it a day.”
I shrugged, wincing at the pull in my side. “Because he’s not just an engram anymore. He’s Johnny. And after everything… we both deserve a shot.”
I looked up at the three of them—Vik, Misty, Judy.
“Thank you. All of you. For sticking with us through this insanity. Means more than you know. Don’t know what I did to deserve you. Any of you.”
“You’re not goin’ anywhere, V. Somehow, I just feel it,” Misty swept the hair from my face.
“Me too, V. You just keep those synapses firin’. We’ll take care of the rest,” Judy added.
“Come right back to us, you hear? Love ya, kid.”
“And if you see some light callin’ you beyond the Blackwall, make sure you give ‘em the finger,” Johnny materialized between the support group formed around the table, holding up his middle finger .
“Johnny—” I croaked, vision blurring at the edges. “Gotta… Somethin’ I— wanna tell ya.”
Cold shivers travelled across my body and limbs, convulsing as the screens beeped around me. As the anesthesia took hold and I slipped under, I could see the silhouettes of my friends moving in my peripherals.
“It’s ok, V, don’t gotta say the words. I hear ya.”
Then the world dropped away.