[Check Out My P4treon For +30 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!! And get chapters before publishing them here for free on my p4treon][p4treon.com/echotales]
===
"Thanks for the ride."
I smirked and held out my fist to Panam. She bumped it with her own.
"Hey… I'm sorry about the scene in the clan's parking lot… I'm a little hot-headed…"
"Don't sweat it…"
I waved my hand dismissively.
"…I'm not mad. So stop sulking and cheer up. I liked the Panam who was ready to tear my head off way more than the Panam who thinks she's in the wrong."
Tch… "You're a bastard…"
"I liked you, too."
Getting out of the van, I quietly closed the cab door. Then I walked up to the door of a small shop, Misty's Esoterica, and with a soft ringing of bells and the whine of Tortik's turning wheels, I went inside.
"Hello…"
"Greetings, can you tell me where Viktor Vector's clinic is supposed to be…"
I looked around a little lost. The girl who greeted me in the shop was unique. No, you couldn't call her an eyesore, but the style she preferred, in my opinion, didn't suit her very well. It was a kind of gothic hobo vibe.
"Viktor?"
"Yeah."
"Through that door. When you get out, there's an entrance to a basement, and that's where the clinic is."
"Is he free?"
The girl shrugged.
"Yeah…"
"Thanks, beautiful."
The girl smirked.
"Don't flatter me."
I shrugged.
"No flattery, you really are a pretty girl. The style's not for me, but you're definitely pretty."
"Heh, thanks…"
I walked past the girl, went out into a small courtyard, and headed toward the entrance to the basement, from which I could hear a TV playing a boxing match.
"Excuse me…"
Entering the clinic, I got the ripper's attention.
"…Are you Viktor Vector?"
"Yeah."
The man gave me a scrutinizing look.
"My name is David. I used to live in Arroyo, and the only ripper there goes by Doc…"
I grimaced slightly.
"…I got an implant from him that I found in the back of my apartment and I wanted to check if he installed it correctly. I have some suspicions…"
"Alright, show me your implant…"
I took off my jacket, then my T-shirt, and turned my back to the ripper.
"Fuck…"
He sighed and did a few things to his chair, turning it into a bed that I had to lie on, face down.
"…Come on, since you're already here…"
I smirked, lay down on the bed, and felt a few different injections in my back. I fell into a light doze, only to come out of it when the procedures were finished.
"Well…"
Viktor grimaced slightly.
"…the Sandevistan wasn't installed perfectly, but it's not bad. I fixed a few things, of course, and I'll prescribe a course of medicine that you'll have to take from the dispenser I'm giving you."
"Okay, how much do I owe you? Just so I know if I can still afford anything else today."
"Well, I didn't do anything major, so it's five hundred for the check-up and another two hundred for the medicine."
I nodded.
"What kind of optics do you have?"
"Got everything…"
Viktor shrugged.
"What about optics with infrared vision?"
"The second series of Kiroshi already has that, but you're a solo, aren't you?"
I nodded.
"Then I'd recommend the third series. It's a little more expensive, of course, but the protection is better."
I nodded.
"Perfect. So I need to change my optics and get a newer cyberdeck. What do you have?"
"I don't have any specialized gear for netrunners, unfortunately."
"Ah…"
I waved my hand dismissively.
"…I'm not a netrunner. I just need well-protected gear."
"Alright, get up. I'll adjust the chair, and we'll get to work on the optics and the deck."
A couple of minutes later, I was back in a semi-conscious state, and Viktor was installing new chrome, after first extracting the old one.
"Okay…"
When all the procedures were finished, I was brought back to my senses.
"…I replaced everything for you. Here's the medicine…"
He placed a small dispenser on the table. I took it and immediately inhaled the medicinal mixture from it.
"Uh-huh… don't push yourself today or tomorrow. You can start working again the day after tomorrow. The medicine will last for a week; take it every night before bed."
"Got it, thanks."
"Uh-huh… and kid…"
He gave me an intent look.
"Yeah?"
"Don't rush with the chrome… give your body time to get used to it, or you'll go crazy…"
"I wasn't planning to…"
I shrugged.
"…for now, I more than like this meat suit. So I wasn't going to install anything more."
"Good if that's the case."
Viktor nodded, and I finally got up and headed for the exit.
"Kid, you should come in for a check-up at least once a month."
"Alright, Viktor Vector."
"Just call me Vik."
I smiled, nodded to the man, and left his clinic. The Esoterica shop was already closed, so I walked through the courtyard and left through one of the iron gates. Then I hailed a taxi and went home…
Once home, I took a shower and went to bed…
Morning…
Morning brought with it a feeling of lightness I hadn't known before. I hadn't felt this way in this body before…
With a sigh, I got out of bed and stretched. Even if the chrome was installed almost correctly before, and now it was completely right, the difference was very clear.
"Okay… what should I do with myself?"
Yesterday, while I was on my way from Vik's, I had already sent Regina a message, telling her I was taking a medical leave for today on my ripper's advice. After standing in the morning shower for a bit, I went into my little room and, taking one of the Scavs' rifles out of the bag that was there, started to disassemble it.
A couple of minutes later, the weapon was in pieces, and with a sigh, I took out the next rifle and took that apart, then another, and another.
Only after I had disassembled all the rifles did I start cleaning the parts and inspecting them.
I had just finished cleaning the parts when there was a knock on the door.
I sighed, got up, went to the door, and looked through the peephole. When I saw who it was, I opened it.
"What do you want?"
"To talk…"
A big guy looked at me through his sunglasses.
"Talk."
"Can I come in?"
"No."
"Still…"
He took a step forward, and my pistol pressed against his groin.
"I said no. What do you want?"
"Your mom sold me an item… for thirty thousand."
I raised an eyebrow in question.
"Do you have any documents or a contract for that? Maybe an IOU?"
"How would I?"
"So…"
I looked at the guy closely.
"…you came to me and you're claiming my mom sold you something. You're here to either get the item back, or for some reason, you didn't get it."
"The second one. Your mom disappeared the day before she was supposed to deliver the item to me."
I nodded.
Uff…
"Wait a minute…"
I closed the door right in the guy's face and leaned my back against it. I activated my deck and pulled up the documents for the deposits and payments that had transferred to me after Gloria's death. And there really was a strange transfer of funds, or rather, not a transfer, but an expense; she had paid for another semester at the academy.
I could have pushed for my rights, of course, but…
I opened the door and looked at the guy.
"What's your account number?"
He looked confused and gave me his account details. I transferred thirty thousand to him, which was the exact strange amount Gloria had spent.
"Done?"
"I would've preferred to have the item, to be honest…"
"Well, I don't know what she wanted to sell, and I didn't find anything strange in the last apartment."
"Don't lie, kid…"
"Did you get your money back?"
"Yeah…"
"Then get the hell out of here…"
I snorted and, closing the door, went back to work. I calmly finished cleaning the parts, inspected them carefully, and realized I could only put together two working rifles with no issues. That's what I did. Then I put the defective parts into a separate bag.
I could still use them later.
If it weren't for the big guy, I probably would have bought a good 3D printer that could melt down materials and print with them. But now I'd have to wait.
I put the two good rifles aside, took the pistols out of the bag, and kept working…
The day flew by very productively, and by the end of it, I was completely relaxed because I had enjoyed messing with the hardware. To be honest, I even thought about changing careers from a field solo to a tech solo who mainly services weapons.
But the thought came and went, since the money is so much better in the field.
And it's not that I'm so greedy, but you need a lot of money in this world, and if I want to ensure the safety of certain girls…
Tch…
How long have I been here?
A couple of days?
And I've already fallen for two beautiful women.
Still, the world turned that way when I met them, and I just couldn't help but fall for them. And while one of them is a little questionable in terms of a romance—because according to the canon, she's more into girls—the other one…
I smirked, imagining how Panam might moan beneath me…
Still, I wouldn't mind hearing Judy's moans either, or a duet concert in my honor. But for that, I had to maintain relationships with them and have a certain reputation in the city.
Out of some habit, I went into the shower in the evening and washed up a bit. Then I turned on the TV and mindlessly flipped through the channels.
"A shootout between the Maelstrom and the Animals at the intersection of 33rd and…"
"Nicola! The taste of life and…"
"Julio, this chrome belonged to my grandfather, and I just can't…"
"Kiroshi Optical Cyberware! Kiroshi is quality and reliability…"
I switched a few more channels, and instead of news or commercials, I landed on a music channel.
"…Fuck me on the rooftops of Night City…"
"…Oh, how I wish for a stud…"
"And now, a song by a singer from Russia's past who still remains eternally young—'Yellow Sand'!"
I smirked, looking at the singer in a very gaudy suit, which was an exact copy of a pop star from my past life.
With a sigh, I turned off the TV, realizing there was nothing decent on anyway. I'd have to start a film collection, but that would be a job for tomorrow. For now, it was time to sleep…
===
Note: So far this story is published up to chapter 20 on my patreon, go check it out
exclusive 18+ character images, and early chapters, please visit my Patreon. Thanks for your support!
p4treon.com/echotales
if you want more updates == supports with power stones
Every 10 Power Stones == Bonus Chapter