The world of cyberpunk.November 2073.Watson District, Little China.Basement behind Misty's Esoterica.
…
It hurts. This is the only thought in Rocky's mind.
He opens his heavy eyelids and meets the dazzling ceiling lights.
"You finally woke up. I took great pains to pull you back from the brink of death."
"Who are you?"
"My name is Viktor. People call me Vik. I am a ripperdoc. I was out today and saw you lying injured in an alley, so I brought you back. Fortunately, although the injuries were serious, they were not completely fatal. Your left arm was utterly crushed, your left leg was fractured, and three ribs on the left were broken. The left arm could not be restored, so I replaced it with a prosthetic."
"As for the other injuries, if you do not install more chrome, they will fully recover in at most three months. If you want, I can replace more parts, but I suggest you do not install too many prostheses at once, or it will burden your body. I am also curious where you came from. You look like a complete newcomer. Your skin is delicate, and you do not look like a Nomad or an Animal's bruiser. Maybe you are a pampered young master from a big corpo family. It is strange."
Listening to Vik's words, Rocky's murky mind suddenly clears. He glances at the mature man in glasses beside the bed, then looks around. The empty, slightly dim basement is filled with steel tables and cabinets loaded with medical supplies, and electronic screens glow with readouts. Everything around him overlaps with the scenes in his memory.
Now Rocky realizes clearly where he is. He has come to Night City.
I actually came to cyberpunk. This is cruel. It brushed me once and brought me here, and my left hand was already ruined on arrival. Fortunately, in this world, you can swap parts. Otherwise, I would be disabled.
He tests the new left arm. It feels no different from his own hand.
"Thank you, Viktor. If it were not for you, I might have died. As for where I came from, I am sorry. It is complicated and I cannot explain it clearly. I am helpless and penniless now. I may not be able to pay your medical and installation fees yet. But I will find a way to pay you back. Please give me some time."
Rocky calms down quickly. The headache is simple. He has no money and must figure out how to get some, or he cannot even pay for the prosthetic.
Fortunately, the one who picked him up was Vik, one of the few conscientious ripperdocs in Night City, not a black-market butcher or a Scav crew. The former would sell him for parts if he could not pay. The latter would not even let him wake before cutting. For this, Rocky feels sincere gratitude.
"It does not matter," Vik says. "Basically, everyone who comes to Night City has an unspeakable past. Pay me back when you have money. By the way, I do not know your name yet."
"Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. Just call me L. Also, if you do not mind, can I be your assistant or do any other job, as long as I have a place to live and food to eat? In my current state, it isn't easy to survive outside. Although I do not know anything, I will try to learn. Please give me a chance."
After a brief thought, Rocky decides to hold on to this lifeline. Meeting a conscientious person at the start is rare in Night City. He does not think he can last a day outside with these injuries. The best choice is to rely on Vik first, heal, see if he can work to pay off the debt, and make some money.
Up to now, Rocky has not felt any "golden finger." Without special abilities, staying with Vik as an ordinary person may be the best outcome in a world where life is cheap.
Hearing Rocky's words, Vik rubs his chin and thinks. Maybe the shop does not need an assistant. There are not many clients, and one person is enough. He wants an ordinary life, and one more person is inconvenient. The kid does not look simple either. He is too clean for a chrome-less drifter and thin for an Animals type. Maybe he is a fallen corpo heir who could drag the clinic into trouble.
After the silence, Rocky watches the thinking Vik and feels uncertain. Vik has already helped enough. Whether he will take him in is hard to say.
"Alright. You can stay here as my assistant. I will provide food and a place to live and pay you as usual. Whether you stay or go after you get better is up to you. Of course, you must pay off your medical bills first."
For some reason, maybe to help him to the end, or because Rocky truly looks like he needs help, Vik makes the decision.
In short, Rocky successfully stays in Vik's shop and becomes a ripperdoc's assistant.
...
Time flies. Two years pass in a blink.
November 2075.
It is almost 2076, and Edgerunners is about to start. Let us see what we can do.
While thinking, Rocky seats a Kiroshi ocular into the customer's socket. Rocky has integrated into life in Night City in the past two years. He stays in Vik's shop, learning implant surgery and medical technique.
After work, he knows boxing and basic quickhacking from Vik. To Vik's surprise, this young man of unknown origin quickly learns. With Vik's patient help and instruction, Rocky has fully learned the skills and earned Vik's recognition. Rocky is now a fully qualified ripperdoc.
His skills are second only to Vik's in the whole Watson area. Most implant surgeries are performed in rotation by the two of them. To give Rocky more chances to practice and earn, Vik usually provides the slot for Rocky.