The Shards of Freedom.
Chapter 2: The Receiver.
Misty Olszewski
Night city, 2074
It had taken a concerning amount of time for Vik to fix, to the best of his abilities, the pair dropped onto our doorstep. In a way, I wasn't blind to know why Vik had been so worried about it, if we were making a gonk decision or something similar, but I liked to trust in my feelings.
I don't know how to explain it, and honestly, I knew that people saw me as if I were strange. Perhaps I was, but if Night City taught me something, it was to find little happiness in what you could, because one never knew when Night City would take your life.
A single, unlucky walk could spell your end in this cursed city.
Maybe my remaining family in Poland was right and I should leave the city or something, but everything I knew and loved was here, and as much as they offered, I didn't think Warsaw was safer than Night City.
But that was something for another day. Picking a black choker, I finished putting on my makeup and smiled at my reflection. My smile didn't reach my eyes, but it was enough. I didn't have plans to meet anyone who knew me enough to see how brittle and fake it was.
And I was sure that Vik was feeling the same as I, and he would understand.
Maybe my decision was wrong, having a night to think over our actions made me dream of how many ways things could go sideways in a short amount of time… but I wasn't sure if I regretted it, at least yet.
Vik spent the whole time talking about it, telling me how much danger we were in if the patients were not what I hoped, or the ones who left them in that state came looking for them, or their friends.
They were almost dead. Vik called it a miracle and happenstance that he managed to save them, or at least fix enough so that they wouldn't die at his table. Minutes later, they would have succumbed to their injuries.
But something in the back of my head told me that I made the right decision. I wasn't sure if I was lying to myself, but I could only hope that I didn't put us in danger thanks to my bleeding heart.
Something I had learned from Jackie. The thought of him brought a concoction of feelings into my head. He was just so… good. But at the same time, I knew it wasn't to be.
It's been a long while since I saw him, much to my shame. He always knew how to make anyone happy and feel calmer around him, but Camilla didn't like me one bit. Perhaps I wasn't as good as I wanted to think when it came to hiding my feelings.
Well… I couldn't fault her completely. Jackie always dreamed of greatness, perhaps a bit too much. It was also one of the reasons I pushed Vik to heal the two unknowns.
He was getting quite chummy with V ever since he returned from Mexico, going into Corpo gigs with his friend as a backup and getting into dangerous situations more often than not.
In a way, I was hopeful that the pair could maybe help him in a way, to keep him safe.
If I couldn't have him, at least I wanted to help by making sure he was safe.
Finishing the last touches on my attire, I slapped my cheeks twice, then walked out of my house. It was early enough, and not the usual time I used to arrive at my shop, but it was a must.
Vik decided to sleep in his clinic, watching over the patients. He wasn't sure when they would wake up, since their injuries were so bad, and being completely ganic didn't help.
Not that they were anymore. Vik had to make do with what he had at hand to save their lives. The blonde woman had a cyber arm implanted, since she had lost it all the way to the shoulder.
It was as basic as they came, but according to Vik, it was for the best. Since she used to be a complete organic, and obviously suffered a whole deal of trauma, he said it would be better to put something that wouldn't strain her psyche to avoid complications. According to what I remember (the whole medical terms went past my head), it was something that came after the unification wars four years ago, since a lot of the population suffered maiming either from the conflict, or the gangs that went rampant around that time.
Besides that, she had to be covered from head to toes in synth skin, since the vast majority of her skin was burnt from her closeness to the man. Vik said that it was a miracle that nothing of 'importance' was damaged too badly in her. Her internal organs were in pristine condition, better than a normal human and only twenty to thirty percent worse than the synth organs Vik had on hand.
A soldier, Vik called her.
As for the male? The less said, the better. Vik had to perform a miracle to save him, and changed multiple organs since his were fracturing under the strain.
I didn't want to even think about what would have happened to them if they had appeared somewhere else. I knew the kind of person one finds in this city, and if, a big if, they received help from somewhere else, no one would do it like Vik.
Smiling at the Valentinos patrolling the area, I made sure to keep my head down as I walked towards the metro. As good as my relationship with them was, I didn't want to risk anything. With my usual act in hand, I kept looking at the floor, lost in thought, before I bumped against something firm.
Lifting my head in alarm, I almost smacked myself for not paying attention.
"Hey there, chica, long time no see," A familiar voice sounded in my ears, making my heart jump between excitement and nervousness.
The smell of his cologne entered my nose as I reflexively smiled, looking up and seeing his rugged visage.
"Well, consider me surprised," I smiled brightly at the man of my dreams, "It's been a long while since I last saw you, you gonk."
His smile turned apologetic as he rubbed the back of his head with a sheepish look. I ignored the way he averted his eyes, a sign he had since we were kids when he wanted to hide something.
"You know how it is, chica," he laughed brightly, "still seeking the dream, but I'm closer than ever, you know?"
"Still friends with that corpo friends of yours?" I asked, just a bit heated. I had met V, and I couldn't say I had the best opinion of the corpo.
They had arrived half dead, both injured to hell and back, taking turns in dragging each other until they both made it to Vik's clinic. I had not met V after that, but that first meeting certainly made an impression on me.
"Don't be too harsh on V, Misty," Jackie sighed, "I know you don't have the best impression, but believe me, she's someone I trust with my life."
Sighing, I dragged my hand over my face. This was a conversation that repeated every time we met, but leave it to Jackie to have an Arasaka friend and trust them. Hell, I could count the people I trusted in Night City with one hand and have fingers left. Trust was something almost mythical here, and the corporations were the last image that came with that word.
"Look, how about I invite you to eat? I just returned from a gig and plan to stay low for a while," he smiled that smile of his, "What do you think, Misty?"
"I don't want to cause you trouble, Jackie," I denied him, feeling a pang in my heart as I did so, "also, I need to visit Vik. That's why I came out this early."
"It won't be trouble," he rolled his eyes before sighing, waving at some Valentinos in the distance, "but fine, since it's my fault I kept you here, let me take you."
He slapped his big hand on his wheels, the motorcycle that he so loved. I was about to tell him no once more, not wanting to get him into the mess I dragged Vik into, but I knew him enough to know that he wasn't taking a no for an answer.
I just hoped I could convince him to leave without learning about our visitors.
"Fine, fine," I mock sighed with a knowing smile, earning a rumbling laugh from the big lug, "I'm glad to hear you're fine, Jackie."
Giving him a brief hug, I took the chance to smell him once more and sear it into my memory. I didn't know how long he would disappear after this.
Jumping behind him, I circled my arms around his vast back, feeling him start the wheels and launch himself without regard for our lives.
Now that my infatuation wasn't blinding me, I remembered why I hadn't accepted the previous times for his help. Jackie was a fantastic driver… if you ignored his complete disregard for the rules.
Clinging to him a bit harder, I felt him laugh against my chest.
"Whooo!" he shouted, turning his head around to look at me with the widest smirk I've seen in a long time. Still, something must have shown in my expression because he slowed just a tad, and even stopped at the next red light, looking sheepish.
Before I could say anything, a coming call made me frown.
Lifting my hand in the universal 'wait a second' sign, I accepted the call.
The holographic display blinked to life, Vik's tired face appearing on it. His glasses were crooked, and the circles under his eyes were darker than the night outside.
"Misty," he said without preamble, his voice sharper than usual, "You need to get here. Now."
My stomach dropped. Never in my life had I heard him speak like this. "What happened, Vik? Something wrong?"
"The pair," he hissed, glancing somewhere off-screen. I could hear the beeping of monitors, sounding faster and faster in these few seconds since I received the call, "Something's wrong with their brains. It's like a goddamn fireworks show in there."
I froze for a second, remembering what he had found last night and how surprised he was, "Does it have anything to do with… that?"
I didn't have to say it out loud. Vik knew what I meant: the strange clumps of brain matter, the readings that didn't match anything on his database, the part of them that Vik had no idea what it was or how it worked.
"That's the part lighting up like a Christmas tree," he said tiredly, rubbing his temples, "I've never seen neuron activity spike this high without a total meltdown. They're heating up, Misty. If this keeps up, you'll only find sludge instead of brains. If I didn't know better, I'd think they are like a receiver that suddenly lost signal."
My throat tightened, "How long do they have?"
"Hard to say. Maybe twenty minutes. Bring ice… hell, bring a lot of it. I need to bring their core temps down before the heat hits the new implants. I think treating them as net runners right now is the best option. I have no idea what's going on, and this is the closest example I can think of."
He paused and looked straight into the camera, narrowing his eyes, "Wait. Where are you?"
I hesitated a heartbeat too long, making him frown, "I met Jackie when I was about to walk to the NCART… he offered to take me instead."
His look turned into that familiar disappointed glare, the one that said you just did something stupid, and you know it. And indeed, I was already regretting it.
"Misty," he groaned, dragging a hand down his face, "I know that Jackie is someone we can trust, but if this explodes on our faces, we'll be dragging him with us to hell, girl."
I exhaled through my nose. "I know, I know. We'll just have to be careful. Just… keep them stable, okay? We'll be there soon."
He muttered something under his breath, making me smile despite the dire situation.
Jackie glanced over his shoulder with a deep frown, "What's going on, chica?"
"Vik needs me. Emergency," I said quickly, shaking my head and ending the call, "We need to stop by a store. Ice. As much as we can carry."
He blinked, "Ice?"
"Don't ask. Please. Just hurry."
Whatever he saw in my face made him drop the joke he was about to make. He just nodded and revved the engine.
"Hold on tight, Misty."
He spun the wheel, the tires screeching as the bike shot forward. The wind tore through my hair as we weaved between cars, the skyline of Heywood rushing past like a blur of neon lights and sounds.
It would have been nice if I hadn't been clutching Jackie's stomach with all my might.
Later.
Viktor Vektor.
It had been less than fifteen hours since these two gonks dropped into my life, and already they'd managed to turn my clinic into a goddamn warzone.
They were both trembling on the tables, skin slick with sweat despite the air chillers running full blast. Their vitals were all over the place, their hearts pounding so loud that I could hear them outside their chest, their pupils flickering under their eyelids like they were watching a bad xBD in their sleep.
I'd already strapped their arms and legs to the tables… not to torture them, just to keep them from thrashing and breaking the few working tools I had left. Their muscles kept seizing in random waves, like their nervous systems were trying to crawl out of their bodies.
Too bad I couldn't knock them out again; their systems were so flooded with sedatives that another dose might've stopped their hearts for good.
"Christ," I muttered, rolling up another strap and buckling it tight.
The leather squealed as the two fought against their binds harder than people their size should be capable of, "I can't help but feel that if they survive… NC will never be the same."
I grabbed two bite pads from the tray and shoved them gently between their teeth,
"Last thing I need is you two chewing your damn tongues off."
Right as I leaned back, the clinic door slammed open.
"Misty!" I barked, squinting as the heated air and sunlight spilled in.
She stumbled in, looking breathless herself, jacket half open. Jackie Welles barreled in right after her, pulling a cart stacked with ice bags and another dozen balanced on his shoulder as if they didn't weigh a ton.
But I already knew about his surprising strength after all, being the only person who managed to knock me down with a single hit when I trained him.
"Where do you want it?" he grunted, looking at the two patients in curiosity.
"Back room! Grab the immersion tubs, the big ones," I said, pointing to the side door, "Misty, help him."
They moved fast, dragging the tubs across the floor until the sound of metal on tile drowned the hum of my machines. I could already feel the temperature rising, the heat coming out of the pair of bodies misting the area around them.
My instruments were starting to complain, the inlaid thermometers flashing red and bio scanners whining in alarm.
"Who the hell are they, Vik?" Jackie asked as soon as he finished setting down the last tub with a heavy thud.
I didn't even look up, "No idea, choom. They just showed up half dead, and now they're trying to fry themselves alive. Grab the legs… we're moving them."
We each took a side.
The man was heavier; the pieces of armor on him fused to bits of skin I still couldn't separate without risking him more. His skin radiated heat as if someone managed to push a Caliburn harder than they should have.
We dunked him into the first tub, ice crackling as it met his body. Misty yelped at the hiss. Then we did the same with the girl.
"More ice! Hurry, Misty!" I shouted.
Jackie and Misty dumped another cartload in, both tubs filling to the brim.
I turned back to my monitors, my hands shaking slightly as I checked the readouts.
Their core temps were finally dropping, but the rest of the data… they didn't make any sense.
"Come on, come on…" I muttered, cycling through displays in a hurry, "What the hell are you two?"
Their brainwaves were spiking, yet they synchronized, somehow. Every time one signal flared, the other followed a millisecond later. Blood trickled from their noses, thin streams cutting across their cheeks.
"Misty, bring me some gauze," I said automatically, but she was already pressing pads against the blood. Her face was pale. Jackie just hovered behind her, eyes darting from the monitors to the tubs.
"Vik," he said, "that ain't normal, right?"
"Nothing about this is normal, choom," I said flatly, flicking a switch as another machine came to life. The X-ray screen flickered to life with a low hum.
Inside their skulls, I could see… that thing.
The weird clump I'd seen during the surgery, nestled deep between the frontal and parietal lobes, pulsing faintly like a second heart. Now it was trembling, twitching in rhythm with the other one. The two patterns were… syncing.
I had done one of my finest works at avoiding touching any of those clumps of matter while I connected the pathways needed to connect the cyberware.
"What the fuck…" I whispered.
They stayed like that for minutes that felt like hours.
Jackie kept asking questions… what was happening, if they were dying, if they'd wake up…
But I didn't have a damn answer. My machines kept glitching, with the readings flickering between red and white, like even they didn't know how to process what they were seeing.
I was just as confused as they were, to be honest.
Then, just as suddenly, the alarms stopped.
The noise was cut off, and I feared that they had flatlined. Even their twitches stopped in an instant. Yet… they returned.
Both of their brainwave patterns leveled out, as if nothing had happened. The readings looked as if I was seeing a normal gonk instead of these two anomalies.
But when I looked back at the scans, my gut turned to ice.
The strange clumps had changed.
Where before they'd looked like malformed tumors, now they were sleek… as if integrated… or alive. The cybernetic connection lines I'd rigged during surgery? They were gone.
The foreign material had eaten through them, biofusing into something my software couldn't even categorize.
"Holy…" My voice trailed off as my monitor blinked into static. I wasn't a religious man, but I, for the first time in many, many years, felt as if I should have prayed at this moment.
For a second, all the clinic lights flickered, my implants buzzed, and every machine in the room froze… Then it all came back, readings looking as normal as before.
I stared at the data. At the new neural map I didn't understand.
It wasn't just brain tissue anymore. It was rewriting itself, faster than any biotech I'd ever seen. Not even the best nanotechnology I worked with was this fast and seamless.
Not human. Not even close.
The tablet slipped from my hands and hit the floor with a hollow crack.
Jackie and Misty turned to me instantly.
"What?" Jackie asked, stepping forward. "Vik, talk to me. What's wrong?"
"I…" My throat was dry. "I don't know. I don't…"
A sudden gasp cut through my words.
The blonde girl's back arched in the tub, water splashing over the edge.
Her eyes snapped open… bright green, so vibrant that they looked otherworldly, shocked me to the core… but even the color didn't take my breath away compared to the sheer coldness I could feel on the back of my head.