V blinked, and the image on the table disappeared. Fuck. Was he losin' it for real this time? Or was this symbol somethin' he should worry about? Jackie did love that Tarot shit.
"V…You ok?" He felt Panam's hand on his thigh.
"Yeah…Preem. Just… Just ready to do this."
She nodded at him.
Ortega was finishing his meal. "V, are you ready? If you feel you do not have your strength, you can rest more."
"I could use a nap. Then yeah... let's do it." V said. He wasn't sure what the fuck was goin on, but he had to lay down a bit. He wasn't feeling quite right.
Ortega nodded. "Understandable. I will prepare the implants, and the anesthesia. When you are ready, contact me on your room's intercom system."
V got up from the table.
Panam looked at him. "Do you want me to join you, or do you need to spend some time alone?"
He shook his head. "I can't believe you are askin' that. 'Course I want you to come."
She stood up from the table. "That is the correct answer." she said with a smile, giving him a playful tap on his chest with her fist.
He looked back at the table. Everyone was smiling and looking at them both.
"What are you looking at, you fuckin' gonks?" Panam asked, but she was smiling too.
Mitch spoke up. "We are just fuckin' happy for ya'. Almost can't believe it."
Ortega smiled as well. "Another toast!" He circled the room again, filling everyone's shot glasses. He held up his glass. "To love!"
"To love!" Everyone repeated.
V left the room and heard everyone start talking among themselves. He headed to the bedroom, Panam just behind him.
He entered and sat down on the bed, she sat down next to him. He put his arm around her, and asked "You wanna' to hear something weird?"
She looked at him, puzzled. "Everything ok V?"
He shook his head "I'll let you decide."
"Ok…". She looked at him. "What is it?"
"I been seein' shit. Symbols like. I saw em' in Night City, thought maybe it was the relic."
Panam looked bewildered now. "Symbols? V did you hit your head? Are you ok?"
He nodded. "I'm fine, I think so at least..." Then he looked at her, squeezed her hand. "You believe in fate? Destiny? All that shit?"
She looked away from him, thinking, then turned back. "I did not used to. But now? Maybe? I am not sure."
He nodded. "I didn't either. Till recently. Jackie did though. He was into that tarot shit. I thought that was all bullshit till the relic. Once I had that thing in my head, I started seein' those cards around Night City. See em...right before important shit would happen. Or before I'd meet someone, or 'fore I'd have to make a decision. Almost like they were… guidin' me... I dunno."
Panam nodded. "I would believe just about anything after what has happened to us." She paused, then asked "Did you see one when you met me?"
He nodded "I did. Strength. I thought I was just goin' crazy at the time, but now, knowin' you, shit. I think it was some kinda sign."
She looked pleased. "Strength. I do not know the tarot. Is that a good card?"
He nodded. "Sure is. Saw another one too, when I was in the desert outside NC. It was late, I was real bad, barely keepin' it together. Tryin' to decide what to do about everything, whether I should call 'saka, or you. Drove way out in the desert, towards where Jackie and I first arrived."
She looked upset. "V, you were seriously having trouble deciding between calling Araska or me?"
He smiled. "Head was gonked, remember? And I did call you. And then you thought I was leavin' you."
"Sorry about that. It WAS high moon." Then she asked, "So what did you see out there in the badlands?"
"I saw the Star. Means hope. Figured maybe there was nothin' for me in NC. That I should leave. I knew you wanted to get outta town, figured you were the one to call. Then we stopped at that same spot, 'fore we left, when we got in the basilisk at that radio tower."
She frowned. "Are you telling me you called me to raid Araska Tower at high moon, because of some shit you saw in the desert, in the middle of the night?"
He shook his head. "No. Yes. I dunno. I didn't want to put you in danger. I'm still not sure if I was just losin' it. But now I've been seein' em here."
"What did you see here?" Panam asked him.
He told her cards he'd seen, what they meant, and where he'd seen them.
"Fuck… those sound bad." she said.
He shook his head. "Dunno. Probably just my gonk brain. Maybe after I get those implants it will stop".
She nodded and laid down on the bed, and he laid down next to her. They stayed that way awhile, looking at the ceiling.
She finally spoke. "Did you ever think the day you had a rockstar from 50 years ago put in your head would be the second craziest day you had?"
He laughed "I did not."
She turned to face him now. "V?"
"Yeah?"
"I love you. You have no idea how happy I am to have you, what you mean to me. Three more years we have now. And we will find something by then. We must. I mean, can you believe this place? Imagine what else is out there." Then she smiled. "I just wanted to see what it was like to say that when I wasn't about to die."
He smiled and turned to her. "I love you too Panam. Never woulda' gotten this far without you."
She turned away from him, reached back and pulled him next to her. He put his arms around her, held her close, and fell asleep.
They slept for a few hours, and then he woke up. She was already up.
"Ready V?" She seemed excited.
He nodded. "Let's go."
She called Ortega on the intercom, shortly after, he showed up with a wheelchair. "I will administer your anesthesia now. The procedure will not take long, but it is quite invasive" He looked at Panam. "You can wait here or stay with him while I install the implants."
She grabbed his hand. "I am coming with you. I will stay for everything."
Ortega smiled. "Of course." He looked at V again. "Are you ready? This is a powerful drug."
V nodded, and Ortega pulled out a large needle, injected it into V's arm.
Ortega then started pushing the wheelchair down the hallway.
Panam was right behind them. There was a door open at the very end. As they approached the doorway, he felt Panam's hand on his shoulder, heard her voice. "I will be here for you the whole time V. And I will see you when you wake up."
He tried to grab her hand but couldn't move.
Ortega spoke. "The anesthesia is taking effect. You cannot move or speak. Do not be alarmed."
Fuck. Oh well, too late now.
Ortega wheeled him into the operating room. He could only look straight ahead, but this room looked meticulous, same as the others. One of the Maelstrom guys lifted him up and put him on the table.
Ortega looked at Panam. "If you would like to say anything before we continue, please, say it now. He will completely under soon."
Panam's face appeared above him "V. I love you. I will see you when you wake up!"
He tried to smile at her, but his mouth wouldn't move.
Then the ceiling flickered, transformed. Fuck, not again, another card. Death. It took up the whole ceiling. He blinked, but it was still there. He remembered what Misty had said about this one.
"Death is the card of becoming. It signifies an imminent and difficult transition – the conclusion of one phase of life and the beginning of another. Inevitably, something gets lost during the transformation, but something else will rise and take its place."
V tried to scream, couldn't, then blacked out.