2

"Just need your handprint to confirm you agree and understand the risks, Mr. V."

V nodded and placed his hand on the pad. This was it. He was going under the knife. He'd either come out fixed, or be sent out in a box.

The doctor tapped more information into his tablet before standing up.

"The nurse will be in shortly to prepare you for the procedure. We'll see you on the other side." He smiled and walked out of the room.

When the nurse hooked him up to the IV, the world got fuzzy. Then he slipped into unconsciousness. It was easier than falling asleep.

He found himself standing in a strange room.

"V?" A familiar voice came from behind him and he turned. Johnny Silverhand was leaning against the wall, cigarette in one hand, his sunglasses in the other. "The fuck are you doing here?"

"Johnny? This a dream?"

The other man laughed, "hardly. You somehow found your way into what was Mikoshi. Alt did what she said, but some people still have access to it." He took a step towards V. "The question is, where are you? In the real world, I mean." The question didn't reach his voice. Somehow, V felt the other man knew something he didn't.

V was shocked. "Uh, in surgery. Some doctor in Reno, friend of the Aldecaldos."

"Huh," Johnny looked him up and down. "Makes sense, you look like shit."

"Thanks, Johnny. Tell me something I don't know."

Johnny offered V a cigarette before walking away. V turned to follow and found himself standing in Tom's Diner. Johnny sat with his leg on the table and V sat in the booth opposite.

"Simple. Alt figured it out." He took a long drag off his cigarette and looked back at V.

"Figured what out? What's happening to me?"

Johnny put his leg down and sat up. "Alt figured out what to do. She made contact with your doctor friend, told him how to fix your little predicament. With my help, of course."

"Alright, so what would that be?"

"The chip is still technically in your head, yeah? You never took it out."

V nodded, it was still too dangerous to touch.

"Well, we figured out a way to rewrite the data on the chip."

"Wait, so, you're putting an engram of me on the Relic?"

Johnny nodded. "Then the doctor will activate it, keep you in a coma for a while, and your DNA data on the Relic will overwrite the changes it made for me."

"Shit, Johnny. I'm impressed." V was. "I was getting pretty close to dying. Last time I blacked out, I was out for days. Nearly scared Panam to death."

"Panam?" Johnny raised an eyebrow. "What about Kerry?"

Even here, as a collection of 1s and 0s, V felt a pang of sadness in his heart. "Things didn't, uh. Things didn't quite work out like I'd hoped. After I recovered a bit, I decided I wanted to get out of NC. Spend my last few months somewhere else. Kerry was supposed to come with me, but backed out last minute."

Johnny was quiet for a minute. He just studied V and puffed on his cigarette.

"Johnny, don't look at me like that. We parted on… decent terms. He was getting ready to release his new album and set up for a tour. I understand why he wanted to stay behind."

"V, the thing with Kerry is that when he gets attached to someone, watching them go can be really hard on him. I saw him through some of the toughest breakups way back when. You at least call him on occasion?"

V looked down at the table. "Not as often as I should have. But you said it yourself, I look like shit. It's been a downward spiral for months, Johnny. I called him after he sent me his album to listen to. I didn't look this bad, but I was still in rough shape. It took a lot of strength to call him when I was in the AV on my way to this doctor. He shouldn't see me like this. I've been hoping that he's moved on."

"At least you called him. Even if he has moved on, I bet he still cares for you. I'd never seen him look at anyone the way he would look at you." Johnny put his sunglasses on and stood up. "Think the procedure is almost done, V. Meaning you'll be going soon."

V stood up. "Johnny, thank you."

He scoffed. "For what?"

"For saving my life after Dex shot me. And, Alt?" He hollered into the void. "If you're here, thanks for saving my life again."

"Take care, kid," Johnny turned and started to walk away.

"Johnny," V grabbed his arm and pulled him into a hug. "Take care, you asshole."

Both men grinned and then Johnny disappeared, just like the images around him.

V groaned as he came to. The lights in the room were dim. He was resting on a surprisingly comfortable bed, wrapped in a soft blanket.

"Welcome back, V," a nurse was checking his vitals and smiled at him.

"Where, when, wha-?" He was disoriented and tried to sit up.

"Please don't try to sit up yet," she gently coaxed him back down. "You've been unconscious for quite some time."

He grunted, "how long?"

"Probably best that the doctor tell you everything, V. He'll be in to run another scan soon. It's safe to say that, at this point, the procedure was a glowing success."

V smiled.

"V, glad to see you awake." The doctor sat on the edge of the bed and looked him over. "Everything went well, your scans are clear, your body is repairing itself like we had hoped. Though it was tricky. We had to-"

"Rewrite my psyche and genetic code to the chip in my head. Yeah, weird as it sounds, I heard all about it while I was asleep."

The doctor looked shocked and concerned, "h-how exactly?"

"Long story short, Johnny Silverhand met me on the other side. I ended up in what's left of Mikoshi, the thing that got his data off that chip in the first place."

"Fascinating! But it makes my job easier." He placed a device on V's head. "Hold still for a moment, I've got to scan your neural network."

V felt a slight tingle through his scalp.

"Everything looks good. You've got a long road ahead though. You've been in a coma for the better part of four months."

"Four months! How? It felt like only a few minutes."

"Yes, time can feel warped when you're unconscious like that. You were given medication and everything to keep your muscles from atrophying too badly. But still best to take it slow."

V nodded. "I know it seems like I'm not listening, doc. But when will I get out of here?"

"I understand that you want to get back to your life, it should only be a few days. We've got some serums and things that will help speed up muscle recovery to get you back on your feet."

He was practically crying tears of joy as the doctor walked out of the room. He called Panam on the holo.

"Holy shit, V?!" She answered almost immediately. "Thought you were dead."

"Yeah, sorry Pan. Just woke up a bit ago. Doc said I've been out for months, but I'm not dying anymore. I'm clear. Should be out in a couple days."

"Hell yes!" She cheered. "V, I'm so glad. The whole clan has been worried. The last time the doctor called Dakota, he said he wasn't sure you'd wake up. To be honest, we were preparing for the worst."

"I look forward to seeing you guys again. Did you, um, happen to go see Kerry like we'd planned? When he was in Phoenix, I mean."

Her smile disappeared. "I'm sorry, V. I couldn't. I don't know what I would have said to him."

"I-it's ok, Panam. Do me a favor, I think he's still on tour. Can you find out where his next few shows are?"

She nodded. "I'll send you the details. Thinking about trying to see him?"

"I don't know. I've missed him. But I can only hope he's moved on by now, you know?"

"I know, V." She didn't want to tell him that Kerry had called her several times to ask if there was any news on V.

"Thanks, Pan. I gotta go. Think the nurse is coming in with my first round of new meds. I'll let you know when I'm clear to come home."