Becoming a Legend
Disclaimer: I don't own Cyberpunk 2077 or the Fate Series. They are rightful the property CD Projekt RED and Type-Moon
Chapter 1: Playing for Time 1.1
"V? You in there?"
Those inquisitive words interrupting the bizarre dream that V was having - one in which she had been wrestling a massive dog - and snapped her back to the real world.
As though noticing V's return to reality all the pains that had been previously muted while she'd been unconscious returned with a vengeance, causing her to let out a pained groan.
"Ugh...My head." V said, her voice coming out rough and croaky.
Her throat felt drier then the Badlands at midday. When had she last drank something? Was it at Afterlife? Or was at the bar at Konpeki Plaza?
She couldn't recall. The vicious pain in her cranium make it a struggle for V to form coherent thoughts, the process not helped at all by her HUD deciding now was the perfect time to informed her that she was at Viktor's clinic and that the time was 6.49 pm.
"Well, head aside, how is the rest of you feelin?" asked a concerned male voice, snapping V out of her distracted thoughts.
Next to the cot that V was resting on, stood the owner of the voice, Viktor Vektor, V's Ripperdoc.
"Dunno," replied V, gingerly levering herself up into a sitting position. "Think I might have some brain damage since my vision is all blurry and I'm seein' shit."
"These... hallucinations - describe 'em to me?" asked Vik, seating himself in a chair opposite V.
"I was kid, not sure what age, and I was approaching someone's home. The gate had been shut even though I'd been invited. I was then attack by the guard dog." I shook my head as recalled emotions I'd experienced in that waking dream. "I didn't want to hurt it, the dog was only doing what it had been raised to do. But it strength and ferocity were too great. In self-defence I was forced to strangle it with my bare hands."
V let out derisive scoff. "Sounds crazy, I know. But it was too real, even for a lucid dream."
Vik let out a defeated sigh, as though I had confirmed something he'd suspected but had hoped he'd been wrong about.
"You weren't dreaming, V. those were memories."
Seeing V confusion, Vik elaberated.
"There's a construct on that shard. Dream you had were from his past."
"Sayin' I experienced another psyche's memories? How's that possible?"
"The mechanics of it are far beyond me." Vik said apologetically, giving a helpless shake of his head. "The two of you are connected in a way I can't make head or tail of."
"Two?" repeated V, not liking the implication. "Me and who, Vik, who's the other?
"Sétanta, some mythological hero from Irish folklore." Vik paused, taking a deep breathe and exhaling through pursed lips before continuing, his manner that of someone about to deliver bad news. "However, that's not what important right now."
"What is?"
"That biochip... it's a bomb, fuse lit already. You don't have much time left. A few weeks tops. From what I can tell this construct is meant to be housed in some specifically tailor-made body, one durable enough to handle the operating strain."
V sucked in a breath, dread beginning to well up inside her. "You sayin I've only have a couple of weeks before my Chipware gives out and the resulting overload of data turns me into Cyberpsycho?"
"Ah, no actually," Vik hastily clarified, a brief expression of sheepish flashed across his face at having caused V to misunderstand due to his poor wording. "As far as I can tell the biochip hasn't touched your neural pathways. So you don't have to worry about developing Cyberpsychosis, have your consciousness being overwritten, or anything else along those lines."
While V was relieved she wasn't in danger of turning into a bloodthirsty maniac, a feeling of apprehension still lingered within her.
"Then what did you mean when you implied I couldn handle the strain?"
"That your body, both the organic bits and cybernetic implants, can't physically tolerate the toll the biochip is having on them. It gradual, so you likely won't notice at first. But over the following weeks your health will steadily deteriorate until one day... gone."
Vik slumped in his chair, massaging his forehead with a hand. He quickly regained his composure, raising his head to fixing V with a meaningful gaze. "V. It's important you get all this."
"But you can fix me up, right? Vik?" asked V, her tone pleading.
"If I could, I would, V, believe me. But this is... way beyond what I know how to do."
"You're the best of the best, Vik. There has to be something, anything, you can do to help." V said, her mounting desperation causing her voice to rise in volume.
"You want the long story or the short?" asked Vik bluntly.
"I want the truth. Don't omit a single dete," replied V. "If I'm fated to die, I want to why."
Vik straighten up in his seat before beginning his explanation. "Hm. Okay, the relic, you jacked it in your chipslot. Nothing happen, right? Until you died."
"Bullet in the head from Dexter Deshawn. But, how do you come back from something like that?" wondered V. "People don't just die and then get up like nothing happened."
"Used to be true. Now, it's only if they don't have a classified piece of corpo tech primed to resurrect them." answered Vik. "Thing is, while the biochip revived you, it being active is also what's killing you. Like I said before, the chip was meant to operate on a custom-made body. In layman terms, you're a Thorton Galena G240 with a Rayfield Caliburn engine. You're driveable but sooner or later a critical component is going to break under the strain."
"I'm guessing there's a reason we can't simply take the chip out? Or switch it off?"
Vik shook his head. "Either option is out of the question. You'd die, immediately."
"Vik, if there's nothing you can do to help me, then... well, what the hell do I do? Tell me, please." begged V, her breathing beginning to become labored as she struggled to keep her panic under control.
"It not solution, but it may buy you some more time," admitted Vik reluctantly. "Replace your current implants with top of the line cybernetic, preferably military grade ones. They'll be able tolerate the strain better. As for the organic side of thing, there's nothing that can really be done on that front. You can try swapping out your biological organs for implants, but the more full borg you go the higher the risk of Cyberpsychosis."
V felt a sliver of hope slowly began to replace the despair that been threatening to overwhelm her. It wasn't much, but she had away forward now. Acquire better implants to stave off her impending demise thus give her more time to search for a more permanent solution.
"Vik," V shot the old Ripperdoc a grateful smile. "You always come through for me."
"Wish there was more I could do to help, kid." Vik said, as he stood and head out of the clinic. "I'll go and fetch, Misty. She'll get you home."
The smile slide off V's face as guilt cut through her like a Tyger Claw's katana.
Oh, god. Misty.
Did she know what had happen to Jackie?
His body had still been in the cab since I couldn't decide where to have Delmain deliver Jackie. Send him to either Mama Wells or to Vik's clinic where Misty could discover her boyfriend's corpse felt unbelievably cruel. She had wanted to least spare them the pain at having to see Jackie like that.
"Fucking preem, V," muttered V bitterly. "Couldn't even get this one little thing right."
"C'mon V, let's get you home." announced Misty, entering the clinic with a wheelchair and manoeuvred it up to V's cot.
"Misty, about Jackie..." V faulted, trying to find the right words, comforting ones that won't sound so fucking hollow.
"I know," interrupted Misty, her voice a little brittle. V notice she held an aura of sadness around her and that her eyes were a tad red. "When Delmain showed up at the clinic with you and Jackie... he explained what'd happen."
"I'm so fucking sorry that Jack's gone." Those words felt so inadequate to V, as though a mere apology could capable of wash away all the pain the death of a loved caused. But she couldn't think of anything else to say.
"Jackie was special. A man with dreams, ambitions, there was always the risk it would cost him his life." Misty laid a hand on V shoulder, giving it a short comforting rub. "But he touched so many people with his love. In a way he still around."
As Misty helped V into the wheelchair and began wheeling her out of the clinic, V couldn't help but ask, "Sure you'll be all right?"
"I'll be fine," she replied. "Life is so beautifully powerful, so much more powerful than death."
"Here," while the two of them wait for the taxi they ordered; Misty handed V something.
V inspected the object. It was a chain necklace. From it hung a pendent, a small caliber suspend at it's center.
V gave Misty a inquisitive look. "Is this the...?"
Misty nodded in confirmation. "Vik pulled it outta your skull. I thought you should have it - as a lucky charm of sorts."
V study it a few seconds before putting it on. While some might think it a tad morbid to be using something that had technically killed her as jewellery, but to V, it symbolised how she had manage to cheat death.
Besides, V rationalised to herself. It may very well be lucky. If she was to cheat death yet again, she would need all the luck she could get.
Omake:
"Yes, hello?" the seedy looking Ripperdoc said, not bothering to even turn around as he washed his hands. "What can I do for you?"
"Looking for a girl named Evelyn Parker. I know she was here in your... clinic."
"Ahh, so that's what this is about..."
"Where is she?" demanded V.
The Ripper, commonly known as Fingers, let out a sigh, still not turning to face V and continue on with his scrubbing. "A loaded question if I've heard one. You Tyger Claw? Far as I know, I'm all paid up.
"We're with the Mox." answered Judy.
Fingers finally finished washing and spun round to face Judy. "The Mox! Why didn't you say so? What brings you here?"
"These girls know you're chippin' faulty implants?" asked V, fixing the weaselly man with a hard glare.
If Fingers was effect by V accusing words and hard look, he didn't show it. "You might say so. I'd say they're the very best I can find. See?"
"What's in it for you?" asked Judy, crossing her arms.
"Whatever they have to offer. And they ALWAYS have something to offer, heheheh," chuckled Fingers, a smug smirk on his face.
V clenched their fists, reining in the impulse to wipe that shitty self-satisfied look off his face. It wasn't easy, especially with the voice in their head demanding they kill him.
"You're a sick fuck. Know that?!" shouted Judy, immediately getting riled up.
The pair of them where getting distracted from the original purpose of this visit. Punishing this man for his crimes would come after got the information they sort.
"Like I told," V said, gesturing to Judy stay calm. "We're looking for Evelyn Parker. Need to know where she is."
"Step into my office, please." Fingers indicating for Judy and V to follow him into a side room off to the left of his studio.
As they entered what was clearly the man living space - its decor screaming creepy sex hotel - V tuned out whatever bullshit the Ripperdoc was spewing in favor of arguing with her incorporeal partner.
No, she didn't have any reserves about torturing the scumbag to get the information they needed. What made V uncomfortable with doing so in front of Judy. She had no idea how Judy might react to seeing this side of V. If V was honesty, she was rather attracted to the Mox. Having her regard V with a look of fear and horror unsettled her more than she'd expected. Not that V's partner couldn't care less about that.
"Look, you'll just have to trust me," V told her partner, cutting the argument short as Fingers seated himself and she took the chair across from him.
Out of the corner of my eye I notice that Judy had started pacing back and forth. She was getting impatient. Best get to the point before she losses her cool.
"Save it," V said, interrupting the man pathetic excuse of how he couldn't possible remember all the girls that have pass through his clinic. "I've being to dollhouse. Talked to Forrest, you probably knew him as Woodman. Told me brought Evelyn here to you. Said you paid him for her. So, where is she?"
Fingers let out a nervous laugh. "Heheheh... you must've misheard. First of all, I didn't pay an enny for her. He paid Me to take her. Second, I never got those eddies in the end 'cause I couldn't re-jig her implant. So... he left her with me as payment for my efforts."
"I can't fucking listen to this. We're talking about living breathing person!" protested Judy.
"Half alive. Technically," commented Finger, snidely.
"Quit evading the question," snapped V, "Didn't ask about your side of the story. I asked where is Evelyn Parker."
Fingers must've noticed the warning in V's voice that told him if he didn't give her a straight answer right now, he'd regret it.
"Ah, yes. Well, the thing is, I don't actually know where she is."
Unsurprising, that answer was Judy breaking point. "Enough of this BULLSHIT!," she yelled. "What'd you do to her, you freak?!"
Fingers turn in his seat to glanced at where Judy stood before returning his attention back to V.
"You should put a muzzle on this... creature...or put her down. It's impossible to have a conversation with her around."
...
You know what? Fuck it! I'm going with my partner's plan of just beating the information I wanted out him.
V abruptly stood, her eyes completely filmed over with glowing white light. "Scum like you have preyed on the people of Night City without fear of reprisal for too long. That's going to change."
And then V summoned the suit.
Author's notes:
Whew, I basically wrote this over the course of a single a day, so I'm sorry if the grammar of this chapter is a bit rough.
I decided to write this omake because I had a bunch of cyberpunk crossover ideas that wouldn't stop rattling around in my brain. And so you got glimpse of V as Moon knight.
I feel that Khonshu would be rather happy with V as his fist of vengeance. Night city certainly needs someone to punish all the evildoers and protect the travelers of the night. Beside, the setting is in place called Night city and Khonshu is the god of the moon and the night sky, it was like it was meant to be.
And before anyone asks, no characters from edgerunners will be making an appearance. Although, in the future I may writing an omake where David became Ghost Rider after selling his soul to Mephisto in return for saving his mother's life.