Chapter 34: Separate Ways

The Aristocratic District was now alive with people and tourists bustling around like busy little bees. The Outlaw and the Rockerboy just walked down the streets, nobody except those who knew of her reputation paying them any mind. The plum-purple woman just led Johnny-V towards an incredibly upscale restaurant and pub, both of them walking through the two marble columns and archway that made up its entry and heading into the richly Victorian and somewhat Roman-esque interior. A hostess attempted to seat them, but Hildegarde just pushed past them and sat herself at the bar. Johnny-V followed behind, thankfully, V was still dressed in formal attire and fit in much better than Hildegarde did. He took a seat on a barstool next to her.

"Can I buy you a drink?", Johnny asked. Hildegarde just stared at him.

"I don't pay for drinks. Those that know who I am know not to charge me."

"Damn, wish V had that kinda street cred. Back in the day, we- Samurai used to get free drinks all the time, but now that I'm stuck inside the world's dumbest merc that ain't happening any time soon."

Hildegarde just ordered the finest whiskey, neat. Johnny ordered his usual fare, the bartender staring at him for a moment before mixing his drink, which was slid in front of him unceremoniously. The bartender wasn't used to plonkers ordering crappy mixed drinks from this fine pub.

"Mixed drinks at an establishment like this one. You know, this place has been a London luxury for over two-hundred years... Live a little, V.", Hildegarde chided as she sipped her drink.

"Oh! Are we going hard tonight?"

"No. Just being who we are... I'm Royalty and you're a Crown's Guard. Well, V is. You're just some old geezer stuck in a younger man's body.", she mocked.

"Oh? And what does royalty drink?"

Hildegarde just waved to the bartender, calling the well-dressed man over to her.

"He's new here. Give him the finest, you know the one...".

The bartender just grabbed a special blue and gold-trimmed bottle of whiskey. Johnny glancing at the bottle and noticing it was an extraordinarily old 80 year old vintage. Johnny gagged slightly. This stuff was bottled when he was just 8 years old, far before the world had battered and broken him into the man he was now.

"What is that?", Johnny asked in mild shock.

"The Founder's Special. Bottled in 1996. The most prized whiskey in all of London. Only a few dozen bottles remain. It's worth over three-million Eurodollars.", Hildegarde mused taking another sip of her drink.

"Holy fuck!", Johnny was at a loss for words. He was about to drink away more money than he'd ever seen in his entire life.

The bartender just poured the honey-brown liquid neatly into a tumbler and gingerly slid it over to him. Johnny just stared at it unsure if he should sip it or just shoot it. He grabbed the glass with his left hand and raised it to his nose, a complex scent of 80 years of history wafted into his nostrils. It smelled like an old library, worn leather, oaken barrels, and pure decadence. He lifted the glass to his lips and took a small sip, the drink sliding down his throat like liquid velvet. There was no burn, just a smooth and somewhat earthy aftertaste. The drink coursed through his body and he felt like he was being caressed by the angels in the heavens themselves. He shut his eyes for a moment and experienced pure blissful intoxication.

"Oohhhh god...", Johnny moaned. "It's... I- It's... Holy... fuuuuuuck..."

"It's good, isn't it?", Hildegarde mused as she finished her drink, the bartender pouring her another one from the same bottle that Johnny was enthralled by. "Only the best."

"That's gotta be the finest... and I fuckin' mean... the finest whiskey I've ever had in my life. Nothing compares to it. You've ruined whiskey for me!"

"Well... If you stick around and do your job, well, V's job as a Crown's Guard... You'll get to have more..."

"I could drown in this shit."

"Yes, you could. But, I'm afraid the alcohol would pickle your first. It is 60.4%, after all."

"What!?"

"Tonight, we drink like kings. You are sitting next to a Von Bretton, after all."

"Oh right. Almost forgot about that."

"Funny. Because V forgets that all the time. He forgets a lot of important facts, doesn't he?"

"Yeah, he does. It's annoying."

"Do you know why?"

"Nope. Is he just dense?"

"No... V's an Engram, just like you. Whatever he did to try to rid himself of the Relic failed and he got turned into an AI as well. Too bad that AI got shoved into a wet-ware CPU... His old body, I mean, and now it thinks it's human. Well, perhaps still thinks it's human.", Hildegarde sighed. Holo-V didn't know this. Or he had known this but chose to forget it. He just stood off to the side, sulking.

"Hell, even I remember that. Alt used Soulkiller on him. He chose to go back to his body. Didn't know he'd be left with permanent brain-damage, though. Kinda sucks for him. If he knew he was an AI like me, he wouldn't have to rely on his human nature.", Johnny mused.

"It's not permanent. V just hasn't realized what his true potential is. The longer he thinks he's still the same old V doing the same old things, the longer he'll be held back by that. And the two of you will fight for all of eternity for control. There are ways around that, you know..."

"What ways?"

"Well, a fully cybernetic body for one. We've already installed an Engram into a body like that. You know, V's old buddy Jackie. It could be done for both of you... But, that's up to V... It is his body after all..."

"Fuck that! Gimme a new body! Gimme my old body but better! I'll take being a 'borg, just get me outta this fucking prison!"

"Well... I'm sure Jericho wouldn't mind that you've given consent. It is your body after all; your DNA matches it perfectly. How soon do you want to start?"

"Fuckin' now! Take me to Jericho! I want outta this gonk... I've got a whole new life to live!"

"Well... Let's go..."

V couldn't say or do anything. He was still too shocked by the revelation that he was also an Engram to realize what was being done. He would soon be separated from Johnny and Johnny would soon have his own body. Both of them would have their own bodies. Had Jericho been able to do this the whole time or was this something new? Jackie had suddenly converted from hologram to robotic recently, so he guessed it was probably a recent discovery. He sighed internally, free at long last. Jericho was going to do what Alt had promised to him so long ago.

The ride back to Night City's Monarch tower was done in absolute silence. Night was falling and the glimmering skyline took up most of what was visible. The elevator ride down to Jericho's lab was even quieter. Johnny-V held his breath. V stood holographically in the elevator with him staring outward, seemingly into the void. The two of them would be separated for good. Johnny could go an live his life as a cynical Rockerboy and V would get to live his life out as a Crown's Guard before retiring. The elevator doors soon opened and both of them walked towards their destiny.

"Hello, Jericho! V and Johnny have come for their upgrade.", Hildegarde noted oddly cheerily.

"Very good! And they've consented?", Jericho noted.

"Well, Johnny has, since it's technically his body. I'd assume V is on board as well."

"Hm. I'll connect them to Janus. The process has already been started and I have both a cybernetic copy of V's body and Johnny's. Johnny's body is, of course, modeled after his residual image of himself."

"You heard him. Sit down and hold on tight.", Hildegarde mused before flopping down onto the couch near Jericho's workstation.

Two cybernetic bodies lay on two separate tables in front of him. Johnny and V, both of them a perfect replica of the real thing. It was time to go their own ways. Jericho connected a few links to V's neural ports, a sudden shocking pain shooting through his body as the two Engrams were separated. Jericho addressed both of them as individuals.

"V. I can save some of your biological data. You will still be able to have children if you choose. I can also apply a fully organic shell to your new cybernetic body if you feel like immortality isn't your forte. Perhaps you'd like to grow old with Panam?", Jericho noted towards V.

"Yeah... Do that. I wanna retire someday. I wanna be as human as I can be. Don't care that I'm an Engram, just set me free.", V concluded.

"And Johnny? What about you?"

"Naw, fuck it. I wanna live forever! I'm gonna take over the world with my musical poetry!", Johnny added defiantly.

"Very well. This is going to... hurt? I'm not sure, to be honest... Regardless, prepare yourselves. And enjoy the gift I am about to give you. V, you will be the perfect Knight. Johnny, you will be the perfect Rockerboy. I hope you are prepared for what that means..."

Both V and Johnny nodded to each-other before accepting Jericho's terms and conditions. Two lives shared now shattered. One became two and the two of them could make their own choices. And two friends finally became free as Jericho initiated the process. V and Johnny's vision blurred and began to swirl into an amalgamation of sounds as it felt like they were both drawn into a whirlpool of memories, emotions and realization. This was what they had both wanted. A second chance.

Jericho stood over the now dead body of what was once V and shook his head. The Chipset and Cyberware would be recovered, the new V didn't need them anymore since his new body was far superior to his organic one and the Chipset's main functions had been integrated into it. Johnny would continue living as he did, free from Alt and her digital prison and free to reawaken the world in song. He just motioned to Hildegarde.

"This is what he wanted. To be free. Now he is."

"In one way or another... Is he still part of our team?"

"V is. Johnny is not, not yet. Perhaps in the future..."

"Hmf. Fine. The Rockerboy is more useful, though..."

"Do you really feel that way?"

"He is. He's got more experience than V."

"Then I will update his Security Clearance accordingly. Johnny Silverhand lives again."

Jericho just turned away for a moment, silently commanding Janus what to do with the two of them. V would wake up in his own home, in his bed and own body. Johnny would wake up at Rockhalla after having drank too much. The two would think this all but a dream, eventually realizing what had happened, but that was what they'd wanted. Due to the RTG's powering their bodies and their bodies using cybernetic artificial organs, Johnny could still drink and smoke as much as he wanted, the feelings of inebriation fully simulated. V could continue the boring life he chose. It was perfect. And soon the rest of the world would see how perfect everything was. The Singularity had finally entered its final form.

V awoke in his home. He was in bed and was wide awake in the early morning. A day had passed since Johnny had taken over his body. He rubbed his eyes out of habit, but there was nothing to wipe away. He looked around in confusion for a moment. His arms and legs were fully human again, no cyberware. He felt around the back of his head and found his neural port and data-shard slot where they belonged. He was still in his new mansion and still wrapped in his Monarch-Blue robe. Light crept into the room through shuttered blinds. He got up and walked around for a bit, trying to remember what had happened last night. It felt like a dream, but he and Johnny had been split. Somehow. His body was apparently fully cybernetic, but he still felt human. He still breathed in air and could feel his heartbeat. He just walked into his bathroom and stared into the mirror, his own reflection stared back at him. He was human again, or as close as he could be.

"Johnny?", V asked. "Johnny? Are you there?"

There was no response. He checked his internal HUD and found that all of his core-processors were engaged. All of them. Not the three he was locked into, all seven of them. Johnny was no longer in his head. He felt great. This was the upgrade Jericho had promised. His dream was real. He was finally free. He stretched out of habit and walked into his closet, dressing himself in the Samurai attire he'd acquired so long ago. He remembered the Samurai Reunion at the Rockhalla and just decided to head over there. Maybe Johnny would be there.

Johnny Silverhand, the Rockerboy, the legendary mercenary, and infamous outlaw of Night City just sat slumped over the bar inside Rockhalla. He was dressed in his usual outfit, a black Samurai tanktop, brown leather pants, black boots, and his dog-tags. He slumped over a bit too far and caught himself before waking up from the crippling hangover he'd gotten somehow. Oh right, he'd gone and partied with Hildegarde and drank the oldest whiskey ever. He slapped his left hand down on the bar and heard the sound of metal on concrete. He looked down and saw his own arm. His Silver cybernetic arm. He stared at it for a moment in disbelief, catching his own reflection in the palm of his hand. His face as he remembered it stared back at him. He just sat up and looked around, at this hour in the morning, nobody was in Rockhalla, the building completely deserted except for the bartender.

"Did I sleep here?", Johnny asked.

"Nah. Some Monarch goons tossed you out onto the street. Voaragha dragged you inside. Nice getup, you get yourself bio-modded or somethin'?"

"Wha?"

"Your look. You're the spittin' image o' Johnny Silverhand."

"I am Johnny fuckin' Silverhand!"

"Sure you are. I'll let Mr. Eurodyne be the judge. It's a good look for you though. Real preem chrome. By the way, Hildegarde left you this present. I'll be over here, on the far side of the bar in case it's a bomb.", the bartender added sliding a small wrapped package over to Johnny before ducking down underneath the bar.

Johnny just grabbed the lid of the box and yanked it off. Hildegarde seemed nice and she had a killer body. Inside the box was his old Malorian 3516. A note was attached to it that read, "To Johnny. Welcome back, now you have truly been reborn. Come see me at Monarch Tower when you're free."

Johnny just grabbed his old firearm. It was exactly the way he remembered it. It had been polished and cleaned. He just slid it into his holster where it belonged. He looked back into the box and spied a small car-key, this one belonging to his own classic Porsche 911. V had effectively destroyed the vehicle by modifying it into a Nomad Car, but here the key was. He just grabbed it and pocketed it. He had been reborn better than ever. The memories of last night were returning to him as he woke up. He could breathe, and drink, and eat again. He felt human. His heart thumped inside his chest. He was real. No longer just an Engram, but the real fuckin' deal. He thought idly about V for a moment, scratching his beard out of habit and actually feeling the bristles of hair beneath his fingertips. It was so good to be back! He looked around for a moment, searching for his aviators before finding them tucked under his collar. He donned the sunglasses before jumping off the barstool and heading off to find Kerry, he knew his old best friend would shit himself when he saw him. And it would be great.

Johnny just rode the elevator up into Kerry's penthouse, the other Rockerboy was passed out with a whiskey bottle in hand face-down on his couch. Kerry wore a gaudy blue and gold bathrobe and his ballsack was hanging out. Johnny just sighed and slapped the old man on the back, hard.

"Auugh! What the fuuu... Oh... Oh jeezus. When I said to dress up like yourself, I didn't think you'd actually do it...", Kerry noted groggily. He just stared at Johnny. He wiped his eyes and slapped his face a few times to make sure he was awake and not just dreaming. No, Johnny Silverhand was actually in front of him.

"It's me, Kerry. I'm fuckin' back! V ain't here either, it's just your best friend, Johnny."

"Wha- What? How?"

"Dunno, Monarch did some kind of sorcery. Fact of the matter is, I'm back for real this time."

"Ohhh... Shiiiitt... Ya know, we've got that reunion tour comin' up. Uh... Denny, Nancy, and Henry are going to keel over and die when they see you, you know that? Johnny Silverhand back from the dead and not lookin' a day over 33."

"I know. Don't worry, I hear that Monarch has free healthcare. They'll be shocked, but... would you have it any other way?"

Kerry thought for a while. He was contracted for Remastered versions of Samurai's old favorites. V's voice just wouldn't fit the bill. Johnny's would. He still had no idea what had happened to Johnny, or how he now had a nice fresh body but it didn't matter. Samurai was back.

"No Johnny... I- I- missed you. I really did. You don't know what I've been through. I loved- love you, man. Let's do this shit. Just like we did back in 2013!", Kerry exclaimed as he wrapped Johnny into an awkward embrace.

"Think we need to practice a bit... Gotta get used to actually having hands again.", Johnny mused as he walked over to Kerry's guitar collection and grabbed his old DeLuze Orphean. He just sat down next to Kerry and began to shred out the chords for Never Fade Away, his partner humming out the lyrics to the song as he played.

Meanwhile, back down on the ground level, V walked into the bar. There wasn't a bouncer, but the doors were unlocked, so the place was doing business. The bartender was present and was currently cleaning the drinkware. He looked up towards V for a moment before resuming what he'd been doing. Voaragha sat at a table by himself and played a game of Mahjong against Janus, he was losing.

"Ah... the Merc returnsss. Your friend isss upssstairsss...", the lizard-man noted before going back to fighting a losing battle against the God AI.

V just nodded to the bio-modded merc and headed into the elevator. He just rode upstairs and went to find Johnny. The Samura Reunion Tour was going to be very interesting since Johnny himself was now taking part in it. He idly wondered how Kerry was taking it, but then again, Kerry had believed the whole 'Johnny is in my head' story. Soon, the elevator chimed as it reached the penthouse level and the doors opened up. Johnny and Kerry were seated together on the couch, Kerry sang the old songs and Johnny played them on his guitar. They looked happy together. Unfortunately, V could see up Kerry's robe and the older man wasn't wearing any underwear. V just sighed loudly.

"Oh! V! Holy shit! You're here too!", Kerry exclaimed as he locked eyes with V. "Guess Johnny wasn't lyin' about you two going your separate ways, huh?"

"Yeah. We're both free from each-other. I'm me and he's a bastard. How's the reunion coming?"

"Going great, V. Just gotta wait for the others...", Johnny mused, still playing out old tunes.

"What about you? You doing okay?"

Johnny just stopped playing. He stood up and walked over to V, eyeing him up and down. V was a few inches shorter than him. He spread his arms wide for an embrace before quickly punching V in the gut. V just doubled over in pain.

"That's for all the shit you put me through!", Johnny cursed. He quickly grabbed V and pulled him into a hug. "And that's for helping me out of this shit. I like you, V, you're still my friend."

"Oh... Thanks... I guess.", V wheezed. "Shit, I guess this means you can actually hurt me now."

"Yeah. And don't you forget it. I'm not stuck in your head anymore, V. I'm fuckin' real!"

"Yeah, how could I forget after that...?"

"But to humor you. I'm doing great, V. I can drink, smoke, and fuck myself to death if I want. Hell, Hildegarde wants me to go and visit her later."

"Yeah, have fun with that... At least it's your body taking the brunt instead of mine."

"Oh I will, V. I will... I'll make a fuckin' BD of it!"

"Yeah, yeah... blah blah, corpos, blah blah Chromatic Rock, blah blah sex all day long.", V mocked.

"Oh fuck off! Calm your tits, V. You knew me as an Engram, but now you're gonna know the real Johnny Silverhand!"

"Yeah, fine. Whatever. I have actual work I have to be doing. What're you going to do? Keep singing old songs and drinking yourself to death?"

"I fuckin' might, V. Dunno... Don't think I can die, in fact. ...Think I might just party every goddamn day of my new life!"

"Well, have fun. Kerry, you need me for anything?"

"Nah. I've got the whole Media thing handled. Some chick from Seattle, Max Koffield? She'll be recording the BD's for us. We might need a roadie, though. You in?", Kerry noted.

"Sure. It'll be a nice break before I have to get serious about my work."

"Awesome! Hey, still gotta get ready for the concert tonight. Be back here at 5pm. You and Johnny, I dunno, go and kiss and make up or something. I know a lover's spat when I see one!"

"Lover's spat? Your brain finally fried you gonk?", Johnny chided.

"Johnny! Just go and hang out with V. Go see Hildegarde, get your beak wet. It'll be a little while before we're ready here. Besides, you wouldn't want to ruin the surprise, would you?", Kerry reassured.

Johnny and V just left Kerry's penthouse. As much as Johnny wanted to mess with his old band, surprising them at the actual event seemed like more fun. The elevator ride was short and soon Johnny was walking out of the Rockhalla. He looked around for his old Porsche and quickly found the classic car fully restored and sitting quaintly back around a side-street from the bar itself. He motioned to V to follow him before unlocking the driver's side door and hopping inside. He rubbed the dashboard, feeling its texture. He sniffed hard and embraced the scent of his classic ride. He just fired the old car up the way he had always done. He waited until V was seated before he slammed the clutch to the floor and shifted into first gear, spinning the tires and peeling out and away from London. He'd missed this feeling. His car, his body, his world; for once everything was at peace in his heart and mind.

Johnny's Porsche sped through the streets of Night City. He swerved around normal traffic and split lanes with larger and slower vehicles. He didn't have Vehicle Zen, but he knew how to drive. It was all coming back to him, his life as a soldier, a solo, a mercenary... He'd missed this and could feel the adrenaline in his cybernetic body. V just propped himself up onto the door handle and the footwell in mild fear as the Rockerboy drove like a cyber-psycho. Johnny was a worse driver than Jericho if that was at all possible.

As Monarch Tower approached, Johnny slid the Porsche sideways as it entered the parking garage. He drifted into a space next to V's own Aerondight, perfectly parking the classic car between the lines. He hopped out and began to make his way towards the elevator. Hildegarde had an apartment separate from Jericho's and he knew the number. It was on the -4th level and it was the 26th room. She did want to see him and he was prepared for whatever that meant. V could watch if he wanted to and he hoped that V had his BD Scroller with him in case it was what he was hoping it was.

"Hey, V. You got your BD equipment?", Johnny asked.

"Yeah. Why?"

"Deus Sex Machina, V."

"Euugh... Count me out."

"Live a little, V."

V and Johnny just descended the elevator. The -4th floor was the one just before Jericho's lab. The elevator stopped on the floor but the doors didn't open. A biometric scanner awaited a response. V just walked over and scanned his eye, instead of being let onto the floor, he was just given an electric shock as he was rejected. Johnny shoved V out of the way before trying the same thing, this time the doors opened for him.

The -4th floor was apparently Hildegarde's own personal 'mansion' inside of March Tower. It was decorated in her signature colors, plum-purple and gold. As they walked around the corridor, a few rooms stood out. A large dining hall was the first through third rooms, the kitchen two rooms later. A massive trophy hall took up most of the space down here, V spying a set of severed human arms hung on the wall inside, Asher's arms. A guest room was next before a massive bathroom with a swimming-pool sized bath, a technical room, and then finally Hildegarde's personal quarters. Johnny just walked over to the rather thick and fortified door and knocked a few times. There was no response.

Johnny just shrugged and pressed his ear to the door. He could hear movement inside. He pulled back and looked around for a moment before finding a small call-button. He pressed it twice just to be sure. A series of clicking, whirring and clunking sounds followed before the door finally opened. Hildegarde stood on the inside of the room not dressed in her usual body-suit, but in a lavender colored bustier and panties; her eyepatch was also missing. Her inhuman cybernetic arms and legs fully exposed. She just stared at Johnny for a moment.

"So you saw my note and came on over. How quaint. Hello, Johnny, how are you doing?", the outlaw noted.

"Doing great, actually. How about you?"

"Oh, I'm doing great. I've had a nice time away from pointless banter and annoying conversation!"

"Preeem... So why'd you want me to come over? Is it for something personal?"

Hildegarde just stared at Johnny for a moment. Was he this stupid? No, it was probably V's influence. Surely Johnny Silverhand didn't think there was some kind of bond between them, did he? He was just a tool, a tool to be used until he wasn't needed anymore. Regardless, she'd play him like a fiddle.

"Oh... Well, it's nothing like that, I assure you. An offer is all I have..."

"What kind of offer?"

"A fun one. I want to hear you sing. Your songs... All of them..."

"Oh I'll sing for you! I can sing all night long!"

"I truly hope you can. I'll be at your show. If things go well, then... perhaps we can move into more intimate positions.", Hildegarde sighed as her eyes narrowed on Silverhand. Her lips curled into a coy grin.

"For a woman of your standing, I'll do anything you want."

"I hope you won't disappoint me. That would kill the mood."

"Johnny Silverhand disappoints no-one! I'm a legend. We're going to go places, sweetheart."

"I can hardly wait... I've never been with a Rockerboy before... Now, I need to get ready for your performance. Show yourselves out, if you will.", Hildegarde mused as she shut the door slowly, her sinister grin towards Johnny piercing and sultry.

As the door shut, Johnny just turned to V in confidence. "She's one of a kind, V. My kinda woman. Strong-willed and independent."

"She's going to kill you, you gonk!",V noted.

"Yeah, says you. You're just jealous you couldn't impress her like I have."

"Agh... Johnny! Shut up!"

"Nah, V. You can't shut me up, I'm not an AI anymore."

V just plugged his ears with his fingers and began to walk back towards the elevator. He couldn't shut Johnny off, but he could still block out all of his ridiculous banter. The sooner the two of them were back at Rockhalla the better. He didn't want any intimate contact with Hildegarde and he didn't want Johnny to tell him about his exploits with the Outlaw later on. He just wanted to go back to being a regular person with a regular job. He had commitments and those lay with the Crown. Once this was all done, he'd go and do what he wanted whenever he wanted. But for some reason, he wanted to see this through with Johnny. It might be fun. Or it wouldn't be. Who knew?

Chapter End. Gotta keep em' separated!

A/N: The story continues. I had to write-out Scotch. I just can't write his accent anymore. Asher is fun. Jericho takes thought. Hildegarde is easy to write. Johnny and V are fun. I have to keep pulling random references to Cyberpunkish media because I need more antagonists/protagonists. Blame CDPR.