Authors Note: I do not own Cyberpunk 2077, just an avid game fan.

Rated M for Mature.

I'm still writing! Got through chapters 14 and 15 this morning and posted them! I hope you're enjoying my story! :)

Returning to the Megabuilding, my gaze scrutinized the worn and ragged remnants of a corpo suit. A peculiar weight in the pocket drew my attention, leading to the discovery of a long-forgotten iguana egg—overlooked amid the chaos of the heist. With deliberate care, I moved to the counter adjacent to my living room, delicately placing the egg in a bowl. In Night City, where animals were scarce, exotic ones were an even rarer sight.

Johnny materialized on the nearby chair, his gaze fixed on the iguana egg. "Now what?" he inquired.

"Patience is a virtue," I responded.

Johnny, wiping his face, rested his hands on his knees, a hint of curiosity in his expression. "Oh?" he queried, awaiting the unfolding events.

After winding down for the night with a pizza and a quick refresh of clothes and a shower, I delved into unraveling the firecracker that is Panam Palmer.

Before I knew it I was riding with the hick merc, undoubtedly hotter than she sounds, to take down the Kung Tao AV with a plan she concocted.

"Who owns this power station, Gov or Corp?" I looked at her driving with one arm, other elbow rested her head on the window

"Is there any difference? Who do you think pulls the government strings?" She switched to gripping the steering wheel with both hands

"Hey I'm just wonderin' who's toes were about to step all over." I nodded after getting a good feel of who Panam Palmer was by being jerked around myself now.

She gave me a sideways glance, "V, look around. it's simple, everything is run by a corporation." She rested her head on her hand once more.

"You like to mess with the corps huh?"

"Whatever gave you that idea?" She coyly responded.

"Oh wait- scratch that. Rouge, Nash, the Raffin's—" I listed touching each finger.

"You're on thin ice V." Panam warned.

"You just like to mess with everyone." I finished anyways.

"Well then," she glanced at me, "I suppose it's a good thing I'm on your side isn't it?"

"Mhmm" I nodded slowly, not convinced.

"We've almost reached the dam, we'll make a quick stop here." She pulled over the vehicle to the edge of an empty bridge.

She typed into the nearby monitor, "I want to calibrate you to the turret, it should up our chances in general."

"Do we really have to waste our time on this?" I groaned.

"We do. Unless you've already used one of these without help, while taking fire from all directions, and manage to hit something." She raised her eyebrows, "But somehow I don't believe that's the case. So don't argue, just connect."

I pulled out my personal link from my wrist as she stated, "Just watch the Jack, sometimes you have to jiggle it a bit."

"Wired in." I nodded, ready to get this over with.

"Wait a sec, diagnostics first. Shit, it keeps giving me an error… Odd. Let me find a work around." She rambled into the monitor.

"And now Panam, heree's Johnny!" Silverhand digitized making himself comfortable in the back seat, "Out in the middle of bumfuck nowhere! Great work V." He scoffed, adjusting his aviators.

"Hey uh," Panam turned to me with concern, "I think your implant has a virus, the one in the nape of your neck?"

Johnny shook his head in frustration as I slowly responded looking at him, "It's not a virus, just a little malware… You get used to it, eventually." I smirked.

Johnny waved his hand at me, "Screw you."

"Will it affect the calibration?" I ignored him addressing Panam.

"We shall see...Okay here goes nothing"

After some non moving test rounds with the turret mounted on top of her truck, I removed my personal link.

"That wasn't so bad was it?" Panam asked as I leaned my head on my hand, bored.

"Calibrations fine, but your software could really use an update. Scanners, controllers- all a couple generations back at least. Better tech at a bargain bin of a kabuki flea market." I waved my hand absentmindedly looking out the window scrolling through messages when I noticed a new one from Judy.

"Yes. Sure. The most important thing is that it works now." Panam responded tightly.

Judy Alvarez: Got Ev back from Vik's… Not much, but it's good to have someone here, hopefully her too right now.

I didn't respond, "So where's this power station?"

"You'll see in a moment. I know a spot with an adjacent view."

"Sabotage a corpo power station, jump a corpo transport, kidnap a corpo suit—"

"Is this a ploy for the word corpo or do you have a point?" I snapped at the digital ghost in the back seat.

"Know what? Your startin to remind me of ME…fifty years back." He smiled genuinely while pointing at me downwards, "Minus the charisma, and impressive cock." He shrugged looking forward adding, "Hm maybe we CAN just get along."

I shrugged, "Could be somethin' to that I suppose."

"Your more like me than you think, you'll see."

"It goes both ways, maybe you're becoming more like me."

"Nah, no way."

"Annnd here we are." Panam awkwardly announced, "See the antennas? Collects microwave energy from satellites in orbit, then converted into electric power."

"Power station serve the whole city?" I looked around alarmed.

"Honestly, who the fuck knows."

I shrugged, "Guess we're about to find out… antennas run all the way down the interstate." I pointed.

"Mhm, that's to our advantage because they're linked. We mess with the collection unit and a chain reaction will follow. Each antenna will emit an EMP burst. The AV will be like a fly headed for a spider's web."

"Let's go get 'er." I nodded in agreement.

"We just gotta set it off at the right moment, I'll set up a bypass detonator, you overload the systems."

Ugh, more waiting.

"Panam, what if we cut off all this cute stuff and just blow the power station up?" I threw my hands up in frustration.

"Normally I'd love to. But an explosion would trigger an automatic shutdown protocol for each collector, nice idea though, maybe next time."

Great, hard way again. I guess that makes a legend.

With a sigh I looked at the power station yet again, "Overload the system- yes ma'am, when do I start? Although… hopin' that's not too complicated, is it?"

"Shouldn't be, just turn it up as far as it'll go."

"Crank to eleven, got it." I nodded.

Alarms blared when we were ramming through the doors of the power station. I took off to the controls as planned.

"Augh shit." With even the first control panel override glitching sprawled across my vision, I wobbled to the next, "ughhn…ngh-ngh-ngh.. fwoo."

I held my head in pain as I turned up the last control panel. "Oof… come on. Can't breathe" I grimaced, dropping to the floor as I tried to push up repeatedly, "Augh." I shoved myself back up, "Shit! I think we might've overdone it Panam!"

We both fleed to her truck as she yelled back, "You'll survive!"

That's supposed to be the point of this!

Panam exclaimed her hands once inside the vehicle, "See that?! All lit up like a Christmas tree!"

"Girl, you wanted eleven, you got eleven." I groaned in pain.

"Fuck yeah!" She shouted, slamming her palm into the steering wheel. Switching into reverse she stated, "Lets get out of here before it lights us up too!"

"V! Get the fuck out before somethin' happens to the chip!" Johnny groaned in pain as well.

"Thanks for the tip, y'know I was just about to set up a picnic, maybe lay out, work on my base tan…" I drawled to Johnny as Panam shook her head in irritation.

"I mean it! Watch out, next one I migh—" Johnny glitched violently like a blue outline of a seizure before blinking gone.

"Johnny? Johnny!" I called for him histerically.

"Fuckin hell…" he reappeared holding onto the back of Panams seat with heavy breathing before leaning his head back.

He sat up once more, "Okay, I'm fine…it's ok just…Okay I'm fine…yeah it's just— DELTA THE FUCK OUT!" He snapped his head to me in sudden fear.

Panam reached over in the seat squeezing my shoulder for comfort in confusion, "Hey… it's not the cleanest job, but it works."

"What about the detonator? Is it workin'?"

"Yes. It's working." She replied firmly placing her hand back onto the steering wheel, "I don't even see a drop in signal strength." She grinned before adding, "The cliff there— we'll set up, should give us a good view of the antennas. "

I nodded looking out past the cliff as we parked.

"Here." Panam grabbed the detonator handing it to me.

"Always wanted to push the big red button." I remarked out loud before glancing at her, "How do we know when?"

"Don't worry, I got eyes on it. Just wait for my signal and set off that pulse, they won't know what hit them."

She smiled coyly, "And by the way? We are about to knock a multi- million eurodollar Kang Tao asset clean out of the sky." She leaned into a pair of binoculars.

I grinned, "Blastin' shit, exactly what the doc ordered!"

"That's what I like to hear." She agreed as we both searched for the AV in the sky.

"Just noticed…" I started trying to form my thoughts as Panam asked, "What?"

I listened hard for anything and nothing responded.

"It's quiet… The hum of the city, the smells, the people. It's all gone."

I took a deep breath taking it in, "Wind just intensifies it—I think I forgot quiet exists." I remarked.

"Mhmm" Panam agreed wistfully before adding, "Though maybe not the smells, the coyotes? Rather hard to miss."

I looked around at the vehicle "Thought that was just the air freshener in your Thorton?"

"Hah-hah. Screw you and keep your eyes open." Panam rolled her eyes with a smile.

"There it is from Pacifica! Alright get ready…one more second…one more." Panam rose the tension in the van as I gripped the detonator tightly thumb over the button, "Now!" She exclaimed.

With a squeeze I clicked it firmly, "Boom there she goes." But nothing went boom…I clicked it repeatedly, "What's going on?—Great, just GREAT. Fan-FUCKING-tastic!"

Suddenly an explosion rocked in the distance of the power plant, "Bullseye!" Panam exclaimed throwing her hands up.

Pheeww…I leaned back into the seat until I noticed the AV was still flying, "Panam! The engines are still running, fuck! They're getting away!"

"They're going nowhere." Panam growled quickly climbing out and grabbing a rocket launcher.

I climbed out as well, "Panam, what are you doing?!" I waved my hands desperately.

She's going to blow my target into bloody pieces!

The rocket spiraled into the air before colliding with the AV in an explosion. It was a ball of flames, "THAT'S how you do it!"

It's still there, even within the flames! Shit, we could've done that from the start.

"It's losing altitude! Let's go!" I ordered.

"We got the bastard."

But some of Panam's old nomad clanmates yelled over the radio going for the unmarked AV as well, and with the EMP burst, we couldn't radio them from driving into their deaths. By the time we got there guns blazin' only one was left out of three, a nomad named Mitch.

I dragged out Hellman through blood sweat and tears, taking him to a discreet hotel outside Night City, but in the end I wondered if it was all worth one life- my life.

I did what I had to do.

I leaned against the balcony of the second floor of the hotel as I messaged Judy Alvarez.

V; Sorry. I was mid Op for Hellman. I'll be there very soon. Promise.

I took out my pistol and walked into the room as Hellman sat slumped in the chair, snoring. I pulled a chair across from him and sat leaning on my knees as I smacked his face, "Hey."

The suit shot awake looking side to side orienting himself, "Where am I? What is this place?"

I set my hands onto my knees gripping the iron, "Motel. Middle of nowhere." I shrugged flippantly.

"Any specific middle?" He nervously shrugged.

"Doesn't matter."

"Why are we here?" He looked around once more.

"Wanna talk about your little invention, Biochip you made for Arasaka." I started.

"Fine. But lets get one thing straight first." He leaned towards me, "Yorinobu Arasaka didn't send you?" He inquired with eyebrows raised.

"No. Nobody sent me. I got a problem and you're going to help me." I corrected.

Hellman leaned back in the seat again raising his palms, "What does that have to do with the biochip?"

"Got Silverhand's construct in my head. It's literally driving me crazy, I know it's only gonna get worse. That is, unless I remove it." I raised the pistol casually gesturing towards him.

Speaking of the devil, Johnny digitized sitting in the nearby chair, elbows on his knees smoking, I looked at Hellmans surprised face again adding, "And that, and none of that's on the billboards I saw. Not even in the fine print."

"Silverhand? Construct?" He started slowly with mouth agast "…that's impossible!" He shook his head firmly denying, "Where did you get this biochip?!"

Long story.

"Klepped it off Yorinobu Arasaka. Job for a client but the client left me to dry." I quickly explained with frustration edging in.

"And you decided the best place for it was your own goddamn head?" Hellman shouted pointing down to the floor.

"Wasn't such a bad idea. Construct rebooted me when my own goddamn head took a bullet." I shot back defensive.

Hellman shook his head before looking away, "I always knew Yorinobu's plan would fail, I just never imagined it would turn out like this." He looked back at me with his elbows on his knees, "Arasaka's prized tech really IS in the very streets of the city."

I'm not some experiment to gwak at.

"You have to remove the biochip from my system." I ordered firmly.

"It's not that simple."

I scoffed, "Look, you made the thing, didn't you? So where's the problem?" I threw my hands up.

He leaned back in the chair, "If your telling the truth, you slotted an experimental version of the biochip."

"How's the prototype different? It's got a different engram? Somethin' more…" I waved my hands searching for the words.

"Aware?" Johnny chipped in, "Aggressive." I finished.

Hellman took a sigh, "The biochip is what's unique, not Silverhand's engram." He held his hands together, "The previous version of the biochip was only used to communicate—"

"It was rare as fuck and cost a fortune yeah." I interrupted with my patience wearing thin.

"This one's rarer! Meant to install and activate the engram in a new body, when I left Arasaka the project was in its trial phase."

"Yeah, yeah, your tech works—now get it out of me." I gripped the pistol tightly.

Johnny stood with his hand on his hip "Well, well…"

"I'd have to see it first." Hellman stated.

I don't trust you.

"How did you think this was going to go? I must examine you." Hellman retrieved his personal Jack from his wrist.

"Ok." I reluctantly nodded, letting him slot in behind my ear. Hellman's eyes glowed blue inspecting the data.

As Hellman rambled unbelievable Johnny circled around his back taking off his aviators with hands on knees as he inspected Hellman's face up close, "Can't believe this suit's the one who's gonna help us." He looked at me waving toward him before standing once more before putting back on his aviators.

"Oh fuck!" He exclaimed, pulling out the personal link, eyes turning to normal.

Dread filled me, "What- what is it?"

He shook his head, "Pity I won't be able to examine it fully."

"Yeah real fuckin' shame! You coulda been his guinea pig too." Johnny stormed off laying onto his back in bed.

"Tell me how to get rid of it." I urged through grit teeth.

Hellman looked at me with a solemn expression, "I'm afraid I have bad news—"

Before I knew it I was running out the door puking blood over the balcony as glitching overtook my vision.

"Hells wrong with you?" Johnny asked, smoking against the handrail.

"Dunno." I mumbled as I looked back at Hellman's body sprawled on the floor inside and hurled more blood vision glitching multicolor.

You will start doing things that were once unthinkable, and you know who he was… a fanatic, a terrorist, a suicide bomber.

Well fuck me, who's tryin' to mess with your head now?

But Hellman's chunky brain matter being splattered across the Motel walls was all me.

Are you tryin' to convince me your useless?!

I stumbled down the motel steps to a concrete bench where Johnny slumped with arms crossed as my vision wavered and I dropped to the dusty ground.

I mean in that case, I can just shoot you in the head and save us both some time!

Ugh, finally!

If you think there's anyone else who can help you I'll give you the blueprints. Complete project documentation, Kang Tao offered a large sum for it!

The blueprints then! Now! I pressed the pistol to his temple as he handed me another chip.

After transferring the blueprints I pulled the trigger for making the monstrosity.

Now however I sat slumped next to Johnny, butt on the edge of the concrete bench.

"Sons of bitches…" Johnny grumbled wiping his face with his arm.

"Is this the part where you divulge your master plan to annihilate Arasaka?" I remarked bitterly to the digital ghost.

"Tsk- No. It's the part where I say I hate petty merc thieves who think their hot shit rebles after steppin' foot in the Afterlife!" He shot back.

He leaned on his knees towards me sitting as I crossed my arms, "Might think you took on Arasaka but you're just a bug they scraped off the sole of their boot and tossed in the trash!" He leaned back once more arms crossed.

I waved my hand up towards him as I snarled, "Whatever you gotta say—say it. Got something eatin' at your code. That's clear."

Johnny looked at the dirt, "Been tryin' to figure out how your wired this whole time. To know who I'm dealin' with."

He nodded his head towards me, "Thought you were just unlucky at first. But I kept watchin' and finally realized what your problem is."

"Enlighten me." I spit leftover blood into the dirt.

"Your just a street rat from the gutters of Heywood, wants to be a legend but you're just scraping ennies off Scavs."

I shrugged, "Sure seem to know a lot about my past."

Johnny tilted his head to the side, "Well seen flashes of your past, just like you've seen flashes of mine."

"Honestly, I'm scared of the day that I see your memories as my own." I nervously rubbed my legs.

"Shit, if it's a two way street I'll have to live with the fact I let Dexter Deshawn best me, fuck me over."

"So listen, will—will I notice a change? Or will it be one of those things where'll I wondered why I ever feared it?" I looked upwards to the blank black sky.

"Worst thing you can do to a human— rip their identity out of 'em. That's all I know."

I cleared my throat uncomfortably, "How do you find life under my skin?"

Johnny shifted onto his knees, "Well, most things are either too big or too small, not to mention the clusterfuck that are your hormones." He waved in front as he leaned back with his hands on his lap, "And the lag between sight and touch is infuriating, when you take a bite of pizza, takes ages to know you burned the roof of your mouth."

He turned to me, "Plus, used to be five minutes 'fore I had a fresh cig in my hand, even still I'm itching for nicotine." He put his hands on his knees again, "Gettin' used to it I guess, but it's no fuckin' picnic."

"Can you just tell me what you want? What you really want." I raised my head to the sky again as I crossed my arms.

Johnny threw up his hand before crossing his arms once more, "Help me settle my score against Arasaka, that's it."

"Got a clear goal, bury Arasaka, demolish it. Mines to stay above ground. Seems pretty clearly defined both." I remarked.

Johnny looked at me nodding, "Actually align pretty nicely too. You need mikoshi to save your life— that done I can burn it to the ground."

As if it's that simple. Out of my crew I survived by a modern miracle.

"There it is, the crusade, get to mikoshi- smash Arasaka." I scoffed.

"Okay I'll tell ya why I want to destroy Arasaka- I'll tell you once, understand?" He leaned on his knees shaking his head slowly, "I saw corps strip farmers of water… and eventually land." He squeezed his cybernetic hand into a fist tapping his knee. "Saw them transform Night City into a machine fueled by people's crushed spirits, broken dreams and emptied pockets!" He pointed towards the city before shaking his head and pushing off his knees to pace frantically.

"Corp've long controlled our lives, taken lots— now their comin' for our souls too!"

"Damn straight, can't really argue you there." I nodded my head.

Johnny walked towards me with a hand on his hip, "V. I've declared war not 'cause capitalism is a thorn in my side or outta nostalgia for an America gone by." He looked between me and the city gesturing with his hand as he spoke.

He turned towards town, "This wars a people's war against a system that's spiraled out of our control, it's a war against the fuckin' forces of entropy understand?! Do whatever it fuckin takes to stop them, if I gotta kill, I'll kill, if I need your body I'll fuckin take it!" He raised both of his hands to hovering beside his head manically before throwing them down, "Fuckin' hell…" he breathed.

"Lets blow—get outta here." I ignored his comment tapping my wrist for my motorcycle.

I'm always a pawn for someone. I've never mattered.

I messaged Judy Alvarez,

Hellman's a bust, on my way.

She replied almost instantly.

Ok. She can't talk, hardly eats even…

I bit my pointer finger in thought for a moment before replying.

Is there a way you can pull anything from her behavioral chip?

I had no reply as I pushed off the bench heading into town for Judy Alvarez's complex.