When Becca got the green light from Viktor that Pilar was stable and healthy enough to be released, she had been delighted. Much as she complained about her elder brother's antics, the apartment they shared had felt empty and quiet in the two weeks he was gone. She had tried staying at her safehouse apartment, but that didn't feel right either. Hanging with the crew helped, but at the end of the day, Becca had to admit she genuinely missed her brother.
Becca had strolled into the clinic, a tiny smile on her face, eyes looking around for her brother. She heard a laugh come from nearby and found Viktor staring at her.
"He's just gone to the bathroom." The ripper replied, waving her over. While she waited for him to emerge, Viktor took the time to go over the after care and medications that Pilar would need to take over the next few days. And the ones he'll need to take for the rest of his days.
"Anything else?" She asked, taking the bag of medication he had prepared.
"Yeah, keep an eye on his behavior." The ripper cautioned. "Under the sterile environment of a clinic, its hard to say what's normal for a patient versus what emotions are being brought out from being stuck here. Oftentimes, someone will seem fine while under their doctor's care, but do a complete one-eighty once they're free."
Becca nodded, having seen what Viktor was talking about when she came to visit him. She had brought him game chips and other forms of entertainment to bide his time while he recovered. But watching him play them wasn't quite the same as it would have been having him home. It didn't help that as much as he would smile upon seeing her, Becca could tell his heart wasn't in it. Even then she suspected, or rather hoped, it was because her brother was tired of being cooped up and drugged up while he recovered.
"Okay, and if I notice anything like that?"
"Get him to talk to you about it if he will, then call me afterwards. If he won't talk, call me right away and we'll go from there." The sound of a toilet flushing alerted them to Pilar's impending return. Becca did her best to locate the source of the sound, finding it a moment later as a door opened to reveal her brother.
At first glance, Pilar looked like he always did: gangly limbs, slim torso, monovision goggles shining, and a mohawk that added a foot to his height when fully erect.
But to Becca, there were clear signs that her brother wasn't fully his normal self. His arms rested loosely at his sides, and he seemed even bonier than before. His usually bright expression was clouded, and his mohawk had fallen flat. There was also the faintest scuff in his steps compared to the usual solid cadence he walked with. A side effect of him still getting used to having cyberlegs – as Viktor had given him the option of having one or both legs replaced. Pilar had decided to have both of them replaced for better balance overall.
"Hey bro, just got your medical goodie bag from the doctor here." Becca held up the bag and gave it a slight shake. "You ready to get out of this hole? No offense."
"None taken."
"I guess." Her brother took a moment to stretch and adjust his jacket, stopping momentarily near one of the beds to pick up a plastic shopping bag that contained his belongings. "Thanks for patching me up doc. 'preciate it."
"No trouble. Just remember what I told you, and call me if anything feels off." Viktor gave a nod, dismissing the two as he wished them well as they made their way out of the clinic.
"So, we walkin' back home or?" Pilar questioned as he followed her out of the clinic.
"Brought the Colby." Becca lead him over to their shared truck, "you wanna drive?"
"Nah." He shook his head and moved towards the passenger's side. "Still getting used to these things. Don't want to accidentally break the pedals or something." Pilar let out a half-hearted chuckle as he tapped his right leg on the ground before hopping in.
"Talk to Maine or Dorio." Becca replied as she took her place behind the wheel. "They seem to manage driving just fine with cyberlegs."
"Maybe." The techie let out a hum in reply, forehead coming to rest against the passenger window. Understanding her brother's desire for a quiet ride, Becca kept her attention focused on the road as she navigated them back to their Northside apartment. He had gotten out of the truck, face lighting up just slightly as he followed her inside and to their apartment.
"Welcome home bro." Becca gave him a hug as he stepped inside. She had taken the time to clean the place up, but if Pilar noticed, he didn't say anything. Instead, he returned the hug before navigating to his bedroom. Becca heard the slight thump of his body striking the mattress, along with the content groan he let out at being back in his own place. Shaking her head, she poked her head into her brother's room, seeing him stretching out on his bed. "Glad to be back?"
"Yeah." Pilar rolled over as far as he could to one side, before rolling back. He took a deep breath and heaved a discontent sigh. "I don't know how Gloria did a month under Trauma's care. I wanted out after my fourth day...least when I was conscious enough to realize what was going on."
"Well, you're out now." She reminded him, once again shaking the bag of medication she had been given. "Just take your medications and you can get back out there. Speaking of, Viktor said you're due for another dose in about an hour. Preferably taken with food. Got anything you want to eat?"
"Whatever you decide to make." Pilar stood up then, removing his shoes and jacket before shedding his pants. Now clad in nothing but a pair of black boxer briefs, Becca got her first full look at his new legs. She knew they were the same size as his original legs, but now had a matte gray color to them (the step up from the cheapest option of 'black rubber') instead of the natural pale cream color of his skin. Letting out a yawn, he flopped back onto his bed. "Just wake me up when its time. Alright?"
"Alright..." Becca nodded her head, stepping out of his room to check their kitchen for something to make her brother. Normally, an offer from one of them to cook for the other was met with a response for something ridiculous – only to be shot down with something super cheap. A hold-over from the early days of being on their own when food options were limited. Her brother's outright dismissal of her offer made her worry, but she chalked it up to him still being worn out from his stay at the clinic. "Give him time..."
Over the next few days, Pilar's disposition didn't seem to be improving. Every time she asked how he was feeling, he told her he was fine or just a little tired but nothing beyond that. Physically, that seemed to be true as Becca would watch him move about the apartment, tinkering with some piece of tech or another. Emotionally, her brother seemed to have dialed it back somewhat. The techie still laughed and smiled when various members of the crew called or stopped by to check in on him. But even they could sense that there was something off about his replies.
Becca's suspicions were confirmed when she had come home from picking up dinner to find her brother sitting at his desk, staring blankly at some of his magazine collection. Peering over his shoulder, she did her best to try and see what kinds (the shock at the chance of it being nudie magazines long faded) but there didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to the collection.
"Eddy for your thoughts?" She took a seat on his bed, the bag she was holding left on the floor as she reached out a hand to rest on his arm.
"It's nothing. Just tired-"
"Bruh, tired would be you falling asleep sitting up, again." Becca smiled fondly, recalling the times she'd found him doing that. Closer now, her eyes drifted down to the magazine collection, now able to clearly see the titles and topics. "Not staring blankly at...Men's health magazines?"
"It's complicated." Pilar made an attempt to cover his desk as Becca reached for one of the magazines, but quickly gave up the fight. "It's just. I don't know. I-I just, don't feel like myself. Like, I felt fine going to the mall, and even while fighting. But now? Shit. I don't know how I feel."
"Viktor warned me this might happen. Called it trauma-induced depression or something like that. Said I should call if I noticed anything off about you." The green-haired girl admitted, starting to rub her brother's arm comfortingly.
"He warned me about it too." Pilar nodded, shoulders slumping. "And gave me the same advice but..." He grunted, mouth moving into a scowl at someone or something. "It just seems so, I don't know...The thought of it makes me feel weak? Minus V, look at the rest of the crew. They're still running about, doin' their thing. Falco's doin' work for his friends in the Badlands. Maine's looking for work. David's been training, and Jackie's been helpin' his mum."
"None of them lost a leg and nearly bled out." Becca gripped his arm. "David has to live with the guilt that he let Faraday get away. Falco had to get a new hand. Jackie might have lost his best choom. And Maine's stressing over the fact that this might have screwed not only him but all of us. Oh, and let's not forget that V went cyberpsycho and nearly fried himself."
"All of them are still mostly intact." The techie shrugged out of her grip. "None of them suffered the same loss I did."
Becca didn't respond as she continued to half-listen to her brother rant about how life was finally turning around for him. How he finally had a good set of wheels, a nice place to live, and people who cared about him. How he had finally gotten a girlfriend who genuinely seemed to be looking for something long-term instead of the usual flings he got.
"...not gonna want me now that I'm half the man I used to be." He whined, head hitting the desk with a dull thump. That thump, along with registering what Pilar said flipped a switch in Becca's brain as she realized what was wrong.
"Pilar? This is going to be awkward as hell for me to say and probably for you to hear. So listen up as I'm only gonna say this once." Becca took a deep breath as Pilar raised his head to look at her. "Are you upset because you lost your penis?"
She watched her brother cringe at that, but after a moment, he nodded. "I mean, I get that I should be thankful that I'm still alive...But, that was little Pilar and his cherries. Do you have any idea how degrading it is when I have to sit and pee?"
"Like I don't do that anyways?" Becca quipped, trying to break her brother out of the spiral he was starting to fall into with weaponized snark.
"You don't have to clean your hairy wound afterwards." Pilar muttered something intelligible as he returned his head to the desk and covered it with his arms. "Just leave me alone."
"Pilar."
"I said get out." Muffled as it was, she could hear the hurt and anger in his voice.
"Fine, I'll go..." Becca picked up the bag containing their dinner and opened it. Removing one of the styrofoam containers within, she set it on his desk along with some plastic cutlery and a Spunky Monkey. Her brother's head looked up slightly, and she could tell he was staring at her offering. "Here's dinner if you want it."
Taking the rest of the bag, Becca stepped out of her brother's room, barely catching the muttered thanks he sent her way. Letting out a sigh, Becca took a seat at their table and removed her own dinner. Idly, she debated following Viktor's advice to call him but what advice could the man give?
"Probably will just prescribe some pills or send him to a shrink." From what she had seen and heard, Viktor Vector was a good man and a good doctor. And Becca was willing to admit she may have been feeling a little bitter at seeing her brother so broken up. Pilar had always been, well, a pillar of strength when they were growing up. He had kept her warm when they were living on the streets in the early days of leaving their druggie parents. And gave her more than a fair share of what little food they could get their hands on. And he always, always kept both her and him smiling.
To see him now so dejected was jarring, and Becca decided she really didn't like that and was going to do whatever she could to pick him up the way he always picked her up when she was down.
01010100 01010010 01000001 01001110 01010011 01000110 01000101 01010010 01001001 01001110 01000111
After making sure her brother was comfortable for the day, Becca took the first steps towards trying to help her brother recover. Her first order of business had been placing a call to Viktor, explaining what her brother had told her. As Becca had guessed, the ripper's answer had been that he could supply Pilar with some antidepressants, but with no guarantee they'd help with more than allowing him to 'make it through the day'. Or have him come in and talk with Misty, who in his words, was better at dealing with the emotional side of trauma than he was.
Calling Gloria yielded a similar result to Viktor, with her also mentioning antidepressants. But her full metal MILF also offered up some simple stretching exercises that would help him recover, and possibly help treat his depression at the same time.
["No guarantees on that last part, but I've known more than a few guys who strained or injured their groins that its helped."] She said, sending over some exercises for Pilar to try out at his leisure. She had thanked Gloria, promising to bring Pilar by for a visit at some point in time, before disconnecting the call.
Her next call was to the couples of the crew. Maine and Dorio both admitted they had no idea, but offered to help Becca anyway they could if something was figured out. David had no clue either, and Lucy parroted Vik's suggestion of having him talk to Misty.
Her list of contacts was getting thin, leaving only Falco, Jackie, and Kiwi left on the list of people she could try. The option to call Jackie was taken off the table when she remembered he was dating Misty, and no doubt would also recommend a visit to her. Or possibly to the Cojo for some drinks to try and get Pilar so drunk that he'd forget his troubles for awhile. Then again, the warning on one of his medicines did state to avoid alcohol so, that was out.
"Falco or Kiwi first? Kiwi. Might as well get it over with..." Becca muttered while she dialed Kiwi. After a moment, the netrunner answered the call with her usual indifference.
["What do you want short stuff?"]
["I'll keep it brief. Pilar's really down in the dumps about everything that happened. Do you have any ideas on how to help pull him out?"]
["Sorry, but I'm better at tech support than emotional support."] Kiwi replied, sounding faintly sympathetic towards Becca's plight. ["Going to guess that calling me means you're at the end of the rope?"]
["Pretty much. Falco's the only one I haven't tried...and I doubt he's got the answer either."]
["You never know."] She heard what might have been a breathy laugh from the woman. ["That man is full of surprises."]
["That's true..."] Becca agreed. ["Well, thanks anyways Kiwi."]
["It's nothing. Good luck."] Before she could say anything more, Kiwi disconnected the call leaving Becca blinking in confusion.
"Was Kiwi just nice to us?" Her inner monologue asked, making outer Rebecca nod. "Yeah, she was...Call Falco now?"
"Yeah, call him now." The Inner voice replied, sending out the call to their resident driver. Next to Kiwi, Falco was the member of the crew who Becca had the least amount of communication with outside of gigs. Understandably, the man was more than a little confused when she explained her reason for calling. She expected him to give a similar response to Maine, but instead.
["Think I've an idea that'll help, but it'll take a little time."] He drawled. ["Let me make a few calls myself, and I'll get back to you, alright?"]
["Uh, sure. Take all the time you need."] She nodded, even though he couldn't see. ["Thanks Falco, really appreciate anything you can do for us."]
After hanging up with Falco, Becca found her mind racing as she tried to figure out what their driver had come up with that no one else in the crew had seemed able to. The man knew of the pairs hatred of chems, so something on the "pharmaceutical" end of the spectrum seemed unlikely. Therapy also seemed unlikely, as she knew Falco's idea of therapy was a visit with 'Lady bourbon'. Wait, was there a crack surgeon with the Nomads that might operate on her brother's brain and reset it?
Shaking her head, Becca decided to spend her time waiting doing something more constructive than just sitting and thinking. The green-haired girl had tried to get her brother to join her in a game of Quadracer or Hishou Panzer (or whatever the name of that mech-fighter game he liked was, she could never remember or pronounce it right). But Pilar declined, choosing instead to remain in bed, reading a magazine.
"You sure bro?" He nodded. "Want me to at least make you something to eat?"
"Nah. I'll get up and make something myself in a little bit..." Becca had her doubts about him doing that, but she gave him a smile and agreed. Idly, she debated calling the crew back, see if anyone wanted to come over and hang out with her and Pilar. Or maybe try and get her brother to call his girlfriend and have her come over.
She would have called her herself, but didn't know her number. Scratch that, Becca didn't even know his girlfriend's name. Then again, Pilar only seemed to supply that information when the relationship ended and he'd be drunkenly bitching. Or if the relationship somehow lasted longer than a couple weeks (So far, that list contained only three names) and he wanted to brag about it. Other sisters might have been offended, but Becca knew it was just how her brother operated.
Shrugging it off, Becca went and prepared herself something to eat before retreating to her room to get some practice in on a few games herself. She had just finished beating Pilar's time on the stone track in Quadracer when she was alerted to an incoming call. The smile beating his time put on her face grew as she saw that it was Falco getting back to her.
["What you got for me?"]
["Hello to you too."] Falco laughed away her rudeness. ["Anyways. After talking with a few friends of mine, I think I've found the answer to your problem."]
["Gimme the deets."]
["Fair warning, this isn't going to be cheap."] The driver cautioned. ["But if you don't mind paying out of pocket for some seriously rare chrome. I may have found something that will put some pep back in Pilar's step."]
["How much we talkin'?"] Becca didn't care if she had to sell everything she had to help her brother. But she still wanted to know how badly this would set them back.
["Thirty thousand eddies should do it, likely less if you're any good at haggling."] She gasped. It was...cheaper than she expected to hear, but it would still cost her nearly everything she had set aside for cases like this.
["But that's honestly a steal for something like this."] He added, assuring her as if he understood her trepidation.
["Really?"] There wasn't a lot of weight behind her argument. ["And pray tell, what 'seriously rare chrome' is worth me spending thirty k on?"]
["Girl, I ain't tellin' you what you're buying cause you ain't gonna believe me."] She could almost see him shaking his head. ["Look, if you're interested. Gonna need you to load your eddies on a spare chip."]
["And then?"] Becca's intrigue and desire to help her brother was overriding her annoyance at not know what she was getting into.
["Then I'm gonna come get ya, and we'll go from there."]
["Alright cowboy, I'm trusting you on this one."] She gave him the okay, eyes looking around her room for a spare cred chip. She found one after a moment on her bedside table. ["How soon can you get here?"]
["About an hour."]
Falco disconnected the call, leaving Becca in momentary surprise. Eager as she was to help her brother, she hadn't expected Falco to be able to show up same day. Picking up the chip, Becca transferred the funds over to it and took to getting ready to buy...Whatever the hell she had just agreed to purchase.
01010100 01010010 01000001 01001110 01010011 01000110 01000101 01010010 01001001 01001110 01000111
Falco may not have been close with anyone on the crew, but never let it be said that the man wasn't loyal. He had rolled up to Becca's apartment right on time, and even stopped in for a few minutes to chat with Pilar. Her brother had decided to take over the couch, a six pack of beer and a plate of microwave pizza bites on the small table before him. The sight both cheered and hurt Becca; Cheered because her brother had been honest about making himself something to eat. Hurt because he was just sitting there, mindlessly surfing channels instead of his usual go to of playing an FPS and cussing out whomever his opponent was. Falco seemed to sense that this was a little out of the ordinary for the techie, and made the offer of him joining them while they ran some errands.
"Nah. Kind of got my afternoon planned already." Pilar gestured to his current set up, grabbing a pizza bite as he did. "Thanks though."
"Alright, well if you change your mind and want to hang out later, give me a call." Falco offered before looking to Becca. "Ready to go?"
"Just let me get my shoes on." She moved back into her room, and slipped her shoes on. Double checking that she had the cred chip in her jacket, along with her usual armaments. Returning to the common area, she gave Falco a nod that she was ready before looking back at her brother. "You need anything while were out?" Pilar closed his eyes and shook his head, dismissing the two with a wave of his hand as he opened up a beer. "Alright, let's go."
Wishing Pilar goodbye, Falco lead Becca down to where he had parked the Edgerunner. Only once Becca was settled in the passenger's seat and the car in motion did Falco start to address the elephant in the room.
"See what you meant about Pilar being out of it. Man didn't even twitch when I mentioned the rumor that street racing's going to be starting up again sometime in the next few weeks." Falco tapped a hand on the steering wheel. "Know the man's been dying to test his metal with the Colby in them."
"Told you." Becca cleared her throat, "that's why I'm hoping whatever you've lined up is going to bring him back to normal...Well, at least to what passes as normal for him." She looked over at the driver. "Speaking of, what's the deal with this friend of yours?"
"Not a friend, but a collector. Richard Longshaft." The man replied, making Becca raise her eyebrows. "And before you ask, I have no idea if that's his real name or not. He's a tech collector whose agreed to part with one of the pieces in his collection. Problem is, he's also paranoid to an impressive degree when it comes to trading away his collection."
"That why he wants the money on a chip instead of a direct transfer?"
"Yup. Think he feels chips are safer as they can be scanned before being slotted." Falco laughed, shaking his head. "Course, that's still not a guarantee against hidden daemons or code but." He shrugged.
"So what, we give him the chip – he gives us the chrome?"
"Not quite." The driver raised a hand, asking for silence. "Once he sees the money, Richard will lead us to where the goods are being kept. Only then will the items trade hands. He'll get his eddies, and you'll get your chrome."
"Argh! That is so stupid." She tugged at her pigtails. "Why do we need to jump through so many hoops? Can't we just meet in a dive bar somewhere, make the exchange and go our separate ways?" Becca's head hit the dashboard. "Like, is he hoping we back out of the deal so he doesn't have to sell part of his collection?"
"No. Again, he's just paranoid. In my experience, most collectors are given the perceived value of their collections." The smile on Falco's face told Becca that this wasn't his first rodeo dealing with odd collectors. "But from what Xander's told me, the guy's reliable if you can tolerate his BS."
"Wait. Xander put you in communication with this guy?" Becca turned in her seat, eyes wide. It was bad enough being friends with the best friend of the Watson Whore. But to now find out that said whore was the one who helped orchestrate this whole thing? "Okay, now I really gotta know what I'm shelling out thirty thousand eddies for."
"Sorry, but that's a surprise." His cybernetic hand left the steering wheel to rest on her shoulder as she once again groaned and hit her head on the dashboard. "Don't worry, you'll find out soon enough."
"I better." She jerked away from his hand and sat back up. Seeming ever indifferent, Falco just hummed and focused back on the road. As he did, Becca was struck by an odd realization. "Wait, why are you helping me with this? Couldn't you have just given me the deets and sent me on my way?"
"I could have yes." Falco admitted. "But one. You and your brother are decent people whose company I'll admit I enjoy. And two, which is my main reason for doing this. Seeing the look on your face once you see what you've bought." He coughed, or maybe it was a poorly disguised laugh. "Gonna be worth all this cloak and dagger Richard and Xander are putting us through."
In reply, Becca just grumbled and rested her head against the window. She hoped Falco knew how lucky he was that he was the one driving...Because they would have been stuck in a guardrail by now if he wasn't.
01010100 01010010 01000001 01001110 01010011 01000110 01000101 01010010 01001001 01001110 01000111
A short time later Becca found herself near Coyoacan in The Glen, waiting alongside Falco for their contact. The two of them were leaning up against the Edgerunner in plain sight – something 'Mr. Longshaft' had requested of them. After a few minutes, the pair were approached by what Becca could only describe as an offensively stereotypical male Joytoy. The only things that made him stand out from the dozens like him standing on every street corner of Night City were the cybernetic arm he was holding to his chest, and the baseball cap he had pulled down, covering his eyes.
"This our guy?" Becca whispered to Falco, catching the tiny bob of the driver's head even as the Joytoy addressed them.
"You chooms lookin' for a good time?" He propositioned the pair, but before Becca could tell him off Falco intervened.
"No, we're lookin' for a long time." He emphasized that one word, making the Joytoy lift his hat.
"Really? You got the eddies to prove it?" The man held out his cybernetic arm, and Falco motioned for Becca to hand over the chip.
"Yeah, yeah." Becca handed the chip over to the stranger. "Can I have my chrome now?"
"Tsk tsk. Patience little one. Good things come to those who wait." He took a moment to scan the chip. "Very good, I can see you two are serious." He handed back the chip, confusing Becca. "Richard Longshaft, or Dick if you prefer. At your service."
"You know, I've always wondered..." Becca stared at their seller with almost mild amusement. "How does one get dick from Richard?"
"Just ask." The man winked, before moving between the two to throw his arms around their shoulders. "Now, if you'll both be so kind as to follow me?"
Richard started walking towards Coyoacan, leading Becca and Falco along with him. They followed him past the shopping center and down an alley just big enough for a box truck to fit down to an unmarked garage door. Releasing the pair, Richard swiped a card before typing in a code on a nearby keypad. With a loud click, the lock on the door disengaged and he opened it just high enough for them to step inside. Overhead lights came to life as the door closed, revealing various cases and shelves holding assorted pieces of cyberware and other chrome.
"Give me a moment to grab your chrome. Feel free to browse my collection while you wait." The seller gestured to the shelves, before moving towards the back of the garage. Falco nodded, the man wandering over to admire the assortment of cyberarms. Becca followed Falco, but kept her eyes on Richard the whole time. After a few minutes, they heard Richard call them over. "Alright, I'll take my eddies now, and you can take your chrome."
He held up a sleek black briefcase with one hand, his other held out with the palm open. Looking to Falco for confirmation, Becca accepted the case and handed over the eddies. Richard pocketed the chip and moved to open the garage door.
"Pleasure doin' business with you tw-"
"Hang on, we're not done here yet." Becca put the case down on a nearby table. "I want to finally see what I just bought."
Becca didn't notice the grin to cross Falco's face, or the amused smile that moved onto Richard's. Her thumbs flicked the latches on the case opened and she opened up the case to reveal a...
Actually, she wasn't sure what she was looking at.
Okay, she knew what she was looking at – Mr. Studs didn't try to hide what they were.
However... this one? In her eyes it was a horror ride in the form of a man's genitals. Becca couldn't just call it intimidating, as that would have been an understatement. Uncountable hentai BD producers would say tone it down, that it was too much. Any part of her that wanted to be adventurous in the bedroom and try new things retreated under a blanket and debated joining a convent. Not an unappealing idea, given that the head of this damned thing was near biblical in scale. Much to Rebecca's dismay there was no angel telling her to 'be not afraid'. No, it seemed both God and Satan decided to abandon her the moment this thing was beheld by the eyes of mankind. The longer her eyes were upon the unknowable eldritch horror, the more a sense of unease started eating at her. Fuck, even if she wasn't sub-five feet tall, this thing looked like it would rip her in half.
The tip would rip her open, and the shaft would impale her.
Without being powered.
Like a moth to a flame, her hand moved on its own to touch but stopped just shy of touching the shaft. She wanted to know what it felt like, but at the same time? She was afraid to learn the truth. Never mind that this...abomination was going to be attached to her brother. Her eyes followed the shaft, seeing the forest of creases and vine-like raised lines that simulated a vein. Each one seeming a tally mark for whatever victims it had or will eventually claim. Eventually Becca's gaze reached the base of the shaft, finding a thick set of majestic kintama contained within their pillowcase, hanging loosely as if they were at peace. "Oh God, it has a sack? Why does it have testicles!?"
"WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS THING!?" Becca practically slammed the case shut and secured the latches, the perplexed and horror-struck expression on her face alone was demanding an answer. Falco could do little more than laugh, clutching his chest and claiming he was gonna die at seeing her reaction. Fortunately, Richard seemed a bit more collected and offered her an answer.
"A limited run, celebrity replica model Mr. Studd – The Dong-of-Dafoe." The tech collector almost sounded proud. "Understandably, given your reaction, it was recalled due to poor sales. However, they do occasionally show up on the market. And that one is mint – never been taken out of that case."
Becca looked to Falco, who was dabbing at his eyes with a handkerchief. "Wh-why!?"
"Told you, put some pep back in Pilar's step." The driver replied, smiling like the cat that caught the mouse.
"I know!" The green-haired girl whined, holding the case. "But I didn't think that meant giving him a third leg!"
"It's not that ba-"
"It's that bad!" Becca stomped her foot "I paid all these eddies, and everything about this is wrong! The whole set up of this gig was wrong! The handling of it was wrong! I paid my eddies without checking the goods first! The goods I bought are...Wrong on so many levels. And now this wrongness is going to be attached to my brother!?" She groaned, mind trying to recover from the time she spent staring at the indescribable horror that was the Dong-of-Dafoe. "Ugh, let's just get out of here."
"Thanks Richard, really 'preciate this." Falco tipped his head as Richard once again opened the door. Traumatized as she was, Becca was thankful that the old gentleman had taken care of the pleasantries as she stepped out into the alleyway with Falco just behind her. Behind them, the door rolled shut with a final thunk. "I'd say that went well."
"Well enough." She shook her head, holding the case as far away from her body as she could securely. Eyes fixed anywhere but on the case as they moved back towards the Edgerunner. "So...You really think this will help my brother?"
"If the chrome won't, your reaction to it will at least make him smile." Becca's eyes narrowed, glaring at the man who was now holding up a media ocuset. "What? I told you what I was getting out of this."
"Falco, you dapper son of a bitch!" She couldn't bring herself to actually be angry at the guy. After all, he had just given her what seemed to be the simple solution to what was the complex problem. "Damn, not sure I want to tell you not to show that to the crew..."
'You know as well as I do your brother's gonna want to show it off to everyone." Falco gave her a sympathetic look, and Becca could only sigh as she realized he was right. "I say, while you sit there stone-faced with me, we enjoy the reactions of the crew."
"And when they wonder why I'm not shocked?"
"I'll show them your reaction." Once again, he wiggled the ocuset before returning it to the pocket of his jacket even as he unlocked the Edgerunner. She grumbled, but knowing the hoops they had jumped through to get the chrome? Figured he earned it. On the heels of that revelation came another question, one that took nearly all of Becca's focus.
"Wait. Why weren't you shocked by-"
"Don't move!"
Becca froze, feeling the barrel of a gun pressed to her back. Glancing to the side, she noticed Falco in a similar state of surprise, and could just make out a figure standing behind the driver. Caught off guard, both of them failed to notice a third man rush over and grab the case from Becca's hand.
"Got it! Let's move!" The gonk that grabbed the case hollered as he took off. His two buddies shoving Becca and Falco aside before moving to join their buddy.
"Oh no you don't!" Becca recovered her footing faster than anyone expected and moved towards the goons. Rolling up her sleeves, one of the gangoons took the gesture as a challenge and raised his gun – the old revolver looked so rusted that Becca wondered if it had been pulled from the waters around Pacifica. Before Becca could deploy her arm cannons, the gonk fired a single shot. The bullet plinked off one of her synthetic arms, the impact barely tearing the fake skin to cover the mechanical aspects.
"Did you just try to shoot me? With that rusty scrap-shit revolver?!" Becca couldn't decide if she should laugh or be furious at how stupid this gangoon was. The gonk tried to fire off another shot, but the gun jammed up. Before she realized what happened, the gun was flying through the air and connected with her face. It connected, and did more damage than the actual shot. The impact also served as enough of a distraction for the goon to join his friends in running away.
"I'm gonna kill you!" Becca screamed, guns out and ready to go as she started to give chase to the brats.
01010100 01010010 01000001 01001110 01010011 01000110 01000101 01010010 01001001 01001110 01000111
Alright, so maybe perusing three gonk gangoons on foot when there was a perfectly good set of wheels at her disposal wasn't her best idea. But Becca was a four foot embodiment of fury and soon to be pain in their asses. That measurement of rage wasn't including how pissed off she was at the situation in the first place. Bad enough those gonks had gotten the drop on her because of how distracted she was over her purchase. But for them to then steal her purchase? Fuck. It was frustrating, but an understandable possibility in Night City.
Still, that wasn't what she was most infuriated by. No, the thing that was pissing her off the most about the whole situation?
The fact that she had been blindsided by craptastic firearms.
Becca supposed she should be thankful that they had such shit armaments. Because it also meant that they also couldn't afford any speedware or other cyberware. About the only thing they had on her was a head start...and longer legs. Meanwhile, she had optical camo, fortified ankles, and built in guns in addition to Guts and his Little Brother (she really needed to give him a proper name). Oh, and pure fury and spite fueling her enraged pursuing.
["I've got your six with the car. Let me know if they get wheels."]
["Thanks Falco."] Becca sent back, still running after the goons with Little Brother drawn. She would have loved to use Guts, but his recoil would have only slowed her down. She fired off a shot as one of them stopped long enough to make note of Falco now pursuing them as well, hollering for them to take the stairs that lead to the elevated walkway to run between the buildings. ["Shit, they're on the walkways."]
["There's only one way down from there. Moving to intercept."]
Becca let out an affirmative grunt, still tailing behind the gonk trio. She was surprised they hadn't tried to split up, but reasoned they were thinking safety in numbers if they stopped dodging long enough for her to get a clear shot. They were weaving around support pillars, cutting through buildings, and doing whatever they could to keep her back. For once in her life, Becca was thankful for her shorter stature, as it gave her a broader spectrum of paths she could take. Oh, they had to slow down a little to duck under a fallen awning? Becca was able to maintain her speed and just run under it.
"Shit, she's been chasing us for fifteen minutes now!" One of the goons cursed, following his buddies down an alleyway. With a grunt, he knocked over a stack of boxes, as if that would slow her down.
"Fuck you!" Becca fired back, firing off a shot that just missed the box thrower's leg as he rounded a corner. The shot alerted a nearby group of what might have been Valentinos or Sixth Streeters (Becca really wasn't paying attention, she just knew they both operated around Heywood). The gangers fired off a few shots of their own at the running quartet, but either didn't deem them worth the time. Or just couldn't actually be bothered.
As the goons came even with another staircase leading back down to the main roads, Becca glanced over her shoulder to confirm that they weren't being followed, catching sight of the Edgerunner waiting on the street below. The thieving gonks weren't as observant, and proceeded to run down the stairs.
["Falco! They're on their way down!"]
["I see 'em!"] The screeching of the Edgerunner's tires alerted her that Falco was on the move as she made her own descent down the stairs. Startled, by the sound, the goons hesitated a moment, deciding to dart down one of the side alleyways. Becca followed them, hearing the Edgerunner drive away to intercept them where they would eventually pop out. ["You still with them?"]
["Yeah! We're just passing by that Pinche Pollo place. Moving under the highway now!"] She called back, watching as the goons ran out from under the highway...only to pop out just a few building fronts away from a familiar apartment building. "Come on, stay the course you gonks."
Luck was on her side and the goons were on perfect course to run past David (and Lucy's) place. Even better was that her second favorite set of lovebirds was currently approaching the entrance to the apartment, both looking like they were just returning from a walk.
"Out of the way scrubs!" The case-holding gonk hollared as he passed by, making Lucy and David jump in surprise as the other two ran past. The two followed the goons for just a moment, before the sound of Becca's own heavy footfalls made them turn and realize she was what they appeared to be running from.
"Becca?" She heard David call out to her, and responded with the only thing currently on her mind.
"Help me dammit! Gangoons took my penis!" Becca sprinted past them, only briefly noticing that their faces had taken on a look best described as ' has crashed'.
["Falco, just ran past David's place. Bringing him and Lucy into the call!"] She relayed over the holo, dialing the pair in.
["Comin' that way now."]
["Becca? You good?"] Lucy answered, sounding concerned but confused.
["The fuck was that about?"] Trust David to get right to the heart of the matter.
["Long story short. Bought my brother a new dick, and those idiotic gangoons stole it. Trying to get it back. Could use a little extra speed on my side."]
["On it."] That was all the warning Becca got before she was grabbed from behind by David, who had fired off his Sandevistan to catch up with her. ["Lucy's pinging their location, but we should be able to catch them."]
["Falco just grabbed me. We're following you."]
["They went down that alley."] Becca pointed for David's benefit, and he dropped her at one end before firing off his sandy again to dart down the alley and catch them in a pincer movement. Trapped between them, Becca got her first good look at the trio. The clothes they were wearing were patched and ragged, and what little chrome she could see on them looked out of date. There were no tattoos, chains, or other marks that identified them as belonging to one of the major gangs to run the area. In short? They were just a bunch of street punks out to make a quick eddy. "You've got to be kidding me."
"Fuck. Knew this was a bad idea." The goon who had thrown his gun at Becca cursed, deciding to try and make a break for it. Not seeing any weapons in David's hands, the goon decided that was the safer way to try and run. He didn't count on David's hands being weapons all their own, and was quickly blindsided by David's forearm connecting with his throat. With a choking croak, the goon doubled over, coughing all the while. This made him an easy target for David to strike him a few more times before picking him up and throwing him against the wall and out of the way.
Seeing what happened to his friend, the second and largest member of the group figured Becca might have been the easier target, and decided to try his luck. He was just a few inches taller than David, but as skinny as Lucy. That didn't stop him from trying to use his height to his advantage and intimidate her. He pulled out his own pistol, and while it wasn't a rusted piece of shit like his downed companions had been. Becca could clearly see the lack of maintenance that had been done on it. It looked like it could maybe fire two or three shots before it would either jam, or break outright.
"You call that a gun?" Becca glared, and with a practiced ease raised her arms to drop the sleeves of her jacket back. At the same time, she popped out both her arm cannons and leveled one at his head, and the other at his groin. Startled, the gonk took a step backwards and dropped his own gun in sudden fear for his life. "Oh come on..."
Deciding he wasn't worth wasting the ammo, Becca put away the cannon pointed at his crotch even as he moved to recover his gun. "No! Bad gonk!" She darted forward, knee connecting with his forehead as he leaned down. The gonk groaned, hands clutching his head as he fell over. Now on his back, she kicked him in the side before delivering a heavy stomp to his chest. Like his buddy before, all the gonk could do was roll on the ground, coughing and whining in pain.
Her attention shifted then to the third member of the group, the one holding the case. Both her and David moved in closer, and she heard Falco and Lucy moving in behind her. One arm cannon out, Becca held the guy hostage.
"Shit! Shit!" The case-holder backpedaled, letting out a yelp as his back hit the wall. "The fuck is in this case that you want it back so bad!?"
"Wait." Becca threw her arms out to the side, stopping the movement of her friends. "You mean to tell me. You stole that case without knowing what's in there?"
"That's a whole new level of stupid" Falco tipped his head in apology at David. "Kid, I take back everything I said about you when you first joined."
"Huh?"
"I...We...Saw the exchange." He hugged the case. "Protective box like this? Has to be something preem."
"And you thought you could klep it and make a quick eddy by hocking it?" Falco guessed, and Becca caught the side eye he was giving her. "What do you think partner? Should we let him see what he was gonna try and sell?"
"Sure." The idea made Becca start to cackle, while Lucy and David seemed confused. ["You still got that ocuset?"]
["Eeyup. Hang on."] Falco slipped the headset on and started it recording. ["And we're good."]
"Alright." Becca looked back to the guy, eyes dancing with mischief. "I'm feeling generous today. Give me my goods back, and I'll spare you the beating we gave your buddies. Oh, and just so there's no hard feelings, I'll even let you see what caused all this trouble in the first place."
Apparently the thought of getting away without a beating was a good enough offer for the case-holder. He nodded, setting it down on a nearby trash can so he could better open it. Curious themselves, Lucy and David moved closer, making Falco snort and causing Becca to grin even more. The latches clicked open with a chunk that briefly echoed through the alley. The case opening smoothly to reveal the treasure within.
"What the-! The fuck is wrong with you!?" The goon backpedaled so fast, he failed to notice the empty beer bottle on the ground behind him. His foot connected with the bottle, causing him to slip and conk his head against the wall, knocking him out cold. That reaction only furthered Lucy's and David's curiosity, and the two lovebirds took their chances and looked inside the case.
"Oh...Oh my..." In the time she spent staring at it, Lucy's face transitioned from its usual pale white through half of the red spectrum before finally ending at 'candy apple'. "Puh-Puppy?"
David wasn't fairing much better, his own face dusted with crimson as his eyes kept going from the case, to Lucy, then to his own crotch. Once or twice, his eyes left their circuit to stare at her. All the while his expression couldn't decide if it was horrified, envious, or what-the-fuck-is-wrong-with-you as he did.
"I...I know Lucy." David snapped out of his stupor, arms moving to embrace her even as he continued to look at the case. "I'm scared too."
Becca couldn't take it anymore, she hit the ground harden than any of the goons, laughing her ass off. "Ha-ha...Is, is that what I looked like?"
"Kind of." Falco replied, reaching down a hand to help Becca up as she composed herself. "Alright kids, show's over."
Grinning like a Malestrom in a chrome factory, Falco moved over to the case and closed it. The action seemed to break the spell it had over the pair, who blinked and shook their heads, coming back to reality.
"Becca?" David took a deep breath, centering himself.
"Yes?"
"Why?" There was so much weight behind that one word that you would have thought she had killed his entire family instead of just having shown him physical proof of mankind's sins against God and nature.
"Told you. Wanted to get my brother a new dick." Becca shrugged, giving them the most obvious answer.
"This isn't a dick. This is inde...No, indescribable doesn't do this justice. I don't have words for this." He turned his head so it was facing Lucy, but his eyes were still on the case. "What's the opposite of apotheosis?"
"Puppy, you-you know big words. I don't..." Lucy returned his embrace, but her eyes were still focused on the case as well.
"Guys, you know the case is closed right?" Falco held it up, still smiling as their eyes followed it.
"I'm not taking my eyes off that case for fear that's its going to jump out and attack me if I do." Still holding onto Lucy, David shifted so that Lucy was a bit more behind him. Protecting her further from the one-eyed serpent housed within the case.
"Becca, I'm gonna go put this in the car." Falco pointed to the Edgerunner, case clutched in his artificial free hand as he started walking towards the car. "Think we should head to Viktor's place now or?"
"Hmm." She rubbed her chin, thinking as she started following him. She really wanted this to be a surprise for her brother. And even in his despondent state, had a feeling her brother would identify a chrome case and want to know what was inside. The man enjoyed trying to figure out a surprise as much as he enjoyed receiving them. "Got it! I want you to drop me off at my place, then take the package over to Viktor's place. Tell him who its for, and see if he can't squeeze Pilar in for an install today. If he can, let me know and I'll bring Pilar by on the grounds of needing a check-up, and we'll go from there."
"And if he can't see him today?"
"We'll take the soonest appointment possible and do the same thing." The short-stack smiled, pleased with her idea. The sound of scuffing shoes made her stop and look back down the alley, noticing that David and Lucy had only now just started to move. "Hey, you two want to come along for this?"
"No." The pair said as one, moving past her. Clearly the two were still in shock over what they had seen, and now having the knowledge that it was going to be a part of one of their crew?
"Just, let us know how it goes?" David offered, sounding overwhelmed as Lucy nodded.
"Yeah. Give Pilar our regards, will you?" The netrunner added, before looking back at David. "Come on, let's go home. Don't know about you, but I feel like I need a shower."
"Good idea..." He agreed, hand resting gently on the small of Lucy's back as he escorted her back towards their apartment. Becca watched the pair cross the street, before looking back at the alley where the broken thieves still rested.
"Think we should do anything about them?"
"Nah, I think they've suffered enough." Falco replied, the case now securely stored in the Edgerunner. "You want me to send you the reaction footage?"
"Please." There was no shame in Becca's smile as she turned around and climbed into the van. Chuckling, Falco sent over the video he had taken before getting into the driver's seat to take the trip back to Watson.
01010100 01010010 01000001 01001110 01010011 01000110 01000101 01010010 01001001 01001110 01000111
Upon arriving back at the apartment building, Becca was beside herself on how best to bide her time while she waited for the all important phone call. She didn't want to give anything away. And was concerned that, even if his current state of despondence, Pilar would pick up on her drastic change in mood. Trouble-Making Gremlin mode is what he called it anytime she was scheming like this.
Her concerns were for naught, as when she entered their shared apartment, Pilar was lightly snoring on the couch. The plate of pizza bites was empty, and four of the six beers were gone. The fifth was about half-empty, forgotten on the table. "Least he's eating. Hope having alcohol in his system won't fuck up the procedure if Viktor can see him today."
She doubted it would, guessing that the man probably had more than one beat-up drunk dumped on him. Needing something to distract herself, Becca decided to use her time to clean up the small mess her brother had made. The plate went into the sink, the crumbs on it given a preliminary rinse as she dumped the half-full bottle of beer in the sink. Tossing the bottle in the trash, she carried the can back into the living room and cleaned up the other bottles. The crumbs on the table were carefully swept into the bin, before she took to picking up some of the larger bits of trash around the table. She figured she would sweep later to get everything else as she returned the trash can to the kitchen.
No sooner had she set the can down did an internal chime alert her to an incoming call. The excitement she had suppressed with her cleaning coming back as she recognized Viktor's number.
["What's up doc?"] She felt the man's exasperation at the comment, but couldn't help herself.
["Got an opening if you want to bring your brother by."] The ripper replied.
["Hell yeah I do."] She punched the air, looking to her sleeping brother. ["Just got to wake his ass up. Not sure if he's out from drinking or just sleeping his depression away. What should I tell him?"]
["I'm going to give him a call in a minute. Don't worry, I won't tell him the truth of the visit."] Viktor sighed, muttering something about no one needing to know the truth. ["Gonna tell him I've been looking over his case, and that I found something that warrants a further check-up."]
["And I'm guessing if he argues, I drag his ass there?"] Becca was already moving towards her brother. ["What then?"]
["I'll spin him some medical mumbo jumbo before knocking his ass out and...We'll go from there."]
["Nova."] She took a seat on the couch next to her brother, trying to look like she was just casually resting with him. ["See you soon, Vik."]
["Yeah, see you."] Viktor ended the call then, and Becca picked up the remote to start surfing channels as she waited for Viktor to call her brother. It didn't take long, and soon Pilar was mumbling and grumbling as he received a call. Unable to hear what Viktor was saying, Becca had to rely on her brother's expressions to figure out just where in the cover story Vik was. After a moment, she heard her brother let out a annoyed sigh, no doubt done with the call.
"Everything okay?"
"That was our ripper." Pilar still sounded despondent, but Becca could hear a touch of concern in his voice. "Says he found something off about my treatment and needs to see me."
"Oh..." Becca frowned, trying to look concerned while containing her excitement. "Did he say when?"
"Said he can squeeze me in now if I want." Pilar stood up, brushing the crumbs off his clothes.
"And you want to go now?" She raised an eyebrow, surprised that her brother wasn't arguing against it.
"Yeah, might as well just get it over with." He took a moment to stretch. "Just keep the bad news comin' you know? You mind driving me over?"
"Not at all." Becca shut the TV off, getting to her feet and choosing to ignore her brother's negativity. Instead, she motioned for Pilar to follow her. Leading him down the stairs and to their Colby. They made the short drive over to Japantown, and opted to take the back entrance to get into Viktor's clinic. While Becca saw the Edgerunner parked nearby, there was no sign of Falco.
"Ah, there you are Pilar." Viktor greeted him with his usual professional courtesy. "Take a seat and plug in, and we'll get down to business."
"Yeah yeah. Let's get this over with..." Pilar sat heavily on the chair, and Becca watched as the doctor went about giving her brother a basic check-up. She looked away when Viktor instructed Pilar to drop his pants, while still trying to listen to their conversation. After a few moments, she heard Viktor sigh and make some comment about, for want of better terms, plumbing.
"Sure, whatever. Let's just pile on the medical expenses." Her bor shrugged, ignoring Viktor's explanation that fixing this now would avoid more bills in the future. Undeterred, the ripper simply hooked up an IV and began the process of knocking Pilar out so he could operate. Becca spent a few minutes watching Viktor work, before hearing the sound of someone coming in behind her. Turning, she noticed Falco was carrying an old CD case and one of those retro portable boomboxes.
"What's that for?"
"Little something to further help your brother." Falco popped the CD into the boombox, but didn't hit play. "You'll let me know when your bringin' him out of anestesia, right?"
"As agreed." Viktor nodded, eyes never leaving Pilar's crotch as he worked on installing the new piece of chrome.
"You really think this is going to work?" Becca posed the question to the ripper, something she realized she should have done from the start.
"More than likely. In talking with Pilar when I was taking his vitals, aside from the hormonal imbalances it caused, the loss of his genitals has made him feel like less of a man." The ripper picked up some tool or another and continued working. "Much as the pills helped combat some of that, they can only do so much."
"And you think that will help the rest of the way?" She briefly gestured to the chrome Viktor was currently adjusting. "Wait, why didn't you just install a basic model from the start if that was a potential issue?"
"I did." Viktor pointed to a piece of chrome that was now sitting on the table. "Only thing I had in stock when your brother first arrived was that. Its little more than a thumb-sized tube to pee through made to look like a a phallus. I advised Pilar to look into getting a better model, but after seeing how much the treatment just to save him set him back?" Viktor shrugged, "poor guy probably thought he could just tough it out until he had a little more scratch to spare."
"Oh." That took the wind out of Becca's sails. Pilar hadn't breathed a word about how much his treatment had cost, and Becca never bothered to ask out of fear for upsetting her brother.
"Yeah." Viktor left it at that as he made a few more adjustments. "And done. Just need to check that everything's hooked up properly..." The ripper ran a scan, nodding as he started unhooking the IV's. "Everything's green. Just need to wait for the meds to run out of his system."
"Yay!" Becca cheered, a relieved expression taking over her face as she looked at her sleeping brother. It only took a couple minutes more for Pilar to start to stir, the occasional mumble or groan leaving his mouth as he came back to the realm of the conscious. "Pilar? Bro? You good?"
"Beh-Becca?" Pilar rubbed at his visor, "where am I?"
"Viktor's clinic, remember?" She kept her voice gentle, pointing at the ripper who was still sitting at his side.
"You had a problem with your 'plumbing', remember?" Vik prompted, checking something on his tablet. "Don't worry, I fixed you up."
"That why it feels like there's a weight on my crotch?" Pilar finally tilted his head and took a look at his pant-less lower half. His eyebrows joined his hairline, mouth falling open slightly as he stared, seeming perplexed by what he was seeing. "What is this?"
Becca diverted her eyes away as her brother's hand moved down to...inspect his new tool. She heard him laugh, and pointedly stared at his face which was quickly taking on a delighted expression. She watched as Pilar unplugged his personal and stood, as if showing off to the world.
"Your newest piece of chrome." Viktor explained, struggling to maintain professional. "According to this, it's-"
"It's a Dong-of-Dafoe." Pilar answered, voice heavy with emotion. Becca just hid her face in her hands, not bothering to ask why her brother recognized an obscure Mr. Studd. "Where did this even come from?"
"You can thank your sister and your choom over there." Viktor pointed to Becca and Falco.
"It's beautiful!" Forgetting himself, Pilar tried to pull Becca into a hug. "Thank you!"
"Gah! No! No hug until you put on some pants!" Becca pushed her brother away. She didn't mind getting hugs from him, but given that it was only her head that was above his waist? And that he was naked from the waist down! With that...thing between his legs? No, just no.
"I'm with Becca on this one choom." Falco held up his hands as Pilar eyed him. "Though that reminds me, I've got another gift for you. Something that, I think will further improve your mood."
Falco clicked play on the boombox, starting whatever song he had set the CD to. It started off tame enough, the soft melody talking about being down on one's luck. After a moment, the singer instructed his listeners to take a walk in his shoes, claiming he had the cure for all of life's blues.
"I take a look at my enormous pe~nis. And my troubles start a meltin' away."
Pilar howled and clapped in appreciation, ignoring Falco's original denial of a hug to embrace the man. "Shit! I need to set this song as everybody's ringtone when I call them! Who is this, and what song is that?"
"DaVinci's Notebook – Enormous Penis." Falco shoved Pilar away. "You can have the CD and the boombox if you promise to never hug me without pants again."
"Deal!" Pilar glanced down, smiling as he shook his hips. "Did this thing come with an instruction manual? Almost feels like having another arm!"
"This is so fucking stupid and absurd." Becca pulled her jacket up over her head and hid inside it.
"Hey, at least your brother seems to be getting back to...well, what passes as normal for him." Falco offered, placing a comforting hand on Becca's back.
"Yeah, I guess you're right." She poked her head out to look at Falco. "Just wish he'd PUT ON SOME PANTS!" She yelled, head turned towards him but eyes looking past him.
"No! The world deserves to see the beauty that is my dick!" He turned around, grinning. "Oh, I can move it independently?"
When her brother's newly attached wedding tackle began to twitch, then shift, then lift on its own Rebecca felt a whole new level of vile revulsion hit her hard.
Then Pillar made it wiggle and wave, back and forth. Almost like a cat's tail flicking idly or a serpent rising to strike.
The thoroughly traumatized sister could feel some part of her sanity fray like a string cut with a burning blade.
No surprise when she decided she'd had enough.
"That's it, I'm getting out of here." Becca turned on her heels and started walking towards the exit. Just when she thought things couldn't get anymore absurd or ridiculous, a familiar brunette nurse wearing a set of unmarked Trauma Team armor stepped into the clinic. "Oh hey Nadia." Becca greeted her, the realization only kicking in a second later. "Wait, Nadia? What are you doing here?"
"Came to check on Pilar." She answered, pointing inside the clinic where the man was still rambling about his newest upgrade. "He told me he was going to see Viktor for a check-up. Saw the Edgerunner parked outside and figured I'd take a chance and see if he was still here. Which, I can see that he is. What, exactly did he have done?"
Pilar turned around at that exact moment, dick swaying proudly as he did.
"Never mind..." Nadia somehow managed to look both morbidly shocked and almost perversely delighted, "I...I can see what he had done."
"Yeah." Becca's brow furrowed, brain trying to piece everything to happen in the last few minutes together. "Wait, why did Pilar call you? No better question, why does he even have your number?"
"Didn't he tell you?" Nadia looked down at her, confused. "We're dating."
Before Becca could process the revelation, Pilar noticed the latest visitor to the clinic.
"Nadia baby! You're here!" By some miracle, Becca dodged the bullet that was her brother as he pulled Nadia in for a hug. "Hey, check this out."
Those words triggered Rebecca's fight or flight response. That response was to get the fuck out of that clinic, ASAP.
"Nope! I do not need to see this!" Becca covered her eyes, before burying her face in her hands. "Look, first getting that heathen of a dick. Then the chase with the gangoons. Then my brother's reaction and Falco's taste in music. Now this dating revelation?" She groaned and turned away, determined not to be stopped by anyone or anything. "Would one of you mind giving that gonk a ride home? I'm...Gonna go hang out with Gloria, or maybe David and Lucy. All I know is that I've hit my weird shit tolerance for the day. Goodbye."
With that, Becca gave a final nod of her head before stepping out and away from the chaos going on behind her.
She spent the rest of the night trying to forget about what she'd seen.