Afterlife, two days later
POV: Sasha
Afterlife's loud but familiar. Bass in the floor, lights doing their usual nonsense, bartenders pretending they don't judge anyone. I grab a corner booth so we can sit together when the others arrive. I'm actually rested for once. Yumi slept through the night with the cats pinning her like furry paperweights. I left at nine, told her I'd be back by 2 am. She rolled her eyes and said, "To be careful," then tried to stand without the crutch, but didn't manage it. I had moved her crutches away so she would have no choice but to rest.
Rebecca was the first to arrive and sit at the table. She clinks her bottle against mine. "You look alive for someone on nurse duty."
"I slept," I say.
"Bullshit."
"On a bed. With two cats. And a girl doesn't like to be alone."
She gives me that grin. "So… you're admitting it now."
I shrug. "There's nothing to admit. We're together." It feels weird to say it out loud, but good. Rebecca barks a laugh. "Yumi's the kind of idiot who'd need someone like you in their life, to make sure they stay out of trouble."
"Accurate."
Maine wedges through a pair of dancers and plants a hand on the table. Dorio slides in beside him, cool as ice, eyes running their usual scan. She nods at me. "You alright?"
"I'm fine," I say. "Yumi is the one who couldn't make it." Maine's mouth twitches. "Heard she was a delivery girl. Didn't know 'delivery' meant delivering half her blood to a tunnel."
"That's new service tier," Rebecca says. "Costs extra choom."
Maine gives me a more serious look. "So what really happened? I only got bits from Pilar. You went dark, then I hear you dragging some rookie to a ripperdoc with missing parts."
"Not a rookie," I say. "And yeah. We got her to a ripper." Dorio leans in. "How bad?" "Bad." I keep it simple. "Shot took the leg above the knee. Skull's got a line fracture. A couple of ribs, shoulder popped."
Rebecca lifts her chin. "Hey, she's the one aiming to be the next legend. If we're not careful, we might have the next Johny Silverhand or Morgan Black hand."
"That was dumb of her," Dorio said. "She knows," I say.
"Does she?" Rebecca's eyebrow says, 'doubt it.'
"Yeah," I say. "She felt it when the cats stretched on her ribs."
Maine huffs a laugh. "That'll do it, she just needs better chrome." We let the music fill in for a minute. People are dancing, shouting over their own fun. I pull my feed up just enough to check the shipping tab, blue code flashes around my eyes for half a second.
"Chrome update?" she asks.
"Yeah," I say, flicking the overlay away. "A custom piece she got, she's planning to replace both of her legs fully, they're on the truck. Ripper will seat the frame tomorrow morning if the courier stops stalling in traffic."
"Which ripper?" Maine asks. "Old guy in Watson," I say. "Goes by the name of Vik."
"I've heard good things about him," Dorio says.
"They comping her some decent legs?" Rebecca asks.
"Not 'comping.' She's paying. But yeah. Real kit. She'll kick someone through a door when she's done." I take a drink. Rebecca smirks. "I hate her and I love her for being so crazy sometimes."
Maine's watching me more than the room now. "So… you two."
"Yumi and me, yeah," I say.
He nods, like he's been holding that card forever. "Called it."
Dorio glances at him. "You 'called' it?"
"Yeah," he says. "Girl stared holes through Sasha at the bar the first time we bumped into her. Sasha did that thing where, you know that thing." He shrugs at me. "You're not subtle."
"Rude," I say.
Rebecca kicks my boot under the table. "You sleeping?"
"Yeah," I say. "With her. Nothing wild. She likes cuddles." I look at her. "Don't tell anyone I said that, either."
"Lips sealed," Rebecca says, not even pretending. Dorio's mouth quirks. "You look calmer."
"I am," I say. "I know where she is. That helps."
"Until she sneaks out," Rebecca says. "She won't," I say. "Not tonight. I bribed the cats with the expensive treats. They'll narc." Maine laughs. "Cat alarm. That's new."
"They're effective," I say. "Halo yells like a tiny cop."
A couple wanders past with glowing drinks. Someone wipes out on the last step to the floor and pops back up like it didn't happen, well, at least tried to.
Blue flicker brushes my eyes again. I peek.
YUMI:Blitz sat on my stump. Is this some kind of physical therapy or torture?
SASHA:Yes. Do not argue with the doctor.
Rebecca tilts her head. "Is she good?"
"Worried but alright," I say.
"She learn anything?" Maine asks.
"She learned pain sucks," I say. "And that we're not for decoration." Rebecca points the bottle at me. "Good. Drill it again tomorrow."
"I will," I say. Dorio folds her arms. "You need anything for her apartment?"
"I already set grab bars in the shower, moved the rug, taped the cords. Door sensors are on slow mode, so she won't faceplant by being in a hurry. I left meal packs on the counter and coded the cat feeder to narc if she tries stairs."
Maine nods, satisfied. "You're thorough."
"I like her alive," I say. We all go quiet a second. I check the time. Plenty before 2 am. "I'm going to bounce for a small gig later. In and out."
Rebecca doesn't love it. "You sure?"
"It's easy," I say. "I need the payout." Dorio glances at my eyes. "Easy?"
"Yeah," I say. "Shouldn't take long."
Rebecca drags a finger around the lip of her bottle. "You tell Yumi you were going out?"
"Told her I'd be back by 2 am," I say.
"That's not the same," she says.
"It is for tonight," I say. "She's got the cats. She'll yell if she needs me. I'm three train stops away if I sprint."
Maine rolls his shoulders. "Alright. Get a move on, I'll see you soon."
"Appreciated," I say. A couple of fans recognize Maine and start the whole "vote for my build" thing; he signs a forearm and waves them off without getting up. Dorio watches them like a bored lionness. Rebecca leans into me with her shoulder.
Maine's looking at me again. "How is she really?"
"Pissed," I say. "Scared underneath it. Won't say it. She jokes. Then she squeezes my hand like I'm going to disappear. She'll be okay. Once the frames's in, she'll focus on doing whatever she wants. That's how she is,"
"Good," he says. "Tell her the big guy said to call next time."
"She won't," Rebecca says.
"She might," I say.
I finished my drink. "Okay. I'm going to head out."
Rebecca makes a face. "Don't die."
"I wasn't planning to."
"Text me when you're done," she says.
"Will," I echo. I step off the corner booth. Music followed me halfway to the stairs. I kept my hands by my side as I left the afterlife. Night City, this place people called a death trap, but to me it was a place like any other. After walking for half an hour, my target was coming into view. The Biotechnica tower was up ahead. I crossed the plaza. I moved to hack the door. With a quick flick, I connected my wrist wire to the external panel by the wall. I fed the system a loop-fabricated ID.
Click.
I crouched and peeked in. The cameras were on, rotating slowly. I sprinted the gap between me and the desk that would provide cover, sliding over and hiding behind it, where the cameras wouldn't see me. I exhaled and plugged into the terminal port that was at shin-level. I turned off all the cameras.
Top right corner of my optics, Maine's photo, grinning like he always did when he wanted something. Text slid out underneath. "Sasha, you in? In'n out, kid. Jammer ain't gonna hold forever. Besides, you got a girl waiting for you."
My lip twitched. Of course, he'd say that. I didn't reply and made my way to the elevator at the rear of the lobby. I thumbed the call panel. The doors hissed open. And I stepped in, eyes on the hallway until the doors sealed shut. The elevator began to rise.
I pulled a piece of gum from the inside of my sleeve. Popped it in. Chewed once. Blew a bubble. Watched it swell in the reflection of the doors. The ride up, I kept thinking about Yumi. Until the elevator slid open. I stepped out and ran to the office I needed to get the information from. I jacked my wire in again. The door slid open with a soft sigh, split vertically.
I rushed in and saw the glass window wall and made my way to the desk. I pulled off my jacket and dropped it over the arm of the leather chair as the door closed. From my bag, I grabbed the headset and connected the cable from it to the mainframe of the table.
Then I sat, planted the headset over my face as the words Hi! appeared, and went under.
The real world dimmed into flickers. I was in a black void with data screens appearing in front of me, going through the files until I reached the locked ones I needed, and hacked them.
HUD flashed green. ACCESS GRANTED.
Right on cue, a message from Maine appeared in the corner of my vision. "Niiice. Now haul ass 'fore someone catches you."
I was already reaching for the disconnect command when I saw it.
Off to the side of the structure, Filename: SECURICINE – LEVEL 5 ACCESS ONLY
I stared at it for a long second. Securicine. That word hit me and brought me back to my past when I was younger. The name on the bottle mom used to take. I reached out without thinking. They were supposed to help. Supposed to "stabilize symptoms." That's what the doctor said.
But mom just got slower. Shakier. Couldn't hold a fork. Couldn't walk. Couldn't speak by the end. Her eyes were the last thing to go. I remembered standing by her bed, clutching the rail with both hands, knuckles white. I remembered crying so hard I couldn't breathe. Screaming at the nurses to do something. But they just told me there was nothing they could do.
The files pulsed once, then opened. Trial logs. Dosage notes. Test subject tags.
"Subject 002—Progressive neural decay beginning in the first week."
"Unresponsive. EEG shows static activity."
"Behavioral decline consistent with terminal neurodegeneration."
"Concluded 'unrelated,' study continues."
I removed my visor/helmet and connected my wrist wire. I started uploading it all. Target: Network 54 News – Anonymous Tipline.
Maine's voice cut into the top corner of my vision like a bullet through the calm.
"Jammer's down! Get outta there! We already got what we needed!"
Another ping hit my corner HUD. Not Maine this time.
Yumi
Hey beautiful. You okay? When are you coming home? Please, something's wrong, can you just come back, Sasha?
I could almost feel her breath against my neck, back when we curled up under that shit blanket that barely covered half the bed. She'd hum those melodies into my shoulder while playing with my hair. I turned back to the upload feed. Still counting down.
I scanned the door and overrode it to keep it locked. I kept my eyes on the file transfer. The bars were crawling. I opened a return channel. Eyes still locked on the screen, I thought the words and let them appear on the outbound window.
"Everything's fine. I'll be back before midnight." My chest felt too tight as I forced the next line out. "Can't wait for our date this weekend. You're picking the place this time."
I slid under the desk, shoulder pressed against the inner wall, gun pulled from the holster across my thigh. I checked the mag. I flicked the safety off.
Maine's voice hit my HUD like a slap.
"Shit—Sasha, where are you?"
"Sorry." Then I shut the chat.
I sat there in the dark under that desk with my gun in one hand, and told myself that I understood Yumi way too well. Hard-headed. Stubborn. Always trying to do things solo.
That's what I loved about her. She didn't wait for anyone's permission. She reminded me of myself. That was the problem. And now I was doing the exact same thing I had yelled at her for.
Boom. Shockwave hit me first.
Then I heard the firing, three guns firing at the only place someone could hide, under the metal desk. I could feel the bullets smacking into the metal on my back. Without wasting a second, I grabbed a flashbang from my bag and tossed it over the desk. Once it went off, I rushed from the side, extending my hand as metal claws came out of my fingertips as I jumped.
I slashed one of the robot's heads clean off and jumped over the other two. landing in front of one so the other couldn't shoot me. Quickly, I hacked the one behind with a cyberpsychosis. As bullets hit just above me.
Causing the one from behind to open fire on the one in front of it. Id dashed forward towards the one I hacked and leg swept it, causing it to fall, giving me the chance to stab its chest with my claws.
I had to backflip away as one robot was still standing, started shooting at me. I ended up on the table and as I flipped I grabbed my gun and started to shoot at it while I was still in the air.
I fired at the robot as it fired at me. Bullets piercing past me just as the upload finished. My momentum carried me back pass the glass that had been shattered by that robots bullets. I smirked before bullets hit my body. And the bomb i had set exploded.
Everything was slowly becoming dark, I remembered my mom and the pain she had gone through, My sister who though the only way to get justice was to become a policeman. And finally Yumi, oh Yumi... im sorry, I guess I just wasn't strong enough.....
I felt my eyelids grow heavy as I fell. This must be what birds felt like when they were flying I though as everything went dark...