Cyberpunk: I'm Not a Scavenger - Chapter 6: Running Into an Old Acquaintance (Patreon)

El Capitán: Beautiful work on that gig. The client is very happy. We're all settled.

[Transfer: +5,000€]

El Capitán: Not bad, kid. If you're ever looking to buy a car, you know who to call.

Pantheon: OK.

Looking at the steadily growing balance in his account, Pantheon couldn't help feeling a little emotional.

In Night City, killing people really was the quickest way to make money.

After delivering the shipment to El Capitán's designated location, he headed for the ripperdoc he considered the best in the city.

At the intersection of Bradbury Street and Buran Street, he found himself remembering those carefree college days when he could spend his time playing video games.

The light turned green, and a car honking behind him snapped him back to reality.

Pantheon looked around, then silently memorized the license plate of the driver who'd honked.

Don't worry. Pantheon wasn't a petty man.

He never held grudges.

After parking his motorcycle, he walked a short way down the street and heard Garry the Prophet loudly proclaiming his latest doomsday predictions.

"Ghosts watching everything," "lizard people infiltrating humanity," "immortal vampires"...

Pantheon didn't have time to chat today. He tossed a couple of bills in front of Garry, hoping the man would still be around the next time he visited.

A few more steps brought him to Misty's Esoterica.

He pushed open the door. The wind chimes above it swayed gently, their clear, pleasant notes soothing his nerves.

Inside, Misty was attending to a customer, while burning incense filled the shop with a comforting fragrance.

"Would you mind waiting a little? You can have a seat on the sofa."

There was something both familiar and unfamiliar about the man standing before her, but Misty couldn't remember where she'd seen him.

"I'm here to see Dr. Viktor. Is he free right now?" Pantheon asked quietly.

Misty's cybernetic eyes glowed faintly, probably as she contacted Vik.

"Of course. Do you know the way to his clinic?"

Pantheon nodded. He'd walked that route more times than he could count in the game.

Following his memory, he went through the back door into the alley and down to the basement, where he found Vik's clinic.

The underground lighting was dim, and the air smelled of disinfectant.

Viktor was still watching the boxing match he never seemed to tire of.

With his imposing build, he looked more like a gang enforcer than a doctor. Yet his mild, cultivated manner gave him something of a godfather's presence.

"Long time no see, Vik."

"Forgive me, kid, but have we met before?"

Vik was understandably puzzled by this overly familiar stranger, though he still welcomed him politely.

"What's your name? What can I do for you?"

"Pantheon. My natural lungs are just about shot, and I need replacements. People on the local forums say you're the most decent ripperdoc in Night City, so I figured you were the man to see."

"You're giving me too much credit. It's only thanks to the folks around here thinking well of me."

Vik shook his head modestly, then turned to put on his surgical cyberware.

"Come on, kid. Let's run a few tests first."

Pantheon lay back in the operating chair, and Vik handed him a tablet.

"Take a look. Anything you need besides synthetic lungs?"

The cyberware listed on the tablet wasn't particularly impressive.

An actual underground clinic wasn't going to have top-end implants like the Apogee or the Falcon in stock.

Cyberware here didn't come with a clearly defined rarity system. It was broadly divided into civilian-grade, military-grade, and specialized experimental models.

Most of Vik's inventory was civilian-grade. He had only a handful of military models.

"Vik, how much would it cost to commission custom cyberware from a company like Moore Technologies or Zetatech?"

Without looking up, Vik answered casually.

"At least a hundred thousand eddies, and that's for the basic model. Extra features cost extra."

Pantheon checked his account balance.

His gig payment, the money from selling the cars, and his earlier savings added up to a little over thirty thousand. He couldn't even afford the starting price.

If he sold the Sandevistan he still had, he might just scrape together enough for a custom order.

"Heh, just curious. Thought I'd ask."

He laughed awkwardly and decided not to inquire any further.

"These lungs of yours are an absolute mess. I honestly don't know how you've made it this far."

Once the examination was finished, Vik removed his gloves and sighed.

"Your liver can hang on a while longer, but I'd recommend replacing both."

"All right, replace both. And give me the Kiroshi Optics Oracle eye, just the left one. Add the strain relief and shock absorption too."

Pantheon gritted his teeth and committed to it. Anything that needed replacing would get replaced, and anything that needed installing would get installed. He could always earn more money. He couldn't earn another life.

Vik sighed again.

He didn't try to dissuade him, merely handed him a bottle of beer.

"Drink this and get some sleep. By the time you wake up, the operation should be just about done."

Between the alcohol and anesthetic, Pantheon soon fell into a deep sleep, losing all awareness of the outside world.

...

"Vik, you should've seen that motorcycle! ¡Dios mío! It was... it was so damn cool!"

Before Pantheon had even opened his eyes, he heard a voice he knew all too well.

The speaker was a big man with an unusual hairstyle and a little braid at the back of his head. His black jacket had a red stand-up collar, and he looked like a man destined for big things.

Right now, however, he was standing beside Vik, gesturing excitedly as he described the motorcycle.

"Man, now that's a beautiful bike!"

Pantheon's vision came into focus. He took a deep breath, and the burning in his lungs was gone. The powerful, effortless breath made his entire body feel invigorated.

"Hey, chico. You're awake."

The burly man with the tied-back hair noticed him stirring and greeted him warmly.

"Jackie Welles. Friend of Vik's. Just call me Jackie."

"I've heard plenty about you, Jackie. I'm Pantheon. Good to finally meet you."

Jackie looked surprised. "You know me?"

"Not personally. But I've got a feeling we'll get along."

"Hahaha! You're a funny guy. Come grab a drink with me later. I'll buy you some fries, best in all Night City."

Jackie laughed heartily and extended the invitation without hesitation.

"All right, kid. Save the drinking for later. Let me check you over first."

Vik interrupted them with a helpless look. Pantheon saw Jackie raise his eyebrows at him.

"That's Vik for you. But with this stuff, you're better off listening to him."

"Feeling any discomfort?" Vik asked as he scanned Pantheon with his equipment.

"None. I feel like a new man."

Pantheon blinked his new military-grade Oracle eye. With nearly tenfold magnification, low-light night vision, and target recognition, it was a huge improvement over what he'd had before.

There was no discomfort from the new cyberware in his palm either. It seemed his new trait was already doing its job.

He opened his status panel and found that his attributes had changed considerably.

[Attributes]

Body: 6 (+2)

Reflexes: 9 (+5)

Intelligence: 6

Cool: 6

Technical Ability: 2

[Items: None]

[Abilities: [Stronger with Every Battle] (Blue), [Dead Eye] (Red)]

[Traits: [Workhorse] (White), [Quick Start] (Green), [Battlefield Instinct] (Blue), [Built Different] (Green), [Cyberware Capacity Upgrade] (Blue)]

[Cyberware Capacity Upgrade] (Blue)

Description: You rely too much on military-grade chrome.

Effect: Increases cyberware capacity. Special effect: Reduces cyberware cooldown by 30% and lessens the side effects of cyberware implants.

The synthetic lungs and liver had done more than eliminate the negative effects of his illness. They'd also given him another two points in Body, turning misfortune into a blessing.

"Your neural load is within the normal range. Everything else looks good too."

Vik nodded and tossed him a vial for a vaporizer.

"Flexible Neural Inhibitor. Take a couple of puffs if you feel off. If that doesn't help, come straight back to me."

Pantheon accepted the inhibitor. "Thanks, Vik. How much do I owe you?"

"It's all basic equipment. About seven thousand eddies." Vik waved a hand. "A little less is fine. Pay me the rest when you've got the money."

He really was the players' godfather and the conscience of Night City.

Pantheon smiled. "Now, don't say that. If something goes wrong, I'll be coming back for a refund."