An hour later I was sitting in Viks chair getting checked over. I had absolutely refused to go see the TC Ripper even saying I would drive myself over to mine if I had to. In the end Fujimura of all people had driven over to Viks. The massive Cyberpsycho borg had left only after Vik had started taking care of , seemingly satisfied he knew what he was doing.
What a weird night.
"Motoko?"
"What?"
"I asked, if you were gonna be alright, with your sleep healing?" Vik asked, making realize he had been forced to repeat himself.
"Yeah. Yeah I should be fine. Why?"
"Cause other than so serious surgeries, there isn't anything else I can do about all of this." He said seriously, face pinched into a look of honest concern.
"Oh yeah I'll just sleep then. You don't mind?"
"Nah kid. Here. I'll give you so stuff for the pain-"
"Nah it's fine Vik. I'll just sleep and be fine in the morning, thanks though. For looking over. I would be worried about sleeping around any other ripper. So… Thanks Doc." I told him, smiling as he fussed over like a worried dad.
Ah Viks Dad energy so stronk!
"Motoko. I usually have to talk my patients into taking less dication, not more. You… Considering the scans of your injuries I took, you should be completely disabled thanks to the pain. Your injury is sothing I usually see when pedestrians are hit by cars." He explained not quite calmly.
"Yeah the borg hit like a truck. Literally, he knocked a car on its side with one hit." I muttered which made Vik fuss but I waved him off, a little weakly I'll admit.
"Alright let take a nap, and you can check on in the morning? Sorry for coming so late."
"Don't apologize Motoko. I just wish I could do a bit more for you." He muttered, reaching out and to my surprise patting on my head!
I smiled and had to bite back a chuckle because laughing really hurt.
"G'night Vik." I muttered and let my eyes close as I put myself to sleep for an eight hour nap.
I awoke instantly like always, feeling great, the injuries healed, and to my surprise there were voices talking away in the clinic.
I opened my eyes and took in the room, and had to still to keep myself from squealing.
Because leaning nonchalantly against Viks desk as he chattered away was Jackie Welles. He was pretty much the sa as he looked in the ga. His voice had that sa joking manner that made him so easy to make friends with.
Although I did have to translate the spanish in my head, nearly every other word. Well what spanish I actually understood anyways.
"C'mon Vik, you said we were going to get so training in today." He whined pleading with the older man.
"I've got a patient Jackie, you know the rules, that cos first."
"Ah they won't even notice, they are passed out quiet, let's go to the ring, I know you want to get so jabs in yeah?"
"I don't mind." I called out interrupting as Vik was gonna definitely say no.
"Motoko!" Vik called out happily as he spun his chair around. "Finally awake, how're you feeling?"
I sat up on the chair a bit and stretched, feeling my abs flex as I checked myself over. "Feel like a hundred bucks like always." I told him with a smile, but even as I was talking I was sending a ssage to Jun. I hope he was alright.
"Well that's good." He said rolling over and starting to check out even if I was trying to get up, Vik gently pushing back down had rolling my eyes and letting him work.
"See the little Senorita is just fine, C'mon Vik! You know I've been looking forward to this all week." Jackie whined, literally whined like a kid, but it ca off more charming than irritating.
"Vik I'm fine. Go play with your friend." I tell him, shooing him with my hand as I smiled at him.
"Motoko." Vik said, giving a look of disappointnt.
Which only made laugh of course.
"Sit tight for a bit Jackie, let give Motoko a look over, then since she will probably be running away, we'll get to the lesson." Vik offered as he rolled across the concrete over to . Quickly pulling up so scanners and taking a look.
"Aw C'mon Vik. I'm fine. I'm tough, you know?"
He instantly poked with his needle hand.
"Ow! Ow ow ow!" I whined at him before he pulled away.
"I thought you were tough."
"Says the guy sticking with needles randomly!"
"Hehe. Yeah Vik you can't just go- Okay I'll stay out of it. Sorry Hermana." Jackie said cut off from Vik turning to give Jackie a look, the much larger man raised both hands in surrender at Viks irritation.
"Hehe." I chuckled too because it was a nice little atmosphere. "So how's it look, Vik? All good?"
"No. Your arm is still out of alignnt. That hit you took knocked your chro in along your upper shoulder. You're lucky it didn't just break every bone from your shoulder into your chest."
I winced. Yeah that sounded painful.
A long whistle ca from Jackie. "Jeez Hermana, what hit you? A truck?"
"He might as well have been. This guy was like eight feet tall and all chro, he probably weighed a ton. I wasn't even the target. The guy just wanted to assassinate soone next to and my brother." I said looking over at Vik as he worked on fixing the damage to my chro.
Jackie frowned at that. "Fuckin' Cyberpsychos." He muttered, but I had to shake my head.
"No, he was clear headed. It was a professional hit. Guy was just borged up. Scariest fucker I've ever seen." I admitted and even Vik looked concerned. I hadn't ntioned to Vik yet about just what brought in late last night.
"Real Edgerunner shit then? Sorry you got caught up in that then Hermana." Jackie offered, to my surprise, before I understood what he ant.
"Oh don't worry. He might have got the drop on us, but between Jun my Brother and I? We walked away. He didn't." I said with a smile that was all teeth.
Jackie's eyes widened a bit as he obviously had to take what I was saying and process it.
I an. Wrapped up in bandages sitting in Viks chair without a weapon in reach, because Vik refused to let keep my Burya or anything while he worked. It ant I didn't exactly scream dangerous rc.
"Huh. You actually fought soone like that?"
" and my brother… I'll admit Jun did more than . I just couldn't stand up to the guy's strength. He was throwing around like a ragdoll." I said holding up my right arm that Vik wasn't working on and flexing it a bit.
I wasn't strong enough.
Honestly it could have been disheartening.
It could have been terrifying.
But ? It just kinda made excited. If I was weak? Gain Strength. It was that simple.
I still had plenty more grinding I could do to level Body.
If my body stat had been higher, he wouldn't have knocked around like a child. If my reflex was higher, he never would have touched .
There was so much I could do to grow stronger.
So I would.
"Alright kid. Run through a few stretches with that arm, tell if it's catching anywhere." Vik said cutting off my internal thoughts and I did as he said, stretching and shifting my arm in different ways.
It felt good.
"Looks good Vik."
"Great. In that case. You are good to go whenever." He said, reaching out and patting my shoulder earning a smile from .
"Yes! C'mon Vik. You owe so ti in the ring, Hermano." Jackie said smiling like a kid getting permission to hang out with his dad…
Actually, didn't Jackie have a bad relationship with his father? I rember sothing like that from the ga.
I guess I wasn't the only one that was treating Vik as a pseudo dad.
"Alright kid. Alright. Motoko, You'll be alright?"
"Course! But no way am I leaving. I want to see this! You guys are going to box a bit right?" I say as I sit up and I was already starting to get dressed again. Pulling my Leotard up over the bandages that Vik had covered in last night.
I would take a mont to remove them later when I wasn't around a couple of old guys. But after a mont my Leotard was zipped back up, and I was as modest as usual.
"Heh! C'mon then Hermana, you'll get a treat see beat up on the old tir." Jackie joked, throwing a wink, and while Vik had looked a mont away from trying to convince to leave, Jackie distracted him.
"Oh you think so huh kid? Alright then." Vik offered as he took off his Ripper tools and pulled out a set of boxing gloves from his desk. Then he threw another pair at Jackie. "Get gloved up Jackie. I think you need a few lessons from this old tir." He said and I laughed at the look Jackie had on his face.
'Oh I fucked up.' Pictured in pure stark relief stretched across his face.
—--
To my surprise the boys didn't just go at it right in Viks clinic. Instead they headed into the building Misty's shop was in, right next door, and took the elevator up to the roof. There they prepped themselves and I rooted Vik on, as Jackie and him went at each other.
Well it wasn't quite that brutal, it was a teaching thing. Vik was working Jackie over. Punching and jabbing forcing the bigger man to block and shift on his feet, every set amount of ti Vik would switch to defense and Jackie would go at him.
It was fun. Entertaining, and surprisingly useful.
*100 Street Brawler XP Gained.*
I actually got an alert just from watching and listening. As Vik walked Jackie through mistakes, or prompted him to change his rhythm.
It was fun!
"Alright Jackie. Give a break. My old man's bones are tired." Vik teased as he rested back against the wall and wiped so sweat from his brow.
Jackie, looking almost as tired, wiped his forehead as well and gave Vik that charming boyish smile of his. "You'll be fine. Probably outlive us all." Jackie said with a chuckle, and I couldn't help but wince at that.
Yeah.
"Why don't you show so jabs, you're left is ssing with your guard still. Make sure you practice it a bit more." Vik said and Jackie sighed but did as he said, raising his gloves and starting to swing.
But I could see it, just as easily as Vik. Jackie kept dropping his right guard whenever he jabbed with his left.
"Vik throw the gloves." I called out hopping off the edge of the roof that I had been sitting on and walking over to Jackie.
"Motoko-"
"I know how to box Vik, I'll admit you both are better than , but I can help with this." I called out but it was Jackie that interrupted next.
"I don't know Hermana, I don't want to hurt ya you know?"
"Don't stress." I waved him off and Vik sighed but threw the gloves. They weren't boxing gloves, but coaching gloves. Padded to fit an open palm so you could take the strike without pain. I slipped them on as I stood in front of Jackie. "My arms are chro, so you'll be more likely to feel it if I don't give enough C'mon show that jab again."
I raised the gloves and Jackie still hesitated, before I moved in and threw a few jabs of myself, not enough to hit, but to force him into the rhythm. Then he moved.
Jackie was surprisingly fast with his fists, and his form was solid. Power and speed.
It made sense why Vik took the ti to help him train a bit. He was a natural.
But I was a gar.
I easily blocked the first three jabs he gave and then despite hesitating for a mont after he fell into the flow that I had no trouble keeping up.
I was just giving him spots to hit after all. We fell into the flow, and when I baited the left jab I reached out and tapped his cheek with my right glove as I blocked with the left.
"Open."
He blinked, stepping back in surprise at the sudden assault. Jackie blinked for a mont processing what had just happened, before nodding. Then he moved back in, and the flow resud. A few monts later I once more baited the jab, and the sa thing happened, he jabbed, lowered his right glove, and I gave him a tap on his chin.
"Open."
"His eyes narrowed, but it wasn't in anger. It was an acknowledgent. We went into it again. Jackie's fists were flying, and I noticed the change this ti as he went for the jab, his right glove stayed up, and when I purposefully chose to make the move, his glove blocked .
"Better. Again?" I asked and to my surprise Vik nodded looking on happily.
Jackie? Jackie was beaming. "Hell yeah Hermana, let's do it." He said, chuckling loudly as he squared up, and I nodded. His glove cracked against my own as he started into a routine.
*100 Street Brawler XP Gained.*
—--
*100 Body XP Gained*
I brushed off the alert as I stretched. Jackie had been a bit too fast a few tis and tagged . If my arms, or shoulders were still flesh I would definitely be bruised, instead I was just a little sore where the chro t flesh. Like my muscles had been pulled a bit.
"Sorry about that Choom. You'll be alright?" He asked, looking concerned. Made sense. Jackie was a big guy, and I was very much a small girl.
"I'm fine. Nice workout. I haven't been hitting the gym enough recently." I told him while wiping sweat from my brow.
Jackie and I were both sweaty, having worked ourselves pretty hard. Vik had co in, guided us both on so improvents, and then took the elevator back down before we finally had enough.
"Your endurance is good." I teased him a bit as he was now sitting back on one of the lawn chairs that soone had left up here.
"No way, you stayed on the whole ti. I'm exhausted 'Toko. You said you were what, fourteen?"
"Yep." I agreed, and he shook his head.
"Damn. You certainly got so skill. You'd fit right into the rc scene. Maybe in a few years you'll be earning rep instead of just boosting wheels, or whatever kids do these days." He said laughing as he described sothing he probably did himself at my age.
"Gonk. I'm already a rc." I scoffed at his unintentional insult. "I'm good at infiltration, a bit of netrunning, and I'm pretty good with a blade, or a gun." I counted off my chro fingers at each one. "I hunted down a serial killer on my last gig. Ever heard of the at Man?" I asked, and to my pleasure Jackie actually looked serious as he nodded.
"Heard they finally got him. NN54 had a whole thing about it. That was you?"
"Wait… My kill was on the news!?" I gasped as I rose up. "I need to record it! Or see it!" I called out, waving my arms a bit in happiness.
I was on the news!
"Whoa Hermana, easy. You can go to their site, should be easy enough to take a look at. You really killed that bastardo?" He asked surprised and I nodded.
"Sniped him with my Nekomata. Rescued the people he had kidnapped, even called in the NCPD so they could take care of it all. Ended up waiting around in handcuffs for a couple hours, but it was worth it in the end."
"Well damn. Not bad, not bad at all little 'Toko. You'll make an edgerunner out of yourself soday." He said laughing with a smile.
"Pfft. I'm never gonna be an edgerunner. I don't plan on going out in so blaze of glory. I'll be the next Morgan Blackhand. I'll live until I'm a hundred and thirty and still wipe the floor with all the gonk kids." I tell him laughing at my ntal image of myself as so ancient hag whacking kids with the back end of a Thermal katana.
"Heh. Not . I'm gonna make this city rember hermana. I'll have a drink in the afterlife, and I'll live forever." He said looking up at the sky smiling at his dream.
I was grateful that he wasn't looking at .
My face couldn't be pleasant to look at as I watched on.
I had watched this man die. Watched his final monts, seen his funeral, and all the pain it had caused.
Jackie. Jackie was a street kid of Night City through and through.
Even if I told him, even if I explained how much it would hurt his family, he wouldn't stop racing along the edge.
The disgusting culture in this city, to throw your life away in a mont of glory. There would be no convincing Jackie that his life would have far more aning if he stayed alive. Lived his life, had a family.
Because he had been raised on the idea that a drink in a bar was the pinnacle.
Disgusting.
But nothing I could do right now. No words I could say, nothing I could show him. We weren't even chooms yet. Just two people that knew a guy.
"Well how about you then Jackie? What happened on your last gig?"
"Oh? Oh yeah that was a fun one. Had to chase down this Pendejo to pay his bar tab funnily enough. It was all going well, tracked him down, got him in my grip, but then I realized he had chooms!"
—--
Jackie and I ended up getting distracted as Jackie told stories of all the jobs he had done. I realized pretty quickly that while he tried to hype them up, most of them were low level jobs. It startled when I realized the truth.
Jackie for all his talk, was pretty low level in the grand sche of the rc hierarchy. I an he was no Maine. No David.
He was way less borged out for one.
For another he talked himself up a lot, but he only really did low level gigs. It was his words near the end that made realize the vast gulf between us.
And maybe just how odd what I had been doing was.
"So Padre set up with a chance to et Wakako. Got a big gig coming up, if I do well, he'll put in touch with her. The Dragon of Westbrook you know?"
"I've never heard anyone call Wakako that before." I muttered surprised. "Usually it's the lady of Westbrook."
"Yeah well… I just ca up with it. She is, you know? The most dangerous woman in Westbrook. She deserves a title like that. Makes her sound as dangerous as she is." He sort of rambled and I couldn't help but chuckle at him as he sort of tried to defend his weird title.
"It sounds cool Jackie, I'll make sure to tell her about it next ti I see her." I tell him with a quiet chuckle.
"Pfft. Yeah you'll just walk into her parlor and talk to her, tell her about a preem new title she can use. But seriously don't do that. Fixers like Wakako are dangerous people. And don't like being bothered for shit." He said, shaking a finger at .
Making realize that Jackie had no idea I already worked with Wakako.
I thought about telling him.
I really did. I could probably help him out even give him so good hype with her.
But then a thought happened. An evil. Funny thought.
"Hey Jackie. You said you got a gig from Padre right? What are you doing? Need soone to watch your back?" I asked, with a smile but Jackie instantly shook his head.
"No way Hermana. I'm not dragging a kid into sothing dangerous. No way."
"Aw C'mon Jackie. Having soone watching your back is way safer than going it alone. I've done work with the Tyger Claws before. I helped out during the war. Let watch your back. You won't even know I'm there."
He hesitated before sighing. "Listen, Motoko. I know what it's like. Being a kid, wanting to be great, wanting to have your na in the sky, and everyone knowing who you are." He shook his head. "But you shouldn't rush into it. Being an edgerunner is one thing, but losing your life before you're even old enough to live it is a waste." He said firmly.
Ah he wasn't gonna budge.
The jerk!
Fine. I'll just troll him then.
"Fine. Well Jackie, this has been super fun. We should get together and do so more boxing again so ti. It's been a while since I had this much exercise." I said stretching my back as I started walking off waving behind . "I'll see you again soon!" I called out.
Sooner than he would think.
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