The slow, steady beeps of a heart rate monitor breathes easy in Audrey's clinic… she paces back and forth past a motionless Zaunya… wrapped in enough synth gauze to mistake her for a buried Egyptian pharaoh. More wires than you can count rest connected to her alongside a slow drip IV and an endless cascade of blood soaked towels and bandages. Audrey's arms are tight… hugged closely to her abdomen while her stomach churns. She hears Zayta's voice in her head as they giggle together during some pillow talk… before returning to the memory of her speaking those words she'll never forget:
"Don't let them take her."
Audrey's restless with mixed emotions… sadness… anger… fear… powerlessness. She grits her teeth and shakes her head tightly… trying to keep her cool. This wasn't the time for deep thoughts with such raw emotion steadily bleeding out. Off to the side of the clinic, Brian rests in a squat… his fingers laced and rested on his lips. The muscles in his face are calm… but his mind and body are anything but. Countless thoughts race through him on a tight leash of regret and responsibility. Audrey pacing occasionally glances over at him and says nothing… she can feel what he's feeling.
With all that's happened… and all that's been said… right now….. they don't know what to say.
The silence holds for a while amongst the steady beeps of the heart rate monitor carrying the weight of the world along with it.
"...Its my fault-"
"-Brian… please." Audrey whispers back in protest filled with emotion. She knows all too well where his mind is... how he thinks… who he is.
The pair pause in silence… Audrey slowly approaches him and places a firm, gentle hand on his shoulder. He rises to his feet… unable to take his eyes off of Zaunya for even a second.
"Go… just go hun." She whispers... her tone soft and nurturing.
"You sure." He responds in a monotone with no eye contact… still staring directly at Zaunya.
Audrey forces eye contact with him... her maternal nature taking over.
She leans his head down onto her shoulder... cradling him as a mother would her overgrown child. Brian attunes his height and wraps his arms around her as the pair sink all their emotions of the moment in that tight embrace… the steady beeps of the heartrate monitor accompany them absent of any words or fronts.
Beatrice gently grabs Netty's face with both hands… looking over the 2 fresh bullet scars just under his left eye. They're deeply carved… one slightly longer than the other but quite a surprising match all things considered. Even with her full attention… a stoic expression on his face holds... an expression of someone changing through lived experience. His mind is burdened… elsewhere… and she can feel it.
In this moment… though in her very hands… he's not with her. He gently turns his head away with no eye contact… causing her to reluctantly let go.
The entrance to Audrey's clinic slides closed… causing Carter, Netaniel and Beatrice to look over with angst having waited impatiently. Their somber conversations of catching up with each other end as Brian approaches while lighting a smoke. BugBear hugs him with gratitude and a tight squeeze… burying her face into his chest. A feeling of relief washes over her as their embrace reseals their connection.
It's late into the night on a weekday… the streets are dead in and around this block at this hour. Being amongst the stray white noise of an active city at rest… steady freeway engines passing… the occasional sirens in the distance... the wind tunnel breeze the city architecture brings… and the roar of far away engines drag racing the night away. A very warm… comforting feeling.
Its clear the crews time away from each other has taken its toll. Often times when separated from those who've grown to make up part of you… it weakens the strength of what you're capable of… the unity you've fostered. The power that you've created stretches thinner the further you drift apart. Leaving you but 2 options… to live together… or to die alone.
"Yo choom… I'm uh… I'm not really sure about this." Netaniel says uneasy.
"S'thematter choomba? Never been chipped up before?" Carter asks with a smirk.
"Don't gotta do it kid.. told ya that already." Brian flatly insists as he hands BugBear his lighter.
"Upgraded deep dive neuroport and ice infrastructure, Tripled output processing speed, High-end Combatant Dampeners, A corpo grade RAM capacity upgrade complete with a custom built modular throttle so you can REALLY crank things? This is PetroChem inventory we're talkin' about! I mean, what more could you possibly want?? Shit, I can only imagine YOUR spec after you dial it all in! Combined with your consolidation techniques and that mask of yours… heh… you'll be a walking Fort Knox with a cutting edge offense." Beatrice says with excitement
"Yeah, not to mention the chrome. Gotta thicken up if ya ever plan on applyin' all that shit me n' Brian's been teachin' ya in the gym." Carter adds.
BugBear can see the uncertainty and fear on his face. She places a firm hand on Netty's shoulder... the feeling of her touch is like a stray surge… he looks at her as she shifts tone.
"Hey... our order's pretty doubled huh... getting a similar kit as you minus the chrome. Gotta trust me when I say Audrey's a real virtuoso when it comes to the craft. I mean, some of the shit I've seen her be able to do is…" She pauses and breaks eye contact momentarily… a brutal memory she doesn't share with us comes to her mind before she picks back up. "...She um… she takes cyberware tolerance thresholds seriously... more serious than anyone I've ever met. With her understanding of our individual specs and anatomy, she can really tailor things." She pauses again to light her smoke. "I'd bet my life on you not goin' psycho… she's not contracted by PetroChem as a Ripperdoc specialist for nothing."
Netty thinks back to the hard lesson Brian had to teach him about not only their situation… but the very nature of the environment they inhabit. He hears the weight of his words echo clear as day:
"WHAT?! THINK YOU CAN JUST FUCKIN' FREEZE TIME AND CASUALLY PICK THROUGH YOUR PROGRAMS!!!?!"
"This city... is rapture.. to the malicious… paradise.. of the wolves… the leech… the treacherous….."
"This is the city of neon blood….…. And if you're gonna survive it you will LEARN!! TO PULL!!! THE TRIGGER!!!"
"Get you and yours kid... fuck the rest... Remember that."
His recollection of Brian's voice in his head is interrupted by his actual voice, snapping him out of it.
"Choice is yours… and yours alone Netty."
Netty looks down briefly as Brian and Beatrice finish their smokes... He looks up and breaks the conversation circle… heading toward the entrance of Audrey's clinic as the rest of the crew promptly follows behind him.
They enter greeted by Audrey and immediately walk past her… making their way over to Zaunya's hospital bed.. she promptly follows. They stand over her in silent mourning together… looking down at her as Beatrice covers her mouth fighting back tears. They gaze down at their friend during a long silence of tempered concern….
They're all here for her.
Several minutes later… A quiet montage begins…
Audrey sits each member down individually one after the other on her Ripperdoc chair, no differently than she would any other patient of hers. They each listen attentively as she carefully explains the various aspects they need to understand about their rips. With serious expressions, they read over the various screens and holograms she presents them with the deets of each piece of cyberware she'll be chipping them with, alongside blueprints of their own personal anatomy. An organized layout of their brand new cyberware lay presented in front of them, removed from freshly vacuum sealed containers that were unmarked. She takes the time to explain the various methods of maintenance and care they'll need to undergo overtime with their new physical overhauls... dosage recommendations for proactive or preventative.
One after the other, they rest their heads back against the ripper chair as she slowly raises and reclines it back into position. She begins thorough preoperative marking with a blue marker across each of their bodies stripped down to their underwear. Each stroke of the blue ink on their chilling, goosebumped skin is expertly done as she settles into her work.
She removes her sweater… tossing it to the side exposing her bare shoulders in her white tank top as she rotates her neck and runs her fingers through her short white hair. She walks over to one of her drawers where she keeps a pair of her preferred hands just for ripping. The palms were pale, matching her skin but had various black tools in place of the fingers. Some were finely pointed and the size of the head of a pin while others were scalpel or screw shaped. Each finger housing various tools she'll need for any and all of the finer complex processes of ripping. She casually attaches them as the well fitted ball lock pins twist and pop into place before she closes her eyes and takes a deep breath… entering flow state.
The sounds of deep slices in flesh combines with steady beeps and whirrs of various medical equipment being used. Sterilized metal tools clamp, cut, crack, clank, rip and manipulate both skin and bone after being shifted around on her metal work area. Audrey wipes excess sweat from her brow under the bright operating lights, hunched over one of the naked crew members unconscious with their limbs and torso either removed, or casually flowered open and taught in various places. The various cyberware made to order rests tactically positioned… held propped up by various ripperdoc clamps ready for implantation. The various squirts of moist ganic flesh meeting the creeks of cold steel taps and squishes as it grinds, shifts and settles into place. Her various tools and equipment tink, whirr and hum as they work overtime at full capacity. She hunches over her computer desk, closely monitoring and verifying different neurological reactions of the bodies to freshly chipped cyberware. She jacks in to each member connected to her smart tablet to confirm the connection stability of the various augmentations. She uses the various software shards she slots for final installations that help merge the machine with the ganic in a gradual and safe way. Ensuring sustainable temperatures between everything from flesh to filament… bone to battery... and skin to steel. Being sure her measurements for the contours of each of their bodies fit their chrome down to the inch for a clean finish. The process is carefully repeated again and again as she wheels each unconscious member in their gurneys to various areas of her clinic after completion. Hours go by deep into the night as she relentlessly pushes herself past her limits without a break... the strain and deep focus on her face as she confidently works masterfully in her element is incredibly sexy. She continues to stretch her curved, petite body as the soreness in her limbs from the steadiness required workflow begins to take its toll. Excess sweat drips from her chin to her chest as she closes her eyes... looking up at the ceiling of the operating room; With the industrial grade air conditioner going to war with the heat being generated from her work and gear.
The excess blood of her choombas covers her pale, black tool tipped ripperdoc hands… although fatigued... not a single twitch or shake in them. Excess blood lay splattered and smeared throughout the operating space… sheets of top quality RealSkinn lay cookie cut and scattered about. Some flapped over chairs and tables like towels or layed in stray splattered synth oil. The strong smells of ammonia and medical ointment combine with the metallic scent of bloodmetal. A desensitizing amount of anatomy carnage present in a swamped, professional Ripperdoc clinic. She takes another deep breath as she hears the sound of the clinic entrance slide open.
Brian re-enters from outside… the final member of the crew waiting to be chipped up. He glances over at his people laid unconscious in various areas of the clinic in their gurneys. He sees the IVs tending to their hydration along with the excess bandaging and covers before looking over at Audrey. He sees her white tank top and black jeans coated in synth oil and blood as she rests her back up against her office chair while lightly twisting in it. Doing her best just to get some time off her feet.
"Best for last huh." She says to him in a tired tone and a smile with her fingers laced under her chin. He doesn't respond as hes taken aback by the silent intensity of the visual of the scene shes created. To him, It looked as if a cyberpsycho had tore through the grand opening of a packed Jinguji. The process is anything but clean and pretty… the messy costs associated with the danger in beauty eventually found in the finished product.
"Come… sit with me." She says in a serious tone gesturing him over as she sits up. He slowly walks over and like everyone else, takes his seat on the now heavily stained ripping chair. She leans in… forearms resting on her lap.
"So… this kit that you want chipped. Its quite different than what you had previously done. Factoring in when you reduced spec… which I'll add was done very well by the way… It shouldn't be much of a problem… the chrome pieces you want are quite complimentary to both your physique and recorded history of cyberware tolerance thresholds." Audrey says as Brian glances at his various brand new pieces of chrome laid in an organized spread on the table. She continues.
"Custom built Micro rotors for your acetabula and glenohumeral joints."
"Uhh.. my what?"
"hahaha. Your hip and shoulder joints... Sorry." She giggles. "Tailored to the bionics that I chipped before. Although I will say your ganic muscle density and mass should handle the new kinetic swing really well mister beefcake." She says with cute admiration before a pause. "Actually worked out pretty well. The custom size on them gave us much more room to work with. Careful getting used to controlling that new speed though." She moves on to the next laying neatly on the table.
"This new pipe cannon design is a real beauty." She says gesturing at another piece of resting cyberware. The design was simple with very few working parts but proportionate to Brian's thick arm size. "Gone through a lot of different iterations over the years but they've really dialed it in.. made it far more versatile. Way back used to only shoot nine-mills and forty-fives. However now n' days with this XL model you can run anything from three fifty seven to double ought buck. Even the fifty cal setting has its own recoil parameters. Thing pretty much spits anything short of a missile. Fitted perfectly into that nano-twinned, titanium vanadium bone structure of yours… specifically, the right forearm. Simple flick of the wrist, palm outward will engage it… palm inward disengages it. Again… be careful… the kinetic energy this thing can generate is serious. I don't need your arm banana peeling." She says before a quick pause and moving on to the next piece.
"This new EMP threading setup you want looks really nice by the way. I'm assuming the RealSkinn setup you want isn't changing right? Considering you didn't mention it."
"Never really was one for fashionware over functionality." He responds.
"Haha.. I hear ya… well… this RealSkinn I carry is chitin laced… everyone wanted it after I showed it to them so; Very popular amongst the high society as well… the self conscious ruling elite… i'm sure you'll love it." She concludes with a smirk before moving on.
"Standard issue fortified ankles. Tried and true. However I did you one better and grabbed you the same model Zaunya has. Not only good for high jumps but pillow soft landings as well. Just… try not to 'land' from anywhere ridiculous, ok? Your 'superhero landing' just may leave you a puddle of chrome scop on the pavement if you try to get cute." She concludes sternly before standing up and reaching over the table.
"Howwwever… that's not all. Actually got a real gift for ya... new toy from the toybox of a good choom of mine over in combatware ideation." She says with a big smile on her face as she begins to unseal an unmarked metal biometrics security container on the table. Brian focuses in on the case as the locking mechanisms buzz and whirr to Audrey's unlock.
The case slowly opens… revealing what looks to be a variety of different sized lava orange and blood red metal rods, with long hooking probes designed to sink deep into flesh, all the way to bone throughout the length of each of them. Each rod had thick nanowire connecting them together as it lay in the case with that sleek, chrome finish. Almost looking like a fancy set of tent poles but with probes.
"Allow me to present to you… first of its kind… The Lace Attenua!" She says with a proud tone of presentation. "Since as far as we know, only one exists… the first ripper to chip it gets to name it so." She giggles with excitement.
"What the hell is this..?" Brian asks confused.
"The market for the latest and greatest in combatware is constantly flowing with new ideas, concepts and prototypes. Countless one offs are made every now n then to showcase to wide eyed investors trying to stay at the cutting edge. What most people don't know is that some of these things aren't just for show. The real buyers are usually scooped up with the actual application of them. THIS preem piece made it all the way through production to sale but apparently the corpo buyer tried to replicate the design before actually putting down the eddies for it. Caused PetroChem to shelf it away in the back of one of their gold safes alongside countless other prototypes for later sale or use."
"How uh… how do you even chip THIS thing…? and what does it do..?" Brian asks hesitant and skeptical.
"Well, the longest rod here connects directly to your medulla spinalis- uhm.. spinal cord I mean. The rest of them each connect to the back of each of your limbs… from shoulder to wrist and hips to heels just above the skin's surface. As for what it does..? Heh…" She pauses with a smile while looking down, then back up at him. Unable to contain her inherent excitement.
"It attenuates kinetic energy!"
A pause of silent confusion rests on Brian's face.
She scoffs rolling her eyes.
"When activated… It SIGNIFICANTLY reduces kinetic force ON impact! Blunt force? No problem! Stabs and slices? More like butter knives! Lead firing from high caliber iron? Good luck! Combined with your kit, gonna be pretty damn hard for something to get through. It's the perfect cherry on top to an otherwise beautiful build!"
"Woah woah woah… hold up Audrey-" He interjects
"-Not to mention, you can sync it directly to your muscle reflex for snappy deployment!"
"Audrey..-"
"-Hell, the durability and sustainability on this thing even gives the sandy a run for its mone-"
"-Audrey.. how can you possibly know this thing is safe..? Said it yourself, it's a one off. Could have all kinda glitches and shit that you can't foresee. What about the acclimation factors… neurological anomalies… lack of clinical trials?"
"All chrome has neurological anomalies Brian. Sure, some alot more than others but the design principals are very much the same. The only difference is… the lack of history of use, and the lack of time spent IN use. That's why I'm telling you; you need to BE CAREFUL with all of this shit… meaning no fuckin' jumping off skyscrapers or trying to stop speeding trains and thinking the Attenua's just gonna work like magic. None of this shit is magic… we're by the fuckin numbers here alright?… can't just go carelessly testing the limits and firing everything off willy nilly. Your neurological tolerance thresholds are well beyond the kit you see laying right here before you… I triple checked."
"The Lace Attenua" Brian says to himself under his breath in a tone of awe with lowered eyebrows… staring down at this alien piece of cyberware staring right back up at him.
She pauses briefly and looks directly into his eyes.
"Guess that means..… you just gotta trust me." She says matter of factly in a serious tone. "Its either that or this piece is headed back to oblivion."
Audrey's words are like honed blades… she's right. At the end of the day, he does have to trust her. In Night City that can often be harder to do than literally slicing your body apart for cybernetic augmentations. His lack of protest and silence gives her her answer.
The case rests open and she sits back down. She reaches down toward the floor beside her.
"So, the suits all clean… except… these bad boys." She says as she strains a bit lifting his heavy, brand new, blood red gorilla arms onto the table. Brian stares down at the spread of all the chrome… he finally notices most of their colors matching his signature Nue perfectly. Something he didn't even ask for or ever thought about… the sentiment gives him a warm smile that Audrey notices and appreciates. They share a silent moment together before her demeanor quickly switches to serious.
"Now… normally something like this wouldn't be a problem for implant integration because well… I'm me. However, with your history there's indeed a caveat I have to give you with this one." She breaks eye contact and glances down at the gorilla arms before continuing.
"Cyberware augmentation… in principal… is to replace and improve the host user. However… when a user reduces spec… weird things can arise. Replacing meat with metal buy and large is a one way street… can't just… go trotting back to ganic after doing something so extreme. The physiological ramifications… they can literally stop you dead… even cripple you… permanently." The pair break eye contact as they both look down at all the chrome. "Onset debilitation… sudden paralysis, blurred vision, early onset parkinsons… overheating dis-"
"-Think I see what you're gettin' at doll." He responds in a tone as serious as hers causing her to halt the laundry list.
She leans in close… again looking deep into his eyes.
"If you chip these.... You won't be able to reduce spec again.....
No going back."
The pause of silence brought about by this information sits steadily between them being thoroughly digested. Its but a mere pause though… as again…. his lack of response gives her her answer.
"That should do it." She says with a tired exhale while plopping back into her chair completely exhausted and finally on the home stretch. A brief pause again sits between the pair with Zaunya's heart rate monitor steadily beeping off in the distance.
"-You ok.." Brian asks her unexpectedly and catching her off guard as her productive mind continues to race a mile a minute.
"I'm… f-fine…. A uh… a bit better now honestly?" She responds in a soft tone. "Working's... really helped focus my mind in a way I didn't realize how badly I needed. Doing this stuff's always given me this type of…. Zen y'know."
Another pause occurs before switching subject.
"Y'know I gotta ask." Brian says giving her a look shes become all too familiar with overtime with their strengthening chemistry. The pause takes back over with the idle sounds of lab equipment buzzing.
She scoffs and smiles. "PetroChem doesn't take a second look at the chrome orders I place… especially not these days... after all this time. My clientele within the company consists of mostly A-Tens and above."
"A-Tens..?"
"Its a clearance category. They use serial codes to determine status and hierarchy within the company. Anyone above A-Ten is considered VIP. I often serve everyone from branch executives to the very top just underneath the board of directors themselves. Pretty much why you never see heavy traffic through this place." She says glancing around the clinic. "Can go months without a call sometimes."
"So you're tellin' me you can just order whatever the hell you want whenever you want..? Delivered on a silver platter just like that?"
"There's four of you Brian… not exactly an oragnized legion klepping a stockpile." She giggles. "To give you some perspective… you have to remember just how much inventory PetroChem works with at any given time. Their budget allotted JUST to cyberware would make your head spin… let alone combatware. Multi-billion eddie company wide contracts with manufactures like Militech, Dynalar, Arasaka, Tsunami Defense Systems, Zetatech, you name it. Priority bids on cutting edge chrome and chipware, fresh off the belt and out of the minds of some of the best implant designers out there… excess untouched inventory stacked so high it'd make you question why people sink their life savings into this stuff."
Brian thinks deeply after hit with an unexpected dose of reality. Insight into the steady grinding corpo machine… a world he knows little to nothing about. As far as the streets know and understand… this stuff is rare… next to impossible to come by without excess connections and excess scratch… not to mention a ripper that can do the work properly. Feeding his perspective on just how daunting the behemoths of industry really are. It makes the nature of Zaunya's fight really sink in for him... he says nothing and looks away briefly still feeling uncertain. She knows his nature and picks up on this… she continues after a pause.
"Look, i… I haven't always just sat around growing old in this clinic. For years I served for PetroChem as a field medic… a… a combat medic."
Brian looks over at her. She continues.
"Believe it or not there was a time when PetroChem wasn't so… 'secure' in their endeavors. I'd often volunteer for counter offensive operations involving some of their staunchest adversaries."
"Volunteer..? To just… fight against and kill their undesirables..?"
"Its not that simple." She quickly responds in a tired whisper, lightly shaking her head with an exhale… filled with buried emotion.
"So are you… talkin'… kinda like… a merc or-"
"-I was a personal trauma medic alright?" She snap responds with heat… building emotion before a pause and continuing. "Tasked with… specialty support of a single operative directly in the field during high risk offensives."
"A single operative..? But wh-"
He stops himself mid question… the realization strikes him like lightning to his core. How could he have possibly missed it? Having spent an excess amount of time contemplating her connection to Zaunya… he recalls Zaunya's voice in his head from distant time's past.
"She knew my mother." A mutter from back in Graves' Butte. The statement echoes in his head several times before he looks back over at Audrey. He watches her choke back tears as she looks away in mourning with a sudden shake in her hands. The pieces fall into place as it becomes all too clear to him.
This wasn't just a colleague or a fellow soldier… they were in love.
The way his calculated mind races… he settles his thoughts... resting his posture.
"Your connection to Zaunya's vendetta… you're doing this for her…. for Zayta."
The sound of Zayta's name closes her eyes tight... tears escape.
She steadily gathers herself... after a long pause, she speaks with conviction... burying her emotions deeper with each statement.
"Two hundred and seven field operations conducted… two hundred and seven successful. Ninety five company assets secured. Thirty two high value targets zeroed. Four hundred and eighty six rival company assets obliterated." She breaks eye contact as she physically feels the weight of her and Zayta's past before stammering through her final statement with a slow nod. "Two thousand… nine hundred and eighty nine… enemy combatants…. flatlined."
Brian stares at her in silence with an angle of perspective he didn't even think possible. Incredible how the way you look at someone can change so suddenly based on what you know about them. An entire career's work… rattled off to him without so much as a blink. She continues.
"Brutal time but… eventually… things started to settle. Saw each other less and less as orders changed… directives shifted. Gave me what they considered a… 'First Class gig'… sitting in here." She concludes, breaking eye contact.
Brian sits blown away at the information. Humbled by his own ignorance. It becomes so much clearer in his head who this woman is… and more importantly…. why he trusts her. The dots continue to connect across his scattered thoughts as her voice regathers his attention, breaking the tension.
"No one's hands are clean in what's left of this world... I'm sure you'd agree love. Other than that of course… got a couple chooms in chips and combatware that still owe me… Heh… sometimes tenure can be a real bitch." She concludes causing the pair to giggle.
"So Brian… what do ya say…. ready to rip?"
A few more hours go by deep into the night… Audrey posts alone just outside her clinic in her and BugBear's favorite spot, smoking a well earned cigarette. She feels the cool breeze of the quieted streets on her hot skin as her adrenaline finally begins to settle. She's feeling stiff… sore after hours of nonstop, complex, ripper work that really put her level of expertise to the test. Her muscle fatigue along with the stiffness in her back leaves her in desperate need of a massage, a shower, and some sleep. Some time outside with the as fresh as it can get air, while her people lay soundly asleep safely under her watch, comforts her in the warmest of ways; Like a dragon guarding her eggs. She slowly paces around while smoking… glancing up and down the empty, quiet block. She's used to her time alone and has honestly grown to miss it a bit these days. This complex whirlwind of events and stakes involving the people in her life shes growing to-
-Audrey's head snaps up as she gasps and looks straight ahead. Her eyes suddenly begin to violently flicker blue as one of her neuroports begins to glow a neon green.
Netty's geo-sat trigger… has been activated.