Rastislav
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Chapter 9: Cleaning Up
🕑 Added 2025-07-31 12:28:07 +0000 UTCAn: Some minor edits hath been performed upon last chapter, mostly for better flow and wording and less overexplanation.
This chapter also hath been granted the grand wisdom of the fireplace gremlin, be in awe.
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The Aspiring Solo
Consciousness slammed back into him like a hammer, his cheap Optics snapping open followed by a sharp intake of breath.
For a moment, Jackie Welles had no idea where he was, just that he was covered in blood and sweat and currently staring at the gut-strewn floor of some unknown workshop.
And then he blinked again, and his memories snapped back into place.
"Hijo de puta." He cursed as he remembered the sudden blur of the borg fucker, and the feeling of slamming into metal.
'Well, at least I am alive.' He thought 'So there is that.'
Grunting, and wiping the drool and blood from his mouth, he got himself up and paused at what he saw.
The entire inner side of the workshop was covered in blood and viscera, what little was not shot up by the gunfight was instead thrown about by the aftermath of something he'd see in a MaxTac BD.
There were even grooves in the damn concrete!
"Shit." He cursed and quickly checked on his weapons, before running down the trail of destruction.
Or at least he attempted to.
The moment he took his third step he felt a jolt of pain explode at his back, nearly doubling over as his body almost failed to support its own weight.
Scowling, and quickly inhaling a MaxDoc, he firmed his grip on his Unity and kept going.
What followed was more of the same, death and destruction strewn in all direction, especially once he reached the aftermath of his own grenade throw.
But he had no time to think about that as he heard noise coming from nearby and rushed as quickly as he could towards the source.
What he found inside made him pause.
Especially since a shaky hand he could swear he saw getting blown off by a Burya was pointing a Liberty at his face.
"Oh." He heard the familiar synth voice of Mike the borg, and the pistol was removed from his face "It's you."
There was absolutely no emotion in the tone, even the small undercurrent of excitement the chromehead had despite the situation was now completely missing.
Feeling put off, Jackie barked at him "Of course it's me!" He grunted and sat atop a nearby worktable "You didn't leave any of the Scav fucks alive, did you?"
"Of course not." Came the instant answer.
"Right." Jackie nodded, cooling down a bit.
Just then, he got the chance to actually look at the room, and quickly saw what Mike was so busy with he couldn't even have bothered to check on him.
On the operating table lay a familiar woman, tied to the bed with multiple belts and covered in bandages but to Jackie's surprise missing none of her cyberware.
"They didn't… uh" He winced "Scav her yet?"
Michael Sobronov
"If only." The words left me before I could stop them, my whole existence feeling completely detached from the situation "I had to… retrieve what they took."
Digging out the eyes and jaw from their own excuse for a ripper was as insulting as it had been cathartic, even if the arms were much more infuriating.
That machinegunner gonk was so incompetent both of them ended up dented!
Forcing my anger down and not waiting for Jackie's response, I simply pointed at a nearby pile of meat with my non-functional arm.
Jackie looked disgusted but shook his head and spat on the ground "If anyone deserves it, it is these bastardos."
He looked up from the waste pile "You sure it is safe to… fix her here?"
"The Scavs were well supplied." I answered, even as I ran another full body scan to see if any of the viruses or connection adjustments made by the filth remained "And her-" My Vocalizer failed me for a reason I could not identify.
I nearly flinched when a hand landed on my shoulder, the awkward pose making the shorter Latino look just a bit comical, despite the situation, as he offered me a look of understanding "It's your mamá, hermano." He shook his head "No need to force yourself to explain anything."
Nodding instead of saying anything, I got back to work.
Her reaction to hearing me speak left me stunned and confused but I knew wasting time was only increasing the risk of permanent damage, so I tied my half-destroyed arm to my body with a belt and let my Nanoforge do its work while doing my utmost to repair the damage that had been done.
As I told Jackie, the Scavs were very well supplied, holding more than enough medicine and anesthetic for me to properly dress mom's wounds and replace her cyberware as best as I could.
Thankfully, my arms did not fail me as I removed the scabs from her wounds.
And my work clicked back into place just as it was made to do.
The less educated might believe that removing cyberware after a stressful situation was helpful for the person's mental state, but for someone as well tuned to her metal parts as my mother, the violent removal she suffered was far more torturous than anything mere meat might have gone through.
Her brain was already adapted to the signals it sent being received properly, and the sudden lack of multiple parts would certainly lead to confusion and hysteria.
Or at least that is the outcome I hoped for above all.
The others I did not even want to consider…
Retrieving the stolen limbs and parts was quite simple as well, the greedy Scavengers took one good look at my work and immediately decided to add it to themselves, and the lack of thievery safeguards I coded in favor of integration efficiency allowed them to install them without much issue.
A risk I was aware of, and one I would take as many times as necessary.
It was irritating that I could not immediately give her back her legs but I did not trust any model I myself did not build, and installing a new denture and growing back her hair could be done later.
The lack of preparation frustrated me, but optimization was for when you weren't trying to salvage a person as if they were a broken peace of machinery.
Grunting to myself as I found no immediate issues I could solve here and now, I looked to Jackie "She is stable now." I said and he grinned "Can you see if the van in the garage is working? I need to bring her to Vik just in case."
"Sure thing." The Latino agreed and hopped off his seat, walking out with a barely noticeable limp in his step.
The damage he took must have been much greater than I detected, if a dose my nanites did not fully fix him…
No matter, his pain would be temporary, and his payment fair.
Satisfied with that, I focused back on the feeling of blinding rage I had been trying to contain for so long, and turned to the pile of bodies I had dragged here.
I took the Braindance Recorder I extracted from mom's Neural Port, and crushed it between my fingers, before glaring at the pile of meat under my feet.
If I could not kill them all over again, mere desecration would have to do.
---
Twenty minutes later I got the call.
[Jackie Welles: Got the old bucket of rust running again, grabbed all the weapons and 'ware that didn't get shredded too. You done down there?]
[Magos: For the most part.] I answered as I ripped out the final cable holding a Biomonitor to the dead Scav's body [Can you get down here and help me carry her?]
[Jackie Welles: Be there in a minute.]
Unaware of the cruel smile on my face, I let the Biomon join the burned out Kerenzikov and damaged Sandevistan in the metal box, alongside any other military grade implant the filth was sporting.
My still half-functioning right arm twitched as I rubbed my hands.
I am going to dig so many secrets out of these!
"Jesus fuck!"
Unimpressed by the sudden interruption I looked down to see a pale Jackie staring at the pile of meat under me.
"What?"
"You" He pointed at me and then at the meat "The fuck?"
"They certainly won't be needing it anymore." I shrugged, my twitching arm doing a flippant wave on its own "Consider it poetic justice."
He scowled and threw his arms up in frustration "Let's just get out of this fucking place, I need a drink."
"Sure." I nodded and stepped behind the ripperdoc bed, not waiting a moment I simply ripped the mattress off the metal contraption and indicated for Jackie to grab the other side.
He shook his head in that confused way of his and just got to work.
Five minutes later, we were both seated in the reappropriated van, my mother secured in the back and sleeping soundly.
"You good there?" Jackie asked as he turned on the engine.
Looking down at my almost fetus-like sitting position I shrugged "I could sit like this for days."
"Right." He chuckled "Borg."
"Meat problems will not trouble me again." I nodded at the obvious statement.
Snorting lightly and shaking his head, Jackie asked "To Vik's then?"
"Yeah" I agreed and he started driving "Just need to call the fixer."
His Optics visibly brightened at that.
Three rings later, my call was answered.
[Regina Jones: Magos. I thought you got zeroed.]
[Magos: Apologies for taking my time. The situation called for field repairs.]
She raised the eyebrow above her sole Optic.
[Regina Jones: Your VIP is safe and sound then?]
[Magos: As sound as one can be in this situation.]
[Regina Jones: I see] I suspected she did not [And the Scavs?]
[Magos: Will need to be scraped off the walls if anyone wishes to move in.] I forwarded a series of images and recordings from my own Optics.
She took a moment to answer after that.
[Regina Jones: Good. Did you find any information on further dens? Trade partners? Informants?]
[Magos: What little electronic data they kept was blown up during the fighting.]
Her eye narrowed, but she nodded.
[Regina Jones: I understand you had other priorities.]
[Magos: Correct, and may I remind you that no information request was made on your end.]
She let out a short exhale at that.
[Regina Jones: True enough. You did the job you were asked to do, closing the gig now.]
And just like that, five thousand eddies fell into my account.
[Regina Jones: You did good work today. I will contact you if I need any other place demolished.]
Good, a source of extra income would be needed since mom was not leaving the house for a few months at least.
[Magos: Acceptable, just give me three days to settle things.]
[Regina Jones: Alright. Be hearing you, Magos.]
[Magos: Miss Jones.]
The call ended there.
Without saying a word, I immediately wired Jackie the full five thousand.
"The hell?!" He near-squeaked "How much did we get paid?"
"Five thousand total." I answered simply.
He nearly slammed into the back of the car riding in front of us "Damn." He cursed "Thanks choom, but you really don't have to."
Closing my Optics, I said "You helped me with something incredibly important today. This is quite literally the least I could do." I paused "We are still sharing the loot though."
"Hah!" He laughed "Sure thing, choom."
The rest of the ride passed mostly in silence. Well, as silent as Night City can be at any given moment, the van's radio playing some rap slop Jackie seemed to enjoy for whatever reason.
Except the slop must have reminded Latino of something because he turned away from the road and looked at me "Hey, Michael."
"What?"
He grinned and wired me the image of me blowing the first Scav to pieces "Welcome to Night City."
I was only slightly tempted to overload his eyes.
---
One quick call to Vik, and he and Misty were practically running out on the street to help us safely transport my mother into the clinic.
Except, instead of letting me help, the two of them shoved me outside and told me to wait while they also did a quick checkup on Jackie.
Which is how I found myself sitting on the clinic's staircase, staring into the wall while the day's events flickered through my mind's eye over and over again.
I was just reimagining my fight with Koschei, cataloguing all the mistakes I had made, when Jackie stepped out of the clinic, a fresh pep in his step.
"Vik set you free?" I asked.
"I am mostly fine, just like you said. Just need some bedrest and good food, and I will be right as rain." He grinned "But the old man likes to be sure."
"He is a credit to the profession." I nodded at the absolute truth of my words.
Smirking at me, he started walking up the stairs "Going to grab a beer, want one?"
Did I? I suppose today would call for alcohol usually "Sure."
A few moments later, the two of us were sharing a cold Broseph, the sour taste of the 'beer' feeling oddly soothing despite none of the alcohol ever being able to reach my brain.
"Still can't believe there was a sandy fucker waiting for us in there..." Jackie commented as we talked about the fight "One second I was looking at your arm flying off, and the next bam! Gorilla Arm to the chest."
I nodded along, flicking off the cap off my third bottle of beer "If you didn't have your bone lacing and subdermals you would have turned into pink mist."
He shuddered "Do you have to word it like that?"
"The flesh is weak." I shrugged, my brain feeling particularly tickled at the statement "Still, sorry for dragging you into danger and then fucking up."
He blinked "Fucking up? Choom, what the hell are you talking about?"
My Optics narrowed "I made so many mistakes it isn't even funny. If I was smarter neither of us would have been damaged, and the Scavs would have died before they knew what was happening."
He just stared at me for a long moment before loudly snorting "Ha! Don't even think about that, homes. For someone who hasn't even walked before today, you fought like a fucking Legend."
"Really?" I was quite annoyed at the slight hopeful tone in my voice.
"Yeah" He nodded with a grin "But that doesn't mean you aren't right in needing some proper practice. Good cyberware can only make up for hard earned skill to a point."
"I know that" I nodded hesitantly "I just have no idea where to even begin."
He pointed a thumb at himself and patted his pistol "We could go shooting when your mama is all set up?"
"Really?" I asked after a long moment, and seeing his confused look I elaborated "I thought you'd want nothing to do with me when you found me digging through the Scav filth."
His expression shifted into a darker one at that "In most cases you'd be right, but…" He looked away "That ain't the first time I've seen a man go psycho on the bastardos who hurt his family."
He shook his head and faced me again "Just make sure not to follow the Scavs down the slippery slope." He allowed himself a smirk as he heard the bottle in my hand cracking "You are one of the good ones, Mike. Don't let the fuckers take that from you."
I just looked at him like he was an idiot "'Good ones' don't rip people apart in the name of revenge, Jackie. I am aware of at least that."
"Sure" He chuckled "But the usual scopsucker off the streets of NC wouldn't have bothered fixing me either." He smirked "Or did you think I wouldn't notice?"
I scoffed and looked away. It is natural to help your allies, nothing more to it.
"You boys having fun?" The voice of Misty cut through the ensuing silence, the sometimes 'mystic' sometimes ripperdoc assistant walking out of the clinic with a tired smile on her face.
"How is she?" I asked immediately.
"She will be fine" Her smile turned fragile "At least physically."
"I see." I nodded, that was the best outcome I could hope for, I think.
"Doctor Viktor said you should come and visit tomorrow at the earliest." She went on "You should have some rest, and obsessing over her will help neither of you."
"You say that like it is easy" I scoff "But I trust Vik enough to listen."
"He obviously won't be taking his mind off it." Jackie interjected with a glint in his eye "So how about the three of us go to Lizzie's? Take our mind off of things?"
My Optics noticed the slightest dusting of Misty's cheeks at the invitation, while Jackie was looking at the both of us expectantly.
"I don't know if Vik will need any more help…" She said, hesitating.
"Oh come on, hermana" Jackie got up and placed his hand on her shoulder, an act that only increased the bloodflow in her face further "You know he won't complain if you take some time off. Besides" he pointed at me "Just consider it helping a patient out!"
"I feel so valued right now" I drawled "Besides, isn't Lizzie's just a step above a Dollhouse?*"
"See, you are already helping him!" Jackie grinned a shiteating grin "He is already being a sarcastic gonk, he might even stop moping!"
Misty gave him an exasperated look but began laughing after a moment.
I too found myself chuckling, even if it was barely audible.
"Fine." I said and got up "Might as well celebrate my first steps properly."
The somehow both sad and joyous look from Misty would have annoyed me, if I didn't feel a sudden bout of excitement returning to me.
I would not allow this city, or this world to crush me.
Not now, not ever.
---
*Fancy sci-fi whorehouse
Comments
Bonobo
Thanks for the chapter, loved it !
Rastislav
Not 100% sure on what happens in Altered Carbon but just look at what the internet is doing to us today and multiply it by like fifty times, that should give an idea of just how dangerous that stuff is
ZephyrZepar
Cyberpunk has some crazy stuff with brain dances and the cyber dollhouses, but I always wonder if it's worse than the fuckery that happens in Altered Carbon
