Cyberpunk: XYZ

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Chapter 28: Nobodies I

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Therefore, it wasn't that much of a walk, soon being able to see the neon-filled streets of Little China and hear the sound of sirens as well as some familiar cries, right by the clinic... He saw Blood On Metal.

The people of Night City, most of them hope for just a decent life, and most of them don't even get that.

The people of Night City, some of them hope for a happy ending... Wrong City for such an imaginary dream.

It's an imaginary dream because some people want and seek destruction, but most seek glory and riches.

Such people have conflicts, regularly. As a ramification of those conflicts, innocent people die.

Every now and then, a stray bullet hit someone. Today, it hit Marrie's little brother.

Marrie is one of the homeless people living by the clinic, usually staying by the staircase with her brother.

They once got into trouble, a while ago when Johnson came to the clinic, all due to the gun the little kid was playing with.

It's of course Marrie's gun, for protection. She had lost her gun before so she must've got her hand on a new one.

She still let her little brother play with it... After she unloaded it of course.

That same gun the little kid was playing with is in the hand of the only officer on the scene, the police seemingly not attaching much importance to the incident.

That's what usually happens when the incident involves gang violence. The cop must be here just for formalities, putting the gun in an evidence bag.

The gun was thoroughly bloody, having been submerged in the kid's blood for a while now, and it was certainly not the reason he died.

The kid's death was the result of a stray bullet. He didn't die protecting his sister, nor did the gangsters kill him because they saw the gun in his hands.

In fact, they likely didn't see him at all, just another unknown victim of Night City, a city that makes sure you know goddamn well that you're a fucking nobody.

It leaves your loved ones to grieve for you, to sob for you, only to likely harvest their life soon after.

That's the case of Marrie right now, sobbing uncontrollably, on her knees beside the kid, shaking him in the hope of seeing any sliver of life in him.

There was none, the pool of blood is evidence of that as no non chromed up human can survive so much blood loss.

"Please... Please... Co... Come back," Marrie couldn't help choking her words, her voice sounding hoarse, a testament to how much she cried.

X zoned out a bit, barely listening to the voices in the crowd, mostly the homeless people around who came to check what happened.

He could see Garry sitting to the side, his expression speaking of nothing but depression.

Vik was by the staircase leading to the clinic, adorning a frown on his face. He must've seen a lot of death.

Misty was crouched near Marrie, trying to help in any way, but not a word she spoke could cool Marrie's mood in any way.

"X," Marrie was in a trance, her throat having run dry, but she was still able to see X standing before her, having taken his mask off.

Marrie stood up, unable to shed more tears than she already had. She reached out for his free hand and held it before mumbling as her mouth shivered, "C-Can you do something? Please, anything."

X blinked tracing his eyes to the body, and keenly capturing where the bullet wound was, the kid's brain.

It must've been an instant kill, or else Vik would've done something, "I'm sorry..."

"Noooo..." She couldn't muster up the power to cry aloud, only able to let out low desperate mumbles, "Why... Why."

She fell into X's arms, almost falling to the ground if he didn't react fast enough and catch her... She lost consciousness, "Vik! Can you carry her inside?"

X was holding a bag in his right hand, and Vik keenly realized that his condition was abnormal, so he took her inside, X following after them.

Misty remained on the scene, calling Jackie to help with the body and funeral, not having any expectations from the cops to do anything.

Vik gently placed Marrie on the couch in the back room and covered her up with a blanket.

He went back to the operation to find X lying on the operation table, having already put his bag to the side and taken off his upper clothes.

And he was now in the process of taking off his gloves, something he seemed to be having trouble with.

X had used his gloves to block his blood from spilling out, so he tightened them lots, resulting in all of that blood coagulating as it dried, causing it to stick to the fabric of the gloves.

When taking off his gloves, he felt like he was ripping off his flesh, yet strangely, he didn't feel much pain, or at least, his expression said so.

X let the blood leak onto the plate on the side table as he said to Vik, "I think I have a broken rib and my hands... Well, you can see for yourself."

"Just what have you gotten into?" Vik asked as he eyed X's hands, the all sliced-up hands.

If X wanted to answer that, Vik didn't give him a chance as he shook his head, "Never, don't tell me. I don't wanna know... Relax your hands."

Vik got to work, starting with analyzing the injuries, "Deep cuts... Broken bones... Detached finger bones... Broken rib... Lacerated skin."

"Why would you put yourself in so much risk? You're very talented, and all you need is time. Why risk your life?" Vik questioned as he started by disinfecting and stabilizing the wounds to prevent infection.

"It wasn't much of a risk... I knew I would be injured, but the likelihood of death was extremely low," X shook his head. It wasn't the Maelstroms that stumbled upon him, it was he who waited for them.

"Do you not feel pain," Vik asked with wonder for X seemed eerily calm.

"A little... No need for any anesthetic," X answered, seemingly unwilling to delve further into the issue.

Vik shrugged and used a very strong antiseptic spray to clear out any bacteria or debris from the cuts.

"Are you used to death... I saw that you didn't react much," Vik asked.

"I do feel something... I feel my memories burning bright, reminding me of some remembrances I lost... Yes, I am used to death," X nodded.

"You're not alone... Night City makes you feel dehumanized and numb. It drives you so numb you become half-asleep, half-forgotten, half-alive." Muttered Vik.

Then there was silence, only the sound of Vik working his magic left in the place.

X's flesh in some places was way too open, necessitating stitching the wound, and there are many ways to do so.

Vik opted for dermal sealing. This method uses a specialized adhesive that bonds skin tissues together, combined with regenerative agents to accelerate healing.

Dermal sealing is faster than traditional stitching, and it minimizes scarring, making it quite the popular option.

Just to be safe, Vik applied a layer of biogel over the wounds. This regenerative gel helps speed up the healing process, reduce inflammation, and prevent scarring.

The biogel would also act as a protective layer over the sutures or sealed areas, reducing the chance of infection and allowing the wounds to heal more smoothly.

Vik then used a bioplastic that hardens into a protective shell, giving extra stability for broken bones and healing cuts.

He then tended to X's broken rib which wasn't much of an issue, just like the laceration.

"Done, you can take some time off, and don't go fucking around before the damage is fully healed." Said Vik as he took off his gloves.

"How long would it take? To fully heal?" X asked.

"We can do Nanobot-Assisted Bone Healing to reduce the time necessary for full bone fusion to two weeks max," Vik suggested.

"Let's do that. Take out the cost from my next paycheck," X nodded.

Vik didn't argue with X about that and just nodded. X clearly didn't want to owe Vik more than he already has.

"What about Marrie... What should we do?" X wondered.

"I will take care of her till she feels better," Misty joined them and said, having heard X's question.

Misty is truly the kindest of spirits, "Let me know when she wakes up... Tell her to call me," Said X.

He walked, finding a few of the homeless still around, chattering about the incident.

"What a shit day, man."

"What a shit week... Ralph also died just a few days ago and now this... So bullshit."

"Honestly, this is why new gangs like Little Monsters thrive... Fucking gangs funding the rise of other gangs."

"Isn't that a fuckin' cult?"

"Gang, Cult, what's the fuckin' difference? Comparin' horse shit to dog shit!"

The body was nowhere to be seen, having been taken by Jackie and some of his friends.

There was, however, the pool of blood left there, swimming through the cracks of the alleyway... X followed through the cracks of this godforsaken city to his home.