ʙʟᴀᴄᴋ ᴅᴏɢ ʙᴇꜱɪᴅᴇ ᴍᴇ

Leaning his elbow atop the desk, Vik turned in his seat a little for another glance toward V. "Probably. But after all the shit I've seen her go through, even before your chip... She's the type a soft old bastard like me can't just ignore."

She was a good kid. He was starting to hate how stupid she kind of made him. Already, though, Johnny could hear Kerry and Rogue's words in his ears. You don't need help looking like a total fucking gonk.

Johnny would've offered to take her off his hands again, if not for the fact that Vik had already pretty much closed up shop already. Meaning he'd probably be there for a while, if V ended up sleeping for a while. ... Then again, he might have to head back at some point, to make sure Nibbles didn't get into their stuff.

It wasn't a comfortable hit, but at least it was better than hitting the floor, right?

Within the confines of V's home, Johnny took the hat and mask both off to place on the table in front of him. Christ, he was already getting real fuckin' sick of this. It'd only been a few weeks of living as just an engram in V's noggin, but he was already missing bits.

Y'know, like not having to worry about having no strength in his legs or the possibility of him getting hurt. Being able to disappear from view and pop up whenever he pleased had been good, too. But... he was alive. And so was V. Mostly.

That was about all he could ask for for now, right?

There was a short moment of realization that hit him. He was lying on his left side. Meaning-- Johnny looked toward his left arm expecting a gash in the upholstery from the blades usually sticking out from his elbow, only to be met with flesh. That... too would take a lot of getting used to.

i can’t believe you actually did this . 

hey …  did you see that?

what did you do ?!

you jerks !

let’s party like we’re fucking pornstars !

i’m not gonna tell you ,  you’ve gotta see for yourself .

i thought we were goners .

sometimes i forget to just stop and take it all in .

you ALWAYS get like this .

well ,  i did mean to scare you ,  sort of scare you ,  but not for real scare you .

oh ,  you did NOT just do that .

you can’t hide from me ,  [ name ] .

no one wants in on your territory .

you’re SUCH a bitch !

i don’t give a crap about what you think .

are you serious ?  you think that’s insulting ?

[ name ] ,  stop .  this is out of hand .

when i imagined us grunting together ,  this is not what i pictured .

finally ,  a little ray of hope .

well ,  if that’s how it’s gonna be -

maybe we should … you know ,  check it out ?

what  …  was i NO T supposed to take advantage of the opportunity ?

were you IN on this ???

i see a hot bath in my crystal ball .

i can handle it .

you know what ?  this is some bullshit .

i wasn’t faking anything !

i totally promise i won’t murder you when i find you .

oh my god ,  what the hell was that ?!

we don’t need a fire to heat things up .

am i … doing something wrong ?

i thought you were one way ,  but you’re  …  kinda another way .

if this is your way of trying to make me feel better ,  you’re fired .

all you have to do is choose who you will save .

okay ,  okay okay okay . it’s gonna be okay .

you can’t let me die !

just … just give me a minute ,  i can’t think straight .

why are we still talking about this ?  let’s go .

is the night going the way you hoped it would ?

do you intend to continue with this elaborate self - indulgence ?

do you even believe that i’m real ?

soo . . back to square one .

rule number one ,  [ name ] is always right .

rule number one ,  [ name ] is always right .  rule number two ,  nothing else matters because [ name ] is always right .

this is really getting out of hand ,  okay ?

what do we have here ?

looking for me ?

open your eyes .

oh my god ,  oh my god  -  what did you do ?

i’m going to give you ten seconds .   nine  …  eight  …

well ,  that certainly didn’t go according to plan ,  did it ?

you think this mistake won’t have repercussions ?

thank you . for saving my life .

why don’t you believe me ?

you’re not paying attention ,  you’re not paying attention!

ghosts don’t exist ,  okay ?!

all i wanted to do was forget last year ever happened .

stay the hell away from me .

live  &  learn !

we’re gonna die ,  [ name ] .

i wish i could tell you . . it’s just not fair !

it’s too late … [ name ] ,  what’s the point ?

we’ve wasted everything .

[ name ] ,  none of it was wasted . every second that i spent with you was the only thing i wanted to do with my time .

i’m sorry ,  i should’ve told you how i felt .

what makes you so special ,  then ?

do you enjoy feeling terrorized ,  humiliated ?  i mean ,  panicked ?

hook ,  line  &  sinker for every little stinker .

oh ,  c’mon . revenge is the best medicine!

you are gonna fuckin’ pay .

you’re a goddamned murderer ,  is what you are .

you’re only seeing what you wanna see ,  you’re blind .

i swear to you ,  i have no idea what happened to her .

can’t we all just get along ?

not like you got the guts to really do anything about it ,  anyways .

you sure you’re okay ?

let me say what i came to say .

i’m only gonna tell you this once .  it doesn’t matter if you believe me or not .

no ,  it’s about you ,  [ name ] .  it’s always ALL about you .

why did you hurt them ??

how’s that feel ,  you fuck ?!

oh my god ,  i’m so glad to see you .

the hell are you doing here ?

you can’t change what happened .

i had to  …  i had no choice .

don’t  …  don’t fucking move a muscle .

fucker left me to die .

what do you remember ?

you need to listen to me .

i’ve seen what’s down there ,  &  i’d give anything to unsee it .

"I'm ready to run a marathon, don't know what the fuck you're talking about," Johnny remarked dryly, earning himself little more than a eyeroll from Vik. Not liking the guy much himself, he wouldn't engage with the banter, instead just looking down at their feet to get an idea of how this was going to work.

What Vik knew of the circumstances surrounding Silverhand's transfer onto that biochip suggested there might be some memory loss. He doubted Arasaka would've treated the man well, even before deciding on the guinea pig route. Trauma and death would've compounded on each other's negative impact, especially since Silverhand didn't seem the type to just go quietly. Plus, the effect of having one's consciousness and memory confined to an object, separated - until recently - from almost all somatic input or output. It was the kind of thing you couldn't really imagine without going through it yourself.

Still, Vik did have his own memory of the attack and its aftermath; opening up to understanding didn't diminish that.

A huff, nearly a snort, escaped his nose while eyebrows flicked up briefly. Yeah, that was a guarantee. Similarly though, the thought of V softened his look. A glance at Silverhand made him wonder if their minds had reached a similar place.

"Fair enough. He'll buck up and move on eventually. He always does." This time just might've been the longest they'd really gone without "forgiving" each other enough to have a beer and talk. Part of it made him nervous, but his head knew it was all just temporary. Kerry usually would've faltered by now.

It was just boring as fuck, being legally dead and all that. Sure, he had the mask. He was used to going around incognito at times before he died, but things were so insanely differently now. Staying in the megabuilding most of the day was driving him up the wall. Maybe once Kerry forgave him, he could at least escape it by going to raid Kerry's bar every so often.

They just... needed to get to that point again. To the point where Kerry could actually hear his voice or see his face without having a conniption.

But, he'd move on. He needed to for the sake of his own sanity.

Vik returned within a few moments, bringing along a hat, an old pair of sunglasses, and a mask that only covered the bottom half of one's face.

"Pick your poison," he offered to Johnny.

Staring at the choices before him, it wouldn't take him long at all to take the hat and mask. The hat was put on first, then the white menpo mask was secured across his face. Just like the spare clothes he wore, nothing really fit him terribly well. Another thing they would have to deal with, but not until after they were finally able to move without assistance.

"All right. We're out, then." He would say, and yet the step he took was immediately one that had him nearly toppling over. Vik, thankfully, would be able to keep him from immediately breaking his new nose.

And, credit to the bastard, Silverhand seemed to be doing just that. At least trying to.

That first sentiment did ease the sharpest edge of Vik's lingering irritation. No milquetoast 'I'm sorry's or 'I didn't know's. Seemed V really had rubbed off on the rockerboy for the better. An interesting idea on a medical level, though on a personal one it was simply, honestly just appreciated.

"Yeah." Vik removed his tinted glasses for a moment, examining them for a bit of dust he'd noticed. "...If he chooses to give you a second chance, you'll get there. Seems like V's been a good influence, and Kerry's got a decent head on his shoulders."

He wondered how much of what he'd done was even real within his memories. Which were real, which were stitched together, and which were just... fabricated. Coming to terms with all that shit was still difficult for him. He hadn't been able to bring it up to V yet. As of late, it really had just been all dedicated to her recovering, getting used to functioning again after being in a coma for so long. Now with this seizure on top of it, he hoped it wouldn't leave her out of it for too long.

"Only thing I really can promise is that I'll get on your nerves. I'm sure Ker's already told you that much." But, like Vik, he'd try. V didn't need anymore grief in her life. Still felt weird thinking that way about her, feeling almost protective of her, but it was real, and he wasn't great at hiding it.

Whether it was his look, or the bastard finally growing some sprout of a conscience, Vik allowed the bristling moment to ebb away.

Despite his personal pains, he couldn't deny he saw where Silverhand had been coming from. An attack like that should've shaken the company's head honchos; maybe it would have, if not for the apparent lack of enough support and the fact the bomb had been nuclear. Vik also couldn't deny understanding, particularly on a medical level, that Silverhand's memories of the tragedy were fogged over to some degree. It was doubtful Arasaka would've kept the rockerboy in top condition before ripping Silverhand out of his own head to be crammed on an experimental biochip.

Watching the other man for a long moment after those latter words, Vik weighed their sincerity while sorting out his answer. "...Sure." If Silverhand's memory of that day was fragmented or uncertain, neither of them could know how involved the man had actually been. Short of talking to Kerry. That could come in time.

"Your dad was lucky to have you." That much, he guessed, he could manage. It was weird to hear, comin' out of his own mouth. If he hadn't known better, he could've sworn he'd heard V's voice alongside his own. ...Man, this shit was still so fucked.

"Can't say much else. Can't blame ya for hating me. Just gotta at least deal with each other. Y'know, for V, or whatever." She didn't need the stress of playing ref for the three of them. Johnny really didn't want her to have any more of those damn seizures.

Speaking of V, he could at least grant that Silverhand didn't carry much blame from the whole biochip fiasco. Sure, the guy could've maybe not taken V's body for a damn joyride after first being given the reins, but the rest was Arasaka's fault.

Vik had seen only a portion of the hell Kerry had gone through. And while his partner was a grown adult capable of making his own decisions, the shadow of grief had been a long one over Kerry's life. Even if there would've been no good way to tell or show the man that Silverhand was still alive, the latter's seeming rush to reach some sort of normalcy despite digging into an old wound... it grated at Vik.

And then, then there was his own issue. His own 'anything else'. To hear Silverhand try to shift that blame spurred Vik to speak.

He'd been part of it, sure. But it wasn't his bomb. Wasn't his idea, as much as he'd been eager to take up the offer presented to him.

"Lotta people had a lotta part in it. Wanna count your partner in on it, too?" Words sat on the tip of his tongue. Accusatory ones, but ones he couldn't actually say for certain were real or not. He would've just spat 'em out without a single thought before, but something told him to shut his fucking mouth.

"...Never mind," he hissed out, turning his head away instead to look toward V. She was fine, sleeping away. Johnny wondered how much she knew, if she knew his memories were bullshit too.

"Thought it meant somethin' at the time. Thought it'd make a difference." All they did was make another shitty building in its place. "Can't say I remember what I was thinking, what convinced me it'd be a good idea." Other than The Hand. Vik was a ripper, maybe he'd get it, but it wasn't like it was an excuse. Just bullshit circumstance that had led to a lot of the shittiest moments in his life, including several that probably had been told to Vik in the form of Kerry's stories.

He really did want to talk to Kerry, to figure out how much was true. Seemed like he'd have to wait a while for that chance.

Only when he handed the phone back did he speak. "If my partner ever wants to offer that branch, you'll hear so from him first. He doesn't hafta 'get over it' at any pace but his own."

Vik pocketed his own phone once more, and glanced toward where V was resting. They hadn't been too loud to his ear, but he still wanted to make sure they hadn't disturbed her rest. Didn't seem so, fortunately.

The more Viktor went on, though, the more Johnny did actually wonder just how old this guy was. At Kerry's age, it wasn't difficult to believe he was with someone a whole lot younger. Was almost inevitable. But it really made him wonder.

Upper 50s at least, he was guessing. It wouldn't be too far-fetched to assume this guy may've actually been a living, breathing member of society by the time Arasaka Tower came down. After all, sure. A lot of people hated his ass for one reason or another. But unless they were personally affected by him, they usually didn't have a ton of reason to really hate him.

Y'know, unless the general hatred toward everything that happened. He'd heard a good bit of that through V's ears, and he really didn't have much to say about it.

What could be said?

It wasn't like he regretted it.

Vik couldn't say for sure if that attitude was just bluster from Silverhand, or if the bastard had always been like this. Maybe some mix of the two. No matter what, it didn't change who'd dealt with the brunt of the old rockerboy's goddamn ego. He might trust V's word that Silverhand had changed, or opened up or whatever, but her word was all he had so far.

Look, sure. Maybe it was a hell of a surprise to see him. But surely he should've been able to get over it by now. After nearly a month, you'd think it would've. But so far, any invitation or suggestion he pop by North Oak was met with resistance. They had to get shit settled if V was gonna be able to keep all of her friends. Playing messenger between them wasn't fair. Not when they were grown ass men.

In the meantime, Vik sorted through emails and noted down a few meds in need of backstock. He didn't want to get too distracted, just in case, but so far V was resting peacefully. What was a surprise, was that Silverhand was quiet. At least, had been until now.

"Right." Johnny didn't have much to say on that, honestly. It's not like he was gonna admit fault, or anything. 'Cause it wasn't his fault. V was a grown ass woman. It wasn't like he could just force her to sleep.

Only then did Vik's glance cast to Silverhand again. Much as reflex still bristled at the other's presence, he only asked, "Lock the door; it's a switch above the keypad. Don't want a walk-in crashing her recovery time."

With that added security, Johnny removed his mask to let it sit just below his face and returned to V's side.

"If it wasn't for the monitors, I'd settle your ass over on the couch," he told her, voice a little quieter but not aiming to hide what he was saying from Vik.

"'M fine. 'M used t'... t' the... the this chair."

"Guess I shoulda figured. ...'M gonna stick around. Holler if ya need somethin'."

V hummed vaguely, eyes fluttering closed as she was fading pretty fast. Johnny watched her for about a minute longer, only pulling out his phone when it seemed like she was out. He sat there in silence for a while, but pocket his phone again after about a half hour.

Standing up, Johnny approached Viktor, but didn't get too close. He kept a about a 10 foot distance from Vik's desk.

Much like Silverhand's, Vik's focus returned to V as soon as she murmured a question. While the other two talked, he gently coaxed her eyes open a bit wider, one at a time, to check her pupils. A glance to Silverhand and a nod of acknowlegement; it did muddy the waters a bit over whether she did indeed have a concussion, but it was important to know.

"Jus' a little one," she offered quietly, her words coming out slightly slurred. "Not bitter, though. My mouth is normal... Tastes normal." V amended her own words a moment later. Johnny could only hope that was a good sign.

Vik checked V's head, even while Silverhand mentioned she hadn't hit it directly in her collapse. As she was settled into the chair, he adjusted his posture to check her neck and shoulders. He didn't want to press hard, not til she was coherent enough to respond, but it didn't feel like she had any fractures. From there, he moved on to her joints, first shoulders then elbows then hands, one arm at a time. Nothing out of place, likely just sore. He'd keep an eye out for any developing indicators of internal bleeding in her head or torso, as well as keep her on concussion watch for a bit, but it seemed she'd been lucky again.

Vik angled the overhead light so it wouldn't shine directly in V's eyes, and murmured to her, "Just take it easy, kid. You'll be alright."

"Couldn't exactly force her t'get help before. And I wasn't gonna let her pull that shit again if I could help it." Coupled with her confusion, though, he definitely felt like she'd needed to see Vik. She only just got her life back, and it would've pissed him the fuck off if she lost it just as quickly.

"Why're we here?" V finally spoke, and Johnny's attention immediately went straight to her.

"Told ya before, Vae- V. Ya had a seizure. Vik is gonna get a look at you after that fall."

"'M so tired..." she murmured, voice sounding a bit weepy.

"She was tired b'fore the seizure," Johnny was quick to inform Vik. He was pretty sure that was a symptom of a concussion. With how she'd been beforehand, though, he knew that it may very well have just been from that.