#adecentread

Chapter 5: What if I was Nothing

Silken droplets of guilt poured down from above. She leaned back against the cool metal of Jackie's garage door. What had she done? Why had every choice she made left nothing but crippling decay in its wake? He was with Misty now, not her. She made her choice ten years ago, and this was the consequence. It was hard enough for her to stomach the anguish on his face. Cera's stomach churned and bile rose in her throat. She felt guilty. She felt to blame. She had been to blame for so much, how much more heartache could she cause this man? How much more could she live with? She doubted she could really do either.

Jackie had left her temporarily to speak with a friend of his at el coyote about fixing up V's car. The rain was coming down harder now. Thunder danced seductively along the clouds, hidden somewhere in the night lights. Wrapping her arms around her stomach, she sank to the ground. Fingertips dug into the soft skin of her triceps. Pressurized anger so deep that it caused her to bleed. So lost in her own thoughts and self loathing, she never saw Jackie approach.

Squatting on his knees, Jackie reached out, tilting her face so he could look into her eyes, "This isn't like you, chica. Come inside. Get outta this storm." Jackie slowly rose, Cera followed suit. He bent down momentarily, unlocking the garage door. Large strong hands pushed the garage door open, he turned with a smile to show her part of his world now. Misty was right, as much as he knew he hurt her. He needed to know if the Cera he knew was dead and gone. He had to know that the love was no longer there. But she stood out in the thundering storm. Jackie looked at her, concern and worry painted across his face, furrowing his brow. He reached out, fingertips grazing the knuckles on the back of her hand. "Cera?"

"I-I shouldn't have made a sound. I should have stayed silent." Cera stared down the alley in front of her. Her mind told her to run but she couldn't find it in her heart to go through with it. Not this time. "You should have-"

"Don't." his voice was stern as Jackie stepped back out into the rain. A little water wasn't going to hurt him. His fingertips caressed her cheek, the thumb of right hand carefully touched her lips. How he longed to kiss her... "Don't say it."

"But-" she started to protest when Jackie cupped her face in both of his hands.

"Cera, please. Don't say I should have left you there. In that scav den. I wouldn't have left anyone there. 'specially not you." His eyes scanned her face. He didn't find the cold heartless bitch his anger told him he'd find, there was genuine remorse there. "I jus' wanna know why. Por favor. Ayúdame a entender."

Cera pulled herself from his hands, stepping into the garage. High concrete ceilings decorated with posters of cars, Night City gangsters and scantily clad women. In the opening on the left side sat a motorcycle. A custom ARCH. Cera wasn't surprised. Jackie had been riding bikes since before she walked into his life. On the right side, sat a bench press. No wonder he kept so fit.

Her hands trailed along the edge of the metallic counter. Worn but well read was the weathered spine of a book beside where she stood. Picking it up, she instantly recognized the cover. For whom the bell tolls by Ernest Hemingway. Had she forgotten it? Opening the cover, there was the faintest hint of black ink from a pen weathered from time. "To my dearest Jaquito. With love, Cera." She whispered the words. "You kept this?" She asked, turning to see Jackie standing in the doorway of an additional add on room. Glancing over his shoulder, Cera could see a sofa pulled out into a make shift bed, a hand made sand mandala pushed into the corner of the room. There was a small desk behind a few lockers that had a standard sized computer on top of it.

Jackie leaned against the door casing, his arms crossed tightly against his chest. "Why wouldn't I? I loved you, Cera. That hasn't changed. No importa cuánto rompiste mi corazón". he looked at her through expressive green eyes. Jackie was always an intimidating brute of a man. Even when he was young. But that never stirred Cera away. That woman was fire walking along the edges of a storm. Captivating amber eyes that let you know exactly what was up.

"I never meant to. I never wanted that." Cera said, putting the book back down. Jackie turned and showed her the bed.

"Storms gettin' nastier outstide. The coyote is empty now if you want, I can sneak you in. Let you clean up in the bathroom. Then we can come back here n rest." she didn't have the energy to argue, so Cera nodded in agreement to his proposal. Swiftly, Jackie led her out of the garage, through the back door of the bar and to the bathroom. Upon entering, Cera took a good look at herself in the mirror. She was a wreck. Invisible stitches along her neck barely visible to the naked eye. Quickly, she stripped. washing herself with hand soap and water. She would be lying if she said she hadn't washed herself like a homeless person before. Cera would have been lying if she said she was never homeless. The warm water felt good against her skin. Closing her eyes, she imagined. Imagined his hot breath against her bare skin. Bodies pressed up against the shower wall. Lips locked revealing secrets that only angels could hear, silent whispers writing poetry on their skin. Her skin flushed with heat forcing her eyes back open. She was still so deeply in love with Jackie. Time nor distance had changed that. He was impossible not to love. Hands gripped the edge of the sink as she stared at her naked reflection. He still loved her. He still loved her... After all she had done. After all the hell she had wrought...she doubted she even deserved it.

Still, Cera got redressed, slipping out the back door and back out into the pouring rain. The walk back to the garage was brief, stepping inside she could see Jackie handing her a pair of clothes. "Thought you might wanna change." he handed her one of his black t-shirts and a pair of red and black basketball shorts. Cera took them with an appreciative nod. Turning from him, she shrugged off the black leather duster and hung it off the wall. Without thinking, she undid the belt buckle of her cargo pants and dropped them to the floor. Jackie's jaw however hit the fuckin' floor. Her body was incredible. Well toned legs trailed up to a shapely ass with an hour glass waist joytoy's dreamed of. A picturesque tattoo taking up most of her back. Up on her shoulder blades was a massive stained glass monarch butterfly leading down to a shadow of a black raven on her mid and lower back. Jackie watched her in awe, as she turned slightly and caught him looking. Abruptly, Jackie looked away as Cera giggled.

"You can look, ya know? It's not like you aren't my husband." Deliberately, Cera faced him. Peeling off her brown tank top, leaving her bare breasts for him to stare at before covering them with his t-shirt. The silky material stretched tightly over her chest accentuating the small curve of her breasts and how chilly she actually was.

She stepped into the room, laying down and enveloping herself beneath the heavy blankets. "Can-can I join you?" She heard Jackie ask. Rolling back over to face him, Cera's jaw dropped. Jackie had shut the garage door but stood in the doorway of the adjacent room. His shirt was off and he stood in a pair of black jeans. His trapeze muscle on his shoulders hulked in comparison to any other man she had ever seen. His chest was broad with pectorals so large that if she laid her hands on them, she'd feel small. He had an incredible six pack that only added to his goliath size. Cera blushed before pulling back the blankets, shifting herself farther down the mattress. As Jackie laid beside her, she instinctively rolled over with Jackie following suit. Curling one arm under his head, the other draped around her waist. Cera felt him release a relaxing breath as she closed her eyes. She did not dream though; she only remembered.

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Spanish to English Translation:

Por favor. Ayudame a entender - please help me understand

Chapter 1: Demons in my Soul

It's best to live in the moment, if you can't then what else can you live for? The words were tatted in white ink, now faded. They were barely visible on his skin. Only he would know they were there, to the rest of the world they were invisible. Absently, Jackie rubbed the inside of his right wrist. Scav dens always made him antsy. Scavs were ruthless and unpredictable, so he had to be on his toes. Ruthless he could handle. Unpredictable, that's how good men die. His friend, V, carried Sandra Doorset out onto the balcony of the apartment. Awaiting trauma team. The weight of cold steel pressed into Jackie's hands as he stood at the ready. Not straying far from the balcony doorway, he looked around the room. Seemed empty. Seemed safe.

His eyes shifted to orange as he scanned the room. The bodies lie cold and motionless. Sweeping the circumference of the room, Jackie paused. Inside the wall in front of him, lower to the floor sat a ball of heat. It was the size of a person curled up into a ball. Pieces of dry wall flaked off from where Jackie body slammed the bulky scav only a few moments before. Jackie crouched, pressing his ear to the wall. Behind it he heard the whimper of a female voice. Putting down his gun, Jackie cocked his right fist back and slammed it forward into the drywall. His knuckles stung from the impact but he managed to ignore it for now. "Esperar! I'll get you out of there." The ball of heat didn't move. Adrenaline surged through his veins. The last thing he wanted was to find another dead body. Pulling his fist back once more, Jackie connected even harder with the dry wall, shattering the make shift cover. "V! I got a live one!" he called out to V who was dealing with Trauma team at the moment.

Jackie looked over his shoulder quickly, expecting an ambush at any moment before reaching inside the hole. "You're alright." he said, reaching his large calloused hand inside the hole. His eyes continued to scan the figure when he felt the warmth of a hand within his own. Looking inside, the head seemed to be covered with a hood. The nails of the hand were painted black but the fingertips were no less calloused than his own. Shifting it's weight, the figure looked up at him. Glowing blue eyes scanned his orange eyes. She had a breathing apparatus mask over her nose and mouth, leaving her eyes exposed.

A slight glint of silver caught his attention, glancing down at her right hand which held up a blade ready to strike. She was ready to defend herself. "J-Jackie?" The familiar voice rang so loud in Jackie's ears that it caused adrenaline to spike through his veins once more. A voice of reason, a voice of clarity, a voice of everything. In one swift motion he pulled her forward and out of the small hole. Out in the light, Jackie's eyes shifted back to green and hers back to honeyed amber.

"¿Qué carajo? Cera?" Cera... He hadn't seen in her 10 years. Sheesh, had it really been that long? Jackie sized her up, it definitely was her. She was tall but only a few inches shorter than him. Setting her at about five foot ten inches. Jackie was about six foot two. Her naturally tanned skin was an absolute give away that was a Valentino. Or was. He wasn't sure if she was still with them or not. Her hair had curled a bit more than the last time he saw her but it was no less a dark brown. His eyes traveled down her jaw along the mask to her neck. That's when he noticed the blood. It was running down both sides of her throat.

"What in the hell are you talking about, Jack?" V paused in the doorway at the sight of woman standing before Jackie.

"What's going on V?" They both heard T-Bug asked, but V deterred her.

"I'll have to call you back, Bug." V severed the call, knowing all to well the netrunner would chew him out later for it. V stared at the woman then glanced over at the hole in the wall that she literally crawled out of. "How in the hell?"

"No, time." Jackie cut V off, scooping the woman up in his arms. "We need to get her to Vik's and fast. Maldito infierno, she's bleeding all over the damn place." Reluctantly, V handed Jackie the keys to his car as they rushed out of the apartment with this mysterious girl cradled in Jackie's arms.

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Spanish to English translation:

Esperar- Hold on

Que carajo- what the fuck

Love me like you do

Chapter 4: Haven

Breath hitched, muscles in his chest tightened at the sight of her. It had been ten years since he had seen her last and even with her back to him, Jackie would recognize her anywhere. Cera turned and smiled, locking eyes with him. ¡Señor y cielo arriba! She could melt ice caps with those honeyed amber eyes. Her smile was small, shy hidden behind perfectly posed full lips. Square jaw with high cheek bones that accentuated the deep point of her heart shaped face. Cyberware embedded on her throat was glowing blue and purple. As it should be. Her dark brown curly hair was partially pinned up; her typical wear and tear. On the left side of her face, intricate blue and purple electrical veins were placed just under her left eye. Her nose was slender and made her face symmetrical to the rest of her. Brushing along the metallic floor of the clinic was the hooded black duster she always wore. Now in the light, Jackie got to see the full view of her.

Underneath the black leather duster she wore raggedy brown tank top that stopped just shy of her black cargo pants. Exposing a middriff of tan skin. Around her waist was a total of six knife sheaths, three on each hip. No doubt that there was two attached at each ankle hidden just beneath where her pants leg met black and white sneakers. Jackie knew Cera all too well, that against the small of her back was two empty holsters that held both of her M221 Saragotas. Pleasantly named destino. A play on words that she would take both in her own hands. To be honest, Jackie didn't expect her to be awake much less standing.

Cera's smile faded as she looked at Vik realizing she had no way to pay him for saving her life. "I can't thank you enough for doing what you did." Her voice was soft, as she glanced at Jackie.

"No need to thank me. Jack's the real reason you're alive." Jackie turned to Vik to pay him, who only shook his head pushing the eddies back into Jackie's hand. "This one is on the house."

Cera stepped outside of the clinic and into the warm rainy air. She missed this. This weightless feeling. Warmth enveloped her shoulder, gently turning her around. Taking a deep breath, Cera looked up into his green eyes. How he captivated her with those selfless, kind eyes so many times before. How cold and heartless she was for turning such a gentle soul away... "I owe you some answers don't I?"

Jackie didn't move at first, he didn't budge. He didn't leave or walk away. He wasn't her. He was better than that... "Where are you gonna stay?"

That was what he wanted to know? Where she was gonna stay? Cera hadn't really thought of it. One minute she was heading to lock up to visit her brother, the next she was grab bagged by scavs. Only five hours ago she thought she was done for. Now she was face to face with the only man she's ever loved. The man who's heart she broke... "Nowhere." she chuckled. Trying to make light of the tension that grew between them.

"Vamos, you can stay with me. I got a spot outside of the Coyote. You can stay there as long as you need." Jackie offered, his heart hitched in his throat awaiting her answer.

"Misty won't mind?"

"Misty and I don't live together. A mi mamá no le gusta ella." He scoffed but paused as Cera wrapped her arms around him. Hugging him..she was hugging him.

"Eso no es sorprendente. Ella tampoco me quería". Cera said, sighing she took in the scent of Jackie's cologne. Sandalwood, amber and leather. The kind of scent that ushered one into absolute blissful slumber. A comforting calm that chased all of your demons away. A home she longed for. A home she abandoned.

Wrapping his strong arms around her, Jackie without thinking instinctively kissed her forehead. "She never had the chance to really know you." But Cera knew that Mama Welles knew all that she wanted to know about Cera. If she ever knew the truth about why Jackie got shot, if she ever knew that Cera was his wife... There would be hell to pay. And not just for Cera but for Jackie as well.

She followed Jackie back to V's car only to find Misty standing next to it. She didn't look upset or hurt by the sight of Cera standing next to Jackie. In fact, Misty's face was rather peaceful. "Hey, Jack. Good to see you're okay, Cera." She looked at Jackie and entered the Esoterica without another word.

"Let me handle this." Jackie said, turning he followed Misty. "I'm guessing V called you?" Jackie leaned up against the counter meanwhile Misty reached for her tarot deck hidden behind the counter.

"No, Viktor did." Misty shuffled the deck as Jackie shook his head.

"I don't know what to do, Misty. I never thought I'd see her again. I moved on." Misty reached out, and put her hand over Jackie's to keep it from shaking.

"But you always hoped you would. I'm not blind or stupid. I love you, Jack. And I know you love me. But you need to figure out if things with Cera are really dead and gone." She gave him a warm smile glancing up to Cera who stood in the doorway. Misty's smile stayed though she could tell Cera looked guilty. As if she were about to cry.

"I'm gonna decline your offer." She said to Jackie, her voice small and depleted. She knew better.. "I don't want to ruin what you have."

"You're not." Misty said, gesturing for Cera to sit next to Jackie. "It's not a break up. It's a hiatus." Misty knew. She knew what Cera meant to Jackie. What Cera still meant to Jackie. And Misty wanted Jackie to find peace in what happened, regardless of what that meant for her. She knew that there was no comparison. She had seen the photos from their wedding. She had seen where he kept them hidden. She had followed Jackie many nights where he sat out in front of the Coyote, waiting for Cera to come home. Misty smiled at both of them as she proceeded to shuffle her tarot.

Jackie's green eyes bled concern as Misty leaned forward. Kissing both his and Cera's forehead before continuing, "Go and get some rest. I'll be here waiting." She watched as Jackie and Cera walked out together before she played out their tarot.

Misty turned over the first card and smiled, "Wheel of Fortune. Fate." She flipped over the next card and smiled once more. She wanted both of them happy. Jackie and Cera deserved that much. "Lovers. Fitting." The energy that clung to the last card felt heavy. It was stagnant and still. As she laid it on the counter, Misty's smile faded. "Death.." she whispered it out while tears fell down her face. Jackie had mentioned a legend making gig he was working on, which resulted in the death card behind delt. She had tried to stay optimistic. But this was different. The air around the card shifted. It shifted the moment Cera Welles reentered Night City and Misty wasn't sure who it was for. Jackie or Cera?

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Spanish to English Translations:

Senor y Cielo arriba - Lord and Heaven above

Destino - Destiny and Fate

Vamos - Come on

A mi mama no le gusta Ella - my mom doesn't like her

Chapter 3: 3 Libras

Silence ate away at the air as they passed over the bridge into Watson. Cera rolled down her window, spitting out a wad of blood that coagulated in her throat. Rain in Night City was her favorite. Lights blurred together and reminded her of a watercolor painting that someone left out in the rain. Color mixing together, distorting the original image as they blended into something new. "She took a liking to you." She spoke up, breaking the tension in the car.

Jackie smirked, shaking his head. He looked over at V who was casually smoking his cigarette. "The devotion I showed grabbed her by the gut." his voice was still animated, which broke V out of his silence.

"See, you can be nice." A devilish smirk and a wink took Jackie by surprise.

"When am I not nice?" He questioned his accuser. In his mind, Jackie was one of the kindest people you'd be lucky to meet. Though behind those gentle green eyes, was a damn good man you just don't cross. Cera had seen the mean side of Jackie before, she doubted by V's comment that he had ever seen Jackie that way. She certainly wasn't keen for seeing it again.

"Like, always." V joked, looking back to see Cera shake her head with a smile.

"I'm always never not nice!" Jackie shook his head. Pelotas on this fucker! To say he wasn't ever nice! He glared at V who only returned the look.

"Speaking of devotion, does Misty know?"

Swallowing hard, Jackie nodded. "Yeah." And that was all that was said. The rest of the car ride to V's apartment was in complete silence. The building was larger than Cera expected as they pulled into the parking garage. V got out and waved goodbye to Jackie, giving Cera a salute before he entered the elevator to his apartment. Jackie looked back at her, "Are you alright?"

Cera smiled through the increasing pain. Now it felt like her cyberware was going to melt into her flesh. Her throat was scorching to the touch, but the last thing she wanted for Jackie was to fawn over her. As she thought before, she wasn't surprised that Jackie was seeing someone. That didn't mean it didn't hurt any less. But there was some solace in knowing it was Misty. The Heywood girl was always out there, but she was kind. They grew up together. She was glad it was someone she knew. "Misty Olszewski. Good choice." She was genuinely happy for Jackie and did not expect the glare he gave her as they turned the corner.

Abruptly, Jackie slammed the car into park and turned fully around so he and Cera were face to face, "Tu sabes mejor. If you had stayed, it wouldn't have happened."

Cera sneered at the comment. She lifted her right hand from the cyberware on her throat and showed it to Jackie. It was sticky bright crimson and brown with fresh and old blood, "No hay necesidad de ser tan desagradable conmigo. If I live through this, you can bitch about it later." Jackie glanced down at the blood on her hand only to see it running down the sides of her cyberware once more.

"¡Mierda!" he swore to himself, moving quickly from the drivers seat to yanking the back door open. Reaching in, he pulled Cera out only to have her slump to the ground. "Not like this," he whispered. Sure, he was angry with her. He wanted answers. Answers as to why she left ten years ago. But he didn't want to lose her! He sure as fuck didn't want her dying in his arms on tonight of all nights. Jackie lifted her into his arms; cradling most of her weight on his right forearm while he applied pressure to her throat with his left hand.

The Esoterica had been closed for hours and he knew that Misty was back home in Heywood waiting for him. He would have to call her later with why he didn't show up for their date. A date with Misty seemed a fleeting dream at this point as Jackie kicked in the side gate that led down into Vik's clinic. "Vik!" he shouted, yanking the metal chain doors open. Vik was standing in the far left corner of his clinic practicing with the punching back when he turned to the sound of Jackie's shout. "Por favor, ayúdame. Vik, she's bleeding all over the place. Soy un hombre tan tonto. " The last part was no more than a whisper to her as Vik round the corner. Jackie laid her down on the ripper chair, stepping around the back so when Cera looked up his face was upside down. His hand was still applying pressure gently to her throat.

Cera coughed up another wad of blood that pooled around the corners of her mouth. Adrenaline spiked in her system, she was drowning in it now. Reaching up, she touched the side of Jackie's cheek. Her thumb brushing back and forth over his cyberware. "No digas eso de ti. Estás lejos de ser tonta, mi amor". she whispered. Her throat was on fire, her cyberware overheating.

Vik rushed to her side, "Let me take a look." Looking down, Vik could see cut marks along the sides of her throat rounding to the back of her neck.

"I found her hiding behind a wall in the scav den." Jackie explained. He took a deep breath in an attempt to keep his composure. He had sworn himself and his ever lasting devotion to this woman. He wasn't going to let anything happen to her.

"Looks like they tried to remove her cyberware and nicked her jugular." The old ripperdoc grunted. Grabbing the anesthetic, he smiled at the girl. "Lights out sweetheart. No worries you're in good hands." Vik spoke to her. She nodded and dropped her hand from Jackie's face. The injection was quick, she slowly closed her eyes and Vik looked at Jackie. "Jackie, I need you to let go so I can work on her." But the words seemed to evade him. He looked as if he were miles away. "Jack," Vik continued, reaching out and laying a hand on his friend's shoulder. "I got her. She'll be okay."

Only then did Jackie release his hand from her throat. He silently nodded and stepped away from the chair. But he didn't leave the room. Jackie sat on Vik's couch in the adjacent room. His mind raced, holding up the gold cross that hung around his neck in both of his hands. Silently he said a prayer. Cera did something for him that no other woman could ever do, no other woman could ever replicate. She calmed his storm all while alighting his soul. Hours passed and his stomach growled with hunger. Jackie's left leg shook with anticipation. He needed to know that she was okay. Even if she walked away tomorrow, even if she got up and left Night City this very second, he needed to know she was going to be okay. The crinkling sound of a chip bag caught his attention. He looked up and saw Vik handing him the bag. Jackie nodded and took the bag. He was ravished.

"So who's the girl?' Vik asked. He had every right to ask. After Vik saw the way Cera touched his face, it was more than evident that they were close.

"Remember when I told you a few years back that I was married once?" Jackie asked Viktor who took a seat beside him. Stretching his legs out, Vik continued to wipe the excess blood off his hands with a rag.

"Said you thought she was dead." Vik commented, running a hand over his black hair.

Jackie let out a half sigh, half heartbroken chuckle, "That still didn't stop me from reaching out to her cousin every year for the past ten years. See if he heard anything." Crumpling the chip bag between his large hands, Jackie stood, tossing it in the trash can. "And tonight of all nights. After all these years, I find her hiding in a scav hole."

Vik rolled his neck side to side, cracking it before he stood. "You saved her life, Jack. Any moment longer and she would be dead."

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Spanish to English Translations:

Pelotas - The balls

Tu sabes mejor - You know better

No hay neceside de ser tan desagradable comigo - No need to be so nasty to me

Mierda - Shit

Por favor, ayudame - Please, help me

Soy un hombre tan tonto - I'm such a foolish man

No digas eso deti. Estas lejos de ser tonta, mi amor -Don't say that about yourself. You're far from foolish, my love.

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Barely able to stomach the rage that pumped through her veins, Lyric put V's car in park just outside of the Escoterica. Her eyes flashed orange for a moment as she scanned through her contacts until she found T-Bug. She would have to keep this on the downlow. "Ah, this is it." Jackie chimed up, opening his door. V rounded the front of the car, awaiting for Lyric to get out. She looked at V, shutting the drivers door. "Go on, ladies. V, find me once Vik's done dusting your circuits. We'll hash out what Dex's cooked up for us."

V laced her fingers with Lyric's and pulled her inside. Pausing by the desk, Lyric dropped a credit chip. "This is will have the order code on it. Just scan it into the site and you'll have the crystals by monday." Lyric stood leaning up against the desk, hesitating to go any farther with V. "I'm going to run over to Tom's Diner while you're in there." V stared at Lyric, bewildered.

"You're not coming with?" Disappointment swept across her hazel gaze.

"I have a few things to get done, starting with getting a bite to eat over at Tom's. Call me on the holo when you're done with Dex." V nodded, her hand reluctantly letting go of her love's hand. Lyric turned on her heels once V went down to Vik's clinic and headed to the diner.

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Tom's Diner changed very little from the retro years of Night City. Tom glanced towards the doorway at the sound of her heels against the tile floor. "Hey, kid! The usual?" Lyric nodded as she walked to the back corner booth. Reaching behind her head, she pulled a cable at the back of her neck and plugged it into the outlet on the wall beside the booth. Static filled her senses. Her eyes glowed orange while she smiled at Tom, setting down the strawberry milkshake. Before her eyes manifested a computerized cube made of 01101 data encryption. Lyric held out her hands, typing on an invisible keyboard. First, she needed to change her IP, make T-Bug believe she was in the apartment. That was easy. A quick insert of data hacking. Second, she began furiously air typing. Cracking through lines of data code to create a hologram that would appear before T-Bug in her cyberspace. It didn't take long for Lyric to find her. She was synced up in her chair. Without her knowledge, Lyric was able to blindside T-Bug, calling her on the holo while she set up an impenetrable firewall on T-Bug's subnet. The netrunner would never see her coming. Her face flashed on the screen of Lyric's holo as she answered the call. "Hey, Lyrica. Long time no talk. What can I do for you?"

"So what's up with this job that Jackie brought V this morning?" She masked her emotions with that of blatant obliviousness. T-Bug was a netrunner, her job was to crack codes, break through firewalls and hack into system mainframes. Which was all something Lyric could do in the flash of an eye. She knew that T-Bug would be blind to a mask of emotion. She knew it would keep her in the light while Lyric worked her magic in the dark.

"That? You got nothing to worry about. It's a totally secure job with a legit fixer." She answered while Lyric chuckled. Without warning, within her cybernetic coding box, to which no one else could see, T-Bug appeared in the cybernet. Her hologram appeared beside T-Bug, which not only caused the netrunner to jump, but end the call. "How the hell-"

"You're going to lie to me and tell me that Dexter DeShawn is a real legit fixer?" Lyric was directly connected to the electrical wires that led to the entire internet. She used her intelligence and natural techincal ingenious to bring herself to T-Bug's net location. There, even in her mind, she could type out lines of code at lightning speed. Speak her mind without even saying a word. "You set this up. And I'm just here to give you a warning. If anything, and I mean anything happens that puts V in danger, I will fry your circuits from the inside out. And much like this little trick of mine, you'll never see me coming." Without giving her a chance to answer, Lyric reached behind her head, and disconnected the link. She sipped her milkshake until it was done.

She was exhausted now. Her vision hazed, she shook her head in an ill attempt to force the pain away. Standing, her vision shifted. Quickly, she hacked into the minds of the people around her, making it so they wouldn't notice as she walked out wincing in pain. Simple excerises such as that cost her so much. Her strength was deteriorating rapidly as of late. She didn't want V to see her that weak. She didn't want anyone to see her that way. Carefully and calmly, she made her way back to Vik's. She knew he'd have an immunity injection for her waiting.

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"Hey, V, Doctor Vektor will see you now." Misty said but V was still staring out the doorway. This was unlike Lryic and it made her worry. Normally, they went to Vik's together. Vik would give Lyric an autoimmunity injection to keep her from being in pain and to stop her illness from progressing. It was completely unlike Lyric to just walk off like that.

"I'll sit tight over here. Me 'n' Misty got a little catching up to do." Jackie's words passed over V's mind, bringing her back from her inner thoughts. The backdoor of the esoterica opened as V approached it. The back alley to Vik's clinic was littered with all kinds of people. Some chrome junkies looking for a discounted deal, some homeless looking for their next meal. A hairless sphinx cat sat perched on the top stair down to the clinic. V bent down, petting the cat. Lyric always wanted a pet, maybe after this gig V would be able to get her one.

The doors to Vik's clinic opened; Vik Vektor sat on his surgical stool watching a match on his screen. His wife, Miyoko, stood behind him, her thumbs rotating in counter clockwise circles on his trapeze muscles. Miyoko Vektor was a friend of Lyric's long before V had met her six months ago. Miyoko, looked up at the sound of the doors opening and smiled at V. "Viky, spry as ever, you old ripper. Mimi, it's good to see you." Mimi was Lyric's nickname for her friend. Only close friends were allowed to call Miyoko that. That included V.

"Hey, V. No Lyric today?" Mimi asked, noticing that they weren't tied at the hip as they usually were.

"No, she had some errands to run." V said, awkwardly shifting her weight from one foot to the other. Vik and Miyoko shared a glance before Vik turned to V.

"Well, it's good to see you too, V. It's been a while. To what do I owe the pleasure today?"

"Last gig - had to jack into a client's neurosocket. I think I mighta gotten spiked. Lyric's scan showed a mild virus." V walked across the room, standing by Vik's ripper chair. He glanced once more at his wife, who kissed his cheek before stepping out of the clinic.

"Experiencing migraines, nausea, hypersensitivity to bright lights?" He asks, following V over the to ripper chair. Quickly, he injects his cramped forearm with a localized muscle relaxer. He gives his hand a once over before turning to V who shrugs her shoulders.

"Whole kit and kaboodle."

"All right, kid. We'll sort you out in a flash. Chair please? A little bit of anesthesia and you won't feel a thing." Vik promised, V crawled up into the seat. Glancing down at the mechanics, a four prong injector pressed into the soft flesh of her inner forearm. The room spun and V pressed her head back into the chair, "Lights out for a moment, kay?" Vik asked. All the while, V thought of Lyric. Was she all right while running her errands? Hopefully, she wasn't dealing with a blackout episode alone. She thought of her girlfriend's perfect brown eyes, taking a deep breath before everything went black.