Hurt

Night City never slept, despite its namesake. Even in the dead of night, the streets were alive and bustling with activity; cars coming and going, people lining the sidewalks, denizens going about their lives. Urmland Street was no different. People were lined up around the corner outside the Gomorrah Dollhouse, others browsing and visiting the various vendors and kiosks.

What was unusual was the sign lit up for Misty's Esoterica. The shop was normally closed by this time of night. These were abnormal circumstances as the van screeched around the corner, slamming to a stop in front of the entrance. The panel doors swung open, a medley of voices calling out to clear a path. Two Afterlife mercs were carrying Billy as quickly and carefully as they could, trying not to exarcerbate his injuries any further as he slipped in and out of consciousness. Everything was a dull roar to him as lights flashed in his eyes, voices mixing together. He couldn't focus on any one thing as his eyes kept forcing themselves shut before he forced himself awake again. He was still losing blood.

One voice rang out clearer than the others, and to him it might as well have been the voice of an angel as Vik yelled, "Get him on the fucking table!"

He looked up and saw a blurry image of Vik standing over him, but no sunglasses. Vik leaned in, checking his eyes and other vital signs as he said, "Jesus, what did they do to you, kid? Don't worry, we'll get you fixed up."

Billy held onto these words as Vik placed a mask over his face and told him to breathe deep. The last thing he remembered before everything went dark was Vik's heavy hands cradling his head and his smooth and calm voice saying, "You're going to be alright, kid. We'll take care of you. It's going to be alright..."

--

[Several hours later]

Miz was curled up in a corner, wrapped in a blanket and holding a hot cup of coffee as she watched Vik work with a scary precision. V had arranged for another ripperdoc from the Afterlife to help with Pops and the joytoy, their injuries not nearly as severe as Billy's. Not to say V's 'doc wasn't capable, but nobody trusted anyone more than they trusted Vik. His skill and bedside manner were unmatched in all of Night City.

He had to amputate further to get a clean cut, removing the entirety of Billy's arm all the way up to the shoulder. The shotgun blast had not only separated his arm below the elbow, but had riddled the muscles in his upper arm with lead shot ripping through and embedding itself in the muscle tissue. What few words he had spoken since starting the surgery seemed to indicate Billy was going to be just fine once the cyberlimb was fully implanted.

Miz knew that Vik knew what he was talking about, but she still worried for everyone. The crew was all she had. Her mind raced as she replayed the entire job over and over, again and again, trying to find some way she could have done things differently; some way she could have prevented any of this from happening. Misty had tried to comfort her, pulling from her experiences with V and Jackie back in the day. The life of a merc was one fraught with danger. You were bound to get hurt at some point, and there wasn't always a reason why. As Misty said, "As the sun rises and sets, this is just the way of the universe. All things in perfect harmony."

Thankfully, Pops was no worse for wear. Only two fractured ribs on his right side, with some bruising on his back from the impact against the wall. That in and of itself was nothing short of a miracle given how hard Tooley had barreled into him. For organic meat and bones to withstand such force was a testament to Pops' raw strength. He was resting now, wrapped in bandages around his torso, his breathing labored.

Between amputating the rest of Billy's arm and stablizing the wound before starting on the implant, Vik had taken a moment to check on Pops, urging him to lay off the "coffin nails" while he recovered. It was hard enough to breathe normally with fractured ribs; Pops didn't need to make it any worse by filling his bruised lungs with smoke. He probably would have told you that was the worst news he'd likely receive all night. Miz had elected against adding insult to injury, leaving her softpack with V so as not to be tempted. But GOD, she would kill for a smoke right now.

There was still no word on the joytoy. No, stop that. He has a name.

Miz shook her head, admonishing herself. There was still no word on Luca. He was conscious in Tooley's office, but badly beaten. Indications were that Tooley had used and abused him at some point prior, tossing him aside when he was done. Miz had to assume Tooley had found him out after the call at the Afterlife.

The physical damage was easy, he just needed time to heal, and some minor treating of bruises and cuts. Like Vik and everyone else, Miz worried more about the mental side of it. She'd been there before, she knew how hard it was to recover from that; how easy it was to hole up in your own mind until you went nearly insane. Luca had always been the more sensitive among her childhood friends. She knew the life of a joytoy was hard, so he had to have hardened himself over the years. She remembered how strong her mom had to be with some of the rougher johns. But not like this. There was no call for what he'd been through, and she only hoped he could pull through it.

She was pulled out of her own mind by Pops speaking softly to her, "Heya, kiddo."

She rushed to his side, careful not to touch him as she smiled and said, "Heya back."

Pops tried to take a deep breath, but caught himself coughing, grabbing his side as he winced. Miz wished there was something she could do for him. All she could do was be there. She asked, "How are you holding up, Pops?"

He tried to sit up, but the pain was too much. He leaned his head back in defeat as he looked up at the ceiling and said, "Ah... I've had worse."

Defiant to the end, he was. Miz tried not to laugh at him as she said, "Pops, really."

He swallowed the knot in his throat as he admitted, "I'm... I'm hurtin'. But I'll be okay. How's Billy?"

Miz shook her head, fighting back tears as she said, "He's still out, Vik's working on it. Had to amputate the whole arm. Looks to be a full cybernetic implant."

Pops' eyes closed and his brow furrowed, almost in pain at hearing the words. He coughed again, looking up to Miz, and then away again as he said, "I just... I don't know how how I'm going to explain all this to Liv... seein' her boy all torn up."

Miz laid a gentle hand on Pops' shoulder as she reassured him, "Liv knows the life. She's not going to blame you. He's not going to blame you any more than he's going to blame me or anyone else. Lex had him on a dark path, but you saw something in him. You gave him the strength he needed to pull away from it all."

Pops snorted as he looked at Miz, "Think it was more your delicate charm than anythin', Em."

Miz smiled and rolled her eyes. After a few seconds of silence, she looked Pops in the eye and asked, "You like her, don't you?"

Pops looked away almost immediately, his face wracked with a sudden guilt. Miz knew the look, and she comforted him as she continued, "Hey. Don't tear yourself up over that. Mama loved you, and I know you loved her. You made her happier in six months than I'd ever seen her in sixteen years... she would want you to be happy."

Pops closed his eyes as if he was trying to shut everything out. Miz wasn't going to give up. She pulled his face over as she said firmly, "A wise man once told me if there's a chance for happiness in this city, I deserve some of it. Now why is it any different for you?"

Pops stared Miz in the eyes as a warm smile crept onto his face. After a few seconds, he said, "I like her. She's strong, resilient. Like someone else I know..."

He reached up and pinched Miz's cheek, wincing slightly. She smiled, and chuckled slightly as she said, "Now that we're being all open and honest, what's the story with you and Rogue?"

Pops laughed before breaking into a coughing fit. Miz helped him sit up as she grabbed a cup of water, bringing it to his lips. He took a sip, fighting to regain his composure. Once he was settled down, he looked up at Miz and said, "That should tell you all you need to know. Just a coughing fit on this walk of life."

Miz smirked, "Yeah, well, even a total gonk could see her stirring up as soon as you walked in the Afterlife the other night."

Pops' cheeks flushed as he obliged her curiosity, "Before I met your mom, I was still gettin' set up in NC. I had a steady gig doing smugglin' runs with the 'Caldos. Thank Falco for that one, I was sleepin' on his couch at the time. After a good run, we were invited back to the Afterlife to celebrate, and one thing led to another."

Miz seemed surprised, "Just the one time?"

Pops smirked, "Just the one time."

"Certainly left an impression", Miz joked as she patted his shoulder.

"Everyone loves a cowboy", Pops said as he tried not to laugh and changed the subject, "Em, go get some air. Clear your head, grab a smoke. Hell, grab two and have mine for me since Vik says I shouldn't."

Vik gave a cool middle finger, continuing to work with one hand with his back to them. Miz said, "No, I'm okay. I want to be here when Billy wakes up."

Vik called out, "He's out cold 'til at least sun-up, kid. Go take a walk, get some food, something. Just stretch your legs and get clear of here, for your own sake."

Miz nodded, looking back to Pops as she said, "I'll be just outside. Ping me."

Pops grabbed her hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently, "I'll be here."

--

Miz walked up the steps leading into the alley as she took a deep breath. The same cat that always sat by the railing was mewing softly, looking to Miz for attention. She smiled as she reached out to pet it. As she looked in the cat's eyes, its head tilted to the right. Miz tilted her head as well. The cat tilted to the left, shifting its head back and forth, Miz matching its movements. It was almost hypnotizing.

They were both startled by a laugh trailing out from Misty's shop. To Miz's surprise, it was Max. Max was laughing. Laughing hard. Since when does Max laugh?

Miz walked towards the shop, finding Misty leaning over her counter, asking a thousand questions of Max about "voodoo this" and "mystic that". They both seemed in good spirits; no surprise, as Misty had a gift for bringing out the warmth in people. She was a good soul.

V sat in a chair off in the corner with her legs crossed, lit cigarette in her hand, enjoying the camaraderie. As she took notice of Miz walking in the back door, she took a quick drag and exhaled through her nostrils and asked with a smile, "So... how's our boys doing?"

Miz walked over to a chair next to V as she scratched her head and sat down, "They're alright. Pops is bandaged up and resting. Vik's still working on Billy. No word on Luca yet, but your 'doc was keeping a close eye on him in the back room."

V shook her head, "Poor kid. Lex probably put him through the wringer for tipping us off. I hope he pulls through."

They all knew Pops and Billy would pull through; they were fighters. That still didn't stop Misty from trying to comfort Miz in her own way as she said, "Billy's got a strong spirit. I'm sure he'll pull through. And Pops has been through way worse, I'm sure."

Miz looked up to see Misty smiling at her. She returned the smile before looking back down to the floor. She wouldn't believe it until she could look in Billy's eyes herself and see that he was okay.

V pulled Miz's softpack from her pocket and handed it over. Miz hurriedly pulled a cigarette out and lit it, taking a long and deep drag as she exhaled with relief and asked, "Where's Ky?"

Max smirked, "Eh, 'im felt useless standin' 'round, so went wit' de others to 'elp clean up."

A real boyscout; Miz couldn't even pretend to be surprised. Ky always got antsy when there was nothing to do, or at least nothing he could directly help with.

Misty giggled as she said, "I heard you all made a mess of the block. Probably be a while before it's livable again, especially with what they did to everyone's apartments."

Miz's eyes went wide as she realized. V nearly read her mind and beat her to the punch, "Don't worry about a place to stay. We'll put you up in the Afterlife until you all can figure something else out. Already made the arrangements."

Miz smiled, almost embarrassed as she said, "Look, we appreciate it, but we don't nee—"

V cut her off firmly, "It's not charity. I look after my people. It's the safest place you can be right now until things settle down. I see the way you and Billy look at each other. Sleeping on cots for a month won't do you any favors."

Miz nodded as she took another drag and said sheepishly, "Thanks, V."

V smirked as she continued, "Besides, I owe you a drink and a story..."

It was honestly hard for Miz to believe that V was only two years older than her. She commanded such authority and respect, and a lifetime's worth of experience in the way she spoke and the way she carried herself. Even in the presence of a seasoned pro like Rogue, V was clearly the top dog, but she never led with it. After all she had been through, she was still modest and unassuming.

Even though the mood was light, all things considered, there was still an elephant in the room that needed addressing. V cut to Max, locking eyes with her for a moment before she said, "And as for you and me; I know we've had our differences, but I'm glad you took the time to hear me out. I hope we can move forward. I like your crew, and I'd like to keep working with all of you."

Miz's eyes widened as she looked down, taking a drag of her smoke. Even Misty tensed up at the bluntness of the statement.

Max stared V down for several seconds before a smirk crept on her face and she said, "Mebbe we wait 'til de check clears fo' dis job, eh?"

V smiled wide and nodded, Max returning the smile as they all shared a laugh.

Ky's voice trailed in from the outside as he walked through the shop's entrance, "Four beautiful women laughing like that can only mean one thing."

He grabbed Max around the waist from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder as he continued, "You were telling them how pathetic I look with no pants on, weren't you?"

He planted a kiss on Max's cheek as Miz fired back, "No, we already talked about that earlier; dried puddle of vomit in the alley will prove it."

Ky laughed as he said, "So things are going well down there?"

For the first time since they had arrived, Miz felt confident as she nodded, "It will be."

Ky nodded, "Good, I like the new kid. He plays along well."

V decided to join in the fun, "From what I've seen, choomba, the last thing you need is another swingin' dick batting the ball back to you."

Ky's face twisted as he pointed at V and asked, "Has she paid us yet?"

Miz smirked, "Nope."

"Fuck, I still have to be nice then", Ky joked as he continued, "Anyway, Afterlife crew's still doing their thing. I grabbed as much of everyone's clothes and crap from their apartments as I could, since I don't think we'll be back there any time soon. Felt bad leaving all the iron behind. Seems like a waste. Oh, and Night City's Finest are swarming the block as we speak. Entire square is cordoned off; I think they're still trying to find all the pieces of 'Humpty Dumpty'..."

V scoffed at Ky's attitude, but she had to admire the crew's chemistry. She was looking forward to seeing them in action again.

--

Everything was mixed together like rolling thunder. The sounds were distant and unclear, but getting closer with each passing second. The thunder came into focus as a mixture of quiet voices talking over each other. Eyelids fluttered under the operating lamps, offended by the brightness of the bulbs shining down. Dark blurs came into view, moving slowly, almost deliberately. A blink, another blink, and the blurs came into focus.

Vik was standing over Billy, performing a few checks while everyone stood close by, waiting with anticipation. Miz was sitting on a stool next to him, and had been for the last hour. As he tilted his head forward, she nearly jumped to him. Her face was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. As soon as he recognized her, she was gone, Vik's face coming into view as he said, "Rise and shine, kid."

Billy's voice was weak, disoriented as he spoke, "W-we... we gotta s-stop meeting like this, doc..."

Vik smiled, patting Billy lightly on the chest as he turned to everyone else. Miz reached down, lifting up Billy's head to prop him up as the view came into focus. The whole crew was standing around him, watching. He almost felt embarrassed. They all looked hopeful, happy to see him.

He tilted his head back, Pops' smiling face coming into view. His voice was gruff, but soothing, "Welcome back, pup."

Billy felt himself crack a smile as he said, "H-hey, Pops."

Vik shooed everyone away, he had some work to do. He moved around to Billy's right side. Billy watched as he appeared to pick up something heavy, red and black and unfamiliar, but in the place where his arm should be. Oh shit!

Billy's eyes were wide open now as the realization set in of why he was sitting in a chair in Vik's office. He nearly jumped out of the chair, Pops coming around to hold him down as he said, "Easy there, cowboy. It's alright now, just relax."

Billy tried to calm himself, but every instinct in his body said to fight it. Vik stood over him and called out, "Kid, don't make me strap you down. This'll be a lot less fun... well, for you anyway."

Pops chuckled, and Billy tried his best to sit still as Vik went back to work. After a few seconds of contemplative silence, Vik spoke again, "Alright, now slowly, I want you to raise your right arm for me. Can you do that?"

Billy started to tremble as he answered, "I.. my right arm is go—"

He cut himself off as, although subconsciously, the red and black object raised itself as if it were being controlled by him. It came into focus as he flexed and curled.

Billy looked down to inspect himself, seeing the red and black extending all the way up to his shoulder. Vik lightly snapped his fingers, "Hey, eyes on me, kid. I'll explain everything in a sec. Now hold your arm up."

Billy willed himself to raise the foreign object up and out, quickly realizing it felt as natural as raising his organic left arm. The trembling left his body and he calmed himself.

Vik spoke again, "Good, now make a fist for me, then slowly rotate your hand and release."

Billy did as he was asked, watching in awe as the cybernetic hand curled into a fist, rotated, and reopened, palm toward the ceiling.

Vik smiled and continued, "Now curl each finger for me."

In a flash, Billy made a middle finger with the cybernetic hand as he nodded to Ky, who laughed and reciprocated as he said, "He-e-ey, new guy's back!"

Billy smiled wide as he began to curl his fingers, bend his wrist and elbow, and flex the cybernetic muscles. He was amazed at how natural it felt.

Vik still had a smile on his face as he said, "Alright, looks like you got the hang of it. Sit still for a bit, don't move around much. I'll be right back."

Billy fired back, "Uh, no promises."

Miz leaned in with a smile as she looked him in the eyes and said, "Heya, Tiger."

He brought the arm up to cup her face in its hand as he stroked her cheek with the thumb and said, "Heya back."

To his surprise, he could feel the warmth and soft touch of her skin. He smiled as he pulled her in for a kiss, forgetting for a second that there were five other people standing there, watching. He didn't care, and neither did Miz as she climbed into the chair next him. He shifted, making room for her as he put his (the) arm around her. This is going to take some getting used to.

Ky stepped forward, holding the up Crusher as he said, "Hey, brought you a present."

Billy's face went stone-cold as he stared Ky down. Ky immediately backpedaled, a look of sheer mortified horror on his face at realizing it probably wasn't the brightest move to flash in Billy's face the same shotgun that blew his arm off.

After several awkward and silent seconds, Billy pointed to Ky and said, "There was an arm too. Did you bring the arm?"

A laugh erupted between everyone in the room as Ky's cheeks burned. He smirked and said, "Alright, I'll give you that one for free."

Billy turned to Pops, looking at his body wrapped in bandages as he asked, "How are you feeling, boss?"

Pops nodded and answered, "I'll live. Just glad to see you up and in good spirits."

Billy took on a bashful smirk as he said, "Me too."

V spoke up from the back, "Tell you what, you get some long hair, a beard, and some aviators, you just might start to remind me of someone. Miz says you already got the 'burn corpo shit' bit down."

Even Max broke her usual silence, "Mwen panse ti chen... 'im embarrassed, wi?"

Billy laughed and scratched his head, "It's good to see you, V. Max, everyone. I... thanks. I'm glad you all are here."

Vik came back around, looking at Miz snuggled up next to Billy as he said with a sigh, "Yeah... so much for not moving."

Billy chuckled as Vik looked over the Misty, "I guess I was right about them, huh?"

Misty giggled, "Never had a doubt."

Back to business, Vik pulled a fresh inhaler and handed it to Billy, "You know the drill kid."

Billy nodded as he grabbed the inhaler and took two whiffs immediately. Vik continued, "Now, this is a bit more than just some Kiroshis, okay? Full limb replacement ain't no joke. Your upper arm was riddled with lead shot embedded in the muscle. It was too much to clear out, and with the damage done, it wouldn't have been much use to you anyway. I had to amputate up to the shoulder to get it clean and clear. As best you can, I want to you stay off this arm for today, but come back and see me tomorrow. Everything checks out, I should have some RealSkinn for you too."

Billy nodded, and then remembered what he wanted to ask Vik, suddenly gun-shy of everyone in the room. His jaw clenched as he swallowed a knot in his throat and said, "I uh... I actually need to talk to you, Vik. In private?"

Pops already knew, and he nodded at Billy over Vik's shoulder.

Vik looked at him for a second before he said, "...yeah. Sure, kid", and turned to everyone else in the room, "Uh... do you all mind? I'll send him up when we're done. He can walk out of here."

All at once, everyone obliged as they made their way out, except for Miz. She tightened her grip as Billy looked down at her and she said, "I'm not going anywhere."

Vik raised his hands, "I've seen her in the ring... I wouldn't argue with her."

Billy nodded to Miz as he turned back to Vik, waiting for everyone to clear out.

Vik turned, watching as the room cleared before he turned back to Billy and said, "Alright, what's up?"

Billy hesitated at first, but found the words as he spoke, "I... I saw something last night. Something that I know wasn't real, but it felt as real as sitting here, talking to you now."

Vik had a perplexed look on his face as he asked, "Like... a hallucination?"

Billy nodded, "Exactly. It's like I was physically there with the crew, but my mind was somewhere else entirely."

Vik leaned forward, "Take me through it all, tell me everything."

Over the next several minutes, Billy proceeded to explain exactly what he had seen and heard, and the events leading up to that moment. His first kill, the stress of seeing their apartments breached and destroyed, everything. Miz listened intently, holding on to him tight. She could tell he was worried, and why. The best thing she could do was just be there, remind him that he wasn't alone.

Taking it all in, Vik leaned back and crossed his arms as he thought for a moment before he said, "So, you're worried you might have had a brief flash of cyberpsychosis?"

Billy shook his head, "I don't know what it was, but it felt off."

Vik leaned forward again, choosing his words carefully, "Kid, I think you're safe. I'm no shrink, but I've seen enough mercs in my chair to know what a little bit of shell-shock looks like after a first kill. It's never easy; probably the hardest thing to get over. It's something that no amount of training in the world can prepare you for."

Billy sighed as he relaxed back in the chair, "So, you think I'm okay?"

Vik smiled, "I think you will be", and he motioned to Miz, "And you've got a family around you that cares. I couldn't get this one to leave your side most of the night."

Billy smiled as he turned and kissed Miz's forehead.

Vik continued, "If you have another... episode... let me know. If anything's out of sorts, I can't help with the mind games, but I know people who can. I'll see you tomorrow at 10:00, okay?"

Billy nodded as he stood up, "Thanks, Vik."

Miz spoke up, "Hey, any word on Luca?"

Vik shook his head and sighed, "No; he's stable, but unresponsive. He's deep inside his own mind right now, and I don't know how I can pull him out of it. He's safe here, and I can keep an eye on him for a couple of days, at least. Can call in some favors to get someone watching him on the night shift."

Miz looked down before asking, "Can I tag along with Billy tomorrow in case anything changes?"

Vik smiled, "Em, you're welcome here any time, for any reason."

Miz smiled as she helped Billy put on a clean shirt. As they made their way toward the door, Billy waved as Vik scooted his chair back over to watch the boxing match playing on his TV, and returned the wave.

--