My heart shuddered. I… I thought we had left? So why was I back already?

I tried remembering, but that wasn’t working.

After a few deep breaths, making sure to follow the exercise properly, my heart rate slowed back to normal. Then, I took a… step? Then, another step, and another and another… until I started to run—not fast—but… normally.

It felt so normal to run.

The sound of bare feet colliding with the cool floor was something I hadn’t realized I missed; I ran, stopping only when I realized I couldn’t hear it anymore.

When was the last time I had run like that? I wondered… It had to be a while ago…

As my thoughts started drifting, the room began to shift.

Walls, once polished black now seeped from fresh cracks in their surface with a tar-like grime, rendering before my very eyes into a shimmering, waxy void that threatened to swallow you whole. The air hadn’t been spared—It felt tainted and heavy, and a musty smell followed in its wake, stinging your nose like a crumbling box of books that had just been unsealed for the first time in centuries…

I curled my toes, shifting nervously as I felt them dig into the tile, exposing fresh soil that shouldn’t have been anywhere except the planters… and started to fall.

I yelped, tumbling to the floor as my knees lost all sensation. Thankfully, I had managed to catch myself with my hands, but I felt bitter. I had it… but now it was gone.

I closed my eyes, and when I opened them again it was hard to reorient. The air was filtered again and smelled familiar. The walls and floor… White. Sterile.

I was back in my chair, rolling slowly past the doors filling the seemingly endless hallway, watching as they slipped into the corners of my vision and disappeared behind me.

There were a few—the open ones, that caught my attention.

In one of them, a young girl sat with a book in her lap on the examination table, swinging her legs back and forth while she hummed.

In the next, it was empty and dark. I strained to listen. A steady beep; faint, but strong.

There was probably more, but… It was time to move on.

I closed my eyes, immediately feeling a sharp pain in my chest.

When I opened them again, I could feel my gut sink.

This was that moment—everyone—all of us, gathered in black. And the roar of a distant fire coupled with incense that made you feel sick.

I squeezed my eyes shut, hard enough to draw tears.

I never wanted to see it again…

I took a deep breath, holding it close until I had no choice but to let go.

Something was calling me…

I strained to listen.

[M…Ba..]

I recognized this voice…

[Mis…Bai?]

Who was it?

[It is time to wake up, Miss Bai.]

It was…

I felt a hand place itself on my shoulder.

My eyes shot open and went wide upon realizing the danger, but it was too late to stop him. I let out a screech and hit the hard floor of the AV with a thud.

I was still in a bit of a daze.

[Bodyguard Duan, can you not treat me gently?] I winced slightly as my fingers brushed against my upper forearm where I had landed. It was beginning to bruise, but fresh bruises like this one would only disappear with time in the forest of old scars from many years ago…

But it still hurt.

I pressed my thumb into the injury until the pain subsided, then turned my head in his direction. Worry and regret were still fresh in his eyes, his hand still outstretched and lost. I sighed, [You are not a child anymore, please make an effort to understand your limits.]

[I am sorry.] He apologised, bowing his head slightly as he lowered his hand for me to grab hold of. It was brand new; a piece of experimental cyberware manufactured by Kang Tao with the help of Arasaka techies, and he was sporting similar systems on the other parts of his body. His chest, his arms, his legs, neck, throat, ports and… everything.

They were all Kang Tao, and that made him all mine. It’d been this way, ever since we were kids.

I didn’t want it to change, either.

With a tired sigh, I grabbed onto it and he scooped me up in a princess-style carry. [You are always sorry.] I scowled, [When will you not be?]

Despite being three years older, he was like a scolded puppy. He hesitated, then said the only thing he could. The only right answer: [I’m sorry.]

I was starting to feel bad…

[It’s fine.] I muttered, resting my head against his chest. [I forgive you.] I made sure to say the second part clearly, and I could feel him relaxing. Then, I started relaxing.

We watched in silence as the AV shut its doors and flew out of the bay before I spoke up again.

[Daddy spoke with you before we left.] The foggy feeling was slowly starting to clear up. [Did he say anything about what he wanted me to do here?] I ask, and immediately Duan Hu tenses up again. However, this time he relaxes and looks at me while he speaks.

[Boss Bai wanted me to…] He hesitates, and I let my finger snake up and poke his jaw.

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[It’s fine, you can say it.] I prod, trying to ease his worries. [What did he want?]

Duan Hu shook his head. [He said to pass on the message, ‘I have no use for the useless, make well of your time in Night City, and return’.] He sounded unnaturally stiff, saying it as though it wasn’t him speaking the words, but my father…

I felt my lips curl up, unable to stop a small giggle from escaping. [Of course.]

He looked at me, puzzled. [Are you not upset?] He asked.

[No.] I laughed a little before going on to explain, [Daddy is just awkward, it’s his way of telling me to ‘have fun, but don’t be lazy’.] Already, I could tell he didn’t get it, but that was fine.

He gave a nod but chose not to ask any more questions. We had arrived at the roof access to the Kang Tao building anyway, so our conversation would have come to an end regardless. The guard, sporting the typical Kang Tao orange and blues of the combat uniform and a G-58 Dian, held out his hand.

“Stop! Provide your identification!” He barked. His poor English stood out like a sore thumb and drew a few glances in our direction from the other guards who had been talking at the reception desk nearby.

Still, we complied.

I tilted my neck slightly and long strands of my hair ticked my shoulder as they fell out of the way of my neuralware. Duan Hu simply held out his forearm, and the scan began.

The entire time the guards' helmet reflected the light from the scan—blue as it washed over us then orange, flashing twice.

Instead of letting us through, the guard just kept staring. I could understand why, to some extent; we made for an odd pair… but it didn’t make the leering any less unpleasant. The smile was all but gone now, a deep frown forming in its place as the guard's head drifted down, no attempts to hide where his eyes had gone.

This was something my dimwitted Hu finally picked up on.

[Move aside.] He growled, and with his free hand, he shoved the guard to the floor. It was a light punishment, for now.

The guard quickly scrambled to his feet, bowed and opened the door.

As we passed by, I signalled for Duan Hu to stop.

[Name.]

The guard looked at me, confused.

[Name.] I said again, maintaining the same bored tone as the first time.

[F-Feng Qiao.] I didn’t need to see behind his helmet or mask to know that his face had gone stark white.

I smiled.

We walked through, and the door shut behind us.

Inside wasn’t much different. We still caught the attention of people who were loitering, some waiting for contacts, and the others socializing on break. However, we had also caught the attention of someone we were meant to.

[Meirong!]

Calling out my name, a spritely old man powerwalked in our direction and grasped my hands in his with a large grin on his face for the world to see.

[Grandpa!] I returned his smile two-fold.

[It’s great to see you, and you’ve grown so well since we met last!] He exclaimed, then studied my face for a moment. [How old are you now?] He asked.

[I’m almost nineteen.]

[Nineteen.] He inhaled sharply, and then his eyes locked on my arm. The bruise had turned a purplish-red by now, and he quickly glared at the culprit. [What about this oaf?] He snapped, clearly displeased.

I shook my head as my smile turned into a helpless one, [He’s twenty-one.] I said.

Duan Hu grunted. [It’s a pleasure, Director Yuan.]

Grandpa Yuan looked as though he swallowed a frog. It was clear he was ready to give Duan Hu the admonishment of a lifetime, but with me present he could only bottle everything up again. Since I hadn’t said anything, my word was law. Still, once we settled in, he would be looking for an opportunity to catch Duan Hu alone. Even if he couldn’t punish him officially, I was still his granddaughter…

[It looks like if you want to survive, you’ll have to stick close to me.] I teased, poking his cheek.

He glanced down at me and sighed. [Please stop, Miss Bai.]

I rolled my finger around a few times before I stopped suddenly.

I had nearly forgotten something important…

[Ah, that reminds me… Grandpa Yuan?] The old man turned to face me. [There's someone I think you should look into…]

***

After meeting with the important members of staff and heads of Research and Development, I was shown to our ‘room’ while they took Duan Hu to the labs, presumably to pull diagnostic data from his black box.

That was several hours ago, and the night was just beginning.

I took another sip of sake and rolled the empty cup in my fingers as a light blush crept onto my cheeks.

[So, this is Night City.] I mumbled a little as my mind drifted off, watching the reflections shift in the window as the cityscape came to life.

It wasn’t quite what I was expecting. Or, at the very least, I think deep down I had hoped for something different. Instead, everything felt the same… possibly even worse.

With a groan, I flopped onto my side and emptied the rest of the bottle, letting it fall to the floor.

The longer I stared, the more I drank, the more he wasn’t here with me… The more I realised…

[This isn’t home.] I felt bitter as the words left my lips.

I rolled onto my stomach and glanced at my wheelchair sitting at the bedside.

I think… I want to drink a bit more.

Inching my way over to the side, I slumped head-first into the chair. At first, I sort of tossed myself at the chair in an attempt to hoist myself up using the armrests, but that ended with the wheelchair sliding away and me retreating to the safety of the bed.

I was starting to have doubts. To clear them, I looked back at the empty sake cup sitting on the bedside table and sighed.

On the second attempt, it went… better.

The chair was back against the bed, locked this time, with me dangling half in each. The sad part came when I realized my legs were tangled in the bedsheets.

Nothing ever goes right without—[Duan Hu!] I brightened as he suddenly appeared from around the corner. [You’re back! Welcome… back.] I slurred a little bit. [How did it go?]

[You drank.] He frowned and was blunt in pointing out the two empty sake bottles on the floor.

[I did.] I nodded unashamedly, brushing a few loose strands of hair behind my ear before sighing, [I want to drink more.]

[No.] His frown deepened. [You’re already drunk, you don’t need anymore.]

“Okaay.” Lacking the energy to argue, I held out my hands. [How did it go?]

[They adjusted a few things.] He sounded dejected as picked me up and I looped my arms around his neck.

Immediately my nose wrinkled. A few of the ports still smelled like rubbing alcohol and a chemical cocktail of stabilising agents. [You need a bath.] I looked him in the eyes. It was my turn to frown.

He returned my stare. [You aren’t fresh either. It’s been a long trip for the both of us.]

[We could go in togeth…er?] I closed my eyes as I realized what I just said, and a furious blush spread like wildfire as it tried to chase away the alcohol in my head.

We aren’t kids anymore…

The thought wormed its way around in my head, and my heart slowly started to calm down.

That was until I opened my eyes again.

Duan Hu was staring back at me.

We had made it to the bathroom.

My heart was beating furiously, threatening to leave my chest. However, the moment I leaned in to push my luck, he dropped me.

I screamed, less from the pain of hitting the tub and more from the shock.

[Sober up.] He said, ignoring my cries for mercy as the shower continued to pour.

I desperately reached for the controls, but they were painfully out of reach.

He had finally managed to get one back at me…

[Duan. Hu!] I shrieked. [I’ll remember this!]