Little China

February 18th

2069

A week had quickly passed since Sophie’s visit to 2nd Amendment and the three proficiency points she’d earned under Ricky’s guidance, a significant upgrade to her skills.

Basic Gun Combat [9/100]

She hadn’t returned, considering she wanted to save her money until she returned to her hunts but also the odd feeling she got from the grey haired man. While she waited for the wound on her stomach to heal, she had gone scavenging every day, working on improving her home as much as possible.

However, her injury had almost finished healing, meaning it was time to go meet one of her favourite characters in the entire Cyberpunk universe. And yet, she refused to become friends with the man. Just gotta keep it transactional. I can do this.

Sophie had spent the last day observing Misty’s Esoterica from various angles. The shop was tucked into a cluster of mismatched buildings, on a small street near the corner of Bradbury and Buran. While Sophie was interested in the spirituality-themed store, or at least the girl that owned it, it wasn’t what she was there for. Instead, she was after the small clinic that was in the basement behind it. The place that Viktor Vektor, Night City’s best and most honorable ripperdoc, worked out of.

He was one of the few in Night City who wouldn’t sell her out for eddies or screw her over with shoddy work. Still, her time in the city had made her wary of trusting others, even if she was 99% sure they were a good person. Thus, she’d remain on guard, at least until she could confirm he was the same as she remembered.

Sophie waited until she saw him enter the clinic through the side gate, not Misty’s Esoterica. Pulling her jacket tighter around her small frame, which finally had some meat on it, Sophie crossed the street and slipped through the gate, heading straight for the stairs. Her fingers brushed the grip of her Nue pistol, more for comfort than a sense she would need it. She was nervous, after all.

-----------------------

Vik

Vik leaned against his workbench, rewatching one of his favourite fights. The clinic was quiet for once, and he welcomed the break. After the locals started visiting more often, peace became somewhat rare, not that he minded. Thus, he planned to savor the small break, at least until a new patient came knocking.

Vik heard the door to the clinic creak open, and he looked up, expecting to see a familiar face. Instead, it was an unfamiliar young girl poking her head around the corner, looking through the gate. He immediately noted the wariness in her eyes.

"Is... Doctor Vektor in?" she asked, her voice quiet and slightly…cold? He wasn’t entirely sure what he could hear in her tone.

Vik turned to face his new customer properly, eyeing her warily. She had inky black hair and a pair of beautiful red eyes. Her skin was pale, reminding him slightly of the people that liked to turn themselves into vampires. In fact, that was exactly what she looked like to him.

The girl looked no older than fourteen or fifteen and she was small yet the way she looked around reminded him of the veterans he often worked on. His face softened at the realisation.

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"Yeah, that’s me," he replied, gesturing for her to come in. "I assume you need something from me?”

She stepped inside, her movements slow, as though she was afraid of an ambush. "Yeah," she said, nodding. "I’m Sophie."

"Alright, Sophie," Vik said, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his legs, folding his hands together. "What brings you here?"

She hesitated for a moment, her eyes flicking around the room, taking in the equipment and cyberware crates. Then she met his eyes.

"Subdermal Armor. I want it," she said flatly.

Vik blinked, caught a little off guard by the directness of her request. "That’s... not exactly a small ask," he said. "You know what that costs, right?"

"Five thousand eddies," she replied without missing a beat. "I’ve got the money."

He shook his head. “Whoever told you that mustn’t be up to date on prices. With the war kicking off, any combat related implants have become harder to get, which means the prices have gone up too.” He paused, watching as she grit her teeth.

“How much is it now then?”

“Lowest I can do is 7500, but it’ll be the most basic type.” Before he could continue, Sophie interrupted him.

“That’s fine. I’ve still got enough.”

Vik frowned. "You’re young," he said carefully. "Something like that... It’s not just expensive. It’s invasive, unless you only want it in some places?” She held up her hand to stop him.

“Full body, please.” The doctor sighed.

“You sure you know what you’re asking for?"

Sophie’s gaze hardened. "I’m not here for advice, Doctor," she said, her voice cold. "Just the installation. If you won’t do it, someone else will. Even if they probably won’t do it as well as you."

Vik sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Kid, this isn’t about skill. It’s about whether this is the right call for you. Why do you need something like that, anyway?"

Sophie hesitated, her hands clenched into fists. "Because I need to survive," she said quietly.

Something in her tone told Vik everything he needed to know. He studied her for a long moment, noting the way she held herself. It was defensive and scared. Beneath her clearly false, cold exterior, it was obvious she was frightened. The cold attitude was just an attempt at keeping herself safe.

"Alright," he said finally. "I’ll do it. Even if I don't, you'll just go to someone else for it. I’d rather do it myself in that case. But you’re gonna need to prep first."

Sophie nodded, and Vik gestured toward the operating chair. As she approached, she began stripping off her clothes. The doctor turned away to gather his tools, giving her a moment to get ready. When he glanced back however, he froze. He barely stopped himself from sucking in a breath.

The girl’s torso was a patchwork of scars, some older and more faded, others newer and still angry red. There was one on her stomach that he was pretty sure had only just healed, in fact. The marks criss crossed her pale skin like a map of violence and pain. Vik felt a surge of anger rush through him, not at her, but at whoever or whatever had created those marks on her.

"You don’t need to stare," Sophie said, her tone cold.

Vik cleared his throat and looked away. "Sorry," he said. “Before we get started, do you want anything else?” He handed her a tablet as he spoke. She scrolled through the options he had available. She selected a few things before handing the device back to him.

"Let’s get started,” she said.

The procedure was extensive and took hours. Vik did his best, but every time he cut into her skin, there was a deeply unsettling feeling. It was the scars. The surgery made him feel as though he was the one that had hurt her.

When the procedures were complete, Vik stepped back, wiping his hands on a cloth. Sophie lay unconscious on the operating chair, her small, damaged frame looking even more fragile under the bright surgical lights.

Vik watched her for a moment. She was tough, no doubt about it, but nobody could endure the kind of torture she had obviously been put through without breaking, even just a little.

When Sophie finally stirred, Vik was sitting nearby, scrolling through a holopad. He glanced up as she opened her eyes, her expression groggy.

"All done," he said. "Take it easy for a while, yeah? Let your body adjust."

Sophie sat up slowly, wincing as she swung her legs over the side of the chair. "Thanks," she said, poking at the minor stiffness in her skin and rolling her wrists. At the same time, she transferred the payment, a total of 10,000 eddies for all the work she wanted done.

"You’re welcome," Vik replied. "And Sophie? Be careful out there."

She gave him a look, then nodded. “I will.”

As she left, Vik leaned back in his chair, watching her go. The girl was clearly teetering on the edge of a very dangerous path. He could only hope that she’d make it through unharmed or at least be willing to come to him for help.

And despite her cold exterior, he sensed that part of her desperately wanted connection. He decided that if she kept coming to him for her chrome, he’d do his best to give her what she needed, even if she herself tried to avoid it. “Hmm, maybe I should introduce her to Misty.” The old doctor let out a sad sigh.

"Good luck, kid," he muttered to himself, knowing full well that luck was often in short supply in Night City.