That same afternoon, after Karl's crew decided on the new apartment, they headed to Viktor's clinic.
Old Vik, as always, was glued to the screen, watching one of his never-ending boxing matches.
"Yo, Vik!"
The group greeted him as he turned around, drawn by the noise. Karl got straight to the point. "Did the cyberware shipment arrive?"
"If you mean the Militech stuff, yeah—it got here yesterday."
Viktor swiveled around in his chair. "You guys've been treating my place like a damn warehouse lately. Tossing all sorts of gear at me. I'm not some junk collector, and this isn't a luxury cyber boutique either, y'know."
Karl grinned. "That's 'cause your work's the real deal, Vik. We're not about to hand our bodies over to some greasy-fingered ripper in a back alley. You're the best in Night City. Why go for worse?"
"I'll take that as a compliment."
Viktor sighed, shaking his head—then spotted V at the back of the group. His expression softened with a familiar smile.
"Long time no see, V. You finally moving to the city? Gonna start taking jobs?"
"Yeah, it's been a while. I'm teaming up with Karl and the rest of them. Apparently there's some 'team perks,' and Karl says my cyberware's too outdated, so… here I am."
V scratched the back of his head, a little embarrassed. Viktor raised an eyebrow and shot Karl a glance.
"Don't let Karl rush you into anything. Cyberware isn't something you install just 'cause it's shiny. If you can avoid it, you should."
He sighed again, then relented.
"But I get it. For mercs like you, going full chrome's practically a survival skill. Fine. Lie down. Let's take a look. You've never had work done here before, right? I've got plenty of leftover gear from your crew—low rejection rate. You can pick something, and I'll run a compatibility scan."
As V lay back in the surgical chair, Jack settled into a nearby seat.
"Don't forget me, Vik. I'm getting that new berserker mod today."
"I haven't forgotten. You two are my whole afternoon. No breaks for me."
While Vik started prepping, Karl spoke up awkwardly. "Vik, actually… I was thinking about getting something done too. Legs. I've been feeling a bit sluggish—want to boost my movement speed."
"You too?"
Viktor gave Karl a quick glance, then nodded. "Sure. Guess I'll be working late."
"I'll take care of dinner then. What do you want, Vik? I'll ask Misty too."
Oliver—who wasn't getting any upgrades—leaned against the clinic's doorway, keeping an eye out and offering to handle food.
"I'm not picky. Something easy to eat one-handed."
"Alright, I'll check for pizza or hot dogs. Don't we still have that number for Old William's Hot Dog Shack?"
Hearing that, Jack perked up. "From that scav job, right? I remember him claiming '80% real meat!' Ten eddies to feed a family. Maybe worth a shot. Let's not trust the 'family' part though—better get six."
"No hot dogs for me."
Karl raised a hand. "Can't stomach the 'real meat' in those. I'll take pizza. I can live with the bug topping. That cricket sausage one? Not bad, honestly."
"Spicy Italian cricket pizza? My favorite too. Grab me one."
Jack grinned. "Those crickets melted into the cheese are great. Just swallow it down. You always eat like you're trying not to choke."
"I can gulp now, okay? That's progress. Not everyone has a jaw like yours."
As Karl and Jack bantered, Viktor finished running V's diagnostics. Then his expression shifted slightly.
V caught it and asked, "Something wrong with my cyberware, Vik?"
"The cyberware's fine. A bit rough, sure—cheap installation, worn parts—but nothing major."
Vik shook his head. "What surprised me was your compatibility. You scored off the charts. Now, it's just a scan—not a perfect indicator of how the implants will actually perform—but still. I've only ever seen two people score this high in all of Night City."
That made everyone turn and look. V blinked. "Two, huh? Guess I'm a little special. Is that good or bad?"
"Well, depends. From a biological standpoint, maybe not ideal. It means your body treats implants like it was built for them. But for you, as a merc? It's a massive plus. You could go full borg and not feel a thing."
"So that's good news?"
V still looked unsure. Viktor sighed and clarified:
"For someone in your line of work? It's the best news possible."
"No way. That good?"
V knew what that meant. Having that kind of compatibility? He could mod out like Adam Smasher if he wanted.
"To be honest, as a ripperdoc… I don't love seeing folks like you. People who can go full chrome tend to lose themselves. After a while, you start wondering how much of the human is still in there."
"'Two of us'...?"
V followed Viktor's gaze.
And realized.
The only other one with that kind of compatibility—
Was Karl.
.
.
.
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