Cyberpunk: I'm Not Cheating

"The patient wants to talk to you."

"Sure, Vik. How much do I owe you?"

Viktor gave him a number. Vito looked surprised. "That's it? She seemed pretty bad."

Viktor smiled. "Good person discount. And if you're short, don't worry about it, I'm not in a rush."

Vito transferred the eddies over, grinning. "I took down two underground clinics today and put the scav boss in the ground. My wallet's doing fine. Saburo Arasaka would have to introduce himself as Little Vito compared to me right now."

Viktor laughed quietly. Vito had come in that morning for a set of eyes, and somewhere in the space of an afternoon had apparently done all of this. There wasn't really a word for it beyond efficient, and even that fell short.

Vito started toward the back room then immediately came back out.

"Vik, you don't have a hospital gown or anything? She's still not dressed."

Viktor acknowledged the point, sent Misty to pick up some clothes, and once that was sorted Vito went back in.

"Thank you, sir. Thank you for saving my life."

Vito waved it off. "Don't mention it. The doc said your son picked the treatment package. Do you want to call him and let him know where you are? And what's your name so I can address you properly?"

"Gloria Martinez. And yours, sir?"

Vito waved again. "Just Vito. And this is Viktor, the best ripperdoc in the district."

Gloria pushed herself upright to thank them.

"Thank you, Vito. Thank you, Doctor Viktor. Can I pay the fee tomorrow?"

Viktor said: "Just call me Vik. Don't worry about the fee, Vito already covered it."

Gloria turned back to Vito again.

"Thank you, Vito. I'll transfer it back to you tomorrow."

Vito shook his head. "I took the money from the doc. Call it a penalty for professional misconduct. Mrs. Martinez, you should call your son."

That seemed to bring everything into focus. Gloria called her son, David Martinez.

Night City's standard ringtone, then.

"Mom! Are you okay? The clinic got sealed off by NCPD, where did you go?"

"I'm fine, David. Someone helped me. Come to..."

"Watson, Viktor's Ripperdoc."

"Come to Viktor's Ripperdoc in Watson. I'm here now."

Gloria was fading. To give her space, Vito stepped out to the back alley for a cigarette. Viktor came out too, and the two of them stood there talking.

"Same old story. Company turns its back and someone pays for it. Night City's full of them."

Vito passed Viktor a cigarette and said: "Look on the bright side. At least Night City doesn't have racism."

Viktor laughed. It was true. Once chrome let people change their skin, their body, their face to anything they wanted, most of that kind of prejudice had died out. Night City had exactly one flavor of discrimination left: class.

"You're a strange one, Vito. You've got something most people in Night City don't."

"Yeah? What's that?"

"Kindness. Compassion."

"Come off it, Vik. I've put down at least ten people today. They wouldn't call me kind."

Viktor laughed again, harder this time.

They talked a while longer before a young man in an academy blazer came running up and looked between them.

"Excuse me, is this Doctor Viktor's clinic?"

Viktor said: "It is. You're Mrs. Martinez's son? She's inside, still a bit weak."

"Thank you." David was already moving toward the door when Vito stopped him.

"You been in a fight? You look like you've been dragged through a construction site. Go clean up first. Don't let your mother see you like that."

David paused, then found somewhere to wash up and checked himself in a mirror before walking in.

Viktor looked at Vito. "You're more thoughtful than you look."

Vito lit another cigarette and said quietly:

"Family is everything. May love know no sorrow."

David stayed about half an hour. Gloria wasn't going home tonight, she'd need to stay at Viktor's for now. Viktor asked Misty to come and keep her company.

David found Vito on his way out and bowed deeply.

"Thank you for saving my mother. Please come home with me. I'd like to give you something to show my gratitude."

Vito said: "I'll come. I'm between places to stay anyway. You don't need to give me anything though. How about I crash at yours for a while instead?"

"Of course, absolutely!"

The two of them got in Vito's van.

On the way, Vito asked: "Which company are you with?"

David wasn't sure why he was asking. "I'm not with a company yet. I'm a student at Arasaka Academy."

Vito raised an eyebrow. "Arasaka has an academy? I saw the blazer and figured corpo. What do they even teach there, how to bow at the right angle for Saburo Arasaka?"

David was mildly surprised that Vito didn't know about it. "A bit of everything, but mostly netrunning."

They drove until they reached David's building. Vito told David to take the crate upstairs while he dealt with the scav van. The last thing he needed was a tracker on it.

"Take the crate up, then come back down and meet me. I'll sort the van."

"Got it!"

David hauled the crate out. It was heavy, and whatever was inside clinked and rattled with every step. He got it up to his front door and found the lockout notice on the screen: access suspended, rent overdue.

"Shit."

He kicked the door once, then gave up and carried the crate back downstairs to wait.

A little while later Vito stepped out of a Delamain cab.

"Thanks, Del!"

"You're welcome. Thank you for choosing Delamain!"

Vito spotted David sitting on the ground next to the crate. "Long wait?"

David shook his head, said it wasn't too bad, then picked up the crate and led the way. He kept starting to say something and then stopping himself.

At the door, he finally said: "The rent's overdue. The door's locked. There is another way in, but we'd have to open the crate and pass everything through piece by piece."

Vito shrugged. "Don't worry about it. I'll cover the rent, you get the door open."

He transferred the money on the spot. David unlocked the door.

"I'll take your room," Vito said. "You take your mother's. Sound fair?"

David nodded immediately.

Vito moved the crate into David's room, barely containing his excitement to get started.

David went to his room and came back with something his mother had told him about: a Sandevistan implant she'd been holding onto. He was bringing it out as a thank-you for Vito.