Flashback 23: Lost_Love.bd

Rogue parks his Quadra Turbo in the parking lot of an old Night City motel in the Pacifica District. Among the many parked cars he notices Johnny's Porsche, covered with dust.

She gets out of his car and climbs the outer stairs of the motel, making her way through piles of trash and a few guys asleep on the steps, eventually stopping in front of a door.

Rogue: JOHNNY! It's me, Rogue.

Rogue starts knocking repeatedly on the door.

Rogue: Shit, Johnny! OPEN UP!

Rogue stops knocking and notices a small pool of water coming out from under the door of the room.

Rogue: Fuck.

Rogue kicks the door, which opens as if it were made of cardboard. The room is completely dark, only a glimmer of light is coming through the old shutters, covering the windows. Water begins to gush out of the room, carrying away clothes, trash, and syringes.

Rogue: JOHNNY… JOHNNY!

A sweet smell fills the room, Rogue covers her face, avoiding the thousand flies that cover the room.

Rogue starts searching all over the room, until she reaches the bathroom. There is a skinny man with a metal arm, submerged in a pool of murky water in an old bathtub. His head tucked into a huge black metal helmet, connected by long wires to a terminal in the main room.

Rogue: The fuck?!

Rogue shuts off the tap of the old tub and drags Johnny out of the water, trying to get the big metal helmet off his head.

As Rogue drags Johnny out of the room, she suddenly hears footsteps coming from the stairs she came up. Rogue quickly finds shelter behind a concrete pillar, carrying Johnny's body on her shoulders.

Three Japanese men in black jackets start looking for Johnny inside the room. Rogue manages to avoid them, by going down the stairs with Johnny on his shoulder, managing to reach her car. 

Johnny slowly opens his eyes. He is lying on a metal table, wearing a shirt and his underwear. There is Rogue standing over him, watching him worriedly. Johnny smiles, then closes his eyes.

Johnny: You know, of all the people I thought might walk me to the afterlife, I would never have thought of you.

Rogue: Really? And who were you hoping to find?

Johnny becomes serious again, while Rogue crosses her arms.

Rogue: Sure. It's always somebody else.

Johnny: Where are we?

Rogue: This? Well, it's an old morgue. They used it before cremation became mandatory. That's all I have left.

Johnny sits on the edge of the table.

Johnny: What about the Atlantis?

Rogue smiles.

Rogue: Gone. They burned it to the ground after that stunt we pulled at the Arasaka Tower. They wanted your head, but you were already far from the city. So they picked on my club.

Johnny: I'm sorry, but you knew the risks when you agreed… Do you have a cigarette?

Rogue stares at Johnny in disbelief, then hands him a cigarette and a lighter.

Rogue: Do you still take what you want from people, leaving them in pieces or you like it doing only to me?

Johnny takes a puff of the cigarette.

Johnny: I was with Santiago. Didn't want to abandon you. Thought I would find you there, too.

Rogue turns around, crossing her arms.

Rogue: Yeah. Me too.

Johnny: Don't be sad. He did the same to me. One minute he was there and the next he was gone, along with the whole camp. Nomads are good with that shit.

Rogue smiles.

Rogue: I end up picking 'em all the same.

Johnny: Beautiful and damned?

Rogue: Assholes.

Rogue turns around, while Johnny keeps smoking.

Rogue: Alright, enough with the bullshit. Why are you back in Night City?

Johnny takes another puff of the cigarette.

Johnny: To see you again, obviously.

Rogue: I'm not kidding, Johnny. The fuck were you doing in that motel?

Johnny puts out his cigarette and gets up from the table

Johnny: A swim.

Rogue jumps toward Johnny, pushing him back onto the table.

Rogue: YOU THINK IT'S A GAME? You know the fuck I'm riskin'?! Don't you read the Quotifaxes?

Johnny: Sorry, I was unplugged for a while.

Woman: He was looking for her.

A woman dressed as a Netrunner, walks near Johnny and Rogue.

Spider Murphy: I remotely connected to your terminal. Arasaka will not recover anything.

Rogue lets Johnny go.

Spider Murphy: Alt is not in the Net. She is being held captive, Bartmoss told me.

Johnny: Glad to know I'm not the only one talking to the dead.

Rogue turns to Murphy.

Rogue: Don't you get involved too, Murph.

Johnny: Alt managed to complete the program and now 'Saka wants to use it to take the war to a whole new level.

Rogue: You're crazy, Johnny.

Johnny: No, I'm not. I searched the whole Net looking for Alt. There's only one place I couldn't get in.

Rogue interrupts Johnny and then turns to Spider Murphy.

Rogue: Murph, could you leave us alone for a moment?

Spider Murphy: Sure, Rogue.

Spider Murphy walks away, leaving Johnny and Rogue alone.

Johnny: Rogue, listen to me.. If we can get into the tower mainframe, Alt will do the rest. Don't you understand? They'll be finished. Forever.

Rogue rests a Shard on Johnny's chest; he looks down

Johnny: What's this?

Rogue: It's the key for a storage unit in Heywood. Your Porsche is there. I want you to take this and go as far away from me as possible.

Johnny squeezes Rogue's hands with both of his own.

Johnny: This is something you can't ignore.

Rogue: You're going to get yourself killed, Johnny. It has nothing to do with politics or an ideology. You want revenge for Alt. You want a second chance. Well, you're not going to get it.

Rogue lifts his hand from Johnny's, leaving him with the Shard.

Rogue: I'm tired of always having to start over because of you. If you want your revenge, be my guest. But leave me out of it, please.

Johnny suddenly grabs Rogue's arm; she tries to back away.

Johnny: Are you telling me that there'll be no rerun at Silver Pixel?

Rogue: Told you. No more second chances.

Spider Murphy: ROGUE!

Suddenly, Spider Murphy storms back into the room.

Rogue: What is it, Murp?

Spider Murphy: There is a guy in a black coat asking for you and Johnny.

Rogue: Who the heck is?! Bring out the irons and round up the boys.

Spider Murphy: I don't think is…

Footsteps are heard from the stairs at the entrance to the basement. A man with gray hair and a worn-out raincoat appears in front of Johnny, Rogue, and Murphy.

Mysterious Man: Rogue Amendiares. It wasn't easy to find you, at all.

Rogue turns back to Johnny.

Johnny: Trust me Rogue, we have a chance this time.

Rogue: You're a piece of shit, Johnny. This is a low blow. Even for you.

Johnny: I'm sorry Rogue. It was the only way.

Mysterious Man: I'm sorry to interrupt this little reunion, but I have a pretty big job for you. Perhaps the biggest in the history of Night City.

Rogue: Yeah, I'm sure…

Rogue turns toward the man in the raincoat.

Rogue: Blackhand.