Chapter 65

Ripperdocs generally didn't follow best practices either—losing customers meant losing income, and few people in Night City could afford that kind of principle. If a client demanded a certain implant, well, money talked.

…

After a good while, Viktor shook off his shock and removed his shades, gazing at Leo with new intensity. "I have a question: why are you doing this?"

Though it was their first meeting, Jackie had already mentioned Leo before. Viktor knew enough to see that covering Jackie's and two other friends' implants would cost an obscene amount of money.

"Are you guys really that tight? Tight enough that you'd throw around this many eddies?" he asked.

Leo just smiled. "It's worth it."

No hesitation. Viktor took a breath of admiration. "You're a hell of a friend, kiddo. Jackie's lucky to have you." 

Leo smirked. "Then maybe it's time you drop the prices for good friends, eh Doc?"

Viktor chuckled. "A real comedian, huh? Don't be so formal, though—just call me Old Vic like Jackie does."

"As for the best implants currently out there, you're looking at the new fourth-gen (Legendary). But getting your hands on fourth-gen is tough."

"If you need more money, just say so," Leo offered.

Viktor shook his head. "Not about the money, not entirely. Plenty of top-tier implants, like the highest-grade Sandevistan models, never leave the corp labs; you won't find them on the black market. If Jackie just wants Kerenzikov, I'll do my best. I might be able to source one. But if that doesn't work out, you'd probably have to hire a fixer. You know how it is—I'm just a ripperdoc."

After they finished talking, Leo and Viktor walked back toward the operating area. Jackie, bored out of his mind, had started fiddling with some of the surgical tools. He accidentally dropped a scalpel, hurriedly picked it up and stashed it, then tried to look nonchalant.

"You guys took your sweet time," Jackie joked. "What's with the big secret?"

Leo and Old Vic exchanged a smile. 

"Nothing too exciting," Leo said. "Just asking Vic about some implant details." 

Jackie's eyes widened. "You were never interested in chrome before. Changed your mind?"

"Nope—just curiosity."

Viktor nodded at the chair in the center. "Jackie, lie down. I'll run some scans."

Jackie obeyed like a grade-school kid, flopping onto the exam chair. He'd been here many times, so he instinctively pulled out the data cable from his wrist and slotted it into Viktor's device.

Viktor dragged a seat over and looked up at Leo. "Need a chair too?"

Leo shook his head. "No thanks. I'll stand."

So Viktor began studying the display as it scanned Jackie's body—numbers and data flickering across the screen. His brow furrowed deeper and deeper.

"You've been hitting the booze pretty hard lately, haven't you? Your liver's about to file for resignation," he chided.

Jackie scratched his head, abashed. "I had no choice, choom. If it's shot, I can just get a new cyber-liver, right?"

Viktor sighed. "Sure, if you feel like throwing wads of cash down the drain. Booze ain't exactly healthy. Moderate yourself—it's cheaper than surgery."

Jackie made a face, but Viktor waved him off. "Hold on. I'm not done yet… At least you're not a smoker, so your lungs and heart are okay. Your kidneys are in decent shape too—like a thirty-year-old's. Better than those corporate suits half your age who come in here with the bodies of sixty-year-olds."

Jackie was surprised. "Company folk come to you for treatment? Don't they have insurance?"

"Some do, like those at Kang Tao who get the Trauma Team's Gold Plan, and Arasaka employees usually have comprehensive coverage as well. But not all megacorps are that generous; Most just make employees pay out-of-pocket. And remember, not everyone in this city works for a megacorp—smaller companies give folks even worse deals.

More work, less pay, no overtime compensation, plus the boss wants you to 'serve the company with all you've got.' 

It's a mess."

Jackie shuddered, feeling phantom pains in his stomach. "God, that's grim."

Viktor looked ready to continue his rant, so Jackie quickly raised both hands. "Okay, okay, Teacher—please don't start nagging me to death!"

Vic just smiled "Alright, we will continue our lesson next time.

.............

…

.

"All right, we're good here. Up you go." Viktor pulled out a sealed box. Opening it, he removed a small inhaler and handed it to Jackie, who was just sliding off the chair. "Use this now, then once every six hours, three times a day. When it's empty, come back."

Jackie gave it a quick puff, then asked, "So, uh, what's this for?"

"You want that Kerenzikov implant, right? This'll help your body adjust in advance, cut down on rejection or side effects."

Jackie grinned. "You're the best, Old Vic. Thanks."

Viktor noticed Jackie raising it to his mouth for a second puff and quickly stopped him. "Follow the directions. Over- or under-using it will do more harm than good. Now get outta here—you and your choom probably got business. I'll call when I track one down."

…

Leo and Jackie bid him goodbye, climbing out of the basement clinic. A mother and daughter were on their way down, both bowing politely when they met at the stairs—probably Japanese. Leo and Jackie returned the gesture out of courtesy. As the two brushed past and descended into the gloom of the clinic, the little girl clung to her mother's leg, nervous about the unsettling ambiance.

Viktor glanced up from the boxing match he'd just resumed watching. Another patient? He stood, approached, then recognized something familiar.

"You are…?" He squinted slightly. 

The woman gave a deep bow. "Viktor-san, it's been a while." 

He took off his glasses and wiped them carefully before putting them back on. "Indeed, quite a while." His gaze shifted to the girl peering around her mother's hip. "This must be your daughter?"

"Yes. Ryoko, come say hello," the woman urged softly. 

Ryoko still looked scared, half-hidden behind her mother. Viktor turned on every overhead light, brightening the once-dreary clinic. Then he half-knelt before the child, fishing a lollipop from his pocket.

The candy quickly captured her attention, though she remained wary. Only under her mother's encouraging gaze did she shyly step forward and accept it. "Thank you, mister."

Viktor ruffled her hair, stood up, and turned to the woman. "Miss Chihiro, I hear you're with the Tyger Claws these days? You haven't come just for a friendly catch-up, right? Doesn't the Tyger Claws have its own ripperdoc?"

She shook her head. "That's exactly why I'm here, Viktor-san. I want you to remove the trackers they've implanted in us."

…

**One Week Later** 

Inside Viktor's clinic again, the man himself shoved aside his monitor and stepped back. "All done. How do you feel?"

V swung her legs off the operating table, blinking around the dim room in mild confusion. It took a moment for her to acclimate to her new enhancements. "It feels incredible, Vic."

She batted her eyes, marveling at how sharp her vision now seemed—like someone who'd worn the wrong prescription for ages, suddenly swapping to perfect lenses.

Viktor chuckled. "Enjoy it."