Cyberpunk 2077 - The Ballad of Lost Souls

A loud scream can be heard in the distance, V slowly opens his eyes.

Stranger: Good morning sunshine! Now wake the fuck up.

V: Am I...dreaming? Am I dead?

Stranger: No V, you are still in hell. You left your girl to die for you, again. The whole Arasaka thing wasn't enough?! You just never learn do you?

V: ... The fuck are you?!

Stranger: Don't you recognize an old friend? Fuck. Your brain must be really toasted. Wake the fuck up, V... We've gotta chick to save.

V tries to stand up, grabbing Mitch's car bumper, bending it. He stops looking at his blue robotic arm, in a mixture of confusion and amazement. Eventually, he manages to stand up, trying not to lose balance.

Stranger: Look in the car, what do you see?

V: NO...NO... it's not possible...

Stranger: Let's see...That dried up asshole on the left is you... What remains of you, at least. On the right you can see Mitch sleeping... And that's my fault, I'm afraid.

V: You asshole! What did you do to him?

V runs near the car to check on Mitch.

Stranger: Just a knock on the head, wasn't too difficult.

V looks at his hands, turning over a couple of times, then he checks himself in the reflection of the car window and sees a man in his late forties, with blonde hair, blue glowing eyes and unshaved beard wearing a long brown coat and a blue tie. He touches his right cheek, baffled.

V: This body... Who am I?! THE FUCK IS GOING ON?!

Stranger: V really, there is little time for explanations... The important thing is...

V: WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?! Get out of my head!

Stranger: Ok so you won't cooperate?! Fine. You will die within a week anyway. I just bought you some time, nothing more. By the way, you are in MY head, well...technically is not my head either... 

V: What?!

Stranger: As of right now, If I were you, I would think of finding Panam.

V: Pan?! How do you know about her?!

Stranger: I was there when you first met her, you fuckin' asshole!

V suddenly stops, as something has clicked inside his head.

V: So you are... NO... NO! It can't be!

V collapses to his knees, sinking into the sand.

V: JOHNNY?!

Johnny: You bet your ass I'm Johnny!

V covers his face with both of his hands.

V: But... how?! Shit! It's the same nightmare all over!

Johnny: No time to explain, this body will cease to function within a week, so as I said, get the fuck up!

V slowly gets up.

Johnny: Perfect! Now we have to find you a gun, and we are all set up... You do still have my Malorian... right?

V: Yeah it's at the camp... Fuck! This is unbelievable!

Johnny: So the plan is simple: get back to the camp and gear up. I'll explain what we have to do.

V: I...have to do something, first.

V slowly walks toward the trunk of the car, he gets a shovel out and walks toward his body that lays lifelessly on the passenger seat. He looks at it in pure fear, starting to breathe faster and faster, almost having a panic attack. After a moment, he finally gets his old body out, dragging it across the sand by its legs.

Johnny: C'mon V, there's no time for that! You already died once. You should be used to it by now.

V: JESUS CHRIST, JOHNNY!

Johnny: Ok! Ok! I'll give you some privacy!

V starts digging a hole in the sand and carefully places his old body inside it and covers it up.

V: Ok... We can go.

V walks toward the car, checking one more time on Mitch. He shifts him to the passenger seat and then proceeds to start the car up.

V: Johnny?

Johnny: Yes?

V: Now it's the time when you tell me what the fuck is going on.

V starts driving back to the camp.

Johnny: Ok, so where do you want me to start? How I saved your life or why I even bothered?

V: Want to know everything.

Johnny: Alt. We have to stop her. You have no idea what her plans are.

V: FUCK! I knew it!

Johnny: She devoured every soul trapped inside the Mikoshi, including mine. You know what it was like? Her... "unity"? She transferred all the data from every soul to her, bit by bit. All the dreams, all the thoughts, all the memories...of every one of the bastards trapped inside the Mikoshi.

V: Jesus...

Johnny: I managed to find an escape. A backdoor to one of the 'Saka subnets. Then I waited. Finally when this Netwatch asshole tried to stop Alt, I used his neurolink to upload myself into his body.

V: You're an asshole as usual.

Johnny: Yeah I know and you are too.

V: The situation just keeps getting better and better. What about Night City?

Johnny: Let me tell you, it's a living hell. After the 'Saka incident Netwatch tried to contain the building's Net, but with no luck... Alt it's too powerful. Cyberpsychosis is raging into the street, anyone that logs into the Net it's a potential target. The NCPD is trying to do their best but they're powerless. I'm afraid that if we don't stop her...The whole Net will be in danger.

V: How did you manage to find me?!

Johnny: First thing I did was to ask on the Darknet for Arasaka military equipment. My contact said that some nomads in Arizona might have what I was looking for, then I traced back the guy Panam sold some shit to... poor bastard.

V: What does it mean?!

Johnny: 'Saka found him. Ripped the guts out of the guy while he was still alive... They want you bad, V. Since you died twenty minutes ago, I can only assume they'll shift their attention to Pan.

V: Still don't get it how you managed to track us down.

Johnny: The Arasaka shit... It's filled with tracking devices. It was easy finding you and If I did, they can too.

V: Bullshit, Carol would have known.

Johnny: Arasaka tech...Way out of reach for a nomad's junk equipment.

V: Fuck! I have to hurry up, they are all in danger! One last thing... It's good to hear you again.

Johnny: Same for me, V.

V shifts down the gears, speeding up into the desert, after a while he arrives at the Aldecaldos camp at breakneck speed, it is night.

Garrison: Hey Mitch! Where have you been?!

V opens the car door, Garrison looks at him, surprised, then he draws his gun.

Garrison: WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?!

V approaches Garrison lifting his arms in the air.

V: NO! Garrison, please, I'm V!

Garrison: Who?! The fuck are you talking about?!

Mitch suddenly wakes up and grabs V, strangling him from behind.

Mitch: You fucking maniac, where's V?!

Garrison: You got yourself in a bad situation, let me tell you.

Mitch: WHERE IS VEEE?!

Mitch tightens his grip, pressing his black metal arm around V's neck, who tries to break free, gasping for air.

V: MITCH! IT'S...HERE, I...AM V!

Mitch: Bullshit! Garry, shoot this motherfucker!

Garrison: With pleasure.

Garrison aims the gun at V's face

V: MITCH! How could I have known your name if I wasn't V?!

Mitch: The fuck should I know?! Do you think that's enough proof?!

V: Remember that night, before the Militech score?! You talked about the war, about Scorpion... We were together, in front of a fire. I was next to Panam... She's in danger, Mitch! WE HAVE TO FIND HER!

Mitch leaves V and looks at him bewildered.

Mitch: But... How?!

Garrison: I don't trust this bullshit, nothing changed for me!

V punches Garrison in the face as hard as he can, he falls on ground with his head on the sand.

V: That's for calling me a corpse the other day, you bastard.

Johnny: Fuck, that was close.

Mitch: Are...you really V?! But... I thought...

V: Yeah me too... but there is no time for explanations, you are all in danger! You have to pack and leave as fast as you can!

Mitch: Why?!

V: The Arasaka stuff. It's bugged! They are following us... in no time they'll be here!

Mitch: FUCK, OK! Everybody start packing your things!

Mitch helps Garrison to get up then starts running around waking up all the other Aldecaldos.

V: Mitch! I have to talk to you...

Mitch: I don't know what's happening here, I would rather not talk with you.

V grabs Mitch's arm.

V: Mitch... Thanks for...everything. You didn't leave me alone and I will never forget it.

Mitch looks at V's arm, then he looks up, puzzled. Finally after some moments that look like eternity, he opens his mouth to speak.

Mitch: We lost contact with Pam in Phoenix, four days ago. You can take my car.

V: Thanks, Mitch! Uhm... sorry for the head.

Mitch gets near him, full of anger.

Mitch: Do me a favor. When you'll find that asshole, shot him in the fucking head.

V: You bet.

V rushes inside his tent, he stops for a moment looking at his wheelchair, stunned. He quickly wakes up and starts trashing the place, looking for something. 

Johnny: V, I have to talk with you.

V: Not now, Johnny.

Johnny: No, seriously listen to me. This body is... not yours.

V: Well, thanks for pointing that out.

Johnny: No really, I used it to travel for three weeks. The mind has a limit for what it can take.

V: So?!

Johnny: So keep in mind that this body has an expiration date. In a week more or less it would cease to function. Three minds in the same body... It's too much for anyone.

V suddenly stops. 

V: The guy... Where is he?

Johnny: He's dead or sleeping, who knows. He got fried when he attempted to access Arasaka's Net, his Netrunner days are over. But I'm not worried about him, though. I'm worried about you.

V: Johnny, I really have no time for riddles.

Johnny: V, you are goin' around like you are your older self again, but you are only in the mind. When I found this loser all he had was a shock implant on the right hand and nothing more.... What I'm saying is please, don't do something too stupid.

V begins again to look around. 

V: I've been an average joe before, and I took down the whole Arasaka...This makes no difference.

Finally, inside an old cardboard box, V finds Johnny's Malorian.

V: Finally!

V begins to fiddle with it, rotating it as he holds it, then he smiles.

V: You know what?! It's good to be back.

Johnny: Yes it is.