Cyberpunk 2077 - The Ballad of Lost Souls

Panam is sleeping, lying in a worn out old bed. Her back is illuminated by the morning lights, escaping through the cracks in the half opened shutters, as a single bladed fan moves her hair in a gentle breeze, breaking the scorching heat that hovers in the room.

A man with short black hair stands next to her, hugging her, kissing Panam on the neck and going down. Panam smiles without opening her eyes.

Panam: Mmm...Now that's a good morning.

The man smiles, then gets out of bed walking barefoot on the worn carpet of the Motel room, stopping in front of a mirror, broken on the side. The man stares at his chest, looking at a recently healed wound on his shoulder. 

Panam leans on her elbows, looking at the man, who catches a glimpse of her in the reflection of the mirror.

Panam: Does it still hurt?

Ethan: Nah.

Ethan grabs a black gun on the small table near the mirror and loads it, while Panam gets out of bed and hugs him, resting his face on his shoulder.

Panam: Is there anything I can do?

Ethan smiles, turning around.

Ethan: Yeah. You can go back to bed while I'll get coffee. After that, we'll have breakfast together.... Again. 

Panam smiles, then slowly kisses Ethan, while he caresses her cheek.

Panam: You spoil me a little too much.

Panam turns away from Ethan and back toward the bed, abandoning herself on it, staring at the ceiling. Ethan walks toward the bedroom door, still naked.

Panam: Sorry, where are you going?!

Ethan turns to Panam, mockingly.

Ethan: Told you. To get coffee.

Panam: You want to go like that?

Ethan: Well, Panam. After yesterday's massacre, it wouldn't be so outrageous, right?!

Panam reaches toward Ethan's clothes, throwing them at him.

Panam: Get your shit together. Or I'll do the massacre. Startin' with that little blonde at the front desk… I'll take it black, though.

Ethan slips on his pants and shoes, throwing his leather jacket back at Panam, smiling.

Ethan: I'll be back in a minute. I want to find you like this.

Ethan leaves the room, while Panam shakes her head, smiling. 

After a while, Panam gets out of bed and gets into the room's small tiled bathroom, stepping into the yellowed tub. The water begins to run down her body, washing away the sand and blood. Panam gets dressed again, slipping back into his red jacket and boots. After a short time Ethan opens the door, with two cans of coffee in his hand.

Ethan: Mmm. That's a real shame.

Panam: Well, you were too slow. I'm sorry.

Ethan smiles and hands her the coffee.

Ethan: I'm sorry too, Panam. I ordered it long…

Panam snatches the coffee from Ethan's hands, looking at him, annoyed.

Panam: You are playing with fire, Ethan.

Ethan: I know. That's why I like you.

Panam sips some coffee, staring at Ethan for a few seconds, then smiles. He does the same.

Panam: Let's go. Or we'll be late.

They both gets ot of the room, leaving behind the rows of rooms arranged on two floors of the Motel. A black vintage coupe is parked in front of them, pointing menacingly toward the road across the desert.

Panam: What are we carrying, exactly?

Ethan: A load of weapons, a crate of mr. Studds…Who cares?!

They both get into the car. Ethan starts the engine and drives off.

Panam: Listen, can I...ask you a question?

Ethan: Sure.

Panam: Why?

Ethan chuckles.

Ethan: Seems to be a bit of a generic question, doesn't it?

Panam: No, seriously. You have your arms dealing, your gang...Why do you keep doing this?

Ethan turns toward Panam.

Ethan: Mainly because it makes me feel alive, Panam. What am I supposed to do?! Spend my days at the camp counting money and givin' orders? Fuck, there's the old age for that. 

Ethan turns on the radio and raises the volume.

Ethan: But if you want to know, I'm doing it for you too.

Panam chuckles and looks away from him.

Ethan: You have potential, Panam. Too bad no one gives you any credit for…Especially Saul.

Panam turns back to Ethan, looking at him, seriously.

Panam: So why don't we make it official?

Ethan stops looking at Panam and focuses on the road.

Ethan: I told you Panam. I'm not the family man.

Panam: I'm not proposing marriage, Ethan. Nor am I suggesting that we should merge families... I'd just like to see you at camp more often, that's all.

Ethan: You know that's not possible. I'm not welcome there and you know it.

Panam turns toward the window, disappointed.

Ethan: When you're ready you'll come with me. You know that's all I want…

Panam turns to Ethan, pissed.

Panam: So that's it…I'm not enough. 

Ethan: That's not true. You're still living in the shadow of that old man, though...Do you think I don't have serious intentions? Open the glove box, come on.

Panam: No.

Ethan: Fine, I'll do it myself.

Ethan reaches toward the glove compartment, opening it and pulling out a small package.

Ethan: Go ahead.

Panam: Ethan…I've told you. I don't want gifts. 

Ethan: You liked Torton, though. Didn't you?

Panam grabs the package from Ethan's hands, annoyed. He smiles.

Panam: What is it?

Ethan: One little thing to show you that it's not just about work.

Panam opens the package and pulls out a gold chain.

Panam: Ethan, look…

Ethan: Put it on. C'mon...

Panam puts the chain on his right wrist and looks at it, smiling.

Panam: I've told you, you spoil me too much.

Ethan: Well, if you don't like it I can always take it back.

Panam turns to Ethan, serious.

Panam: I hate to repeat myself, I'm not interested in gifts. I'm into something else, you know that.

Ethan stops his car near a gas station.

Ethan: All right. You wait here, I'll go get some fuel.

Panam: Fueling like everyone else is too difficult, isn't it?!

Ethan turns back toward Panam.

Ethan: So the cameras can see the car? Didn't get it at the dealership, you know Pan?! You still have a lot to learn.

Panam turns off the radio as Ethan gets out of the car, closing the door.

Panam: You too…

Panam rests his arm on the door, leaning her head against the glass. Her gaze falls for a moment on the chain, she smiles.

Suddenly Panam gasps, hearing a noise coming from the car trunk. She tries to ignore it, but the noise becomes more and more insistent. She slowly turns toward the back seats.

Panam gets out of the car, looking toward the gas pump in the distance, then back toward the car. She slowly walks to the trunk, keeping her right hand on the gun in her back pants.

After a final moment of hesitation, Panam opens the trunk. A girl with brown hair lies tied up and curled up inside it. She is covered in bruises and two streaks of makeup mark her face, as if she had been crying for hours. The girl crosses Panam's eyes for a second, trying to scream from the depths of her lungs, but failing. She suddenly closes the trunk, trembling and staring into the void.

Panam, stunned, walks slowly toward the driver's seat, leaning against the side of the car. She opens the driver's door, seeing in the reflection of the window her eyes wide open and slowly sits inside, grabbing the steering wheel with both hands, leaning her head on it, devastated.

After a moment, she lifts her head again and starts the car, moving toward the desert for a while. Taking courage, she gets out of the car and opens the trunk, again. The girl's screams are drowned out by the cloth in her mouth, as Panam picks her up by weight and drags her across the sand.

Panam quickly pulls out a small knife from her pocket and moves closer to the girl. She begins to scream and cry. Panam quickly frees her from all the ropes as she stands up sharply, staring at her without saying anything, trembling. Panam tries to reach out his left hand toward the girl, holding the knife in the other, as if to reassure her, but to no avail.

The girl slowly lowers her gaze to Panam's wrist, she does the same, then she closes her eyes, devastated.

Panam: Run…

The girl continues to stare at Panam as she aims the knife at her.

Panam: RUN!

The girl begins to run through the desert, while Panam closes her eyes.

Ethan walks, relaxed, toward his car. He bends down to get in, when notices that is empty. Puzzled, he begins to look around. After a moment, Ethan runs to the trunk, opening it. His confusion quickly turning to anger, as he notices it empty. 

Panam: That's where I should have ended up once ready, Ethan?

Panam loads the trigger of the gun, aiming it at Ethan's temple. He lowers his eyes, disappointed as he closes the trunk.

Ethan: Fuck, Panam.

Panam stares at Ethan with tear filled eyes, in a mixture of anger and grief. She slams the chain on the trunk of the car as Ethan looks away.

Panam: You and your fucking gifts…

Ethan: DAMN, PANAM! Where the fuck do you think the money I won the Torton with, the guns for your friends and everything else came from?! You think I made them by worrying about what the fuck I was carrying around, uhm?

Panam: That's the difference between you and me, Ethan. I always know what I'm carrying. You're just a son of a bitch, that's all.

Ethan: A son of a bitch…

Ethan turns sharply, pressing his forehead against the barrel of the gun. Panam's eyes widen.

Ethan: C'mon, do it.

After a while Ethan smiles, then he violently slaps Panam. She remains stunned, with teary eyes, rubbing her face.

Ethan: YOU STUPID BITCH! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA OF THE SEA OF SHIT YOU PUT US IN?!

Suddenly, Panam grabs Ethan and pushes him against the trunk of the car, bending him over. He stares at her, frightened, as his teeth move up and down.

Panam: I may not have the guts to kill you...But try to hit me one more fucking time…

Panam violently presses her gun on Ethan's belt, he winces.

Panam: I'll blow your balls off…

Ethan pushes Panam away, while she still aims the gun at him.

Ethan: FUCK YOU PANAM! You are unmanageable.

Ethan quickly gets back into the car, speeding away. Panam stands still for a few seconds aiming the gun in front of her, petrified, then slowly lowers it. Her gaze is caught by the glint of the chain lying on the ground, covered by some sand. She picks it up and then clutches it in her hand, closing her eyes.