Yogan never expected that the plan he and V just started would hit a wall right out of the gate — dead on arrival.
"Come on, sis. You've taken a bunch of jobs through this Johnson guy. And now you're telling me you know nothing about him besides a phone number?"
V's face flushed a little. "Honestly, Amuedo used to handle all the contact with the fixer. I just did some minor errands, like delivering messages and stuff…"
"So, do you know what Johnson looks like?"
"No…"
"Do you know where he's hiding?"
"…Also no."
"Do you know where he usually picks up gigs?"
"..."
"Do you know anyone else who knows this Johnson?"
V gave up and threw her hands in the air. "Then what do you think we should do?"
Yogan rubbed his chin. "Then we'll have to go after that damn chip."
Seeing V visibly annoyed at how quickly he folded, Yogan explained, "Look, most fixers take a big cut from solo mercs. If there's still this much cash left over after going through him, the fixer must be raking it in. Judging by that call, Johnson's the greedy type who'd choke before giving up a penny. A guy like that wouldn't just let a chip like this go. If we find the chip, we can bait him out. Then whether we extort him or flip the chip to another fixer, we hold the cards."
V didn't buy it.
"That chip was probably sold ages ago. God knows how many hands it's passed through. Finding it now is harder than storming Arasaka Tower solo."
Yogan shook his head. "Then what, we buy intel from another fixer? Assuming Johnson isn't watching the networks — and we both know we're broke — even if someone has info on him, we couldn't afford it. But we do have one lead — the cyberware left from that corp dog. If we follow that trail, maybe we can find out who messed with him."
"And how do you plan to do that? We can't afford a netrunner, and I'm just a script kiddie."
A new line of text flashed at the edge of Yogan's vision:
[New Module Loaded]
He quickly checked the new system feature. It was exactly what he needed.
[Data Read: This module allows you to read stored information from a digital medium.]
"I've got a way. But first, we need to find a decent ripperdoc. Only with their gear can I get anything out of our mute little friend here."
"Alright, I'll make some calls — see if someone can help."
V dialed a number. The call connected within seconds. A rough male voice answered.
"Well well, chica. Finally decided to give me a call?"
"Sorry, Jackie."
"Ah, I'm just messing with you. No hard feelings. Everyone knows V takes the low-pay, high-risk gigs. Oh — and that old guy? We said next time we'd have a drink together."
"Amuedo doesn't have to worry about Night City anymore."
Jackie got the message. "Sorry, V. I didn't know…"
"It's fine. Can you do me a favor? I need this job done — I need the money. It's life or death."
"Of course, chica. Your problem is my problem."
"Know any reliable ripperdocs?"
"Hmm… yeah, actually. I've got someone solid. Sit tight. I'll come get you."
V hung up. "He may act like a brute, but he's reliable."
Yogan nodded. Then V suddenly squinted at him.
"Wait. You weren't listening to my call, were you?"
"No! Sis, let me explain. This is a misunderstanding…"
Thirty minutes later, a burly guy in a jacket with a tiny braid at the back of his head walked into the diner. He looked around and made his way to their booth.
"Hey, chica!"
V waved him over. "Jackie!"
He reached the table and saw Yogan, who was still rubbing his face where V had yanked it.
"And who's this?"
"Yogan. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have made it back."
"Jackie Wells. Pleasure, bro."
"Muy encantado de conocerte." (Pleased to meet you.)
Jackie noticed Yogan's swollen face and was about to ask, but V's glare made him laugh it off. Then Jackie's face turned serious.
"Wait, you're looking for a ripperdoc — is this about… her?"
"No. Her illness needs a proper med center. This is about something else."
"That fixer screwed you over, didn't he?"
"Something like that. That bastard wants me to find a stupid chip. No chip, no pay."
"Damn, what an asshole! Seriously, chica — why not come join Valentino? With us, you'd have backup."
"Jackie, we've talked about this. I promised my mom."
"Yeah, yeah. But come on — no backing means any fixer thinks they can walk all over you. You're from Heywood, you've got skills. Join us and they wouldn't dare."
"Let me think about it, okay?"
"Always with the thinking. Fine. But if you change your mind, let me know."
V changed the subject. "You're usually busy. What made you come in person today?"
Jackie shook his head. "You have no idea, chica. The streets are a damn mess lately."
"Then how do you have time to skip work and come here?"
Jackie raised a hand to signal the waiter and rattled off seven or eight dishes like a pro. "Haven't eaten all day, sorry." Once the waiter left, he leaned in and lowered his voice.
"You're mercs. You must've heard — the streets are crawling with corp dogs waving cash around, looking to hire."
V raised an eyebrow. "Since when?"
"Seriously? You haven't heard? Every fixer is going nuts, sending mercs out left and right. My Valentino boys were squaring off with the Maelstrom when the boss called — 'Screw Maelstrom, we've got a big score, get back here.' When we got back, the best guys were already hired out. They sent everyone to work for corps. Just a few of us left to hold the turf. But turns out, the rival gangs are doing the same. So they gave us time off, just gotta be ready to answer the call."
V frowned. "But the streets have been quiet lately. Those corp dogs aren't hiring mercs for charity."
"No clue what their deal is. Anyway, what do you need from the ripperdoc?"
Yogan rubbed his face and tried to speak clearly. "We need to find that chip. But our only lead's already been reduced to spare parts by an organ thief. I'm hoping the doc can help us dig out some data…"
He explained the whole situation to Jackie.
Jackie nodded. "You're in deep. But trust me — this ripperdoc is the real deal."
V asked, "You've been talking about this doc forever. So who is he?"
Jackie scratched the back of his head. "Right, right. His name's Viktor Vektor. I met him at the Demon Boxing Club. We all call him 'Old Vik.' Don't let his age fool you — guy's arms hit like a train. Still got bruises thinking about it. He's not just a beast in the ring — he's a genius with cyberware. No matter how busted something is, he'll fix it like new. He's got his own clinic too. Gear's not quite corp-level, but damn close. Trust me — anything cyberware-related, Vik's your guy."
Just then, the waiter started bringing Jackie's food.
Jackie clapped his hands. "Alright, let's eat first. You've got a mess on your hands, and once the chaos starts, there's no telling when you'll get another break. Gotta fuel up while you can, right, chica?"
V nodded.
Jackie turned to Yogan. "Bro, this place makes a killer burger. Want to try?"
Yogan hadn't eaten in a while and only now realized how loudly his stomach was protesting.
Honestly, he'd never been a fan of Night City cuisine. From what he remembered, most of it was more "tech and chemicals" than food. But now that he was stuck in this world, he had to adapt.
Still, he overestimated his stomach's tolerance for this kind of "techno-cuisine." The burger's meat was mixed with something that tasted like chemicals and chewed like plastic foam with a hint of weird gel.
His digestive system immediately rebelled.
"Ugh… gulp…"
He barely forced it back down.
"What the hell? Hey, boss! You sure this stuff is even edible?!"