Neon Heart (J. Silverhand) **Coming Soon**

Chapter Two

The workshop is almost dark when Val finally fully wakes from her state of unconsciousness. Confused and in pain, but awake. The only light coming from a television set up in the corner of the room. She narrows her eyes to stop even that sliver of light from hurting her eyes.

"Vik?" She asks, knowing that if the television is on, then he is not far. "Vik..." Footsteps move closer to her as she goes to get up out of the chair. Viktor comes into view, looking tired and worn. Sleepless.

"You are not ready for that" Viktor scolds as he gently pushes her back into the chair. "Do you need more meds?" She hums a little and shakes her head.

"No, 'm okay" She assures him, even if her body is screaming at her. She doesn't want to be off her tits on pain meds right now. She hates the way it makes her feel. All spacey and 'away' from her body. She wants to be awake, she wants to have a conversation. Those meds will just knock her out again. "How long have I been...?"

"About a week" He answers, drawing his chair under him as he sits at her side. He's had her here, taking up his workshop. Stopping him from working. He's likely lost a lot of money. He's one of the best Ripperdocs in Night City. He would have lost out on so many eddies, because of her. His livelihood. Jackie's life. Viktor's work. She's really screwing up everyone's life at the minute. "You'll need at least another week rest, and maybe some light exercise..."

"And work?" She asks, he gives her scolding look.

"Two more weeks, at least" She scoffs a little and lets out an annoyed breath at the thought of being out of the job for three whole weeks. That's her loosing out on a lot of eddies, as she assumes that she is not going to be getting paid for Konpeki Plaza. He touches the top of her hand and gives her a worried look. It's clear that she is still in pain. And she likely will be for at least another week. She'll need medi-gel for her wounds and pain killers for everything else.

"Are you sure you don't want some meds?" He asks her again. She shakes her head and then cringes, reaching up to touch the bandage around her head. Viktor takes her hand and gives her a small shake of his head. It is probably not a good idea for her to feel around her head wound. He'll talk her through it all later, but for now, they have other things to discuss. Some bad news to drop. "How ya feelin'?" He asks her, she gives him a look and he snorts a little. It is a fairly gonk question considering what she's been through. What her body has been through. He touches her forehead. "In here...." She narrows her eyes a little and then shrugs.

"I have a headache" She answers though. "My vision is....blurry and I am seeing static across my optic implant" He hums a little pulling his screen closer to check on the symptoms she lists off. "And I had these dreams" She adds and adjusts the blanket over her legs. "Whilst I was...asleep" 

"These dreams – describe them to me" Viktor pushes when she doesn't elaborate.

"Bright blinding lights" She starts, closing her eyes to focus on the stuff that she can remember. The flashes she had when she was unconscious and healing. "It's loud and I'm on stage. I can't...I can barely breath. I'm so full of hatred" Viktor's eyes sadden as he looks at her. He already figured out the biochip in her head, the research he had done for Vanessa, but he was hoping that it hadn't activated. This proves that it has. And that was the worst case scenario. "Then I let it all out into a mic. I realized it didn't help at all. I don't feel any better. And then, promise not to laugh, I plant a bomb in Arasaka Tower"

"Nothing there to laugh about" Viktor mumbles.

"Night City looked so different.... And I hated it. Hated everybody, every inch. It felt....It felt so real" She opens her eyes and lets out a breath. "Strange, right?" She can't deduce the look in his eyes. "Vik?" He clears his throat and leans closer to her.

"You weren't dreaming, V" He tells her. "Those were memories" She frowns at him. "That shard" He motions to the shard slot behind her ear. "That you put in your head. The Relic you stole. There's a personality construct on it. Dreams you had were from his past"

"What?" She asks quietly, her mind now absolutely whirling. She'd seen and heard the adverts for the whole 'Secure Your Soul' thing they have going on. That's the whole thing.

"What you explained" He starts. "Those dreams...I think it's Johnny Silverhand"

"Johnny Silverhand?" She counters. "The...Samurai frontman?"

"Surprised you know who they are" He comments causing her to scoff.

"Asher was a fan, so....I grew up with it, plus they play those same five songs on the radio all the time" She explains and then shakes her head.

"AHQ bombing, heard of it?" He asks her, she hums and nods. "His doing" She frowns and looks at him. "People say he was buried under the rubble. Anyway, this is not the important thing right now...."

"What is?"

"The biochip..." He starts, softly touching her arm to comfort her through the news that he is about to break to her. "It's basically a bomb, fuse lit already. You don't have much time.....a year, maybe 18 months" She swallows as that sinks in. a time frame on her death. She's dying because of this chip in her head. A year is not a lot of time. She's 25, that is not a full life. Well, perhaps it is in Night City. But it is not the way she wanted to go out. She wanted to go down swinging, guns blazing when she was old and couldn't fight for shit anymore. Not when she was reaching her stride. Viktor kisses her head, careful of the bandage and she realizes that she's crying. She's been through a lot. And this is a big deal. A big news dump. The worst news. She swallows a little and takes a deep breath to calm herself down. She isn't this person. She hasn't cried since Asher died. She's stronger than this. She knows she is. She gently pushes at his chest and he takes the hint, leaning back from her.

"You called Ness, didn't you?" She asks, he hums and nods. "Is she mad?"

"She's worried about you" He counters. "Scared that she might have lost you" She closes her eyes, her jaw trembling.

"Does she know about.....?"

"No" Viktor answers, curling his hand around her cheek, his thumb brushing away her tears. "No, not before I told you" She leans into his hand and closes her eyes. "But you should tell her" She nods, she knows. And she will. When she's ready. When she's feeling better. Because she knows that Vanessa is going to have opinions and they will likely fight and she is not in the right head-space or physical space to deal with a fight right now.