Johnny blinked awake, blinking through the haze of pain. The scent of antiseptic filled the room, the harsh white light stinging his eyes. Standing above him was a familiar face.
"Milt… why the hell am I here?"
His grizzled ripperdoc, Milt, scowled. "You're lucky you got here when you did, kid. Another five minutes and you'd be dead meat."
Johnny groaned and tried to sit up. "I don't feel lucky."
"You should thank him," Milt added, gesturing to the corner.
A man in a dark red shirt and sunglasses stepped forward. "Name's Thompson. I'm a reporter—and I'm the reason you're alive."
Johnny squinted. "Where's Alt? The woman with me?"
"Arasaka took her," Thompson said bluntly.
"You just stood there and let them?! Did you wave them in with a red carpet too?!" Johnny roared, nearly leaping off the gurney.
"If I had made a move, they would've turned us both into paste," Thompson snapped back.
Johnny clenched his fists. "This is because of me. That bastard—he was wearing an Arasaka uniform."
"Don't flatter yourself," Thompson retorted. "Alt's one of the most gifted netrunners alive. They didn't grab her because of you—they want her brain."
"Why? Just because she can code?"
Thompson's voice dropped. "Soulkiller. Ever heard of it?"
"Yeah, that urban legend. Sounds more like a metal album than software."
"Not a myth," Thompson said grimly. "And Arasaka wants its original creator back."
Johnny's eyes darkened. "No matter what they want—my goal is simple. I'm going to break into Arasaka Tower and get her back."
Thompson's eyebrows rose. "You and what army?"
"I've got places to go and people to recruit. First stop—Atlantis."
---
Atlantis Club – Night City's Underworld Hub
The dive bar was packed with smoke and bodies, a hotbed of mercs, smugglers, and fixers. Johnny stormed in and went straight to his target.
"Rogue. I need your help."
She didn't even look at him. "Do I look like I run a charity? Need me to wipe your ass too?"
"This time's different. It's serious," Johnny said, leaning in. "Triple commission."
"Triple?" Rogue scoffed. "You still owe me from last time, and don't think I forgot about you screwing around behind my back before we split."
"Alt's been taken. I need your help to break into Arasaka Tower," he said, deadly serious now, grabbing her shoulders.
"Rogue, I think we should hear him out," said Santiago, a heavily tattooed solo who'd been quietly nursing a drink.
"Shut it," Rogue barked. "This clown just wants to piss me off."
"Take the money," Santiago shrugged. "And make him pay up front."
"Deal!" Johnny agreed instantly.
"Looks like you're in a real rush," Santiago added. Then his eyes narrowed. "And you've got a tail."
He whipped out a shotgun and blasted the door open—an Arasaka agent tumbled in with a grunt, bleeding.
"Damn it, Johnny! You brought the heat here?!" Rogue snarled, drawing her pistol.
"Less talking, more shooting!" Johnny yelled, pulling out his Malorian. "I've got backup waiting outside!"
Gunfire erupted in the club. Chaos ensued. The trio fought their way through Arasaka agents, Thompson filming as bullets flew. They ducked through alleys, took back routes, and finally made it to the extraction vehicle.
When they were finally clear, Santiago looked over his shoulder. "We'll have more company soon. Arasaka doesn't let go."
Rogue's eyes were blazing. "You better have a solid plan. What now?"
Johnny opened the glove box and took out a flask of cheap liquor. "We stage a protest outside Arasaka HQ. Chaos at the front, infiltration from the side. We go in, we get Alt."
"Sounds reckless," Rogue muttered.
"Sounds like Johnny," Santiago said, grinning.
---
Arasaka Tower
Smoke filled the air. Protesters hurled Molotovs and chanted slogans outside the building. Riot police and Arasaka security personnel tried to keep order.
Inside an employee elevator, Rogue leaned close to Johnny. "You trust this reporter? Thompson?"
"Not really," Johnny admitted. "But he's useful."
"He's wearing cam lenses. If that footage gets out, we're all screwed."
Johnny loaded his gun. "Worry about surviving first."
The elevator doors dinged open.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Johnny and his team emerged like a storm, wiping out the surprised security guards in a matter of seconds.
They sprinted down steel corridors until Thompson waved them toward the server room.
"She's in there."
A man in a black suit stood inside, cold eyes watching over Alt's body as she sat motionless in the netrunner chair.
"Don't touch her," the man said. "This is Toshiro. She's undergoing the most important work of her life."
Johnny's voice cracked. "What did you do to her?!"
"She's working on a project that transcends life," Toshiro said, eyes gleaming. "Let her complete it."
Johnny raised his Malorian. "Let this complete you."
Bang! Headshot.
Johnny rushed to Alt's side, yanking the neural cable from her socket. "Alt? Alt, wake up! Please!"
She didn't move.
Rogue stepped in, her expression grim. "Johnny…"
"NO! Alt, wake up!!" His voice broke. "Not like this. Not now!"
He slammed his fists into the Netrunner chair, shaking it. "Just one more second…!"
Thompson was still filming.
Johnny saw red.
He stormed over and slammed the reporter to the ground. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"
"We have to show the truth—"
CRACK! A punch to the jaw.
"Show THIS truth, you bastard!" Another blow landed.
"Johnny! That's enough!" Rogue pulled him back. "You'll kill him!"
Johnny finally slumped to the ground, staring at Alt's still form, eyes filled with fury and regret.
"She's gone, Johnny," Rogue said softly, kneeling beside him.
The server room was filled with smoke, blood, and silence.
---
Back in Cyber Space
The vision ended, and V slowly returned to herself, her mind reeling.
Johnny paced nearby, agitated.
"Well?" he snapped. "Got something to say?"
V stared at him. "You really blew up a megacorp building over a woman you said was just a fling?"
"She wasn't just a fling," Johnny said, his voice low.
"You treated her like one."
"She called out to me when she was taken," Johnny barked. "She could've escaped. But she didn't. Because of me."
"Still sounds like guilt, not love," V said coolly. "You're real immature when it comes to emotions."
"Cut the crap," Johnny growled, turning his back to her.
"But if she died that night… why are you still looking for her?"
Johnny was quiet for a long moment.
"She didn't die," he finally said. "She escaped. Into the net."
"What? How do you know?"
"She reached out. After Arasaka. Told me she was stuck in one of their subnets. Said she was safe. Told me not to come looking."
V crossed her arms. "And you didn't listen."
"I loaded up two thermonuclear bombs and went right back in. Still couldn't get to her. But she got out on her own. She's behind the Blackwall now. Rumor is, she's helping Kang Tao rebuild Ghost City."
"Interesting," V said. "The Voodoo Boys think she's behind the Blackwall too."
"She is," Johnny replied. "Safe there. Untouchable. What Brigitte wants from her, I have no idea. But Alt's alive. Somewhere out there in the code."
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