Heather was a girl of wealth and beauty, the only child of a single mother who held a high-ranking executive position at Arasaka Corporation in Night City.
Despite her privileged life, Heather suffered from a rare and crippling brain disease that left her half-paralyzed. All the doctors gave her the same bleak prognosis: she wouldn't live to see the end of the year.
Her mother, a workaholic at Arasaka, was unwilling to accept this fate. She miraculously obtained a bio-chip that completely cured Heather.
But just as Heather's health was restored, her mother disappeared, and she had been missing for two months now. Heather was naturally anxious, and the large sum of cash her mother had left at home only amplified her fears.
The bio-chip had cured her, but it came with an unexpected side effect: a man appeared in her consciousness. She was the only one who could see and hear him.
At first, Heather thought she was losing her mind. Over time, she got used to it, a strange companion to talk to. The problem was, he never stopped talking, a constant stream of babble. Heather found him incredibly annoying, as noisy as a stray mutt, and so she nicknamed him "Dog Brother."
The year was 2076, and Night City had seen little progress in recent years. The city's infrastructure was in disrepair, and many streets felt old and worn. Heather was driving herself, crossing the bridge that connected Heywood and Santo Domingo.
She was on her way to meet her friend, V. V worked in Arasaka Corporation's counterintelligence department, and Heather hoped she could help. V had some connections within the company and might be able to find out what happened to her mother.
Dog Brother's translucent image was propped up in the passenger seat, legs crossed, a smug smirk on his face. He spoke with a cheap, lazy drawl.
"I told you, just give in to V," he said. "She's not just pretty; her body is hot too."
Heather's voice rose in protest. "Why would I? I'm straight! I don't go for girls."
"Hey, hey, Heather, you know you don't actually have to open your mouth to talk to me, right?" he replied. "Look how worked up you're getting. You also know I'm a male consciousness, and we share all of your senses. You know what I'm most afraid of?"
Heather rolled her eyes. "You're afraid of me getting a boyfriend."
"Exactly! If you get with a guy, then that means I'm getting with a guy too. Just thinking about it is disgusting. I'm not into that. You should just get a girlfriend."
"And why should I give in to what you want?" Heather shot back, turning to look at the man her own brain had created.
Dog Brother was a muscular, handsome figure, dressed in a fringed denim vest and matching light-blue denim jeans. If he were a real man, Heather might have... but he wasn't. He was just a simulation created by the bio-chip in her brain.
"Because V is pretty, and she's into both men and women," he argued. "She's practically your best choice..."
Heather was about to fire back another retort when Dog Brother's expression suddenly turned tense. He stared at the side mirror. "Heather! Step on the gas! Now!"
Heather was stunned by his sudden shift and didn't immediately accelerate. She looked at him, confused. In the next second, she knew he was right. A rapid, dense barrage of bullets impacted the windows of her SUV. Her car was under attack.
Dog Brother wasn't speaking out loud; he was communicating directly with her brain through the chip. No matter how loud the noise outside was, it didn't affect their conversation. "Hurry! It must be the Animals. Last time they tried to rob us, and I took control of your body and took out three of them. They're probably here for revenge!"
Heather slammed on the accelerator, trying to escape. She saw it clearly: a man on the roof of a car next to her was wielding a .31 heavy machine gun, strafing her vehicle.
Luckily, her car had bulletproof armor and windows, but that machine gun was powerful. Continuous hits would eventually break through. She had to escape.
Sure enough, the cracks on the bulletproof glass spread exponentially, and it looked like it was about to give out. The added weight of the armor also meant her car was too slow to shake off the Animals.
Dog Brother pointed to the small storage compartment on her passenger side. "Quick! Get your Omaha pistol! Give me control of your right hand!"
Since the last time she was attacked by the Animals, Heather had given Dog Brother control, which had allowed her to escape.
Although giving him control of her body caused nausea and headaches, her life was more important right now. She leaned over, grabbed the pistol, and immediately released control of her right hand.
Dog Brother's image vanished, leaving only his voice in her mind.
"Good! Drive with your peripheral vision," he instructed. "Focus your eyes mainly on the pistol's aim, and when their shooting stops, lower the passenger side window!"
Dog Brother's vision was tied to Heather's. If she focused only on the road, he wouldn't be able to see the enemies clearly enough to shoot effectively. When the Animals' fire lulled, the bulletproof window automatically lowered.
Using Heather's augmented hand, which had a ballistic co-processor, Dog Brother perfectly predicted the trajectory. He pulled the trigger and held it.
The tech pistol entered charge mode. He timed the shot and the angle perfectly. A bullet, charged with electricity, burst forth.
It pierced the first window of a sedan caught between them, flew past the shocked faces of a man and woman inside, and then penetrated the second window. Finally, the bullet went right into the skull of the large man in the other car, creating a hole. Blood splattered on the car window.
Heather's car and the Animals' car were both traveling at high speed. The man who was headshotted was the Animals' driver, so their car was now out of control.
The brawny man in the passenger seat, who had been half-exposed from the car roof while shooting, also lost his balance. The Animals' car crashed into Heather's, first hitting the sedan caught in the middle. The sedan then slammed into Heather's car.
The high speed and chain-reaction collision of the three cars caused them all to lose control, spin, and roll. Heather's mind was blurry, and she felt dizzy and lightheaded. She had only one thing on her mind: confirming if she was disabled.
She was a Platinum member, and three minutes later, a Trauma Team AV arrived overhead. It found a suitable place to land. As soon as her vitals showed any problem, Trauma Team would come to her rescue immediately. The car door was severely deformed and couldn't be opened.
The first Trauma Team member to approach her scanned her with a panel on his hand, confirmed her identity, and began to forcibly dismantle the door. Heather hadn't completely lost consciousness. She saw the sedan involved in the crash and pointed to it, speaking with great difficulty.
"Please save the people in that car, too. I can pay extra."
She forced the words out, then fainted.
When she woke up, she was in a high-end hospital room. Dog Brother was facing away from her, leaning on the windowsill, as if admiring the street view. The weak Heather didn't miss a chance to quip.
"What are you pretending for?" she said. "Your perspective is completely tied to mine. I'm lying in bed, so I can't see the view outside at all."
Dog Brother turned to face her with a fake smile. "Girl, we've been together for over two months now, inseparable good friends. Can't you just criticize me a little less?"
Heather forced a smile. "Who told you to talk so much every day? It's so annoying. I just love criticizing you."
Just as Dog Brother was about to retort, a few gentle, polite knocks came from the door. Heather raised her voice. "Come in."
The doorknob turned, and the door slowly pushed open. A red-haired woman in a yellow jacket led a spiky-haired young man inside. She nodded politely.
"Hello, Miss Heather.
My name is Gloria Martinez." She raised her hand and gently pushed the back of the young man's head. "This is my son, David Martinez. Thank you for spending the money to save my son and me."
Heather expressed concern for the mother and son and transferred 2,000 eurodollars to Gloria, who looked uncomfortable.
"Miss Heather, how can I accept this?" Gloria said. "I can't take your money."
Just as an awkward back-and-forth was about to begin, Dog Brother felt a headache coming on, and a super-sized man walked in from outside the door.
At first glance, his cybernetic modifications were very exaggerated. Following closely behind him was a short-haired, blue-haired beauty, dressed in revealing, fashionable clothing with her buttocks and beautiful legs exposed on both sides.
The big guy wore sunglasses indoors and spoke with a bold, familiar tone. "Yo, Gloria, I'm here to pick something up!"
Gloria seemed quite familiar with him. "Oh, Maine, you're here. David and I just had a car accident. I was supposed to have delivered the item to you by now."
"No wonder I couldn't reach you earlier," Maine said. "You know, I paid for this item in advance, and I need it urgently..."
They were talking about a military-grade Sandevistan, a miraculous device that could increase human speed several times over. Dog Brother and Heather were not yet aware of this. The short-haired beauty behind him stood with her arms crossed, leaning against the wall, her cybernetic eye flickering as she scanned Heather.
David stared openly at the short-haired beauty, lost in thought.
Dog Brother's vigilance rose. "Hey, Heather, this woman is definitely a hacker. She's scanning you."
Heather deliberately avoided looking at the female hacker and communicated with Dog Brother telepathically. "Let her scan. My data has been changed. My mom heavily revised my information before she disappeared. It was directly modified within the Arasaka regional network. My new name is Heather, so to everyone else, the data is real."
Another person entered the hospital room doorway. This person was V, whom Heather had arranged to meet. She wore black leather pants that exquisitely outlined her lower body and an oversized pink jacket, giving her a cute but street-smart look. As soon as she entered the room, she walked over and sat by Heather's hospital bed.
"What's wrong, little Heather?" she said. "I didn't know you were so popular, with so many visitors."
Dog Brother's translucent image flashed next to V. "Tsk, tsk, I still like V the most, she's hot!"
Heather actively hugged V's arm. "Sister V, it's all my fault. I didn't hold the steering wheel tight enough. Not only did I crash myself, but I also involved others." As she spoke, she pointed to Gloria and David.
V gave the two a polite smile.
Gloria spoke. "Well, thank you very much again, Miss Heather. This big brother and I have something to do, so we'll be leaving first."
Gloria gently pulled David towards Maine. David refused to go, pulled away from his mother's hand, walked to Heather's bedside, and bowed deeply.
"Sister Heather! Can I have your contact information? I think your marksmanship is really amazing! So cool!"
Dog Brother chimed in. "See? I told you, this kid idolizes me."
Heather didn't want to have any contact with a kid, but refusing would look bad, so she added David's account. It was 2076, and few people used cell phones anymore. Everyone had chips inserted near their earlobes that could be controlled by thought.
Adding a person only required looking at the other person, requesting, and agreeing, which was very convenient. Of course, Heather usually had friend requests blocked. Otherwise, if she just walked down the street, men would constantly send her friend requests, which would be incredibly annoying.
After David added Heather, his happiness was written all over his face. After a hearty thank you, he left with Gloria. Maine leaned close to the hacker woman and whispered, "Let's go, Lucy, getting the item is urgent, although I know you're interested in those two women."
Lucy smoothed her bangs and softly replied, "Both of those women have very high-level cybernetics. They might even be corporate dogs."
At this point, Maine and Lucy had both exited the room. "Indeed," Maine said, "those two women look like corporate dogs. Let's hurry."
Only two people remained in the room. Only after everyone had left did V drop her guard, showing a gentle expression. "Are you okay?"
Heather smiled sweetly. "I'm fine. Trauma Team is just being overly cautious; they send you a message even if you lose a single hair."
V said, "Speaking of which, I'm truly sorry. My job in Arasaka counterintelligence was arranged by your mother. Now that she's in trouble, I can't help at all..."