Rebecca drove the weathered Goodwood, its engine roaring almost tear, carrying Osiris and herself, speeding madly towards Night City.
Osiris' massive frame almost filled the passenger seat, his dark red robe clashing with the chaotic interior of the car.
The servo-skull hovered silently in the back seat, the eerie glow in its eye sockets flickering in the dim car.
Rebecca's heartbeat almost synchronized with the engine's roar.
Her hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, knuckles white from the effort, occasionally glancing through tear-blurred eyes at the silent red figure beside her.
Osiris, however, was unusually calm, his optical sensors coolly scanning the rapidly passing barren landscape outside the window, which was gradually replaced by dense, dilapidated, and neon-flashing megastructures.
The air began to mix with a complex scent of ozone, exhaust fumes, cheap spices, and some ineffable urban metabolic waste, this was Night City, gradually overlapping with fragmented information in his database and game impressions from distant memories, but even more real, rough, and oppressive.
"We're almost there... It's in the Watson, 'Thousand Needles' clinic, at Glenn's place..." Rebecca's voice still trembled.
She sharply turned the steering wheel, and the car plunged into a dimly lit alley piled with trash, the screeching brakes drawing a few wary barks and a peek from behind a window.
The car stopped at the back door of an unassuming shop, its neon sign flashing with a misspelled "Thousand Needles Augmentation & Repair."
Rebecca almost jumped out of the car, stumbling as she pushed open the reinforced metal door that required considerable force to open.
Osiris bent down to exit the car, the servo-skull following him silently.
His tall figure immediately attracted a few malevolent gazes from the shadows of the alley, but his crimson optical lenses merely swept over them casually, the cold, inhuman sensation making those gazes instantly retract.
The clinic's interior was smaller and more cluttered than it appeared from the outside. The air was a mix of strong disinfectant, burnt circuits, cheap lubricant, and a faint, undeniable smell of blood.
Various models of unknown origin, suspicious second-hand or scrapped cyberware parts were piled on shelves or in boxes, filling almost every corner.
An old medical chair and a simple operating table occupied the center, stained with fresh and old marks.
A tall, gaunt man with disheveled hair and sunken eyes was frantically operating a life monitor, trying to stabilize the dying Pilar on the operating table.
He wore a dirty leather apron, his arms exposed with crude, homemade data ports.
Dorio was also there, arms crossed, leaning against the wall, her face solemn. Seeing Rebecca and Osiris enter, especially Osiris' attire, a flicker of surprise and doubt crossed her eyes.
Pilar on the operating table was as pale as paper, his breathing weak, his abdomen covered with thick, blood-soaked gauze.
He was connected to several buzzing, makeshift instruments displaying extremely unstable vital signs. A strange smell of burnt tissue and melted metal lingered in the air.
"Glenn! How is he?!" Rebecca rushed over, her voice trembling.
The ripperdoc named Glenn looked up, his face etched with anxiety and helplessness, sweat soaking his temples.
"Rebecca... God, you're here... I... I did my best! The bleeding's temporarily slowed, but the internal organ damage is too severe, nerve bundles are completely ruined, infection index is off the charts! And those damned poor-quality cyberware fragments... I can't do anything here... Unless he's immediately sent to a big hospital, with the highest-grade..."
His voice trailed off, his gaze fixed on Osiris behind Rebecca, especially the hovering servo-skull, his mouth slightly agape, an expression of disbelief on his face.
"This... who is this?"
"Glenn, don't ask! This is the boss, he can save Pilar! Boss, please!" Rebecca cried out, almost in tears, placing all her hope on Osiris.
Osiris ignored Glenn's astonished gaze and walked directly to the operating table.
His optical lenses quickly performed a comprehensive scan of Pilar, and a waterfall of detailed, nano-level damage reports instantly streamed across his visual interface: the situation was critical, consistent with Rebecca's description, and slightly exacerbated by Glenn's crude initial handling.
Osiris raised a hand, interrupting any questions Glenn might have had.
His voice, transmitted through his faceplate, was calm and unwavering: "Situation assessed. Can be handled. Need to clear the area, maintain an absolutely sterile environment."
"Sterile... sterile? Here?" Glenn looked at his cluttered, blood-stained clinic, thinking the other party was joking.
Osiris did not explain.
A blue light flashed in the servo-skull's eye sockets, and an invisible, low-power antibacterial UV field and air purification wave rapidly spread out from it, precisely enveloping the entire operating area.
At the same time, several slender and precise mechanical tentacles elegantly extended from under Osiris' robe sleeves, their tips gleaming with various precision medical tools: high-frequency laser scalpels, nano-suturers, tissue regeneration induction probes, microscopic material extraction claws...
Glenn and Dorio both widened their eyes, speechless, stunned by this display of technology beyond their comprehension.
"Servo-skull, assist with scanning, real-time monitoring of vital signs, provide optimal surgical path planning," Osiris commanded.
"Command confirmed," the Skull responded, its mandible opening and closing, projecting a clear holographic image that perfectly presented Pilar's internal injuries in three dimensions, with astonishing detail.
Osiris' surgery began.
His movements were too fast for human vision to capture, yet they possessed a mechanical, absolute precision and elegance.
Lasers precisely cut, nano-probes cleverly cleared fragments, regenerative energy stimulated tissue to heal rapidly, and nanobots even repaired and optimized damaged neural networks and old, inferior cyberware interfaces at a microscopic level.
Glenn was completely dumbfounded, the tool in his hand clattering to the floor.
Like an apprentice, he watched every incomprehensible operation with a mixture of greed and bewilderment, unconsciously muttering, "This is impossible... This precision... This technology... Unheard of..."
Dorio also held her breath, the scene before her making her fully understand the source of Rebecca's confidence.
Rebecca covered her mouth tightly, tears silently falling, but her eyes were filled with rekindled hope.
The surgery lasted less than an hour.
When Osiris retracted the last mechanical tentacle, the terrible wound on Pilar's abdomen had disappeared, leaving only almost imperceptible new skin.
His complexion had regained its color, his breathing was steady and strong, and he even appeared healthier than before his injury.
Osiris took a syringe from under his robe and handed it to the servo-skull; it contained his self-made synthetic agent, rich in nutrients and energy matrix, which was injected into Pilar's jugular vein.
"Wake him."
The agent took effect extremely quickly.
Pilar's eyelids fluttered a few times, then slowly opened his eyes.
He first looked at the ceiling blankly, then instinctively touched his abdomen, where there should have been a large hole.
"I... I'm not dead?" His voice was a little hoarse, but clear and strong.
"Pilar!" Rebecca rushed to the side of the operating table, crying and laughing.
Pilar tried to sit up, a movement that made Glenn gasp, but Pilar did it easily. He even surprisingly moved his limbs and waist: "My God... I feel... I feel great! It's like I'm a new person! All those old minor ailments seem to be gone?"
He looked at Osiris, his eyes filled with awe and gratitude: "Boss... it was you..."
Osiris nodded slightly: "Part of the deal. Remember your sister's promised 'medical fee.'"
Glenn finally recovered from his extreme shock, he excitedly stepped forward, his voice trembling: "Sir? How... how did you do that?
This technology... it's a miracle! I... I have been in the Watson for over ten years, I've never seen... May I ask you..."
His eyes were fervent, filled with a thirst for knowledge and reverence for absolute technology.
Osiris' crimson optical lenses turned to Glenn, calmly observing him.
This ripperdoc's technique was crude, his environment simple, but he seemed to have tried his best, and the desire for technology in his eyes was genuine.
Perhaps... there was potential for training, an acolyte who could execute his will in this place?
But he did not immediately respond to Glenn's excited inquiry, only stating indifferently: "Your methods urgently need standardization, and your knowledge needs updating."
After speaking, he no longer looked at Glenn, turning instead to Rebecca and Dorio: "This place is not suitable for prolonged stay. Take him back for twenty-four hours of rest to adapt to the new neural interface."
His attitude was cold and direct, as if what he had just completed was not a miracle of resurrection, but merely a routine equipment repair.
This contrast further highlighted his unfathomable depth.
He said no more, turned and walked towards the door, the hem of his dark red robe sweeping the ground.
The servo-skull followed silently.
Rebecca quickly nodded, and together with Dorio, helped Pilar, who was still adapting to his new body.
Glenn stood rooted to the spot, watching Osiris' red back disappear outside the door, and the pale Skull hovering behind him, a storm raging in his heart.
He knew that everything he had witnessed today had completely overturned his understanding of cyberware medicine.
That mysterious master's last words, were they like a splash of cold water, or a faint starlight guiding him to an unknown realm?
He opened his mouth, but ultimately could not say anything, his heart unable to calm for a long time.