Chapter 41

Fingers—that’s the name of the ripperdoc clinic tucked deep in Japantown.

According to the intel we gathered beforehand, it seemed to have connections with the Little Boss and was reportedly serving as a cleanup crew for the Tyger Claws.

Though not officially affiliated, it wasn’t unusual for back-alley clinics to survive by gratefully catching whatever scraps gangs threw their way.

Their clientele was primarily from the lower rungs—joytoys and the homeless living around Jig-Jig Street.

We brush off the joytoys’ sultry advances with a cynical grin, using Jack and Vally as a buffer while we proceed.

"Still, can’t believe there’s a ripperdoc tucked away in a place like this."

"Apparently he’s been around for a while and got some favoritism from the Tyger Claws. Though once the cream of the crop got skimmed off by the Little Boss’s shop, he was left dealing with the dregs."

"Huh. Amazing he’s lasted this long. What is he, some kind of saint?"

"Hard to say. That’s exactly why it wouldn’t be strange for him to pick up side jobs like this one. Don’t go doing anything rash, Vally."

"And why am I the only one getting called out?"

I let out a wry smile at Vally, who’s effortlessly stealing the attention that should’ve been on the joytoys with her voluptuous body.

She barks back with a "What’s that supposed to mean?"—reminding me of a dog. It's exactly because she’s got a decent head on her shoulders that I worry.

"Vally, does this place seem safe to you? I mean, by any normal standards. Do you really think an alley in a red-light district has the same hygiene as a front street? In Night City, this place is a cesspool of lust and violence. If you wanna survive here, you need to get a little dirty. No one who lives in Night City lives a life of pure integrity."

"Oh, you mean like Raffen Shiv types, right? I’m used to it. Want me to give you a few tips on handling them?"

"If you say so, then fine."

Jack, too, seemed to get what I meant, shrugging in that figures kind of way.

We headed deeper into the already dim shadows of Jig-Jig Street, eventually arriving at the marked spot shown on our optical implants’ map.

…Holy shit.

I glance to the side—both of them are wearing the same dumbfounded look as me, staring at Fingers. Drenched in neon pink and not even pretending to look like a clinic.

The locals nearby must’ve figured we were new around here, stifling their laughter as they watched.

"…This isn’t a love hotel, is it?"

"Oh yeah, bro, you got the right place. That’s Fingers’ ripperdoc shop."

"Ahahaha! Yeah, I get that face, man. Fingers really went off the deep end. The inside’s pretty much the same, too."

"Is that so…? Thanks."

"No worries, brother! Fingers never turns anyone away, but think of him as your last resort. He might try to lecture you, but if that happens, just head to the entrance. That’s how Fingers rolls."

…Huh. So this place is pretty rooted in the community.

A ripperdoc who doesn’t even turn his back on the destitute is a rare find.

Especially in a place like this, where people crash and burn so easily.

Sex, money, drugs—they’re like bottomless swamps that pull you in and drown you.

Even if someone’s already half-submerged, just having a small branch within reach can be enough to draw a crowd.

We head inside, getting a few nods from the loiterers out front. Inside, we’re met with a mix of noise—not fights or shouting, but games of cards and mahjong.

Seems like he’s opened the place up as a rec room. Community-rooted, alright.

We go upstairs to the waiting room—neatly maintained, but bathed in gaudy neon—and luckily, it’s empty.

I exchange glances with the other two, then step forward to take the lead.

"Oh? Customers, huh? Just give me a sec, I need to sanitize my hands."

And there he was—a perverted man clad in a tight red bondage suit.

If it were a glamorous woman or a confident dominatrix, it might fly, but this was a balding middle-aged man past his prime. Not a good look.

…Well, I guess that kind of outrageous appearance is his way of making an impression. Pathetic, really.

"Ah, and by the way, this outfit’s just my personal taste. The tighter the squeeze, the more it sharpens both body and mind. …If you’re interested, I’ve got different sizes—could make for a thrilling night."

"Can I have them all delivered?"

"『Vitt!?』"

"Hahaha, you're into the wild stuff, huh? But I’d say you’d be better off handling that job from Jug, wouldn’t you? You’re Jackals, after all. Welcome to the end of the junk line—Fingers’ place. You’re here to ask something, yeah?"

"Jug, huh… So you really are in with the Little Boss."

"Of course. That girl used to pass her old gear to me at dirt-cheap prices. Thanks to that, I was able to stock this clinic with halfway decent equipment—and even discovered some new fetishes. No way I’d turn away a crew she raised herself."

…Way more entangled than I expected.

The scary thing about the Little Boss is how she can turn things that should be shady into heartwarming charity tales.

Whether it’s this or that snitch group earlier, a lot of what she does looks clean from the right angle—which shows just how masterful her survival game is.

【…Needs more flair. Wrap it in silver or something, might make it pop more.】

(If anything, go for the pole dancer vibe. Pretty sure that’s the kind of atmosphere this place is aiming for.)

【Heh, I bet the whole place is swimming in pink and hearts. If this guy was actually a drag queen, the impact would be legendary. I’d tell Kerry right away.】

(Kerry? You mean that Kerry Eurodyne?)

【…No way. That soft-ass punk made it big, huh. He owes me, you know. Don’t forget it, V—he was that pervy frontman who secretly stole my guitar strings to boost his act.】

Johnny disappeared with a smirk after dropping that ridiculous bomb.

Goddammit—I forgot he was the guitarist for Kerry’s old band.

I don’t even care about Kerry, but just knowing some dirt on a celebrity makes you wanna hear more.

Celebrity gossip is gold when you’re trying to chat up girls.

"Ah—he gonna be okay? Was he really here as a patient? If Jug doesn’t have it out for him, I’d say let her take a look."

"Ah, Vitt, uh… he’s dealing with some aftereffects from getting his heart blown out, y’know? Already got him what he needs, so don’t worry about it."

"…I see. Anyway, we came because we heard a high-end doll named Evelyn—with short bobbed blue hair—was brought here from Clouds. Is she still here?"

"Evelyn… I didn’t know her name, but if we’re talking about a blue-haired doll-frame woman, yeah—I treated her."

"She’s not here anymore?"

"Sigh… You’re an impatient one, missy. But I suppose that just means things are urgent. Doesn’t seem like you’ve got the temperament for negotiating—be careful."

"None of your business."

"Sorry, just an old man’s concern. Anyway, about that doll—she was nearly bricked by a hack attempt. Her cyberware was about to meltdown, but I managed to shut it down in time. That kept the damage minimal and saved her life. …But given where it happened, part of her brain took some damage. As you can see, I could’ve lobotomized her, sure, but I’m not equipped to perform anything resembling a proper surgery. I did reach out to Wakako once. Told her that if we removed the cyberware, the doll would die."

"Wakako Okada? Why?"

"You may have heard, but this is Tyger Claws turf. I value my life, so I followed instructions and handed that doll over to the Claws. That was just yesterday. I don’t know what happened before that, but judging from her condition when she arrived, she’d clearly been subjected to some brutal abuse. Both holes were worn raw, her jaw was dislocated, and there was damage to her cervical spine. I’ve done all the treatment I could—she should stay stable for at least a few days."

"What the hell... Vitt, when did you say the incident happened?"

"Four days ago. Which means we’ve got a three-day gap to account for... Someone in Cloud—probably someone ranked higher than the doll."

"That’s disgusting."

"Ah, I figured you'd say that, so I kept her genetic data. It's the kind of body Wakako would take interest in—I thought it might get tangled up in something shady. All I’ll say is, this data came from inside her."

Fingers said this as he slipped a chip into Vary’s chest.

It was done with such practiced ease that it almost seemed natural—likely the same gesture he used to send tips to girls at a show pub.

The motion was so smooth that Vary didn’t even realize what had happened at first.

For a moment she looked like she was about to react, but then she noticed a hundred eddies tucked in beside the chip, understood it as part of Fingers' usual sleight of hand, and let it go.

"It’s just an old habit I picked up. Apologies, young lady—just an old man’s dirty reflex. Forgive me and laugh it off, would you? Now, if you’re looking for a woman named Evelyn, you’d best move quickly. Wakako probably sees her as nothing more than a meat puppet with a high-grade doll chip. Thanks to Jug, cases like that are fewer now, but there are always scumbags lurking in the shadows no matter the era. Me, Wakako—we’ve grown numb to it. Just echoes of darker times. …It’s frustrating that it falls on the young ones to sever those chains, but age is age. I’m past the point of fighting and bleeding for anything anymore."

"...You seem like someone we can trust."

"Heh, I never get used to that—it’s like praise that makes your skin itch. …Oh, one more thing: you’d be wise not to tell Jug about any of this."

"You want us to negotiate with Wakako behind closed doors? We're Little Boss’ people—we have a duty to report."

"...I see. Maybe you’re too close to notice. That kid—she's almost at her limit. How long she can hold on to her sanity depends on you."

"What’s that supposed to mean? Are you saying Jug’s—"

Fingers let out a long sigh, sat down heavily in a nearby chair, and looked up at the ceiling before speaking again.

"Cyberpsychosis. She’s had it for a long time. That day, when she opened her back right here with me watching and had a Sandevistan Mk.4 installed—she already showed symptoms then. …Well, she managed to wrestle her psychosis down with sheer willpower and stayed sane, but by now, she’s just barely holding it together. If you notice something’s off, pay attention. …Because if she goes full cyberpsycho and snaps—there won’t be anyone who can stop her."

His murky eyes turned toward us.

Like they were telling us the blame lay partly with us—even with him included.

After that, we quietly left the clinic.

"...Yeah, we can’t say there were no signs. Before the Konpeki job, Jug used to take care of gigs herself..."

"Now she never leaves the clinic or her office."

"Means she might’ve noticed her own condition and is keeping herself in check."

"Think about Delamain... or rather, the Diva model—Amane Diva. Makes sense if she made her to help manage her day-to-day life."

"...Now that I think about it, when I first met Jug, she was already working as a ripperdoc. She might’ve... never lived like someone her age at all, huh?"

What was I doing when I was a teen?

Obeying my parents like a good little boy, studying because I was supposed to, never praised, just quietly smoldering while looking up at the night sky from the terrace.

Johnny, sitting on a pile of toppled mannequins nearby, spoke up in a nostalgic tone.

【I was conscripted into the First Central American War. Fought on the front lines.】

(Wait, that story was real...? No wonder he turned into a corporate-hating cyber rocker.)

【Yeah, they used to fill trenches with fresh recruits and corpses—then roll tanks over them. Or smear themselves in shit to cling to the enemy and infect them. Those bastards treated us like weeds grown in a field—something to be ground down. I dropped out halfway through.】

(How the hell did they not catch you...? Desertion gets you shot, doesn’t it?)

【Ha, I left my left arm behind. Got lucky with a good ol' artillery storm. By the time I came back, the place had been renamed to 'Night City', and my hometown? Bulldozed. Replaced by concrete towers. …That’s why I picked up the guitar. Formed SAMURAI. To scream out for the ones who died like dogs in their warzones. The corpos tried to collar me, dig up my past to blackmail me—so I dropped Sins of Your Brothers, aired their dirty laundry, their war crimes, their filth. The look on their faces? That was peak rock. Felt so good I damn near came when I flipped 'em the bird.】

Johnny shot the middle finger toward where Arasaka Tower used to be, wearing that smug grin of his.

...Any chance he gets, he starts monologuing. Damn cool rocker bastard.

After chatting with Johnny, I felt a bit clearer-headed and started thinking about the next move.

"Anyway, let’s make this quick so we don’t put more weight on Little Boss. We talk to Wakako Okada and get Evelyn back—fast."

With my pumped-up voice, the two others smirked and snapped back into action.

...Yeah, and I’m probably the one who has to call Wakako again.

They say to strike while the iron’s hot. Guess I’d better make that call now…

『Well, well, long time no see, Vincent. Or should I say Vitt now?』

『Yeah, it’s been a while, Wakako. Not since I screwed over that Tyger Claws guy by banging his girl back during my Arasaka days.』

『Heard you became one of Jug’s pets. Why didn’t you call me, huh?』

『...Because you’re basically Little Boss’ guardian. Gotta show some respect, you know—honor and all.』

『Heh, if you say so. So, what brings you crawling back? I’ve got time thanks to Jug anyway, so I’ll hear you out.』

『Appreciate it. I want custody of the high-end doll I got from Fingers the other day.』

『...Hmm. Well, in that case, I’ll tell you where she got handed off to. Don’t know what you want her for, but I didn’t think you were into that kind of thing.』

『I told you—I hate dolls! That whole incident was a setup to frame me when I was corpo, remember!?』

『...Still, smashing her to bits till the chip’s orders ran out? Bit much, don’t you think? Anyway, she was handed off to a crew that deals in black market BDs. Name’s Death’s Head. They make the sleaziest kind of snuff BDs you can imagine.』

Wakako had sent over a marker on the map—it was the power plant owned by Electric Corp.

…She gave that up awfully easily, I thought, suspicious. Wakako let out a bright laugh.

『Simple reason, really. Those bastards were secretly messin’ with some of the Tiger Claws too. They saw the words “premium doll body” and jumped at the bait, starin’ at the frying pan like they couldn’t wait to cook it up.』

『And then I reached out.』

『Exactly. That kid of yours would say it like this, dead serious face and all—“A good chance to reduce the number of scumbags in Night City.” …Though, knowin’ her, she’s been bottlin’ up a lot. Best you help her sort through it. That’s the price for this little tidbit. Already accepted, so no takin’ it back now.』

『…Got played. You really are a seasoned fixer.』

『Fuhfuhfuh, always watch yourself when someone gives you info upfront, Vitt. Depending on who you’re dealin’ with, it can turn to poison real fast… Well, take care now.』

The holo-call cut off with her usual playful lilt, leaving me chuckling to myself. I shared the map info with the team.

Alright, this was shaping up to be an assault op. This was a job for everyone.

I gave Jack a look. He caught it with a grin full of confidence and nodded.

『Alright, Team Jackals, time to roll out! Vanny, Sasha, pull the car around and grab our toys. Bring the real special stuff for base-cracking!』

『Aye aye! Let’s see… Zhuo, Burya, and… what was the last one again?』

『Maybe the tech rifle? I mean, it’s a power plant, right? Probably packed with rooms like an ant nest. If we get control of the power, we’ll have a lot more flexibility.』

『Then how about this one—Nekomata! Sasha’s purr-sonal fave, nyan~!』

『No, that’s the one Vitt picked up. Mine’s on my hip.』

『Nyaaah~』

A burst of noisy chatter immediately flooded the team holocall. I couldn’t help but smile as Vally revved the engine with fired-up precision.