Chapter 58

A few days after I treated David to lunch and got his advice, I was up on the second floor of the clinic, in the office.

Just as Little Boss had planned, she’d apparently managed to create a communication link with Alt.

With some resolve, I authorized the office door to open—and inside, seated along the edge of the tatami floor, were Little Boss, David, and Delamain in his butler-maid mode.

“It stank like hell... I thought I’d never get the smell out.”

“Oh—looks like he’s here.”

“Yeah, seems like it. Yo, V, how you holding up?”

“...Ah, somehow.”

...Now I’m a bit curious what they were talking about, but I just gave a wry smile in response.

They’d clearly been waiting for me. Little Boss, now in a new outfit—a black jumpsuit and a samurai jacket—stood up and pointed her thumb toward the elevator going down to the first floor.

Guess that means "follow me." I did as told and got in with the three of them.

The elevator looked new from the outside, but inside it was old-fashioned—none of that electronic panel stuff, just a series of switch-style buttons.

As soon as I stepped in, David started furiously mashing the button for the first floor.

...Huh? What’s going on here?

While I tilted my head in confusion, David looked up and clicked his tongue.

“Going underground has some bullshit requirements! What the hell is 'thirteen presses per second'!?”

“Sigh... David, that implant in your back—just for show?”

“...Ah—okay, got it. It’s that kind of mechanism.”

Catching on from Little Boss’s exasperated voice, David must’ve activated his Sandevistan. Unlike before, he pressed the button with blinding speed, leaving behind afterimages.

Immediately, the light above changed from orange to red, and a heavy bell sound rang out.

Apparently, you couldn’t access the hidden room without using the Sandevistan. It was designed that way.

The elevator descended far longer than a single floor would suggest, and the wall behind us—what had looked solid until moments ago—melted away as the hologram dissolved, revealing an opening.

Beyond it lay a small chamber dominated by a machine that looked like it was made for cold sleep. A monitor was mounted on the wall, there was a desk and a chair, and everything else was packed with high-precision tech equipment.

“Alright, V. We’re about to connect to the 《Relic》 wired to your brain, using your implant as the access point. That device there will help deal with the heat generated during the process. Let’s call it the Ice Coffin. Not like you’ll be using it more than once. Get in there and plug the cable into your neck.”

“Ah, do I go in like this?”

“If there’s anything you don’t want getting wet, put it in the box outside. We’ll be injecting special nutrient fluid inside to minimize the strain on your brain.”

“Got it.”

I guess I’ll leave my valuables, my Lexington Custom, and even strip off my suit.

No big deal—I’ve got armor-wear under the pants, so I shouldn’t look too ridiculous.

Once I was ready, I climbed into the open Ice Coffin, lay down on what felt like a water cushion, and plugged the cable into the port in my neck.

Alright—let’s see what happens, I thought, waiting.

The hatch above me began to close, lowering gradually... then in the blink of an eye, the inside filled up with that special fluid—wait, I’m drowning!?

“Oh, right. Forgot to mention—the fluid has to fill your lungs too. Just swallow it. You won’t suffocate; it’s made so you can breathe in it.”

Even through the sealed hatch, Little Boss’s voice came through crystal clear.

Still panicking a little, I stopped holding my breath and let it happen.

Sure enough, the air inside me was replaced by the fluid. It flooded in.

...Holy shit. I can breathe. How the hell does this even work?

“Fufufu, amazing, right? At first I thought an ice bath might do, but it lacked charm and, honestly, didn’t work that well. So I whipped up this fluid instead. Think of it as artificial amniotic fluid. It absorbs any heat over a set threshold. With the right power supply, you could stay in suspended animation pretty much forever. Wild, huh?”

...Isn’t this like a revolutionary scientific breakthrough!?

Even Johnny, watching the Ice Coffin from outside with interest, seemed genuinely impressed.

...Ah, right. In his case, it’s not like he studied this stuff himself—he probably picked it all up from pillow talk with some science-type chick he banged. But he seems to have retained a decent grasp of it.

“Now then. V is about to go through something like a deep net dive. You’ll be using the memory remnants of Johnny Silverhand stored in the 《Relic》 to search for the name Alt Cunningham and pull the most recent result. It’s basically a playback. ...We’ll skip a few parts for Johnny’s privacy, though.”

I was about to ask what exactly I needed to do—when a wave of drowsiness overtook me.

When I opened my eyes with a start, I was already somewhere else entirely.

The world around me, made up entirely of 0s and 1s, shimmered with blue particles—a vibrant, living space, like a digital arboretum. Everything pulsed like a single, breathing organism.

It was a sight so breathtakingly beautiful, it brought tears to my eyes.

And standing there—unfiltered, not crackling with noise—was Johnny, looking like he was actually right in front of me in the flesh.

『Accessing memory stored in the 《Relic》. ...No idea what kind of scenery’s waiting, but it should be something. You’re only seeing this thanks to the full backup stored in that device. Whether it’s heaven or hell—enjoy the tour.』

Little Boss’s voice rang out through the space, like an overhead speaker in a store.

Gradually, the abstract world around me reformed itself into that room from earlier... until only a single square room remained.

Johnny and I stood silently, unsure of what to do—so we waited.

Then, the wall in front of us began to expand, becoming a luxurious movie theater. At some point, we were already sitting in the center seats.

【Whoa, well, well... What theater is this? Doesn’t ring any bells...】

“The only theater in your memories is the Car Cinema, right?”

【Ah, yeah, that’s true. So this one’s from your memory?】

“No... I don’t recognize it either.”

As we both tilted our heads in confusion, the curtain lifted, the theater dimmed, and the projection began.

It looked like... a live performance? Firing guns was a bit excessive, but the crowd still seemed pumped.

【Ahhh... Yeah, I see where this is going. Right—this is when I hit the Arasaka Tower mainframe with Rogue. That was the last time I had contact with Alt.】

From the way Johnny seemed like he didn’t want to see or hear any of it, I could already guess it ended badly.

One second, a sudden romance backstage bloomed—and the next, it was over and he was changing clothes. Little Boss must’ve cut the feed there for his privacy.

Then, the scene shifted—Johnny stabbed in an alley by a Mantis Blade, meeting with some media guy, heading to Atlantis, joining up with a younger Rogue and the crew, and beginning the infiltration to rescue Alt.

...Fifty years ago, security was this lax? Technology’s moved fast. Or—no, maybe it’s because these guys kept pulling stunts like this that Arasaka Tower is the fortress it is today.

After the movie-like gunfight, they reached a room with Alt in the mainframe, still unconscious...

So that’s what it meant when he said they couldn’t save her. Must’ve been a bitter thing to live with.

『That should be enough intel on Alt Cunningham. I’ll send this to Blackwall right now. She’s going to be invited here, so you’d better tidy yourself up.』

Little Boss’s voice echoed again, and the screen suddenly split apart left and right—then in the blink of an eye, a red-black wall spread across our view.

Whispers and laughter drifted from the grotesque wall before us, and the blasphemous sight and aura it gave off brought a wave of nausea.

Sensing my reaction, Johnny stepped forward protectively, lessening the ghastly pressure emanating from the wall.

The countless hands that had been reaching out toward me dropped away, and the sickening sensation vanished.

『…So it really is like that. This reaction... the Searcher’s going full-on gaming colors with the massive memory-trace signals. No wonder the netrunners locked beyond the Blackwall back then are mocked as faulty AIs. Dilute a human in the sea of the Net, and this is what you get. A fitting image. …Abandoning the cyberpsycho research was the right call. What a dull ending.』

Little Boss’s voice echoed through the space, cold to the core, and a single letter fluttered toward the Blackwall.

This time, it wasn’t me that the creatures swarmed—but the letter. And just as they tried to inspect the message, a massive shadow, like that of a giant fish, rippled the Blackwall and smacked down the insolent ones who dared to peek.

Then, gliding out from the Blackwall, appeared something that resembled Alt—a mannequin-like figure with only vague human contours.

【Alt! It’s you, right?!】

【…To think we’d meet again. I never expected it. But Johnny Silverhand… you and I, we’re not the real thing. Don’t forget—we’re nothing but shadows of our true selves.】

【Screw that!! That’s what you say after fifty years!? You really are a genius at ruining the mood, huh!】

【…Heh. Well, if we’re both fakes, you could also say that makes us true in a way. This place is strange. It feels like something’s been filled—a sense of completeness.】

Seeing Johnny hugging the mannequin-sized figure of Alt and tearing up, I decided not to ruin the moment. I just gave them a warm look from where I stood.

Even Little Boss didn’t seem keen on interrupting their reunion after fifty long years, and remained a silent observer.

【Back then… I’m sorry. I couldn’t save you.】

【…Yes. That’s right. Had my senses been dulled, I might’ve brushed it off—but maybe it’s this space, it’s making me feel more than I thought I would. …I’m sorry for not calling out to you. At that time, I was trapped in the Net, still looking for a way back to my body. Once the cable was pulled, and I lost any means to return physically… I didn’t want you to worry. So I hid the truth.】

【Tell me. What did you hide from me?】

【…………When you came to rescue me, I couldn’t return to my body… because the cyberdeck I’d concealed got shot during your firefight.】

【No way… So you’re telling me I ruined your big comeback scenario with my own damn bullets…?】

【No, I take responsibility for that too. Johnny… I doubted your love. I thought, after the way we parted, there’s no way you’d come back for me. I misread the battlefield, worrying too much about your safety. So… I’m truly happy we got to meet again like this.】

【Alt…】

Johnny embraced the awkwardly smiling Alt with all his strength.

Tears couldn’t fall in cyberspace, but the emotion between them was undeniable.

Still… what even is this space?

There’s a warmth in my chest, like being held in a mother’s arms.

When I looked around to find Little Boss, I saw only a device-head with four eyes floating where the projector used to be.

Noticing my gaze, Little Boss gently floated toward me.

“What did Alt mean by this space? What exactly is it?”

『Hmm. What do you think "humanity" is? It's the will to live. You’re hungry, so you eat. After eating, you feel sleepy. When you wake up, you want to do something. That unconscious optimism—so basic that we don’t even think about it—this place is filled with that kind of drive. The kind of data that makes you want to do something. It’s BD tech, repurposed for medical use. To put it simply, it’s packed with the kind of data people call ‘energy’ or ‘spirit’.』

“You’re using BD tech too…?”

『Not strange, is it? BD tech is a techie's realm. You can map and classify human emotion data, even add color tags. In Delamain Medical Services, we’ve adapted BD tech for therapy and counseling. When it comes to emotional big data, we’re second to none. Though we do lack fear and anxiety—probably for the best.』

“Makes sense… Delamain Medical is a must-have clinic for the masses now. Must make data collection easy, huh? The patients come to you.”

『Exactly. We inform the patients in advance, and we even play promotional videos in the therapy rooms to boost placebo effects. We only use it to improve results—so who’s gonna complain?』

That’s exactly what I’d expect from Little Boss.

Unlike Biotechnica, who exploited such data for their shady research, Delamain Medical’s strength lies in its radical transparency.

They attach explanations to everything. If the patient doesn’t understand, they don’t even start the procedure. It's pure patient-first philosophy.

And above all, there's zero discrimination.

Whether you're rich or homeless, it doesn’t matter—no class, no race, no nation holds any meaning here.

When I first learned about this system, I trembled. No human could’ve created something like this.

But it works precisely because it’s Delamain—a machine without gender, race, profession, or even a physical body. A miracle of moral programming.

…And the one who most likely drafted this whole concept is none other than Little Boss, whose influence has already reached society at large.

Which explains why a foundation like 《Dragon Tail》 could even exist in the first place.