I think my sense of time towards how long a wound takes to heal was a bit off. The next morning after once again not sleeping a full eight hours Jun dragged me back through the window and into the Dojo then downstairs into the surprise Ripper clinic.
The same ripper checked me over, gave me some meds including some drugs to acclimate to the new limbs, and told me that she wouldn't have to see me again unless something went wrong.
That was the good part.
"It should be another two or three days before everything feels normal, and probably another two weeks after that before you can start really using your arms for more than light work." She informed me as she air hypoed me with whatever drugs she wanted me to have.
"That's way too long! I'll be fine sooner than that!" I argued but Jun and the Ripper weren't having it.
"Normally a surgery like this wouldn't take that long to recover from, a few days at most, but you went through two surgeries back to back. Trust me Motoko. You need to take it very easy for a while. Let your shoulders heal unless you want to deal with permanent damage. You are lucky that the Tyger Claws decided to allow you the use of some of our Speed Heal. If not for Jun's contribution to the Tyger Claws it would not have been offered considering how low our stock is." The ripper informed me as she checked over a medical monitor.
"Wait. Is that expensive or something? I can pay for it... Actually I should pay for all of this. How much? I have a chunk of eddies already, and I can go get more." My mind instantly turned to how much loot I would be collecting from the dead Maelstrom I would soon be mowing through.
"Don't worry about it Imouto. It's all taken care of." Jun stated simply trying to end the conversation but I just ignored him and kept looking at the ripper.
"Hard to say, I'm not running a normal clinic here. I'm only here to work with the Kamikaze. But Speed Heal is currently almost impossible to find on the streets. You can guess why. Plus those arms of yours might have come from something your brother collected, but they still belonged to the Claws." She looked at me for a moment. "It was an expensive procedure."
"Fill out a statement of how much when you get a chance. I'll take care of it." I told her with a shrug. She was already basically wiping her hands of dealing with me, so I was more than happy to pay eddies not to have Tyger Claw feeling like I owed them hanging over my head.
"You will not! It has already been taken care of Motoko. You don't need to worry about anything." Jun butts in, trying to cut me off. Jun was doing the overprotective big brother thing so that was nice.
But I was a bratty kid sister.
"So just make sure you get that to me soon." I told her, completely ignoring Jun, before slipping off the chair. She was done looking me over, and frankly.
I had things I wanted to do, and people I wanted to see.
"Hey Jun. You said you were gonna go to the apartment to pick stuff up right? So can I come with?" I decided to change the subject as Jun was glaring at me with his cold emotionless eyes.
It quickly warmed up as I changed the subject. He hesitated a moment before sighing a bit at my puppy dog eyes. "Fine. We will be going incognito anyways. C'mon. I borrowed a car."
"Probably a good idea. I can't exactly drive my car like this." I agreed, and the reminder seemed to make Jun twitch a bit.
"Right. A car. How exactly did you afford a car?"
"It's a long story. I was on a job for Wakako."
"I still don't know how you pulled that off. Wakako isn't exactly our biggest fan."
"She was nice enough. I mean, old lady rude, but I could deal. She even said I was a valuable agent last time we talked!" I argued as Jun guided me out of the dojo, back through the apartment block this time I was led into an underground parking garage that was obviously blocked off for Tyger Claw use with a lowered gate. I was settled into an unmarked heavily tinted Arche Hella. And Jun started the engine and we were out in the city.
To my surprise Jun actually drove like a normal person.
"Have to pretend we are unimportant. I don't want any Maelstrom to track us." He mentioned, after noticing my surprised look.
"So that's what it takes to get you to drive safely. Interesting." I teased him, earning a scowl as he continued down the road.
"Before we stop at home, there is a place I need to go." I told him now that we were already on the road and it would be harder to refuse. "Need to go to Little China." I told him earning a very unimpressed look from Jun.
"We aren't going on a side trip. What do you even need in Little China?"
My eyes went gold as I sent him a text for the location. "My ripper. Vik is one of the best in Night City, and I mean that honestly. He's a legend for those in the know." I told him as he looked at me like I was...
Well his amnesiac kid sister making grand proclamations.
"Listen. Just... Please. I know you have your Ripper doc that you brought me too, but I don't... I would feel a lot more comfortable with a checkup from Vik... Please Jun?" I begged.
He was definitely glaring, and I could see his chromed hands gripping the steering wheel tightly.
"Fine. But first you have to tell me why you even went to a ripper, or how you know this guy."
"Oh. You didn't notice? My eyes Jun. I got a set of Kiroshi's Vik managed to find them for me."
"Ow." I muttered as I barely stopped myself from bonking my head on the dash. Really glad I had my seatbelt on.
Jun had hit the breaks. Hard.
"What?! When? How!? Kiroshi aren't cheap! I don't even have a set of Kiroshi!"
"All of which is basically the same answer Jun. I told you. I've been doing gigs for Wakako... And some side biz. It's your fault you know! I wanted to tell you all about the adventures I've been having but you wouldn't even answer your phone!"
"I couldn't I was on the job! You can be tracked through calls by a skilled Netrunner. I was trying to protect you!" His voice rose up into a shout at the end. "Now I find out you were doing jobs for Wakako! That you met some creepy back alley ripper!? That you chipped new chrome and I didn't even know!?" He was roaring, his fist rocked out and smashed into the dash electronics and buttons pinged around for a moment.
I wasn't really surprised. I mean it wasn't the first time that Jun had expressed his anger by punching something.
We really should work on that, it was a bad way to release stress. But it was what he said that made me sad, or maybe what he was saying.
"I was safe. Hiromi was with me when Vik chipped me. She was super sus too. But Vik's good people. Like an honestly good person. So I was fine. And yeah Wakako is surprisingly nice to me. I mean she is really to the point, we don't chit chat... And she may have sent me on some really boring gofer missions. I should tell you about the wedding ring fiasco... Anyway. I'm okay Jun. Honest. And I'll be okay moving forward. What happened yesterday wasn't your fault."
He slowly pulled his fist out of the dash. His fist clenching and unclenching.
I realized then.
Jun for all of his attempts to be cool was struggling with all his new chrome just like I was.
I reached out without a word. Even if it was still floppy I put my hand in his clenching fist.
I held his hand the rest of the way. Slowly feeling the tension in his fingers die down.
Which was super weird by the way because I was still getting a really bad phantom limb sensation, so I barely even felt like we were holding hands at times.
But I kept cool. I was trying to comfort my stupid brother after all.
Finally after a few minutes of driving through Night City traffic Jun spoke. "I'm sorry I wasn't there, Motoko. I'll... I'll be there from now on. I promise."
"Don't worry. And just give me some space, showing up to a gig with my big brother peering over my shoulder would be embarrassing. Almost as embarrassing as the time I had to take the bus to a job and the people I was trying to collect from literally watched me get off the bus... I thought I was gonna die."
"Pfft." A noise escaped Jun and I pouted at him as his little burst of amusement turned into a chuckle as he processed what I had just told him. "They really saw you get off the bus?"
"Yep. They were at the gas station right there. I had to do a long walk over to them too."
"Hahaha!" Jun's laughter was nice. It had been a while since I heard him laugh as he took endless joy at my suffering.
"At least you've been safe... Until yesterday."
"Yeah I only got shot like once." Well more than that, but I had successfully covered up the bullet wounds every other time! Because I was a genius and master of disguise!
That was about when Jun once again slammed on the brakes.
"YOU WHAT!?"
The big brother taking pleasure in siblings torture look.
"I am fine." He said turning to Vik. "But I might seek out a checkup at some point. Your skill was... Impressive."
"Sooner is better than later son. Really. The one thing you don't want is to leave a problem to fester. With Cyberware that never, and I mean never, ends well." Vik repeated himself before smiling at my plight.
He was in on it! Traitor!
"I am curious though. I... I have been absent from Motoko's life... But how did she meet you? It must be a recent relationship." Jun asked now that I could say anything.
"Oh, it was an interesting day alright. She-"
"Mgh fnto!" I tried to tell Vik to shut his mouth because Jun was gonna freak out! I would have been cutting a hand across my throat as well if I could move my arms.
Unfortunately I could not. And Vik had no mercy.
"-Came in with boxes of Cyberware. Tons of stuff. She offered it to me so I could do something good with it."
"Boxes of Cyberware?" Jun asked blinking. "Where did she get that much Cyberware? Where did you get that much Cyberware?" He asked head tilting down towards me.
My attempts to keep Vik from speaking failed.
"Scav raid from what she said... You didn't know?"
"SCAV!? MOTOKO! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?" Jun roared his flamey eyes really making him look like a demon as he glared down at me.
Ah. Is that why they called him the Oni? I guess that answers that question!
—--
The drive from Vik's was very quiet. Jun had not taken the story about the Scav raid well.
And I mean really not well.
He had exploded at first. Stalking back and forth as I explained what I had done. Then he had gone quiet. Eventually just ordered me to the car when he was done. Vik had been a little apologetic, but I just gave him a smile telling him it was no big.
Jun got angry, and was overprotective. Nothing to be upset about. It would have come out eventually.
"Exactly what jobs did you do for Wakako? The one you got shot. What happened?" He finally said as we were half way to home.
To the apartment to pick up stuff I would need for a while.
So I started telling him about the job. About Scorpion, the gig. That I had brought an HMG with me. Which had earned me a startled look from Jun and me yelling at him to watch the road as we almost crashed.
I told him how the gig had gone, the chase, firing the HMG out the side of the car.
The car crash. That I had been shot trying to rescue Scorpion.
How I hadn't let the gig end there. That I had chased after him through the desert. Finding the Raffens' location.
How I had gone in and murdered each and every one of them. Unlike with Hiromi, unlike with everyone, I went into the whole thing. Every detail I explained the best I could.
The kills, and how I had done it.
By the end of my story we were at the apartment Jun pulled into the parking garage and stopped because my car was in his spot.
"Do you like it? My Quadra?" I asked a little nervously, he hadn't said anything since I had finished my story.
He pulled into the spot next to it, and stepped out without a word.
Which was annoying because getting the door was awkward. Eventually I got it, and slipped out Jun was just standing there looking into the darkness of the garage.
"Jun?"
"I didn't want you to put yourself at risk Motoko." He said quietly, practically whispering to the quiet stillness of the underground garage. "You were supposed to be home safe. Taken care of. Little gigs with your friends that weren't supposed to be dangerous. You weren't supposed to have to kill. I messed that up before I even left, but this is... It's not right."
He turned towards me. "Why, why can't you just be safe? Why are you throwing yourself into this life? I don't want this for you! Not you! Not my little Motoko who always rushes into things! That wanted to be a Tyger Claw more than I ever did... Who shouldn't have ever been caught by Scavs, and shouldn't have ever had to stain her hands!"
He was ranting... And not quite but almost crying. Damn. I hadn't wanted to shock Jun this much! I already expected he was in a sensitive state.
Okay Motoko. Time to calm Jun down.
Before he could say anything else I pushed into his space and forced him to hug me. My arms were still floppy, but I could move them enough for him to get the idea.
"You didn't fail Jun. You didn't mess up. You didn't do anything wrong. You saved me. Took care of me. You made me happy even when I was scared about everything around me. Not knowing anything I was really scared but you made that fear go away." I spoke loud enough to be heard despite pushing my face into his chest. His arms slowly wrapped around my shoulders.
His hands were shaking.
"You didn't fail. I was never going to be safe Jun. I was never going to stay at home and hide away. The best way to keep me safe was for me to learn how to fight. The only way to learn is to do." I told him as I felt his arms continue to shake.
"You aren't responsible for what happened. You didn't ask for it to happen, and you tried to prevent it. You can't blame yourself for other people's actions. You also can't protect me from the world. Not even if you were... Not even if our last name was Arasaka would I be safe. So I've been learning to make myself safe."
"You shouldn't have to! You should be safe!" He finally spoke, repeating himself blindly.
I shook my head making sure he could feel the motion.
"The only way I'll be safe Jun is to become able to protect myself. Which is exactly what I'm gonna do. I wasn't paying attention and let the Strom get the jump on me. That won't happen next time. I'll be prepared and if anyone ever tries to jump me again I'll make them regret ever trying. I'll make them die." I tell him confidently.
That burning sensation in my chest. That disgust and horror at what they had done to me was locked up tight.
But not gone. Never gone. That night had been an offense against me I would never forgive.
Scavs. Raffen. Maelstrom.
All of them were at the same level. Maelstrom I had tried to give the benefit of the doubt in some ways. Sure they did horrible things. I knew about their AI rituals. I knew that they tried to force chrome on people like the monk.
I knew they were scum, but I had mentally put them into another category from scum that needs to die. I had placed them above that, because I didn't hate their desire to gain more chrome. I mean. I liked the Mechanicus in some ways too. I can understand their motivation.
But my face had been firmly rubbed in the fact they were no better than the Scavs. So I would treat them that way. I would hunt them. Unlike Jun and his little band of borgs. I wasn't limited.
I was a Gamer. A superweapon the likes of which the world had never seen. I stepped away from Jun then. His hands had finally stopped shaking so much although he was still obviously lost in thoughts just like I had been.
Now if only my hands would stop clenching so hard. I was struggling to get them to relax. They were both clenched into fists.
"C'mon Jun let's go get some stuff okay?"
He blinked a bit as if remembering where he was before he nodded quietly. Juns protective arm over my shoulder was nice as we crossed the street.
The bloodstains were still there.
I did my best to ignore them. Maelstrom would pay for every drop of blood they took from me.