[NORTH KABUKI – Kowalski’s Clinic]
Friday| 18 JUN 2077 | 00:11
[NCPD Threat Level: EXTREME]
Sitting in the exam room of the clinic, Will felt like a teenager again. Kowalski hadn’t said much of anything yet, which somehow made it worse. Instead of talking, Kowalski checked over the wounds, bruises, and ran diagnostics. After he was done, he directed Will to the shower to wash off the blood and dispose of his soiled clothing.
It felt good washing away all the filth from the night's work. The wound in his back ached when the warm water touched it, but other than that he was thankful for the chance to clean up. When Will was done he dressed in a bright green patient’s gown, then sat back on the exam bed. Kowalski placed a large adhesive bandage over the small lacerations on his back, along with some topical disinfectant medigel. Will dressed, putting on the spare clothing he had stashed in his locker, a distressed Rat Boy t-shirt and some old biker jeans, then met the ripperdoc in the break room.
Kowalski’s silence was deafening. Maybe it was his grandfatherly demeanor or the fact that he had literally and figuratively raised Will from the grave less than two weeks ago, but Will was actually worried that he’d disappointed the old Polack. Kowalski had taken a chance on him when most people in his life had already given up. So yeah, it mattered what he thought and right now the talk was hanging over Will’s head like a popped aerozep.
In reality, Kowalski didn’t make him wait all that long before beginning. He sounded worried, not disappointed, which somehow made Will feel guiltier. In his deep Polish accented voice, “Will, have I ever told you that I worked for Trauma Team International?”
He had not. Will hadn’t asked about Doc’s past since they’d met, and Kowalski hadn’t offered much until now. So he just shook his head.
“Nine years in France as Lead EMT in squads, then ten years 3 months and 27 days in Germany as Surgeon in hospital. I made fortune putting people back together,” he snorted, “if people could pay.”
“That’s elite work. Why did you leave?”
“To Trauma Team, people are just parts to be arranged in the exact order to achieve the maximum profit. I promised myself that if I ever start thinking this way, I leave. Eventually, I did. Went to Soviet Union to see how other half live. Not much different, turns out.”
“Crossed the ‘Iron Curtain’ to make a difference and it didn’t pan out? That must have been some let-down.”
“Oh it was. I escaped, fortune intact and came to Night City to start own clinic. I run it the way I think clinic should be run. Easy to start business in Night City compared to most of the rest of the world.”
Will wasn’t sure he knew where this was going, but he didn’t interrupt. Kowalski’s face was strained with grief and regret. It looked like he was reliving something that had left scars.
“When I left Trauma Team, they took back the chrome they gave me to do the work. Body was full of metal and wires. I had been identified as someone with body adept at accepting and running cyberware,” the words sounded bitter. “When I left I had to give everything back. So I traded my chrome for scars and what I thought was freedom.
I drifted for years before I finally understood my purpose. It took a while before I realized the only place I could fulfill that purpose was here in Night City.”
“You almost died in the basement of a scav organ harvesting clinic.”
“True, but I did not regret my attempt to do what was needed. If enough people pursued purpose over glory, some might succeed. That is what this world needs now.”
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“What are you getting at?”
“Ah, you're asking for the point. The point is that God used you to save my life, and used me to save yours. I need to know if you risked everything for glory or for purpose.”
Will understood now. Did he have a death wish or a mission that was bigger than him? From the outside it might look like either could be true.
“I don't want to die anymore. This wasn't a suicide attempt.”
Kowalski just closed his eyes and let out a long tired breath, before crossing himself and looking up towards the ceiling.
“Ch?opiec, it is good to hear this. Can you tell me what happened?”
Will looked down at the floor. He didn't want to think about it anymore, but Kowalski deserved to know. So he recounted the gig, his suspicions, the money and job that were too good to be true. Then, he told Kowalski about the hotel room, what he had found, the chair, the plastic tarp. He started to sob when he got to the girl in the tub.
“Her name was Ayaan,” he snorted as he wiped his nose with a napkin Kowalski handed to him silently. “Ayaan Elman. Just a kid.”
Kowalski's eyes glistened, but he stayed stoic throughout the rest of the story. He didn't flinch when Will mentioned the killings, just nodded gravely. Justice in Night City was a rare thing.
When Will was finished, he could feel the weight of his actions lifted from his shoulders a bit. The faces of the Butchers were no longer as fresh in his mind. Kowalski reached into the cabinet of the break room like he was going to pull out a bottle of whiskey. Instead, he pulled out a three ring binder, old-school tech, and put it on the table. Will looked at it curiously, “What’s that?”
“This is book that might let you live to see your next birthday,” he said and opened it up. It was an inventory of the Clinic’s cyberware. Everything from new limbs to internal organs designed to make human beings into chrome warriors. Will touched the neuroport on the back of his skull and grimaced.
“Money aside, I don't want to mutilate my body to become the next celebrity merc. I think that my Sandevistan is as far as I want to go. Also, I don't have that kind of money.”
Kowalski nodded and turned to a page in the back labeled bioware. Biotechnica along with some European companies Will had never heard of(Freya and Yggdrasill) dominated this section. He looked the list over. It was a long list: enhanced antibodies, muscle and bone lace, nano surgeons, skin weaves, myostatin inhibitors, respiratory tuning, just to name a few. He'd heard of some of these, but they were all way out of his price range.
“I don't even know what this stuff means, but it's way too expensive. I can't afford it.”
Kowalski didn't seem discouraged by the answer, “How much did you make tonight?”
Will hadn't looked. The promised amount was ten thousand eddies plus a bonus for returning the car in good condition. His mouth opened slightly when he checked his balance.
[NEUROPORT – FINANCIAL OVERLAY]
Account Holder: Will Scrap
Institution: Night Corp Credit Union
Balance as of 18 JUN 2077 01:19
€21,202.00
[DISMISS] [PAY BILLS] [REQUEST LOAN]
That was a big bonus. He looked over to Kowalski, “Apparently, twenty thousand eddies. Rich gonk must have been feeling generous tonight.”
“What about the duffel bag in the van?”
Will shrugged. He hadn't had a chance to check the cred chips and wallets he'd klept off the gang's corpses.
Kowalski was only gone for a minute before he dumped out the contents of the bag onto the table. Will started scanning.
Kowalski cleared his throat, “By my tally, three thousand four hundred from credchips, and four hundred and fifty-three eddies hard cash. The premium bioware package is close to two hundred thousand eddies.”
Will just stared at the page. It was completely out of the question. There was no way he could pay for it.
“Twenty k gigs aren't the norm for me, Doc.”
“Not yet, but in six to eight weeks you will be operating at different level. Listen, corpos sponsor cyberware implants all the time, rip them out when they're done with the employee. No one can take this away from you. It becomes your body.”
“So, you want to sponsor me?”
“I want to keep you alive, Will. The way you're going now, your luck is going to run out eventually.”
The feeling of appreciation was overwhelming. Kowalski was investing in Will because he thought he might do some good in Night City (if he could just not die on the job).
Kowalski looked different somehow, hopeful maybe. He put his hand on Will’s shoulder, “I want you to sleep on this. The procedure is not easy, first week is Hell. Takes while to integrate into your body, but when it does it's seamless. We'll talk more tomorrow.”
“No, that's okay.
I'll do it.”
Kowalski blinked.
“Just like that?”
“I trust you, doc. Where do I sign?”
