Cyberpunk: I'm Not Cheating Chapter 42: The Middleman

"Hell, mano. How long has it been and we're already going to the Afterlife?"

Jackie's voice was carrying.

"This is incredible, Vito. We walk into the Afterlife this fast. Sit at the sa table as the legends. Hell, just thinking about it."

Vito didn't say anything to take the edge off Jackie's excitent. He felt it himself, sothing genuine and clean. Bringing Jackie from a fresh rc to the Afterlife, watching it happen. It made him happy in a way that didn't need explaining.

"Rogue's people got word to us. She has a job. We go to the Afterlife today and talk."

Vito handed Jackie a beer.

"Rogue? The queen of the Afterlife? She is the living legend of Night City. What are we waiting for? Let's go."

Jackie poured the beer back in one pull and was already reaching for Vito's arm.

"Hold on. Jackie. The Afterlife is a bar. Are they even open in the middle of the day?"

Vito would have preferred to take his ti. Jackie wasn't interested in taking ti.

"The Afterlife is a place for business. The bar is the side hustle. And you have a fight tonight. Let's go."

Vito gave up and called the Magician's autopilot. The car pulled around.

"Fine. Get in. Legend."

On the way, Jackie talked without stopping. The history of the Afterlife. Every legend who'd passed through those doors. Vito made the occasional remark to keep things moving.

When the car finally pulled up outside, Vito quietly exhaled. Another half hour and Jackie would have been ranking the legends in tier order.

The Afterlife was in the basent. Used to be a morgue. They went down the stairs and found the entrance, where a large bouncer was holding the door and two NCPD officers were standing outside complaining. Their suspect had just walked into the Afterlife, and the bouncer wasn't letting them follow.

This was part of what had Jackie so animated. The Afterlife was not sowhere just anyone could walk into. And being invited by Rogue to co and do business was sothing else entirely.

Bouncer Erick Bronson stepped in front of them.

"What's your business?"

Jackie started to answer. Vito's left hand ca up naturally and stopped him.

"I'm Vito. He's Jackie."

The bouncer made a brain call. A few seconds passed.

"The Afterlife welcos you both. Go on in."

They walked through. Jackie kept his voice down.

"Smooth, Vito. Real big energy."

At the bar, Jackie looked around with unconcealed excitent.

"Look at these chairs. Morgan Blackhand. Old Snake Weyland. They definitely sat right here. These are all legends."

Vito wasn't looking at the chairs. He was looking to the right of the entrance at the pool table area. A squad was in trouble over there.

They had the look of people who'd co off a job badly. One of them was laid out on the pool table, hurt seriously. Soone who seed to be the squad leader was on a call trying to get a doctor in. The rest were pressing down on the injured mber's wound.

"What? You can't co? What do you an you can't co? You want to co down and smash your clinic?"

"Whether you want to co or not, you're coming. Got it? Hell. Hung up. We're on our own. How's Tiger doing?"

The call was dead. The squad leader asked his crew urgently.

"Tiger can't stop bleeding. Bullet's still in him. Ryan, what about the doctor? He's not going to make it."

Ryan was losing options fast. The doctor had heard he'd need to co to the Afterlife with NCPD at the door, and imdiately found reasons he couldn't leave his clinic. Ryan had talked himself dry. The doctor hadn't moved a step.

Vito walked over.

"I'm a doctor. Bullet extraction. I'll handle it."

Ryan looked at him with visible doubt.

"You? You sure about this?"

Vito didn't waste words.

"Either I treat him and he dies. Or I treat him and he lives. Or he stays right there, bleeds out on the pool table, and nobody gets to play pool."

Ryan hesitated for a few seconds. Then he let Vito in.

Vito pulled out a sharp knife and sent Ryan to the bar for a bottle of high-proof liquor.

"This knife went into soone's brain a few days ago. I gave it a quick wipe at the ti. Should probably disinfect it properly."

Ryan's confidence in the entire situation dropped further. The man in front of him looked like a killer. Not a doctor.

Ryan ca back with the liquor. Vito ran a basic sterilization, then cleanly extracted the bullet. He used what was in the bar's first aid kit for a simple suture. Then he asked Jackie to pass him the pneumatic injector and gave the patient a shot.

"Wait. You carry pneumatic injectors with you?"

Ryan asked. Watching Vito work, he was starting to believe the man might actually know what he was doing.

"Of course. I'm a doctor. Having my crew mber carry a pneumatic injector is pretty standard. Don't forget to pay for the injector. Your squad mber won't last more than two days without seeing another doctor. He'll need a blood transfusion to fully recover. My clinic is in Heywood. Gunfire Children's. We also sell modified guns. Co by."

"Right. Thank you."

Vito and Jackie went back to the bar and sat down. The Afterlife bartender ca over.

"Hey. I'm Claire. What are you drinking?"

"Aged tequila, so beer, and chili!"

Jackie ordered.

"Ah. Soone did their research. One Johnny Silverhand. And you?"

"Four Hundred Rabbit on ice."

Two drinks appeared.

"Say sothing, Vito."

Jackie offered.

"To Jackie Welles. Step two of becoming a legend."

Clink.

Both glasses went down.

"Good technique back there. You're a cyberware doctor?"

Claire asked.

"I have a cyberware clinic. Today was my first ti actually treating soone."

Vito answered.

"So you're the warm-hearted type. You like helping people?"

Claire was finding him interesting.

"No. I just didn't want to co out of a business eting and find soone dead in the corner. Today is my friend's big day."

"How entertaining. Are you two interested in leaving your drink recipes on the wall?"

Vito gestured for Jackie to go first.

" first. I'm Jackie Welles. My recipe: vodka, ice, li juice, ginger beer, and the most important part a little love."

Jackie gave his recipe.

"Got it. May you beco a Night City legend. And you?"

Claire noted it down and looked at Vito.

"I'm Vito. My recipe doesn't go down easy. I'll spare the custors."

"Co on, mano! Your recipe is great! For real!"

"Once we're legends. Jackie. We have business today."

Vito stepped off the stool and led Jackie to a booth to wait.

A few minutes later, Rogue ca to their table.

"From what I understand, you're Vito. And this is Jackie Welles."

Vito gave a slight nod.

"Your intel is right."

"Good. Then let's talk business. I have a commission. I'm not sure you two have the ability to take it on."