Chapter 46: Free Flight. The end.
Free Flight. The end.
Awakening was not the best. And this is coming from someone who has experience waking up after very rough fights. Although I'm not going to lie, I've had worse, and sometimes I've woken up unable to make a move. Now, my body aches really bad, and that's about it. Apparently I was very lucky not to be paralyzed, although I remember a very unpleasant cracking sound in my back.
My dry throat could only produce a wheeze instead of words. But even that was enough for the familiar face of one of the Demidov brothers, Johnson, to appear beside me.
"Skipper, welcome back." - he smiled with all his 32 teeth.
"Water." - I wheezed.
They gave me a glass with a drinking tube and let me drink at least half a pint. The water, like rain after a drought, gave me an incredible sense of relief that even the pain lessened.
"What happened after my hard landing?" - I asked, at the same time examining where I had awakened. The place looked like a ripperdock workshop, reasonably good and clean by Night City standards.
"After your hard landing a few moments later, Maine's minivan pulled up nearby. The driver who got out of the wrecked car was knocked out by a punch from Private. My brother and I had to stabilize you and Sasha immediately, then load you into the car and take you to the nearest ripperdoc with a decent reputation and skills. We realized that after a show like this, the last thing you want is to draw unnecessary attention, so instead of a normal hospital room at TT HQ we had to drive here." - He checked something on the screen hanging over my head, then pulled out a syringe and injected me with a mixture of a stimulant and a painkiller judging by the effect it had on me.
" Here, in three pairs of hands, we started fixing both of you. Sasha had suffered massive blood loss from a gunshot wound and microfractures in her bones. And you Skipper got out pretty lightly for someone who'd fallen on a car. A couple of broken bones, a cracked rib, and a bunch of bruises. We were more worried about your spine cause you landed on your back and pretty hard. But it's ok. With a couple of days of regenerative injections, you should be fine. Although it would be better if we do a normal rehabilitation. All in all, you and Sasha were really lucky." - Yes, we were unrealistically lucky. But now I need to find out what happened and I'd better do it as soon as possible before more shit hits the fan.
"Has Sasha come to her senses?" - I asked while trying to get into a sitting position, except that my battered body responded to me with a pain cascade. Ah, apparently they had to put the Pain Editor into sleep mode or turn it off altogether after the not insignificant overload during the collision with the car.
"Yeah, except she's very weak. Would you like to see her?"
"Sure, I think after that Icarus-style crash-flight, I deserve some answers. So put me in the wheelchair or carry me on your back, since my legs aren't holding me at all."
Nodding in response, Johnson-Demidov left the room to return in a few minutes with a wheelchair for me. Carrying my battered body, which even to such a simple movement responded in pain and continued to do so as the wheelchair bounced over any unevenness on the floor. Already in the small hallway I could hear Main's loud voice scolding Sasha.
"What the hell Sasha! Now everyone is going to come after your head! From Biotechnica's corpos to professional bounty hunters!" - yep, apparently Maine has realized what will happen with Sasha and lets his stress our with shouts.
"Quiet!" - With a loud yell I silenced him. Shouting won't do anything. Right now shouts and screams are useless what is more important is that we have to think about what to do now. But first I need to find what happened why she did what she did, and then I need to start thinking about how to get out of this pile of crap we're all in.
"'Maine, before you start another round of shouting, I need to know what happened in the office. And I want to hear it from you, Sasha." - I looked at Sasha, who was feeling depressed and couldn't even muster the courage to look me right in my eyes. Yes, she was very sorry, but that wasn't going to help right now.
"Okay, now you're going to tell me everything. No secrets or lies. I want to know everything." - I looked at her crying face and my heart squeezed at the fact that I was being ruthless with my friend, but I couldn't show weakness. Not now, when so much was at stake including even her life.
"My...mother was sick. She was slowly fading away, and no amount of treatment or medicine was helping her."- she told me about het past while tears kept coming out of her eyes. How she lost her mother, about surviving by herself in a ruthless concrete jungle and her solo career. And today, while stealing data, she found a folder that said the side effects of Securicine were far more dangerous than anticipated.
The drug did more harm than good; yes, it was a good painkiller, but at the same time it practically burned away the nervous system. Yes, the patient felt no pain, but at the same time he soon stopped feeling anything at all. Information about this side effect was decided to be hidden from the public, for it was too late to withdraw. The sales contracts were already in place, and the board of directors were rubbing their hands together in anticipation of the stock price increase and benefits. So the company, simply by bribing right people continued to sell Securicine, and the deaths of patients were written off as due to the disease, not the treatment.
Upon learning of this, Sasha wanted to get her revenge. But lack of time prevented her from downloading the information and getting out. The choice was between revenge and life. Remembering her slowly fading mother and the fact that all that was left of her was an urn with ashes, Sasha decided to take path of vengeance. She cut off communication with us so as to keep us out of it. Then started sending data and simultaneously preparing for her last stand. But we showed up and ruined everything.
No, that last one wasn't her words, it was mine. Eh, I completely forget that I'm dealing with a child, that had to grow up early, but is still a child. The professional part of me scolded her for being so stupid. Too many miscalculations and errors. You can't let your emotions take control of you. But the human part of me, especially the part that remembered my own desire for revenge after being sold like cattle by my grandfather, made me understand Sasha and the pain she carried within her. Poor girl, how much grief and pain was hidden under your sweet smile. Toward the end of her story, despite the pain, I got up from my chair and hugged her.
"Shh, dear. It's going to be okay." - I kept whispering to her in Russian and stroking her head. Gradually she calmed down and was finally able to look straight into my eyes. She must have expected judgment and anger from me when I came here. But in my eyes there was only understanding and forgiveness.
"Sasha. You may have acted foolishly and recklessly, but I understand you. There is no need to be afraid of me. After all, I am your friend." - I said simple, but so precious to her. Hopelessness, fear, and grief began to leave her face.
"Don't be discouraged. We will find a way out of this situation. Do you believe me?" - she responded with a nod and a glimmer of hope in her eyes. That's good.
"'Maine, there's only one way to save Sasha. She needs to get out of Night City and States, as soon as possible. Biotechnica has too much power here."
"Where to send her, then? To USSR?"
"Not an option either. Biotechnica is good friends with all the fuel companies. And SovOil is practically the owner of the USSR. They'll find her there sooner or later, and then hand her over to Biotechnica."
"Hmm, Latin America or Africa?"
"Too dangerous. Besides, those places have a reputation as havens for runaways from the Corps. That's where they'll be looking for her in the first place. To me the only options are Northern Europe and Scandinavia. Those guys have always been so to speak very self-sufficient and stayed on their own. And it's not easy to slip across their border and get citizenship."
"It's going to take a lot of money. And Sasha's not the daughter of an oligarch to buy a golden ticket like that."
"Hmm. You know, I have an interesting idea." - I started to call Jorg.
" Oh, it's you Marcus. How can I help you, especially now, at 5:00 in the fucking morning?!" - Jorg must have had a very pleasant dream in which he was swimming in a lake full of money because he's so angry. Although with his profession he should be used to urgent calls by now.
"Congratulations. You have a daughter!" - With a smile on my face, I cheered him on.
"WHAT? !!!!" - The response was a loud shout from the Jorg who just became a dad.
Laughing at his shocked face, I told him everything about what had happened. And then I told him about my plan to evacuate Sasha to his homeland Scandinavia, specifically Norway. Why did I call him? Because Jorg is actually a Norwegian with the surname Vibeke, not Webster. He changed his last name to something more consonant with the American people for a job, or to get away from money lenders. Joking. I learned about his real name after the incident with brainwashing, but out of habit I called him Jorg Webster or simply Jorg. Although I honestly never called him by his last name. Okay, back to the question of parentage. After much negotiation, I was able to squeeze this greedy cheapskate into helping Sasha escape from Night City to Norway.
Jorg was aware that such a request required an adequate payment. And it wasn't with money. Too low. So now I must do him a favor. A very big and important favor. I had to grit my teeth and agree. He would take care of all the moving and citizenship issues. Towards the end he said that it would take a couple of days, and in the meantime we would need to hide Sasha somewhere.
Sighing that the problem is solved and all we have to do is wait, I made everyone around me happy especially Sasha. But, unfortunately, it was Monday morning and I with my team of Penguins had to go to work. I had to leave Sasha and Maine alone, but with Maine's skills and connections I think they will be okay.
Apparently fate decided to give me a break. For the couple of days I had to work with my team, there was nothing serious, and I was able to recover normally. And now I'm standing at Night City Airport saying goodbye to Sasha.
"I hope this isn't the last time I see you Sasha."
"Me too Marcus. Thank you for everything. Someday I'll pay you back for all the good you've done for me."
I only shook my head in response.
"No Sasha, don't. Just live a happy life. That's all I ask." - I hugged her as goodbye and left the airport. I don't like long goodbyes.
I stopped a cab near the airport and lit a cigarette. Here the plane with the former Sasha Yakovleva, and now Sandra Webke, was taking off.
I waved at the departing plane. Goodbye Sasha. I hope you'll be okay, and we'll meet again someday.
Despite the sadness of farewell, my heart was filled with joy and relief. I had saved a good person and my friend. Someday again Sasha. Someday again we will meet...
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Abi_Daulen
Abi_Daulen Hey guys. The final chap of this small arc. I am also thinking about leaving pat and going for a more suitable website without the need of charging people for nothing. Will let you know later on.
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