Chapter 11: Securicine (Part 2)

When you wake up, your body suddenly refuses to obey.

Hands, arms, legs, feet... none of them are yours.

What happens when consciousness and body separate?

You want to do something, but everything is completely chaotic.

Watching the body perform a comedy like a clown.

You want to get up, but end up jumping; you want to walk to the bathroom, but crash straight into the wall; brushing your teeth, the toothbrush stabs into your throat...

Strange, why doesn't it hurt?

Who am I?

Is the person in the mirror me?

Why can't I control my own body?

Is that me in the mirror? Or is it?

Relax, Phoenix, take it easy...

Everything will pass, wait, just wait slowly.

It will be fine soon, you just need to wait.

Everything will pass...

Will it?

It won't.

Maybe it will.

It will.

Numb, no sensation, lost the body.

Disbelieving, trying everything, trying to return to normal life.

Wanting to scream, wanting to run, the body shows no reaction.

How futile.

Watching the body walk into the normal world.

Yet one's own consciousness remains stuck in place.

Recalling the beauty of the past, hating everything in the present.

"Doctor Phoenix, good morning!"

Who is that?

Why are you smiling?

Are you laughing at me?

Is that a gun?

I think I can move?

The trigger, I can pull it.

I moved!

Hahahaha!

Ha...

"Damn it!" Xida disconnected the link, collapsed into the chair, breathing heavily, "That was too damn weird!"

"Catch your breath, little girl," the woman with blue-purple punk hair gently patted Xida's slender hand, "This Braindance, just extracted from a Cyberpsycho, is way too intense for you; I don't know what Regina Jones was thinking..."

"I asked for it..." Xida rubbed her brow, her voice weak, "I wanted to solve the case so badly, I had Regina ask you, Judy, to help..."

"Ha!" Judy Alvarez rubbed her shoulder and sighed lightly, "Thanks to the Biochip at the back of your head, otherwise even I couldn't guarantee you'd escape that madman's senses unharmed."

Yahweh had saved her again; Xida silently counted in her heart, cursing herself for being too reckless.

"What exactly happened? How did that black-market doctor named Phoenix suddenly go crazy?" Judy held Xida and placed her on a soft sofa nearby.

"Body and consciousness separated..." Xida lay on the sofa, the light above her head a bit dazzling, "His humanity was swallowed by despair, and in the end, he went mad..."

"But the reason for the separation of consciousness and body is still unclear, right?" Judy poured her a drink.

"I'll contact Regina Jones first," Xida took the drink and opened her communication interface with Regina.

"Hello? Miss Hitata Castedei, are you alright? Any new discoveries?"

"The Braindance experience report for the Cyberpsycho 'Phoenix,' I'm sending it to you right now." Xida paused, pondering any possible clues, "Have your people checked the items left at the scene?"

"The murder weapon was an Old-style Prelude Pistol, and a Katana was used to cut up the corpse," Regina muttered a low curse, "The blade is even chipped, damn it!"

"Anything else?"

"A stack of Euros, porn magazines, Black Braindance, several pieces of Surgical Cyberware, and many bottles of medicine."

"Ask her what medicine it is, Xida," Yahweh also sat on the sofa, giving the girl in his arms a sense of security with an embracing posture.

"Medicine? What medicine?"

"Painkiller Securicine, over-the-counter, produced by Biotechnica," Regina seemed to be flipping through data, speaking word by word, "It also has the FDA certified approval mark; there should be no issues with safety."

"My intuition tells me there's definitely something wrong with that medicine." Xida replied, feeling a bit better.

"I think so too, but unfortunately, we need evidence," Regina replied helplessly, "That's all for today, thank you for your help, Hitata Castedei. The money has been transferred. Also, listen more to the advice of Miss Judy Alvarez; she is Night City's best Braindance expert. Let her check you for any aftereffects..."

Rogue was right; Regina was indeed a warm-hearted person. Xida looked at the already disconnected call interface and rubbed her still slightly dizzy head.

"Lie down a bit longer, Xida," Judy had listened to the whole conversation, word for word, "I'll take you home in a bit."

"Thanks, Judy..." Xida lay in Yahweh's arms, the sound of his shallow breathing seeming to surround her ears, feeling extremely at ease.

"By the way, Judy, help me check on that painkiller, the one called Securicine."

"OK, OK, just rest well, you big busybody Miss Hitata Castedei." Judy agreed grumpily, then turned to start searching on her computer.

"It's time to redefine the very nature of pain... When we coexist with pain, we are not living as our true selves... Pain hinders our ability to think, to feel, and even to love..."

"Judy, what is this?"

"A promotional video from Biotechnica about their painkiller, Securicine; sounds quite convincing, doesn't it?" Judy held her computer and sat down beside Hitata Castedei.

"On News Channel 54?" Hitata glanced at the bottom left corner of the advertisement.

"What's wrong?"

"News Channel 54 is backed by Militech." Following Yahweh's whisper in her ear, Hitata frowned, pondering various possibilities.

"You mean Militech and Biotechnica are secretly colluding?" Judy clapped her hands, stood up from the Sofa, and began pacing back and forth. "This is big news... As expected, all the Corporos are cut from the same cloth!"

"Nice work, Hitata," Judy said, without asking Hitata where she had gotten the intelligence.

Working in Night City requires some real skill.

"Regina will be thrilled to hear this... But for now, I'm taking you home; we'll handle the rest tomorrow!"

"Okay, Judy..." Hitata wanted to refuse, but her head was still spinning; even standing steady was difficult, so she could only let Judy support her as they got into the car.

"Address?"

"Mega Building H4."

"Once this job is done, can we move?" Judy joked while starting the engine.

"I don't want to move just yet; there's a family there who showed me kindness, and I need to help them." Hitata sat in the back seat, pouting her lips. Yahweh sat close beside her, eyes tightly closed.

"Wow, good for you, little Hitata!" Judy nodded, deliberately slowing the car to let Hitata rest for a while.

Judy found Hitata Castedei somewhat unreadable; she gave off an aura as special as a princess from a storybook or an angel from religious legend.

Yet in Night City, special people usually meet bad ends.

Looking at Hitata, who had already fallen asleep in the rearview mirror, Judy whispered softly, "May God bless you, little girl."

Yahweh kept his eyes closed, a smile playing on the corners of his mouth.