"Peter, I've been thinking about whether I should send Evelyn away."
"Send Evelyn away?"
"That's right. I don't think she should be bound to this city anymore. She may have been responsible for everything that happened, but she has already paid the price."
Judy's face remained calm, betraying no strong emotions.
"This doesn't sound like the Judy I know."
Peter smiled as he spoke, his tone lighthearted.
"Oh? And what do you mean by that?" Judy's tone rose slightly, as if challenging him.
Peter chuckled. "No, no, this is exactly how you are now—calm, composed. It's a good thing. There aren't many things left in this city worth holding onto, but your mentality is one of them."
The two continued their conversation as they made their way toward Victor's clinic. Half an hour later, they arrived.
Standing outside Misty's divination hut, Peter called out, "Misty, is Vi in the clinic?"
Judy followed closely behind, supporting Evelyn.
Misty looked up from her tarot cards and glanced at Evelyn, then back at Peter and Judy. "Victor is already waiting inside. Is she the patient you brought?"
Peter nodded. "Yeah. By the way, what's Jack been up to lately? I haven't heard from him in a while."
Misty sighed, shaking her head. "Don't even get me started. That idiot has been busy with some boxing championship. Two days ago, he went to the Kabuki district to challenge someone. But apparently, that guy insisted that Jack was actually him."
Peter raised an eyebrow. "What? What does that even mean?"
Misty shrugged. "Who knows? Luckily, Jack handled himself well and didn't get completely beaten down. Then, yesterday, he went to the valley district and fought some guy named Buck. But instead of just winning, he got fixated on some sniper rifle and ended up placing bets. He won, of course, but Buck tried to cheat him. In the end, Jack still managed to get his reward."
Peter laughed. "Classic Jack. And then?"
"Then," Misty continued, "he fought another guy named Caesar. He won again, but instead of keeping his prize money and car, he gave it all away. Said Caesar had a wife who was nine months pregnant and needed it more."
Peter couldn't help but chuckle. "That sounds exactly like him."
"And today, he went out to challenge someone from that animal gang in the Coronado countryside. A guy called Rhino. He should be wrapping up about now."
Judy, meanwhile, had helped Evelyn toward the back door of the divination hut. Peter followed her.
"All right, Misty, we'll talk later. I need to get Evelyn to Victor first."
Peter stepped forward and lifted Evelyn into his arms, carrying her down the stairs leading to the clinic. He pulled open the iron gate and saw Victor sitting inside, sipping his tea.
"You're here? And carrying a patient?" Victor asked, raising an eyebrow.
Peter nodded and gently placed Evelyn onto the operating chair. "Yeah, her behavioral chip was damaged by someone, and it's still inside her. She's lost her memory, and I don't know why."
He grabbed an unopened drink from Victor's desk and took a sip.
Victor set his cup down. "I've already prepared the replacement chip you asked for. Give me some time. I'll run a full-body scan and see if there are any other issues."
Judy looked uneasy. The last time they sought help from a so-called professional—Brother Finger—it hadn't ended well.
Victor noticed her concern. "Relax, Judy. You know me. I won't mess this up. When she walks out of here, she'll be in perfect condition."
Peter placed a reassuring hand on Judy's shoulder. "Lao Wei is one of us. We all come to him when we need cybernetic repairs or upgrades. You can trust him."
Judy hesitated for a moment before nodding. "All right, Victor. Please, just do your best. I'll pay whatever it takes."
Victor smirked. "Money's not the issue. I take pride in my work. Now go wait outside—I'll let you know when it's done."
With that, Peter and Judy left the clinic and returned to Misty's divination hut.
Just then, a familiar voice called out, "Oh? Peter? Haven't seen you in a while, hermanos."
Peter turned to see Jack standing by the doorway, grinning.
"Jack! You've been busy having the time of your life, huh?" Peter walked over and clapped him on the shoulder.
Jack laughed. "Hey, just a little hobby. I just won against Rhino out in Coronado. Tomorrow's the finals."
He suddenly remembered something and jogged over to his car—a vintage Delamain Turbo-R he had bought a few days ago for 30,000. He popped open the trunk and pulled out a sniper rifle.
"Here. Got this from Buck the other day. It's an Ice Storm model, KGB distributed. Only 300 of these were ever made. That bastard thought he could fight me after losing our match, but I crushed him."
Jack handed the sniper rifle to Peter without hesitation.
Peter inspected it briefly before nodding. "All right, I'll take it. Thanks, Jack."
Jack turned and noticed Judy standing by the back door. "Judy? You're here too?"
Judy barely acknowledged him, her mind fixated on Evelyn.
"She's here for Evelyn," Peter explained.
Jack nodded. "I get it. Relax, chica. If Victor can't fix her, then no one in Night City can."
Judy didn't respond. Her gaze remained locked on the clinic door, anxiously waiting for news.
Jack leaned in closer to Peter. "Hermanos, looks like you've still got a long way to go."
Peter rolled his eyes. "Come on, man, I'm just helping a friend." He gave Jack a light jab in the stomach.
An hour passed before Peter's holo buzzed with a message from Victor.
"It's done. The operation was a success. You can come down now."
Peter turned to Judy. "Victor says he's done. We can go see her now."
Judy's eyes widened. "Really?!"
Without waiting another second, she rushed to the clinic and pushed open the iron gate.
Standing inside was Evelyn. She looked healthier, steadier—able to stand on her own.
When she saw Judy, she hesitated before speaking. "Judy?"
Judy ran to her. "It's me! Do you remember who I am?"
She wrapped Evelyn in a tight embrace.
Peter, who had followed them inside, observed Evelyn's expression closely. He could tell—her memory was still missing.
"I recognize you, Judy," Evelyn said, her voice soft. "And I want to thank you for always taking care of me."
Judy froze. She pulled back slightly and looked at Victor with disbelief. "Victor… hasn't her memory recovered?"
Victor sighed. "Her behavioral chip was fried beyond repair. I replaced it, but memory functions don't always recover instantly. She may never regain everything."
Judy's expression fell, but Evelyn reached out and gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
"It's okay, Judy. I may not remember everything, but I know that you've been there for me. And that means something."
Judy's eyes filled with emotion, but she nodded. "Yeah… yeah, it does."
Peter stepped forward. "Then let's get out of here. Night City's not the safest place to be standing around."
Judy wiped at her eyes and nodded. "Yeah. Let's go home."
Evelyn took a deep breath, then smiled. "Home… yeah, let's go home."
And with that, the three of them left the clinic together, stepping into the neon-lit streets of Night City.
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