Date: June 15, 2088
Time: 2:31 PM
Location: Badlands, NewUSA; Region: Unknown
Temperature: 50°C
<<<<>>>>
On a sun lounger-shaped rock, with a parasol planted next to it, a man lay with his legs crossed, watching the clouds drift across the sky. In fact, there was only one cloud, a strange formation that looked like a hamburger or perhaps some sort of mutant mushroom. But honestly, he didn't care and didn't really want to know.
"Yo, do you think life is about going all out and enjoying every moment until you die young, or doing nothing concrete but living until you wear chrome dentures?" he asked with a hint of amusement, turning his head to the side.
Standing ten meters away was a literal monster of pure cybernetics, entirely black with a few red streaks. Standing 2.3 meters tall, he was looking not at the cloud or the desert landscape, but at the distant moon, as if communicating with it.
The cloud drifted further, occasionally changing shape.
"So, I see life as an apple or a girl; you either take a big bite and enjoy it to the fullest, or you let it rot under the tree…" the man began.
"That's why you're 100 years old this year," the cyborg interrupted.
No words came out for an entire minute from the man, who seemed to be about 50 years old, with long, messy white hair and brown eyes. Lying down in clothes stained with frying oil and torn jeans, the only positive aspect of his outfit was his pure white cape, without a single wrinkle or stain, resembling a cloud on a summer day. On the back of the cape was a symbol of a finger pointing skyward in red and black, a reference to his former group. He might have appeared normal and defenseless, but he carried several hundred billion ED worth of cybernetic equipment on him. How could a homeless man afford so much?
"Hahaha…" the man began to laugh awkwardly.
"Johnny Silverhand," the cyborg's deep voice resonated, vibrating the small insects hiding under the ground over a radius of several tens of meters and on the rocky walls of the canyon where they were, interrupting Johnny's awkward laugh. But the cyborg continued with the same impassive tone.
"Leader of the Finger of Liberties republic; planetary terrorist; mass murderer; author of nuclear warhead attacks; data theft; violence, murders, and kidnappings against 59 CEOs of different corporations; assassination of 12 presidents and mayors of different countries… Bounty: 145,945,345,543 €$."
"OI OI OI! Shhhh! Don't say it out loud!" Johnny exclaimed, feigning panic as he placed a finger on his lips, then looked around to make sure there was no one nearby or cameras. Only a few large rocks and mountains were a few kilometers away. "THEY will hear you, Adam! Don't disclose those super-duper secret informations," he said, making a pout that didn't quite fit his appearance.
"…idiot," murmured Adam Smasher, supreme general of the Cyber Empire, led by an AI that had managed to break free from the Black Wall called MOTHER, located on the moon. At a height of 2.3 meters and a weight of 5.8 tons, he was one of the five…
DEMI-GODS.
A class reserved for those who have surpassed current humanity. Their power is such that neither leaders nor corporations want to be in their sights for any reason. Their power varies according to their specifications, but they all have one thing in common…
THEY HOLD THE POWER OF A NATION IN THEIR HANDS.
Speeds reaching Mach 7, minimal resistance to one or two hydrogen bombs, load capacities of up to 2000 tons… They are the pinnacle of what humanity can technologically create in the 21st century. And two of these giants were side by side in the middle of nowhere, in a desert area where the nearest human life was 800 kilometers away.
The wind blew gently, lifting a few grains of sand that swirled in the hot air. The desert silence was broken only by the rustling wind and the echo of the lizard running a few meters away, which they both heard thanks to their implants.
Johnny Silverhand, still lying on his rock, continued to stare at the sky, now at his cloud that had taken the shape of… a middle finger? Okay. Now he's angry but he's not going to yell, no! He turned 100 a few months ago, he was even considered a Messiah on Mars! He will even show maturity in front of the big guy, yes he promises himself!
BOOOMM
fffffhhhhhh
Adam Smasher, on his side, glanced at the idiot who still had his smoking finger in the air after firing a small missile the size of a toothpick that could pierce 50 cm of pure titanium armor on a mere mass of carbonated H2O…
To think that in their youth they were rivals… "sight" a sigh and all he could reply.
Remained impassive at this display, his cybernetic sensors scanning the environment, analyzing every detail. Although he showed no emotion, both men knew they were on the brink of an event that would change the course of humanity entirely—
"Tell me, Adam," Johnny began after a long moment of silence, "do you really think that after this war or fight or whatever, a new era of cybernetics will bring something good to humanity? A new religion? Space exploration that hasn't resumed in 10 years?"
Adam slowly turned his head towards Johnny, his glowing red eyes narrowing and zooming out to adjust as he looked at one of the old legends of Night City. "Humanity," he replied in a metallic voice, "is just a step in evolution. Cybernetics is our next leap. Those who embrace this change will survive. The others… will disappear. Embrace your cyber side and connect to MOTHER and the path to follow…"
Johnny smiled upon hearing these words, a mocking face and an arrogant smile. "BLA BLA BLA… You talk like a doomsday prophet, Adam. But what is survival worth without humanity? Without emotions, experiences, mistakes? Feeling, touching, tasting, discovering, that's living! That's freedom!"
"Alt, Rogue, Kerry, your son…"
"DON'T TALK ABOUT MY SON!" Johnny shouted, quickly losing his expressions to show a face devoid of emotion.
Adam didn't immediately respond. He simply stared at Johnny, analyzing every micro-expression on his old friend's face. "Emotions," he finally said, "are a weakness. They are chains. A fact humanity has never been able to resolve. Maybe we, cyborgs, will find the answer. I am 95% cyberware. I have 5% humanity left and I hope that after today I find a solution to remedy the last part."
Johnny burst out laughing, a genuine and full-of-life laugh. "Maybe, old man. Maybe. But in the meantime, I still prefer to feel what it's like to be human, even if it means making mistakes."
The two men remained there, lost in their thoughts, while the sun shone even more brightly even though it was no longer at its zenith. Yet neither Johnny nor Adam moved. They had lived through so much together, seen the world change in unimaginable ways, and yet, something immutable still united them.
"Say, Johnny," Adam resumed after a long silence, "if you could start over, would you do everything the same way?"
Johnny turned his head towards Adam, a nostalgic smile on his lips. "If I had to start over, Adam… I think I would. I lived my life to the fullest, made monumental mistakes…"
"Like messing up my mission and fighting HIM."
"Like messing up your mission and fighting HIM, but I also experienced unforgettable moments. That's what being alive is."
Adam slowly nodded to him. "Maybe you're right. Maybe not but what's important isn't avoiding mistakes, but accepting them and learning from them." and resumed watching the Moon.
The desert wind blew, like an ancient melody sung by the earth itself. The two friends, one "human", the other cybernetic-
BOOOOMMM
"I swear on Ohaio, it wasn't me," Johnny said, eyes closed as he made himself more comfortable on his makeshift lounger.