In Cyberpunk 2077, when a player's reputation climbs, the rewards are simple: access to better gear, higher-tier mods, rare components. The world reacts in small ways. Vendors bow deeper, fixers call faster.
But this—this was no game.
This was reality.
And in Night City's reality, fame didn't get you discounts or VIP clearance. It got you fear. It made people move.
When Neo stepped into Fingers' clinic, that fear spread faster than the scent of blood.
Just one look—one glance at the man sitting on the edge of his operating table, calm, collected, deadly—and the ripperdoc froze.
The scalpel dropped from his hand with a metallic clatter. His breath caught.
"Y-you're…" His voice cracked. "You're him."
The calm vanished from his face. He stumbled back, trembling so hard his surgical gloves squeaked.
It wasn't hard to understand why.
In Jig-Jig Street, everyone had heard what happened in Clouds. Word traveled fast in this city. The Woodman—the same man who ran the most profitable dollhouse in Kabuki—had his ear cut off. His ear. And then, the madman who did it walked out of Clouds like a ghost, leaving a trail of bodies and silence in his wake.
And that same man was now sitting in his operating room.
Neo crossed one leg over the other, the faint hum of the clinic's old neon light buzzing above him. "Evelyn Parker," he said. "You know her name. I came straight from Clouds."
"W-Woodman talked?" Fingers stammered.
"He talked," Neo said evenly. "And he's alive because he did. You can be, too. But if you send me in circles—" he smiled, "—I'll rearrange your head for you. Let's see if you can still operate after that."
Fingers swallowed. He could feel every beat of his heart hammering in his synthetic chest.
"Alright… alright," he muttered. "Not here. Come into my office. We can talk there."
Neo didn't move. "We'll talk right here."
The ripper forced a shaky smile. "O-of course. Here's fine. Yeah, fine."
He rubbed his palms on his stained coat, his voice trembling. "Evelyn Parker came here that night. Wanted a place to hide… said she needed fixing. I told her no."
"Why?" Judy's tone was sharp, her patience already worn thin.
"Because she was radioactive!" Fingers snapped before realizing to whom he was speaking. He lowered his voice immediately. "The Konpeki Tower job. Everyone knows about it. You don't mess with Arasaka. The old emperor's dead, and the whole city's burning. Anyone linked to that job was as good as dead."
He shook his head. "I didn't need that kind of heat. I tried patching her up—best I could—but my setup's crap, you know? Outdated tools, cheap meds. Nothing I could do was enough."
He looked down, remembering. "And then… he showed up."
Neo's eyes narrowed. "He?"
Fingers nodded. "Some guy. Didn't make a sound. I swear, I didn't even hear the door. One second I'm stitching her up, next second there's a blade at my throat."
"What did he look like?"
"I don't know!" Fingers cried. "Tall, maybe? Pale skin, dark coat. He didn't say a word. Just took her. Walked out like he owned the place. She didn't even resist. She just—went with him."
Fingers raised his trembling hands. "That's all I know! You can kill me if you want, but it won't change anything!"
The silence that followed was heavy.
Judy's eyes dimmed. Her shoulders sagged, the fire inside her dulled to smoke. The thread they'd been following had just snapped.
Neo stood, the faint creak of leather breaking the stillness. "We're done here."
They walked out without another word.
...
Outside, the neon glare of Jig-Jig Street cut across Judy's face, turning the sorrow in her eyes into molten blue. She walked like a ghost, her voice low.
"She's gone again. After all that… after everything…"
Neo looked at her—saw the tremor in her hands, the guilt, the regret. He'd seen it before.
"Judy," he said quietly. "You're assuming the worst. Don't. Evelyn Parker's not dead."
Her head snapped up. "You know where she is?"
"I don't," Neo admitted. "But I know who took her. And that means she's safe. Safer than she ever was with Arasaka, with the Claws, or with that leech in there."
"Who?" she pressed.
David looked between them, frowning. "Yeah, Neo—who the hell could take someone out of Fingers' clinic without leaving a trace?"
Neo smirked faintly. "Someone with training. Someone with a code. Someone who doesn't kill unless he has to."
Both Judy and David stared at him, confused.
He didn't elaborate.
"Trust me," Neo said, hands sliding into his coat pockets. "The man who took her won't harm her. If anything, he's probably the only one in this city who'd keep her alive."
"Then what do we do now?" Judy asked softly.
"Nothing." Neo's tone was calm, certain. "We wait. He'll call me himself."
...
The next morning.
Sunlight spilled through the tinted windows of Neo's Watson penthouse. He woke to the soft chime of the apartment's AI, which had already brewed coffee, folded his clothes, and laid out the newsfeed.
He ignored it all.
Yesterday had been enough noise.
He needed focus.
And then—
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Incoming call.
[Incoming Transmission: Evelyn Parker]
Neo raised a brow. Well…
He accepted the call.
But the voice that answered wasn't Evelyn's.
"Good morning, Mr. Neo."
Deep. Controlled. With that familiar cadence—precise, polite, and distinctly Japanese.
Neo smiled. "Ah. I was wondering when you'd show up."
The voice continued. "I hear you've been looking for this woman. Evelyn Parker."
"I have." Neo leaned back in his chair. "And judging by that accent, I'd say I already know who I'm speaking to."
"Then there's no need for introductions," the man replied. "But for courtesy's sake—Takemura Goro. Former bodyguard of Saburo Arasaka."
Neo chuckled. "The same man I crossed blades with at Konpeki."
"You fought well," Takemura said. "But this city devours good men. I am not here to fight. I would like to meet. There are things we should discuss."
"Name the place."
"Tom's Diner. An hour."
"Make it ten minutes," Neo said. "I don't like waiting."
...
Tom's Diner.
The air smelled of cheap coffee and fried oil. The rain outside hadn't stopped since morning.
Neo pushed open the door.
At a booth near the window sat Takemura, posture straight, his gaze cold but respectful.
Across from him—Evelyn Parker.
Her face was pale, her eyes hollow. But she was alive.
"Sit," Takemura said.
Neo slid into the booth opposite them. Evelyn's gaze flicked up, meeting his, and for a heartbeat—something raw passed between them.
Regret. Bitterness.
Because how could she not remember?
She was the one who found him first.
She was the one who'd paid ten thousand eddies for a military-grade Sandevistan—and then got burned when his crew snatched it back.
She'd risked her life sneaking into Maelstrom turf to record a braindance for him. A favor, a setup for something bigger.
And then he'd turned around and cut her out of the job.
Sold her out to Dex DeShawn.
She'd lost everything—her plan, her money, her pride.
And now, here she was again, staring at the man who'd ruined her once and changed the course of Night City forever.
Her jaw tightened.
Of all people, she thought bitterly. It had to be him.
Neo smiled faintly, as if reading her thoughts. "Long time no see, Evelyn."
Takemura folded his hands on the table. "You both have unfinished business. But right now, we have something greater to discuss."
Neo raised an eyebrow. "Let me guess—Arasaka."
Takemura's eyes hardened. "Saburo-sama's death cannot go unanswered. And you, Mr. Neo… are standing in the middle of it."