Riku opted to install two cybernetic eyes since adding a third would cost extra, and Old Vic wasn't running a charity. More importantly, that third eye on his forehead had some special abilities, and Riku had high hopes for it.
"Alright, here we go. Brace yourself," Old Vic said, taking a deep breath as he prepped for the procedure. Swapping out eyeballs for cyber-eyes was trickier than installing a neural interface.
For a normal surgery, this would've been as easy as breathing for Vic. But Riku refusing anesthesia? That made things interesting.
Jack Welles sidled up, holding a syringe with a mock-evil grin. He was there to "help" in case Riku couldn't handle the pain and needed a quick jab.
Riku's lip twitched. He didn't need Jack's help and wasn't about to give him the chance to play nurse.
Vic got to work. A sharp pain hit Riku as his left eye's vision vanished—his eyeball was out. Then the right eye followed, plunging him into darkness. He opened his third eye, usually kept closed during conversations, and watched Vic's hands spark with electric tools, working on his eye sockets. First-time cyberware installs required some serious flesh-modding.
"It'll be easier next time. Just pop the cyber-eyes out, swap in new ones, check for rejection, and make sure the system's compatible," Vic explained while working. The first install was always the toughest, turning flesh into something modular.
Soon, Vic paused to tweak the system, slotting a chip into Riku's neural interface. After debugging, he placed the cyber-eyes into Riku's empty sockets, their neural probes linking up with his nerves.
"Looking good. Let's test 'em," Vic said, adjusting settings on his screen and activating the cyber-eyes.
Zzt-zzt-zzt.
Riku's vision flickered like an old CRT TV with static, but it cleared up fast, revealing crisp visuals.
"How's it feel?" Vic asked. The surgery went smoother than expected—no major rejection issues, despite Riku's body being a whole different species. Whatever he was, it adapted scarily well.
"Not bad," Riku said, rolling his new cyber-eyes. A "Kiroshi Optics—Welcome" logo flashed in the bottom-right corner of his vision. Now that's more like it.
"Try the scanner. It's got environmental scanning—way better than those cheap knockoffs," Vic said, guiding Riku through the features like a pro.
"I also slipped in a backdoor for NCPD file scanning. It'll give you the lowdown on street punks," Vic added.
Riku activated the scanner and looked at Vic. Data popped up in his vision: name, affiliations, cyberware, criminal records—the works. Oh yeah, this is the good stuff.
"Thanks, Vic. I owe you one," Riku said, impressed. Big-name brands like Kiroshi didn't mess around—crystal-clear visuals, top-tier tech.
"Take this," Vic said, handing him a small vial. "Neural stimulant. Boosts nerve conduction short-term and counters cyberware side effects. Your body's syncing well, so you might not need it, but keep it on you just in case."
Riku pocketed the vial, nodding. Always good to follow the doc's orders and be prepared.
"Done and dusted," Vic said, clapping his hands and stepping away from the console. It was a minor surgery, but working on Riku was a whole new experience.
Vic couldn't help but wonder: This is Night City alright—always some weird-ass stuff showing up. Riku's mods screamed megacorp lab experiment, not some street chop shop job. Probably cooked up in a biotech company's petri dish. But that wasn't Vic's business. He'd hung up his gloves long ago—now he was just a ripperdoc.
"Vic, we're out," Jack said, giving a quick wave as the cyberware install wrapped up.
"Come back if you've got issues," Vic replied, settling in front of a small TV to watch a boxing match. He'd been a top-tier boxer back in the day but retired rather than go full cyberware.
"See ya, Vic," Riku said politely, turning to leave. But Vic called him back.
"Riku, keep that body of yours under wraps. Don't show it off to too many people," Vic said, unable to hold back the warning. He liked Riku—the kid seemed alright.
"Don't worry, Vic. You're my guy," Riku replied with a grin. He knew his body was a walking secret, which is why he'd nudged Jack to bring him to Vic in the first place.
"Good to know," Vic said, waving him off as he turned back to his boxing match. Even retired, he couldn't quit his love for the sport.
"Let's go deal with your ID problem. I'll ping Padre—hope he's not napping," Jack said as they left Vic's clinic. Instead of lingering at Misty's Esoterica to chat with Misty, Jack kept moving with Riku.
They hopped on an NCART train back to Heywood.
"Getting a priest to help? You sure that's cool?" Riku asked, feigning confusion as they stepped off the train. A "Devil" like him meeting a priest for an ID fix? Sounded like a setup for a bad Cyberpunk 2077 side quest.
"No worries, Padre's different. He's Heywood's fixer—knows everyone and everything," Jack explained. Padre was a family friend, tied to Jack's mom from way back.
Riku stayed quiet, following Jack through the streets until they reached a small church.
"Well, a priest living in a church. Makes sense," Riku quipped. Good thing he wasn't an actual akuma, or he might've been sweating.
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American TV Series: Young Sheldon mike edition