Chapter 3: Trauma

Gloria Martinez

In the back of the ambulance, I dressed up the kid in some blankets as Jonah drove us to the Night City Medical centre. It was the same hospital where Trauma Team (International) clients were dropped off, but as all things in Night City, we didn’t get the same privileges. 

Whereas Trauma Team (and their clients) mainly had access to the AV Pads that decorated the top and sides of the building. Unsurprisingly, the hospital was built and routed in such a way that most ERs and operating rooms were right next to those said rooms.

I looked over at the girl huddled on the side bench where I (or another medic) usually sat. She refused to be laid down onto the wheeled stretcher and took a seat across from me. Looking at her in better light conditions, I could make out a couple of things.

The girl was incredibly pale as if she hadn’t saw the sun all her life…or had undergone some bio-sculpting. Her skin and body was littered with signs of abuse from the scavengers. At least a dozen burns, cuts, and worse. I managed to get a look of the girl’s lower parts back at the Scavenger den…and all I could say was she better pray she had a good insurance plan or get a Midnight lady to replace it completely. I suppressed the urge to wince at the image.

Poor thing must be in shock, she wasn’t even able to tell me her name yet. 

“I’m going to ask you a couple of questions, ok?” I took out the company smart pad as the system loaded up. “Do you have a payment plan or insurance to cover for this service?” I didn’t really expect an answer but that wasn’t for me to decide. It was corporate’s.

The girl’s blank eyes looked into mine for a moment before she turned she head away for a moment. Looking down, she fiddled with her chrome arm. Must be new from the looks of it if the blood around the area of attachment was any indication. 

She looked up at me momentarily and I saw the tell-tale signs of a net-runner in her optics. Small lines of indistinguishable (to me) code writing themselves as the optics flashed green and blue. In truth, it was something I saw mostly in B-rated Braindances as a child but it must have come from somewhere, right?

But what was she doing now? Trying to scan me? The ambulance? This was a second (maybe even third rate) ambulance company. There really wasn’t much. I scrolled through the tablet to see if maybe Nightcorp could perform a miracle for one of their PR events. None…unfortunately.

“I do.” She whispered. I took my eyes of the tablet as I looked at the girl who spoke for the first time. Just as I raised my optics, I saw the tablet screen glitch. Old damn system and the company still refuses to replace it. Not even the software for the damn thing! I fixed the tablet’s glitching screen with the true and tested method of hitting it a couple times gently.

“Great! Plan type and number?” I logged in again to the system. Huh, seems like there’s been an update to the whole system. Speak of the devil…I guess corporate does care…or their profits were dropping. “We can all try to find you through your name and other information if you don’t remember.”

“TTI-435763-P99321-Q” The girl said, not missing a beat, as I typed it into the tablet. 

“Impressive, you memorized that?” Wait, TTI? As in Trauma Team International?

“Had to pull up notes.” She mumbled quietly. “Long number.”

After a quick loading screen (definitely an update), the confirmation number brought up the girl’s deets. Her photo to the right as…yup. This was a princess alright. 

“Trauma Team Platinum?” I questioned. “Where were they? Shouldn’t they have picked you up days ago by now?” Jesus. How much did this girl even have?

I scrolled down a little bit for her name.

Tesha Comtesse

I looked up at the now named Tesha. She simply used her non-metal hand to point at her jammed neck slot. Some Scavenger device probably used to prevent their victims from reaching out for help, no doubt. 

Ah shit.

“Look I’m sorry.” This is bad. Right after the scavs too, to a TT Premium customer too? What use was all that sensitivity training for? “I didn’t mean to bring it up.” I better pray that Princess here doesn’t leave me a bad review. I really really need this job. With David’s high school beginning next year. The tuition’s going to be high at Arasaka Academy I need to save up starting years ago!

Tesha just nodded as she put her head down again. As we went the rest of the way to the hospital in silence, broken only by my call to Trauma Team to inform them of one of their precious platinum clients was arriving soon, I just sat fantasizing. A trauma team platinum subscription…I would give it to David, of course, but then I wouldn’t fear anything. 

*sigh* But the reality was that instead of going up the insurance scale, I was downgrading. Every day I was reminded of exactly why and how important this a good health plan was, and yet I simply couldn’t afford it. As an Emergency Medical Techie (EMT) I saw the casualties simply from living in this city firsthand. From the car crashes, the uncountable cases of homicide for a million different reasons, drug overdoses, and simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time and being stuck between a crossfire. 

And yet, I still couldn’t bring myself to be selfish and raise the costs. Just taking one look at David was all the reason I needed. My boy was going to go to the top of Arasaka tower on day…I could almost see it already. Once that day comes, neither of them would have to worry about costs on things like this ever again. It wasn’t a sacrifice, nor was it an investment. To me, all of these expenses was a promise.

It was a fantasy…but it was a dream in motion. Knowing a corporation like that had our back? In a city like this? Wouldn’t that be a dream…

Jonah from the driver’s seat up front informed me that we were arriving at the Hospital. As soon as the doors opened a team of medics wearing the Trauma Team logo armbands swarmed inside and secured Tesha before escorting her gently through the open doors of the hospital. 

Leaving me and Jonah to begin their glorified courier mission once again. Once I climbed my way back to the front of the Ambulance to the shotgun seat, Jonah smiled at me.

“Sweet bonus tonight for sure.” I raised an eyebrow. “Trauma has to pay us for picking up their client. And seeing it’s a plat member?” He left the rest unsaid, instead raising his free hand for a high five, one that I returned. 

As the van turned around to leave the hospital grounds, I saw Tesha turn slightly before she mouthed the words ‘Thank you’ as the hospital doors closed.

Well…thanks for all the chrome at least kid. I looked at the shotgun seat of the ambulance stuffed to the brim new chrome me and Jonah managed to klep.

…wait, did she take my blanket with her? 

… …

POV Tesha Comtesse (New name)

Tesha Comtesse. I tasted the word in my mouth, moving my tongue and lips as I tried to get a feel for the name and identity I had just stolen. 

I was still a little numb from the anesthesia the doctors had pumped into me. Waking up from the surgery, I could tell I was a little woozy, my mind wandering to places I didn’t want them to.

Path to not thinking about bad things that happened to me

Had only made it worse as the images and memories in my mind twisted to form nightmares. Path to not having bad thoughts or Nightmares had come up blank. It wasn’t as if the path itself was unavailable or impossible…in fact, the path highly encouraged me to indulge myself in a specific concoction of drugs and rather questionable activities to help with the process.

It was rather the fact of limiting my thoughts in general would negatively affect me as it would harm the passive paths I had set previously. 

Path to good mental health (10,897 steps and counting)

I sighed at the number. It would take months…maybe years. The numbers were changing depending on the additional actions and paths I would add along the way. Better put this path on passive seeing as most of the things were small actions which could be turned into daily habits.

Why do I feel like shit even though it wasn’t me?

Honestly, I preferred this feeling over how I had been feeling hours ago, yet it was weird. Hormones? Memories of torture…and worse popping into my mind? The memories prior to waking up was not all that clear. As if somehow fogged slightly. Well, except one.

I could still remember the important parts of my body’s life. A lifetime of being trapped, netrunning, escaping…and the scavengers. Her last memories before I replaced her mind was burned into my brain as if it were my own. 

Even knowing in my head that the girl screaming wasn’t me. That the girl going through all that…wasn’t me. Seeing from her perspective, feeling more real than a brain dance ever could be…my brain convincing me that it was me, it could have been me, and now it was mine to suffer. 

[Step 92: Say “You may enter” Push the button by the side of the bed]

“You may enter” I let the path dictate my actions as my finger (organic) pushed down on a button I didn’t realize was there. I felt the bed moving under me until I found myself in a half sitting, half laying, position.

The door of the private room opened as a few men walked into my room. My doctor (asian, bald) who I forgot the name of and two NCPD officers. The doc stood to the right of my bed as he grabbed a stool from under while the officers positioned themselves in front of me. 

One was a shorter elderly man who saw a little too much sun. A full beard which hasn’t been trimmed in weeks and a slightly pudgy belly that his uniform tried its best to cover. His partner was the complete opposite. A tall black man who was built like a rock and a very interesting choice of eye cyberware. 

“I’m not sure how you knew we were there.”

“Loud footsteps right outside the door and doesn’t fade away? Rather obvious really.” I said in a slightly posh French accent. My arms crossed themselves as I stared at the two officers. “Why are you here?” Despite my voice, my legs under the sheets were shaking slightly as my breathing became slightly uneven. 

I knew why they were here.

It’s not going to be a problem. I’ve already seen how this goes.

“Well, hello Miss…” “Comtesse” The black officer whispered to help “Miss Comptesse. We are so sorry to disturb you while you are still recovering. *cough* *cough*” I could already smell the cigarettes and he was barely in here for a minute.

“Well, you see lass.” “Miss Comtesse” His partner chimed in again. “Well, Miss Comptesse.” “Comtesse” “I’ wuz saying Comptesse, we have an investigation and we’d like your statement on it. The scavengers? Do you have anything you could remember from that incident?”

Incident. It wasn’t just an incident. I gripped the sheets under tightly, feeling them go cold as they my knuckles turned white…trembling as the sheets wrinkled under their grip.

“Whoops, I’m sorry Miss Comptesse.” Ringing in my ear. Did his voice get smaller? “I’m actually officer Harri-“ He sat at the edge of my bed before he put a hand on my shin.

My stomach lurched as something came up from my pipe. I had a moment to feel the acid on the back of my throat before I hurled whatever I had in my system over the side of the bed.

“Holy FUck!”

My knees curled in instinctively as I kicked off the officer off the bed before bringing in my arms around my knees. My breath, I was breathing but I couldn’t. It felt as if there were hands around my throat stopping the air. I could feel my heart pounding up to my neck and ringing in my ears.

A wrong breath again and suddenly I lurched over sideways as I dry hurled. Hands were on me as they forced me back onto the bed while there was voices. A hand keeping me down as I was forced to look up at the lights…

Why are the lights spinning?

Path…path…path?

Another hand, this time on my face. I bit down on it. Hard.

“Wha chao! AHHH!!”

Why can’t I say anything? Why won’t anyone help me? Where is the path? 

A face looming over me.

The nurse. Thank god! Why is she wearing a sCav mAsk?!

I opened my mouth as I screamed, feeling something warm drip down between my teeth.  A sickening taste of copper on my tongue. I felt a prick on my neck and the merciful realm of sleep took me.

… …

I heard them before I woke up.

“…panic attack. A severe one. I happens with victims of traumatic events, as I’m sure you understand.” I recognized the voice of my doctor. “Perhaps you should leave. This was too soon, even for your kind.”

“Hey doc, I don’t mean to overstep my ground bu-“ It was the other officer again.

“Yes. Of course. We’re sorry for interrupting. But please do let us know if Ms. Comtesse is in stable condition to give us a statement.” The other officer cut in. “You can contact me at River Ward. Detective for the NCPD”

I laid still keeping my eyes closed. Trying to keep the images off of my mind, trying to keep the memories which weren’t mine out. I whispered a path in my mind of my future to see what would happen…

“Path to not committing suicide.” Something wet around my optics, I ignored it, pretending to still be asleep.

[Path overlaps with ‘Survival’] [Query: Replace, Cancel or Adapt path]

Adapt

And the path rewrote itself.

… …

I was walked out of the hospital with a bag full of drugs with names I couldn’t pronounce, a case full of therapy BDs, and a couple more things. I stood in front of the hospital as a Delamain cab pulled up in front of me. 

A doorman from the hospital helped me put the things in the back as I climbed into the back seat.

“Hello Ms. Comtesse! Where shall I take you to?” A cheerful AI generated avatar greeted me. Delamain corporation’s Delamain. Interestingly enough, the AI had become so advanced that while it had started from a lowly driver, it had continued to exceed the expectations of the owners and operators until the AI had managed to buy out the company for himself.

Essentially, the entire Delamain corporation was owned, run, and managed by the single AI. While this would usually result in incredible amounts of corporate monopoly laws, AI laws, and a full team of MaxTac dropping in on Delamain’s main processing core, Delamain had proven himself to be so compliant and useful to the top dogs of the city that it was all quietly brushed under the rug.

Responding to Delamain’s question, I said a single word. “Home”

Home. Ironic as I knew for a fact that I didn’t own a home. I’ve never purchased one and my path confirmed to me that the previous owner of the body never had the funds for anything more than a shack out in the badlands.

But Tesha Comtesse did.

Going up and down the information the path provided, I studied the identity that I had apparently created. An incredibly wealthy and successful independent stock trader and occasional broker. Funny…as I could currently count around 4 companies which had a stock market, not even enough for my one organic hand.

What I thought I had done on the ambulance ride was creating a temporary identity just for insurance….but the other paths had urged me to continue expanding the identity. Letting the path work with the zeros and ones as code was written from scratch, viruses encrypted, and released into the Trauma Team’s data fortress to do its magic.

Hours later by the time I had awoken from the surgery, Tesha Comtesse had a full history with all the records to go along with it. That apparently included a house.

“Of course Miss Comtesse!” The AI responded as the vehicle began to move. “And I will shut up now, as your preference states.”

It wasn’t a long drive as the location was set to an address in Japantown (the hospital is in Little China). I saw the long streets of Little China fade away into the dirtier roads of Kabuki before Delamain crossed a bridge into Westbrook. The cab continued along the water until he pulled over at a tall black-tinted glass building.

“Thank you for riding with Delamain. With us, you leave your problems at the door!”

I packed up my belongings as I exited the cab. As I watched the Delamain cab drive away, I walked into the small lobby of the building before putting my hand on the scanner as the Elevator arrived.

“Welcome Home, Ms. Comtesse.” An automated female voice rang out in the elevator as it took me to the top floor of the residence. 

*ding* A soft bell rang out as I stepped out into my house. A house I had apparently spent years in according to my digital data. 

My curiosity and mild excitement was not enough, however, as a short whisper to myself had me changing into my night clothes as I found my way upstairs. Dragging the sheets out from the closet I didn’t know was there, I climbed into a beautifully set bed. Turning off the television in front of the bed with my cyberdeck, I did the same to the lights.

It was a long day and I wasn’t ready to face the reality of the world I had awoken to just yet. Video game, anime, a parallel dimension, or maybe just insanity, it would all come after sleep.

I popped some pills into my mouth (path to good mental health), swallowed it down with a cup of RealWater before I pulled the sheets up the my neck.

I would explore the house once I woke up.

… …

AN: The house is from a Cyberpunk mod. You can find it on Youtube by typing in ‘Cyberpunk 2077- Beautiful Japantown Luxury Apartment! [Mod]’