Dialogue: Happy Together

Policeman

NCPD! Open up!

Policewoman

Barry! We know you're in there. We're here to help.

Barry

Don't got no fuckin' warrant!

Policeman

Cut the bullshit, just open up!

Policewoman

We came here as colleagues – nothin' else. Haven't heard from you in a while. We're worried.

Barry

Noted! Now leave me alone!

Policewoman

Congrats, Mendez, way to be a prick.

Policeman

Oh, what, so I'm the bad guy? I'm not the one who's holed up, playin' the attention whore.

Policewoman

He lost a friend. Can you blame him?

Policeman

He's not the first or the last. It's called life.

V

1AWhat's goin' on? I live right upstairs.

Policeman

1ASo keep on livin' and stop mindin' other people's biz.

Policewoman

1AMendez, hold on! It's his neighbor!

V

1BSomeone in this tower go cuckoo again?

Policeman

1BThis is a private matter, so just move along.

Policewoman

1BWait, she might know Barry.

V

2AThere anything I can do?

Policewoman

2AMaybe. You know Barry at all?

V

2AMore or less. Struck up a convo once or twice.

2BThis is a megatower. Spilling to badges'll get you pegged as a snitch.

Policewoman

2BThis'll only take a sec. Do you know Barry?

V

2BMore or less. Struck up a convo once or twice.

Policewoman

He's a friend from the precinct. Left the force not long ago.

He broke down after his best friend died. We're worried he'll do something stupid.

Policeman

Relaaax, Petrova. Barry's got nerves o' steel – he's just a spiteful ol' bastard.

Policewoman

Mendez...!

Could you check in on him when he's chilled down?

V

3ASure, why not. It's not like we're miles apart.

Policewoman

3AThanks. Just... be patient. Cops fallen on rough times can be... touchy.

V

3AI'll see what I can do.

3BI dunno. Sounds too personal for me. I'm not the best shoulder to cry on.

Policewoman

3BThink about it, OK? Barry's a good guy, and a good cop. He doesn't deserve to end up alone.

V

3BI'll consider it. Can't promise anything.

V

1ABarry? Am I rememberin' that right?

Barry

1AWho is it?

V

1AV, your neighbor from upstairs. Remember me? Talked about preem rides.

1ABack then you were pumped 'bout the Mizutani Shion. I said it was for flash-posers.

Barry

1AHeh, you don't forget a gonk thing like that.

V

1AYou gave me this look... I was about to hightail it to the Badlands right then an' there.

Barry

1AI remember. Whaddaya want?

V

2AYou can't let yourself fall apart, Barry. Not here, not in Night City.

2AYou're a badge. Ex-badge, but still. You've gotta stay strong... if you won't, who will?

Barry

2ANow hold on a sec. We barely know each other, and you just rock up here talkin' to me about my problems?

2AWhere'd you get the idea somethin' with me was up? You watchin' me? Someone send you?

V

3AAll right, you got me. Your friends asked me to drop in on you, so I thought, hey, why not.

3AHe's a stand-up guy. Who cares if he has shitty taste when it comes to street-shredders?

Barry

3ACome back just to get your ass kicked?

3AMan, you really know how to cheer a guy up. Maybe those two asshats really are worried about me...?

V

3BYou should get out there more – go for a drink with your pals. Life goes on, Barry, and it won't wait for you to catch up.

3BWallowing in loneliness and self-loathing isn't gonna solve anything.

Barry

3BMaybe I don't wanna solve anything? That cross your mind?

2ATell Petrova and Mendez to drop the act already. Mendez especially.

2ANone o' you get it, OK? None o' you!

V

2AOh well, I tried.

2BJust wanted to see what's shakin'. Friends say you never leave your unit. Think I've got an inkling as to why.

2BI've seen that look before. It's all too common 'mong people like us.

Barry

2B"Us"? Heh, you don't look like a cop.

V

2BBadges don't get a monopoly on loss. You see death every day in my line of work.

2BYou get used to it, of course... until it hits someone you're close to.

Barry

2BHeh...

2BYou, too?

2BCome in.

V

2CJust wanna talk, that's all. I know it's what you need right now, even if you don't wanna admit it.

2CI can't turn back time for you, but I can sit next to you and listen... remind you that you're not in this alone.

Barry

2CNow hold on a sec. We barely know each other, and you just rock up here talkin' to me about my problems?

2CWhere'd you get the idea somethin' with me was up? You watchin' me? Someone send you?

V

5AYou didn't have anyone to unload on at work? How about Petrova and Mendez?

Barry

5APetrova's a decent gal, but she's not good with this stuff. Mendez just doesn't get it.

5AHe thinks us blues need to be tough. Can't bear the sight of a kid gettin' murdered? Born with pussy genes, 'ccordin' to him.

V

5ABut you told him about Andrew.

Barry

5AHonestly? I thought about it a lot. Anyway... they don't know everything. Better that way.

V

6AMendez doesn't know shit about life. Everyone's got their limits, even him. He just hasn't reached 'em. Not like you.

Barry

6AWhat if he's right though? Maybe my genes are soft? Don't only the strongest survive?

V

6AIf you felt nothing, that means his loss wouldn't have had any meaning.

Barry

6AI guess so...

6AThanks for the talk, V. I, um... I need time to take all this in.

V

6ASure thing. Take care.

6BMendez is right. You gotta toughen up. Tell the world to go fuck itself.

Barry

6BRight... so I'm just supposed to forget everything I've seen? That kid... even Andrew?

V

6BHe's gone, and you're here. It's time to stop livin' in the past.

6BYou won't change anything by sittin' here alone and wallowin' in misery.

Barry

6BI think we're done here.

V

6BSuit yourself.

6CCan you tell me how Andrew died?

Barry

6CDoes it matter? Normally. From old age. It's no wonder, seein' as he was only a few years younger than my grandma.

V

6CDyin' of old age? In Night City? That merits a monument. Whole world should gaze up at it in awe.

Barry

6CHehehe... Ashbox in a niche'll have to do.

V

7CSo then Andrew was more like a grandpa to you than a friend?

Barry

7CHm. Wouldn't go that far. He was like a... egh, I don't know... A window into the past, or somethin'.

7CHe reminded me of my gram-grams, about our little talks... time when everything had its proper place, y'know?

7CHe was the last... living record of those times.

V

5BGuessin' things at the NCPD haven't changed a lick, huh?

Barry

5BOne time... a Maelstrom ganger killed a young kid right in front of my eyes, for shits 'n' giggles.

5BI couldn't do shit. The son of a bitch had corpo protection.

V

5BEhh, typical.

Barry

5BOur chief greases his palms with an anonymous donation and guess what. Officially? Kid blew his own brains out.

V

5BRight in front of your eyes.

Barry

5BSomethin' died in me then. I couldn't do it anymore... few months later Andrew passed and everything went to shit.

V

4AI lost someone close to me, too. Damned good friend.

Barry

4AWhaddaya mean "too"? Wait, this about Andrew? They... told you about him.

4ABest bud I ever had... known him my whole life. Only person I could spill to without bein' judged.

1AAll right, come on in. You wanna talk, so let's talk.

1AWell... all right then. Come on in. Not like you'll change anythin'.

V

1AYou never know.

V

10AHey, Barry? Everything all right in there?

10ABarry! You there?

10AMaybe he's talkin' to Mendez...

V

11AI'm gonna take that as a yes!

11AEh, try again later...

V

1BA tortoise?! Is this some kinda joke?

Johnny

1BI don't know about you, but Barry didn't seem like the kinda pig to crack jokes.

V

1BBut a tortoise...? It makes no sense, Johnny! Barry said he was the only person he could spill his guts to...

Johnny

1BThat not a good enough reason to buy a niche in a wall – pay a visit from time to time?

V

2AGonk blew eddies lookin' after an expensive-ass tortoise... just so he could talk to it?

2AThat sound normal to you?

2BAhh, you're right... I sound like an asshole.

2BGuy was depressed as shit – only friends he had wouldn't listen. What the fuck else was he s'posed to do?

Johnny

1BPicture this – you've got no one. Beloved granny's been in the ground for years. Only thing she left behind's a dumb-fucking tortoise.

1BBut when grandma told ya about life, that tortoise was there. When that same life kicked ya in the nads, when poor grams croaked, it was right there.

1BImagine how alone you've gotta be to buy a niche for a goddamn animal.

V

3BAren't you goin' a little overboard? He had a bond, I get that, but does that mean you gotta dive straight down the rabbit-hole?

Johnny

3BYou can ignore the facts all you want – doesn't mean the problem's just gonna up and disappear.

3BIf I were you, I'd tell his pals. People've done dumber things over less than a dead tortoise.

V

3BYou think it's that bad...?

Barry's not OK. I mean, if that tortoise was the one thing that got him up in the morning...

Johnny

Now you're starting to get it.

V

His friends have to know. Hopefully it's not too late.

Johnny

You know how it goes. Stare too long into the abyss, the abyss'll stare right back atcha.

Takin' a step into it wouldn't be so drastic – considerin' the shit he's seen in his lifetime.

Policeman

Hmph, it's you. You talk to Barry? He finally decide to get his shit together?

Policewoman

For crying out loud, Mendez!

V

1ABarry isn't in great shape. So much so, in fact, that he preferred to talk to a tortoise 'stead of you two.

Policeman

1AThat supposed to be funny?

V

1AThe complete opposite. It's sad as hell.

1ABarry didn't handle badge life too well. You made fun of him, so he stopped sharin' things.

1AAnd apart from you guys all he had was... a tortoise. His best friend. A memento of his grandma. Till he died, that is.

Policeman

1AFuck... I don't fucking believe this. You're bullshittin' me!

V

2AYou want proof? Niche in the columbarium speaks for itself.

2BRight. 'Cause I like to bullshit badges in my spare time.

Policewoman

1AWhy would he lie to us though? He talked about that tortoise like it was a normal person!

V

1AHow do you think Mendez'd react if Barry admitted he was talking to animals?

Policeman

1AJesus, Barry... I thought he was bein' a drama queen, that he'd get over it... I gotta go and talk to 'im.

Policewoman

1A'Bout time.

1AThanks for your help. This is for your trouble.

V

1BWe had a little chat. He seems chilled, but seriously down in the dumps. Think he's got a bone to pick with Mendez.

Policeman

1BWhat...? So why doesn't he say so to my face?!

V

3AGot no idea. Ask him yourself.

Policeman

3AYou fuckin' bet I will! His little temper tantrum must be over if he spilled to you.

3AOnly thing I don't know is whether to give 'im a taste of my fist or a shot of Bumelant.

Policewoman

3AThanks for your help. This is for your trouble.

V

3BClearly, he couldn't stand his job and didn't have anyone to talk to about it.

3BHe said you didn't even try to understand him.

Policewoman

3BSee? Was I right?

Policeman

3BEgh, gimme a break. Barry likes playin' the drama queen – you just gotta shake some sense into 'im, trust me.

Policewoman

3BWe'll see... We'll have to check in on him later.

3BThanks for your help. This is for your trouble.

V

1CHey, so what did Barry tell you exactly about that friend he lost?

Policewoman

1CNot much. Hardly ever spoke about him. Said once he was the only one who could understand him.

1CIt's nice to have someone like that.

Barry

Already told you – you ain't got a warrant, you ain't comin' in.

Policeman

Dammit, Barry... can't we just talk?

Petrova told me your last case was... a real ballbuster. Boss told you to keep your lips sealed, huh?

Had a similar situation once, y'know. Fuckin' child-killer. Dirtbag was on the Petrochem board, so it was out of our hands.

Remember it to this day... that little kid's t-shirt. Green with this... funny yellow cat.

Barry

Hghh...

Get in.

Policeman

Barry... Barry, you fucking asshole! I'm sorry, OK? I'm sorry... I'm so sorry...

Policewoman

Mendez... It's too late. He can't hear you.

Policeman

Your... your genes were fine, Barry! You were the strongest son of a bitch I knew!

I-I'm so... I'm so sorry, Barry, I... I'm sorry...