Dialogue: The Prophet's Song

Prophet

But what they don't know... the real name for this thing they call "cyberspace" is actually...

PANDEMONIUM!

What is life without its body? What are the beings of the Net if not souls from beyond our plane of existence?

I have heard their voices. Let they who yet live never cross that threshold, for their souls will join those ghostly ranks!

V

1AThis is Night City. No one's got a soul to lose.

Prophet

1AMock as you will, unbeliever! You shall see who laughs last as you're engulfed in hellfire!

1ASATAN HIMSELF!

V

1ALaughs? See, now I'm skeptical. I heard the 'runner who wrote that Satan daemon gave him a weak sense of humor.

1BY'know, I've been in cyberspace and I did actually meet a corpse or two there.

Prophet

1BHark the witness! Hear her testify of those who burn in hellfire!

V

1BYeah, didn't see that fire, though...

1CYou heard their voices? What'd they say?

Prophet

1CThey spoke not in the language of mortals, no. They howled, screaming in agony, forever removed from their earthly form.

1CAmong them was a woman, her voice of ice – Queen Lilith. She was calm... but at the cost of her humanity.

You ask – who opened these unholy gates of the abyss?

V

No one's asking.

Prophet

And I answer you... the techno-necromancers of Alpha Centauri!

Prophet

2AI recognize you. You come here often. Your eyes tell me that your mind has opened to the truth.

2AWill you provide a humble donation so that I may continue my mission?

V

3A"Humble" sounds affordable. Just don't spend it on stupid shit.

Prophet

3AThank you. This has bought me a day or two.

V

3BYou do good work. Use this to wake Night City up!

Prophet

3BThank you for your devotion. I saw a disciple of truth in you from the very beginning.

V

3CNothin' but lint in my pockets. Sorry...

3DOpen your mind, freak. Use it to get a job.

Prophet

3DWhat good will come of it if they bear the fruits of our labor!

2ARadio waves bear the truth! Let those with ears listen, and those with eyes behold!

2ATheir mothership conceals itself above our very heads! Ready yourself, for they are coming!

2AOpen your mind before it is too late!

2AIf you turn a blind eye to their existence, they have already won!

They wish to rule, to control – your executives, your leaders. But they are not human, NO! But then WHAT, you ask?

REPTILIANS!

You can recognize them by their cold, blue eyes – creatures born centuries ago on the Antarctic ice sheet.

They hide their true faces under masks of human skin! Two-faced snakes, oppressors of humanity!

V

4AIf it's such a big giveaway, won't they just install optics? Or use contact lenses, at least?

Prophet

4AIf it were only so simple! They are reptiles! Their nervous system isn't compatible with human cybernetics!

V

4AThen why not have their own rippers invent some?

Prophet

4AAre you sure they haven't already?

V

4BNot surprising. I've met politicians. Two-faced is right.

Prophet

4BHear her! The faces – you have seen their reptilian faces?!

V

4BMaybe... Weren't human, that's for sure.

4CYou think President Myers is one of 'em?

Prophet

4CWhy so many shootings? Why do countless die on the streets as the police do nothing?

4CWhat human would condemn his brethren to such suffering? And why?

And where did this filth slither out from, you ask?

V

Antarctica. You said that already.

Prophet

Today, they hide amidst the snow and ice of the South Pole, step by step usurping our crown as creation's chosen!

Millions of years ago, they evolved from dinosaurs to become the world's first advanced, intelligent race.

And who is their progenitor? Their masters? The scientists of Alpha Centauri!

And I tell you "no!" The Arasakas are no ordinary clan! They're not even human!

VAMPIRES, the lot!

Their bodies, they never age. But notice their eyes – cold and dead!

Their corporation exists only as cover for their wicked means to live... Or rather, to remain undead!

I tell you now – Saburo is not gone from our world! He rests undisturbed in the family crypt.

He feasts on the blood of his servants, awaiting his body's rejuvenation, to return once more... Mark my words!

V

5ARight, so Saburo is definitely dead. Like, trust me on this.

Prophet

5ASuch conviction... You witnessed his death with your own eyes?

V

5AWell, just so happens I--

5AUhh, no. I... I did not.

Prophet

5AAhhh, you see? You see?!

V

5BNow that you mention it... Hanako's eight decades deep, but still looks like a million eddies.

Prophet

5BThe evidence is clear! An old woman with the face of a child prowls your city!

V

5BWell, OK, let's reel back on the hyperbole.

5CWouldn't be a total shocker. Said on TV Arasaka's workin' on immortality tech.

Prophet

5CA hollow lie to conceal their inhuman nature!

5CIts source flows not through technology, but through their undead blood!

But how could mere mortals become these death-defying abominations, you ask?

With the help of techno-necromancers from Alpha Centauri!

It was their tainted blood Saburo Arasaka drank to transform himself into this devil spawn!

Disciple

Garry, ya can't spill Arasaka secrets! They gon' find you!

Prophet

Let them! The seed has been sown! The truth shall sprout roots and lift us from the invaders' clutches!

They traverse the Badlands in trucks, yes! But when the full moon rises, they remove their human masks!

And what hides underneath, you ask? Reptilians?

I answer you "NO!" not reptilians... But WEREWOLVES!

But you are not the masters of your memories! For your eyes do not belong to you. Or rather...

Not ONLY to you!

Do you truly believe that those who have sold you your mechanical eyes have resisted the temptation to peek through them?

Cameras are all around us. Even within us! Your joys, your worries, your life – for them it is all mere spectacle!

V

6AIf anyone was watchin' and givin' a damn, I'd have half the city's underworld and half its corps on my ass already.

Prophet

6AAnd if you are their pawn? Unknowingly carrying out their secret agendas?

V

6BHmm... Ever since Vik installed my Kiroshi eyes, I've had this feeling... that someone's watchin'...

Prophet

6BCybernetics are our undoing! A blessing and a curse! We replace our flesh most sacred with metal – THEIR metal!

6BThey hold the off-switch! Our sight, our breath, even our minds – theirs for the taking!

V

6CLet's just say you're right – so what? Should I just gouge out my optics? Thanks, but no thanks.

Prophet

6CYou are beyond salvation... but not the children of the future! Life untainted by surgery of the sacrilege!

6CWe can yet save them! May the mothers shield their bodies! May the fathers instill their hatred for chrome!

But who are those who follow our every step, you ask?

Why, the titans of entertainment in Alpha Centauri!

In their wretchedness, they placate their weary and oppressed masses by putting our laughter, our tears on full display!

Tourist

Jessica will, like, die when she sees this!

Like, this is max nova. I just can't!

Tourist

Ahh, oh my God! Look, a real conspiracy guy! Like in that show!

Tourist

Quick, get next to him! I'll snap a still of you arresting him for revealing government secrets!

Prophet

Open your mind before it is too late!

Disciple

Give us our Garry back!

Alpha Centauri agents kidnapped our prophet!

We demand justice for prophet Garry!

V

1AWhere's Garry? What happened?

Disciple

1AI warned 'im! Some black suits came by – blue eyes and all! Looked jus' like he said!

1AThen-- then they threw 'im in an AV an' flew 'im to the mothership!

V

2ANo one's tried to help?

Disciple

2ANot a soul! The police say he's sick. Truth of it is he knows too much! He's a threat to 'em!

V

2BAnd you saw this... mothership?

Disciple

2BHow could I? They sprayed this black mist, couldn't see nothin'! Poor Garry... He sacrificed hisself for us!

1ARight now, I'm collectin' donations for a monument in his honor. To remember his courage... and the crimes of Alpha Centauri!

1ACare to spare a few eddies? In lovin' memory?

1AGive us our Garry back!

1AAlpha Centauri agents kidnapped our prophet!

1AWe demand justice for prophet Garry!

1ADonate now to our memorial for dear Garry!

V

3AAll right, I'll toss in a bit. This is for you, Garry.

Disciple

3AThanks. That oughta cover his nose.

V

4AGot this chip here... Mind takin' a look?

Disciple

4AHmm... Garry did say you're devoted to our cause...

4AA'ight, show me. I'll tell ya what I know.

Disciple

5AJesus Christ! Hide that quick! Nobody can know, got it?!

V

5AWhy, what is it? What's all this about?

Disciple

5AGarry knew this'd happen! They here! To bend us to their will, to make us their puppets!

V

5AWhoa, calm down! Who is? The techno-necromancers?

Disciple

5A"And lo, they shall descend upon the Earth, unseen, the sky shrouded in darkness." Tha's what he said!

5ANight's comin'... The eternal night!

Johnny

5AAnd so ends the epic saga of discovering secrets of paranormal beings. What's this story taught us?

V

6AThat our world's ruled by alien overlords from the darkest reaches of space and we are powerless to stop it?

Johnny

6AAn astute theory, but wide of the mark.

V

6BThat lack of closure sucks.

Johnny

6BI don't disagree, but I had something else in mind.

5ASome people know more than others. They hear the private conversations of the world's elite.

5AAnd what do they do with that knowledge? They invest all their time reinventing age-old fairytales.

V

7AWhere is your sense of imagination? I choose to believe that we narrowly avoided war with vampires and aliens.

Johnny

7ADon't we all? Vampires, aliens, reptilians... all captivating. Romantic, even.

V

7BYou're right. This's all been a complete waste of time. Chasing some... nonsensical bullshit.

Johnny

7BYeah, but nonsense is a temptress. And they know it. Saturating their skull sponges with dreams of a more interesting world.

5ATruth, on the other hand, is brutally mundane. It's corps pullin' the strings. Twisted bastards skezzed out on their power fantasies.

V

5AThink that's what we saw? Shady corpo biz?

Johnny

5ANo doubt about it. They're the world's real bloodsuckers. Them and always them.

V

4BG'luck with the fundraising.

Disciple

4BThousand thanks! Go – share the truth with the world!

V

3BAh, why not. Garry's earned his grand fuckin' monument. Take this 'fore I change my mind.

Disciple

3BI dunno what to say... Garry'd be so touched!

V

3CHey, sorry, but I'm dead broke.

Disciple

3CBut poor Garry... What'll happen to his legacy!

V

3DGot this chip here... Mind takin' a look?

Disciple

3DHmm... Garry did say you're devoted to our cause...

3DA'ight, show me. I'll tell ya what I know.

V

3EGot this chip here... Mind takin' a look?

Disciple

3EHow do I know you ain't one of them?

3ESoon as I tell you what I know, you'll cut my face off and pretend to be me! I ain't dumb!

V

3FRight, uh, maybe another time... Or another cause.

Disciple

3FPlease. Garry deserves this... and even more.

Give us our Garry back!

Alpha Centauri agents kidnapped our prophet!

We demand justice for prophet Garry!

Give us our Garry back!

Alpha Centauri agents kidnapped our prophet!

We demand justice for prophet Garry!

Nomad01

Shit-talk nomads and that's what you get!

Prophet

Close call... Thank you. The truth cannot be silenced! Ever!

V

No problem. I mean, who's gonna tell me we faked the Mars landing if I let 'em knock your teeth out?

Prophet

You have no faith my words, do you? You think I don't know when I'm mocked, when they take me for a false prophet?

V

1AHonestly, I couldn't come up with a more batshit conspiracy theory if I tried. Vampires from Alpha Centauri? Seriously?

Prophet

1AIf you heard what I have... you'd know the world is not as simple as it appears.

1ABut what can I do? No one listens to Kassandra until it's too late...

V

1BIt's hard to take your... "interpretations" seriously, but there is a little truth in what you say.

1BSometimes even more than a little...

Prophet

1BYou see it, too! You know that behind a veil of darkness lurk creatures from our nightmares... but you fear to believe it.

V

Y'know, if you had any kind of real evidence for this grand cosmic plot...

Prophet

I do! Tonight! They're meeting at an old factory in Kabuki. To exchange something... important.

Observe them. Seize this item, this Alpha Centauri artifact. You'll see I was right from the beginning!

V

2AOK, see what I can do. Thanks for the tip... I think.

Prophet

2AYou mustn't intervene too soon. Or too late! All could be lost!

2AThe fate of humanity rests upon your shoulders. Don't let us down. Do not let me down!

V

2ANo pressure, got it.

2BWait, wait, hold on... How do you even know about this meeting?

Prophet

2BTheir radio waves resonate within my brain. Ever since the accident, I've heard their secret broadcasts.

V

2B"The accident"? You know that doesn't instill confidence, right?

Prophet

2BYou don't understand! I have their co-processor in my head. I don't know how my ripperdoc got his hands on it...

2BBut thanks to this, I can listen in to their plots and schemes. If you help me, we can save this planet together!

Nomad01

You got a problem with nomads, freak?

Nomad02

Better shut your fat, fuckin' mouth before I put you six feet under!

Prophet

You can break my bones, but you cannot stop the pursuit of truth!

V

4AI've had enough of this guy. Last thing we need is this level of crazy stayin' on the streets.

4AFuck him up. Maybe that'll teach him a real lesson.

Nomad01

4AWith pleasure.

V

4BHey! Hands off my spiritual leader!

4BBut seriously, he's harmless – just got a few wires crossed. Leave him alone.

Nomad01

4BYou know how many half-brain gonks are gonna believe the shit he's spittin'? I refuse to hear about "nomad cannibals" one more time.

V

4BC'mon... I mean, it's-- it's a little funny.

Nomad01

4BI guess you two wanna share a grave!

V

4CJesus, chill. Wouldn't you want people to think we're werewolves? It's fuckin' hardcore.

Nomad01

4CMaybe the Bakkers like childish jokes, but I'm not gonna put up with that shit.

V

4CLemme guess, some kid tells you you're a gonk and you smell bad, and you cry about that, too?

4CThe guy's been ramblin' on about hell, vampires and necromancers from space. You seriously believe he's deliberately targeting our rep?

Nomad02

4CWell, sure, his brain clearly ain't firin' on all cylinders.

Nomad01

4CFuck it. I won't waste my time on a street cretin.

Prophet

4CThat was close. They're not as dangerous in the daylight, but it still could've ended badly.

4CThank you for your concern... Though, I could've done without the mockery.

V

4DHowdy, fellas. How's life with the Aldecaldos?

Nomad01

4DLook who it is! V! It's all good. Panam's kickin' off a new role.

Nomad02

4DSay, you know this nutjob?

V

4DA little. He's totally harmless. Says things that make a politician look like a beacon of truth.

V

5AWere you aware Hanako Arasaka is a vampire?

5BDon't know if you're aware or not, but we're all the stars of a galactic reality show.

Nomad01

4DHahah! The fuck? And here I was all offended...

Nomad02

4DHeh, yeah, gotta tell Saul... Or y'know, eat somebody then disappear like an arrow in the night.

Nomad01

4DHave a good one, V!

Prophet

At sunset, they strip off their clothes and dance nakedly, giving in to an animalistic ecstasy.

Then, once they've transformed into the fanged beasts, they set off on the hunt, hungry for human flesh!

Dozens of miles they cover in the darkness, with ferocious speed, like arrows in the night!

V

6AI dunno... Doesn't add up. If they can move like that, why all the trucks and bikes?

Prophet

6AAh, ah! When the moon shines full, I said! Only three nights a month!

6ADuring their orgies of blood, they devour all in the area. In the day, they must drive to virgin lands in search of new prey...

V

6BMet my share of nomads, and there's definitely something primal about 'em. Those cannibal claims cross the line, though.

Prophet

6BDeny the truth all you want... but what will you do when the pack hunts you down?

V

6CThey aren't looking for a cure? You'd think all those mutilated bodies would attract some attention.

Prophet

6CWould a bird seek a cure for flight? Would a star wish to dim its glow?

6CA werewolf is a free beast, unbound by reptilian law. Better to become a man-eater than to live in chains!

And the cause behind these monstrous horrors? Years ago, a ship from Alpha Centauri crash landed in the Badlands.

Legend tells that it carried a substance highly sought after by the vampire elite in Arasaka.

It could transform Saburo's enemies into werewolves, leashed and bound to his will. But the crash thwarted his plot...

Johnny

The time has come for a close encounter of the third kind... A small step for V, but a giant leap for humankind.

Who're you bettin' on showin' up? The reptilians or techno-necromancers?

V

1AReptilians, obviously. If anything's fishy, always pin it on the reptilians.

Johnny

1AV, V, V... Hate to tell ya this, but reptilians don't exist. Do we need to have a talk about Santa Claus, too?

V

1BFingers crossed for unicorns, actually. Always believed they'd fly down from planet Nibiru and destroy us with rainbow lasers of love.

Johnny

1BYou're adorable. Didn't realize you still had a child-like imagination... and intelligence.

V

1CThe Spanish Inquisition.

Johnny

1CI admit, I didn't expect that.

V

Enough jokin' around. Gotta be quiet, gotta wait.

Johnny

2ANo one... As expected, I guess. Gotta be honest, though... I'm pretty disappointed.

V

2ADon't lose hope yet.

GangHandgun01

2AThis don't sit right with me. I don't trust her.

2AAnyone even know what's on this chip?

GangRifle01

2ANope, and no one wants to know. We take the cash and put this biz behind us.

GangMachete02

2AEnough! Shut it!

GangRifle01

2AThink they'll hear us?

GangMachete02

2ASo you ain't fuckin' caught unaware.

MIB01

2AWhat says the Wolf-Father to the Moon Mother as she descends to Earth?

GangRifle01

2AI have protected the realm of man and shadow, but today they are protected by our children whose name is Patricide.

MIB01

2ACarpe noctem, lamia.

GangRifle01

2ADecet diem exsecrari.

MIB01

2AIn the age of his failure, he became lost in the forest.

GangRifle01

2ALilith has concealed the tenth circle from the ancestors' eyes.

V

2ACan't believe it. There's some actual conspiracy shit goin' down right now!

Johnny

2AI was hopin' for green blood. Life really is nothin' but an endless disappointment.

2AWonder what our prophet'll say about this chip.

GangMachete02

2AWho the fuck's that?

GangRifle01

2AOrders were clear. No witnesses!

V

2AWhoa, whoa, whoa... Someone actually showed! It's Maelstrom!

Johnny

2ATechno-necromancers, then. I knew those reptilians were bullshit.

GangRifle01

Lilith has concealed the tenth circle from the ancestors' eyes.